Representatives of Southwark Gas Networks will provide a short presentation.
Minutes:
Ian Law from Southwark Street Works manager gave a presentation on the UK gas infrastructure. Ian explained the gas network was replacing assets with plastic instead of iron pipes. The duty of street authorities like the highway authority would be to ensure the work was completed on the highway and to ensure any gas escape would be treated with some urgency.
Gas supply was a necessity so the authority had an obligation to give people gas supply hence the reason the iron pipes were being replaced with plastic ones particularly those high risk pipes which was co-ordinated within the highways risk based programme.
The officer took questions from the audience about the iron pipes and whether it would include the joint. The response was it would include the pipes and joint that would help the flow of gas although joints could be repaired as a one off operation. The major replacement of pipes to plastic should reduce the incident rate for repairs. The gas network deal with most London Boroughs and each job had a time budget or programme of works which listed each area so residents were aware of the works going on at any given time.
A question was asked about the Plan for the replacement of pipes and whether the information could be made available to local ward councillors. The officer agreed to provide that information to members.