Kent County Council has launched a third consultation on a draft permit scheme, after utilities highlighted that it was not compliant with new criteria for sending information on works electronically.
The councils had scaled back its permit scheme proposals after the National Joint Utilities Group argued that permits ‘should be focused on the streets where they will deliver the greatest benefits for the lowest cost’ (Surveyor, 21 August 2008).
However, Kent Joint Utilities Group, responding to the second consultation on the revised scheme, welcomed the removal of the requirement to submit permits for non-traffic sensitive, category three and four roads.
However, it asked: ‘How will this work? Kent JUG had serious concerns that the scheme is unworkable under the EtoN 5 scheme. On the National Street Gazeteer, there is no differentiation between road categories.’ The new EToN 5 specification was published in October.
In response, Kent is now proposing in the third consultation that permits will need to be obtained for all roads, but that the authority will treat applications for permits on minor roads as if they were notices.
No charge will be payable, and the basic information required will be ‘virtually the same as that required for a notice under the New Roads and Street Works Act, so the resources required to submit an application will be the same’.
While Kent has pledged to ‘follow an approach of discussion’ where there are problems with works on minor roads, it will retain the option of issuing fixed-penalty notices.
NJUG and Kent CC issued a joint statement saying they had ‘collaborated to produced a workable and effective permit scheme’.
Richard Wakelen, NJUG chief executive, said: ‘NJUG is pleased to have worked with Kent to draft this scheme and hopes to replicate this experience with other authorities, offering our expertise to assist councils in drafting informed proposals for government approval.’
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