Highways & Neighbourhoods and Asset Management, Culture & Housing Cabinet Members – Minute – 10 May 2013

1          (1) HIGHWAYS DEPOT AND MIDLAND ROAD DEPOT – FUTURE OPTIONS The Director of Places submitted a report considering options for accommodating Highways and Transport related services.

As part of the Highways Alliance agreement with Clugston Construction, the council had in recent years rented an area of their yard adjacent to the Brigg Road Highways Depot in Scunthorpe. This allowed for all the alliance work, winter service and day to day highway operations to take place from one location. This led to the closure of two other small satellite depots that were used for stock storage.

The current rental agreement for Alliance House and the associated car park ended on 30 June 2013. As such, the council needed to consider options for accommodating staff, winter service vehicles, highway operational vehicles and storage of stock that currently operated from the Brigg Road Depot.

There was not enough room at the current Brigg Road Depot, without the area currently rented from Clugston Construction, to safely carry out the winter service and the day-to-day highway operations. The Clugston Group was willing to consider a continuing long term lease arrangement with the council to allow for the continuing operation of the Brigg Road Depot.

The council had recently approved capital funding to provide a salt barn to keep salt storage dry. Currently the salt for winter gritting of the highway network was stored outside and was subject to weathering.  This increased the amount of salt the council had to spread on the road compared to spreading dry salt, which in turn increased the costs of the winter service regime.

Following recent bad winters, the government expected councils to store more salt to maintain the road network in the UK throughout winter. The area of a salt barn would be substantially bigger than the current area of open-air salt storage in the Brigg Road Depot. This further reduced the safe operational space available at the depot.

Transport Services had strong operational links to the Highways Service. They currently operated out of a rented compound on Midland Road, Scunthorpe. This was subject to a separate lease that was due to expire on 30 September 2013.  The council also operated a depot facility at Northampton Road, Scunthorpe. The Neighbourhood Services team functioned from this depot.

Resolved – That Option 2, as set out in paragraph 3.1.2 of the report, for the future of Highway and Transport Operations for North Lincolnshire, in order to improve Highways’ performance to communities and residents, be approved.