Caddick Construction has secured a trio of accolades at the Considerate Constructors’ Scheme National Site Awards where three of its Northern sites were recognised. The high-profile £44m Emerald Headingley Stadium build was singled out for a Silver Award, along with the new £2.7m JCT600 Porsche Centre in Newcastle. Its 20,000
In one of the first key Thames Water AMP7 announcements, Barhale has been awarded a four-year, £22M programme of inspections and works on the Thames Water Ring Main (TWRM) and Raw Water tunnels. Under the Thames Water Tunnels and Aqueducts Programme, the civil and infrastructure specialist will carry out monitoring
To develop the powerful ITER Neutral Beam Injectors (NBIs) a test facility has been set up in Padua, Northern Italy, counting on the contributions of Fusion for Energy (F4E), ITER Organization (IO), India, Japan, and Consorzio RFX. Together they have agreed to collaborate on two major experiments which will help
The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) has announced the launch of the Resilience Alliance – a new professional relationship aimed at developing and promoting resilience globally. IWFM will work alongside member organisations – Airmic (risk management and insurance professionals), ASIS International (security professionals) and the Business Continuity Institute
SEGRO, in its role as venture adviser to the SEGRO European Logistics Partnership (“SELP”) joint venture, today announces on behalf of SELP, the acquisition of a portfolio of Spanish logistics land sites. All of the sites are in Barcelona and Madrid and are able to support approximately 240,000 sq m
Building works on a new housing development in Carterton, by property developer Taggart Homes, are progressing on track, with the show home set to open to the public in October. Located in the sought-after town of Carterton in West Oxfordshire, luxury development Linden Gardens, which is due for completion in
Sizewell C is increasing the number of apprentices it is aiming to employ from 1,000 to 1,500. A range of opportunities from conventional to degree level apprenticeships will be offered if construction of the new nuclear power station goes ahead. Apprentices will be trained in a wide variety of
A new entrant to the sector has acquired a Devon hotel in a deal brokered by property consultancy Christie & Co. St Andrews Hotel in Exeter comprises 25 en-suite bedrooms. It is located a short walk away from the city centre, close to the quayside and the Marsh Barton Trading
Westcountry homebuilder Cavanna Homes has opened its second show home at the prestigious Cavanna @ Wolborough Hill development in Newton Abbot, having sold the first, along with over half of the exclusive homes available in the past year. The new show home is a five-bedroom detached Blenheim, one of 26 modern
Caddick Construction has secured a trio of accolades at the Considerate Constructors’ Scheme National Site Awards where three of its Northern sites were recognised. The high-profile £44m Emerald Headingley Stadium build was singled out for a Silver Award, along with the new £2.7m JCT600 Porsche Centre in Newcastle. Its 20,000 sq. ft industrial unit for Ormazabal on behalf of Network Space, as part of the Mere Grange development, St Helens, received a Bronze commendation. Judges commenting on the Emerald Stadium Scheme said: “This Project demonstrated a fantastic level of consideration towards the public, its workforce and the environment, through adhering to the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice.” This included: care about appearance, respect to the community, protect the environment, secure everyone’s safety and value their workforce. The Knottingley-based company has been rewarded by the Scheme for its exceptional achievement and recognised that its sites have made the greatest contribution towards improving the image of construction. This year the awards were announced and presented virtually to the recipients. Adrian Dobson, Managing Director at Caddick Construction, said: “We are delighted to receive three awards this year – a great haul for us – and all for projects that offered very different challenges in terms of size, location and complexity. Caddick’s site team rightly deserve all the recognition here and we are proud that they continue to go above and beyond for each other and their neighbours during every build.”
