Residents can apply to have secure steel gates installed in private alleyways.
Alley gates help prevent anti-social behaviour, burglary and environmental crime such as graffiti and fly-tipping.
The alley gating scheme is resident led, bringing neighbours together, encouraging the establishment of resident associations and neighbourhood watch schemes.
How to apply
You will need to have a lead resident for each scheme. They will work with other residents who have access to the alleyway and complete the application and signed consent forms. The lead resident will be the main contact for the scheme and will be responsible for handing out keys. There may be more than one lead resident needed for a scheme when many households are involved.
Applications are accepted throughout the year, with the deadline dates below:
- 31 January
- 30 April
- 31 July
- 31 October
Applications will be refused if there is not full consent from all affected residents. The application will be evaluated using crime statistics from the police, council records and an assessment of value for money.
We recommend that the lead resident keeps a note of any anti-social behaviour or crime that happens in, or with the help of the alleyway, to support their application. Also speak with other residents to get this information and include any crime reference numbers from the police or the council’s safer communities team.
If the application is successful, you will have 21 days to raise concerns or objections. If these are not resolved, the scheme will not go ahead and we will tell you why.
We will not clear the alleyway before the gates are installed. If you use a contractor to clear waste from the alleyway, please make sure they a current waste carrier licence issued by the Environment Agency.
After installation
Once the alley gates are installed, they become the residents' responsibility to maintain. We will not hold any spare keys, so you will also need to organise copies when needed.
Land registry check
Please complete a land registry check to make sure all property owners, with access rights, get a key.
Land registry check instructions:
- Create an account
- Select ‘information services’
- Select ‘enquiry by property description – title view’
- Enter your flat number in ‘flat’ or house number in ‘house’
- Enter street name in ‘street’
- Enter the area in ‘town’, you may need to change the name of the area to a wider area if the search does not come back with a match.
- Enter the postcode in ‘postcode’
- Click next
- Click ‘Register Available’
- Charges will then be displayed
- The text that is then provided will display whether the property has a right of way of the alleyway and the name of the freeholder
If you would like more information on the alley gating scheme, please email gating@ealing.gov.uk