19/06/2026
Information for the residents of Thurman's grove, this is the response we received please contact SCC directly if you have any concerns about the layby storage.
Thank you for your email raising concerns regarding the temporary storage of material, equipment and Welfare unit on the road at The Josselyns, Trimley St Mary..
I can confirm that we have issued licences to Cadent. The practice of temporarily storing excavated material on the road is common practice and widespread in Suffolk and is necessary to facilitate Legislation and Industry-driven Utilities’ needs to upgrade and repair important infrastructure.
Costain have informed us that the works in the area are replacing the existing gas main within the highway; therefore, the materials we will be excavating and storing on-site include what makes up the highway, which includes asphalt, soil, and stones. We can confirm there is minimal risk of contamination, as nothing has been identified within our preconstruction survey to highlight any concerns.
It is standard practice to store and utilise the ‘highway’ to enable work and store materials (in this case Soil and Tarmac). The process is that the waste soil/stones and tarmac are excavated at the work site, and then taken to a temporary storage area, before being later removed from site by a larger grabber lorry.
The use of the area (deemed to be ‘highway’) is necessary to allow essential upgrade and repair works to take place in the area. As previously indicated, there are very few street locations where spoil/soil etc may temporarily be stored to enable works to take place. This means that at times, a site may be used by different Utility companies (BT/Openreach, City Fibre/Gas, Electric) over the years.
We do try to rotate the use of suitable sites or locate at different locations or space further along a road- however, we do need to help support essential infrastructure upgrades and maintenance.
The issuing of storage licenses for Materials, Containers and Welfare Units to facilitate construction by utilities within the county is standard practice. The site is assessed and monitored by our Highways Licensing Inspector- and monitored according to our conditions. If there are any significant breaches of our conditions, we would issue penalty.
We do not consult with residents regarding planning of works or storage of materials /containers etc on the highway, however, the utilities companies usually carry out a letter drop to the residents in the immediate vicinity.
The conditions of the license are that the site is left in its original condition upon completion of the works. Our Highways Inspector will visit site once cleared.
The Toilet block (container) is on site as requested by Cadent- - this is to meet their legal obligations under health and safety regulations, ensuring their workers have access to toilets, washing facilities, rest areas, and drinking water, and shelter from the elements.
The report from Costain………….
The operations team went out to site to visit this area yesterday and have fed back the below:
I have just been there and bar a couple of barriers needed adding, and a little sweep in the road, this is a neat and tidy compound.
We are near to the playground, but there are no crossing points near to our barriers and visibility is good. I will be making sure that Fred keeps this compound in tip top condition as there are no other places for us to put storage, which will put a rather large project in jeopardy.
We may be on a further away part of the project at the moment, but we will be working on the High Rd next week and at the end of this road in coming weeks
Kind regards
Alison Livings
Highways Licensing Officer
T: 01473 341589
Email: [email protected]
Suffolk County Council Highways Licensing and Enforcement Team
Rougham Service Delivery Centre Rougham Industrial Estate Moore Road
Rougham Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP30 9ND
