Gross mortgage lending in the UK reached £18.2 billion in May, some 4% higher than April’s £17.6 billion and 14% higher than May 2015, the latest data shows. The figure from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, which represents the vast majority of home lenders in the UK, was the highest
The government has committed to spend £180m over the next decade improving military infrastructure on the islands. VolkerStevin will upgrade Mare Harbour and the contract is a design and build deal. The upgrade, due to be completed in September 2017, will ensure the harbour is suitable for larger vessels. Future
Midland Lead, leading British manufacturer of machine cast lead, has invested £122,000 into supply chain upgrades, in a move that marks part of a wider drive to support emissions reductions in the UK. A substantial part of overall investment has seen the firm welcome five state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly forklifts on
One of Leicestershire’s most impressive property schemes triumphed over 43 of the East Midland’s region’s most innovative projects to gain top honors at this year’s RICS Awards, East Midlands. Smallman & Son received the award for their Soft Touch Arts refurbishment project which received the Community Benefit Award at this
RIBA’s new report into the state of school buildings, Better Spaces for Learning reveals: 1 in 5 teachers have considered quitting because of the wretched condition of the school buildings they have to teach in The Government’s Education Funding Agency’s new school building programme is too rigid and is leading to
Britain’s builders endure tough April as construction activity slows ahead of June’s European Union membership referendum Data suggests economy is losing momentum as EU vote on June 23 nears After weak manufacturing report yesterday, Services PMI due tomorrow Official numbers showed UK economic growth slowed in the first quarter Builders
FROM RECYCLING FLOORING FOR TRAFFIC CONES TO RE-USING SOLVENTS FOR FUEL, PORTAKABIN ANNOUNCES MORE SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES The Portakabin Group, the UK’s leading modular building specialist, has announced more sustainability commitments and initiatives to help its customers further reduce their carbon footprint. Waste streams from the manufacture of its modular buildings
Changes to Network Rail’s Enhancements Delivery Plan (EDP) following the Hendy Review – including further delays to ETCS commissioning on the East Coast and Great Western main lines – mean that phase 1 milestones are likely being pushed back to CP6, “inevitably” creating uncertainty about the entire delivery of the
Rail links to the Port of Liverpool will be upgraded as part of a scheme to improve the port’s capacity. The Department for Transport will invest in adding a second line on the Bootle to Port link, increasing the line speed and improving signalling at Earlestown West. The schemes are
Work Starts On Site At Major New Retail Scheme Sheffield based contractor JF Finnegan has been appointed by Helical Retail Limited to deliver Cortonwood Shopping Park, the 120,000 sq ft new retail extension to the 50 acre Cortonwood Retail Park near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Work has now commenced on site
Gross mortgage lending in the UK reached £18.2 billion in May, some 4% higher than April’s £17.6 billion and 14% higher than May 2015, the latest data shows. The figure from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, which represents the vast majority of home lenders in the UK, was the highest May figure since 2008 when gross lending reached £23.7 billion. CML senior economist Mohammad Jamei pointed out that, as expected, lending continued to be somewhat dampened in May, reflecting the earlier rush in the first quarter to beat the stamp duty change on second properties. ‘Looking ahead, there is likely to be considerable uncertainty as a result of the European Union referendum decision. We expect this to affect sentiment and reduce activity below levels that would otherwise be expected in the near term, as both buyers and sellers adopt a wait and see attitude until the dust begins to settle,’ he explained. ‘Market fundamentals underpinning house prices still look sound, and we do not expect significant house price falls, especially given the current supply demand imbalance,’ he added. According to Adam Tyler, chief executive officer of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), a wait and see attitude and increased caution is likely among buyers and sellers alike due to the referendum result. ‘Our own view mirrors that of the Council of Mortgage Lenders in that market fundamentals still look sound and the sharp imbalance between supply and demand will prevent a material decline in prices,’ he said. ‘Sentiment may have shifted dramatically over the past few days but the structural imbalance between supply and demand is as strong as ever. Demand naturally tapered off in the buy to let sector following the stamp duty surcharge but it may experience a bounce after Friday’s referendum result,’ he explained. He also pointed out that current market, political and economic volatility could benefit buy to let as investors once again look to bricks and mortar as a safe investment and the fact that Bank Rate is now more likely to go down than up in the near term will provide further support to the property market. ‘Understandably, there’s a lot of hysteria surrounding the trajectory of the property market but our own view is that the reality will prove to be relatively benign,’ he added. Source link
