Developing a lane rental scheme for County Durham

GeoPlace selected for scheme to reduce congestion

A scheme which aims to reduce congestion in County Durham will be designed by GeoPlace.

The commission follows as Durham County Council sought to submit a proposal for a Lane Rental Scheme (LRS) to the Department for Transport (DfT), aimed at reducing disruption on the county’s roads.

Following a competitive tender, GeoPlace was appointed to develop a cost-neutral scheme that integrates with County Durham’s existing permit system and complies with the DfT’s Lane rental scheme: guidance for English Highway Authorities 2024, with an aim to be approved in January 2026

Lane rental schemes allow councils to charge utility companies and contractors for roadworks on high-traffic routes during peak times. The charges encourage off-peak scheduling, alternative locations, and joint working, helping to minimise congestion and frustration for road users.

Cllr Tim McGuinness, Durham’s cabinet member for rural, farming and transport, added: “With over 4,000 kilometres of highway to maintain, serving over 530,000 people, it’s vital that we try to keep County Durham’s roads moving. 

“The Lane Rental Scheme gives us new powers to ensure roadworks are delivered promptly and efficiently. That means fewer delays, reduced disruption, and better journeys for everyone.”

“By harnessing accurate data and working closely with Durham County Council, we’ve been able to design a Lane Rental Scheme that reduces disruption, improves traffic flow, and supports smarter, more efficient road management,” Laura O’Gorman, associate delivery manager for GeoPlace. “Collaboration and data-driven insight are at the heart of delivering real benefits for communities.”

County Durham’s proposal highlights how data-driven planning and collaboration can improve road management. If approved, it will provide a model for other authorities looking to reduce congestion and improve service delivery.

Using its Critical Highway Routes Identification Service (CHRIS), GeoPlace collaborated with the council’s highways team to identify priority routes, integrating traffic flow data, DfT datasets, and local insights.

GeoPlace also produced a cost-benefit analysis, identifying potential lane rental models, including options for cost banding, time restrictions, and other configurable elements.
The scheme has been shaped through extensive stakeholder engagement, including an informal consultation session via an MS Teams meeting before opening up the proposed scheme to a six-week formal consultation process.

GeoPlace provided interactive mapping tools and data outputs to ensure transparency and refine the proposed charges and restrictions.

Luke Meaton, streetworks operations and regulatory manager at Openreach said: “GeoPlace’s thorough and transparent consultation process enabled us to align our operations with the proposed scheme by sharing emerging insights and approaches, which made us feel part of the process rather than just being presented with a finalised network. This collaborative approach gives us confidence that the scheme will work effectively for all stakeholders”.”

GeoPlace LLP is a public sector limited liability partnership between the Local Government Association (LGA) and Ordnance Survey.

GeoPlace maintains a national infrastructure that supports the address and street information needs of the public and private sectors. Its work relies heavily on close working relationships with every local authority in England and Wales to build the National Address Gazetteer infrastructure and National Street Gazetteer (NSG). 

The Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) and the Unique Street Reference Number (USRN) are the unique identifiers for every addressable location and street in Great Britain. They are mandated for use by central government.