Since it was introduced in December 2022, West Sussex County Council’s Lane Rental Scheme has significantly reduced the inconvenience caused to residents by roadworks.
The Council is one of the first four local authorities in the country to operate a lane rental scheme. It was introduced because West Sussex experiences more than the average amount of roadworks for a county road network. Across the network as a whole, on any given day there can be as many as 117 individual sets of road works on its 2,500 miles (4,000km) of roads, with 42,648 permits issued in 2024.
Since the scheme has been in place it has:
- reduced time taken for roadworks by more than 3,000 days, equivalent to nearly 8 and a half years
- seen the length of time taken for utility roadworks shortened by 32.48%
- helped generate £millions for reinvestment in local highways network
Government-endorsed lane rental schemes allow a highway authority to charge up to £2,500 a day for works on its busiest roads. The daily rate charged varies according to the type of work and the disruption it will cause.
The scheme encourages utility companies and contractors to plan works so that less time is needed to close or restrict access to pavements and roads. Residents living near roads where it is applied also experience less noise, air pollution and inconvenience at peak times.
Revenue raised by the scheme is reinvested in the highways network including trials of the use of new technology, such as AI, to detect and repair safety defects and a proportion is reserved for road-related community schemes. Organisations can apply to the Lane Rental Surplus Fund for projects that benefit West Sussex highways.
Across West Sussex 907 roads are included in the scheme, but not every important arterial route in the county is covered. The Council is consulting with the Government to allow us to include important rural roads and link sections of busy routes to ensure we have a connected and cohesive network that benefits the whole county.
Councillor Joy Dennis, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for highways and transport, explains: “West Sussex has some of the busiest roads in the country. As the highway authority, it’s our responsibility to keep traffic moving and reduce inconvenience to residents and road users.
“We introduced the scheme to give contractors an incentive to schedule works at quieter times of the day and take less time to complete them.
“The scheme has been a great success on the roads where it’s been applied. It's helping to improve the quality of life for our residents who would otherwise have been inconvenienced by long-running road works.
“In rural areas, like we have in West Sussex, some minor roads are vital connections between communities and poorly planned roadworks can create serious problems for local people. That is why we’re talking with Government to reclassify some rural roads in our county so all our most traffic-sensitive routes can be included, no matter their size or location.
“And the cherry on the cake is that the scheme generates additional income we can reinvest in repairing our roads and to fund community highways projects.”
