Consultation on Special Engineering Difficulty Designations

National Highways has commissioned a project to capture all the bridges and structures which interact with the local authority road network that they are responsible for maintaining. The purpose of this is to facilitate collaboration and coordination between local authorities, National Highways and utilities when works are taking place in and around those structures as prescribed in the New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) (1991).

Whenever a utility company or highway authority (or any other body) is working in a street, work must be carried out with due care. Among other things, consideration needs to be given to the safety of

• road users, the operatives on site and the general public
• any adjacent property
• the infrastructure of the street itself including any associated structures
• any apparatus carried under or over the street

A street can be given a formal designation of Special Engineering Difficulty* and the criteria for designation of a street or structure as SED points to the risk of very serious consequences if damaged. By way of example, that could be the collapse of a structure or major loss of supply of utility services; that would have a direct effect on many people from the collapse or loss of supply, but there would also be significant delays to road users while the problem is sorted out and repairs completed.

*Further information about Special Engineering Difficulties can be found in the advice note released by the Highway Authorities & Utility Committee (HAUC) (UK). 

As prescribed in legislation across England and Wales, the designation of a street with Special Engineering Difficulty is subject to a formal 30 day consultation. Your organisation is a statutory consultee.

Please see the supporting consultation documentation which includes an interactive pdf with a map-based schedule detailing:

• the location of bridges and structures that will be subject to the designation highway authority area
• streets that will be designated as having Special Engineering Difficulties

You can respond with any comments or feedback to:

Solihull Council Permits Team – highwaypermits@solihull.gov.uk

The consultation is due to complete on 24 June 2022.

The streets that have been identified in the attached documentation would be given a formal designation of Special Engineering Difficulty on 4 July 2022.