Event Road Closure
If you are planning to hold a parade, demonstration, sporting, social or entertainment event or a street party you may require the temporary closure of a road.
Applying for an event road closure
In consultation with relevant agencies such as Surrey Police and Surrey County Council (SCC), we have the power to temporarily close a road for public events, such as street parties, or processions held on a road.
If you have any questions, contact partnerships@molevalley.gov.uk
Applying for a road closure to hold a street party is a simple application process as long as no main routes or bus services are disrupted.
You may also wish to close the road for the following:
- seasonal events such as bonfire and Christmas celebrations
- shopping events and markets
- commemorative and remembrance events
Making an application
Before making your application, you must consult in writing with all residents and businesses affected by the proposed closure. You may also need to consider the impact of a road closure on any residents who receive care at home.
If there are substantial objections, we reserve the right to reject an application. Bus companies may reject a request to close a road or impose a charge where this requires bus services to be cancelled or diverted.
It is your responsibility to gain the agreement of the bus companies before submitting your road closure application.
You will need to submit the following, at least eight weeks before your event:
- a completed application form
- event management plan
- traffic management plan
- risk assessment
- consultation notice and responses
The eight week minimum period is to carry out consultation, receive proof of public liability insurance, consider and negotiate the event in the light of comments, and to allow time for the application to be taken to the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) if necessary.
The minimum notice period required to apply to close a main road is 12 weeks. You do not need to ask permission to close a private road, but it is recommended to consult with all residents and to ensure that there is access for emergency vehicles.
Apply for an Event Road Closure ›
Next steps
We will check all the necessary documentation and carry out duties outlined in the Conditions of a Road Closure.
Providing there are no significant objections, a copy of the Closure Certificate will be sent to the applicant.
The applicant will need
- to make laminated copies of the certificate and display them in the street at least a week before the date of the road closure
- obtain ‘road closed’ signs and perhaps other signage depending on the scale and length of the closure. These can be downloaded free of charge from the Streets Alive website.
Costs
There are no fees.
We expect applicants to meet the costs of any responsibilities they must undertake to comply with the ‘Conditions of a Road Closure‘.
Sporting events
If a road closure is required for a larger event such as a sporting event then you will need to make an application to SCC.
Find out more on the SCC: Organising road closures for sporting events.
Closing a main road
If you are planning to close a main road such as Dorking High Street then you are advised to contact us six months prior to your event so that we can advise you on what you will be required to do.
The following finalised documents will need to be submitted no later than 12 weeks prior to the event:
- an event management plan
- traffic management plan
- risk assessment
- insurance certificate
- consultation notice and responses
To ensure that your event happens in a safe and well managed way you will need to consider the following points in advance of making an application to close any ‘A’ or main road:
- closing a main road such as a High Street is not something the council does routinely but has the power under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 to close for special occasions relating to public ‘thronging and rejoicing’. We can not close any road for sporting events. For these types of event contact SCC
- before you set out applying for a road closure you should first consider the costs that are involved. These will be for things such as signage, first aid provision, public liability cover and equipment associated with stewarding such as hi-vis jackets. There is no charge for the closure process itself but the related costs could be in the region of between £1000 and £2000
- you will then need to appoint a designated ‘Event Organiser’ and Event Manager. The Event Organiser would be the organisation or individual (where no organisation is involved) and the Event Manager would be a nominated appropriate individual responsible for delivering the event/road closure. The Event Manager would liaise with the council and other stakeholders throughout the process. We strongly advise that you start your planning early, approximately six months prior to the road closure/event depending on the resources available to your organisation
- the council has developed a pack to help applicants understand the resource and logistical implications of organising a successful event and road closure on a High Street/main road, this can be requested by emailing partnerships@molevalley.gov.uk
- once these steps have been undertaken you should complete the road closure application form and event notification form
- once all the forms have been completed and returned you should start the planning process using the guidance pack and templates we sent you. We require you to send us all the completed template documents and supporting annexes twelve weeks before the planned closure so that the council can begin the process of consultation with the SAG
- in terms of logistics for closing Dorking High Street as an example, you will require at least 40 stewards, 30 – 40 advanced notification signs, there are over 300 businesses to write to and consult together with numerous residential properties and both bus and taxi companies to inform/negotiate with, you will need to consider deployment and installation of signage, diversion and road closed signs, first aid provision, £10 million of liability insurance cover and communications equipment such as hand held radios. Some of the signage can be borrowed from the council but this is not guaranteed and is dependent on availability. *This list is not exhaustive
- Risk management and liability for the event is entirely the responsibility of the ‘Event Organiser’. If the council and SAG feel that the risks have not been adequately managed and controlled then the road closure will not be authorised and a Letter of Objection to the event will be issued by the SAG
- subject to SAG approval of all the requisite documentation and following consultation and broad agreement, the SAG will issue a ‘Letter of No Objection’ and a Road Closure Certificate will be issued to the applicant by the council for display in and around the event area
For more information, please contact partnerships@molevalley.gov.uk or phone 01306 885001.