Our local highways maintenance report

Overall strategy

Our current approach to asset management and highway maintenance

As well as doing small patching work to make highways and footways safe, we also do planned resurfacing work. For this, we try to use a risk-based approach to follow the Well-managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice.

We do detailed inspections of our roads and footways every year. The information is then loaded into our computer software along with information about our priorities and budgets. The software then:

• simulates how roads might deteriorate
• advises what the best treatment might be
• advises what it might cost
• suggests when the work should be done

This helps us put together our planned programme of maintenance work.

How we follow best practice and deliver innovation

We work with other London councils and highways authorities across the county to keep up to date with best practice and innovation. We are also part of different professional groups including:

• London Highway Engineering Group (LoHEG)
• London Bridge Engineering Group (LoBEG)
• Local Government Technical Advice Group (LGTAG) 

We also participate in annual National Highways and Transportation (NHT) survey, where Southwark residents rate their overall highway performance as the best in the country. 

Specific plans for 2025 to 2026

In 2025 to 2026 we anticipate spending two and a half times more on preventative works than reactive works. Approximately 71% of our spend will be on preventative works. 

In 2025 to 2026 we plan to:

• resurface approximately 1.7 miles of carriageway
• improve 70 footway sections in 42 streets
• repair Rope Street bridge, Lavender Lock bridge and South Street bridge
• repair Russia Dock footbridge, St James retaining wall and monuments in our cemeteries (with funding from our parks team)

We also estimate estimate we will fill 2,450 potholes, based on a projection of the last 5 years’ figures. 

Proposed highways maintenance programme for 2025 to 2026 

Proposed footway maintenance programme for 2025 to 2026 (preventative work with capital spend)

Street works

Our network management team co-ordinate roadworks and street works activities. 

We carry out daily, detailed checks on the street works permit system to both manage permit applications and assess their impact on roads in Southwark and neighbouring boroughs. As well as roads and street works permits, we also co-ordinate all licensable activities and events in the borough.

In addition to the daily checks, we hold quarterly meetings to forward plan major works with:

• the main six utility companies
• anyone who wants to undertake major works in the borough
• our own own highways officers (maintenance and projects) 

Climate change, resilience and adaptation 

Like many councils, Southwark has declared a climate emergency. We are working to become carbon net zero by 2030 and are developing a carbon assessment tool to use on all our projects. 

The estimated carbon emissions can be established and then the scheme can be amended to achieve a 25% reduction in emissions, either by using less carbon intensive materials and construction practices, or by influencing the transport use of the highway to encourage more sustainable transport. 

Climate change and Streets for People

We have also implemented our Streets for People strategy which includes:

• more tree planting
• more planting beds for biodiversity
• wider pavements and cycle routes to encourage active travel

Streets for People schemes, representing a £2 million investment for 2025 to 2026, are being proposed in:

• Bermondsey Street
• America Street
• Great Suffolk Street
• Stoney Street
• Cooks Road
• Red Post Hill
• Iliffe Street
• Rye Lane
• Dulwich Village 

Climate change and flood prevention

Climate change will probably bring more rainfall in London because more moisture can be held in warmer air. For Southwark, this risks more flooding. Creating areas to store rainwater helps to reduce flooding in low areas and stops sewers overflowing. Last year we invested £2,812,657 in flood prevention measures such as the Lost Peck River scheme and Astley House sustainable urban drainage scheme. 

This year, we will work on flood prevention schemes in Belair Park, Deal Porters Walk and Russia Dock Woodland.

Additional information on plans 

We are investing significant capital expenditure in active travel. This includes:

• spending approximately £750k in creating more cyclehangers for the secure storage of bicycles, and on bus priority measure
• spending another £331k in the creation of more cycleways through Borough Road, Tanner Street, Lower Road and Burgess Park
• planned spend of £166k on school streets.

Our Streets for People Strategy represents a significant £13.9m additional investment in delivering improvements to our public realm over the next ten years. Read more about our current Streets for People projects.