Havering prepares for winter with huge salt store in new transport depot

Around 2,000 tonnes of gritting salt - double last year’s supply - will fill Havering Council’s new depot to keep the borough moving during the winter months.

The depot, in Upper Rainham Road, Hornchurch, also boasts a new snow plough to cope with any extreme winter conditions.

The new dry storage facility sees the transport depot move from Purfleet, in Essex, into a purpose-built site in the centre of Havering.

The council says it will lead to savings in fuel, rent, a reduction in travelling times between locations, less wear and tear on vehicles and a reduction of the authority’s carbon footprint.

The depot will now also accommodate the passenger transport service fleet and staff.

There is a workshop building to maintain vehicles, a highways/transport store, offices and parking for highways vehicles.

Cllr Barry Tebbutt, cabinet member for environment, said: “By the end of November last year we had 1,200 tonnes of salt and managed to cope despite being the worst winter the country has seen in 100 years. This year we will have 2,000 tonnes so, along with the new snow plough, we are more than able to cope with whatever weather is thrown at us.

“This major project involved ideas and technology that are really ground-breaking. These energy-saving methods and the move to within the borough not only reduce the impact to the environment but also make savings for the Council and therefore local taxpayers.”

The depot is one of Havering Council’s most environmentally sustainable facilities, and includes the latest heating technology to minimise the depot’s running costs.

Other green aspects of the construction include green ‘living’ roofs, low energy lighting and cedar wood cladding from a renewable source.

The building was recognised with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of ‘A’ – making the development one of the greenest in the South East.