Can I Put Bollards On My Commercial Property?

For business owners who need a robust, dependable, rock-solid, and effective security solution to safeguard their commercial property’s driveway or parking area, a bollard is the best thing that you could invest in. They provide top-notch protection against unauthorised vehicle access and ramming attacks, as well as protecting your valuable business assets, like storefronts or outdoor equipment, from accidental or intentional vehicular damage. But, can I put driveway or security bollards on my commercial property?

In short, yes, you can! But, it’s not nearly as straightforward as trying to install driveway bollards on private residential property like around your home. When it comes to commercial property, the regulatory and legal hurdles you need to overcome can be quite overwhelming. For business owners, the last thing you need to deal with is non-compliance penalties for accidentally breaking the law. So, here’s what you need to know about trying to install driveway or security bollards on your commercial property…

Planning Permissions And Regulations

Unlike private residential land, most commercial properties require planning permissions beforehand prior to installing driveway or security bollards. Here in the UK, you’ll have to submit a detailed planning application to your local planning authority. You’ll also have to specify the type of bollards you wish to install, how many of them you want to fit, and the location where the bollards will be installed around your commercial property.

However, if your commercial property is located in a listed building or conservation area, far stricter rules and regulations will apply. Listed and conservation statuses are designed to preserve the heritage and character of the building or surrounding area. Consequently, if you want to install bollards, in this instance, you’ll have to seek out additional permissions, and you might also be required to undertake heritage assessments.

Property Ownership And Lease Agreements

It’s one thing to install driveway or security bollards around your privately owned commercial property, but it’s a whole other can of worms if you don’t wholly own the property in question. Therefore, it’s vital to understand the ownership and lease agreements for your commercial property.

First and foremost, verify that you have the right to install bollards on the commercial property at all. If you’re not sure, you could always read up on the property deeds, or consult a legal advisor to be absolutely sure.

Or, if that commercial property is leased, you’ll have to obtain written consent and approval from the landlord or the property management company. Additionally, double-check the lease agreements for any clauses or guidelines related to modifications, such as installing bollards around the property.

The Local Highway Authority

Driveway or security bollards installed on your commercial property that is close by to or are near the boundary of public roads, pavements, or public access points and pathways, will require consultation with your local highway authority. In so doing, they’ll need to perform assessments on the potential impact that installing those bollards might have on pedestrian movement or public vehicular traffic flow. This will be included in your planning application and permissions process.

At the end of the day, while it may be your commercial property, installing driveway or security bollards should not impede or obstruct pedestrian traffic or vehicular movement. While you’re there, you also have to take into consideration the public right of way. Therefore, if installing those bollards block the public’s right of way or if it makes moving around any more challenging, you will need to seek out additional, specific permissions to proceed with the installation.

Health And Safety Regulations

Another key difference between installing driveway bollards around your home and commercial property is the requirement to comply with health and safety regulations. Commercial properties must adhere to strict health and safety standards, and this applies when you’re trying to install driveway or security bollards.

Crucially, you need to ensure that installing bollards doesn’t pose a risk to your employees, visitors, or the public. With that in mind, you’re obliged to conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify and mitigate any potential hazard. One example of non-compliance with health and safety regulations would be something like installing bollards that block fire or emergency exits around your commercial property.

To expedite the logistics of installing bollards on your commercial property, it helps to shop around and fit any security or driveway bollards that comply with UK safety standards. An example of accreditation that applies to security barriers and driveway or telescopic bollards is the British Standard BS EN 1991-1-1:2002.

Utility And Infrastructure

For business owners and commercial property managers who want to install driveway or security bollards, in particular retractable ones, you need to take into account local utilities and infrastructure. Remember that a retractable or telescopic bollard, when retracted, lowers right into the ground. As such, you’ll have to conduct checks on underground utilities, including water, gas, fibre optic, or electrical lines.

The easiest way to do this is by contacting local utility companies for maps, and marking out these areas to avoid damaging them or getting in the way when you’re fitting those bollards around your commercial property. This is important to ensure that you don’t accidentally cause disruptions to essential services, like digging into any electrical lines and causing a neighbourhood-wide blackout, or bursting open a water pipe.

In addition, you have to check that those bollards don’t interfere with essential infrastructure and emergency access routes around your commercial property. So, take into consideration what impact installing the bollards might have on nearby drainage systems, electrical conduits, and other underground as well as above-ground infrastructure.

Now, while I can understand that this is a lot to wrap your head around, worry not, as we’re happy to help! For over 15 years now, we here at Bollard Security have been installing and maintaining security solutions, like driveway and security bollards, throughout the entire UK. In that time, we’ve experienced working with clients in the residential, industrial, and commercial sectors, respectively. As far as the legal and regulatory aspects of wanting to install bollards on your commercial property, you can bet that we have the know-how to navigate around those obstacles. So, don’t hesitate to contact us at 01535 920362 for advice on where to get started, and recommendations on the best bollards for you.