Southampton City Council and Balflour Beatty Living Places join forces to cut carbon footprint

Southampton City Council are pleased to announce that we are jointly investing £350k with our partners Balfour Beatty into ‘The Highways Service Partnership’

Balfour Beatty Living Places, working in partnership with Southampton City Council, have committed to £350,000 of asset investment to support the highways service continue to reduce its carbon footprint and both Balfour Beatty’s Building New Futures strategy and the council’s Our Greener City Plan.

The Highways Service Partnership delivers the highways maintenance, transport planning and asset management services across the city. The partnership has been delivering services and projects with sustainability at its core, with the most visible being the Living Wall on Millbrook Roundabout, but also by trialling and using low carbon asphalt alternatives for resurfacing works.

This latest investment includes 10 new all electric vehicles and a move to using only battery powered breakers for excavation works around the city. These changes alone will deliver an estimated 650,000kg of CO2 savings between now and October 2025.

Brian Hammersley, Contract Director, Balfour Beatty, said:
"This investment will really make a difference to the sustainability and future success of the highways service by embracing changes in technology and moving away from our reliance on fossil fuels.

"This is only the start; we will continue to phase out diesel powered vehicles and equipment where possible over the coming months and years."

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth at Southampton City Council said:
"This is a fantastic step to help deliver the council’s commitment to sustainable energy and carbon reduction. I am delighted to be working with our partner, Balfour Beatty Living Places, to meet the challenges of climate change and the reduction in CO2 generated through this service."