Galliford Try Construction took this month’s top spot in the contractor league tables after being appointed the contractor for eight major projects totalling just under £343 million. Projects include the Perceval House redevelopment in London and a replacement railway station for Perry Barr. New entrant, Bouygues Group occupy second position
A stunning selection of luxury homes near Market Bosworth, hailed as “Leicestershire’s finest new residences”, have officially gone on sale for more than £18m. The 19 bespoke homes are being built by four times “House Builder of the Year” Springbourne Homes at their exclusive ten acre Hornsey Rise site in
Triton Knoll investment enables port transformation Able Seaton Port welcomes first ever turbine components to site All 15 blades to arrive are manufactured by MHI Vestas in the UK Triton Knoll is marking a series of project ‘firsts’ as turbine blades destined to be installed at the 857MW offshore wind
Aquaspira Ltd, has secured a six figure grant from Innovate UK (part of UK Research and Innovation) to explore ways to help the construction sector achieve Government de-carbonisation targets. The announcement comes as part of the UK Government’s unveiling of a multi-million pound investment to support businesses across the country
Funds advised by Hilltop Credit Partners, a specialist funding partner for SME residential developers, have completed a £2 million loan to Pars Developments to fund a private residential development in the Wiltshire village of Latton. The development sits on the edge of a National Nature Reserve and is a short drive
Continual exposure to noise ultimately takes its toll. We explain what the main effects of poor sound insulation are. On many occasions, the lack of attention to different aspects of our home leads to issues. And, over time, these may have terrible consequences for our home, and our health. One
Galliford Try Construction took this month’s top spot in the contractor league tables after being appointed the contractor for eight major projects totalling just under £343 million. Projects include the Perceval House redevelopment in London and a replacement railway station for Perry Barr. New entrant, Bouygues Group occupy second position this month with two awards totalling £230 million. In third place is another new entrant, CA Blackwell Contracts with a £175 million new coal mine project in Whitehaven. The latest edition of the Top 50 League Tables published by industry analysts Barbour ABI, highlights the number and value of construction contracts awarded during October. This month shows that the combined value of contracts awarded to the Top 50 was just over £2.9 billion with a total of 144 projects. For October, Morgan Sindall were the busiest contractor with a total of 17 contract awards at a combined value of £128 million. Bowmer & Kirkland sit at the top of the rolling 12-month league table with 42 projects at a total value of £804 million. Tom Hall, Chief Economist at Barbour ABI & AMA Research said, “As we are entering into a second lockdown, construction has been highlighted as an industry that will continue to remain open along with manufacturing and essential services. This will hopefully result in activity levels continuing to recover from the first lockdown.” Download the full report here: https://ubm.io/2WBolhM
A stunning selection of luxury homes near Market Bosworth, hailed as “Leicestershire’s finest new residences”, have officially gone on sale for more than £18m. The 19 bespoke homes are being built by four times “House Builder of the Year” Springbourne Homes at their exclusive ten acre Hornsey Rise site in Bosworth Road, Wellsborough. Now the award-winning developer has teamed up with the area’s premier estate agent, Alexanders, to sell the stylish, architect-designed properties. Alexanders’ senior partner Tom Smith said: “We are proud and excited to have been instructed by Springbourne Homes to market their fabulous Hornsey Rise site which, in our opinion, offers Leicestershire’s finest new residences and some of the most exceptional new homes in the Midlands. “This exclusive development is in the heart of the countryside, with panoramic views in all directions and even boasts its own private three acre woodland with walking trails for the sole use of residents. “All the properties sit on substantial plots and have been cleverly designed for modern day living and working, with fast, fibre optic broadband wired into all habitable rooms and with most of the houses offering a separate, home office option. “It all contributes to making Hornsey Rise a special development, one with so many benefits that it allows buyers the perfect opportunity to live, work and play in the comfort of an elegant, new home set in an idyllic location. “There’s no doubt about it – working from home has never looked so good.” Working remotely has certainly soared as a result of the current Covid-19 pandemic with many company offices across the UK being shut in a bid to stop the spread of the killer virus. Springbourne Homes chairman Adrian Burr believes many of those workers will never return to their office desks, but continue to work remotely instead and says his new homes have been designed to accommodate the change in working practices. He explained: “Some firms have already announced that they’re ready to allow an increasing number of staff to work remotely in future, which means there’s a growing amount of people now requiring a dedicated office space at home. “At Hornsey Rise we’re offering just that. We’re delivering agile, flexible homes which provide the option to create a designated home office for work and/or for