The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters has appointed local manufacturer — Littlehampton Bricks and Pavers — to supply pavers for main road footpath paving projects within the City's Kent Town precinct.
Mayor Robert Bria said that the decision, which was endorsed by the Council at its meeting on Monday 7 December 2020, following a product evaluation of the current preferred product.
"It was determined that Littlehampton Bricks and Pavers was able to offer a premium clay paver product with the added advantage of being a local South Australian manufacturer.
"Not only is Littlehampton Bricks and Pavers offering a cost efficient option, but we are supporting a local manufacturer which will in turn create local jobs—a great outcome for South Australia's economy as it continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic."
The arrangement is also a win for the environment.
"By supporting this local manufacturer, we are also reducing transport and thereby lowering our carbon emissions."
The Littlehampton 'Stardust' paver, which is new to the market in response to market trends, will now be listed in the Kent Town Public Realm Manual as the preferred product for future main road footpath paving projects within Kent Town.
Wayne Hunter, Business Development Manager at Littlehampton Bricks and Pavers, said that it is fantastic to see South Australian made products used in the local market.
"As a family-owned South Australian business, we take great pride in seeing our products used by councils for premiere South Australian streetscapes.
"We are a small business, we employ local people, we make quality products and we are agile—we can be competitive in ways that others in our industry cannot."
The first footpaths to feature the Littlehampton 'Stardust' paver will be The Parade West (between Grenfell and Little Young Streets) and Rundle Street and College Road (adjacent to the Kent Town Hotel), with works commencing in January 2020.
"The business is thrilled to have been selected over multinational companies and we're very much looking forward to seeing the new pavers in place," said Wayne.
Along with the Kent Town Urban Design Framework, the Kent Town Public Realm Manual was endorsed by the Council on 4 March 2019.
The Kent Town Public Realm Manual is a design guide for the renewal of Kent Town's streets and includes a palette of paving materials, furniture, trees and plants which are proposed to be used for future planning, design and capital works.
Mayor Robert Bria said, "In its product evaluation, the Council considered a range of factors including fit for purpose, whole-of-life cost, quality, sustainability, timeliness, service, support and warranty, and of course, sourcing where possible, a locally made quality product."
"Littlehampton Bricks and Pavers ticked a lot of boxes and we are thrilled to support a local manufacturer and contribute to local job creation, particularly after such a challenging year."
