Temporary Road Closures
Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs) allow us to temporarily restrict or prohibit activity on the public highway (any area over which the public have the right to pass or repass) such as during road works or a public event. Public highways include a public footbath, public cycle track, or byways open to all traffic.
We can use Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders to:
- Cover a planned situation, or an Urgent Notice, if a restriction is needed immediately for an unplanned situation;
- Allow essential works to be carried out on the highway, such as installation of, or maintenance works to, services such as gas, electricity, or water;
- Undertake works next to the highway, including large developments;
- Enable events or street parties to take place.
Common types of Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders include:
- Road closures;
- Waiting restrictions, including yellow lines;
- Weight restrictions;
- Turning restrictions;
- One-way restrictions;
- Speed limit;
- Prohibition of entry.
A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order can operate for a maximum period of 18 months. A public right of way (including field footpaths) may be closed for up to a maximum of six months. There must be a gap of three months between consecutive Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders affected by the same length of roads.
Apply for a Temporary Road Closure
Permanent Road Closures
We are able to permanently close lengths of public highway (any area over which the public have the right to pass or repass). A public highway may be adopted and maintained by a council, or may be unadopted and privately maintained. It includes roads, carriageways, footpaths, footways, bridleways and cycle tracks, and may include any verges or landscaped areas associated with them.
We use a Stopping Up Order to permanently close lengths of the public highway. The term Stopping Up means that once the order is made, the highway will no longer exist. Stopping Up Orders can be used when a public highway is no longer required or where an alternative route is proposed. Stopping Up removes the highway rights that exist on the land and control of the land reverts back to the landowner.
Before you apply for a Stopping Up order
The applicant is responsible for ensuring they have carried out the necessary searches to ascertain who the owner of the land is. In many cases the highway authority does not own the land beneath the highway. The land may form part of an adjacent landowner’s title, may be separately owned by a third party, or there may be no owner. We advise applicants to seek independent legal advice where an owner does not exist in order to ascertain any rights over the land.
Stopping Up and diversion of the highway requires an order to be made either under the Highways Act 1980 or, where the Stopping Up/diversion is required in order to implement a planning permission, the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.