Construction works are progressing well on ‘The Yacht Club’ – an exclusive 81-home development on the banks of the river Trent, by Leeds-based developer KMRE Group Ltd. Situated in a prime waterside location to the south of Trent Lane, The Yacht Club will offer residents panoramic views of the river
Caddick Construction has been appointed to start work on the Warrington Youth Zone project, which will bring state-of-the-art sports and social facilities to young people from across local area. Construction will begin on the £6.9 million facility, designed by Seven Architecture, later this month. It is being delivered by national
Industry insight report from ARMSA Academy proposes a new decision-making philosophy to unlock safer and more productive projects Wind companies leaving money on the table by treating digitalisation as the sole route to project optimisation Report marks official launch of ARMSA Academy, a digital performance support platform to help wind
More than 30 renewable energy, heating and insulation companies have won places on a new £800 million energy efficiency framework for the public sector. The Energy Efficiency Measures and Associated Works (N8) framework from public sector procurement experts LHC allows local authorities, social landlords and other public bodies to source
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the UK, tradespeople are among those who have been advised they are still able to work under the national restrictions that came into effect on 5 November, including working in and around people’s homes. The news is certainly positive for the construction industry
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has reshaped many areas of life as we know it. Necessary measures such as social distancing, quarantine and isolation have altered work and home lives for large swathes of the world population, as part of the measures put in place to try and slow the
Construction works are progressing well on ‘The Yacht Club’ – an exclusive 81-home development on the banks of the river Trent, by Leeds-based developer KMRE Group Ltd. Situated in a prime waterside location to the south of Trent Lane, The Yacht Club will offer residents panoramic views of the river and The Hook nature reserve in Lady Bay. Within easy reach of Nottingham city centre and West Bridgford, The Yacht Club sits adjacent to the River Crescent, Pelham Waterside and Trent Basin residential schemes, in the rapidly changing Colwick area known as Riverside. One, two and three-bedroom apartments are available, including penthouses, and prices start from £310,000 to £550,000. FHP Living has been appointed as the selling agent and interested parties can contact Steve Parker or Joe Hargreaves for information and viewings. Just over a mile from the city centre, the contemporary development – which boasts all apartments with balcony’s looking on to the river – is already at 40% sold, and is on the site of the former Park Yacht Inn, located in one of the most peaceful riverside settings in the city. In close proximity to Nottingham Forest F. C’s City Ground, Notts County Football Club on Meadow Lane and Trent Bridge Cricket Ground – the development sits in a great location for sports fans, whilst being closely situated to the amenities of the city and West Bridgford. Speculative plans have been put forward for a pedestrian footbridge to be built over the River Trent in the next couple of years, to cater to the burgeoning waterside residential communities, linking the riverside area to Lady Bay. Construction works involve a phased completion, with the first practical completion in March 2021, and a full handover of the site expected by summer 2021. The development comprises three stand-alone buildings, with each of the 81 apartments benefitting from large panoramic windows and its own balcony or terrace, with stunning views up and down the river. Penthouses have distinctively larger living spaces with underfloor heating, superior tiled floors and sweeping terraces boasting optimal views of the River Trent and Nottingham skyline. There will also be attractive outdoor spaces and footpaths along the river to the front of the buildings for residents to enjoy. A show suite will be available for private viewings from the end of November, enabling interested buyers to get a glimpse into the exclusive waterside lifestyle that The Yacht Club has to offer. It will also provide the first opportunity for confirmed buyers to personalise and upgrade apartments – with bespoke options to choose from for interior décor, fixtures and fittings. As well as sweeping riverside views, onsite parking for every apartment and vibrant outdoor communal spaces, all apartments will be finished to the finest quality, using high spec fixtures and fittings. Kam Mogul, managing director at KMRE Group Ltd, said: “We are extremely proud to be delivering this flagship residential scheme, providing the finest quality spacious homes, many with panoramic views of the River Trent, in an idyllic waterside location. “These homes boast unrivalled picturesque views of the water and the tranquil Hook nature reserve in Lady Bay, and are a pivotal part of the ongoing waterfront regeneration on the banks of the River Trent, offering a premium waterside living experience with a community feel, that really connects you with nature. “During these challenging times, we remain completely committed to the Nottingham market and construction works at The Yacht Club are progressing on track, with the show home due to open in the next few weeks for appointments with interested buyers.” “This is the first of our landmark ‘Southern Gateway’ developments in Nottingham, which also includes the 62-apartment Hindle House residential scheme.” Steve Parker, director at the selling agent, FHP Living, said: “With stunning waterside views, in a serene yet central location, The Yacht Club will provide the ultimate waterside lifestyle. “The development is in a great location on the banks of the river Trent and is within walking distance of local amenities, including East Point Retail Park – which includes an Aldi and Costa Coffee – and the beautiful Colwick Country Park. Within just five minutes’ drive is Victoria Retail Park, which boasts an M&S Foodhall, Next, Boots and many other popular retailers.” Fellow director at FHP Living, David Hargreaves, said: “We are pleased to see how quickly the building works are now progressing, particularly through these difficult times of lockdown. Now more than ever people are looking for homes close to nature, with outside space and scope to work from home, and being on the banks of the river, there is an abundance of nature on your doorstep at The Yacht Club. “The development is a welcome addition to the Riverside area and the team at FHP Living are looking forward to showing potential owner occupiers and investors around the new show suite shortly.” For enquiries, please call FHP Living on 0115 8411155.
