Apply for a container or welfare unit licence

Permission from Kirklees Council, as highway authority, is required in order to deposit containers or welfare units on a highway in Kirklees. Where the council gives permission it will do so by licence in writing to the applicant (the 'licensee'.) Containers and welfare units should be placed off the highway wherever possible. Applications will be refused where proposed locations on the highway are assessed by the council as being unsafe or unsuitable.

For applications to deposit builders' skips on a highway, please see: Apply for a skip licence

Apply for a container or welfare unit licence

To apply for a licence please email Email recharge@kirklees.gov.uk to request an application form.

Completed applications should be returned to Email recharge@kirklees.gov.uk at least 5 working days before the container or welfare unit is to be deposited on the highway. The application will also need to include a copy of a valid public liability insurance certificate (minimum of £10 million), a plan showing the proposed location, and a method statement regarding the delivery and removal of the . container or welfare unit.

Cost

The cost of a licence depends on the length of the container or welfare unit. The current fee from 1 April 2025 is £118.00 per 5 metre length (or part thereof) per week.

Conditions

Containers and welfare units may only be deposited on a highway where Kirklees Council has given permission by licence to the licensee, subject to the following conditions:

  1. The licensee shall indemnify the council against all liability claims and demands whatsoever in connection with, or arising out of, the placing of the container or welfare unit on the highway.
  2. The container or welfare unit must be signed, lighted and guarded while on the highway, in accordance with the 'Safety at Street Works and Road Works: A Code of Practice' (Red Book/Safety Code).
  3. Where traffic management is required, this must be agreed in advance with Kirklees Council, must comply with the requirements of the Traffic signs Manual Chapter 8 and the Red Book/Safety Code, and must be installed and removed by an appropriately qualified operative. A separate application will need to be submitted and approved in order to place temporary traffic signals on the highway.
  4. The container or welfare unit may not be placed on a footway without the specific prior approval of the council. Where permission is given, temporary pedestrian arrangements will need to comply with the Red Book/Safety Code.
  5. The licensee will provide suitable protection, to be agreed in advance with the council, for the carriageway/footway/verge before a container or welfare unit is placed on the highway.
  6. The container or welfare unit should not be placed on the highway within 20 metres of a road junction, or within the zig-zag markings on a Pelican or Zebra crossing.
  7. The container or welfare unit must not obstruct any road gully, inspection chamber or utility apparatus, road signs, bus stops, cycle path/route, etc. The container or welfare unit must not block or obstruct access to any premises unless the consent of the owner/occupier of the premises has been obtained.
  8. The container or welfare unit must not affect sightlines for vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
  9. Containers or welfare units must not be placed where parking restrictions apply, unless agreed by the council. Where a container or welfare unit is placed in a 'pay & display' bay(s), the licensee will agree to reimburse the council's Parking Service a daily charge per bay(s) occupied.
  10. The container or welfare unit must not contain any inflammable, corrosive, noxious or dangerous materials, any materials likely to putrefy, or anything which otherwise is or would become a nuisance.
  11. The area where a container or welfare unit is placed on a highway must be kept clean and tidy at all times.
  12. When the container or welfare unit has been removed, or on expiration of the licence, the licensee shall ensure that the highway is left in a clean and tidy condition. In the event of any damage to the highway, the licensee agrees to reimburse the council for any costs reasonably incurred by the council in making good.
  13. If the council is called out to make safe or light, sign and guard the container or welfare unit, the licensee agrees to reimburse the council for any costs reasonably incurred.
  14. The licensee agrees to remove a container or welfare unit on or before expiration of the licence, or immediately on request by the council police constable in uniform or by a utility company needing access.
  15. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all relevant permissions are obtained prior to commencing works. Failure to ensure this may result in the council requesting, either verbally or in writing, that the site has to be cleared within a specified time and until such a time that appropriate permissions have been obtained.

Penalties

Failure to obtain permission from Kirklees Council to deposit a container or welfare unit on a highway is an offence under the Highways Act 1980. A person committing an offence is liable on prosecution to a fine.

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