The government has committed to spend £180m over the next decade improving military infrastructure on the islands. VolkerStevin will upgrade Mare Harbour and the contract is a design and build deal. The upgrade, due to be completed in September 2017, will ensure the harbour is suitable for larger vessels. Future work to come includes investment in a power station at Mount Pleasant Camp as well as new services accommodation at the three Radar Heads. There are currently around 1,200 military and civilian personnel based in the Falklands supporting defensive air, naval and land asset. VolkerStevin managing director Rob Coupe, said: “We are delighted to be working on the Mare Harbour contract in the Falklands for the DIO. As a specialist in marine construction works, we look forward to working on this design and build project for the roll-on roll-off facility upgrade. “We have worked previously with the DIO and are currently working on a similar project with them at Portsmouth so are happy to be able to build on this existing partnership. We’re so pleased to be working as part of this investment to modernise military infrastructure on the Islands and look forward to starting.” Source link
Midland Lead, leading British manufacturer of machine cast lead, has invested £122,000 into supply chain upgrades, in a move that marks part of a wider drive to support emissions reductions in the UK. A substantial part of overall investment has seen the firm welcome five state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly forklifts on site, including four Hangcha XF25s and a Hangcha XAC425. Replacing older models, the new forklifts run on Autogas (LPG), known as a ‘green fuel’ due to its use reducing CO2 exhaust emissions by around 15% compared to petrol. Managing director Boudewijn Tuinenburg explains the reasoning behind the company’s keen focus on reducing emissions: “There’s no doubt that greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise – and supply chains make up a substantial part of a company’s footprint that’s often much larger than operational emissions. “As well as supporting the Government’s environmental policies, we know that business leadership and a commitment to managing energy usage are vital for companies like ours in order to make a positive change. Reducing carbon emissions also makes good business sense – saving money, and often coming hand in hand with risk reduction, innovation and a clear competitive advantage.” Alongside the forklifts’ environmental benefits, the new fleet has also been installed with a Keytroller TDS601 system. Supplied and fitted by Transmon Engineering Ltd, the technology works to further improve Midland Lead’s production facility, both in terms of efficiency and safety. Karl Nicolson, engineering and maintenance manager, explains the system’s key benefits: “Offering increased site safety, the system allows us to keep in constant communication with the trucks via Wi-Fi, providing real-time information, and automatically generated reports and alerts. It also allows our truck maintenance procedures to go paper-free, which gives us associated cost and environmental benefits.” Bob Warner, Sales Manager at Transmon Engineering, adds: “Midland Lead’s team are very health and safety conscious, which is why they approached us. The TDS601 dramatically improves site safety and reduces damage from increased accountability. They have also been fitted with the Road Speed Controller, which, along with the Keytroller TDS601, helps to reduce exhaust emissions by encouraging safe driving habits and fuel wastage.” In addition to the new forklifts, the company has also upgraded three of its existing H120D Linde 12-tonne trucks by fitting them with the same TDS601 system, along with cameras and a GreenUrban Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), which captures fumes and reduces emissions by 90-96%. With more changes geared towards further emissions reductions on the horizon, Karl adds: “With the Government’s 2020 drive for vehicles to be more energy efficient, we’re looking to get ahead of the game and start making a difference now, to drastically reduce, if not eliminate, diesel emissions at Midland Lead.”
