VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations

To support our communities to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we’re allowing communities to apply to hold events on residential roads. Safety is our main concern and we will do our very best to advise you so that your event can go ahead.

If you are planning a street party for any length of time – even a few minutes - you will need to apply for a temporary road closure by 5.30pm on Thursday 10 April 2025. A temporary road closure means all vehicles except emergency vehicles will be refused access to the road during specified hours. The road will remain open for pedestrians and vehicles already parked on the road will remain in place.

We are not able to close multiple roads, roads that are part of a bus route or classified roads. Classified roads have a single letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent number.

You will need to submit a plan for your event as part of your application for a temporary road closure. Your plan should contain the following information:

• Confirmation that you have an approval from all residents in the road and they have been notified of the proposals to close the road. You need to confirm that, if approved, the road will be closed and there will be no access, however vehicles parked will be able to remain within the closure legally.
• A map of event set up, including the location of tables, any games and other areas.
• A breakdown of the event, including a timeline for the day. This should include things like when the signage will be put out, when the set-up, event and clear up will happen, and when signage will be removed. 
• A plan or map showing where road closure signage will be positioned.
• Confirmation of who will set up the road closure signage and how you will ensure it complies with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 relating to the confirmation of whether signage will be printed or hired.
• Whether you will have someone monitoring the road closure should emergency vehicles need to get through, and how emergency access will be granted if needed.
• A plan showing your designated diversion route which will have to be signed, where the diversion signage will be positioned and when will they be put out.
• A plan showing where the advance signage will be located, that should also confirm what the signs will look like and the wording that will be used.

We are unable to provide you with signage for your street party. If your event is approved, it will be your responsibility to ensure that you put complaint signage in place to facilitate the road closure and provide the details of any diversion.

You will need to provide a clear plan showing the extent of your proposed road closure and details of any diversion needed for traffic that normally passes though the road. We are not able to make this plan for you. You can use Google Maps to indicate the closure points and provide a legend to show which signs you will use for a road closure and diversions.

If your road is a cul-de-sac or a dead-end, you don’t have to provide the diversion signage but will still need to have to have road closure signage in place.

The event organiser is responsible for providing, putting up and removing all legally required signage. Please see example of the road closure and signage plan below that is required for compliance with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016.

There are local companies which can make the necessary temporary signs for a closure and diversion route. You can also print your own signage from downloadable templates, but please note that this can only be used if your street party will only take place in daylight hours.

On roads that traffic can pass through to get to somewhere else (a through route), signs giving advance warning of the event and the road closure must be displayed ten days before the event, on Friday 25 April. 

This could be in the form of ‘Correx’ signs that state,  ‘Road closed here for event – [date, start time – end time]’ placed at each closure point.

Please read the information on our ‘Holding a street party’ page before you apply. It will help you to organise your party so that it meets legal requirements, including keeping people safe and reducing the impact on the environment - so that you can concentrate on having a great time on the day!

To apply for a temporary road closure to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day in 2025, please submit your application using the form below before 5.30pm on Thursday 10 April 2025.

We aim to respond to applications within five working days. Please apply early to avoid delay in confirmation that your plans can go ahead.  

You must include all the required information in your application. Applications that are missing an event plan or signage, or that are received after Thursday 10 April, will not be considered. 

Street party application

For more information, please email network.managementtraffic@rbwm.gov.uk.