study.” Burr describes the desirable development as his “best-ever” site with his hi-tech homes replacing the former Hornsey Rise Care Home, which closed in 2012 and quickly became a target for arsonists and vandals. The Springbourne boss added: “Hornsey Rise is the jewel in the crown of the Springbourne portfolio and is without doubt the best-ever development in the company’s 26 history. “There has been keen interest already but we’re expecting a real surge of interest now that we have commissioned Alexanders to officially market this prestigious site. “It’s a premier development in the region so naturally we wanted the area’s premier estate agents to take it to market with us and we’re looking forward to welcoming our first buyers to Hornsey Rise in time for Christmas.” The new 3,4 and 5 bedroom homes range in price from £570,000 to £1,365,000 with completion anticipated between December 2020 and mid 2021. For more information on the Hornsey Rise development and Springbourne Homes visit: www.springbournehomes.co.uk For more information on Alexanders estate agents, visit: www.alexanders-estates.com
Triton Knoll investment enables port transformation Able Seaton Port welcomes first ever turbine components to site All 15 blades to arrive are manufactured by MHI Vestas in the UK Triton Knoll is marking a series of project ‘firsts’ as turbine blades destined to be installed at the 857MW offshore wind farm, arrive at its chosen construction port in Teesside. Able Seaton Port, near Hartlepool, is receiving offshore wind turbine components for the first time in its history, after a combined multi-million pound investment has helped transform the port into a specialist assembly and construction facility for use on the project by turbine supplier MHI Vestas Offshore Wind. Triton Knoll, which is being constructed by RWE(1), will install and operate 90 MHI Vestas state-of-the-art V164-9.5 MW turbines, each stretching 164 metres tip to tip, and capable of powering a typical home for up to 29 hrs with a single rotation of its 80 metre long blades. The first 15 turbine blades to arrive at the port were manufactured by MHI Vestas at its Isle of Wight UK facility and finished at its Fawley plant across the Solent. Julian Garnsey, Project Director for Triton Knoll and RWE Renewables, said: “Triton Knoll has made a significant investment into Able Seaton Port to establish wind turbine handling facilities there for the first time. It’s an investment that secures the North East of England at the very heart of the delivery of Triton Knoll, and which leaves a lasting legacy for future offshore wind farm projects to be constructed from the region. “At Triton Knoll we remain committed to ensuring that our investments from this flagship project benefit local coastal communities, and the UK’s expanding offshore supply chain as much as possible. We are delighted to be working with MHI Vestas and Able UK delivering this new UK infrastructure, and to see the first Triton Knoll components arriving at Seaton, ready to begin installation early next year.” MHI Vestas recently moved onto the 140,000 sq metre Able Seaton Port, where it is establishing a full turbine logistics and pre-assembly hub for the RWE-managed joint venture project. During its site preparations, MHI Vestas has prioritised UK companies in the delivery of the project. ASP now hosts technicians on-site from local suppliers, including Global Wind Service (GWS), Dawson and Boston Energy, as well as MHI Vestas employees. The main crane and Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT) to be used at ASP for moving turbine components will be supplied by Weldex, based out of Alfreton, UK. Finally, site stevedoring services are supplied by Able. MHI Vestas Project Director Torben Damsgaard said: “We are proud that first components, including our blades from the Isle of Wight, for the V164-9.5 MW turbines have now been delivered to the pre-assembly site at Able Seaton. Our V164 turbines are currently the largest turbines installed in commercial projects in the world, and the 80m blades to be used at Triton Knoll will be the largest blades installed in UK waters. MHI Vestas is committed to the UK, as not only are these world-leading blades produced in the UK, but the Triton Knoll project as a whole is bringing substantial value to local communities. The successful preparation of the Able Seaton site has been one key value driver, as the joint effort by AbleUK and MHI Vestas to prepare the site will pay dividends to the Teesside region as an offshore wind hub for the present and future.” Able’s transformation of the site is a clear sign of its intent for the future as the facility, renowned for end-of-life handling of oil and gas platforms, is gearing up for a future supporting the renewable energy industry. It began the transformation of ASP ready for Triton Knoll in November 2019, and has established a 140,000 sq metre handling facility with specialist quayside, complete with roads and utilities infrastructure, accommodation and office units for those working on site. Peter Stephenson, Able’s Executive Chairman said: “There is no doubt in my mind that offshore wind is fast becoming a key element not only in terms of clean power generation, but also as a major factor that will drive the whole economy forward. The UK has the biggest market and our combined task is to seek to maximise local content and activity. We play our part by developing specialist future-proofed facilities that meet the demanding needs of our customer.” The state-of-the-art Triton Knoll offshore wind farm will have a maximum installed capacity of 857 MW and, once fully operational, will be