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Licence - scaffolding and hoarding

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Licence - scaffolding and hoarding

Scaffolding and hoarding licences

Information about scaffolding and hoarding licences.

When carrying out any building work/maintenance or removal of any part of a property which is adjacent to the public highway (road, pavement or rear lane), the safety of all users of the highway must be considered.

This is achieved by providing safe areas at ground level or a platform at high level. When it is necessary to place hoardings on the highway around the place of work or scaffolding, permission is necessary and can be obtained from the Council, on completion of a form together with a sketch. Once permission has been granted, the conditions attached to the licence must be carefully read and kept to at all times.

The basic requirements of the conditions are as follows:

Hoardings:

To be a minimum of 2.5m high and to be able to withstand high winds.
Illumination may be required if street lighting is not adequate.
Must have a smooth finish with no protruding parts.
Pedestrian walkways of satisfactory width are to be maintained or provided and regularly inspected by the Contractor.

Scaffolding:

During the erection or dismantling period, a safe working area at ground level is required to be provided to prevent pedestrians gaining access - this means that in the Town Centre, this work is to be carried out outside normal working hours, i.e. after 6.00pm or before 8.00am on a Sunday.
Will require illumination unless no part of it is less than 0.45m (18 inches) from a carriageway in a horizontal direction and no part of it over a footway is less than 2.4m (8 feet) above the footway.
Pedestrian walkway to be maintained around the scaffold. If this cannot be arranged, it requires to be designed to allow access under and through the scaffold safely - no trip hazards, no projecting tubes or fittings, covered adequately to provide a working platform and prevent materials or debris falling through. Poles to be highlighted. A reasonable free walking width must be maintained to enable persons in wheelchairs/prams, etc, to pass the scaffold safely.

We have the necessary powers to issue licences for scaffolding; to require erection of hoardings to separate building works from the street; and to ensure hoardings are securely erected. Failure to do this is in contravention of Section 172 and Section 173 of the Highways Act 1980) Copies of the Highways Act 1980 can be purchased from Her Majesty's Stationery Office.