Construction work on the long-awaited Tower Gardens Pavilion is now complete, bringing new inclusive community facilities to Skegness. Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson delivered the design and construction of the building via the Scape Regional Construction framework, for Skegness Town Council. Works to transform the disused site began in May
A rock-solid internet connection is increasingly being referred to as ‘the fourth utility’ – as important to a homeowner as water, electricity and gas. Two thirds of adults (64%) say the internet is an ‘essential’ part of their life and the average Brit is online for 24 hours a week.
Landwood Property Auctions is hailing a switch to weekly online auctions as the catalyst for a massive rise in activity in 2019. While the property sector as a whole has struggled against the backdrop of Brexit and a snap general election, Manchester-based Landwood managed to buck the trend. Landwood Property
International Quarter London’s (IQL) landmark building, the Pavilion has agreed a deal for to bring a new world-renowned restaurant to the area. Global restaurant and bar group, D&D London has signed an agreement which will see it launch its latest dining concept within the Pavilion. The Pavilion is currently under
Leading energy, services and regeneration specialist, ENGIE, recently joined partners and donors to celebrate the ‘ground-breaking’ of its Manchester Helipad project, demonstrating the progress of construction works at the site. Funding for the Helipad was raised by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s (MFT) charity, Time Save Lives Appeal, which raised
Governments and the general public across all nations begin to set tackling environmental changes as a top agenda in order to protect the future of our planet. As UK legislation laws continuously evolve in order to support gas emission reductions to help met international targets, some bold steps towards achieving
Construction work on the long-awaited Tower Gardens Pavilion is now complete, bringing new inclusive community facilities to Skegness. Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson delivered the design and construction of the building via the Scape Regional Construction framework, for Skegness Town Council. Works to transform the disused site began in May 2019 following the demolition of the existing Tower Gardens Pavilion, most recently occupied as the Inn on the Park public house – which closed in 2007. The original pavilion dates back to 1879, and historically provided the town’s largest dance, party and concert accommodation. Now a mixed-use community building, the development features a multi-purpose function room and event space, a changing places hygiene suite, Council offices and a café. The new facilities will be enjoyed by the local community and tourists alike – as part of the Council’s ambition to transform Skegness into an inclusive environment and workplace, as well as a vibrant place to visit. The £1.6million project led by Skegness Town Council has been supported by the community who have been involved throughout the project. This included the design and naming process, which was chosen by a local resident thanks to a competition organised by the Council. A 100-year time capsule containing modern-day items also lies at the site, provided by G F Tomlinson and buried by local school children during the build. The Council offices will open in the Tower Gardens Pavilion in April, following the setup of the community Café – Café Dansant, which is expected to open to the general public in May. The name ‘Café Dansant’ dates back to the 1920s and has a known history in Skegness, having originally been a café on Tower Esplanade. The name was chosen following a suggestion by a member of the public who presented an interest in its historic origins. Skegness Town Council is currently looking to recruit a café manager and over the coming months will be working to deliver the Council’s Café Business Plan, develop menus, build the café team and develop community engagement. The café will be an intrinsic part of the new Pavilion and gardens, with revenue helping to offset the costs of the new building and maintain the gardens for all to enjoy. Craig Stopper, framework construction manager at G F Tomlinson, said: “We’re thrilled that works on the Tower Gardens Pavilion are now complete, giving a once neglected space in the heart of Skegness a revival. “Throughout the project, we have seen a positive response from the community who have played a huge part in bringing the site back to life. Now complete, we hope it will provide an enjoyable and inclusive space for both local residents and visitors to the seaside town.” Town clerk Steve Larner said: “It is so exciting to actually have the building and know the Council’s plans are coming to life. For us though, it is where the hard work begins as we have to turn plans and visions into reality. This building is simply a fantastic resource for the community, with the café and hall looking amazing. Everyone here is thrilled to be taking this forward and can’t wait to get the building open later this year.” Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive, said: “The way we use public spaces has significantly changed in the recent past. By replacing the derelict Tower Gardens Pavilion, Skegness Town Council is creating a community space that will meet the needs of many and bring investment to the local area. By procuring through the Scape framework the project was effectively delivered with speed, efficiency and socio-economics at its heart.” G F Tomlinson delivered the Tower Gardens Pavilion project alongside Gleeds and Core Architects.
