Road closure applications: 

Applications made on behalf of a charity or not-for-profit organisation have previously not been charged for. However, from 1 April 2025 an administration fee of £240 (£200 plus VAT) applies to all applications. Please use the Street Party, Charity and Not-for-Profit road closure form. If you have any queries on whether you are eligible as ‘not-for-profit’ please contact the Licensing team via eventroadclosures@winchester.gov.uk.

With effect from 1 April 2025, if you are not a charity or not for profit/ community organisation, there will be charge of £660 (£550 plus VAT) for road closures applications. Please use the Event road closure form.

On receipt of your application we will check the information supplied is sufficient to understand why the road closure application has been made, and how the closure and event will be managed. If this is not clear from the provided information we will query this and it will delay processing of your application. If the required information is not supplied the application will be declined.

For the closure to go ahead the majority of affected businesses and residents should be in favour.  If we receive significant objections prior to the event taking place and we may withdraw consent for the closure.

Once we have sufficient information to consult we will forward your application and supporting documents to the Highway Authority (Hampshire County Council), the Police, Safety Advisory Group (SAG), and HCC Passenger Transport for their comment.

Please note whilst we will advise on your traffic management plan, ultimately you are responsible for ensuring it is legally compliant and suitable. It may be that a traffic management consultant would need to design it.

In terms of processing the legal order, providing no significant concerns are raised by consultees, we will make an Order allowing you to legally close the specified section(s) of road.

Please note depending on the appropriate road closure legislation, advertisements in the local press may be required, any costs will be borne by the event organiser in addition to any application fees.

Once the Order has been made we will:
•    confirm in writing that the order to close the road for your road has been made 
•    provide the legal order by email - *see below
•    Notify stakeholders and put a copy on our website

*The event organiser will be required to arrange for laminated copies of the legal order to put up on site at least one to two weeks before the event, we may specify the locations.

As event organiser you are responsible for planning and holding the event safely and with minimum disruption to other highway users.

It is your responsibility to:

•    display laminated copies of the legal order;
•    provide information on how the road closure will be managed, e.g. locations of any signs and barriers to be used, and emergency access arrangements (see Traffic Management Plan section below);
•    ensure traffic management to implement the road closure (e.g. signage/barriers etc.) complies with relevant legislation - Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD 2016) and Safety at Street Works and Road Works, A Code of Practice (Red Book). This may require consulting a traffic management consultant;
•    include Advance Warning Signs in you closure plans.  They provide advance notice of your closure to road users.  They should be erected, a minimum of one week, ideally 2 weeks, before the event, at each closure point. The signs should have a bright yellow background with large black text. The text should be clear and concise as possible and include a contact number for members of the public should they have any enquiries.
Suggested wording: ‘ROAD CLOSED / ‘EVENT TYPE’ (e.g. street party, carnival) / DATE/ TIMES / CONTACT NUMBER [your telephone number]’;
•    ensure that the erection and dismantling of the required traffic management is carried out by competent and trained individuals, using the processes described in the Red Book.  On request WCC Special Maintenance department may be able to quote for the supply and installation of the traffic management measures in your plan. However this should not be assumed to be available;
•    contact all residents and businesses directly affected by the event in writing well in advance of the closure (ideally consulting before applying as well to gauge support).  Please note for the closure to go ahead the majority should be in favour. and we may withdraw consent for the event if we receive significant objections prior to the event taking place.
•    ensure that access to premises within the closure is maintained at all times (include details in the Traffic Management plan).  The event organiser must include details of how access is to be maintained for these people in their Traffic Management Plan (see section below)
•    deciding whether to arrange Public Liability Insurance (a minimum of £10million in any one claim) to provide protection to third parties who may be injured or harmed by or as a result of the event;
•    comply with any measures required to minimise the impact of your event closure on buses, e.g. provision of temporary bus stops, notices in advance on bus stops;
•    contact the Winchester City Council waste collection service if the closure will affect bin collections 

A Traffic Management (TM) plan is a document which explains how the traffic impacts of your event are going to be managed, e.g. signing so road users know an upcoming road is closed. For some closures a diversion route may be required, as event Organiser you would be responsible for providing and installing signing.

