Kier Harlow sets sights on 'A' grade

Published by Elizabeth Pokorny for Kier Services in Communities and also in Health

Kier Harlow introduces new improvements to town

Harlow is set to become an ‘A grade’ town thanks to a new initiative introduced by local repairs and maintenance provider, Kier Harlow, which aims to drive the local economy and boost its health & safety credentials.

The initiative will not only improve the aesthetics of the town, but also have a positive impact on both tourism and health & safety by clearing the streets of additional waste. Teams from Kier’s street cleansing department and its parks and landscapes division have begun to roll out the new programme of work building on its existing street cleaning services.

Under the new initiative, Kier’s work will be extended to include clearing back the shrubbery and bushes in the town by an additional metre, which will expose more footpath and cut back on the ‘skirt’ which can collect litter. By exposing more of the walkways Kier Harlow will be able to clean the streets more effectively and reduce the amount of litter caught in the undergrowth.

The teams currently target both litter hotspots and areas identified by residents, carrying out tasks such as bramble clearance, litter and rubbish removal, path clearance, clearance of small and large fly-tips and weed spraying. The team is an addition to other services Kier Harlow provides on behalf of the council such as routine street cleaning, grass cutting, emptying litter bins and graffiti removal.

Earlier in the year, Kier Harlow joined a crackdown enforced by the council to target litter hotspot areas across the town. Community safety officers have stepped up patrols and are now issuing £80 fixed penalty notices to anyone seen dropping litter. Work is also planned to take place with schools, the college and local community groups to raise awareness of the impact of litter. Around 30 more litter bins will be placed in key areas, adding to the town’s network of 450 litter bins.

Kier senior landscape officer, Ray Matthews, said: “This additional level of service from Kier in Harlow will have a great impact on the overall appearance of the town. Neat and tidy streets are an important factor in people’s perception of a place so lots of effort is put into keeping our community clean.

“Of course, by lowering the amount of litter on the streets we are also improving the health and well-being of the town’s residents too. We will be judged by DEFRA in March 2013 and hope to achieve an ‘A grade’ for the town.”

The Kier Harlow workforce will be working to the Keep Britain Tidy national indicator level, NI195, aiming to achieve an ‘A grade’ when inspected next year. The indicator level is used by Keep Britain Tidy to measure local environmental quality and covers litter, general waste, graffiti and fly-posting.