A rock-solid internet connection is increasingly being referred to as ‘the fourth utility’ – as important to a homeowner as water, electricity and gas. Two thirds of adults (64%) say the internet is an ‘essential’ part of their life and the average Brit is online for 24 hours a week. The average home is truly ‘connected’ with 10 internet-enabled devices, and this is predicted to rise to 15 by the end of this year. And this appetite for smart thermostats, smoke detectors, video doorbells, CCTV, smart assistants and the like shows no sign of letting up. It’s no wonder therefore, that hyperfast broadband is now high up the home mover’s wish-list with many now expecting new homes to have a full fibre connection – the gold standard of digital infrastructure, enabling symmetrical gigabit speeds and the most reliable service. Steve Harper, Group M&E Manager from Galliard Construction Ltd, explains: “access to good quality digital infrastructure is a priority for our customers, which means it’s equally as important to us. It’s no longer a nicety – it can seriously impact the decision-making process as it affects lifestyle as much as proximity to good schools and transport links. It forms the foundation of the connected home and movers don’t want to wait to start living their lives in a way they are used to.” Given its importance therefore one could reasonably expect that along with water, gas and electricity a high-speed internet connection would be there for the homeowner on the day they move in? Unfortunately, in all too many situations this isn’t the case. According to research by Think Broadband, one in eight new properties have speeds so slow they fall below the Government’s minimum requirement – and four in ten are still being built without fibre broadband. Solving this problem must be a strategic priority. It’s a clear ‘win’ for the developer. Over two thirds of people (69%) now check their broadband speed before moving home and most incredibly Brits confessed that they would spend 11% more for a property with 100Mbps+ broadband. And data supports that a home-mover is far more likely to make complaints and score a developer lower if there isn’t a connection on day one. However, despite this acceptance some developers are finishing builds before services are available. So why then, the ‘disconnect’ between demand and supply, why are so many developers not getting their ducks in a row for day one availability? As a supplier that works with over 200 developers Hyperoptic is uniquely placed to share insight. It’s certainly not rocket science – the upshot is that it’s hard and real effort is required on each and every project to achieve the result every time. Full fibre broadband may be installed at zero cost to the developer, but it does require resource to coordinate installation. It cannot be an add-on at the end of the build; the supplier must be engaged from the beginning with a bespoke project stream that will facilitate planning and on-site cooperation. It also requires complete dedication from the supplier. Connectivity for new builds is not a priority for many of the legacy broadband providers – they work according to their timelines, not the developers. There are also many new entrants, but they lack the experience and resource that is required to get everything done and dusted according to a strict timeframe. Hyperoptic recognised the issue and took a different tack when founded in 2011 and set up a bespoke department for the new build sector. It was recognised that hitting day one targets was a two-way street, so to achieve the desired result target and reward employees across the delivery process, with clear and agreed goals. By using this approach and measuring ourselves on day one success, the Hyperoptic new-build installation team has hit a 99% success rate in 2019 – replicated the result from 2018, up from 97% in 2017 and 96% in 2016. The fact is that day one connectivity will not happen organically – but with forward thinking, internal resource and suppliers that measure and target themselves on delivery, it can be achieved every time. As the concept of the home changes – with IoT devices becoming the norm across the board, from smart meters, smart heating, smart lighting and smart security, having a robust underlying digital infrastructure is something that home owners just cannot live without – they need it ready by the time they collect their house keys. Hyperoptic recently worked with Stanhope on its icon Television Centre development find out more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZrjwZm49RU&feature=youtu.be David Walker, Head of Property, Hyperoptic
