A Westcountry homebuilder has welcomed its highest number of apprentices to date as part of the firm’s commitment to nurturing up-and-coming talent in the construction industry. “Apprentices are the future of the industry and we believe we should be doing everything we can to encourage young people to consider job-based
KDM Hire has been announced as a Winner in the 2019 Executive Hire Show Passionate Hirer Awards, which took place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The company was nominated in the Outstanding Multi-Depot Hire Company category, from no fewer than 750 outlets throughout the UK and Ireland that members
The Preferred Bidder to develop 11,500 homes at Thamesmead Waterfront in London is Lendlease. The firm was selected by housing charity Peabody and it is subject to contracts being finalised. Lendlease will work alongside Peabody in a corporate joint venture to masterplan and deliver the mammoth scheme over the next
Northern Ireland based developer and contractor McAleer & Rushe has announced that it has just secured planning permission to develop two multi-million-pound hotels located in Birmingham and Glasgow City Centre, representing an investment of c. £85 million. Combined, the two hotels will deliver a total of 630 bedrooms and will
Ahead of High Speed Two (HS2) Limited beginning construction of a train maintenance depot in Washwood Heath, demolition of a former railway works in Birmingham is now well underway. The demolition covers a site larger than 110,000 square-metres and is being carried out by HS2 Ltd alongside their early works
The Government has announced today that it has committed an additional £6m to the community led housing sector, supplementing the £163m Community Housing Fund which was launched last year. Hundreds of community-run housing organisations will benefit from this brand new Government-funded community led housing programme which will provide funding, training
A Westcountry homebuilder has welcomed its highest number of apprentices to date as part of the firm’s commitment to nurturing up-and-coming talent in the construction industry. “Apprentices are the future of the industry and we believe we should be doing everything we can to encourage young people to consider job-based training as a sound start to their careers,” commented Cavanna Homes’ Managing Director, Keith Miller. “We’re major supporters of apprentices and help subcontractors by funding apprentices so they can pass on their knowledge, which in turn helps us to be confident that the skills we’ll need in the future for housebuilding will be available locally.” Ten apprentices aged between 16 and 23 years of age have joined Cavanna Homes as paid full-time apprentices, the largest intake in the homebuilder’s 95-year history. Aaron Jones, Jesse Acutt, Matt Churchill, Max Dorothy, Jack Walker, Sam Perkins, Joe Darlow, Cameron Quinn, Lewis Duce and Owen Musk are based at Cavanna Homes’ head office in Torquay gaining experience both on-site and in the office. The apprentices will be completing qualifications in a range of specialist sectors including; carpentry, land, technical, commercial, build, electrical, painting and decorating, and plastering. “I am forever grateful to Cavanna Homes for providing me with such an amazing opportunity. They support me day in and day out, which has fuelled my drive even more. I’m surrounded by considerate colleagues who I now call friends and I can honestly say that there is no looking back, only looking forward. My one regret is not signing up to an apprenticeship scheme sooner – it’s the best decision I have ever made and I’m truly lucky,” said Sam Perkins, Land Apprentice at Cavanna Homes. The apprenticeships will be completed over four years which, depending on the scheme, will combine on-site work experience with skilled sub-contractors and attendance at college to gain an NVQ. “We’re increasing the number of apprentices that we support year on year, and we hope to see this number continue to grow in 2019. We strongly believe that providing open career paths within the construction industry will encourage young adults to explore the opportunities available to them,” Keith added. As a regional recruiter, Cavanna Homes takes pride in nurturing and investing in its apprentices to ensure they receive the best skills and experience in their trades to pass onto the next generation, and integral part of Cavanna Homes’ ethos.
