CASE STUDY

SES Water – A22 Godstone Road

How PLMR supported SES Water with stakeholder engagement for their water works along the A22 Godstone Road, Purley

Client

SES Water

Services provided

The Situation

SES Water appointed PLMR to support with stakeholder engagement on major improvement works which would require the closure of the A22 Godstone Road in Purley in the summer of 2023. The project had been cancelled previously due to a lack of support in the local community and amongst political representatives in the London Borough of Croydon, and it was business-critical for SES Water that the works were able to go ahead in 2023.

What we did

We focused from the outset on engaging at the earliest possible point, with political stakeholders, local businesses, and local residents, as well as community groups. We created a full, in-depth briefing document for members and officers at Croydon Council, and had ongoing dialogue with several local representatives throughout the project, assisting them in answering questions from constituents. PLMR also pulled together and designed an information pack, which went to every business that would be directly impacted by the road closure, as well as visiting each business in person to explain the upcoming works. This was all carried out well in advance of the work kicking off so that the community had plenty of warning.

Once the improvement works had begun and the road closure had been put in place, we sent out bi-weekly newsletters for the life of the project, giving updates on progress and any expected delays.

The Result

The improvement works were able to go ahead as planned, with councillors and officers at the London Borough of Croydon commenting that they were shocked and impressed by the lack of complaints concerning the road closure, due to our extensive comms ahead of time. This meant SES Water was able to carry out business-critical works with no delays.

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PLMR’s crisis communications experience is second to none, and includes pre-emptive and reactive work across traditional and social media channels. We work with a range of organisations to offer critical communication support when they are faced with difficult and challenging scenarios.