one of the three largest offshore wind farms in the world, capable of powering the equivalent of over 800,000 UK homes(2). The project is located over 32 kilometres off the Lincolnshire coast, with a turbine array that covers an area of 145 square kilometres, bigger than the City of Manchester. It is jointly owned by RWE, J-Power and Kansai Electric Power, with RWE managing the wind farm’s construction and long-term operation and maintenance works, on behalf of its project partners.For more information about the project, please visit: www.tritonknoll.co.uk (1) RWE Renewables RWE Renewables, the newest subsidiary of the RWE Group, is one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies. With around 3,500 employees, the company has onshore and offshore wind farms, photovoltaic plants and battery storage facilities with a combined capacity of approximately 9 gigawatts. RWE Renewables is driving the expansion of renewable energy in more than 15 countries on four continents. For further growth a net investment budget of €5 billion is available until 2022. When adding in possible partnerships, the medium term investment budget could reach up to €9 billion. The focus is on the Americas, the core markets in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. (2) Energy Generation It is estimated that the average annual generation expected at the site could be equivalent to the approximate domestic needs of an expected minimum of 800,000 average UK households. Energy predicted to be generated by the proposal is derived using wind speeds monitored in the local area and correlated with long term
Aquaspira Ltd, has secured a six figure grant from Innovate UK (part of UK Research and Innovation) to explore ways to help the construction sector achieve Government de-carbonisation targets. The announcement comes as part of the UK Government’s unveiling of a multi-million pound investment to support businesses across the country pursue clean growth projects. The Sustainable Innovation Fund, delivered through Innovate UK, is a main part of the £1.25bn investment package announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April to help businesses innovate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aquaspira, a specialist manufacturer of large diameter drainage pipes, will invest £44,000 to supplement the £174,000 grant and is set to work in partnership with the University of Birmingham which secured a further £51,000 to deliver the project. Together they, and the UKCRIC National Buried Infrastructure Facility, will develop a lower carbon smart pipe for sustainable large-scale buried infrastructure projects. The research has the potential to make a significant step-change in helping the construction sector achieve Government de-carbonisation targets. It will explore the use of recycled materials for storm and drainage water pipes and the backfill required for their installation, as well as incorporating innovative sensing equipment for long-term asset monitoring. Neil Wallace, Managing Director of Aquaspira Ltd, said: “As a business we have been looking for the silver linings to the COVID cloud. At this difficult time, the grant will help our business to continue to innovate, grow and create jobs in the North West.” “This provides an incredibly exciting opportunity for new innovation. The Government’s objective of carbon zero by 2050 cannot be achieved without a significant reduction in the use of concrete in the construction process. This grant provides an opportunity to enhance understanding of the alternatives and deliver an exemplar low-carbon solution. It’s undoubtedly a major milestone for the business and will generate significant opportunities for Aquaspira in the UK and a potential export market.” Professor Nigel Cassidy, Professor of Geotechnical Infrastructure Engineering at the University of Birmingham, said: “Innovation is at the heart of the nation’s recovery from the COVID epidemic and we are delighted to be partnered with Aquaspira in this exciting and innovative project.” “Not only will the research deliver low-carbon drainage solutions for the construction industry but the new monitoring technologies will be vital for the long-term assessment of climate change impacts on our built environment.” The Innovate UK grant has been awarded by The Sustainable Innovation Fund and is part of the Government’s initiative to regenerate the economy after the impact of the COVID pandemic. The grant will significantly accelerate Aquaspira’s research and lay the foundations for the future growth of the business and employment in the area. The research will also open up future avenues for new products that will contribute to increasing the efficiency of the UK economy. Speaking about the multi-million pound Sustainable Innovation Fund to support clean growth projects, Business Secretary Alok Sharma commented: “The UK’s response to coronavirus has demonstrated the very best of British ingenuity, and it is this resourcefulness that will help us navigate our way through this pandemic. “Today’s investment will ensure that our innovators and risk-takers can continue to scale up their ideas, helping the UK to build back better and ensure we meet our clear commitments on tackling climate change.” Executive chair of Innovate UK, Dr Ian Campbell, added: “Yet again we see the exciting range of business innovation taking place across the United Kingdom, despite these difficult times. “Every initiative we’ve supported here represents an important step forward in sustainable economic development, but also one step nearer dreams becoming reality for ambitious hard-working company owners and their staff.”