In one of the first key Thames Water AMP7 announcements, Barhale has been awarded a four-year, £22M programme of inspections and works on the Thames Water Ring Main (TWRM) and Raw Water tunnels. Under the Thames Water Tunnels and Aqueducts Programme, the civil and infrastructure specialist will carry out monitoring and maintenance on a total of 35km of ring main tunnels and a further 9km of raw water tunnels. Associated works include the refurbishment of four HIVs (High Integrity Valves) and relining a 1.8km length of the 2.5m inlet and outlet tunnels for the QEII Reservoir at Walton-on-Thames. The TWRM is an 80km long, 2.5m diameter tunnel built between 1988 and 1994 to take water from five treatment works and transfer flows via pumping stations housed in shafts along the route. It is a major part of London’s water supply infrastructure and carries an average daily flow of 0.3 x109 gigalitres – a little under one-sixth of the capital’s daily demand. Phil Cull, Barhale’s Southern Region Director believes that the business has benefitted from its unrivalled experience of working on the Ring Main over many years. “Under AMP6 we worked closely with the Thames Water team to refurbish 19 of the 22 shafts,” he said. “It’s meant that we have gained insights and knowledge of working across the Ring Main that is second-to-none. We are very pleased that experience has been recognised by Thames Water and to be given the go-ahead on this important programme of works. “The TWRM and the raw water tunnels are absolutely critical pieces of infrastructure for London and the scale of the task cannot be underestimated. To put it in perspective, one element of the programme of works will be the replacement of all of the grout hole caps along 27km of tunnel – a total of 217,000 at around 8 per metre.” Mark Grimshaw, Water Production Manager for Thames Water, said: “Providing a reliable and safe supply of water to our customers is a top priority for us so it’s vital we have the right people working with us to look after the infrastructure that makes it possible. We’re glad to once again have Barhale on board to maintain and improve such key pieces of our London network.”
To develop the powerful ITER Neutral Beam Injectors (NBIs) a test facility has been set up in Padua, Northern Italy, counting on the contributions of Fusion for Energy (F4E), ITER Organization (IO), India, Japan, and Consorzio RFX. Together they have agreed to collaborate on two major experiments which will help us get closer to fusion energy. Scientists will have the opportunity to run tests using SPIDER and MITICA in order to acquire new know-how. Subsequently, the parties involved will proceed with the fabrication of the “real” components that will be used in ITER. Europe being the host of the ITER experiment is also one of the parties with significant involvement in the Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF). It has been financially contributing to its construction and the manufacturing of components. In terms of Research & Development (R&D), F4E has invested approximately 30 million EUR for the period 2012-2019 and roughly 100 million EUR for production of components. Converting the NBTF into a centre of excellence for future research in fusion is of strategic importance for Europe. Much will depend on access of know-how and expertise to harness fusion, the energy of Sun. The components of SPIDER, the most powerful negative ion source in the world, and those of MITICA, the real-size NBI, will need to be cooled down. The function of the water cooling plant will be to remove the deposited thermal power, up to a total of about 70 MW, for 3600 seconds. The cooling plant consists of the following main units: a specific system for each of the two experiments, and a common system which they share to release the thermal energy removed from the components. F4E, in close collaboration with Delta Ti Impianti, the company responsible for its production (from design to commissioning), has successfully completed the works. After eight years the system has been handed over to ITER Organization on 28 May. The pipes which extend to around 5500 m crosscut the entire Neutral Beam Test Facility. In some areas the pipes follow a neat pattern almost like tapestry covering the walls. In other parts of the building, the pipes resemble to a labyrinth made of steel full of twists and turns. This is the result of about 500 deliverable documents, reviews and inspections, contract amendments and successful negotiations. A team of engineers, quality assurance experts, lawyers, procurement