August 2, 2019
What you need to know about road restrictions (when hiring a skip)
North London residents hiring a skip to help with a building project are advised to contact their local council in good time, to ensure they understand the rules about placing a skip on the public road in their area.
If you are based in Wembley, Barnet, Stratford, Harrow, Enfield or beyond, read on for all you need to know about skip permits and parking suspensions before your project gets underway.
When you are carrying out building work, extensive redecoration, or renovations, you'll be generating a lot of waste – and the easiest way to deal with this is by hiring a skip. If the skip is to be placed on your own land, you shouldn’t need to worry about permits or permissions.
If space is tight on your own property, don’t imagine you can put the skip on the pavement, whether fully across or just nudging it – this is illegal.
It's likely that you will you need to put the skip on the road, which means you will need a permit or licence from your local council. Make sure you contact the council in plenty of time as there may be a notice period for requesting a permit.
There are additional rules about where you can place a skip on the road too:
- You cannot block any entrances or exits unless you specify this in your licence application, and you receive specific permission to do so.
- You cannot put the skip over a manhole or other utility point or block its access – imagine an emergency scenario where no one could get access to a water pipe, a gas main or a sewer because a skip was blocking the way!
- You cannot place the skip within 15 meters of any junction.
- You may need to put safety lights, cones and markings on or around the skip to make sure it is visible and include the name and telephone number of the skip hire company. These rules will be set by your local council.
Parking suspensions
Most areas of North London are covered by controlled parking zones (CPZs). If your street is one of them, you will need to apply for a parking suspension in addition to or instead of a licence – your local authority will explain the rules in your area. You will need to pay a fee for the suspension. This could be equivalent to the cost of parking in the bay for the period of the suspension.
Restricted items
As well as knowing about skip permits and licences, you need to understand the rules about what can and can’t go in the skip and about dealing with hazardous material such as asbestos, oil or fridges. It’s worth checking the full list of things you can’t put in a skip, which also includes electrical items, mattresses, tyres and clinical waste.
While you may be confident that you are not disposing of any such items, watch out for fly tippers who might throw something in there without you knowing. The law says that you (and not the fly tipper) are responsible for whatever is in your skip, and you could face a serious fine. Get advice from you skip hire company about keeping the skip secure.
Find out more
You can find general information about skip hire on the gov.uk website, but for the specific rules about licences, permits and parking suspensions in your area, contact your local council or look on its website. Your skip hire company may take care of the licences for you, but it’s a good idea to know the rules yourself too.
Alternatively, if you are looking to hire a skip in North London, please do call us, We have up-to-date information on all the fees, restrictions and requirements charged by the different London boroughs and can help you through the process.
