Permission has been granted for Yorkshire Water’s proposed £72 million new state of the art sludge treatment and anaerobic digestion facility at its Knostrop works in the heart of Leeds. Leeds City Council’s planning committee approved the firm’s planning proposal for the bio-energy facility. The contract has been awarded to
House builder Berkeley Group has come out second worst of an analysis of corporate governance at FTSE 100 companies. It would appear that authors of the study are not convinced by chairman Tony Pidgley’s £21 million remuneration package, or on Rob Perrins pocketing £11 million. However, it seems that shareholders
Wates Living Space Maintenance has secured a £24 million contract to deliver a programme of responsive repairs and voids maintenance on behalf of Network Homes. The contract will run for five years with an optional five year extension which will see Wates Living Space maintenance provide a 24/7, 365 days
Eric Wright Construction has completed the 18 month £12.7 million student housing development in York, delivering 326 units of student accommodation in York. The £12.7 million McLaren Property development is made up of two four storey blocks with 326 bedrooms and will serve a local teaching hospital, the University of
Permission has been granted for Yorkshire Water’s proposed £72 million new state of the art sludge treatment and anaerobic digestion facility at its Knostrop works in the heart of Leeds. Leeds City Council’s planning committee approved the firm’s planning proposal for the bio-energy facility. The contract has been awarded to Black & Veatch, with Clugston Construction to deliver the civil engineering element. Knostrop wastewater treatment works has been treating sewage from domestic properties and industry for around 100 years. The existing sludge and bio-solid incinerator, which was constructed in 1993, will be replaced by the new facility to enable the more effective and efficient treatment of sewage combined with the added benefit of renewable power production from the wastewater effluent. Director of Asset Management at Yorkshire Water, Nevil Muncaster, commented: “This is the single biggest investment of our current investment period (2015-2020) and will not only provide increased treatment capacity for our sludges but will also deliver significant operational cost savings enabling us to keep customer bills as low as possible. “Knostrop is designated as a strategic waste site so by increasing the future sludge and bio-solid treatment capacity of the works the project will support also growth in the Leeds sub-regions.” The facility is planned to be complete in 2019 and will have the capability to process 131 tonnes of dry sludge daily, and will generate enough renewable energy, using power and heat engines, to provide 55% of Knostrop’s energy needs. Among the benefits of the new facility are: 15 per cent reduction in carbon emissions across the company Provide 55 per cent of the site’s energy needs Contribute to achieving 94 per cent recycling of the region’s sludge by 2020. The project is Yorkshire Water’s latest step in committing to invest in renewable energy to benefit the environment and keep customer bills low.
House builder Berkeley Group has come out second worst of an analysis of corporate governance at FTSE 100 companies. It would appear that authors of the study are not convinced by chairman Tony Pidgley’s £21 million remuneration package, or on Rob Perrins pocketing £11 million. However, it seems that shareholders in the company are not bothered by this too much. The study also found that none of the construction industry’s FTSE 100 firms came out well from the corporate governance study, with only Barratt Developments making the top 50. The Institute of Directors 2016 Good Governance Report examined the 34 factors across five areas of corporate governance: stakeholder relations and shareholder relations, remuneration and reward, audit and risk/external accountability and board effectiveness. The choice of these criteria was determined by the UK Corporate Governance Code and the Companies Act 2016. The Good Governance ranking is headed by the following organisations: British America Tobacco Unilever Diageo Sage Group Next Kingfisher DS Smith United Utilities Group Royal Mail Admiral Group Meanwhile, companies from the construction sector featured as follows: Barratt Developments Wolseley Persimmon Ashtead Taylor Wimpey Travis Perkins Berkeley Group The study was supported by the Chartered Quality Institute and Cass Business School, while Tesco came out bottom of the pile. Head of Profession at the Chartered Quality Institute, Estelle Clerk, commented: “Good governance requires more than a stated intent. It requires a profound understanding of how principles of good governance are implemented and delivered at every level of a company and its delivery partners. “For the construction sector, working with a diverse supply chain in order to deliver key projects, this is especially challenging. Our intention in supporting the Good Governance Report is to stimulate discussion on what constitutes good governance and how this can be demonstrated.”
Wates Living Space Maintenance has secured a £24 million contract to deliver a programme of responsive repairs and voids maintenance on behalf of Network Homes. The contract will run for five years with an optional five year extension which will see Wates Living Space maintenance provide a 24/7, 365 days a year service for almost 14,000 homes throughout 18 London Boroughs and the counties surrounding them. The work will add to Wates Living Space Maintenance’s extensive London presence and will be delivered across housing stock within the London Boroughs of Barnet, Harrow, Westminster and Brent. Throughout the life of the contract, Wates has also pledged to use its presence throughout London to positively benefit the communities it works in. Included in the commitment will be opportunities for employment and training, bolstered by the appointment of local supply chain partners. Wates Living Space Maintenance Managing Director, David Morgan, said that their appointment to deliver the important work on behalf of Network Homes is a great testament to their reputation as a responsive, reliable and trusted partner to their clients. Morgan added: “Wates Living Space Maintenance shares Network Homes’ commitment to continually better our offering to residents, which will be achieved throughout this programme via our innovative round-the-clock service delivery. “We are now focused on mobilising our teams and ensuring that our client’s investment is realised effectively and efficiently, ultimately upholding the quality and comfort that they proudly offer to their customers.” Director of Asset Management at Network Homes, Gerry Doherty, said that having a top quality responsive repairs service is essential to help them achieve their ambition of 90% customer satisfaction. Doherty added that their appointment of Wates is a key step towards achieving this and he is confident that they will carry on improving and providing a top level of service to their customers.
Eric Wright Construction has completed the 18 month £12.7 million student housing development in York, delivering 326 units of student accommodation in York. The £12.7 million McLaren Property development is made up of two four storey blocks with 326 bedrooms and will serve a local teaching hospital, the University of York St John and the University of York. The development was completed in time for the 2016/17 academic year and was designed by Leeds based firm DLA Architecture and is organised in a cluster style. The shared kitchens and independent studio flats are complimented by student and administration facilities, secure bicycle and car parking and landscaped gardens areas to be used by students and staff. The development is externally surrounded by a boundary fence, which provides gated access for pedestrians, cars and cycles. The project also has a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’ and will cater for the continuing strong demand for student housing in York. The site’s central location will allow for an easy journey for its students, visitors and staff arriving on campus on foot, bicycle or via local transport links. Eric Wright Construction’s Operations Manager, John Hartnett, commented: “This high quality student accommodation is designed to help meet York’s growing student housing requirements. We are delighted to have collaborated on this project with high-profile partners and to enhance our portfolio of successful student accommodation in the region.” Meanwhile, Senior Development Manager with McLaren Property, Jez Conen, said that the development has been designed and built to a very high standard. He added that the team at Eric Wright have been good to work with and that they are delighted with the finished product. Last month, Eric Wright Construction secured the Manchester Life contract to build a 158 unit build to rent project in Ancoats for Sawmill Court.