Request a bench on a public highway pavement

Islington council (The Council) recognises that residents want places to sit, relax and take breaks as well as having a dedicated memorial bench to sit and enjoy in remembering their family and friends. 

It is equally important to remember that any seating area placed upon a public highway pavement is for everyone to enjoy and will be populated by a wide range of users and residents. 

All street furniture including benches and seating areas will be managed and regulated for the mutual benefit of all. 

This policy relates to all public highway pavements that Islington council maintains at public expense. This policy does not cover seating or memorial benches in parks, cemeteries and churchyards. 

Objectives of the policy 

This policy has been developed to include the processes and procedures that are required when assessing and managing seating on the public highway pavements. 

The policy and processes for the assessment of benches on the public pavement include -

• all applications assessed on an individual basis considering other available seating locations
• all applications will take into consideration suitability of the location such as pavement widths and amount and type of usage
• all benches have a common appearance, style and size
• all locations and the bench will not cause an offence to others
• all benches are within the Council’s standards street furniture guidelines
• all benches will be subject to a consultation process with residents
• consultation will be a Highways Seating Notice for a 28 Day period and placed upon street furniture within the immediate vicinity of the proposed location
• all applications will be shared with the anti-social behaviour team
• all applications have permission from the next of kin 

When managing bench applications, the Council will consider -

• that all applications and their requester will be treated equally and with respect and sympathy
• all applications meet the needs and contrast with the local area and with the various users of the public highway
• the purpose is not compromised, and the high quality of bench appearances are maintained
• to establish responsibility for the maintenance, repair and replacement of all street furniture installed

General policy requirements 

1. All street seating memorial benches are paid for by the applicant before the completion of installation.
2. The Council attempts to accommodate the wishes of all applicants where possible but may limit the number of bench requests in a particular area of the pavement if it is not suitable. 
3. The Council will inspect under a cyclic inspection once a year and make any necessary repairs to damaged items. 
4. The Council will not be responsible for stolen or vandalised memorial benches.
5. The Council reserves the right to remove memorials at any time.
6. The Council will only permit memorial benches to individuals. 
7. No applications for memorials related to any historical event or where there may have a conflict of interest will not be considered.
8. Individuals may request memorial benches in memory of pets. 
9. The council do not allow existing benches on the public highway to be adopted. 
10. The council will not permit plaques to be placed on any existing bench. 
11. Benches will be of the type and colour specified by the Council in order to be coordinated with any other benches already situated in the intended location.
12. If a bench is to be placed on grass it will be fitted to a concrete base. 
13. All benches will be installed by the Council. 
14. Memorial plaques or engravings fitted to benches are to be a maximum height of 50mm, maximum width of 200mm and maximum depth of 5mm. They will be fitted to the centre of the upper most lath of the back of the bench. 
15. Memorial plaques will be bought and engraved by the Council. The inscription on the plaque is to be restricted to “In the Memory of” the name of the person and the dates of birth and death. Other similar wording may be approved at the Council’s discretion (e.g. “A special Dad/Mum, Always in our thoughts”). Poems will not be permitted. The engraved plaque will be fitted to the bench by the Council.
16. The Council, in accordance with its current maintenance programme, will maintain any benches. It accepts no replacement liability for memorial plaques or benches at the end of its useful life. 
17. Any replacements of benches or plaques will be the responsibility of the original applicant and this process must follow the same application procedure within this Policy.
18. The bench will be ‘sponsored’ by the applicant up to a period of ten years following installation.
19. The Council has the right to remove or relocate any bench and/or plaque during or after this period.
20. No additional mementos, e.g. statues, flowers, wreaths, vases, etc. will be permitted on or around any bench.
21. Any maintenance will be undertaken by the Council.
22. The total cost of the installation of a standard street seating bench or memorial bench/plaque will be dependent on the type of bench allowed and the type of fittings required. The Council will charge for the bench, base, material and labour at cost plus an administration charge.
23. The Council will procure the bench, all materials and labour.
24. Should there already be sufficient benches in the location requested of the applicant’s choice; the applicant may be offered an alternative for a bench installation. If this is available. 
25. No flowers or similar memorials shall be permitted at memorial bench locations to mark an occasion or the site at any time.

Applications once submitted will be acknowledged within ten working days of receipt to let you know if the request has been authorised to proceed through to a consultation process.

We may contact you to discuss possible alternative locations for the installation of the bench. 

Once approved at the first stage of application, we will carry out a consultation process which will run for 28 days. 

Once the consultation period has ended, we aim to contact you within 10 days. 

We aim to complete the whole process and final approval stage before installation within six weeks from the date of your application. 

The Council will aim to provide a turnaround for bench installation shortly after the consultation, subject to payment completion and delivery dates of the bench. 

This process excludes benches that require planning permission.

If you have a location where you would like to have a bench placed on the pavement in a specific location, you will need to complete the bench application form. 

You will be required to provide your name, address and the reason why you would like a bench in the location you have nominated on your application. There could be many reasons for a bench request and each application may different and will be assessed on an individual basis.  

All applications will be subject to an assessment to see if the location is suitable, and all successful applications will be subject to a consultation process. 

Before making your application, please read the Council’s policy for dealing with requests for benches on the highway.

Bench types will only be installed alongside other standard street furniture. The most common benches on the public highway are Rendezvous benches and London Seat 180 memorial benches. 

Rendezvous bench

 Rendezvous bench

London Seat 180 memorial bench

We recommend writing to the owners or occupiers of nearby properties at least three weeks before you submit your application to gather their opinions. 

If you do receive any objections, will ask you to provide us with more details about them in the online application form.

The Council retains the right to replace or permanently remove the bench if necessary, and the property rights to the bench will belong to the Council. 

Payment

The Council will require payment before any bench installations can be progressed.