The services provided by the Engineering department are carried out by multi-disciplined professional and technical staff as part of a combined Planning and Engineering Business Unit. The services are provided by two teams who have the following responsibilities:
Development Team
1) District Council Property Functions:
- Private roadways, footway and foul sewage pumping station maintenance
- Multi-storey and Surface car park maintenance
- Engineering advice, design implementation for corporate projects
2) Transport and Environmental Initiatives:
- Town Centre, Car Park and Regeneration/Enhancement Schemes
- Local Transport Plan Initiatives
- Cycle Route and Cycle Parking Schemes
3) District Council Highway Functions:
Environment Team
1) Watercourse Management:
- Construction of flood alleviation measures, cyclic watercourse maintenance and enforcement
- DEFRA High Level Targets
- Flood risk management, including warning systems in association with the Environment Agency
2) Rural parish footway lighting maintenance and improvement
3) Street Naming and Numbering
As part of the portfolio of activities the group also provides an in-house specialist Design and Construct service for the Council. The types of projects undertaken fall into the following categories;
Highway Improvements, Environmental Enhancements, Cycle Initiatives, Watercourse Flood Alleviation and Drainage schemes, together with responsibility for the Council’s Multi-storey and Surface Car Park Infrastructure.
Due to the varied nature of the projects, in the main specialist tenders need to be let, involving extensive tender procurement. This is undertaken in accordance with the District Council’s Codes of Procurement and in consultation with the Councils Legal Service.
All projects undertaken impact on the community as a whole, therefore, Customer Care is at the forefront of service delivery and the current procedure in place ensures that all affected customers are:
- Kept fully informed about works before and during the contract period;
- Aware of names to contact for further information or in the case of special needs;
- Told of any changes from the original programme;
- Know about their rights to compensation etc.
At the end of each scheme, Engineering or the particular Client canvasses customers direct to establish whether standards have been achieved. The results of the surveys are fed back to the Engineering group to assist in the continual improvement in service delivery.
We take the view that the Engineering service should ultimately be about making a positive difference for the community, economy and environment in the district. We have therefore established an aim and a series of key service outcomes which will guide how we deliver our services.
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