officers have been working together for years to complete this project. We spoke to some of the engineers involved in the project to understand the challenges they faced during the lifecycle of the project. Vincent Pilard, F4E Technical Officer who has been closely following the contract, offers some background. “One of the main difficulties we faced designing the cooling plant was the fact that the building was not constructed. We had to imagine the space distribution, walls and partitions to project the installation of the pipes and of equipment. Our design had to adapt to the civil engineering works and eventually fine-tune all inputs so that our supplier could start manufacturing. There were also some key technical details that we had to take into consideration. For example, we need to use water with very low electrical conductivity in order to avoid impurities in the system. Therefore, we had to make provisions for a chemical control unit to filter the activated corrosion products.” Andrea Garbuglia, F4E on-site supervisor, elaborates on the complexity of the cooling plant.” The system has a thermal power of 70 MW, more than 5.5 km of piping, at least 2000 sensors/instruments installed, 10 primary circuits and more than 20 components to be cooled. The most challenging part, in terms of Health & Safety, logistics and technical coordination, has been the installation, and testing, of the MITICA cooling plant carried out in parallel with the SPIDER experiment in operation. In terms of construction, we have counted more than 6000 person days for the plant erection without any accident in six years putting safety first. The valuable contributions of Consorzio RFX, Delta-Ti Impianti and the F4E Neutral Beam cooling team have made this possible.” Giorgio Biginelli, CEO of Delta-Ti Impianti, shares some thoughts on their involvement in this project. “The cooling plant of the ITER NBTF was for us a great opportunity to showcase reliability, competence and innovation. Being part of a global R&D project, on which the future of humanity’s energy will depend on the coming centuries, has given constant motivation to our workforce. The spirit of collaboration with F4E and Consorzio RFX helped us to complete successfully the work. We have acquired important know-how, fundamental to creating synergies with other projects such as ITER, laboratories such as CERN, with which we already cooperate, and others we hope to be able to cooperate with such as DTT.” “The NBTF cooling plant is one of the prerequisites for the start of MITICA’s operation. The plant has already demonstrated its conformity to the cooling needs of ongoing SPIDER experiments. During the construction of this plant, the supplier, F4E, Consorzio RFX and ITER Organizaion have worked together successfully to overcome the difficulties that have been posed by the complexity of the size and the number of parties involved. The NBTF cooling plant is now ready to be used in its full capacity,” explains Chandramouli Rotti, ITER Organization Section Leader of the Neutral Beam Section “During the finalisation of the ITER NBTF cooling plant, a fruitful and strong cooperation was established between IO, F4E, Consorzio RFX and the industry. This equipment is essential for the operation of both SPIDER and MITICA. A continuous and intense effort has been put by all the parties during the lifecycle of the project- from conceptual design till final acceptance tests. In May 2018 the successful delivery of the first units of the cooling plant made it possible for the SPIDER experiments to begin. In September the entire cooling system will be fully operational to go ahead with MITICA experiments,” says Dr. Eng. Pierluigi Zaccaria – Project Leader for NBTF Thermomechanical plants and components.
The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) has announced the launch of the Resilience Alliance – a new professional relationship aimed at developing and promoting resilience globally. IWFM will work alongside member organisations – Airmic (risk management and insurance professionals), ASIS International (security professionals) and the Business Continuity Institute (business continuity and resilience professionals) – to collectively promote the importance of resilience and establish best practice ‘resilience’ initiatives. The Alliance will also will address the implications of the changes and sudden disruptions faced by organisations already in 2020, whilst also aiming to develop and promote a common mutual understanding of what is meant by the term ‘resilience’. The