THE cost of applying for a road closure for people who want to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee this year is to be waived by Glou­cester­shire County Council.

Across the UK, people will be holding street parties between June 2 and 5 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne.

This means that roads may need to be closed to traffic for safety reasons.

In Gloucestershire, it normally costs £75 to apply to the county council for a road closure so an event can take place on the public highway.

But to ensure that people are not put off from hosting their own celebrations within their communities, the council has decided to waive this fee once again this year.

The council originally took this stance in April 2011 when Prince William married Kate Middleton.

It resulted in around 90 road closures being granted for parties to take place all across the county.

Along with the Jubilee celebrations, the council is also going to waive the fee for Olympic celebrations if people decide to hold street parties to mark the games.

Cllr Will Windsor Clive, cabinet member with responsibility for highways, said: "We were overwhelmed and delighted by the reaction from Gloucestershire's residents to the Royal Wedding celebrations and we were keen to play our part in helping people celebrate the Queen's Jubilee in style too.

"Occasions like this and the Olympics are great for building community spirit so we've made this gesture to ensure everyone in Gloucestershire can get out and celebrate with their friends and neighbours if they want to."

Gloucestershire County Council still needs the normal 12 weeks' notice if a road closure is requested in order to sort out diversions for traffic.

Applications need to be in by April 30 at the latest for both Jubilee and Olympic celebrations.

Event organisers will be responsible for safe signing as usual and they also need to consider if their event will require public liability insurance.

While the council will endeavour to approve all applications, if a request comes in for a main road such as the A38 or A46, this may not be possible.

Lawrence Elcocks, the council's network and traffic manager, said: "We understand that people may want to hold street parties, and on the whole any applications we receive will be approved.

"But it is important that people are sensible about the locations they choose.

"In areas where the only road is a busy road, then to avoid disappointment if we cannot allow the closure to go ahead I'd ask people to look at whether they can hold a party in a community hall or nearby community area instead."

To apply for a road closure, email [email protected]">[email protected] or write to Streetworks Team, Gloucestershire County Council, Westgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 2TH.