Temporary road occupation permit
When you need a Temporary Road Occupation permit
A Temporary Road Occupation permit is required from Council to temporarily close any part of the road reserve or car park which is managed by Council. This is required when works occupy roads or laneways, Council-managed car parks, nature strips or footpaths.
Works that are covered by a Temporary Road Occupation permit are short term, with the closure normally dismantled every day.
Example works include crane works, concrete pours, facade works, as well as filming and community events.
If you are planning a community event, you may also require a community event permit. For more information, see the Council guide to running an event or festival.
If you are excavating within the road reserve, you need to apply for Work Within Road Reserve consent.
If you are building a vehicle crossing, you require a Vehicle Crossing permit.
Determining who is responsible for a road
If you carry out works that impact any part of a road reserve, you must apply for consent from the Coordinating Road Authority.
VicRoads is the Coordinating Road Authority for all freeways and many arterial roads. Council is the Coordinating Road Authority for other streets and laneways in the municipality.
You can search the Maps of Declared Roads for any road within Victoria and determine if it is a freeway, arterial road or a municipal road (shown as local roads).
You can also contact Council to confirm if Merri-bek City Council or VicRoads is responsible for the road you want to do work in.
If your works impact a VicRoads managed road you may require a permit from VicRoads. Refer to the VicRoads guide to Working in the Road Reserve for more information.
Fee
A Temporary Road Occupation permit application incurs a fee. These fees are reviewed yearly.
A permit costs:
- $318.25 if the application is lodged more than 4 days before works commence, or
- $556.95 if less than 4 working days notice is provided.
Occupying parking bays in an off-street car park attracts an additional charge. This fee is:
- $7 per bay per day if they are required for one week or less, and
- $35 per bay per week if bays are required for longer.
Apply for a Temporary Road Occupation permit
What you need
- A Traffic Management Plan
- A copy of your public liability insurance to the value of at least $10 million
- A copy of the letter to the affected residents advising them of the arrangements for the closure, i.e. resident notification letter template (DOC 23Kb)
- The date(s) and times the closure will occur, and
- Details of who to invoice for the permit (including ABN).
Apply online
- Apply for a Temporary Road Occupation permit through Council Online Services.
- As part of the online application process, you upload digital files and pay the fee by Visa or MasterCard.
You can register as a user and sign in to Council Online Services before you apply. As a registered user, you don't need to re-enter your personal information and can keep track of requests and applications on any device.
Apply for a Temporary Road Occupation permit
Apply by post or in person
- Collate all the required documents.
- Post the documents to Merri-bek City Council, Locked Bag 10, Merri-bek VIC 3058, or deliver in person to the Merri-bek Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg.
- Once we receive the application, Council will review the application and issue you with an invoice for payment.
What happens after you apply
Once the application and payment of fees is received, Council processes the application.
A minimum of 4 working days is required to process the permit application. If less than 4 working days notice is provided, the applicant must pay the priority fee.
Council assesses all applications for Road Closure permits based on traffic management principles, as set out in the Road Management Act 2004 Worksite Safety – Traffic Management Code of Practice and AS 1742.3 - 2002 Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This by no means places any responsibility for the effectiveness of traffic management being implemented by any independent works managers or contractors upon Merri-bek City Council.
Onsite auditing of Traffic Management Plans
Moreland City Council Transport Engineers conduct random traffic management audits of works being undertaken on any of Merri-bek’s road assets. These audits are conducted using the checklist as set out in the Road Management Act 2004 “Worksite Safety – Traffic Management” Code of Practice.