Highways Development Management

The county council as highway authority is a statutory consultee for all planning applications with transport impact, as well as authorising authority for any resulting highway works (under Section 278 and Section 38 agreements) required as part of a development.

Pre-application advice Highways Place and Movement Planning and Design Guide Construction Management plans Travel plans Planning applications Section 278 agreement Road adoption (Section 38) Planning obligations and developer contributionsIncluding Section 106 agreements.

Pre-application advice

We welcome and encourage discussions on the transport impacts of new development proposals before a developer submits a planning application.

By seeking transport pre-application advice, developers are able to work collaboratively with us to solve problems, enhance sustainability, improve the quality of designs and provide more certainty for stakeholders.

Read more:

Pre application form for individual residential property, charitable and public sector non-profit, proposals

Pre application form for all other applications

Protocol for charging for pre-application advice document (this is separate to the advice provided by Local Planning Authorities and other statutory consultees. Other authorities may charge for their advice).

Email HighwaysPlanning@hertfordshire.gov.uk for more information.

Highways Place and Movement Planning and Design Guide

Our guide gives detailed design advice on improvements made by the county council, its agents, developers or any other third party.

As well as setting out advice relating to the layout of Highway corridors and other features in Hertfordshire, the design guide describes the standards that must be met before adoption of highways can take place.

Thank you to those that responded to our public consultation of 2023. The Place and Movement Planning Design Guidance for Hertfordshire was adopted by Cabinet Members in March 2024.

The guidance is in 4 separate parts. They are searchable individually but not as a whole document. We therefore recommend that you use the Index to take you to the area where your subject of interest is covered.

We would encourage designers and architects to use our new design guide. Please give feedback to our planners and engineers as you work with them or via HertfordshirePMPDG@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

Please note our 'Highways Signing Guidance' and ‘Roads in Herts’ design guidance are hereby retired.

Highways Place and Movement Planning and Design Guide documents

Glossary (PDF 1.39MB)

LTP4 Compliance tool (XLSX 1.55MB)

Standard drawings

Construction management plans

Construction management plan template (Word, 98kb)

The construction management plan template is not compulsory. It aims to:

ease the approval process
help developers to minimise the impact of construction activity, both on and off site, on the wider environment.

It is intended to be a live document - different stages will be completed and submitted for application as the development progresses.

Travel plans

Travel plan guidance document for business, residential and education development (March 2020).

Travel plans are essential for sustainable development and are an important tool in Hertfordshire County Council’s strategy to achieve the goals and objectives set out in Local Transport Plan 4 (PDF 9.1MB). Travel Plans are required by planning authorities for a wide range of development proposals, including commercial, educational institutional and residential developments.

Developers or employers interested in developing a transport strategy or travel plan with the aim of promoting more efficient and sustainable ways of travelling in the county are also invited to contact the Sustainable Transport Development Officers.

If you have any questions, email us at travelplans@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

Planning applications

We comment on all planning applications which have an impact on transport.

Contact your local district or borough council for information on planning applications.

Your district or borough council

The county council is the Local Planning Authority for planning applications involving mineral workings, waste management activities and our own services.

Section 278 agreement

As the highway authority, we give authorisation for any work on the highway.

Work cannot begin until the Section 278 agreement is completed and a bond (if necessary) is secured.

Apply for a Section 278 agreement

Please email your application form and supporting documents to DMPlanning@hertfordshire.gov.uk, then pay via bank transfer. We don't accept postal applications or cheques.

Read more:

Any unauthorised work on the highway, undertaken without a Section 278 agreement (or other required highway consent), will result in enforcement action taken against the developer and / or contractor. That includes the recovery of costs.

Becoming an approved contractor to work on the public highway

Work on the public highway can only be undertaken by a contractor that we approve.

As the local highway authority in Hertfordshire, we provide a free assessment of contractors that want to undertake works on the public highway.

How to apply

Email us a copy of:

CHAS Approval Certificate (or SSIP equivalent accreditation)
Public Liability Insurance - level cover must be a minimum of £10M
Proof of experience of working on the Highways
2 references
Telephone contact
Website
Goods Vehicle Registration Numbers

Do I need to be approved for s278, s38 and s50 works?
Yes, you must be approved by us to carry out these works on the public highway.

Even if we've approved you, you still need to get a Section 50 licence.

What constitutes breach or removal from the list?

Breach of any Highway related current Legislation, i.e. The Traffic Management Act, New Roads & Street Works Act and The Highways Act.
Failure to comply with current Safety at Street Works and Road Works (CoP).
Working on the highway without the required agreement or a permit being in place.
Repeated poor quality work.
Use of a non-approved sub-contractor.

For more information email approved.contractor@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

Highway adoption (Section 38)

New roads

New highways (roads, cycle tracks and footpaths) that have been constructed by developers will normally be adopted through a Section 38 Agreement.

Once a highway is adopted it is ‘highway maintainable at public expense’.

Until a highway is adopted, its maintenance remains the responsibility of either the developer/owner and/ or those living along the road.

Apply for a Section 38 agreement

Please email your application form and supporting documents to DMPlanning@hertfordshire.gov.uk, then pay via bank transfer. We do not accept postal applications or cheques.