Guidance on applying for Road Closure Order for Special Events

Alternative venue

The legislation requires that Council must first be satisfied there are no suitable off road venues for the proposed event.

This may include green/grassed areas or local community/activity centres etc.

Where suitable off road alternatives are available, then Council must refuse the application.

Statutory Consultation

There are responsibilities involved with restricting or prohibiting traffic and how a restriction or prohibition can adversely impact on other road users.

In order to process applications, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council must consult with the Department for Infrastructure, the PSNI, the NI Ambulance Service and the NI Fire and Rescue Service in order to ascertain the feasibility of the event proposal.

All consultations must be complete before Council can consider permitting the use of the road for a special event.

Public Consultation

The application process requires Council to place a public notice in a local newspaper/council website to allow minimum of 21 days for written representations to be submitted.

Where representations are received, these will be considered by Elected Members at their monthly committee meeting before any closure can be approved. 

• It is expected that the organiser as part of their traffic management plans will ensure advance notice signage of road closure is displayed 10 days before the event.
• The organiser will also be expected to provide all affected local residents and businesses with written details of the road closure and contact details if they have any queries over the road closure.
  The organisers should try and have early engagement with residents and local businesses and try and resolve any concerns they have.

If the Council receives objections or complaints about the road closure this may prevent the current or future road closure applications being approved.

12 week processing period

To facilitate the necessary consultations with the public and statutory agencies, applications must generally be submitted 12 weeks in advance of the proposed event to allow adequate time for processing.

Late applications, which do not permit sufficient time for the statutory consultations will be refused.

Application fee

The following fees have been agreed by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to take effect from 1 April 2023

Applicant	Road Closure Order Fee
Community Groups/Not for Profit organisations	No fee
Statutory organisations	£460
Commercial/business organisations	£460

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responsibilities of the applicant

The applicant must agree to the following:

• To indemnify the relevant authority from all liabilities, costs and expenses in respect of any claim or demand from any person or persons, arising out of the exercise of this authorisation or due to anything done by the applicant in holding the special event;
• To maintain adequate insurance (namely public liability cover of £10,000,000 for any incident, number of incidents unlimited) to the satisfaction of the relevant authority, and shall produce for inspection the relevant policy or policies of insurance together with the receipt for the current premiums if so required by the relevant authority;
• To consult with local residents, businesses and relevant service providers that may be affected by the holding of this event;
• Pay all costs of making good any damage to the highway/street furniture for reasons of making the Order including damage to any alternative route for diverted traffic;
• To provide, erect, maintain and promptly remove all safety measures, including all lighting, signs and barriers required to protect the public and property at the site of the event and on the diversionary route for the duration of the special event and to bear all the costs incurred in the event of failures to do so;
• To remove all objects on the road and/or material deposited during the event.
  The organisers are also expected to remove any litter from the site after the event.
  If the organiser fails to comply the council will arrange cleaning and charge the cost to the applicant;
• To keep pedestrian access to all premises on or accessible from the road(s) on which the special event is taking place;
• To keep accesses clear at all times for emergency vehicles during the special event and acknowledge that a prohibition/restriction will apply to all other traffic; and
• To be available before, during and after the event so that the applicant can be contacted by the relevant authority.

The Applicant should understand that failure to comply with any requirements which are included in the final Order will be taken into account by the relevant authority in considering any future applications for special events on public roads by the applicant.

Is this a ‘small event’?

In order to be considered a “small event”, the following criteria must be met: 

• The event must only be held on minor residential roads e.g. cul-de-sacs, side streets or within a defined housing development 
• The road to be closed must not have a bus route along it. 
• The road to be closed must not have a car park located on it or which is accessed via the road to be closed (other than one for residents of the road)
• Be an event which would meet the criteria of the Council’s Financial assistance policy for community events, insofar as
• The event must be organised by a formally constituted group
• The event must not discriminate against section 75 groups  (eg between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, race etc)
• The event must not be for personal or business gain
• The event must finish by 11 pm.
• The event must have no fireworks, pyrotechnics or bonfires on the street.

Please return the completed application form, accompanying documents and fee to:

Public Protection, Health and Wellbeing Dept
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Smiley Buildings
Victoria Road
Larne
BT40 1RU

E: licensing@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Appendix A: DfI Current Temporary Signing Authorisations

Company Name	Address	Contract End date
AA signs	Unit 6 West Bank Business Park ,Belfast , BT3 9LA.	24 May 2024
Greentown Environmental	65a Marble Arch Road Florencecourt,BT92 1DE	4 March 2024
Greentown Traffic Management	65a Marble Arch Road Florencecourt,BT92 1DE	2 March 2024
HBS	40 Manse Rd, Belfast BT8 6SA	4 May 2024
HMM Graham	20 Wildflower Way,Belfast Co.Antrim  BT12 6TA	17 February 2024
Lagans	Rosemount House 21-23 Sydenham Road , Belfast ,BT3 9HA	24 February 2024
McVeighs	Unit 13 Kilwee Business Park, Belfast , BT17 0HD	16 August 2024
Traffic Mangement Company	55/58 Adelaide Street  Belfast Bt 2 8 FE	6 May 2024
Premier Traffic Systems Limited	Pinewick Business Park,10A Magherknock Road , Ballynahinch BT24 8TJ	10 March 2022
P.Keenan Road surfacing	35 Rocktown Road , Magherfelt , Derry, BT45 8QF	10 March 2022