David Kenkinson has been appointed by the British housebuilder Persimmon as the company’s new Chief Executive (CEO). He has been serving as the group’s interim CEO since late last year and now he will take over the role with immediate effect. “Persimmon is a great company with a bright future and
The £80 million National Grid contract that will help restore views of the Dorset landscape has been offered to Morgan Sindall. The 400kV electricity cable project has been awarded as part of the four year Engineer, Procure and Construct (EPC) framework. This is the first scheme delivered as part of
Construction work is underway on a new mixed-use scheme at Tottenham Court Road Crossrail Station in London. Built by Laing O’Rourke, the Soho Place development will include a 10-storey building with retail and office space, coupled with a nine storey building split into three office floors above a 600 seat theatre. Contracts of
The construction of Congleton Link Road started today at an event attended by Cheshire East Council’s leader councillor Rachel Bailey, transport minister Jesse Norman MP, and Congleton MP Fiona Bruce. The £90m project is seen as a major economic driver for the town, with the potential to create 3,000 jobs,
David Kenkinson has been appointed by the British housebuilder Persimmon as the company’s new Chief Executive (CEO). He has been serving as the group’s interim CEO since late last year and now he will take over the role with immediate effect. “Persimmon is a great company with a bright future and I am honoured to have been asked to lead it. My priorities will be to maintain the strong operational and financial momentum of the business, to develop further our customer care operations and to bring a greater focus to our wider responsibilities as a leading UK house builder. We have a strong and committed team and I look forward to continuing to work with all my colleagues to deliver the high quality, attractively priced homes that the UK needs,” commented David Jenkinson on his appointment. For over 22 years David has been part of the company, assuming roles like Group Managing Director and serving on Persimmon’s board for over five years. Over this time he has held particular responsibility for land purchase. “After a thorough search, both within the housebuilding sector and more widely, it was clear to the Board that Dave was the best candidate for the role. Since his appointment as interim CEO last year Dave has shown both strong leadership in maintaining the Company’s track record of operational excellence but also that he is listening carefully to the views of all our stakeholders. Persimmon remains committed to its goal of being the leading volume builder of good value, traditional family homes throughout the UK,” said Roger Devlin, Persimmon’s Chairman.
The £80 million National Grid contract that will help restore views of the Dorset landscape has been offered to Morgan Sindall. The 400kV electricity cable project has been awarded as part of the four year Engineer, Procure and Construct (EPC) framework. This is the first scheme delivered as part of National Grid’s Visual Impact Provision (VIP) programme, which aims to reduce the visual impact of existing electricity transmission infrastructure in some of the most precious landscapes throughout England and Wales. “We are delighted to have been awarded the first of National Grid’s VIP projects. This award further strengthens our high voltage underground electricity cabling capability which has grown significantly over the past few years. We look forward to further enhancing our long term relationship with National Grid and delivering this complex and important scheme,” said Simon Smith, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure managing director. A new 8 kilometre 400kV double circuit underground cable system will be designed, built, tested and commissioned as part of the £80 million construction contract, which also includes other associated works in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). In addition, the project will involve the removal of the existing overhead line and 22 pylons that form part of the existing landscape in the AONB. Construction work is expected to begin in early 2019. “This contract marks a major step forward in a unique opportunity to restore views from the Hardy Monument across Dorset AONB,” added Michelle Clark, senior manager VIP projects, from National Grid. “The project has been driven by local and national organisations dedicated to conserving the landscape and countryside throughout England and Wales. We welcome Morgan Sindall Infrastructure on board and are looking forward to working with them as our delivery partner to turn the plans into a reality.”