Signs on the highway direct and advise users of upcoming hazards and what is expected of them. Therefore they have to be of a consistent design and use, nationwide, this is ensured by following Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD 2016) for sign design and Safety at Street Works and Road Works, A Code of Practice (Red Book) for their use in this circumstance.

The TSRGD 2016 specifies all of the sign designs that are permitted to be used on the highway.  Any signs used for your event should comply with the designs specified.

The Red Book is government guidance on how the signs and road markings should be used in temporary situations (such as event closures) on lower speed roads (<40 mph).

A good thing to keep in mind when considering what signing is required is:

WILL SOMEONE APPROACHING YOUR EVENT, FROM ANY DIRECTION, ON THE ROAD OR FOOTWAY, UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THEM?

For smaller events the traffic management information may just be supplied a plan (on an online print out or we can provide one on your request) with: 
•    the area of the closure marked (shaded/ outlined/ hatched)
•    the locations of any signs e.g. Advanced Information/ Warning, Road Closed, Road Ahead Closed, Diversion
•    locations of any barriers, cones etc. to be used
•    the diversion route (if one is required)
•    PLUS an explanation of how the signing etc will be installed (successful events are all down to planning) and how resident and emergency access will be provided.

When the road is clear, the cones will be put across the road, with the Road Closed sign in front. We will make sure that someone is always close enough to the closure point to move the cones/ sign if access is required by a resident or emergency services. If for resident access they will walk the car through the closure. If for emergency access they will alert anyone in the area to facilitate clearing the road. Once our event is over we’ll remove the cones and signing, with appropriate care of the traffic.

E.G. Key: Yellow highlighted section is area of closure
Red line is location of cones and ‘Road Closed’ sign
Black dot is location of the Advanced Warning Sign, put out 2 weeks before the event, on the street light (with prior permission), and removed before the closure starts.

 

For small events (e.g. street parties, playing out sessions, carnival parades etc.) the following would generally be applicable: 
•    Anyone setting out or removing signs needs to be deemed ‘competent’ in accordance with Safety at Street Works and Road Works, A Code of Practice (Red Book) which provides the following definition:
“Competent person” means a person who has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him or her to undertake the task referred to.
•    Advance Warning Signs – information signs to be erected, a minimum of one week, ideally 2 weeks, before the event, at each closure point.  The signs should have a bright yellow background with large black text. The text should be clear and concise as possible and include a contact number for members of the public should they have any enquiries.  Suggested wording: ‘ROAD CLOSED / ‘EVENT TYPE’ (e.g. street party, carnival) / DATE/ TIMES / CONTACT NUMBER [your telephone number]’.
•    Road Closed signs (Large red background with white text ‘Road Closed’) and cones or barriers at closure points. 
•    Road Ahead Closed signs may be necessary depending on the visibility of the closure point and road layout.  If required, these would normally be located at a junction prior to the closure this should stop drivers turning at the closure point.
•    Diversion signs – a diversion route may be required for some closures, it would be signed using yellow background, black arrow signs.
•    All signs on the public highway must be placed so as not to obstruct sight lines at junctions, or obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
•    Any signs placed on lamp columns on the public highway must obtain permission from the County Councils Street Lighting Contractor (TPA@enerveo.com)
•    Marshals - man closure points and advise traffic about the closure/ alternative routes etc.  Marshals and those people with other responsibilities at the party need to be easily identifiable to all.  Please note they must not direct traffic on the public highway, only traffic marshals with police CSAS accreditations can do this. If you do not have CSAS accredited marshals the traffic is directed by the signing.
•    All traffic management measures on the public highway must be removed safely as soon as possible after the event has cleared the road, and before it is reopened.
•    Emergency Access – Emergency access to premises may be required during the party and contingency plans must be made to enable obstructions to emergency vehicles to be removed quickly.
•    Resident Access - Residents/ businesses requiring vehicle access during the closure should be escorted by a marshal through the closure at walking pace.

