Working with Local Authorities

At O’Keefe's we recognise the importance of strong working relationships with the Local Highway Authorities so insist in keeping the lines of communication open.  Sharing our information and understanding their requirements is imperative, therefore we ensure before any of our material is placed in a Borough we have consulted the relevant highways department on our process, Pavimentum performance and our Quality Control procedures.

In early 2007 we carried out a series of approved trials in carriageways and footway trenches in some of the busiest areas of Greater London.  These trials were invaluable in giving us the opportunity to test the material in a live site and demonstrating Pavimentum's performance capabilities.

The trials were carried out in conjunction with EDF Energy Networks in the following Boroughs;

In January 2009 EDF Energy Networks received an award from Westminster City Council at the Road Management Summit commending the trials and for encouraging the use of an alternative reinstatement material.  Jonathon Rowing, the Streetwork Manager also noted;

"the prime catalyst for the giving of this award was the need to acknowledge the investment put into the development of an end to end recycled material process in partnership with O'Keefe Utilities Limited. The scale of investment and partnership by all concerned was most impressive and showed the way forward for the industry as a whole. I am sure that this will continue to develop into an industry standard and am pleased to see that Laing O'Rourke is strongly supporting this as part of their new contract with EDF Energy.”

Launching the first SMARTR Facility 

To celebrate the opening of our Silvertown SMARTR facility, we held an open day in conjunction with Laing O’Rourke on the 9th October 2009.  This was a great opportunity for the London Boroughs to get a close look at the plant and process.  This was also a chance to meet the operations team and understand how the material is produced.

Ian Hawthorn, Head of Network Management & Enforcement Highways and Engineering Division Environment Department for London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham said;

"The London Borough of  Hammersmith & Fulham Highways fully support the use of the O'Keefe Pavimentum (PV1) as an Alternative Reinstatement Material (ARM) for all road types.

As a Borough who is truly committed to the WRAP (HAUC & Local Authorities) Memorandum of Understanding, we understand the need to provide a more sustainable approach to highways and street works and are pleased to finally see a recycled material that meets the HAUC performance criteria and can replace quarried Type 1.

My Performance Manager and team were very impressed with the mixing plant and the demonstration of your processes at the Open Day on the 9th October and look forward to seeing the material being initially used in EDF Energy trench reinstatements.  We are also reassured with the commitment from your partner Laing O'Rourke and the Quality Controls in place. We are keen to learn more and would like to visit sites were the material is being used.

We were equally impressed with your commitment to developing products for use in the highways, we are keen to be part of future trials to assist with the evolution of materials.

We wish you every success in your attempts to take a positive lead within the our industry to deliver a greener choice for all utility companies."

For information about visiting a SMARTR depot or for more information about our process and materials, please contact: julie.keenan@okeefe.co.uk.