Two real estate firms have acquired a 294-apartment residential rental complex in east London from Kennedy Wilson for approximately £100 million as part of their PRS joint venture programme. Realstar, a real estate investor and manager, and global real estate company QuadReal Property Group have added to their growing London
SELECT, the trade body for electrical professionals in Scotland, has welcomed a small but significant upturn in the number of young women undergoing apprenticeships as electricians. Figures gathered by Scotland’s largest trade association show that there are now 13 female apprentices training to be electricians in 2019-2020, compared to seven
As part of a drive towards helping homeowners achieve greener lifestyles, the award-winning Westcountry homebuilder Cavanna Homes has fitted electric vehicle charging points, as standard, to over 50% of the properties on the company’s first development in the Somerset town of Wincanton. For those who want to reduce their travel
At the start of 2019 the employee-owned packaging company set a target to reduce their usage and their customers usage of plastic by 120 tonnes. Having recently completed an audit of the project the company has announced the final figures for 2019 are a massive reduction of 207 tonnes. The
Two real estate firms have acquired a 294-apartment residential rental complex in east London from Kennedy Wilson for approximately £100 million as part of their PRS joint venture programme. Realstar, a real estate investor and manager, and global real estate company QuadReal Property Group have added to their growing London portfolio by buying up the asset in the east of the city. The deal represents Realstar’s fourteenth PRS investment in the UK and marks the fourth asset in the £1 billion London rental joint venture between the Canadian-headquartered firm and QuadReal. Described as a ‘landmark development within Ilford town centre’, Pioneer Point includes 294 residential units within two towers. There is 35,000 sq ft of fully leased commercial space and 10,000 sq ft of extensive resident amenities. In common with other Build to Rent projects, the development offers residents a dedicated on-site concierge and property management suite, as well as resident lounges, meeting spaces and work pods. Residents can also benefit from a quiet lounge, entertainment spaces with open-plan kitchen and dining rooms, a kids’ zone, games room and cinema. Pioneer Point is just a stone’s throw from Ilford Station, which offers fast connections into London. These will be further enhanced once Crossrail (the Elizabeth Line) becomes fully operational at some point next year. Ilford is a key transport hub on its eastern section, linking Essex with East and Central London.
SELECT, the trade body for electrical professionals in Scotland, has welcomed a small but significant upturn in the number of young women undergoing apprenticeships as electricians. Figures gathered by Scotland’s largest trade association show that there are now 13 female apprentices training to be electricians in 2019-2020, compared to seven in 2018-2019. Fiona Harper, Director of Employment and Skills at SELECT, said: “This is excellent news, coming as it does in Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which runs from 2 to 6 March. “An electrical apprenticeship for a young woman, just as for everyone else, is a life-changing experience which can open many doors, not only to further career progression and global travel, but also to professional regard and life fulfilment.” To mark the occasion, SELECT has commissioned a short film, The Power of Apprenticeships, which features an interview at a member company in Falkirk with one of its female apprentices, Neave Brownlie. The TClarke trainee says: “I finished school and could have gone to uni, but I preferred the idea of being paid while I was learning to become a qualified electrician. “I’m enjoying it; you’re never left alone on site, there’s always someone there supporting you and making sure you are safe. I’m treated like a daughter or a sister and everyone I’ve worked with has been lovely. “The exciting thing is the opportunity to travel the world once I have completed my apprenticeship and become a qualified electrician.” The Power of Apprenticeships also features another TClarke employee, Elyse McBride, a qualified electrician who is now office-based and is training to become a quantity surveyor. Elyse – a former SJIB Apprentice of the Year finalist in the SELECT Awards – said: “Completing an apprenticeship as an electrician was fundamental to me moving into a managerial role. “There are any number of different paths that can be followed as a qualified electrician, and the career world is your oyster.” Filmed at TClarke in Falkirk, and now available to view on SELECT’s YouTube channel, the video was produced in partnership with the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB), the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) and Unite the Union. Ms Harper, who is also The Secretary of the SJIB, added: “There is a world of opportunity for young women in the electrical sector and with this film we hope to encourage many more of them, currently in school or college, to consider an electrical apprenticeship as a serious career option.” Founded in 1900, SELECT is Scotland’s largest trade association. It has nearly 1,250 members businesses with a collective turnover of approximately £1bn, employing more than 15,000 people and 3,500 apprentices. SELECT also delivers training courses to more than 3,500 electricians each year and is committed to regulation of the industry for a safer Scotland. The Scottish Joint Industry Board was founded in 1969 by SELECT and Unite the Union.
