Framework Community Board Highlights – October 2026

The Joint Medium Schemes Framework (MSF4) and Professional Services Partnership (PSP) Community Board met on 1 October 2026 for a session covering major project delivery, sector reform and specialist engineering insight.

Pork Pie Way: A Project Wrap-Up

Shaun Beales from Galliford Try, working alongside Leicestershire County Council, presented a comprehensive wrap-up of the North and East Melton Mowbray Distributor Road – known locally as Pork Pie Way.

The presentation gave an honest account of the project’s journey, including the real challenges faced around construction and flooding during delivery. But the focus was firmly on what the scheme achieved. The project made strong use of digital delivery methods throughout, and achieved a carbon performance 30% below baseline – a notable result for a scheme of this scale.

Just as significant were the many social value benefits delivered for the local community. The project supported the region’s air ambulance service, and local apprentices working on the scheme were recognised in this year’s Apprentice of the Year awards. Shaun’s presentation was a reminder that major infrastructure projects can, and should, leave a lasting positive legacy for the communities they pass through.

Navigating Local Government Reorganisation

Sarah-Joy Lewis from Local Partnerships LLP presented on a toolkit developed in partnership with ADEPT to help authorities navigate highway services through local government reorganisation (LGR).

Local Partnerships works closely with central government, the LGA and ADEPT, bridging local and national government. While LGR is currently paused, Sarah-Joy’s message to the Framework Community Board was clear: this is the time to prepare. The toolkit focuses on how policy and governance decisions translate into practical operational and transformational change once reorganisation resumes, ensuring highway services are ready to adapt when the time comes.

Highways Auralisation: Understanding Road Noise

AECOM’s specialist noise modeller, Sekin Basturk, gave a fascinating presentation on highway noise – from managing resurfacing sounds to specifying road surfaces, and how noise considerations feed into the wider planning process.

Sekin introduced the Framework Community Board to auralisation, a technique for visualising and demonstrating sound, helping to illustrate what acceptable and unacceptable noise outcomes look and sound like in practice. Using the A61 Dronfield Bypass, delivered with Derbyshire County Council, as a case study, Sekin explained the surprising number of variables that affect road noise, including vehicle speed, resurfacing type, time of day and even road surface temperature. It was a genuinely eye-opening look at the science behind a challenge that affects communities across the country.

Thank You

Thank you to Shaun, Sarah-Joy and Sekin for three excellent presentations, and to all attendees for making it such a valuable session.

For more information about the MSF4 and PSP frameworks, please visit the MHA+ website.