Main construction works on a new Metrolink line through Manchester city centre are expected to finish before Christmas, with the final rails now laid. Above: Cllr Andrew Fender of TfGMC and Mark Pritchard of MPT Despite Manchester’s Victorian infrastructure throwing up unforeseen challenges – including a collapsed Victorian sewer, and
There has been much talk about the lack of investment opportunities in the UK in recent years. And it seems to be getting worse, with some UK cities now offering worse rental yields than they did a few months ago. It may even be too late to invest in properties
A new flooring finish was required for a school atrium which hundreds of children use or pass through each day. Because the atrium floods this area of the school with so much light through a Perspex roof, it meant that whatever was chosen had to be UV stable, hard wearing
Almost 3 years after opening the doors of a purpose-built hire depot on Aberdeen’s East Tullos Industrial Estate, Jarvie Plant Group say they’re now firmly established and geared up for growth. The Grangemouth-based firm are now working with businesses across a whole range of sectors including house building, construction, local
The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am
Main construction works on a new Metrolink line through Manchester city centre are expected to finish before Christmas, with the final rails now laid. Above: Cllr Andrew Fender of TfGMC and Mark Pritchard of MPT Despite Manchester’s Victorian infrastructure throwing up unforeseen challenges – including a collapsed Victorian sewer, and double the number of anticipated exhumations following the discovery of a former church graveyard on Cross Street – the £165m Second City Crossing is expected to open in early 2017. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) opened the first phase of the route, from Victoria Station through to a new stop at Exchange Square, in December 2015. All major civil engineering works for phase two – including installing overhead lines to power the trams along the route – are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Due to the potential delays, TfGM had been expecting completion in summer 2017. However contractor M-Pact Thales (MPT) worked with utility companies and TfGM to ensure the line is on track to be finished earlier in the year. A testing and commissioning programme will resume in early 2017 before the first passenger services can launch. Councillor Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM committee, said: “It’s great to see these final sections of rail laid, one of the final jigsaw pieces in the puzzle. With some infrastructure still dating back to the Victorians, building through a busy city has not been an easy task. The scale of the venture has been impressive and, while there has been inevitable disruption, we’re close to the finish line and to customers, residents and businesses reaping the benefits. “Since the Second City Crossing programme began we’ve seen a huge increase in Metrolink use across the network, from 27 to 35 million passenger journeys a year. The need for a new line through the city has never been more pressing. “To make room for more customers we’ve also opened a new tram stop in Exchange Square and competed major rebuilds of a further four city centre tram stops. “This major overhaul will mean we can continue supporting the demand to travel from workers, residents and visitors to our ever-growing city – connecting people with jobs, days out, family and friends.” Expansion of Manchester’s Metrolink network began in 2008. MPT project director Peter Jones said: “Over the past eight years of partnership with TfGM, we’ve built 58 new tram stops and more than 60km of new track. Reaching this milestone is a measure of our teams’ tenacity and we will work together to ensure the opening is achieved early next year.” The Second City Crossing leaves Victoria Station and travels along Corporation Street to a new stop at Exchange Square. Services will continue along Cross Street and Princess Street to run through the major new stop recently completed in St Peter’s Square. This article was published on 14 Sep 2016 (last updated on 14 Sep 2016). Source link
There has been much talk about the lack of investment opportunities in the UK in recent years. And it seems to be getting worse, with some UK cities now offering worse rental yields than they did a few months ago. It may even be too late to invest in properties near the long-awaited Elizabeth line in London, as the benefits are already priced in. The good news is that there are still some areas which offer good investment potential. UK law is also comparatively reliable, making it one of the safest places in the world to invest in property. Coupled with a vibrant economy and plenty of rental demand, the UK remains a popular choice for international investors. University towns are continuing to provide some of the highest rental yields in the UK. Affordable student flats in areas like Liverpool and Middlesbrough are providing rental yields up to 7 times higher than in