As part of a drive towards helping homeowners achieve greener lifestyles, the award-winning Westcountry homebuilder Cavanna Homes has fitted electric vehicle charging points, as standard, to over 50% of the properties on the company’s first development in the Somerset town of Wincanton. For those who want to reduce their travel by car, Cavanna Homes is also offering new homeowners at Cales Reach the chance to join a Green Travel Initiative where they can receive cycle vouchers towards a bike or cycling equipment. Councillor Ray Tudgay, Deputy Chair of Wincanton Town Council, was invited to cut the ribbon at the formal opening of the “green” development where the new show home is fitted with the latest features to help achieve maximum energy efficiency. Cllr Tudgay was joined by Head of Sales and Marketing Paul Furner who said: “Cales Reach is a great example of how we are future-proofing our new homes with extensive wall and roof insulation in excess of industry guidelines, modern heating systems and car charging points. We recognise that many people will want to go much further in their efforts to live a greener lifestyle by choosing to travel by bus, bike or foot – and we want to reward that too by way of our Green Travel Initiative.” The three-bedroom show home is a ‘Steeperton’ which offers a spacious family lounge and a large, modern open plan kitchen / dining room for entertaining guests. At Cales Reach there will be 60 new homes, designed to appeal to a full range of requirements and tastes; from two-bedroom semi-detached homes to four-bedroom family homes and townhouses. Surrounded by hills, Cales Reach is close to the A303 and Templecombe train station. Wincanton town centre is within walking distance of Cales Reach and offers pubs, cafes, shops and a monthly farmers’ market. The town also has a GP surgery and vet practice. Wincanton County Primary school, which is close to the new homes, will benefit from a contribution from Cavanna Homes of £110,000 towards an extension which will house eight new classrooms. Cllr Tudgay said: “Cales Reach is in a brilliant location and Cavanna Homes’ Green Travel Initiative is a great incentive for home-buyers to opt for sustainable travel methods by foot, bike or bus. I look forward to seeing the completed development next summer.” Cavanna Homes was awarded the UK’s Medium Housebuilder of the Year in the 2019 national Housebuilder Awards. Kelly Aylesbury, Sales Advisor at Cales Reach, added: “Cales Reach is a fantastic development and we’re excited to open the doors to our stunning show home welcoming visitors to take a look around. “We’ve already had off-plan reservations, which is brilliant, and being in such a beautiful location has been a great selling point for many homebuyers. We also offer buying schemes, including Move Assist, Part-Exchange and our show home leaseback schemes. “If you’re looking to move to the area, come and visit us to see our selection of beautiful new homes.”
At the start of 2019 the employee-owned packaging company set a target to reduce their usage and their customers usage of plastic by 120 tonnes. Having recently completed an audit of the project the company has announced the final figures for 2019 are a massive reduction of 207 tonnes. The success of the campaign comes after a successful year of new product launches, with a key focus on not only offering products that use less plastic but also ranges that are alternatives to plastic or products that can be reused. In support of new product initiatives Kite also continued to offer free audits, through their specialist support divisions, for any business seeking to explore environmentally friendly packaging solutions. With a strong start to 2019, seeing the launch of their dynamic gummed paper tape dispending machine, their range expansion of paper tapes, the launch of their paper padded envelopes and the development of their sugar cane bio film, to name a few, Kite demonstrated a firm commitment to plastic reduction and elimination. Kites new product drive has continued into 2020 and they have recently increased their paper bag offering to now include twist handle paper carrier bags, tape handle paper carrier bags, brown paper bags, strung paper counter bags and paper mailing bags. For more information on Kite Packaging’s products and services visit kitepackaging.co.uk.
