Temporary traffic restrictions for large events on the highway

A special event is an event which is larger than a street party, such as a carnival or food festival.

Guidance for event organisers

You should read the guidance for event organisers:

• public events planning
• guidance for those organising an event on, or affecting the public highway in Dorset
• Home Office Event Safety Guide
• Health and Safety Executive - Managing crowds safely

Terms and conditions of approval

Applicants or the nominated person in overall charge of the event:

1. must familiarise themselves with our guidance information
2. declare that a section(s) of highway need to be restricted in order to hold a public event which:
   • cannot suitably be held in any location other than the highway, and
   • cannot be held whilst maintaining normal traffic flow, safely
3. must include a valid insurance certificate on application
4. must include a detailed traffic signing plan on application
5. must provide a contact name and number who can be contacted 24 hours a day particularly during the event and agree for these details to be used in line with the privacy notice. If you do not accept our use of these contact details or require more information, please email trafficteam@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk to discuss.
6. may incur a charge for the processing of an application, and without payment in full, a licence to restrict the highway may be withheld. The final decision on the charge applied for the processing of any application will be determined by Dorset Council
7. must engage with those likely to be affected by any traffic restriction and use the engagement document, detail those parties contacted and the feedback given (both positive and negative)
8. must arrange for the provision of all approved traffic signing and ongoing maintenance of said signs on all parts of the highway subject to temporary restrictions and any agreed diversions
9. must arrange for advance notice of road closures. Normal expectations is for this advance notice to be made available two weeks in advance of the event by means of approved traffic signs but must also include erecting the public notice issued by Dorset Council on posts and columns on the affected streets
10. are responsible for returning the highway to the condition that it was in prior to the holding of the event
11. accept that Dorset Council can, at any time, even after initial approval, instruct amendments to proposed restrictions and timings, withhold or revoke a previously agreed licence to restrict the highway in the following circumstances:
    1. the conditions of the licence have not been met (including documentation not being received)
    2. in the interests of co-ordination of other events and/or roadworks on the public highway
    3. to minimise disruption to traffic and maintain safety of the public highway
12. will adhere to all other responsibilities/duties required by Dorset Council

Engagement with stakeholders

Your traffic management proposals might affect access to buildings, local businesses, local bus services or any number of other interests, so it is important that you engage with stakeholders who could be affected by the traffic restrictions in place for your event, mitigate any issues and meet any reasonable requests.

Download an engagement exercise document

The list of stakeholders should include:

• locally affected residents and businesses
• town and parish councils
• all emergency services; police, fire, ambulance
• council services including recycling and rubbish collections and school transport

Should any adverse comments in relation to the traffic management proposals be received, these should be resolved by the event organiser. Should an applicant be unable to resolve any genuine disputes with mitigation, or if Dorset Council believes an inadequate level of engagement has been carried out, then we reserve the right to alter the traffic management proposals or refuse an application.

Use of personal data

Please read our privacy notice and more information about how we comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Charges

The charges vary depending on the scale and type of the event. The number of people involved refers to the total staff and estimated audience/visitor numbers.

There is no charge applied for road closures for services of Remembrance during the month of November; or for events to mark occasions of national significance.

The charges indicated are per event within a calendar year.  There will be exceptions such as markets with multiple dates which will be charged a single fee per calendar year.