Caddick Construction has been appointed to start work on the Warrington Youth Zone project, which will bring state-of-the-art sports and social facilities to young people from across local area. Construction will begin on the £6.9 million facility, designed by Seven Architecture, later this month. It is being delivered by national charity OnSide Youth Zones which has created a network of Youth Zones across the country. These provide unrivalled facilities for young people to go to and enjoy arts, sports, learn new skills, or just meet friends and have someone to talk to. Located in the stadium quarter next to the University Technical College (UTC) off Dallam Lane, Warrington Youth Zone will offer an indoor climbing wall, 3G kick pitch, four court sports hall, dance and drama studio, training kitchen, arts and crafts space, fully equipped gym, music room with recording studio and enterprise suite. Once fully open, more than 20 activities will be on offer for up to 250 young people every night of the week. Warrington Youth Zone will be OnSide’s 12th new Youth Zone project and follows the recently opened Hideout Youth Zone in Gorton, in East Manchester. Adam Poyner, Head of Construction for OnSide Youth Zones, said “It’s great to see another Youth Zone project join OnSide’s ever-growing network of much-needed Youth Zone facilities across the country, which provide opportunities and raise aspirations for young people from all backgrounds.” Ian Threadgold, Managing Director of Caddick Construction NW said: “The Youth Zone is specially designed to stand out and provide a visible landmark that will attract and inspire the young people who will enjoy and benefit from the many activities. It is a 21st Century facility that is so far removed from the old youth clubs we probably remember growing up with.” The project team consists of Seven Architecture, HL Engineers, Hurstwood Environmental Consulting and Walker Sime.
Industry insight report from ARMSA Academy proposes a new decision-making philosophy to unlock safer and more productive projects Wind companies leaving money on the table by treating digitalisation as the sole route to project optimisation Report marks official launch of ARMSA Academy, a digital performance support platform to help wind industry professionals reduce levelised costs A new industry insight report from ARMSA Academy has found that the wind industry’s drive to digitalise asset management risks obscuring an equally effective route to achieving optimal project returns: improving human performance. Released today, The Great Leap Forward draws on interviews with experts from across the wind industry. It says that, in an industry obsessed with asset performance and marginal gains, companies invest too little in human skills that help projects run optimally, or they instead invest in training methods that are ineffective. In parallel, a majority of companies continue to invest heavily in the use of digital technology to optimise mechanical assets. Amid growing pressure to run leaner projects, it is digitalisation that dominates when operators look at ways to increase profit margins. Companies are more concerned with finding ways to design humans out of their processes – via artificial intelligence and automation – than improving the skills and decision-making of the individuals at all levels in their teams. The report proposes that optimised human performance and decision-making can, if nurtured, act as a catalyst for increased availability, less turbine downtime, safer colleagues and fewer organisational silos. It comes as power sector consultancy ARMSA launches its new ARMSA Academy venture, a provider of safety-led performance support to wind professionals. ARMSA Academy’s digital performance support platform offers operators a new approach that uses technology to improve the performance of their staff at all stages of the project life cycle. Rakesh Maharaj, Managing Director of ARMSA Consulting, explains:“Conventional training approaches safety as an input; a cost of doing business. But we know that safety is an outcome of decision-making, and as such, is a lead indicator of good business performance.” “The daily decisions taken at all stages of the project life cycle have an impact on the safety and financial performance of projects. ARMSA Academy’s platform, accessible at the touch of a button, empowers individuals to cross reference those decisions, ‘in the flow of work’, against best practice and their industry peers. It’s an end to decision-making in a void.” ARMSA Academy’s programmes challenge decision-makers to consider consequence before action at all stages of the project lifecycle. The platform goes beyond the conventional and mechanical daily checklist, or the agreed set of safety procedures, by instilling a mindset of individual accountability, cross-functional integrity, performance optimisation and applied human intelligence. All trialists to have used the platform so far agreed that digital performance support can help the wind industry to further reduce levelised costs in both construction and operation. Khalida Suleymanova, Director of ARMSA Academy, said: “It’s exciting to be launching a new approach to skills development that fits, hand-in-glove, with the challenges the global wind industry itself acknowledges.” “It’s my own view that workflow learning represents the future of skills development in most industries and especially those chasing ever-leaner projects, as with wind power.” “But the theory is only as good as the tools that enable it. Our digital performance support platform is based on extensive research, as well as over a decade of direct experience promoting a philosophy of informed decision-making in the global wind industry. We’re confident it will help wind professionals to embrace active problem solving, making classroom learning a thing of the past.” You can download The Great Leap Forward industry insight report here: https://armsa.academy/thegreatleapforward/