One of Leicestershire’s most impressive property schemes triumphed over 43 of the East Midland’s region’s most innovative projects to gain top honors at this year’s RICS Awards, East Midlands. Smallman & Son received the award for their Soft Touch Arts refurbishment project which received the Community Benefit Award at this year’s prestigious ceremony. Soft Touch Arts generates a multipurpose space for helping and inspiring disadvantaged young people through the use of arts, music and media. Alexandra Kowalczuk, Head of Business Development at Smallman and Son Ltd, said “We are absolutely delighted to win this award, and we would like to thank all those involved who worked with us on this refurbishment project. It was a great team effort and one that we thoroughly enjoyed working on. We share this with RG+P the Architects who we worked closely with and all the Team at Soft Touch. We have always felt very passionate about the Soft Touch Project and by winning this award it has just made it even more special!” Chair of RICS East Midlands judging panel, Will Evans FRICS, said “Soft Touch Arts impressed the judges with the enthusiastic approach to shaping a community and building long term relationships, ensuring the longevity of their project. Working in the heart of Leicester the project combats anti-social behaviour and gives a sense of pride and purpose to those in the community. By transforming an old derelict car garage into a hub for youth across the city provides valuable life skills to all those who interact with the project.” Chris Wigmore, Business Development Director at Soft Touch said, “Soft Touch is so delighted to win this award in partnership with Smallman & Son and rg+p. It’s been 5 long hard years of fundraising, planning and making partnerships to make it happen and winning the award was the icing on the cake for all of us. We have created an amazing creative resource for young people in Leicester, now and for the future. I think the judges were impressed not only with our achievements in making the project happen, but the fact that we had involved young people in the design and that both rg+p and Smallman & Son have continued to support the charity right through from sponsoring events to becoming business ambassadors to help our sustainability and as mentors for our young people” Christina Wigmore, Business Development Director Robert Woolston, Director at RG+P the Architects said, “We have really enjoyed having the opportunity to work with Soft Touch, who do such a great job.” The Soft Touch refurbishment project will now go through to the national RICS awards held in October at the Hilton Park Lane.
RIBA’s new report into the state of school buildings, Better Spaces for Learning reveals: 1 in 5 teachers have considered quitting because of the wretched condition of the school buildings they have to teach in The Government’s Education Funding Agency’s new school building programme is too rigid and is leading to waste and poor value for tax payers Over 90% of teachers believe well-built and designed schools improve educational outcomes and pupil behaviour Over-engineered schools, with Government-specified equipment that only costly consultants know how to operate, is costing £150 million per year which could have been avoided if schools were designed better A new report on the state of school buildings in the UK has been published today (Wednesday 11 May) by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Using the largest ever analysis of primary and secondary school buildings in the UK, a nation-wide poll of teachers, and extensive engagement with school buildings experts, RIBA’s Better Spaces for Learning report makes the case for an urgent review of the Government’s Education Funding Agency’s current school building programme. The report emphasises the importance of well-designed school buildings on young people’s wellbeing, behaviour engagement and crucially, attainment. RIBA has identified that good school design can reduce running and maintenance costs, in some cases by more than several times a teacher’s average salary a year; it could have prevented the English school estate from spending upwards of £150m annually on unnecessary operation and maintenance costs. The new report is further insight into the Government’s own assertion that just 5% of the nearly 60,000 school buildings across the UK are performing as intended and operating efficiently.* The prevalence of damp, leaky classrooms and asbestos-ridden buildings in British schools means too many pupils and teachers are struggling to learn and teach in conditions damaging to their health and education. Better Spaces for Learning reveals that the Government’s current programme of building new schools is inefficient – with a lack of flexibility to make the best possible use of resources, and little opportunity for school staff to input into the design of their own new buildings. RIBA believes that the Government programme must be improved to guarantee better outcomes for our public money. RIBA President Jane Duncan said: “This country is in the grip of the worst shortage of school places in living memory. Our report highlights the vital importance of school design and how it affects the general health and wellbeing of their users, our children and their teachers. As limited funding is available to deal with the growing problem, every penny spent on schools must deliver maximum value for money. Award winning well-designed, successful schools with happy pupils and productive staff like Burntwood School in London shouldn’t be the exception, they should be the standard. “How can we expect our children to compete with the world’s best when too many of our school buildings are substandard? Educational improvements resulting from the current programme of school building are not reaching the basic standards that British taxpayers and our economy expects. We need to do better for all of our children and their hardworking teachers. We urge the Government to review its programme of building new schools.”
