7. Streetworks
Oldham Council coordinates street works to minimise disruptions, ensuring efficient resource management and shared road space accessibility. The council adheres to statutory guidelines, including the New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) 1991, Highways and Utilities Commissions (HAUC) Guidance Procedures 2025, and the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Code of Practice for Street Works Inspections 2023, which outline the responsibilities of utility companies and the regulatory duties of the Highway Authority.
Oldham Council is part of the Greater Manchester Road Activity Permit Scheme (GMRAPS). This provides consistency and a joined-up approach to co-ordination in the Greater Manchester region. Anyone wishing to undertake roadworks must apply for a permit, which allows us to assess their plans, direct timings and even add conditions to minimise the disruption to the travelling public. The council publishes a weekly road works bulletin, which lists major roadworks in the borough, annonuncing the times and dates of the work and type of traffic management that can be expected. This is distributed to Councillors and other key stakeholders and is published on the Council website. The Council also issues, press releases and regular social media updates to keep stakeholders informed. All road works are also published on the GM roadworks website.
Furthermore, to stop our resurfaced roads from being dug up we also notify utility companies before we start to see if they have planned works, which can be undertaken before ours. We are also looking to be a Lane Rental authority where we can charge a daily rate for works on our busiest roads during the busiest times. This should incentivise organisations that undertake roadworks by making them think about how they intend to carry out their works and look for innovative ways to avoid the charge by using no dig techniques, collaborating with other roadworks or working outside of the peak periods.