Authorities want London-wide permit scheme

03 October 2007

The London boroughs and Transport for London are poised to apply to the Government to operate a capital-wide permit scheme to improve the co-ordination of street and road works.

The London permit working group was studying plans for a scheme that would ‘provide consistency for works promoters while allowing flexibility for local works co-ordinators,’ according to Helena Kakouratos, the group’s chair. The information required by permit applicants would be consistent across the capital – including on the location and duration of works – but there would be the scope for local conditions.

Each London borough could choose whether or not the permit scheme applied to all roads or only busy, ‘traffic sensitive’ streets. Each authority would also be able to attach conditions to suit local circumstances. Kakouratos, and Bob Bayley, TfL’s representative on the group, both stressed that it was the prerogative of each borough whether or not they even joined the scheme.

The time of the works might be specified on busy strategic routes, such as the North Circular, said Bayley, while conditions requiring new technologies – such as steel plates for traffic to traverse trenches – could also reduce disruption. On local roads where residents’ parking spaces were affected, boroughs might want to specify that utilities undertake first-time reinstatements, as opposed to the interim closing of the carriageway, explained Kakouratos. But the final menu of permit conditions would ‘depend on what the boroughs want, and what the DfT allows us to have,’ she stressed, referring to the process that the group would have to go through in applying to run a scheme.

It was undecided whether or not Section 74 overrunning charges would be applied in addition to the permit scheme. But Bayley said the draft regulations appeared to allow this, and highlighted that it was ‘important for co-ordination to know work start and end dates’. The group was considering whether permits would provide ‘a window of opportunity’ or specify a start date.

If the permit regulations are approved by parliament within weeks, as expected, there will be a consultation on the permit scheme prior to an application to the DfT next April.

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