The New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 governs every excavation on the public highway in England. To legally break open a public road or pavement — for any reason, including laying fibre optic ducting, connecting utilities to a new property, or making a service connection from the main to the boundary — the contractor must hold NRSWA accreditation.
Most domestic groundworks companies in Norfolk do not hold it. The accreditation requires operatives to pass a series of unit assessments covering excavation, reinstatement, signing and guarding, and road space booking. It requires an understanding of the Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways — the document that governs exactly how a road or pavement must be reinstated after any excavation. And it requires compliance with a permit system that varies across Norfolk's highway authorities.
KiKK holds full NRSWA accreditation. This is not a badge on a website. It is the legal basis on which KiKK carries out fibre optic ducting, utility connections and any groundworks that crosses the public highway in Norfolk — without the client needing to engage a separate streetworks contractor. On a residential development, this saves three to four weeks of scheduling. On a telecoms rollout, it means one contractor carrying the full installation from private land to public highway and back under a single programme.
One Contractor, No Scheduling Gap
The alternative is coordinating a groundworks company for private land and a separate streetworks company for the highway. That gap adds weeks and a second mobilisation cost. KiKK eliminates it — one contract, one team, one programme.
Norfolk Highway Knowledge
KiKK works regularly with Norfolk County Council Highways, Norwich City Council, Broadland District and the other highway authorities across the county. We know the permit lead times, reinstatement standards and traffic management requirements for each.
Rural Norfolk Experience
Fibre and utility work in rural Norfolk involves narrow country lanes with passing places, verges that require careful reinstatement, and road surfaces that are not standard tarmac. KiKK has worked across rural Norfolk's road network.
Rural Norfolk's fibre broadband rollout is still active. Project Gigabit, the UK government's programme to bring gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach rural areas, continues to fund fibre infrastructure across the county. The contractors delivering that rollout need NRSWA-accredited groundworks subcontractors who understand rural Norfolk's road network, can obtain permits from Norfolk County Council Highways, and can reinstate rural roads and verges to the required standard.
KiKK installs fibre optic duct across Norfolk — new estate connections, rural village fibre rollouts, individual property connections requiring a highway crossing, and commercial premises requiring fibre capacity upgrades. We handle the full installation from private land through the public highway and back, including:
- Route survey and duct design
- Road space booking with Norfolk County Council Highways
- Excavation on public and private land
- Duct installation and draw rope
- Highway reinstatement to SROH specification
- Permit sign-off and completion documentation
Bringing utilities into a new build or development in Norfolk almost always involves crossing the public highway at some point. The water main is in the road. The gas supply comes from the main in the footway. The electricity connection crosses the pavement. Every one of these connections requires NRSWA-accredited work on the public highway.
Residential New Builds and Extensions
Single property connects — water supply, gas, electric, telecommunications — from the public main to the property boundary. KiKK coordinates directly with Anglian Water, UK Power Networks, Cadent Gas and telecoms providers for connection applications, and carries out the highway works under one contract.
Housing Development Sites
Multi-plot developments require coordinated utility infrastructure from the point of connection at the public main through the site. KiKK works with housing developers across Norfolk to install ducting, draw ropes, inspection chambers and service connections across development sites as part of the wider groundworks across Norfolk programme.
Commercial and Industrial Premises
Higher-capacity utility connections for commercial premises — three-phase electricity, larger water mains, and commercial gas — require the same highway works capability. KiKK handles commercial utility connections across Norfolk as standalone contracts or as part of broader civil engineering Norfolk packages.
Every excavation on a Norfolk public highway requires a permit from the relevant highway authority before work begins. In Norfolk, the highway authority is Norfolk County Council for county roads, with city and borough councils responsible for their own highway networks — including Norwich City Council for Norwich roads.
KiKK manages the full permit process directly:
- Road space booking application submitted to the appropriate authority with the required lead time
- Traffic management design — signing, guarding and any temporary traffic signals required under Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual
- Works notification coordinated with the authority's permit system
- Reinstatement inspection completed to SROH specification and signed off by the highway authority
Clients do not need to understand any part of this process. KiKK handles it from application through to permit sign-off.
Need an NRSWA-Accredited Groundworks Partner in Norfolk?
This is a specialist area. Call Kallan directly to discuss your programme.
Rural Fibre Connection
A village property in north Norfolk requiring a highway crossing to connect to a new fibre cabinet 40 metres along the verge. KiKK manages the permit, excavates the crossing, installs the duct and draws the cable, reinstates the verge and road surface.
New Build Estate
A 25-plot development near Dereham requiring full utility infrastructure from the public mains. KiKK installs all ducting across the site and manages the highway connections for water, gas, electric and telecoms under a single groundworks contract.
Commercial Fibre Upgrade
A business park in Norwich requiring a new fibre duct from the footway into the building. Highway crossing permit, footway excavation, duct installation, reinstatement — one day's work under NRSWA authorisation.
