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The 2008 Exemplar Award for the National Street Gazetteer (NSG) 'Most innovative use of Additional Street Data', was awarded in recognition of the way in which KHS and its partners are successfully protecting Kent's environmental, cultural and historical heritage. The annual Exemplar Awards for Local Government are presented by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and Intelligent Addressing.
Kent has many miles of verges rich in flora and fauna including several species of orchid and other wildlife such as dormice, butterflies and grass snakes. These roadside strips also include vestiges of Kent's historical and archaeological heritage. To protect Kent's roadside nature reserves and archaeological heritage from damage by street works activity, data maintained by Kent Wildlife Trust and by Kent Heritage Conservation has been entered into the NSG's Associated Street Data (ASD).
A system has been designed to make it easy to collect, update and display ASD on a street works coordination website used by works promoters when pre-planning street works. Clicking on the intended works location on the web maps enables promoters to discover both the unique street reference number (USRN) and details of any Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA), with instructions to telephone environmental experts directly as part of the work planning process. In addition there is a 'service level agreement' to ensure that ESA data is routinely and automatically supplied from definitive sources to the network managers for Kent Highway Services Alliance. An alert is produced if replacement data is not received by the expected date. As a result all roadside ESA sites, even if recently designated, are afforded protection from the potential danger of damage by street works activity.
John Hayes, Director at The Improvement and Development Agency, said as he presented the award "Kent Highway Services Alliance have found a simple way of using the NSG to protect its Environmentally Sensitive Areas and historical heritage from street works activity. Making information easily accessible encourages communication between the environmental groups and street work promoters. It is a fine example of using strategy, technology and data to link systems and organisations to deliver a joined up service which has engaged the interest and goodwill of all the people concerned."
24th October 2008
Notes to Editors:
The NLPG was initiated in 1999 to become the master address dataset for England and Wales and the central hub for the 376 address creating Local Authorities and their Local Land and Property Gazetteers (LLPGs). Based on unique property reference numbers (UPRNs) the underlying principle of these gazetteers is to provide a single definitive ad dress database for all departments and systems across a local authority in order to cut costs, improve efficiency and service delivery.
The dataset enables various local authority departments - from revenue collection and environmental health, to social security, the electoral roll and education - to now offer true âjoined up' government. The benefits also go beyond service delivery. Fraud prevention, tax collection and disaster planning all benefit from the fact that each property is given a âUnique Property Reference Number' which transcends (property) numbers, names, descriptions (such as 'The Nursing Home') and postcodes. UPRNs are assigned for the full life of the plot and/or building.
The project was given a significant boost in 2005 with the introduction of the Mapping Services Agreement, which committed all Local Authorities to bringing their gazetteers up to standard and to start submitting regular updates to the NLPG hub for use by national and regional organisations. Collaboration with DNA-S (Definitive National Addressing for Scotland) who use the same BS7666 processes and database schemas means that a British addressing infrastructure is now a reality.
Intelligent Addressing is a specialist private sector consultancy (an SME) employing recognised experts in addressing. It was originally set up to help develop the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) on behalf of local government and now manages the NLPG and NSG central data hubs under the terms of the Mapping Services Agreement (MSA) with local government.
Intelligent Addressing contact:
Gayle Gander, Head of Marketing | 0207 747 3500 | E-mail: [email protected] | www.intelligent-addressing.co.uk, www.thensg.org.uk, www.nlpg.org.uk
Editorial enquiries and colour separation requests:
William Allbrook | T: 01666 826641 | F: 01666 824668
The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) The IDeA works in partnership with all councils, to enhance the performance of the best, accelerate the speed of improvement of the rest, and develop the sector as a whole. IDeA has brokered the Mapping Services Agreement (MSA) with Intelligent Addressing to develop the NLPG and NSG, through the Local Government Information House (LGIH), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Agency.
Working in partnership with the local government community developing national infrastructure projects that enable councils to deliver local services more effectively, LGIH acts as an intermediary between the public and the private sector enabling it to negotiate with private companies on behalf of local authorities in order to provide key parts of a technical infrastructure for improved service delivery.
The NLPG is a joint venture between the Information House and Intelligent Addressing Limited.
IDeA contacts:
Paul Bailey | 020 7296 6600 | Email: [email protected] | www.idea.gov.uk