KDM Hire has been announced as a Winner in the 2019 Executive Hire Show Passionate Hirer Awards, which took place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The company was nominated in the Outstanding Multi-Depot Hire Company category, from no fewer than 750 outlets throughout the UK and Ireland that members of the Show team visited in the lead-up to the annual exhibition for tool and equipment hire professionals, held on 6 and 7 February. Finalists were scrutinised under a broad range of criteria, including presentation and functionality of premises; staff enthusiasm and competence; efficiency in handling enquiries and orders; quality of products and delivery vehicles; and innovation in offering a wide range of equipment and exploring new technological opportunities, following ‘mystery shopper’ visits and calls to their depots. Also part of the criteria were the company’s printed promotional materials and website, alongside its use of social media and supporting local community initiatives. KDM Hire & Sales has a depot in Belfast complementing its head office in Cookstown, which recently added a four-acre facility as a base for its dedicated accommodation and storage division, K-Cabin. The breadth and depth of the KDM hire fleet, the professionalism of all staff, and the company’s commitment to staff training and development were was impressed the Award judges the most. “KDM Hire displays a level of professionalism and commitment throughout its entire business rarely seen in the hire industry. The investment in not only equipment, but also the training of each employee is outstanding. As well as offering an extremely comprehensive fleet, it holds regular board meetings and Health & Safety audits, giving a clear sense of identity and purpose. It plays a role in its local community supporting sports teams and charitable causes,” commented the judges. Having been successful in the Passionate Hirer Awards ten years ago, the business has kept moving forward, with the Awards judges adding that “this company is extremely pro-active in everything it does. With a new dedicated site for its K-Cabin welfare and site accommodation business, there are certainly exciting times ahead for the team at KDM Hire.” KDM Hire was the Winner of the Passionate Hirer Award back in 2009, and the Runner-Up in the Show’s 2016 10/10 Anniversary Awards celebrating the tenth exhibition and recognising the outstanding companies from the previous winners.
The Preferred Bidder to develop 11,500 homes at Thamesmead Waterfront in London is Lendlease. The firm was selected by housing charity Peabody and it is subject to contracts being finalised. Lendlease will work alongside Peabody in a corporate joint venture to masterplan and deliver the mammoth scheme over the next 30 years. The details of the new Joint Venture (JV) vehicle will be finalised by Summer 2019. “As one of London’s largest areas of opportunity to develop new housing and to support business and employment growth, Thamesmead can offer a fresh approach to living in London. Surrounded by water and outstanding wildlife, but within reach of the heart of the capital, we are excited at the opportunity to collaborate with Peabody, the local community and businesses, to bring new high-quality homes and workspaces to this exciting part of south-east London,” commented Dan Labbad, CEO at Lendlease, Europe. The 250-acre site is currently undeveloped and underpopulated, benefiting from 2.5 km of undeveloped river frontage, with an abundance of green space, open grassed and wooded areas, canals, two major lakes and an existing town centre. To transform the area, the scheme includes a new waterfront district of 11,500 new homes, focused around a proposed new DLR station in the heart of the development. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan instructed TfL in 2017 to carry out detailed work on a DLR crossing connecting east and south-east London. “We are pleased to have selected Lendlease as a development partner for Thamesmead Waterfront. Our shared vision is to create thousands of new homes by the Thames and drive the local economy through new jobs and commercial spaces. With a new DLR river connection complementing the Elizabeth Line on the other side of town, Thamesmead would be more connected to the city than ever before. This would unlock enormous potential and could be a real game-changer for this part of London,” added Peabody Chief Executive Brendan Sarsfield.
Northern Ireland based developer and contractor McAleer & Rushe has announced that it has just secured planning permission to develop two multi-million-pound hotels located in Birmingham and Glasgow City Centre, representing an investment of c. £85 million. Combined, the two hotels will deliver a total of 630 bedrooms and will be operated by Ireland’s largest hotel operator, Dalata Hotel Group (“Dalata”), under its four-star Maldron brand. McAleer & Rushe Contracts UK Ltd are scheduled to commence construction on both hotels this summer, with practical completion anticipated within two years. Maldron Hotel Glasgow The 300-bed 4 star hotel in Glasgow, the first Maldron Hotel for Dalata in Scotland, will be located on Renfrew St, close to Buchannan St and employ c. 100 staff. It forms part of a wider masterplan by McAleer & Rushe to include c. 100,000 sq.ft of Grade A offices. Maldron Hotel Birmingham The 330-bed Maldron Hotel in Birmingham is prominently located in the city centre 5 minutes walk from New Street Station and will be delivered in advance of 2022 Common Wealth Games, employing up to 105 staff. The development which is regenerating a derelict site, will feature a business centre, ground floor bar and restaurant with guest rooms arranged over 10 uppers floors. Commenting Stephen Surphlis, Property Director, McAleer & Rushe said, “The development of the two new Maldron Hotels are very exciting initiatives for both cities with the projects strategically located, catering for both business and leisure users. Glasgow has one of the fastest growing economies in the UK and Birmingham continues to secure a range of inward investment projects, with the opening of the HS2 high speed rail network in 2026. “We’ve been encouraged by the support shown by both Local Authorities in processing the applications in a professional and timely manner allowing construction works to commence in the coming months and we look forward to working with in partnership with Dalata once again.” Dermot Crowley, Deputy CEO, Dalata Hotel Group commented: “We are delighted that planning permission has been granted for these two prime sites in Birmingham and Glasgow that will deliver 630 rooms across both cities and supports our goal to become the leading 4-star operator in 20 target cities across the UK. This will be our first Maldron Hotel in Birmingham, where we currently operate a 174 bedroom Clayton hotel. In addition to the Maldron Glasgow, we will deliver a 4-star 294 bedroom Clayton hotel in Glasgow in early 2021. We look forward to working with McAleer and Rushe on these developments, who have proved to be an excellent partner on previous projects.”
