Firms set to be charged for roadworks in Southampton
City council bosses say it'll help to complete projects more quickly
Last updated 20th Mar 2025
Charges of up to £2,500 a day for carrying out roadworks in Southampton’s busiest roads could be introduced by the city council.
The local authority is looking to launch a lane rental scheme, which would apply to almost 20 per cent of the road network at peak hours.
Under the proposal, which requires approval from the Department for Transport (DfT), fees would be applicable to all roadwork promoters, including developers, utility firms and the council’s own highways work.
The council’s plan would feature a £2,500 daily charge for a road closure and £1,500 for a lane closure or temporary traffic signals.
Cabinet members are being asked to sign off on submitting an application to the DfT.
An officer report said: “The implementation of a lane rental scheme would allow the council to charge any works promoter carrying out any registerable works in the street for the time those works occupy the highway, in a bid to reduce the amount of time traffic is disrupted whilst works are being carried out.
“It is anticipated a lane rental scheme would incentivise the completion of works in an efficient and expeditious manner, thereby reducing the disruption from the works on the network.”
All income from the scheme would go into a fund. In the first instance this would be used to cover the cost of setting up and running the programme.
Any remaining surplus would be used for schemes or innovations that reduce congestion.
The government recently announced that at least 50 per cent of any surplus can be used for road maintenance works, such as pothole repairs or resurfacing.
Modelling suggests the scheme could potentially generate income of £758,000 in its first full year of operation in 2026/27, with this leading to a surplus of £483,000 after factoring in running costs.
The forecast reduces the income by 20 per cent every following year based on anticipated behavioural change in how works are planned and delivered.
Lane rental schemes are currently operated by Transport for London, Kent County Council, Surrey County Council and West Sussex County Council.
The proposed network for Southampton’s scheme covers 19.4 per cent of roads, including key city centre routes and bus interchanges.
This is higher than the five to 10 per cent recommended by the DfT, which offers admit presents a risk the application could be rejected.
In 2023, more than 12,000 roadworks were carried out across Southampton, which resulted in a combined occupation of the highway of more than 42,000 days or 115 years.
On average, a work started every 45 minutes across the city.
Subject to cabinet backing on March 25, if officers submit the application by April 1, it will be assessed by the DfT between May and July.
A submission after this date will be considered in a second tranche between November and January next year.
The lane rental scheme forms part of the parking and traffic management transformation programme, the report added.
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