Guidance and regulations for developers or private work that affect roads

Work that affects a public road

Work you carry out as a developer or private property owner on or next to a Government of Jersey (GoJ) main road needs specialist knowledge, skills, and equipment. It can only be carried out by contractors registered on Trafficworx and you’ll need a licence.

If the road is owned by a parish, you should contact them to find out about their set of standards and requirements. You can check who owns the road on the road information map.

Highways (Jersey) Law 1956

Type of works that need a licence

You must have a licence before your contractor can carry out any works that affects a GoJ main road:

works approved within a planning application
improvement works for access to a property
works at the boundary between a property and a GoJ main road
installation of privately owned services such as (utility companies have separate arrangements under various laws to place commercial utilities in roads):

gravity sewer
pressure sewer
water pipe
electric cable

commercial and residential developments
all new or altered accesses that are temporary or permanent which emerge onto a GoJ main road
any work carried out on development land that is to be ceded to GoJ under a Planning Obligation Agreement or Planning Condition
all new or improved agricultural field accesses

Step by step to carrying out your works

You’ll need to complete a few steps before you can carry out your work. This is to make sure works affecting or interfacing with GoJ infrastructure meet current regulations and standards.

We highly recommend that you contact us as early as possible in your project so we can provide the necessary guidance and advice.

You’ll need to:

consider the standards and guidance for access to public roads
if required, make your planning applications and receive a planning permit
if you’re doing work to a drainage connection, check out requirements for connecting to mains drains
apply for a licence. This includes submitting all your technical designs
wait for us to review your licence application and designs submission
wait for us to complete the review and issue your licence
employ an approved contractor who can apply for a road works permit
make sure your contractor receives the road works permit and then starts work

Standards and guidance for access to public roads

Any works that may affect a GoJ main road must meet regulations and standards for the layout before it can be approved and carried out.

The document below sets out these requirements and provides the guidance you must consider before making your planning application, including:

road layout
pedestrian and vehicle visibility
parking and servicing requirements

Access onto the Highway – Standards and Guidance

Drainage connection

If your works include connecting to the public drainage network, you must also provide PDF copies of:

location and extents of the private utility
reinstatement class for the road in which the proposed private utility is being placed. See standard drawings for utility reinstatements
details of the:

installation
material
depths
pipe bed and surround
trench backfill
surfacing reinstatement
indication of programme and any testing to take place. Statements that the installation will conform to DFI Specification will not be enough

Drainage connections can be complex and involved. It can only be carried out by qualified and experienced contractors.

To find technical information for planning and designing drainage connections in a GoJ main road visit connecting to mains drains.

Applying for a licence

Once you have your planning permit, you need a licence under the Highways (Jersey) Law 1956.

Licences are linked to the property and issued in the name of the property owner. However, you can use an agent to make the application on your behalf. We strongly advise that you hire a contractor or consulting engineer to do this for you.

It takes at least 4 weeks to process and issue a licence from when you apply.

In your application you must include PDF copies of:

detailed technical drawings including plans, elevations and cross sections of the proposed works affecting the GoJ main road
materials and specifications

All your drawings must be prepared in accordance with the technical standards for highway construction.

You may need to provide additional details depending on your project.

Use the below online form to apply for a license to:

install a private utility
carry out the physical changes to GoJ main roads
connect into GoJ drainage infrastructure

Apply for a non-statutory undertakers licence

It’s a requirement of the Road Works and Events Law that the location and extent of all utilities, private or commercial, are recorded. Once the work has been completed you must provide us accurate as-built drawings of the private utility location, depth and extent.

Review of your licence application and design submission

Our review evaluates all technical details of your proposed design. Any changes to the design, following initial technical review by us may be developed or made by your designer at this stage.

You, or your agent, should contact the various statutory undertakers who own the infrastructure within your works area. This is to make sure that the infrastructure is re-located, lowered or protected, if required.

Your licence is issued under the name of the property owner and grants you permission to carry out the proposed approved works.

If you’re selling your property you should transfer the private utility licence rights to the new owner.

Apply for a roads work permit

Once you receive your licence, you must appoint a contractor who can act as a Temporary Undertaker to:

apply for the relevant roads work permit
book the road space on Trafficworx

You can only hire approved contractors to carry out the works because they have the required qualifications and access to Trafficworx. We provide you a list of approved contractors when we issue your licence.

Road space on Trafficworx is generally allocated on a first come first served basis. So your preferred dates may not be available due to other roadwork activities taking place.

It’s your or your agent’s responsibility to make sure that the works are carried out in accordance with the approved drawings and any licence conditions.

Find out more on applying for road works permits.