Britain’s builders endure tough April as construction activity slows ahead of June’s European Union membership referendum Data suggests economy is losing momentum as EU vote on June 23 nears After weak manufacturing report yesterday, Services PMI due tomorrow Official numbers showed UK economic growth slowed in the first quarter Builders had a tough time in April as growth in the construction sector slowed to its lowest level for almost three years, amid ‘clouds of uncertainty’ ahead of next month’s EU referendum. The closely-watched Markit construction sector purchasing managers’ index showed a reading of 52.0 last month, down from 54.2 in March, and the weakest it has been since June 2013. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. The latest weak data comes after a Markit PMI report yesterday showed a surprise contraction in manufacturing activity last month, and added to evidence that the upcoming referendum is taking its toll on the UK economy. The figures caused a further sell-off in the pound this session, after a sharp reversal yesterday against both the dollar and the euro. At lunchtime, sterling was trading at €1.2603 versus the euro and $1.4466 against the dollar, extending earlier falls after the data, having opened at €1.2665 and $1.457 respectively this morning. Currency traders will be watching tomorrow morning’s services PMI closely, and another miss could spell further woe for sterling. This morning’s PMI figures follow a string of bad data for the UK economy over the past month. Last week official numbers revealed that UK economic growth slowed to 0.4 per cent in the first quarter, down from 0.6 per cent growth in the previous three months, and economists are now expecting output to ease back further in the second quarter. Tim Moore, senior economist at Markit, said: ‘UK construction firms reported their worst month for almost three years in April, meaning that the first quarter slowdown is unlikely to prove temporary.’ He added: ‘Softer growth forecasts for the UK economy alongside uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum appear to have provided reasons for clients to delay major spending decisions until the fog has lifted.’ However the figures should have come as no surprise to markets. Last month, the Bank of England warned that there were signs the EU membership referendum vote was weighing on investment and commercial property sales. David Noble, group chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: ‘Fears over weaker UK and global economic growth dealt a blow to confidence in the construction sector, leading to delays in new spending commitments. ‘The prospect of the EU referendum and its outcome in June are likely to add to uncertainty too, with many construction firms preferring to wait and see what happens before making any decisions.’ The Markit report also revealed a renewed drop in confidence amongst the sector. Construction firms reported a ‘general unwillingness to commit to new projects’ among clients, according to the survey. Builders have also been taking on more sub-contractors rather than hiring staff to tide them over until the outlook becomes clearer. Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said the construction PMI adds to the rapidly mounting evidence that the UK economy is stalling. He predicts UK growth will slow further, to 0.3 per cent in the second quarter, or even 0.2 per cent if the services sector also begins to suffer.
FROM RECYCLING FLOORING FOR TRAFFIC CONES TO RE-USING SOLVENTS FOR FUEL, PORTAKABIN ANNOUNCES MORE SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES The Portakabin Group, the UK’s leading modular building specialist, has announced more sustainability commitments and initiatives to help its customers further reduce their carbon footprint. Waste streams from the manufacture of its modular buildings at its international production centre in York have been increased from 18 to 26 and now include: • Used vinyl flooring recycled for traffic cones and other plastic products • Take-back schemes for batteries, fluorescent bulbs, printer cartridges and new vinyl flooring offcuts • Waste streams for plastics increased from 3 to 5 and mastic tubes are now recycled • 5 metal waste streams for recycling different grades of steel, aluminium and copper • Waste from solvents is re-used as furnace fuel. The Group has invested £100,000 in a new high-tech saw machine which uses advanced technology to optimise material usage, further reducing waste. Derek Carter, Chief Executive of the Portakabin Group said, “Our objective of zero waste to landfill at our York factory was successfully achieved in 2013 – and since then we have won a number of awards for environmental excellence. However, we are firmly committed to continually raising the bar and achieving even more improvements to our waste management processes and sustainability performance.” “Our teams across the business are constantly looking at new ways to increase recycling, reduce waste, further improve the recycled content of our products and the re-use of our buildings when they reach end of life. This is all outstanding work which gives our customers even greater confidence in the sustainability of our approach and in the reduced carbon footprint of all of our buildings.” Other new waste minimisation initiatives: • The Group’s 50 UK Hire and Visitor Centres now separate out paper and cardboard for recycling, and plasterboard on the larger sites • Investment in specially-designed containers to hold and protect components for the modular manufacturing process. These ‘stillages’ are then sent back to suppliers for re-filling, removing the need for packaging • The introduction of a new reporting structure to achieve further reductions in energy consumption and waste, and demonstrating the importance Portakabin places on leadership in this area • Increased use of internal education programmes to continually raise awareness of waste management best practice among staff at every level • An active Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme which instigates and promotes community recycling initiatives across the Group – such as collections for local clothes banks and for the distribution of spectacles to developing countries; the donation of carpet tiles and furniture to local schools and libraries following an office refurbishment, and timber offcuts to help Portakabin volunteers transform an area of wasteland into an allotment for local children • The extension of a programme to segregate and recycle six streams of office waste. This is now being rolled out across the whole of the York headquarters site, following successful trials • Portakabin now has compactors for general waste and bailers at its York manufacturing centre to put cardboard, soft plastics, plastic bottles and plastic strapping into bails. This reduces transportation and carbon emissions by achieving higher tonnage with each truck movement. These latest initiatives follow a host of existing commitments, which include Portakabin sourcing its steel supplies locally. 