basis for the collaboration lies on the belief that there is no single discipline that can claim to cover all aspects of resilience, and organisational resilience is most effectively delivered when operational and professional silos are broken down. Resilience is delivered by multidisciplinary specialists working together towards a common purpose, therefore risk management, workplace and facilities, security and business continuity professionals all play a key role. Each member organisation of the Resilience Alliance has developed its own lens and approach to the subject of resilience based on its unique purpose, activities and individual member interest. However, they also recognise that many resilience challenges are faced and shared by all. The Resilience Alliance will undertake joint communication, thought leadership initiatives and research projects on the good practices organisations can develop and adopt to better prepare themselves for the impact of sudden disruptions or crises. Each body has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to demonstrate that risk professionals across the spectrum believe that resilience is a team game and that by collaborating they are stronger. Linda Hausmanis, Chief Executive of IWFM, said: “We are excited to be a part of the Resilience Alliance and look forward to building on our existing collaborations towards a knowledge exchange platform that will benefit all of our members. Covid-19 has underlined the importance of resilience as organisations have needed to be adaptive and flexible in the face of challenging and uncertain circumstances. Resilience will continue to be paramount in the coming months as we emerge from the crisis; likewise, flexibility will remain key to any newly laid plans as we continue into the unknown.” Julia Graham, Deputy CEO and Technical Director of Airmic, explained: “The Resilience Alliance is a fantastic opportunity to drive change in organisations, making them fitter and ultimately more ‘risk intelligent’. The events of 2020 have shown us we live in a fast moving, volatile and connected world – one that is constantly changing and where working in silos is no longer an option. “Airmic is delighted to work with our fellow Resilience Alliance members on the projects and thought leadership issues, across public platforms, which will demonstrate the power of collaboration.” Peter O’Neil, CEO of ASIS International, stated: “Resilience plays a significant role in the security profession as a whole, particularly as it relates to crisis management and business continuity challenges. The ability to prepare for, and adapt to, changing conditions and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions is a major role of security professionals worldwide. We are excited to join the Resilience Alliance and look forward to developing future tools and resources for our profession (and others) to strengthen organisations across the globe.”
SEGRO, in its role as venture adviser to the SEGRO European Logistics Partnership (“SELP”) joint venture, today announces on behalf of SELP, the acquisition of a portfolio of Spanish logistics land sites. All of the sites are in Barcelona and Madrid and are able to support approximately 240,000 sq m of modern, sustainable warehouse space, developable over the next five years, which will allow SEGRO, through SELP, to continue to build scale and increase its presence in Spain. The sites total 41 hectares and are all in locations within close proximity to major population hubs, making them ideal to meet ongoing occupier demand that has been further strengthened by the rapid rise in e-commerce. Five of the assets are in Barcelona, including development sites in Cerdanyola del Vallès, Terrassa, Palau-Solità i Plegamans, Viladecans as well as an existing, fully let 14,000 sq metres warehouse facility in the Polinyà municipality. The remaining sites are in Madrid including in Paracuellos, strategically located next to Madrid Barajas Airport and two further sites bordering the M45 orbital road in San Fernando de Henares and Villaverde. Marco Simonetti, Southern Europe Business Unit Director for SEGRO, said: “This acquisition will significantly expand our footprint in Spain, an exciting market where we are growing our portfolio of high quality, well located assets to meet the increasing demand for prime, sustainable warehousing. “It will complement our existing portfolio in Barcelona and Madrid, helping to establish us as a leader in modern warehousing and industrial property in these important logistics markets.”
