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14th January 2010
Council scraps street closure fee for Royal wedding
Gloucestershire County Council has decided to waive the cost of applying for a road closure for people who want to celebrate the Royal wedding.
Across the UK, people will be holding street parties on April 29th when Prince Williams weds his long-term fiancée Kate Middleton.
This means that roads will need to be closed to traffic for safety reasons.
In Gloucestershire, it normally costs £70 to apply to Gloucestershire County Council for a road closure.
But to ensure that people are not put off from hosting their own celebrations within their communities, the council has decided to waive this fee as a one-off gesture.
Cllr Stan Waddington, cabinet member for environment, said: “This is a truly special occasion and one that most people want to celebrate.
“Street parties used to be a regular occurrence years ago - I remember VE day when the whole street was out celebrating, it was wonderful.
“Occasions like this are great for building community spirit so we’ve made this gesture to ensure everyone in Gloucestershire can get out and celebrate with their friends and neighbours if they want to.”
Although the fee has been dropped, Gloucestershire County Council still needs the normal 12 weeks notice if a road closure is requested in order to sort out signage and diversions for traffic.
While the council will endeavour to approve all applications, if a request comes in for a main road such as the A38 or A46, this may not be possible.
Lawrence Elcocks, the council’s Network and Traffic Manager, said: “We understand that people may want to hold street parties, and on the whole any applications we receive will be approved.
“But it is important that people are sensible about the locations they choose.
“In areas where the only road is a busy road, then to avoid disappointment if we cannot allow the closure to go ahead I’d ask people to look at whether they can hold a party in a community hall or nearby community area instead. 
To apply for a road closure, email highways@gloucestershire.gov.uk, or call 08000 514 514 or write to Gloucestershire Highways, Imperial Gate Business Park, Corinium Avenue, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3BW.