What is the Building materials licence?
If you'd like to store building materials on a public highway, public road, or street, then you'll need to apply for a licence. This is what a building materials licence is.
We make having a Building Materials licence a simple, stress-free process ✅
Whenever possible, you should put all building materials on private land. If you do this, you generally will not need a building materials licence.
However, if you can't do this for whatever reason, then a building materials licence is required.
A building materials licence is valid for four weeks. To extend, you'll need to re-apply at least two weeks before your current licence's expiry date.
How to apply for a Building Materials Licence
✅ To apply for a building materials licence, all applications must be made via your local council.
✅ Information on how to do this and what local authority to contact can be found in your local council and their application online.
✅ Applications to place building materials on the highway should be made at least 15 working days in advance of the start date required to allows time for processing of licence and application and site visit if needed.
Conditions of licence
Materials placed on the highway are potentially hazardous obstructions, so the licence includes conditions such as signing, lighting, and traffic management.
The local authority will inspect your site regularly. Your licensed activity must meet the local authorities’ terms and conditions.
These conditions usually include:
✅ A single licence allows for the storage of materials, not exceeding three meters in length, 1.5 meters in width, and one meter in height. You will need to consult your local authority if larger quantities are involved.
✅ Materials placed in, or partly on, the road requires at least four traffic cones on the approach side to guide traffic past the storage area.
✅ During the hours of darkness, in poor daytime visibility and bad weather, road danger lamps - flashing amber - must be placed to indicate the area of the site. If sited in the road, a lamp should be placed between each cone.
✅ Building materials placed on the highway must not obstruct or interfere with the drainage of the street or with any apparatus of the public utility companies.
