Closing a road for roadworks

We can temporarily close a road to traffic to allow road maintenance or other essential works to take place. For example, for a utility company to lay new gas, water, electricity or phone services.

You can ask us to close a road by applying for a legal order.

Before you apply

Before applying to close a road, consider the following:

• Could you use temporary traffic signals instead of closing the road?
• Have you consulted all residents, businesses, schools, parish councils, bus operators and statutory undertakers?
• Have you contacted a traffic management contractor for signs and barriers to warn road users of the closure and give diversions?

Charges

There charge to close a road is £1288. We’ll send you an invoice for this amount after applying, which you can pay online by debit or credit card.

How to apply

For an emergency road closure call us on 01226 773555 (24 hours).

For a routine closure, fill in our road closure application form and email this to ttro@barnsley.gov.uk. You need to do this at least six weeks before the start date of the closure. This gives us time to issue the order and publish statutory notices on our website and in the Barnsley Chronicle to let people know about the closure.

We'll try to action your request in time for the closure to begin on the date you ask for.

Closing a road for an event, street party, parade or demonstration

You need to apply for permission to close a road for an event such as a:

• demonstration
• parade
• military gathering
• remembrance event
• street market
• street party

You need to give at least six weeks notice for us to process your application.

Before you apply

Before you apply to close a road for an event, consider the following:

• Can your event be held somewhere away from the road?
• Can it be held at a time when traffic flows are lower?
• Does the whole road need to be closed or just part of it?
• Can traffic flow and access continue?
• Have you consulted all residents and businesses who will be affected by the road closure? Any valid objections we receive to your planned event might mean that we can't agree to the road closure going ahead.

How to apply

You can apply to close a road for an event by filling in our road closure for events application form and emailing this to streetworks@barnsley.gov.uk. You should also refer to our road closure for events information sheet.

As well as our permission, to close the road you'll also need:

• public liability insurance to the value of £10 million (as the organiser you're responsible for the safety of the event)
• permission from the police
• a legal order to temporarily close the road
• signs and barriers to warn road users of the closure and give alternative routes (you can get these from a traffic management contractor)

Closing a road permanently

If a road is no longer needed for public use, we can apply to the magistrates' court for an order to permanently close  it under section 116 of the Highways Act 1980. We don't have the power to close a road, street or footpath if it's privately owned or maintained.

Closing a road for development

We can close part of a road permanently to allow development to take place providing the developer has, or may receive, planning permission. You can find this under section 247 or section 257 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

You can apply to permanently close part of a road for development on GOV.UK.