Temporary traffic restrictions for large events on the highway

If you are holding an event type listed, you will be charged a rate dependant on the size.

Type of event	Small	Minor	Significant	Major
Commercial profit making	£260	£330	£410	£540
Non-profit making	£83	£170	£210	£260
Charitable or ceremonial	£28.50	£110	£150	£200

Charges are applied per event within a calendar year. There will be exceptions such as markets with multiple dates which will be charged a single fee per calendar year.

The number of people involved refers to the total staff and estimated visitors. We classify event size as follows:

• small events attract no more than 500 visitors and members of staff
• minor events attract no more than 1000 visitors and members of staff
• significant events attract no more than 5000 visitors and members of staff
• major events attract more than 5000 visitors and members of staff

Any restrictions on traffic and pedestrians which are introduced by anyone other than the Police or Highway Authority, without a Traffic Order, are liable to constitute an obstruction, which is a criminal offence.

Holding an event on the highway requires the event organiser to take extra steps and responsibility. This is for your protection. If you are not familiar with the process or need assistance understanding how these conditions apply to you, please contact us first, for advice and guidance.

Some or all of the following conditions apply, dependent on the individual circumstances and nature of the event to which the approval relates

a. Application and licence (general)

1. Read the council's guidance for those organising events on the highway
2. Applications will be facilitated for events that cannot:
   • suitably be held in any location other than the highway, and
   • cannot be held whilst maintaining normal traffic flow, safely
3. A full and complete application with supporting documentation must be submitted with at least 3 months' notice.
4. Supporting documentation required with an application includes:
   • a valid public liability insurance certificate (minimum £5 million)
   • a detailed traffic signing plan
   • stakeholder engagement document
5. Where at least 3 months' notice cannot be given, reduced application periods must be pre-approved by the council but the council reserves the right to decline any requests.
6. Any changes to the activity necessitating amendments to a licence are communicated to the council at the earliest opportunity.
7. Any changes to the activity necessitating the cancellation of an application are communicated to the council at the earliest opportunity (a refund may not be issued on any payments already made).
8. Any changes to the activity which leads to a material impact on the highway and road users, are communicated to the council at the earliest opportunity.
9. Contact details for administrative use and for use in the event of safety issues should be provided and manned at all times or at a minimum when activities are in progress.
10. Prior to the granting of a licence, if a fee is due, it will need to be paid, in full
11. Any additional terms and conditions for network management needs, agreed on a case-by-case basis with the applicant.
12. A licence can be rejected or revoked, at any time, and without notice:
    • where the council needs to exercise network management duties in the event of unforeseen emergency situations elsewhere on the network
    • should the council have evidence of breaches of conditions in isolation, or more wholesale systemic breaches of conditions over time, which have been warned for, but not addressed

b. Event (general)

1. Organisers must familiarise themselves with guidance information for holding events on the highway.
2. Emergency access to premises will be required during the event and contingency plans must be made to enable obstructions to be removed quickly.
3. All litter and rubbish must be cleared, and any soiling of the street or street furniture cleaned immediately on completion of the event and before the road is re-opened.

c. General traffic management obligations and access during road closures

1. The event organiser is responsible for conducting a comprehensive risk assessment to identify and address any highway-related safety concerns requiring mitigation.
2. In addition to safety risks, steps must be taken to minimise traffic disruption resulting from the event. Where road closures are necessary, suitable diversion routes for through traffic must be planned.
3. If road closures are required, the event organiser needs to consider suitable diversion routes for through traffic.
4. Reasonable access for residents, business and services should be maintained where possible. Pedestrian access through the street or to premises within the street must be maintained at all times including access for disabled people, prams, mobility scooters or any other non-vehicular pedestrian use.
5. Marshals are not permitted to direct traffic on public highways. Only authorised signage may perform this function. The sole exception applies to marshals accredited under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) and granted legal authority by the police to direct traffic.
6. All signs must comply with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD). Signage must be installed in accordance with the Safety at Street Works and Road Works – A Code of Practice.
7. It is recommended that sign installation is undertaken by competent adults, preferably those trained under Sector 12D or who hold NRSWA Unit 10 (Signing and Guarding) certification. Installers must wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), be fully briefed on the signage plan, and understand the associated risks.
8. Consent must be obtained from the council’s street lighting contractor before affixing signs to street lighting infrastructure.
9. Traffic management must be positioned so as not to obstruct visibility at junctions or impede vehicular or pedestrian movement.
10. Traffic management systems must be removed safely and promptly once the event concludes, and the road returned to use. All signs, cones and barriers should be collected no later than two working days following the event.
11. Temporary traffic signals or 'stop/go' boards may be appropriate in certain circumstances, such as to facilitate traffic entering or leaving the event site. These measures require prior approval and a licence from the council.

d. Stakeholder engagement and advance warning

1. Make contact in advance of the event with all individuals and organisations likely to be affected by the proposed restrictions. This includes, but is not limited to, local residents, businesses, and essential service providers.
2. Evidence of this engagement exercise must be submitted as part of the licence application.
3. Should any changes be made to the event proposals, the organiser must ensure that stakeholder engagement reflects these updates and that all relevant parties are kept informed.
4. The council will provide copies of the Traffic Order authorising the permitted road closures and restrictions. Unless otherwise instructed, the organiser must display the public notices in clearly visible locations at each end of the affected roads no fewer than two weeks before the event.
5. Install advance warning signs—preferably one to two weeks prior to the event—to alert road users to potential delays. These signs should be yellow with black lettering.

