Duraproducts kerbing manager appointment: what it means for UK highway design
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Duraproducts has appointed Ned Birley as general manager for kerbing solutions after its Durakerb recycled polymer kerb gained updated BBA HAPAS certification for use across the UK national highways network. Polymer kerbs are now formally included in the National Highways Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works, removing a key specification barrier versus traditional concrete units. Birley, formerly head of commercial UK at Kelly Bros International with prior roles at Polypipe and USL Group, will target local authorities, housebuilders and term maintenance contractors to expand polymer kerb adoption.
Technical Brief
- Updated BBA HAPAS certification now explicitly covers Durakerb for the entire UK national highways network.
- Inclusion of polymer kerbs in the National Highways MCHW removes previous specification exclusions for recycled units.
- Durakerb is a recycled polymer kerbing system, targeting direct substitution of conventional precast concrete kerbs.
- Formal recognition in national specifications enables use on trunk roads, motorways and other National Highways assets.
- Certification and MCHW listing de‑risk product approval processes for local authority and term-maintenance frameworks.
- Duraproducts is positioning polymer kerbs on sustainability, safety and installation efficiency versus concrete alternatives.
- Ned Birley’s remit spans portfolio expansion and specification support for kerbing solutions across construction and infrastructure.
- His prior roles at Kelly Bros, Clearway, USL Group, Polypipe and Stirling Lloyd bring highways-sector commercial experience.
Our Take
Companies such as Polypipe and USL Group, which also appear in our UK infrastructure coverage, have used specialist appointments to push proprietary kerbing and drainage systems into design standards; Duraproducts’ move suggests a similar play to influence specification choices rather than compete only on price at contractor tender stage.
The presence of Kelly Bros International and The Clearway Group in the same UK-focused product and standards space indicates that kerbing decisions are increasingly tied to integrated traffic management and safety packages, so Duraproducts’ dedicated kerbing role is likely aimed at bundling its offer into larger project solutions rather than stand‑alone components.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
