Westminster City Council King Street Low Carbon Trial - Client Report

SCOPE

The scope of the report is limited to the installation of the King Street Low Carbon Trial and the Marlborough Hill PPM Footway Replacement Scheme. The primary focus is the effect of changes to operational methodology to reduce carbon. The report has not looked at any other schemes or initiatives in the public realm, or across the other contracts.

LIMITATIONS

The report is limited by the data produced at the two schemes. They are two typical PPM footway schemes, but they do not reflect works on larger public realm schemes, PPM carriageway schemes or other parts of the contract such as Lighting, Water & Drainage or Structures. Therefore, whilst the recommendations may be viable for PPM, they may be less suitable for other types of works. Note that the jobs were already designed which meant that only minor amendments could be made to the specification. A newly designed scheme would allow for more carbon-friendly measures to be considered. A further limitation is the current availability of electric plant, lack of low carbon paving materials, and scarcity of power points for charging electric equipment.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

It was agreed that the trial would remain close to the ‘Westminster Way’ and ensure that the finished look of the street was in keeping with the rest of the area. The specification was adjusted to incorporate a thinner slab and a low carbon concrete alternative. The aim and objective was to test what carbon efficient plant is available for live sites now, with the scheme being assessed against a comparison site at Marlborough Hill. The outcomes were to establish:

• Carbon savings that can be made

• Cost of a shift to non-diesel plant

• Operational issues of change

• Barriers to achieving success

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