Street furniture - provision and maintenance
The County Council as the Highway Authority is responsible for providing and maintaining a range of items of fixed street furniture that are placed in the highway to aid or protect the safety of highway users. Such items include, road direction signs, safety barriers and bollards.
The table below illustrates which authority is responsible for the provision and maintenance of street furniture in the highway: Authority | Purpose: | Examples | North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) | To aid or protect the safety of highway users. | - Bollards
- Pedestrian guard-rails
- Cycle stands
- Safety barriers
- Traffic signals and other traffic control equipment
- Road direction and other traffic signs
- Street Lighting columns
- Public transport furniture (bus stops, bus shelters etc)
- Salt bins
- Pay and Display parking machines (provision of)
| Local Borough/District Council | To provide amenities and help manage the local environment. This is only possible under licence from NYCC. | - Street name plates
- Litter bins
- Dog waste bins
- Seats/benches
- Information boards/town maps
- Planters/flower beds
- Trees
- Pay and Display parking machines (maintenance of)
| Parish Councils | To define and enhance the character of the local area. This is only possible under licence from the County Council. | - Seats and benches
- Planters and baskets
- Village notice boards
- Monuments
- Parish village signs/nameplates
- Trees
| Water, gas, electricity and telephone companies | To ensure the supply and safe operation and maintenance of equipment and services This is possible under the Streetworks Act 1991. | - Telephone poles and cabinets
- Mobile phone masts
- Electricity poles/transformers
- Access chambers/manholes
- Fire hydrants
- Stop valve markers
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Unauthorised street furnitureAny unauthorised street furniture will be removed from the highway and the costs of such action will be recovered from the offender. District, Town, City and Parish Councils can apply to the County Council for consent to place street furniture items in the highway, such as litter bins, commemorative benches and trees by downloading and completing a street furniture (object(s) or structure(s)) Licence Application Form. As soon as an unauthorised item of street furniture is identified it will be inspected to assess whether it poses an immediate danger to highway users. If an item is deemed to pose such a danger we will: - Take steps to make it safe
- Notify the owner and serve notice for it to be removed
For low risk hazards we will: - Contact the owner and request that the furniture is removed within a set timescale commensurate with the offence
- Remove the street furniture one month after the notice has been served should it remain in situ
- Take steps to recharge the owner for all reasonable costs associated with removing the unauthorised street furniture including storage and / or disposal costs
Depending on the nature of the offence and the section of the Act used, the County Council have a number of powers under the Highways Act 1980 to issue fines and penalties to the offenders.
Street furniture - frequently asked questions
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