London. Investing in student property can be especially profitable as there is reliable high demand and consistent rents, meaning shorter void periods. There are also stark regional differences, the North of England is now the only option for investors looking for cash generating assets. Manchester has received the largest number of investments outside London, and the Manchester-Liverpool metropolitan area is ranked the 10th most popular location in the world for foreign investment. Manchester has a large student community with four universities and houses a student population of 100,000, meaning demand for rental properties will remain high. Liverpool currently has some of the UK’s largest public investment projects, like the £5 billion Liverpool Waters Scheme. This has had a positive knock-on effect on Liverpool’s booming property investment market. The transformation of a 60-hectare brownfield site is making way for five new neighbourhoods and is part of a widescale regeneration of the region. Liverpool’s average house price also ranks well below the UK average; while the average UK property is valued at £231,422, the average house price in Liverpool is £148,031 which paints an attractive picture for any would-be investor. While the investment potential of properties along the Elizabeth line have been exhausted, areas around the Crossrail 2 still offer promising rental yields. Birmingham remains a UK property investment hotspot, having recently been ranked 21st for its overall investment prospects in Europe in 2018. The average house price in Birmingham stands at £183,399, as opposed to London’s £484,926, and has an average yield of 5.02%. Birmingham also offers great investment potential. Britain’s second most populous city has ambitious plans to improve transport links. As well as receiving the new Crossrail, Birmingham will see an extension to its metro, and Birmingham Airport is expected to add many more international routes over the next few years. Sourcing and buying are just the first steps in making a good property investment. Depending on your strategy, managing a portfolio efficiently is arguably the most important and time-consuming part of being a property investor. Luckily there are a range of cloud-based property management platforms that can save you time and money. With new cloud-based technology, you can manage your investments from anywhere in the world, broadening the areas you may consider for investment, and opening up the best opportunities from around the world. Systems including GoTenant and Arthur Online are entirely customisable. You can use them to remain in a central managerial position while not actually being on the ground, as things like tenant check/out can be handled by local agents. You can arrange viewings, sign documents and assign workorders to contractors all through dedicated apps. This new generation of proptech is making the property sector more connected, ultimately helping investors manage and grow their portfolios efficiently and hassle free, while opening up the most profitable opportunities. Marc Trup is the Founder and CEO of Arthur Online After selling his business to BUPA in 1998, Marc started investing in rental properties in London. Over the next 15 years Marc grew his portfolio to over 85 properties. While successful, self-managing his portfolio became increasingly difficult. With technological advances and greater connectivity, he assumed there was software available that would allow him to manage his business from his smart phone, while sipping espresso at the local coffee shop. Following a long search, he found that nothing quite cut the mustard. So being an entrepreneur, he started Arthur Online to make not only his life easier, but also that of other property managers. Arthur Online is a cloud-based platform that enables property managers to respond instantly and solve problems fast from anywhere in the world, be it with tenants, contractors, property owners or letting agents. Since launching in 2015, it has helped thousands of property managers like Marc run their portfolios in the cheapest, most efficient way possible by using the full potential of new technology and cloud computing. Start your free trial today by going to www.arthuronline.co.uk
A new flooring finish was required for a school atrium which hundreds of children use or pass through each day. Because the atrium floods this area of the school with so much light through a Perspex roof, it meant that whatever was chosen had to be UV stable, hard wearing and safe. With hundreds of children crossing the floor each day in the Radclyffe School in Oldham, Greater Manchester, priorities were for an improved decorative finish which was safe, suitable for steps and compatible with existing large expansion joints as there had been a lot of movement in this building. The system also had to be economic, hard-wearing, easily cleaned, have low odour during application and chemical resistance, slip resistance and non-dusting. Sherwin-Williams’ technical flooring experts looked at their diverse range of options for this specific application covering 800 sq metres. The floor finish chosen was a multi-coat resin system incorporating decorative multi-coloured Resuflake, with clear seal coats ensuring strong UV stability because of the amount of natural light coming into the area. This complements adjacent flagstone areas in the school atrium, and provides a continuous flooring system which is safe, easily cleaned and hard-wearing for the long-term. Because the system was applied to a concrete substrate, it also became a part of the building rather than an add-on and meets all original requirements. Contact Sherwin-Williams, tel +44 (0)1204 556420, email sales.uk@sherwin.com or see https://protectiveemea.sherwin-williams.com/
