Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders restrict public highway activities for a set time. Public highway refers to areas accessible to everyone.
This is for things like road works or public events. 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 work on the highway. This includes installing or maintaining gas, electricity, and water services.
- 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 three-month gap between consecutive Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders on the same roads.
Apply for a Temporary Road Closure
Permanent Road Closures
We can permanently close lengths of public highways. That's any area the public can pass over. 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. Use Stopping Up Orders when a public highway is no longer needed or when 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.
To stop up or divert the highway, an order is needed. It must be made under the Highways Act 1980. If for a planning permission, use the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.