Highways managing building works
Managing building works
The London Borough of Barnet is a highly sought-after area and an attractive place to live, so the amount of building works and housing developments are high.
Construction activity can be inconvenient for neighbours, road users and pedestrians. It can also cause costly damage to the highway network. Repairing damage caused by construction activities can cause further inconvenience for road users and be costly to fix. It is therefore important that you take steps to minimise damage to highways when accessing your site.
Our Highway Inspection Team assess all construction sites before work begins, during the works and post completion, taking photographs to record the state of the highways. If any damage is noted and thought to be safety critical, our Term Maintenance Contractor will carry out temporary repairs, and arrangements will be made for a permanent repair.
Where damage to the highway has been caused by activities relating to building works, we will recover the full cost of repair from the property owner, as permitted under Section 133 of the Highways Act 1980.
Please do not be tempted to carry out repairs to the highway yourself, only Barnet’s approved contractors can carry out work on the public highway.
What to do before starting any building works
You should consider if your work will use or infringe upon the public highway. This may include, but is not restricted to;
- buildings with scaffold on the footway
- cranes working on the public highway require a licence. Cranes that move over, or over sail, the highway need a specific Over Sailing Licence)
- site hoarding fencing that is erected within 1 metre of the footway
- building materials being stored on the highway
- HGV vehicles crossing the footway to enter a site
If your building or construction project requires any of the above, you must apply for a Highways Licence to facilitate your work safely.
You can find more information, charges, and apply for licences using this link Highways Licences page.
Using a skip
All licences for skip hire are issued directly to skip companies only. If you are required to hire a skip, you must organise this directly through a registered skip company. The Highways Licences link above gives more details on requirements.
Note, if the property sits in a CPZ area and you need to store a skip or building materials on the highway, you must apply for a parking suspension which needs to be in place before Depositing anything on the Highway. Details about getting a parking suspension.
Accessing the site using large vehicles driving across the footway
Domestic crossovers, providing access to resident’s property for light domestic use, have a load maximum of 3500kg and are, therefore, not suitable for skip vehicle deliveries, heavy goods vehicles or access to major site developments. For guidance on domestic crossovers, visit our domestic crossover page.
In many cases, a temporary crossover, known as a ‘habitual crossover’, will need to be created to facilitate access to the site. Visit the Highways Licences page before starting any works. This clarifies where highways authority approval is required, at what stage in the process, and advises how you can apply for the appropriate licence.
Be considerate at all times
All work in Barnet should be conducted in a considerate and respectful manner. We operate and actively promote a Considerate Builders Scheme which aims to promote high standards on and around building sites. All sites, both large and small, are encouraged to join the Scheme, and should comply with the Considerate Constructor code of good practice.
be safe
Carry out all works with the utmost care for the safety of passers-by, as well as your workers – including driving vehicles on and off the site.
Consider access to the site, where it is identified access to site includes crossing the footway by vehicle you should apply for a habitual crossover. Keep all machinery in safe working order, regularly checking all structures and keeping any signage clear.
be considerate
Carry out all work with consideration for residents, footway users, businesses, and road users with every effort to minimise disturbances. Consider the needs of those with visual impairments, hearing or mobility difficulties and pay attention to the needs of wheelchair users or those pushing prams or pushchairs.
be responsible
It is the responsibility of the main contractor and property owner to ensure all those working on the site comply with the code of practice. Encourage workers to take pride in their site and follow the principles of our construction good practice.
Take appropriate steps to minimise damage to the highway during construction projects.
Contact us
For general enquiries, including reporting damage caused by development, please contact the Highways Department:
Telephone: 020 8359 3555