Highways Application Info - Made Simple
Hi, I’m Fay... the creator of Office Beetle and your friendly NRSWA highways permit wrangler.
I built this page to help property developers and Streetworks contractors (and anyone else tackling roadworks) find the right council for highways applications. Whether you’re applying for a Section 50 licence or a Temporary Road Closure (TTRO), this is your shortcut to council contacts, fees, and processing times. I’ve started with Cambridgeshire, Bedford Borough, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, West Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes and Central Bedfordshire... and I’ll keep adding more as I go.
Council Application Fees & Timelines Table
Section 50 Licence & Temporary Road Closure (TTRO) Fees
Here’s a side by side view of Section 50 Licence and Temporary Road Closure (TTRO) fees, plus how long each council takes to process them (spoiler: it varies wildly).
I’ve pulled this info from council websites, forms, and a few very polite emails.
Use it to plan ahead, budget better, and avoid last-minute surprises.
Councils Currently Listed
If your council’s not listed yet, drop me a message and I’ll prioritise adding it.
Additional costs to bear in mind:
- Council Bonds. Although these are returnable after 2-3 years, they can add significantly to a project's budget and they usually need to be requested back after the duration of the holding period.
- Excavations over 200 metres long usually incur additional charges
- Amendment administration fees for any changes (like rescheduling dates because it conflicts with your project that's overrunning!)
- Section 104 (Water Industry Act 1991) / Adoption fees - Although this is voluntary, some Councils will not part with the Section 50 licence if you don't have this agreement in place with the Water company!
- Road closure fees (TTRO). Councils may hold a highways meeting and stipulate that the road must be closed. As you can see from the table above, these do not come cheap and they add a significant amount of time before you can break ground.
- Traffic management costs. This may include CAD drawings, visits to the site, Advance Warning Signs, letters to residents and signage.
Council Lookup Tool
Not sure who handles the highways application?
Pop in the site postcode and I’ll point you to the right place—because clicking through five tabs just to find the right department is so last season.
Apply for your highways licence with Office Beetle
Need help submitting your application?
If you’d like help submitting your application... I offer a friendly, done for you service. Just get in touch and I’ll handle the admin while you focus on the build. I can also help with getting a Section 106 of the Water Industry Act 1991 granted and/or Water Connections and help to apply for Section 278 works or Dropped Kerbs.