Building works on a new housing development in Carterton, by property developer Taggart Homes, are progressing on track, with the show home set to open to the public in October. Located in the sought-after town of Carterton in West Oxfordshire, luxury development Linden Gardens, which is due for completion in late 2021, will comprise of 32 semi-detached and detached family homes. Featuring eight different property types starting from £250,000 and going up to £800,000, the development will offer 2 bed apartments, 3 and 4 bed semi-detached homes and 3, 4 and 5 bed detached homes, all of which will be finished to the finest quality with high spec fixtures and fittings and landscaped gardens. Situated just a mile south of Carterton town centre, the development is in a prime location next to Carterton Health Centre and a wide range of leisure facilities, shopping amenities and employment opportunities. The location is next to the Kilkenny Lane Allotments and Kilkenny Lane Country Park and surrounding towns are Witney, Burford, Cheltenham and Swindon. The nearest city being Oxford. Appealing to a varied demographic, Linden Gardens is suited to growing families looking to upsize or commuters looking to improve their home working surroundings. There is also provision for first-time homebuyers with a range of Help to Buy and Shared Ownership options on smaller properties. Ideal for A40 commuters and very close to the Cotswolds – the development’s closest train station -Long Hanborough – is just over 10 minutes from Oxford, 40 minutes from Reading and one hour from London Paddington for city workers. Importantly for families, Linden Gardens is in the catchment area of many in-demand primary schools including Carterton, Shilton Park, Brize Norton and St John Evangelist, and secondary schools including Cokethorpe Private, Burford College, The Kings School and Carterton Community College. It’s also a short drive away from a range of locations for days out including Crocodiles of the World, Bourton on the Water, Cotswold Wildlife Park and Sherbourne National Trust Park. The scheme will inject new life into a previously underutilised rural site which had a single family house on it, that backs onto the edge of the Shilton Park housing development. On the new Linden Gardens development, co-founder and chief executive officer of Taggart Homes, Michael Taggart, said: “We are delighted and excited to be bringing this exquisite luxury family development to this great location nestled in West Oxfordshire. Its location is the biggest selling point, adjacent to the country park, and with open fields beyond, it is ideal for families and commuters due to being in the close vicinity of major road and rail routes. “As with all properties by Taggart Homes, our dedicated team of professionals ensure that each detail of each property is designed and built to the highest standards to provide the best possible product on the market – from the layout and design, to the workmanship and materials used for the build, interior fixtures and fittings and surrounding landscaped spaces. “We want to build communities where neighbours become friends, where memories are made and we understand what a huge step buying a new home is, so we always strive to provide the finest quality properties, where luxury meets convenience.” Paul Stachura, new homes sales manager at Connells estate agents in Oxford, said: “We’re hugely excited to be working alongside Taggart Homes and offering these very special homes to the people of Carterton. “Interest in the development is already exceptional and the local branch is being inundated with enquiries for details, from people within the town and further afield. With such a great mix of houses in a stunning location, Linden Gardens will undoubtedly become the ‘place to live’ in Carterton.” Interested homebuyers can now register interest at Connells in Carterton on 01993 847309. The brochure is due to launch September, with an off-plan reservation event scheduled for late September and official launch planned for early October.
Sizewell C is increasing the number of apprentices it is aiming to employ from 1,000 to 1,500. A range of opportunities from conventional to degree level apprenticeships will be offered if construction of the new nuclear power station goes ahead. Apprentices will be trained in a wide variety of construction and mechanical roles including degree-level engineering, digital engineering, welding, project management, and steel-fixing. There will also be apprenticeships in many site support services including operations management, logistics, environment, health and safety, security, and accountancy. Sizewell C is the low carbon nuclear power station being proposed for Suffolk to help the UK reach net zero emissions by 2050. The application to build Sizewell C is currently being considered by the Planning Inspectorate. The new apprentices target follows the success in training people of all ages at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. Four years into construction, more than 650 apprentices have already worked on over fifty different training programmes linked to the project. The majority of apprentices have come from the local area. In addition, changes to Government guidance mean companies are allowed greater flexibility in the training they can give through apprenticeship schemes. Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson, Managing Director, Sizewell C said: “The progress being made at Hinkley Point C has given us the confidence to announce a significantly higher target for apprentices. Sizewell C will create thousands of jobs and training opportunities in the East of England and across the UK’s nuclear supply chain. Together with our suppliers, we are determined to help people who work for us get good qualifications and build long-term, well-paid careers.” Cameron Gilmour, Vice President Nuclear, Doosan Babcock, and Chairman of the Sizewell C Consortium said: “Not every school-leaver wants to go to university and apprenticeships are a great way to learn on the job. This announcement demonstrates the huge potential of Sizewell C to transform the lives of young people by offering them paid training and a great career.” Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary, Unite the Union said: “Sizewell will be the catalyst for providing young people, particularly those living in East Anglia, with skills for life and it will provide a huge boost to the local economy. It is imperative that the government not only gives the green light to the Sizewell C development but provides direct assistance to ensure that this project begins as early as possible, so that these commitments on apprentices can start to be achieved as soon as possible and the experience of building Hinkley Point can be fully utilised.” Last month saw the launch of the Young Sizewell C scheme, which is designed to introduce 16-21-year olds living in Suffolk and Norfolk to some of the jobs the project could offer. Young Sizewell C and a future Jobs Service will be used to identify as many opportunities as possible for young people living in the east of England. Sizewell C is also exploring ways to provide further training and employment opportunities by transferring EDF apprenticeship levy to other east of England businesses. While many of the apprentices will be based on or close to the construction site in Suffolk, others will have the opportunity to work with suppliers in different parts of the UK.
