Wooden decking for city centre

The request was successful.

Dear Aberdeen City Council,

I understand you are putting down wooden decking on select areas of the city centre. I would ask:

* is this meant to be temporary or permanent?
* what is the cost of the decking materials and how were they sourced - did you invite suppliers to tender? Did the supplier have any links to ACC?
* what is the cost of the decking material installation and who is dong the work. - did you invite installers to tender? Did the installer have any links to ACC?
* if this is being done by ACC, please advise how much experience those doing the work have o installing decking
* has the city done any cost projection for the cost of maintaining, cleaning, restoring the decking? If so, what is the estimated quarterly cost?
* is the decking grooved, and if so, have you considered the slip and trip potential for people wearing high / spike-type heels?
* is the city aware of other cities in Scotland using wooden decking?
* what will the cost be if any of specific slip and trip insurance for the decking?
* is the decking fireproof? Does the fire department approve of the installation of the decking?

Yours

Suzanne Kelly

Yours faithfully,

Suzanne Kelly

Foi Enquiries, Aberdeen City Council

Dear Ms Kelly,

 

Thank you for your request for information, made under Section 1(1) of the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA), and received on 6 July
2020.

 

We would like to ask you to clarify your request so that we can identify
and locate the information which you have requested. Under Section 1(3) of
the FOISA, we do not have to supply you with the requested information
until you have provided us with more detail in this respect.

 

if this is being done by ACC, please advise how much experience those
doing the work have o installing decking

 

We would be extremely grateful if you could clarify what recorded
information you would like access to for this question? Are you looking to
request access to the qualifications of the people undertaking the work?

 

Clarifying these points will help us to be sure we are providing, where
possible, the information you are interested in. Please note we will keep
your request on file for 20 working days whilst we await your
clarification. It can often be helpful to discuss your request with a
member of our team who may be able to help you frame your request or
explain more about how ACC holds its information; if this is something you
feel may be helpful please do call us, and we will be happy to assist you.

 

Please refer to [1]FOISA reviews & appeals and [2]Your Data for more
information about your rights under FOISA.

 

We look forward to hearing from you.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Grant Webster

Access to Information Officer

 

 

Grant Webster |Access to Information Officer

Aberdeen City Council | Access to Information Team | Customer Feedback
|Customer

Marischal College |Business Hub 6,  1st Floor South | Broad Street |
Aberdeen | AB10 1AQ

 

Dial: 01224 522166

[3]www.aberdeencity.gov.uk | Twitter: @AberdeenCC |
Facebook.com/AberdeenCC

 

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Dear Foi Enquiries,

I am taken aback this simple passage requires clarification, but I am pleased to offer it. You asked me to explain:

"if this is being done by ACC, please advise how much experience those
doing the work have o installing decking"

Creating a system of decking that is safe for hundreds, possibly thousands of people to walk on is a specialist task, and I want to know how much experience ACC personnel, if any, who are installing the decking have of doing this task. Perhaps, as there seems to be very little wooden decking in the city centre (if any) at present, any ACC staff doing the work will have either had experience or specialist training. So I expect there will be records that you can easily remove personal data from such as resumes, cvs, previous ACC decking jobs, training, correspondence, cetificates of competence you can share.
Thank you

Suzanne Kelly

Yours sincerely,

Suzanne Kelly

Foi Enquiries, Aberdeen City Council

Dear Ms Kelly,

 

Information enquiry reference EIR-20-0663.

 

Many thanks for your recent clarification of your information request,
which we received on 13 July 2020.

 

The scheduled date for our response to your request for information is on
or before 11 August 2020.

 

Please refer to [1]FOISA reviews & appeals and [2]Your Data for more
information about your rights under FOISA.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any queries in the
meantime.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Grant Webster

Access to Information Officer

 

 

Grant Webster |Access to Information Officer

Aberdeen City Council | Access to Information Team | Customer Feedback
|Customer

Marischal College |Business Hub 6,  1st Floor South | Broad Street |
Aberdeen | AB10 1AQ

 

Dial: 01224 522166

[3]www.aberdeencity.gov.uk | Twitter: @AberdeenCC |
Facebook.com/AberdeenCC

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail (including any attachment to it) is
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to regular monitoring.