79 per cent of the steel used in its modular manufacturing process continues to be supplied from within the UK, which is more sustainable, strongly supports British manufacturing, procures steel of the highest quality, and minimises the carbon footprint of Portakabin buildings. www.portakabin-group.co.uk
Changes to Network Rail’s Enhancements Delivery Plan (EDP) following the Hendy Review – including further delays to ETCS commissioning on the East Coast and Great Western main lines – mean that phase 1 milestones are likely being pushed back to CP6, “inevitably” creating uncertainty about the entire delivery of the Digital Railway, Hitachi has said. In its evidence submission to the Transport Select Committee’s inquiry into rail technology, Hitachi Rail Europe outlined a series of concerns around the many ambitions for delivering the Digital Railway proposals. It cited, for example, reductions in the ETCS Cab Fitment Fund, delays to ETCS commissioning and the revision of the Innovation Fund for CP5 from £52m to £19m and the Strategic Research and Development Fund from £50m to £13.5m. “Beyond the above references to ETCS infrastructure plans, there is no mention of Network Rail’s plans to implement an accelerated vision for a digital railway, including the traffic management pilot scheme in Norwich and Great Yarmouth. This is in contrast to Network Rail’s Digital Railway plans for CP5 and CP6-7, as well as the DfT’s focus on digital solutions,” the company added. Hitachi, which has been contracted to provide the Traffic Management System (TMS) for Thameslink as well as a portfolio of train builds across the country, argued that rolling out TMS can increase railway capacity by around 40%. But the current plan “lacks the pace, prioritisation and scope needed to meet passenger and freight growth”, as has been pointed out by the Digital Railway Programme Steering Group. “There is a real need to address the capacity challenges for fare paying customers today – by rolling out TMS capacity enhancement can be achieved more quickly,” the company said. “This current plan is based on making the most use out of existing signalling infrastructure and achieving the lowest whole-life cost approach. It therefore fails to account for the range of economic benefits that could be derived from a faster programme of implementation.” It added: “Given the various complex elements involved in a digital railway, an effective joined-up approach to ERTMS is crucial. The current slow development of ETCS-enabled signals means that ETCS-enabled trains and TMS developments cannot fully take advantage of the capacity and reliability benefits proposed.” While the full business case of the accelerated Digital Railway programme is still being drawn up – with a target submission date of September for the CP6 initial industry plan – there is already “too much uncertainty” around the programme at present, Hitachi said, as well as around subsequent tender opportunities. In addition to that, a lack of information about existing assets and access to date is “discouraging the supply chain from investing in research and development, new services and skills”. “It is also a barrier to businesses within the supply chain to developing collaborative working arrangements on digital solutions,” it added. “Given the complex technologies involved, it is vital that suppliers across each of the different digital railway systems collaborate to better understand the challenges and interoperability of their technologies, and achieve stated milestones. “Likewise, supplier input needs to be greater on the Digital Railway Programme Steering Group. At present, industry representation is largely comprised of train operating companies, rather than those who would be providing the technology.” As well as including greater supplier input in the steering group, the entirety of Network Rail’s Digital Railway team must also operate “with a degree of separation” from the rest of Network Rail in order to “prevent any operational conflict with the day-to-day rules and organisational structure”. Greater supplier input and training To break down current barriers to achieving a digital railway in the UK, Hitachi recommended that Network Rail and the DfT publish a clear programme of works for this programme for CP6 and beyond, as well as develop a supplier steering group linked to the current general steering group “to drive collaborative and innovative approaches”. “In order to deliver the accelerated Digital Railway proposals, more extensive supplier collaboration is required at a technical level, and decision-making level within the Steering Group,” it said. “International expertise from companies such as ProRail can help to understand some of the challenges experienced with implementation in other European countries, looking at lessons learned and the most appropriate actions necessary to improve procedural developments.” But the Digital Railway programme will also require a digitally-talented workforce, Hitachi said, of which the requisite skills exist in the industry at the moment, but not in the necessary amounts to “bring innovation to scale”. “Greater visibility on plans for rolling out the digital railway will allow the supply chain to invest in the talent and training required,” it added. As well as placing greater focus on suppliers, Network Rail must work closely with TOCs to develop efficient plans for training on integrated systems. Read more about this in the April/May edition of RTM, where leaders from Network Rail and NSAR discussed the fundamental need to support suppliers to invest in skills and training.