Landwood Property Auctions is hailing a switch to weekly online auctions as the catalyst for a massive rise in activity in 2019. While the property sector as a whole has struggled against the backdrop of Brexit and a snap general election, Manchester-based Landwood managed to buck the trend. Landwood Property Auctions, which first launched on to the market in February 2018 as one of the first in the industry to sell solely online, made the call in 2019 to step up its offering and increase the regularity of auctions from monthly to weekly. Following the introduction of auctions every seven days, Landwood saw three times as many lots listed on its site as for the entire 12-month period preceding it, with sales levels also more than doubling. Some lots even sold for as much as 356 per cent more than their listed guide price. Throughout 2019, Landwood sold more than £16.5 million worth of property via its online auction service, £2 million of which came from lots selling over their reserve price. With more opportunities to both buy and sell online with Landwood Property Auctions, success looks set to continue throughout 2020 and beyond. Landwood Property Auctions director Kate Lay said: “We deliver a genuinely personal service, giving clients immediate access to impartial, straightforward and clear advice. “We work hard to constantly develop innovative ways of delivering auction services that fit with modern, ever-changing client and buyer requirements and behaviours. As early adopters of an online-only auction format, we understand the benefits of doing so to offer a wider range of properties for sale, as well as how to maximise the potential of the technology on offer. “Introducing weekly auctions was just another way of us setting a new standard for what buyers and sellers alike can expect from an online auction service. “The average amount of time it takes to sell a property through traditional methods is 62 days – but through Landwood’s weekly online auctions the process can be much quicker. For example, it can take as little as 14 days for completion to take place once a property has sold. “The ease of access to our system also helps to ensure there’s a higher number of potential bidders, and thus a higher sales success rate.” Fellow director James Ashworth added: “We’re proud to be one of the first to adopt online as our auction method and set new standards for its success. “It’s fantastic to see such growth and we look forward to seeing lot and sales numbers increase in the coming months, with 2020 looking set to be our most successful year yet.” Across the year, Landwood dealt with everything from a city centre penthouse apartment to a grade two listed bank, a holiday home in the Shetland Isles to a stretch of riverbank in the heart of the Lake District National Park. And it wasn’t just the bigger properties that attracted the most interest, with buyers rushing to snap up the lower priced and smaller lots as a way to expand their property portfolio. This variety on offer is yet another aspect of Landwood’s service which helped to make 2019 and their weekly auctions a huge success. Directors Kate and James are already well prepared for the year ahead and, with concrete plans in place to further develop the brand and it’s online offering in the coming months, it’s an exciting time to be involved with Landwood Property Auctions. Kate said: “With our new website launching in February alongside our new company branding, we can’t wait to see what comes next. In the earlier days of Landwood Property Auctions, many asked us if online bidding could truly match the competition of a traditional room auction. The answer is clear to see. We offer everything that a traditional auction room does but with more modern customer experience to suit the wants and needs of the era. The success of our approach is proven with the increased number of sales.”