Signs can be bought online or hired from various companies. If you don’t know anybody appropriately trained to put the signing out (e.g. someone who works for a traffic management company). On request WCC Special Maintenance department may be able to quote for the supply and installation of the traffic management measures in your plan.  However this should not be assumed to be available

Event organisers should consider what will happen in the event of an emergency and what arrangements are necessary to allow emergency services onto or through the event site.  Please consider both the possibility of emergencies happening at the event, or within the closure area, and include access arrangements in the Traffic Management Plan.

The impacts of temporary closures can be minimised by good advance notification via-
•    Prior Consultation
•    Advance Warning Signs put up at closure points 1-2 weeks before.
•    Information letters to affected properties providing contact information for the event organiser including emergency contacts for when the event is in operation.
•    Depending on the appropriate road closure legislation, advertisements in the local press may be required, any costs will be borne by the event organiser in addition to any application fees.

You must also inform Hampshire County Council if you wish to erect cables, banners, decorative flags, or decorative lighting over the public highway for your event.  A licence for these will be required, but this licence fee and requirement for Public Liability Insurance may be waived if the event is a small street parties or an event of civic importance. Click here and select ‘Apply for a banner consent’. You must comply with any requirements or advice HCC may give you.

The event organiser should also regularly check on the One.Network website to identify any works that they might consider to have an impact on the event or traffic attending the event. Usefully, anyone can create an account with one.network which allows you to select an area to receive alerts about. This is a easy way to be kept aware of any works which might impact on your event.

Public liability insurance for £10 million is required for all temporary road closures applications, except street parties and playing out sessions, to provide protection to third parties who may be injured or harmed by or as a result of the event.

For street parties and playing out sessions it is for the organisers to decide whether to arrange this cover.  The following government webpage gives some guidance on the things to consider in this decision.

If you are seeking to close a road for a community street party, please read and follow the following guidance.

A written risk assessment is not required for small street parties but you may wish to minimise things going wrong and have a back up plan for example, to consider what you would do in bad weather. A few sensible do's and don'ts to ensure your safety are included below:

DO's:

1. Make someone responsible for lifting any road closure barriers to allow vehicular access to properties unaffected by the party, or for the emergency services.
2. Always ensure there is clear access for the emergency services i.e. police, fire and ambulance. (NB. If you can not provide clear access to your property your home insurance may be affected)
3. Order beer in plastic barrels and use plastic glasses, plastic bottles and cans to prevent breakages (and washing up!).
4. Make sure any electrical equipment used outside is properly earthed and connected to an RCD or circuit breaker.
5. Make sure any temporary structures such as marquees and canopies are securely and safely fixed down. Any guy ropes should be visibly marked to reduce trips.
6. Ensure a basic first aid box is available to deal with minor cuts and grazes.
7. Keep young children away from any barbecue or hot cooking equipment.
8. Remember the neighbours and other residents. If music is getting loud turn it down to prevent causing a nuisance to others. Avoid playing loud music that could disturb neighbours after 11pm.
9. Walk round the area to check for any hazards or dangers from the party, which may cause accident or injury.

DON'T:

1. Take glasses or glass bottles into the street to prevent broken glass causing injury.
2. Leave doors and windows of your house unlocked whilst you're out in the street. Burglars may still be on the lookout for an open invitation.

Most street parties won't need a licence. However , if you intend to sell alcohol, provide regulated entertainment to the public, or charge money for your event, you may need to submit a Temporary Event Notice or apply for a Premises Licence. Please visit www.winchester.gov.uk/licensing for further information. If you wish to check whether a licence is required for your event, please email licensing@winchester.gov.uk or phone 01962 848 188. 

Event road closure orders can be found in the ‘Temporary Traffic Regulation Order’ section here.