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Dear Foi Enquiries,

May I have my information now please?

Yours sincerely,

Suzanne Kelly

Foi Enquiries, Aberdeen City Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Kelly,

 

Please accept our sincerest apologies that we have failed to respond to
your information request within the statutory deadline. 

 

We are endeavouring to ensure you receive a response within the next 5
working days, but would like to take this opportunity to advise you that,
as we have missed the statutory deadline for responding, you are entitled
to request a review.  More information about requesting a review is
included in the Further Information section, below.

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

 

If ACC has failed to respond to your information request within the
statutory 20 working days you can submit a complaint or request a review
of our response. You should do this within 40 working days after receipt
of this information. To complain or request a review, please write to:

 

Access to Information Team
Customer Feedback
Corporate Experience
Aberdeen City Council
1^st Floor South

Business Hub 6

Marischal College
Broad Street
ABERDEEN AB10 1AB

Email: [1][Aberdeen City Council request email]

Your request for review must include your name, an address, and your
reason(s) for requesting a review. You should also include the reference
number for your original request for information.

               

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your request for review, you
can apply directly to the Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner
(OSIC) for a decision. Generally, OSIC cannot make a decision unless you
have been through the Council’s review procedure. The Scottish Information
Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner

Kinburn Castle

Doubledykes Road

St Andrews

Fife

KY16 9DS

[2]www.itspublicknowledge.info

 

Should you wish to appeal against the Scottish Information Commissioner's
decision, there is an appeal to the Court of Session on a point of law
only. Any such appeal must be made within 42 days after the date of the
decision has been issued.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

[3]ACC_Crest_for Salomeh Kheyri Rad | Access to Information Officer
mac email
Aberdeen City Council | Access to Information Team |
Customer Feedback |Customer

Marischal College | Business Hub 6 | 1^st Floor  | Broad
Street | Aberdeen | AB10 1AB

 

Dial: 01224 522166

[4]www.aberdeencity.gov.uk | Twitter: @AberdeenCC |
Facebook.com/AberdeenCC

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail (including any attachment to it) is
confidential, protected by copyright and may be privileged. The
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If you receive this email in error, notify the sender by reply email,
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Whilst we take reasonable precautions to ensure that our emails are free
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attachments create, form part of or vary any contractual or unilateral
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Foi Enquiries, Aberdeen City Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Kelly,

 

Thank you for your clarified information request of 13 July 2020 and
please accept our apologies for delay in providing the response to you. 
Aberdeen City Council (ACC) has completed the necessary search for the
information requested. Our response is now detailed below.

 

I understand you are putting down wooden decking on select areas of the
city centre.  I would ask:

 

*  is this meant to be temporary or permanent?

Temporary.

 

*  what is the cost of the decking materials and how were they sourced -
did you invite suppliers to tender?  Did the supplier have any links to
ACC?

£31,167.45 total to date (21/7/20) for decking, anti slip inserts, bolts,
nuts, shims, adhesive, sealant, non-slip tape. The suppliers used to date
are Keith Builders Merchants, Jewson, MGM Timber, Premier, John Smith Ltd,
Cordiners Timber, General & Technical Flooring, Hall & Tawse. Quotation
enquiries have been sent to suppliers by email and telephone, in line with
the ACC procurement regulations. The process is still ongoing as the units
are still being manufactured, and there is limited stock due to factory
and cargo shutdowns. All suppliers except for Keith Builders had existing
links as suppliers with ACC, and had supplied ACC in the past.

 

*  what is the cost of the decking material installation and who is doing
the work. - did you invite installers to tender?  Did the installer have
any links to ACC?

To date (21/7/20) we have spent approximately £105,000 on the completed
parklets, which has been carried out by in-house operational teams, with
Hall & Tawse Ltd providing specialist joinery workshop fabrication and
delivery to site. Telephone enquiries were made for this specialist
workshop service to supplement our in-house joiners, and we were only able
to locate one supplier that could meet the demand. The installer has a
link to ACC by having an existing contract to manufacture and supply doors
and fire doors from their workshop.

