Scaffolding and hoarding licence

When carrying out any building work, maintenance, or removing part of a property next to a public road, pavement or rear lane, the safety of people on the road is paramount.

You must provide safe areas at ground level or a platform at high levels. When it is necessary to place hoardings on the road/pavement around the place of work or scaffolding, you need to obtain permission from the council by completing a form together with a sketch. If you get permission, please read it carefully and make sure you adhere to all the conditions of the licence.

Basic requirements

Restrictions to applications related to the Olympics

The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 sets out a requirement for local highway authorities, local traffic authorities and street authorities to notify, and gain approval from, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) before exercising a function which might reasonably be expected to affect the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Transport. The Games Act 2006 also has a requirement for ODA consent for Traffic Regulation Orders, made by traffic authorities under the Games Act 2006, on the Olympic Route Network.

To see how this will affect your application read the full note here

How to apply

1. Complete our online form to book your Street Care Officer visit.  Please retain your reference number, as you can use this to enquire on the progress of your application by calling Streetline on 0207 364 5004.
2. When the Officer visits he will fill in a form with the applicant and highlight any additional safety measures and calculate the fees the structure will cost. The form is signed by both parties as an agreement to the information stated. Please note it may take 2-4 weeks to set up a visit depending on work volumes, so plan in advance.
3. Decide how to make payment: cheque via post or credit card over the phone to our payments team. All cheques with/and applications to be posted to:    Temporary Structures Applications, Clean & Green 4^th Flr, Anchorage House, 5 Clove Crescent, E14 2BE.
4. We will post you a license which you must be able to present on request from an authorised Street Care Officer

To request your deposit back

Send us a formal letter, with the business address on it, and the license number quoted clearly and post to the following address:  

LBTH Public Realm Admin
4^th Floor Anchorage House
2 Clove Crescent E14 2BE.

Please note that once we receive your request, we still need to visit the site to inspect the highway. It may take up to six weeks to process a deposit return request.

Additional guidance:

• If you require a temporary road closure.
• If you require a temporary crossover please email:  Wajid.Majid@towerhamlets.gov.uk
• If you require parking bay suspension.
• If you require a skip license. 

Enforcement

The council has the powers to:

• Issue licences for scaffolding
• To require erection of hoardings to separate building works from the street
• To ensure that hoardings are securely erected

Contravention and penalties

The maximum fines for contraventions are:

• £5,000 for non-compliance with scaffolding licence
• £1,000 plus £2 per day for contravention of Section 172 of the Highways Act 1980
• £200 plus £1 per day for contravention of Section 173 of the Act

Copies of the Highways Act 1980 can be purchased from the Office of Public Sector Information or accessed online via http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66.

Contact us:

By phone or email:

Tel: 020 7364 5004
Email: generalenquiries@towerhamlets.gov.uk

By post:

LBTH Clean and Green
4^th Floor Anchorage House
2 Clove Crescent E14 2BE

For payments over the phone:

020 7364 6633/3119