International Quarter London’s (IQL) landmark building, the Pavilion has agreed a deal for to bring a new world-renowned restaurant to the area. Global restaurant and bar group, D&D London has signed an agreement which will see it launch its latest dining concept within the Pavilion. The Pavilion is currently under construction and stands at the gateway to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. Designed by award-winning contemporary architects ACME, the building is made almost entirely from sustainable timber and split over three floors. D&D London will create an inclusive and inviting place to eat, drink and socialise. Their design will incorporate a ground floor café and brasserie, first floor restaurant, and a rooftop bar. The building includes a roof terrace with views across the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and what will become East Bank, the future home to world-class cultural institutions including Sadler’s Wells and the V&A, among others. With a collection of over 40 restaurants and bars across the globe – from London, to Leeds, to Paris, to New York – each space has its own identity, but shares a vision for great food, drinks and service, as well as world-class design. IQL is a £2.4bn joint venture between Lendlease and regeneration specialist LCR that stands at the gateway to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is a vibrant new 22-acre neighbourhood within the heart of Stratford, which brings together new homes, offices, and a diverse range of shops and restaurants. Guy Thomas, Head of Retail at Lendlease, said: “The Pavilion will be the beating heart of IQL and our goal was to sign up a tenant with enough gravitas and vision to establish a concept that would complement the thriving and diverse community we are building and nurturing. D&D London will make the Pavilion a focal point for IQL and Stratford, and they will offer something for everyone. We look forward to revealing more about this project as work progresses.” Des Gunewardena, Chairman and CEO of D&D London, added: “D&D has an established reputation for being at the forefront of restaurant development within emerging areas of cities both in the UK and oversees. We see Stratford as an exciting new cultural and leisure quarter of London, particularly following the 2012 Olympics, and we are admirers of Lendlease’s bold vision for IQL’s development. We look forward to occupying what will be some beautiful spaces and hope to develop restaurant, café and bar concepts to do justice to a building which is sure to become an iconic landmark for Stratford and for London.”
Leading energy, services and regeneration specialist, ENGIE, recently joined partners and donors to celebrate the ‘ground-breaking’ of its Manchester Helipad project, demonstrating the progress of construction works at the site. Funding for the Helipad was raised by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s (MFT) charity, Time Save Lives Appeal, which raised a phenomenal £3.9million in just 12 months, thanks to the dedication and generosity of its supporters. The new Helipad will be located on the roof of Grafton Street multi story car park and will include an adjoining high-level link bridge to the roof of Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI). The helipad will also provide access to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, St Mary’s and the Royal Eye Hospital. Robert Bertram from the HELP Appeal charity, which is dedicated to funding hospital and air ambulance helipads across the country, and Stephen Lowe, representing The Stoller Charitable Trust joined MFT Chairman Kathy Cowell OBE DL, and Maurice Watkins OBE, Charitable Fundraising Board Chairman to see progress on the construction project, which is being led by ENGIE. Andrew McIntosh, Regional Managing Director at ENGIE said: “We’re delighted to be leading this pioneering project and making a real impact to the Manchester community, by providing real improvements to the transportation of thousands of patients. “Manchester has some of the world’s leading hospitals and this Helipad will provide a major boost to the region’s healthcare services. “The recent ceremony and event was a chance to celebrate the hard work everyone has put into making this project a reality and our thanks must go out to all partners involved.” Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Chairman, Kathy Cowell, said: “It was a pleasure to again meet representatives from these organisations, who have so generously funded our Helipad. I was delighted to show our guests construction progress so far on our Helipad, which will help so many of our patients in the future. “This is a very exciting time for MFT and the helipad is a fantastic project, which will help to save so many lives in Greater Manchester, the North West and beyond.” Alistair Rennie, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Major Trauma at the MRI and Group Clinical Lead for Emergency Planning at MFT, said; “This Helipad means that Air Ambulances, which currently land on a nearby field, will be able to land directly at MFT. This is crucial, as the first 60 minutes following a major trauma injury is known as the ‘Golden Hour’, and treatment within the first hour can mean the difference between life and death. “The Helipad will ensure both adults and children with major trauma reach their respective major trauma receiving teams without delay. I was proud to show our guests what a difference their generous donations will make.” The helipad is set to be fully operational later this year.