Almost 3 years after opening the doors of a purpose-built hire depot on Aberdeen’s East Tullos Industrial Estate, Jarvie Plant Group say they’re now firmly established and geared up for growth. The Grangemouth-based firm are now working with businesses across a whole range of sectors including house building, construction, local authority, events and renewables. On Wednesday last week Jarvie Plant hosted a Demo Day at their 1.5-acre facility on Greenbank Road at which an array of hire equipment, including plant, accommodation and vehicles, was on show. The firm recently announced it had made a further ‘significant investment’ in its fleet of hire equipment with the addition of telehandlers, rotating telescoping handlers (rotos), access platforms, and industrial forklifts. To cope with the demand from the construction sector and house builders, all of the new machines will be made available across the Group’s network of 9 depots serving Scotland and the north west of England. “We have enjoyed a steady start since opening in Aberdeen and we’re more than ready to support some major new projects in the region,” says Jarvie Plant Group’s sales director, Ian Hutchison “As the long awaited AWPR nears its final completion we’re in a strong position to provide high quality equipment to projects such as Countesswells or the expansion of Aberdeen Harbour.” Jarvie Plant’s depot is located to the south of the city centre which according to their regional operations manager, Graeme Milne, has proved to be of strategic importance since opening: “Being based where we are means we are very accessible from the main routes leading into and out of the city allowing us to react quickly to customer requirements. “In one recent situation we provided Aberdeen Harbour’s principal contractor with 12 tonne and a 16 tonne self-propelled rollers within an hour of an order being placed.” Last winter, the firm also provided several telehandlers which which were used to load up gritters in the Aberdeenshire region from October to March. Following the completion of AWPR the next major infrastructure project will be the upgrade of the 108-mile-long railway line between Aberdeen and Inverness due for completion in 2030. “We have extensive knowledge and experience of similar projects having supplied plant to the Borders Railway, M8, M74 and Queensferry Crossing in recent years,” added Mr Hutchison. “In that particular project our 360-degree rotational telehandler provided the client with a significant saving.”
The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am very pleased to congratulate Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery and all the materials handling partners involved in this exciting project. I am particularly proud of the role played by BITO’s broad capabilities and experience in helping the project deliver Siemens’ goals for its new facility,” said Edward Hutchison, managing director of BITO Storage Systems. In order to promote health & safety, deliver reduced cycle times and costs, while expanding service capabilities, the company invested in the new GSOC, located next to its overhaul facility at its Teal Park site in Lincoln. The future-proof centre was delivered on time and on budget and is now facilitating growth without needing to increase headcount. The centre ensures stock availability and the same- or next day response to help Siemens’ customers minimise downtime. The storage and order picking solution provided by BITO included an impressive three-level high engine rack. Its bespoke design using BITO’s standard beams and uprights, enables engines weighing up to 6-tonnes, and stored on 1-tonne pallets to be located on the first beam level, as well as ground level. In addition to its pallet racking, live storage and plastic containers, a further innovative part of BITO’s solution was the first UK installation of its LEO Locative driverless internal transport system to separate vehicle and human work areas, while providing swift and safe transfer of items between Goods In, storage areas and the packaging stations. Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery designs, manufactures and services small industrial gas turbines, with an installed fleet of over 3,500 units across 90 countries. 1500 of these remain operational with key customers in the oil and gas industry, industrial customers, hospitals and paper mills.
