Buckinghamshire Lane Rental Scheme

On 17 December 2025, the Secretary of State approved Buckinghamshire Council’s Lane Rental Scheme application.

In accordance with government guidance, we are currently writing to all work promoters ahead of Buckinghamshire’s Lane Rental Scheme, 'Streets Ahead', becoming operational.

A period of shadow running will also take place before the formal introduction of the scheme, expected from May 2026.

The Buckinghamshire Permit Scheme for Road Works and Street Works has been working successfully for the council for a number of years. It helps to support the Buckinghamshire Local Transport Plan through effective monitoring and management of all activities that need road space such as road maintenance, utility street works, new developments and public events.

The scheme supports traffic movements across the highway network and extends its influence into our neighbouring local authorities’ areas through effective collaboration and sharing of information with their works coordination activities.

In our continued efforts to reduce traffic disruption caused by road and street works, Buckinghamshire Council has been granted powers to operate a lane rental scheme.

The Buckinghamshire Lane Rental Scheme, Lane Rental Streets Ahead, will incentivise those who carry out highway works to do so in the quickest and least disruptive way through the charging of a rental fee.

A daily rate (of up to £2,500) is charged to those working on the busiest roads at the busiest times. This incentivises work promoters to either move their works to less busy times or locations, collaborate with other work promoters to optimise time on the network, or complete works quicker to avoid accumulating charges. This in turn reduces congestion and helps to create smoother journeys for Buckinghamshire road users.

For more updates on the scheme, visit Lane Rental: Streets Ahead.

This scheme works alongside the Permit Scheme for Road Works and Street Works.

Lane Rental Streets Ahead will apply to around 7.8% of Buckinghamshire’s road network (around 500 roads and streets), not the whole of the county.

Lane Rental Streets Ahead will support and encourage those who need to undertake work on the Buckinghamshire Highways Network to:

• work outside of traffic-sensitive times
• work outside of school term or holiday seasonal times
• work at weekends and bank holidays during term-times
• avoid the reduction of lanes available to traffic
• work with all highway companies to share road space and work collaboratively
• reduce the time taken for works on the busiest parts of the highway network
• prioritise emergency works when they affect the busiest parts of the highway network

Lane Rental Streets Ahead will be implemented from May 2026. There is no separate application process for this scheme.

The Buckinghamshire Highways street works management system will automatically identify streets that are included in the lane rental scheme. If possible, you should include relevant information on your Buckinghamshire Permit Scheme application.

A period of shadow running of the 'Lane Rental Streets Ahead' scheme will take place before its formal introduction, expected May 2026.

Government guidance and regulations allow the Council to use money generated from the scheme to pay for the people and tools needed to run it. Any additional money will be ringfenced in the ‘Streets Ahead Investment Fund’ to reinvest back into the county’s highways network through initiatives which reduce the disruption and adverse effects caused by roadworks.