Funds advised by Hilltop Credit Partners, a specialist funding partner for SME residential developers, have completed a £2 million loan to Pars Developments to fund a private residential development in the Wiltshire village of Latton. The development sits on the edge of a National Nature Reserve and is a short drive from both the Cotswolds and Swindon. The facility will be used to fund the site acquisition, development of four new detached houses, and refurbishment of an existing semi-detached house; the facility also includes a VAT bridge loan. The target audience for the development is families looking to upsize, including London-based buyers seeking more rural locations with work-from-home space, private gardens and access to countryside leisure activities. “We are excited to be partnering with Hilltop, who have worked hand-in-hand with us to get this project funded. We believe this niche development will be received well by the market, particularly given the trends that have emerged post-Covid,” said Sepehr Izadpanah of Pars Developments. Latest Rightmove data suggests that homes sales agreed nationally were up +70% y/y in September, reflecting a number of factors, including strong pent-up demand, the introduction of government stamp duty incentives, and emerging structural changes in the nation’s housing market. The regional house price statistics from Land Registry also show pricing for newbuild housing stock in Wiltshire +7.2% y/y. The project has been sponsored by Pars Developments, who have decades of experience delivering high-quality, affordable family housing in the local Swindon / Wiltshire market. “We are pleased to be working with Sep, Morri and their development team on this project. Pars has a long history of successfully developing affordably priced housing in their local market, and this development fits perfectly with the direction the post-Covid market is headed – an increased focus on indoor and outdoor space and an ability to work from home in a beautiful part of the country,” commented Paul Oberschneider, Founder and CEO of Hilltop Credit Partners.
Continual exposure to noise ultimately takes its toll. We explain what the main effects of poor sound insulation are. On many occasions, the lack of attention to different aspects of our home leads to issues. And, over time, these may have terrible consequences for our home, and our health. One of the common problems is the poor acoustic insulation of houses since the continuous exposure to noise ultimately takes its toll. Poor sound insulation in homes can be identified using professional sound insulation testing techniques. In this post, we are going to focus on the consequences of a lack of acoustic insulation for your health, and why you should ensure that your home has adequate sound insulation. Health effects of poor sound insulation To make it easier, we are going to divide them into three groups: Physiological consequences This group includes the most recognized of the consequences: temporary hearing loss, with the annoying ringing of the ears and the feeling that the volume of voices and domestic appliances is raised. If you are exposed to noise, and it is not solved, it can lead to permanent hearing loss or degradation, which is a problem with no easy solution. But also within this group are other outcomes, sometimes not so obvious, such as unbearable headaches, whose origin is in the tension of the blood vessels in the temples that end up resulting in painful contractions. Psychic consequences In this case, we are talking about sleep disturbances such as insomnia or the interruption of dream cycles. Falling asleep will cease to be a pleasure and will become a torment with its consequences: lack of performance and concentration (the absence of rest will make you much less productive in all aspects of your daily life, including work) and insecurity or stress in these undesirable situations. But the worst thing is that all this can end up leading to depression. Sociological consequences The problem is that this will not only affect you, but your family and friends will also be involved. One of the first symptoms linked to excessive noise in your home will be the deterioration of your mood and greater irritability and aggressiveness, which, without a doubt, your relatives and friends will perceive. Noise effects As you can see, if you do not want this to end up happening to you, you need to take stock now. You can not take the sound insulation of your house lightly. Insulate your home from noise well and live your life with quality, health and tranquillity. As a result, you will avoid all the effects of poor sound insulation on your health, and that of other family members in the house. Final thoughts Your home should be a peaceful place and not a source of stress. Adequate sound insulation is essential to maintain a healthy living environment. To avoid any problems, consult experts in sound insulation testing if you have any doubts about the levels of noise you experience in your home.
