Kent waives closure fees for Royal Wedding street party road closures in smaller roads

Many Kent residents will be able to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in style on 29 April after Kent County Council agreed to waive charges for street parties on quiet residential roads and cul-de-sacs.

This will allow people to organise a Royal Wedding celebration with neighbours in a traffic-free street, giving children the chance to play freely for a change.

The normal cost for a street party - organised by and for residents as a private event, rather than a public one - will be waived in most cases. Organisers will only have to complete a simple application process with minimum information required.

The county council will consider all applications and split them into two distinct categories:

• Events on quiet residential estate roads and cul-de-sacs.
• Events on any sort of main road, bus route or through route.

Events on main roads, bus routes or through routes will require a full closure process with consultation and full advertising processes. Kent County Council is waiving its administration costs for this but there will be a charge for advertising the required Traffic Order in a local newspaper, which could be about £500, and any costs for traffic management and diversion signing.

Organisers can request an application form online by clicking 'Apply for a Royal Wedding street party road closure' under the 'Useful links' section at http://www.kent.gov.uk/roads_and_transport.aspx, or by calling 08458 247 800.

The final date for applications for residential roads is 15 April 2011, while the deadline for the full closure process for bus and through routes is 4 March 2011.