A new entrant to the sector has acquired a Devon hotel in a deal brokered by property consultancy Christie & Co. St Andrews Hotel in Exeter comprises 25 en-suite bedrooms. It is located a short walk away from the city centre, close to the quayside and the Marsh Barton Trading Estate in the Alphington district. The hotel has been owned by Vincent and Elaine Blackshaw for 13 years as part of a portfolio of three hotels in Exeter that also includes The Clock Tower and Georgian Lodge. They have made the decision to sell in order to retire from the industry. The sale of St Andrews Hotel follows that of the Clock Tower which was sold last year. “We are delighted to have purchased St Andrews Hotel and were initially attracted to the property because of its potential for someone to add value. Our intention is to create a new image for the hotel by comprehensively refurbishing and modernising, whilst improving the existing business. We look forward to becoming part of this wonderful community,” commented the new owners. The business has been purchased by Mohan Arora and Tarini Mendiratta, new entrants to the sector who met whilst studying at University of Exeter. “The St Andrews Hotel has always held its own, competing against the other largely corporate owned hotels that dominate Exeter’s bed stock,” said Stephen Champion, director at Christie & Co and also the person that handled the sale. “It is fantastic to see this hotel sell for continued use as a hotel to independent operators, who plan to build upon the already successful business created by Vincent and Elaine Blackshaw, who incidentally purchased the hotel via Christie & Co back in 2007. We wish Mohan and Tarini every success in the future.” St Andrews Hotel in Devon was sold off an asking price of £1.3 million.
Westcountry homebuilder Cavanna Homes has opened its second show home at the prestigious Cavanna @ Wolborough Hill development in Newton Abbot, having sold the first, along with over half of the exclusive homes available in the past year. The new show home is a five-bedroom detached Blenheim, one of 26 modern homes built around a park and with a shared tennis court for residents, on a commanding hilltop site with panoramic views over Newton Abbot and out towards Dartmoor and the Teign Valley. As well as showcasing this stylish development, the show home offers an exciting investment opportunity with a leaseback scheme, which allows buyers to secure the house and then lease it back to the sales team for the duration of use. As part of the scheme, the buyer receives a fixed rental of five percent per annum and Cavanna Homes will cover the costs or maintenance so the house is kept in good condition. There are no management fees, utility or council tax bills. The Blenheim show home has a professionally landscaped garden and inspired interior décor which includes top specification features, such as a fitted wine cooler, a spacious family lounge with a fireplace and sliding pocket doors leading into the dining room creating a large open plan living space, a study with a bay window, a master bedroom with an en-suite and underfloor heating. Sarah Bowden, Sales Advisor said: “Having successfully sold 15 of the new homes, we have a selection of four-bedroom Brompton and Hampton style homes available, as well as our five-bedroom Blenheim, all fitted with luxury fittings and bespoke designs. “Homebuyers can also make significant Stamp Duty savings and benefit from our buying schemes including Move Assist and Part-Exchange.” As well as holding the Home Builder’s Federation (HBF) five-star award and the coveted national title of Housebuilder Awards winner 2019, Site Manager Gary Gregory is recognised in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) Pride in the Job Awards for his work at Cavanna @ Wolborough Hill.
