Apply for a highway excavation licence

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Making a temporary excavation

You can apply for a licence to lift the footway and make a temporary excavation.

This includes:

  • external tanking
  • waterproofing or damp proofing cellars
  • connecting water service pipes to stopcocks under the highway

We will inspect your site before we grant a licence.

If you use scaffolding you will need to comply with lighting requirements.

Licence conditions

  • We won't issue your licence until we receive your deposit. This is based on the estimated cost to permanently reinstate the excavation.
  • When you have finished the excavation work, you need to temporarily re-lay the footway to make sure it's safe for pedestrians. You also need to write to our Customer Services Centre to confirm you have finished the work.
  • As the licence holder you are responsible for keeping the footway in a safe condition until we permanently replace the footway.
  • You must follow all your licence's conditions, including any concerning pedestrian safety. We have the right to permanently refill any excavations in the highway.
  • As the licence holder you must temporarily refill and maintain any excavations until we carry out the permanent repairs.

Apply for a licence

To apply for a licence to lift the footway and make a temporary excavation in the carriageway or footway:

If you would like to receive an accessible version of the file below, please email [email protected]. 

Temporary Structure application form
Temporary Structure application form PDF, 238.54 KB, 2 pages

You can also request an application form:

  • by email: [email protected] with your name and postal address and we will send the application form to you
  • by phone: call 020 7361 2424 to request a form (Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm)

We don't accept faxed or photocopied applications.

We will issue your licence when we receive your deposit.

Costs

Your deposit will be debited for the final reinstatement cost. This means the cost will be whatever is necessary to reinstate the footway plus a 20 per cent administration charge.

If the cost of the work is less than £250, we will add a fixed rate administration charge of £48 to the cost of the work.

We will charge you for any underpayment or refund you with any overpayment after we have finished the permanent reinstatement.    

Last updated: 23 June 2023