Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Environment

The Board considered a report of the Executive Director of Environment regarding the parapet refurbishment and repainting of Blackfriars Bridge. The Chair thanked officers for facilitating an interesting site visit, which had illustrated the significant detail involved in a highly-skilled project on this Victorian bridge, and encouraged other Members to visit the site. The Executive Director of Environment then introduced the report, outlining the key points for Members and providing an update on the project. The Executive Director of Environment confirmed that an open invitation was extended to Members for site visits.

In response to a question from a Member, the Executive Director of Environment advised that inflationary pressures had been factored into the proposals, with Costed Risk Provision also requested to cover specific additional risks. The Executive Director of Environment confirmed that officers were confident that the work could be completed within the budget range. A Member suggested that the work could be filmed for promotional purposes and published online. The Executive Director of Environment responded that this had been considered, but would be challenging due to the nature of the work. However, officers would explore the best way to document and demonstrate the project. The Chair endorsed this and suggested that other promotional work for the projects and bridges be considered, such as a time capsule.

RESOLVED – That the BHE Board:

i.              Note the £415,892 saving made in the Value Engineering process;

ii.             Approve the increase to value of the Costed Risk Provision by £200,000 to allow for changes in the law, the full impact of which is still being quantified;

iii.            Approve the replacement of the existing Navigation Lights be added to the scope of the project, increasing the expected project cost by £50,000 (funding identified in the existing 50-year BHE Bridges Maintenance Plan budget); and

iv.           Agree that:

1.    A reduction in expected overall project cost of £165,892 be noted;

2.    The project budget remains at £14,716,540 (including risk) to reach the next project Gateway;

3.    The remaining approved Costed Risk Provision of £2,637,944 is retained and additional £200,000 (totalling £2,837,944)is approved (to be drawn down via delegation to Assistant Director Engineering); and

4.    The replacement of the Navigation Lights is approved to be completed as part of the project, which if approved will increase the overall expected cost of the project.