c. Insurances, costs and liability

1. Promptly reimburse the council for any costs incurred arising from any claims made.
2. The council accepts no liability for any claims or loss, damage, injury, or death arising from the event or the road closure.
3. Where the council agrees to facilitate an activity, the council accepts no liability for any claims or loss, however arising, from needing to accommodate statutory works of an urgent or emergency nature
4. Special events attracting hundreds or thousands of visitors come with significant risk and public liability insurance is essential

f. Privacy policy

1. Personal data and contact details contained within an application, will be used by Dorset Council in accordance with our privacy notice.
2. If you do not consent to our use of personal data, then we may not be able to fulfil requests.

Timescales

Complete applications must be received at least three months before the proposed licence start date.

Refer to local and national support and guidance

• public events planning (Dorset Council)
• guidance for those organising an event on, or affecting the public highway in Dorset (Dorset Council)
• Home Office Event Safety Guide (National)
• Health and Safety Executive - Managing crowds safely (National)

The SAG provides an informal process which can offer you guidance and advice on your event. It is not a statutory role but SAG members include council services and partner agencies. We recommended that you contact the SAG if you are planning an event that involves a large number of spectators, road closures, or excessive noise.

Contact people and businesses affected by traffic management

Your traffic management proposals might affect access to buildings, local businesses, local bus services or any number of other interests.

Download an engagement exercise document

You need to include the completed engagement document when you apply for a road closure.

Stakeholders include:

• locally affected residents and businesses
• town and parish councils
• all emergency services; police, fire, ambulance
• council services including recycling and rubbish collections and school transport

Important notes for engagement::

• should any adverse comments in relation to the traffic management proposals be received, these should be resolved by the event organiser
• should the organiser be unable to resolve any genuine disputes with mitigation, or if the council believes an inadequate level of engagement has been carried out, then traffic management proposals could be altered or an application could be refused
• not all stakeholders listed in the document will be affected by all restrictions. You can mark them as not applicable (n/a) if this is the case
• contact us if you'd like advice on engaging with stakeholders

Please contact trafficteam@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk if you require the document in an alternative format.

Arrange for approved signing and traffic management

You will need to arrange all the necessary traffic management systems, including barriers, signs and cones.

Contact a traffic management company to handle all the signage setup. While we can’t recommend a specific provider, a quick online search for “traffic management companies in Dorset” should give you a good starting point.

Check if other road activities are taking place in the area

Check our planned roadworks and events map to make sure there are no other events or roadworks planned in the area.

Check if you need other permissions

You need to apply for any other licences separately, even if we agree to a temporary traffic restriction for the event. For example:

• you may need a temporary event notice (TEN) if you want to serve or sell alcohol, or provide food, drink or entertainment after 11pm
• you must also inform the council if you want to erect bunting, decorative flags, or decorative lighting over the public highway for your event
• if you need to use temporary traffic control signals such as stop/go boards or lights, you need to apply for a separate licence

Holding an event on the highway requires the event organiser to take extra steps and responsibility. This is for your protection. If you are not familiar with the process or need assistance understanding how these requirements apply to you, please contact us first, for advice and guidance.

It should take no more than 10 minutes to submit an application.

When you apply, you will need to provide licence details, details of the restrictions to be introduced and supporting documents - including: 

• a valid email address which will be used for correspondence, payment and the email address to which the licence approval will be sent
• the nature of the restrictions to be introduced and the activities being undertaken
• the type of event being held and the number of staff and visitors involved
• the timings and dates when the restrictions will be in force
• an advertising number which will be used for public notices and enquiries (this must be available 24/7 or at least when restrictions are in force)
• arrangements for any diversions
• illustrative plans which clearly indicate
  • the extent of road subject to restrictions
  • a diversion route (if appropriate)
  • a signing schedule
• public liability insurance (minimum £5 million)
• the completed engagement document described in the previous section

Holding an event on the highway requires the organiser to take extra steps and responsibility. This is for your protection. If you are not familiar with the process or need assistance understanding how these requirements apply to you, please contact us first, for advice and guidance.

Apply now

You will receive an automated acknowledgement by email usually within 30 minutes. Please make note of the reference number provided which should be used in all correspondence related to the licence.

Due to the nature of these requests, we review applications based on the lead-times given and restriction start dates - not necessarily in the order in which they are received.

Keeping you informed of progress

You will receive email updates as your application progresses through different stages of assessment.

Payment

We will not request payment until we have assessed your application and are ready to approve your licence.

Should your application be approved, you will receive an email with the total amount payable and directions to make payment.

We offer the following methods of payment for this licence:

• a secure payment facility to pay by credit or debit card over the phone
• other methods when an applicant is unable to pay over the phone

If anything changes

If you need to update your application, your licence or cancel it altogether, at any time, you must let us know. Your acknowledgement email will tell you how to do this.