The Lane Rental Scheme is a statutory scheme that helps reduce roadworks during the busiest times of the day.
In Enfield, the scheme applies to 8.6% of borough roads and operates 7 days a week. It works alongside the council's Permit Scheme, which has been in place for over 15 years.
Enfield Council ran a trial of the Lane Rental Scheme from 16 March 2026 to 19 April 2026. You can read the full report in the Lane Rental Scheme – trial period evaluation report (PDF, 466.43 KB).
The Street Works (Charges for Occupation of the Highway) Order 2026 was made on 16 April 2026 and came into force on 27 April 2026. This legislation gave Enfield Council the legal authority to operate the scheme from 27 April 2026.
How the scheme works
Our scheme intends to drive 2 key elements:
- Behaviour change among those working on our road network
- Reducing occupation of our busiest roads at the busiest times
This will be achieved by applying a daily charge to works that impact our carriageways. These charges will encourage work promoters to complete their works outside peak travel times or in a more efficient way. We expect to see positive benefits through:
- shorter durations
- more effective traffic management
- higher levels of site activity
For more information on our scheme, view the London Borough of Enfield Lane Rental Scheme Document 2025 (PDF, 1864.97 KB).
Our Lane Rental Network
ESRI shape files, which can be uploaded into most mapping systems, are available upon request via lanerental@enfield.gov.uk.
Operational guidance
The London Borough Lane Rental Scheme Operational Guidance (PDF, 4672.49 KB) provides all the information you need to understand how our scheme operates.
The guidance also includes information on the circumstances where waivers and reductions to daily charges may be considered, as well as details of where exemptions to charges apply.
The apply for a waiver or reduction, complete the Waivers and reductions application (DOCX, 524.82 KB) and send it to lanerental@enfield.gov.uk.
What happens with revenue that is generated?
Under new regulations which came into force on 5 January 2026, the application of surplus revenues from Lane Rental Schemes will be divided into 2 key areas:
- 50% of the surplus will now be spent on highway maintenance
- 50% will continue to be available to an Innovation Fund. The fund will support and reduce the disruption and adverse effects of street or roadworks.