More local authorities are being urged by Regional and Local Transport Minister Norman Baker to consider the use of permit schemes that help to reduce the disruption caused by road works.

However, the National Joint Utilities Group is warning that if Local Authorities implement their own permit schemes it will create additional costs for utilities and their customers due to a variation of schemes across the UK.

Street works permit schemes are currently in place in Kent, London, and Northamptonshire. Road works permit schemes give councils more power to coordinate road works and once a scheme is in place utility companies and local authorities must abide by strict conditions including time limits, coordination or the amount of road space to be left available to road users during the works.

Anyone who breaks the terms of their permit or works without a permit could be prosecuted and face a fine of up to £5,000.

The letter sent to councils yesterday also outlines plans to make the permit scheme application process less bureaucratic and costly by allowing councils to introduce schemes without needing to seek approval from central government.

Norman Baker said:

"Some road works are necessary to keep vital infrastructure running but they should be managed so that the public aren't constantly inconvenienced.

"That is why I have written to councils today urging them to develop permit schemes to help them co-ordinate works and reduce the hassle and frustration caused by road works.

"We are also working to make it easier for councils to use the powers at their disposal to cut road works disruption by cutting the red tape they need to get through to put permit schemes in place."

NJUG warns of increased costs

However, the National Joint Utilities Group is warning that if Local Authorities implement their own permit schemes it will create additional costs for utilities and their customers due to a variation of schemes across the UK.

Les Guest, Chief Executive Officer of NJUG, commented:

“NJUG and its members continue to work hard to reduce the unfortunate disruption that sometimes occurs from street works, whilst still delivering the multi-billion pound investment programme necessary to ensure safe, secure and reliable water, gas, electricity and communications services.

 NJUG continues to offer assistance to local authorities to develop workable permit schemes that are effective in reducing disruption whilst avoiding unnecessary burdens on utilities or their customers. NJUG believes that permit schemes must focus on the busiest streets and the major works, such as the Kent and Northamptonshire Permit Schemes, thereby delivering maximum benefit for least administrative burden and cost.

However, we are concerned that Government is not honouring the previous Government’s commitment to an independent one-year review of permit schemes, which would provide a valuable comparison of the benefits and costs of current schemes and help those authorities considering or planning their own permit schemes.

Additionally, Government plans to allow local authorities to approve their own permit schemes from 2012 which is likely to lead to differing schemes across England. This will lead to uncertainty and confusion, and unnecessary additional costs   to utilities, their customers and indeed local authorities, as well as increasing inadvertent non-compliance because of the many variations  between schemes.”

David Pitt Managing Director of Infotec, WaterBriefing's Mapping and Detection Expert Focus responds

Norman Baker is absolutely right to provide Local Authorities with the means to tackle the continuing problems of disruption caused by road works. Until now, punitive measures have failed to address the root causes of disruption which include an estimated 20% of digs in the wrong place and 8% exploratory digs due to inaccurate or inadequate records.

Contractors often do not know what to expect until excavations begin, so unnecessary and avoidable excavations result, as well as utility damage estimated at £150 million per year. It is a myth that this is purely an historic problem based on outdated records and methods. The problem persists today, everywhere that new records continue to rely excessively on GPS or references to temporary surface features such as curbs.

Having spent more than 30 years developing cost effective solutions such as Non-Invasive Surveys and Intelligent Trench to reduce such disruption, I believe we should all welcome the introduction of permit schemes as it will enable Local Authorities to specify the use of appropriate new technologies in order to reduce disruption on our roads.