Westminster City Council King Street Low Carbon Trial - Client Report

SCHEME DETAILS

King Street is a one-way street from St James’s Square to its junction with St James’s Street and features an existing footway constructed of Artificial sone paving (ASP) with areas of granite setts and block paving. It was selected for the maintenance programme due to its high score on the Annual Condition Survey (ACS). The street featured a life-expired footway with instances of cracked slabs, uneven surfaces and poor utility reinstatements which were too large an area to be treated under reactive maintenance. The works design was to raise the kerb line to deter vehicle overrun and replace the existing paving with new ASP slabs.

It was considered a good location for the trial because:

• At 268m² it was not too big to trial new equipment whilst being large enough to test results

• It was a slab replacement scheme meaning deep excavation was not required

• Existing electric excavators were considered adequate for the work involved

• The footway was wide enough to install a feeder pillar for power

• There was enough space on the carriageway to house the welfare unit and plant within one compound • The street usage was mainly business use, many of which were closed for lockdown, meaning minimum disruption

• There was easy access to several tube stations for travel to site

• The site was close to City Hall for client visits

• There was a suitable compound at Carlton House Terrace, less than five minutes away for storage of paving materials

• It was not a heavily trafficked road, making access easy for the excavator

As Figure 1 demonstrates, the only amendment to the specification was to reduce the slab depth, meaning there were no significant changes to the design and the use of electric tools and plant were direct replacements for the usual diesel and petrol tools.

The estimated cost for the scheme was £41,000 based upon the traditional methods of installation.

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