Closing a road for an event
Details of how to apply for a temporary road closure for an event
If you are holding a sporting or social event that requires a road to be closed to ensure the safety of the public, you must apply to Middlesbrough Council for authorisation.
All temporary road closures for events on the highway must be covered by a Legal Order made under Section 21 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 (for rolling road closures) or Section 16A of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 for closures of up to 1 day. Orders made under Section 21 of the Town Police Clauses Act are appropriate for 'rolling' road closures (e.g. for parades and processions) and closures of roads for community events (e.g. street parties). Road closures for other events will need an Order made under section 16A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
If you wish to close a road (or roads) for a planned event, you will need to contact the Council's Road Safety and Traffic Team at the earliest opportunity to discuss your requirements. This is important because we need to make sure your event does not clash with any planned roadworks or another event/road closure nearby.
If your event involves closing a road (or roads), making roads 'one-way' or making temporary changes to the way that traffic normally uses the road, you MUST apply to the Council for a Legal Order.
If you would like to apply for a road closure please download and complete the online application form.
How do I apply for a road closure?
You may find it helpful to have an informal discussion/meeting with a member of the Road Safety & Traffic Team before submitting a formal application.
Step 1
Download a copy of the Application Form and Guidance Notes or complete the online form.
Step 2
Print off the application form and fill it in by hand, or complete it electronically. Make sure you also complete the Indemnity Form and include any plans that you think may be helpful when assessing your application.
Step 3
Post or email the completed Application Form and Indemnity Form to us, together with all other supporting documents such as the Traffic Management Plan. The postal and e-mail addresses are detailed in the Guidance Notes.
Step 4
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a letter/email from the Road Safety and Traffic Team acknowledging that it has been received. The Team will then begin processing your application.
In certain cases you may need to attend a meeting and/or site visit with us to discuss the proposed closure and positioning of barriers. We will contact you if this is necessary.
Step 5
Once the details of the proposed closure have been clarified, your application will be considered at the meeting of the Council's Public Events Safety Advisory Group (SAG). The SAG usually meets every two months, and is attended by representatives from the police, fire brigade, and ambulance service, together with other key transport stakeholders such as local bus operators. The SAG will decide whether the road closure is justified and, if so, whether the proposed Traffic Management Plan is satisfactory.
Once the decision has been made we will let you know the outcome.
How much does a road closure cost?
Orders made under section 21 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 cost £300.
Orders made under Section 16A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 cost £3000.
The cost of Orders made under the Road Traffic Regulation Act is much higher than those made under the Town Police Clauses Act, as there is a legal requirement to place Notices in the 'Evening Gazette'.
It should be noted that these figures do not include the cost of the traffic management required for the road closure, such as the erection of barriers and diversion signing whilst the closure is in place.
Any further costs must be met by the proposer.
Manhole Covers
Please contact us to report any manhole covers, which are broken, collapsing, missing, very low or protruding above the road surface that might be dangerous to highway users. We will assess the cover and arrange remedial work as appropriate. It is useful to know who the owner of the cover is (e.g. cable, gas, water etc.), as it can speed up the process of the repair/replacement. If the manhole is the responsibility of a utility company, we will request that the utility company fix the problem as soon as possible (signing and guarding the defect within 2 hours). Alternatively, you can call the utility company directly to report a defect.
To report a dangerous manhole cover please contact the Environmental Services Centre on 01642 726001.
Implementing the road closure
Please note that you must employ a specialist traffic management company to implement temporary closure of the highway. The Council does not provide this service.
The event organiser will be required to implement the Traffic Management Plan for the event, as submitted with the application. Any changes to the Traffic Management Plan must be agreed with the Road Safety and Traffic Team prior to the event taking place.
The event organiser is responsible for informing residents and all other parties affected by the road closure.
If permission is granted for the event, you agree to comply with the conditions set out in the 
Application Form [71kb].
Follow the link to download road closure signs.
Contact details
Contact details
If you have any queries or would like more information, please contact Rob Farnham,Principal Engineer or Kim Richards, Transport Project Officer.
Email: trafficmanagement@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Telephone: (01642) 728188
Address: Highways & Transportation, Environment Department, P.O Box 502, Vancouver House, Gurney Street, TS1 9FW
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