Rail links to the Port of Liverpool will be upgraded as part of a scheme to improve the port’s capacity. The Department for Transport will invest in adding a second line on the Bootle to Port link, increasing the line speed and improving signalling at Earlestown West. The schemes are due to be complete by 2019 and will double the number of trains that can enter the port every day to 48, or two every hour. Transport minister Andrew Jones MP, who visited the Port of Liverpool today to view two new options for increasing road capacity to the port, said: “We are determined to improve access to the Port of Liverpool so we can deliver a Northern Powerhouse by creating new jobs and an economic boost to the region.” The rail upgrades will be used to support the Liverpool2 port development, which will allow the port to simultaneously handle two vessels carrying the equivalent of 13,000 20ft containers each. It can currently only support vessels carrying up to 4,000 containers, and the new development is expected to create 1,000 new jobs in the area and up to 5,000 more in the wider supply chain. Warren Marshall, group planning director at Peel Ports, which operates the port, said: “Upgraded road connections are essential but it’s also important to recognise the benefits of other modes.” Port of Liverpool also recently opened a biomass terminal, which will supply up to 3m tonnes of wooden pallets from North America for rail transport to Drax Power Station in Yorkshire.
Work Starts On Site At Major New Retail Scheme Sheffield based contractor JF Finnegan has been appointed by Helical Retail Limited to deliver Cortonwood Shopping Park, the 120,000 sq ft new retail extension to the 50 acre Cortonwood Retail Park near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Work has now commenced on site to construct the new £36M retail park which will create over 300 new jobs for the local area. Helical Retail has already secured pre-lets to leading national retailers on 10 of the 11 units, all of whom are new retailers to the area. M&S, JD Sports, River Island, H&M, New Look, Arcadia, Poundland, CJ Clarke, Wilkinson and Frankie & Benny’s form the new line up at Cortonwood Shopping Park leaving just one 4,000 sq ft unit available via letting agent Edgerley Simpson Howe. JF Finnegan has commenced work on site on a programme of works which will involve the demolition of a vacant 150,000 sq ft warehouse, formerly occupied by UPS, following which site preparation works will take place ready for the development of 11 new retail units totalling 120,000 sq ft for occupiers to be trading by Autumn 2017. The contract continues JF Finnegan’s long-standing involvement at the former colliery site, having constructed all 250,000 sq ft of retail units in the previous phases over the last 20 years. Occupiers at the flagship retail park include B&Q, Morrisons, Next, Argos, Asda Living and Boots. Helical Retail’s Adrian Russell said; “Our aspirations for a new retail development to enhance the existing offering at Cortonwood have been long awaited by the local residents and we are delighted to have now reached the stage where work is starting on site. By attracting new retailers to the area, the scheme is bringing significant capital investment and new jobs to the locality in addition to adding to the vibrancy of an already successful retail destination. We appointed JF Finnegan due to their historic involvement with Cortonwood and their strong reputation and are looking forward to seeing work progress on site.” Dawa Singh, Head of Pre-Construction at JF Finnegan, said; “Over the years we have witnessed the transformation of Cortonwood into one of the region’s most acclaimed regeneration projects and shopping destinations. We have been working alongside Helical Retail and their Project Managers PMS (Wessex) Limited for some time to develop the plans for the new extension which will ensure the continued success of the development. Our teams are now undertaking preparatory works on site.”