Apply for a Road Opening Notice

If you require permission to work in the highway but do not intend to place or retain any apparatus, you will require a Road Opening Notice under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA). 

If you are not covered as a recognised utility company, then for the purposes of applying for road opening notice you are classed as a contractor.

Those applicants not familiar with the requirements of this legislation are strongly advised to appoint a Contractor with the appropriate knowledge and accreditation to help complete the application and conduct the works on their behalf.

As the Highway Authority, it is essential that Newcastle City Council has an accurate record of all works undertaken on our highway and without this accuracy the Council cannot fulfil its Network Management Duty under the Traffic Management Act (TMA).

How to apply

The application, submission and payment process for a RON is entirely online. You will need to provide the following information in order to submit your application:

• Completed online application
• Plan showing clearly the limits of your works
• Details and copies of documentation clearly identifying that your operatives hold the relevant qualifications to work on the highway
• Insurance must have current fully comprehensive public liability of £10,000,000 and employer insurance £10,000,000 for each and every RON applied for
• Waste Transfer details
• Responses from utility companies showing clearly the limits of any apparatus that may impact on your work along with a completed declaration form
• Full payment

For the Street Authority to comply with its statutory duty, all applications must be submitted a minimum of one month in advance of your intended start date. 

If your works are on a traffic sensitive street, we will require three months advance notification. 

If your works require a road closure, you will need to submit the a separate TTRO application a minimum of 12 weeks in advance.

There may be times when your works are not able to adhere to the advance notifications, in which case you will need to discuss an early start request. If you feel this may be applicable, then please contact the Permit Team.  

Licence Fees

Payment for your licence is required on submission of your application. The charge for a RON licence is £220.

Please be aware that your proposed dates may not be feasible due to conflicting works on the network. If there are any conflicts, the permit team will be in touch to discuss alternative dates. Additionally, if you would like to discuss your proposed dates prior to submitting your application, you can contact the Permit Team. 

If you need to make any changes to your licence after it has been approved, or extend the dates on your licence, a charge of £15 will be applicable.  You can pay for this amendment using our online payment system.

What happens after I submit my application?

After submitting your application, the Permit Team will begin to review your application. 

If your application is successful, you will receive a copy of your approved licence in an email from no-reply@symology.co.uk 

If we need to discuss any element of your application or require further information, we will contact you directly.

Once I have received my licence

Your approved licence must be displayed on site at all times.

If you need to extend the dates, or amend the details of your licence, you must contact the Permit Team. All requests must be submitted prior to the existing licence expiring and a charge of £15 will apply. If your licence has already expired, you will need to submit a new application.

It is the applicant's responsibility to submit works start and stop notifications. If you do not do this, we will assume your works did not go ahead and your licence will be cancelled.

• You must notify Newcastle City Council by emailing the Permit Team within 2 hours of starting works.
• You must notify Newcastle City Council by emailing the Permit Team within 2 hours of completing works.

After the works have completed

You must submit your reinstatement details within 10 working days of works completing. To submit these details please complete our online reinstatement form. 

Contact Information

Permit Team Email: permits@newcastle.gov.uk

Permit Team Telephone: 0191 211 6403

Further Information

You may find the web sites below useful:
New Roads and Street Works Act http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/22/contents
Safety at Streetworks https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/321056/safety-at-streetworks.pdf
Considerate Contractors http://www.ccscheme.org.uk/