If you want to put a site hut or storage container on a public road in Hammersmith & Fulham you must apply for a site hut or storage container licence.
We only accept applications from building contractors. Residents cannot apply.
You must apply for your site hut or storage container licence online. Please allow five working days for your application to be processed.
The minimum period for a site hut or storage container licence is 14 days. You should always apply for a licence for the full duration of time that you will occupy the highway. If you find you need it beyond this time, you will need to renew your licence at least 5 working days before the original licence expires. You will also need to renew any parking suspensions at least 5 working days before the date required.
Renewal of a licence is not automatic and depends on several factors including other planned works in the area, planned events in the borough and compliance with the original licence. Failure to meet the terms and conditions of your licence may result in it being revoked or a renewal licence application being refused. If your licence is revoked you must immediately remove your site hut or storage container from the highway.
You do not need a licence to put a site hut or storage container on private land. However, you must take care if using the highway to load or unload any site hut structures or storage containers on private land. If a lorry is required to cross a public footway to gain access to private land, you must ask us to construct a temporary or permanent crossing on that footway.
If you need any advice please email the licensing and enforcement officer at highways_licensing2@lbhf.gov.uk or call us on 020 8753 4807 or 020 8753 3447.
How much does it cost?
A site hut licence costs £330 per fortnight (14 days).
A storage container licence costs £1,100 per fortnight (14 days). There is no maximum fee applicable to this licence. If the licence expires before it is renewed, you will need to make a new application.
Fees are paid for at the same time as the application using a credit or debit card.
Fees are non-refundable unless we decide a site is unsuitable for a site hit or a storage container and no alternative location can be agreed on.
Parking suspensions
You must have a valid parking suspension in place before you place your site hut or container in a parking bay. It is an offence to place these items on the public highway in a parking bay which is not suspended for this purpose.
Please apply online for your parking suspension before your licence application at parking suspensions. You will need your parking bay suspension reference number for your licence application.
For lift and load operations, additional parking bay suspensions may be required and may be booked as required.
If there is no parking bay outside the address where you want to position your building materials/plant, please email highways_licensing2@lbhf.gov.uk for advice on a suitable location. Please address your email to the licensing and enforcement officer.
Apply online via My Account
Get a storage container licence
The link above will take you to My Account where you need to sign in (or create an account if you do not already have one) to then proceed to apply for a highways licence.
As part of the application the applicant for a licence must complete the declaration confirming that public liability insurance is in place at the time of the application, that public liability insurance will be in place for the duration of the highway licence period and provide evidence of their public liability insurance to a minimum value of £5 million as part of the application process.
Display your site huts and storage container licences
You must display a laminated copy of your licence on the site hut or storage container where it stands on the highway so the licence is visible to the public. Your licence must be visible to anyone using the public highway. If you don't, you may get a fixed penalty notice (fine).
Your licence will be issued as an email with your company name, the address where the site hut or storage container will be located, licence number and validity dates. If you have not received this before you are due to occupy the highway, contact a member of the licence team on the numbers provided above.
You must not place anything on our highway until you have received your licence.
Conditions of use
The licensee is entirely responsible for the site hut or storage container for the duration of the time it is on the highway, including delivery and collection. The licensee must adhere to the terms and conditions set out below.
Failure to follow these terms and conditions may lead to enforcement action including fixed penalty notices (fines) or prosecution. If any of the requirements of this licence are not complied with, measures may be taken to mark, guard, light or remove the items and to clean or repair the highway. The licensee will be liable for all the costs incurred. The council operates a zero-tolerance policy for all safety issues.
Fines for non-compliance will be issued to the licence holder and it will be their responsibility to correspond with the council and resolve those fines. Any arrangements the licence holder has with a third party are separate to this and must be resolved between the licence holder and said third party.
Inspectors regularly check the highway to ensure all activities taking place are legitimately licensed, meet all the terms and conditions licence and are promptly removed after their expiry date.
When your site hut or container licence expires, you are required to remove your licensed highway item. A reminder email is sent to all licence holders advising that a licence is about to expire. Where a licence is required to continue, it is the licensee's responsibility to renew it before its expiry date. If a licensee fails to do this, then an application must be made for a new licence with a charge of the initial application fee for the first month, to reflect that this is a new licence.
When you apply for your highway licence, you must ensure that you provide your trading address or project office address where official correspondence can be sent and read by the licence holder. Your trading address or project office address may be different from your work site address, so please ensure that you provide the correct address for us to contact you. Failure to provide the correct contact address may cause your licence application to be refused or an existing licence revoked.