 

* if this is being done by ACC, please advise how much experience those
doing the work have o installing decking.  Creating a system of decking
that is safe for hundreds, possibly thousands of people to walk on is a
specialist task, and I want to know how much experience ACC personnel, if
any, who are installing the decking have of doing this task.  Perhaps, as
there seems to be very little wooden decking in the city centre (if any)
at present, any ACC staff doing the work will have either had experience
or specialist training.  So I expect there will be records that you can
easily remove personal data from such as resumes, cvs, previous ACC
decking jobs, training, correspondence, cetificates of competence you can
share.

The timber framing and decking is being manufactured by Hall & Tawse,
which is a professional timber workshop, and their full credentials and
experience can be found at [1]https://www.hallandtawse.com/

 

ACC joiners are all time served tradespeople, with city and guilds and SVQ
level 3 qualifications. The supervisors are also time served and have
SSSTS qualifications, and the managers are time served with SMSTS. The
joiners are all experienced with carrying out repair and maintenance work,
and work with apprentices who are assisting their respective tradespeople.

 

*  has the city done any cost projection for the cost of maintaining,
cleaning, restoring the decking?  If so, what is the estimated quarterly
cost?

No cost projection has been undertaken yet.

 

*  is the decking grooved, and if so, have you considered the slip and
trip potential for people wearing high / spike-type heels?

The decking is grooved and is sold in Scotland commercially as decking.
The trip and slip potential for footwear has been considered and non-slip
strips have been provided on the decking.

 

*  is the city aware of other cities in Scotland using wooden decking?

We are not aware of any cities at this time. One other Council has
expressed an interested in the parklet solutions directly and SUSTRANS who
are managing the fund has also noted interest.

 

*  what will the cost be if any of specific slip and trip insurance for
the decking?

We are not considering procuring specific insurance for the decking. The
Council has public liability insurance for all its activities should a
claim be received from a member of the public. 

 

*  is the decking fireproof?  Does the fire department approve of the
installation of the decking?

As the decking is not required to be fireproof under building regulations
it is not built to that standard and while the Scottish Fire and Rescue
Service are aware of the parklets they are not required to approve them.

  

INFORMATION ABOUT THE HANDLING OF YOUR REQUEST

 

As the information which you requested is environmental information, as
defined under Regulation 2(1) of the Environmental Information (Scotland)
Regulations 2004 (the EIRs), we considered that it was exempt from release
through FOISA, and must therefore give you notice that we are refusing 
your request under Section 39(2) of FOISA (Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002).  However, you have a separate right to access the
information which you have requested under Regulation 5 of the EIRs, under
which we have handled your request. Please refer to [2]FOISA reviews &
appeals and [3]Your Data for more information about your rights under the
EIRs.

 

We hope this helps with your request.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

[4]ACC_Crest_for Access to Information Team
mac email
Aberdeen City Council | Access to Information Team |
Customer Feedback |Customer

Marischal College | Business Hub 6 | 1^st Floor  | Broad
Street | Aberdeen | AB10 1AB

 

Dial: 01224 522166

[5]www.aberdeencity.gov.uk | Twitter: @AberdeenCC |
Facebook.com/AberdeenCC

 

 

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail (including any attachment to it) is
confidential, protected by copyright and may be privileged. The
information contained in it should be used for its intended purposes only.
If you receive this email in error, notify the sender by reply email,
delete the received email and do not make use of, disclose or copy it.
Whilst we take reasonable precautions to ensure that our emails are free
from viruses, we cannot be responsible for any viruses transmitted with
this email and recommend that you subject any incoming email to your own
virus checking procedures. Unless related to Council business, the
opinions expressed in this email are those of the sender and they do not
necessarily constitute those of Aberdeen City Council. Unless we expressly
say otherwise in this email or its attachments, neither this email nor its
attachments create, form part of or vary any contractual or unilateral
obligation. Aberdeen City Council's incoming and outgoing email is subject
to regular monitoring.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.hallandtawse.com/
2. https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services...
3. https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/your-dat...
5. http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/