Governments and the general public across all nations begin to set tackling environmental changes as a top agenda in order to protect the future of our planet. As UK legislation laws continuously evolve in order to support gas emission reductions to help met international targets, some bold steps towards achieving this has been made. Since now we live in a digital world where we rely heavily upon the likes of technology and transport vehicles in our day to day lives, climate change has had huge effects on us because of this. Therefore, it’s important we understand how the implementation of policy changes set to help save the environment will impact us. 2050 Target: Net Zero Now The governments ‘net zero’ target to help cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 was legislated in June 2019. This makes the UK the first major economy to legislate to end its contribution to global warming.[1] This latest move is a more ambitious plan than the country’s previous target of an 80% emissions reduction by 2050, taking it one step further – cutting emissions to as close to zero as possible in the same time period. David Taylor, Head of Corporate affairs and Innovation at Flogas, said: “With so many premises still relying on high-carbon traditional off-grid fuels like oil – and heating making such a major contribution to current emissions levels – the transition to lower-carbon alternatives is long overdue. LPG energy is the cleanest, most efficient and effective conventional off-grid fuel, so it is uniquely placed to help reduce emissions immediately. “Building on this, we see biopropane (or BioLPG) as a hugely significant part of the UK’s renewable future. Produced using biological sources (such as waste, sewage and energy crops), bioLPG is chemically-identical to LPG. This means it can be simply ‘dropped in’ to the UK’s existing, comprehensive LPG network – so it will become increasingly important as we strive to meet the UK’s new 2050 net zero deadline.” A Carbon Neutral Future may be in sight: The Clean Growth Strategy The governments introduction of the Clean Growth Strategy is another key attribute the UK’s move towards a carbon neutral future involves– a plan brought into place to help accelerate the pace of ‘clean growth’ by decreasing emissions whilst simultaneously increasing economic growth. Most notably, the Strategy aims to reduce carbon emissions in the six areas that together make up 100% of the UK’s emissions.[2] These are: Improving business and industry efficiency (25% of UK emissions) Improving efficiency within our homes (13% of UK emissions) Increasing the shift to low-carbon transport (24% of UK emissions) Delivering clean, smart, flexible power (21% of UK emissions) Enhancing the benefits and value of our natural resources (15% of UK emissions) Leading the public sector (2% of UK emissions) The government stated that they plan to roll out lower-carbon processes, technologies and systems across the whole nation in order turn this vision into a reality – doing so in the most cost-effective way possible for businesses and homes alike. The 2018 Road to Zero Strategy plan The road to zero strategy, first implemented in 2018, outlined the government’s plans to reduce road transport emissions and build greener infrastructure. Part of this plan will be encouraging the uptake of zero-emission cars, vans and trucks, as part of the government’s mission to tackle air pollution and deliver cleaner air across the country. Changes such as putting a stop to the sale of conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040 is one of the most significant ways in which it intends to deliver this plan.[3] The UK government aims to make 50%-70% of new car registrations and 40% of new vans to give off ultra-low emissions by 2030.[4] What this means for the UK is that we’ll begin to see a huge rise in electric charging points as the government throws it weight behind the adoption of electric vehicles (EV). Despite the governments determined attempt to reduce carbon emissions, the introduction of Clean Air Zones (CAZ’s) into various UK cities has been delayed. Most recently, Leeds and Birmingham have experienced delays with their digital vehicle checking tools, which allow drivers to check the type of emissions their cars produce. Delays to the introduction of this software are likely to push back their plans to introduce Clean Air Zones.[5] United fight: The Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement was the initial catalyst that lead to many other legislation changes, ultimately helping strengthen the united fight against climate change. It saw more than 200 countries take part in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, resulting in an agreement that strengthened action for a more sustainable, low carbon future. The Paris Agreement states that all parties involved, including the UK, aim to limit temperature rises to no more than 2 degrees above pre-industrial times and preferably less than 1.5 degrees. A regular five-year review will also take place to monitor progress as well as increased funding to developing countries to help keep them in line with similar national targets. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-becomes-first-major-economy-to-pass-net-zero-emissions-law [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-growth-strategy/clean-growth-strategy-executive-summary [3] https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/69795/low-emission-road-zero-strategy/ [4] https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-industry-news/2018/07/09/government-launches-road-to-zero-strategy [5] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48679008
