Festive lights, banners and bunting

If you wish to erect festive lighting or any other feature (such as banners or bunting) within the public road you must first apply for permission.

The council recognises the contribution festive lights and other seasonal decorations can make to enhancing our streetscapes and in creating a sense of place. We will cooperate with community groups to ensure that all installations are safe and secure. We will:

• Provide clear guidance on what is acceptable
• Reject applications for installations which do not comply with the requirements in the manuals
• Remove unauthorised installations and seek to recover costs from the responsible persons
• Only consider applications for column-mounted festive lights within the main footfall areas of settlements
• Liaise with community councils to consider need for strengthened columns for relevant locations
• Assist communities to investigate alternatives where column mounting of Christmas lights is not appropriate or practicable

Our Festive lights and attachments to street lighting columns policy (PDF 525KB) sets out in more detail the principles we follow when considering such requests.

Conditions

Permission is only granted for festive-lighting installations to be installed for a maximum of seven weeks during the period from 14th November to 14th January.

Specific policies apply to each feature category. If you wish to erect features such as:

• Banners
• Bunting
• Hanging baskets mounted on lighting columns 
• Attachments to street-lighting columns
• Catenary Wires

Please refer to our detailed guidance given in the Banners, bunting and attachments to street lighting columns manual (PDF 3.54MB) and the Festive lighting manual (PDF 755KB).

Application fee

There is no fee for a festive lighting licence application.

How to apply

Fully completed applications must be received no later than 1st October.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible. This is so we can work with groups and gather all necessary details to proceed with the application and meet the deadline.

To apply please complete the following application forms:

• Application for permission to erect festive lights and connect to the street-lighting electricity supply (PDF 80KB)
• Application for permission to erect festive lights and connect to the street-lighting electricity supply (DOCX 28KB)

• Festive lights schedule (PDF 63KB)
• Festive lights schedule (DOCX 15KB)

• Festive lights test certificate (PDF 74KB)
• Festive lights test certificate (DOCX 17KB)

Completed application forms should be sent by email to: streetlighting@aberdeenshire.gov.uk