Construction work is underway on a new mixed-use scheme at Tottenham Court Road Crossrail Station in London. Built by Laing O’Rourke, the Soho Place development will include a 10-storey building with retail and office space, coupled with a nine storey building split into three office floors above a 600 seat theatre. Contracts of £195 million have been exchanged between Derwent London and Laing O’Rourke for the development. “We look forward to delivering Soho Place, further strengthening our partnership with Derwent London. This will be a landmark project, sitting at 1 Oxford Street, and interconnected with the Crossrail upgrades to Tottenham Court Road, which we are also delivering,” said Liam Cummins, Head of UK Building for Laing O’Rourke. “Laing O’Rourke has the ability to drive certainty into the delivery programme through our in-house capabilities along with a fully integrated supply chain and advanced digital engineering and offsite manufacturing. The project is in total alignment with our 2025 mission to be the recognised leader of innovation and excellence in the construction industry,” he added. The construction team will concentrate on some challenging piling above and around the web of services and tube lines that sit below the site, with the who;e project due for completion in November 2021. “We are very excited about the prospects for Soho Place, which will be a great building in one of the best locations in London. We are also very pleased to be working with Laing O’Rourke, who we believe have the capabilities to deal with the complexity of the site,” commented Richard Baldwin, Head of Development of Derwent London.
The construction of Congleton Link Road started today at an event attended by Cheshire East Council’s leader councillor Rachel Bailey, transport minister Jesse Norman MP, and Congleton MP Fiona Bruce. The £90m project is seen as a major economic driver for the town, with the potential to create 3,000 jobs, 2,400 new homes and 20 hectares of new employment land to attract new businesses, all of which could deliver £13m into the local economy. It’s a big change to the landscape and to mitigate the impact, the council are planting over 10 hectares of woodland and shrubs including 381 new trees, 16km of hedgerows, 33 hectares of new grassland and creating six new ecological ponds. In the opening year, in the rush hour, journeys across Congleton are expected to take about six minutes less than currently and air quality assessments show there will be some significant improvements throughout the town centre including Rood Hill and West Road. The route for the link road will run to the north of the town, south of Eaton. It will link the A534 Sandbach Road, near its junction with Sandy Lane, to the A536 Macclesfield Road, near its junction with Moss Lane and provide a new crossing at the river Dane. It will also create improved road connections to both Congleton Business Park and Radnor Park Trading Estate. The scheme attracts strong local support – with calls for a bypass around the town going back 30 or 40 years. Cheshire East Council is contributing £24m towards the construction project, with the balance coming from central government and developer contributions. Councillor Bailey said: “I am delighted that we are beginning this very important road scheme for our borough today. I’m also thrilled that we were successful with our business case, which has resulted in £45m of the project funding coming from government funds. “This council started developing a proposal for a new road around Congleton to match our growth plans back in 2012 and what we have achieved here is a scheme that doesn’t just enable our development plans; it complements, shapes them and levers in over £20m of private sector transport investment into Cheshire East.” “This is the biggest capital project the council has ever done; and it is a credit to the strategic infrastructure team and all those involved that we have managed to deliver this scheme from just a concept in 2012 to where we are today, about to start work, just a few years later, I know it has been challenging at times. This must be some sort of a record for a highway scheme, some of which can take 20 years to deliver.” Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton said: “This new link road will not only lead to fewer accidents and cut congestion in Congleton; it will take lorries out of the town centre and improve air quality for residents. “The road will improve connectivity right across east Cheshire by improving links to Manchester airport, the M60 and the M6. It would also improve connectivity to the rail network, particularly the inter-city connection at Crewe. This road is much wanted, much needed and will future proof the development of Congleton for generations to come.” Transport minister Jesse Norman MP said: “Cheshire and Warrington have among the best performing economies in England and this scheme will help maintain that dynamism. The Link Road will not just cut journey times; it will improve air quality for residents. “Our focus on investment in the North isn’t just about our great Northern cities; it’s also about connecting the towns and communities. The new housing and job opportunities will also boost the area’s economy and support our broader commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.” Leo Martin, managing director of civil engineering at GRAHAM said; “We are delighted to be working in collaboration with Cheshire East Council to construct this important project that will bring economic and social regeneration to Congleton. Our experience completing complex highways projects throughout the UK will be instrumental in ensuring completion of the link road is to the very highest standards.” Councillor Don Stockton, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for highways said: This is yet another important step in improving the connectivity of our road network in the borough. We will work with residents to address any worries during this build process but safety has to be paramount and, whilst short-term disruption in the local area is inevitable, the road will benefit Congleton for years to come.” The road is due to open to traffic in late 2020. Latest news from the site can be seen on the council’s website at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/congletonlinkroad
