Temporary highway licences

Skips

Consent from Bromley Council is required to place a skip on the public highway. This permission is given by granting a temporary highway licence.

We only allow skip operating companies that registered with us to apply for a temporary highway licence. Anyone who applies for a licence that is not on our registered list will: 

•    Be asked to firstly register with the council if they are a skip company
•    Asked to apply using one of our registered companies if they are not. 

The responsibility for obtaining and following all regulations and fulfilling the conditions of the licence is solely that of the skip company and not the householder or building company.

Any skip on a Bromley highway that: 

  • Does not belong to a registered skip company
  • Is unlicenced
  • Is placed on the highway in contravention of the licence conditions

Will result in the responsible company incurring a penalty charge and/or the skip may be seized and removed.

When do I need a licence?

You will require a temporary highway licence from Bromley Council for any skip that is on one of the following for any period of time:

  • Any public highway over which Bromley Council has authority and maintains at the public expense
  • Any unadopted highway upon which Bromley Council must ensure that the public have a right of passage and the ability to pass and repass

You will not require a licence on private roads where public access is restricted or controlled. 

Transport for London is responsible for licensing any skip on a TfL Red Route within the borough, which are:

  • The A21 (starts on the borough Boundary with Lewisham on London Road, and comprises Tweedy Road, Kentish Way, Masons Hill, Bromley Common, Hastings Road, Farnborough Common, Farnborough Way and Sevenoaks Road before finishing within the borough at Hewitts Roundabout)
  • The A232 (starts on the borough boundary with Croydon at Wickham Road and comprises West Wickham High Street, Glebe Way and Croydon Road before meeting the A21 at Farnborough Common)

All enquiries that relate to these locations should therefore be redirected to TfL - highway licences

Roll on Roll Off (RORO) skips 

Roll on Roll Off skips (larger wheeled skips that can be loaded onto and off a vehicle) and portable cabins are licenced as storage containers. Apply for a storage container licence.

Will I require additional consent?

There are occasions when you may require either additional consent in order to be able to place the skip on the highway: 

  • If you wish to place a skip in any restricted parking bays, including permit bays, loading bays, short stay parking bays, pay and display bays, and car parks you will also need to apply to suspend the parking bay in question for the duration of the licence. Suspensions are not required for a free parking bay.
  • If the skip is linked to any connected highway works with a roadworks permit a temporary highway licence is only required if the skip is to be placed outside of the agreed works area.

Licence conditions

Once your application has been approved, you will be issued with a licence which will condition certain conditions to ensure that other highway users are kept safe whilst the skip is in-situ.  
We reserve the right to add extra conditions depending upon the location and nature of the skip. If this applies to your application they will be listed under ‘Special Conditions’ on the licence. 

Cost / renewal of licence

A skip licence costs £47 and is valid for a two week period. Please allow two working days for your application to be processed. Any extension or renewal of the licence will require a new application which will be treated in exactly the same way as the first. If you wish to extend/renew your licence, please ensure that you allow the council the two working days in order to process the application in good time before you wish the licence to start. 

The £47 covers the licencing of the skip to be on the highway legally. Please note that where additional consent is required (such as the suspension of a parking bay), there may be extra costs, which will be outlined as part of the consent process.

Check if a skip is licenced

You can check if a skip is licenced by viewing a list of temporary highways licences granted for skips and materials on public roads in the borough.  this is updated every Friday afternoon, so is only accurate up to and including each preceding Friday. 

Apply

skip licence application form.

Appeal a refused licence

Anyone who believes they have been unfairly refused a temporary highway licence can appeal.

Appeal a refused temporary highway licence

Skip company registration

Our skip company register gives an up-to-date list of companies that are registered with, and authorised by Bromley Council to place skips upon the boroughs highways. 

If you are a skip company not currently registered with Bromley Council, you can apply to go on our skip company register by filling in our online form. In addition to completing the form and agreeing to Bromley Council’s terms and conditions, you will also need to attach:

  • A valid and in-date waste carriers' licence 
  • Public liability insurance, to the value of £5 million 

Registration is free, but please allow 5 working days for your application to be processed. On  the expiry of either your waste carriers licence or Public Liability insurance, you must supply Bromley Council with a new copy to update its records via the application form. Failure to do so will mean that you will no longer be licensed to place skips upon the boroughs highways. 

As part of routine cleansing of our registered list of skip operators, we will remove the details of any company that has not applied for a skip licence within the last three years. Should this happen you will no longer be licenced to place skips upon the borough’s highways, and will need to reapply to be added again. 

Apply for or renew an entry on  the skip operators list

Data protection and privacy

For information on how we will use, process and store your personal data please see our privacy notice.