Ahead of High Speed Two (HS2) Limited beginning construction of a train maintenance depot in Washwood Heath, demolition of a former railway works in Birmingham is now well underway. The demolition covers a site larger than 110,000 square-metres and is being carried out by HS2 Ltd alongside their early works contractor, Birmingham-based LM JV. The site at Washwood Heath was originally home to a depot that measured 782,622 cubic metres of buildings and structures, and these are now in the process of being demolished. This has yielded a total of 412,464 tonnes of demolition materials – the equivalent weight of 68 Birmingham BT Towers – and this will be predominantly reused on site, significantly reducing the need for landfill and lorry movements. Mike Lyons, Programme Director of Phase One in the Midlands said: “As we prepare for the construction of HS2, there is a huge amount of work going on at sites in the Midlands, including land clearance, habitat creation, tree planting, demolitions, archaeology, road improvement works and utility diversions. “We currently have 62 live sites across the whole Phase One route, servicing over 250 work locations. Over 7,000 jobs are supported by HS2, and over 300 companies in the Midlands are already working on the project.” HS2 trains will be maintained at Washwood Heath, and activities at the facility will include cleaning, servicing, and routine repairs of the new high-speed fleet. The depot will employ up to 500 staff working in shifts, either in jobs within the depot, maintenance and support workers, or train drivers who will start and finish their day there. It will be HS2’s only rolling stock maintenance depot for Phases One and 2a of the UK’s new high-speed rail network. Formerly known as the Washwood Heath Railway Works, the site was last used by Alstom. It is the preferred location for HS2’s future depot because it is centrally located in relation to the completed HS2 network, which will extend to Leeds and Manchester.
The Government has announced today that it has committed an additional £6m to the community led housing sector, supplementing the £163m Community Housing Fund which was launched last year. Hundreds of community-run housing organisations will benefit from this brand new Government-funded community led housing programme which will provide funding, training and specialist advice. Community led housing is a way that communities can come together to solve their own housing challenges and provide high quality and affordable homes. It is estimated that over 5,000 community led homes will be built in the next five years. Through the Community Led Homes Programme, which is managed by a consortium of four housing charities, community groups can apply for up to £10,000 seed-corn grants to cover start-up costs including legal incorporation fees. Over £3.5m will also be invested into the growing network of community led housing enabling hubs that provide groups with technical advice and support. This latest funding comes just weeks after the Mayor of London announced his own £38m Community Housing Fund. Sadiq Khan has pledged to support 1,000 community led homes in the capital by 2021. More information about community led housing, including how to apply for a grant, can be found at www.communityledhomes..org.uk Samantha Jones, Head of Community Led Homes, said: “Communities want to play their part in tackling the country’s affordable housing crisis and many are forming community led housing groups to do so. In the next five years the movement will build over 5,000 affordable homes. We’ve created the Community Led Homes programme to help this figure increase further still, and in time, for community led housing to become a mainstream housing option. “This programme is the culmination of a huge amount of work from the four organisations involved and demonstrates our belief that in partnership we can support more communities to imagine and realise the affordable housing they so desperately need. Together we are committed to building a lasting legacy for community led housing.”
