Excavation on the Highway

Advice and Guidance

If you wish to dig up the highway to carry out works of repair or improvement on the road, footway or verge outside of your property you will have to have a licence.
We can issue a licence to you or your contractor to excavate the highway.
You or your contractor will have to give us evidence that you are covered with Public Liability Insurance for £5million.
The applicant will be responsible for any damage to the fabric of the highway caused by the works. The applicant will also be responsible for any damage caused to private property.
It is a serious offence to excavate a highway without permission of the Local Highway Authority (Highway Act 1980). If you fail to apply for a licence we will stop the works and take legal action against you We will instruct our contractor to make safe and invoice you for our costs
Check the conditions on the application form to ensure that you or your contractor have complied

Procedure for applying and processing an Application

1 Download or request an application form

Application forms can be downloaded from the link below
Alternatively contact us;
Telephone 020 8547 5835/6/7
Email environment@rbk.kingston.gov.uk
Fax 020 8547 5983.

Highway Licensing
Guildhall 2
High Street
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1EU

2 Send us your application form

Send us your application form. You can do this by post to:
Highway Licensing
Guildhall 2
High Street
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1EU
Alternatively, please visit the Environmental Reception in Guildhall 2 between the hours of 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Go to ²ⁿd Floor reception and ask for Highway Licensing if your request is urgent.

3. Your licence

We aim to process an application within three working days. Once we have received your completed application and a cheque for the fee and refundable deposit we will process your application and post the licence to you. There are occasions where we will have to refuse an application however we will endeavour to assist and alternative arrangements will be persued. I.e. using the Council’s contractor to carry out the works.