Section 50 street-works licences are needed for any works which take place in the highway, and sewer connections are no exception. The New Roads and Street Works Act, 1991, Section 50, states that a licence is needed in order to lay or maintain existing apparatus in the public highway.

Section 50 licence applications included in our service
We take care of the process for submitting and monitoring (as well as chasing) progress of Section 50 licence applications as part of any sewer connections works which require a road to be dug up, or tunnelled under.

As soon as we are appointed as contractor for a sewer connection job – and have received the required deposit – our administrative team begins the Section 50 licence application process with the relevant highway authority. This is important, as the licence must be granted before work can start. Most authorities suggest leaving at least a month, or more, to allow for the processing of an application.

The process of applying for a Section 50 licence
We communicate with all the relevant asset owners in the vicinity of the project (not just the water authority, but power and telecoms providers too), to identify where the other services lie, and produce drawings which show their locations and the location of the sewer connection work. These drawings, and the correspondence with the asset owners, form part of the Section 50 street-works licence application, along with our insurance certification, NRSWA, supervisor and operative certification, traffic management plans, risk assessments and method statements. There will also be a fee to pay, which varies according to the local authority.

Next there is a pre-approval meeting on site, with the highway street-works co-ordinator. It is worth bearing in mind that the street-works coordinator could impose conditions which have unforeseen cost implications, should this be the case we will communicate any additional costs for your approval as soon as they are known.  

Section 50 licences: essential for works in public highways
Once the Section 50 licence has been granted, works can begin. If there is any delay on site, we will liaise with the authorities and make sure that any amendments to the works dates are made on the licence. There will also be some follow-up paperwork to be completed: an advance notice of works, a works commencement and a works stop form will also need to be submitted – of course, we take care of this for our customers, too.

To find out more about how we help our customers secure their Section 50 street-works licences, as part of our end-to-end service, call 01268 950050 or send us an email to [email protected].