You must include a responsible manager's contact phone number for both landline and mobile numbers, plus an email address.
If there is a change in the person responsible as named licence holder, then the council's highway licence team must be advised of the replacement person's name, contact phone numbers and email address.
Expired highway licences must be removed from site and replaced with a current licence as appropriate. It is confusing for the public and council inspectors if several licences, current and expired, are all displayed at the same time at the same location. Parking suspensions must be renewed where applicable.
Highway licenses are not transferable between existing and replacement contractors. When a new contractor takes over responsibility for a temporary item or structure on the public highway, the replacement contractor must apply for a new licence.
Any planned excavations in the highway must be approved by this council before digging works commence. A separate licence is required to authorise any such excavation of the highway so please contact the licensing team for further information on how to obtain the appropriate licence. Undertaking an excavation without the appropriate licence may lead to a prosecution.
If the public highway is damaged either by any licensed items placed upon it or the actions of any contractors working for the licensee, the costs incurred by the council to carry out repairs are to be paid by the licensee. This would include any repair costs or officer time fees in excess of any damage deposit required as part of a licence application.
Further to any planning consultation agreement, it is the licensee's responsibility to consult local residents, businesses and other stakeholders where highway licensed items may affect them. The council's licence team may advise on the specific local area to be consulted.
All relevant planning consents must be agreed with the appropriate council departments before an application for a highway licence is made.
Terms and conditions
1. A laminated copy of the hoarding licence shall be displayed prominently at the site so that it can be safely seen by the public.
2. Any activity associated with the licence must not violate the terms of the agreed planning consent. Any violation may lead to the revocation of the licence.
3. The container or site hut must be removed from the highway when the licence expires and the area must be left in a clean and tidy condition.
4. All traffic and pedestrian management is to be set up in accordance with the Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice unless otherwise directed by a condition of the licence.
5. The site hut or storage container must not be sited within 20 metres of a:
(a) Road junction
(b) Bus stop/ stand or terminal
(c) Traffic signals (temporary or permanent)
(d) Pedestrian crossing
(e) School, hospital or works entrances/exits
6. The container or site hut shall not exceed the agreed dimensions and will be placed in the agreed location.
7. In controlled parking zones the container or site hut must be placed in parking bays.
8. The container or site hut must not be placed on yellow parking restriction lines (single or double), unless authorised to do so by the council.
9. The container or site hut should be in good condition and have the owners name and contact number clearly visible to be safely read by the public.
10. The container or site hut must be lit during the hours of darkness.
11. The container or site hut must not prevent access to statutory undertakers' equipment or apparatus.
12. The container or site hut must not be dragged or pushed along the highway or any way that would cause damage to the highway. The whole site hut must be placed on boards to protect the highway surface.
13. The cost of repairing any damage including cleaning or removing any stains on the highway caused by the licence activities will be recovered from the licensee.
14. The container or site hut must be removed immediately if requested by the licence team to carry out works on the highway, whether emergency or planned maintenance or for an event on the highway.
15. Any disturbance or damage to utility plant will be the responsibility of the licensee.
16. If placed in a parking bay the site hut or storage container should not exceed the width of the parking bay or 10 metres in length. Where site huts or storage containers are to be sited in a designated parking bay, the suspension of that parking bay/space is to be arranged by the applicant with the parking control department.
17. Where site huts are stacked one on top of another, one licence will be issued for a 10 metre or less length of road space occupied by both site huts.
18. Building materials must be stored a minimum of 100m from the kerb as the road drainage channel must be kept clear at all times.
19. The licence granted will be exercised in such a manner as not to cause a nuisance, disturbance or danger to the occupiers of adjoining properties or the users of the highway.
20. The highway will at all times be kept in a neat and tidy condition and free from obstructions.
21. Any form of pedestrian management must have clear signage agreed with the council.
22. Any ladders or stairs accessing the upper level of double-stacked site huts must be agreed in advance with the council. Additional parking bay suspensions may be required to safely accommodate any stairs or ladders.
23. Red warning lights must be displayed on the corners of a site hut or container where these corners are nearest to moving vehicles on a public carriageway.
24. The licensee must comply with any reasonable direction or instruction given by the council.
25. The site and surrounding area shall be kept in a clean and tidy condition at all times.
26. The signatory of the application is the person accepting responsibility for the compliance of all conditions and regulations associated with placing site huts or storage containers on the highway.