More than 30 renewable energy, heating and insulation companies have won places on a new £800 million energy efficiency framework for the public sector. The Energy Efficiency Measures and Associated Works (N8) framework from public sector procurement experts LHC allows local authorities, social landlords and other public bodies to source specialist suppliers who can install a variety of carbon-cutting improvement measures for domestic and public buildings and can carry out any associated repairs and retrofit work. The framework is worth up to £500 million in England, £200 million in Scotland and £100 million in Wales. The regional lots cover the procurement of 21 individual energy efficiency measures across the UK as well as providing a multi-disciplinary offer. Mij Rahman, director of procurement at LHC, said: “This framework provides contracting authorities with an easier route to procure a variety of new and emerging energy efficiency technologies along with low carbon retrofit services. Implementing these efficiency measures is essential to help reduce fuel bills, improve asset value and performance, as well as delivering on our obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the UK’s ambitious environmental targets. “There is huge interest and demand in the public sector for this work, but many councils and social housing providers need guidance and support with such technically-led procurement demands. To implement their decarbonisation plans, public authorities can take advantage of professional support, through technical and practical guidance available through the N8 framework contractors, and could also seek consultancy support from LHC’s Energy Efficiency Consultancy framework (N8C). “LHC is also here to provide its experience, through local procurement expertise and energy efficiency knowledge, which can certainly help to get best value for money locally.” The N8 framework covers a range of energy efficiency measures including: external, internal and cavity wall insulation; biomass heating systems; solar PV with battery storage; air to water heat pumps; electric vehicle charging infrastructure; solar thermal systems; building energy management systems; ground source heat pumps; commercial boilers; and electric heaters. The full list of appointed companies in alphabetical order is: A C Whyte (Scotland) Aaron Services Absolute Solar & Wind AD Construction Group (Architectural Decorators Ltd) AES Alisa Building Amaresco Aran Services Ltd BCA Insulation Limited (Scotland) Breyer Group British Gas Social Housing CCG Scotland (Scotland) Crystal Electronics Custom Solar Ltd E.On (Midlands) Easy Heat Systems Limited Engie Everwarm Gibson Specialist (Wales) Insulated Render Systems (Scotland) Ltd Ivor Cook K&T Heating Kensa Lawtech Low Carbon Exchange Mi-Space MP Group U K Limited SERS Energy Solutions (Scotland) Limited Sure Maintenance Sustainable Building Services (UK) Limited Swarco UK Ltd Synergize Ltd The Casey Group Thermal Earth Ltd (Wales) United Living (South) Zing Energy www.lhc.gov.uk
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the UK, tradespeople are among those who have been advised they are still able to work under the national restrictions that came into effect on 5 November, including working in and around people’s homes. The news is certainly positive for the construction industry and homeowners in England, as it means people can take advantage of the new Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme, which will see the Government fund up to two-thirds of the cost of energy-efficient home improvements. The scheme is a key part of the UK’s green economic recovery following the pandemic. However, only TrustMark Registered Businesses can do work under the Government’s new scheme, meaning tradespeople and businesses who are not registered could be missing out on work. Simon Ayers, Chief Executive of TrustMark, explains, “There are certain steps that must be completed in order to become a Green Homes Grant installer. Firstly, the businesses must hold a PAS 2030 certification and/or MCS certification for low carbon installations, which can be achieved through UKAS accredited certification bodies. “They must also register with TrustMark which in turn, will allow them to register with the Government’s scheme administrator as a Green Homes Grant installer. “There are thousands of UK customers looking for someone to carry out work under the scheme right now, so it’s most certainly worth businesses getting involved.” The levels of work that will be created over the next decade to improve the homes we live in means a sustainable and growth driven market for businesses to operate within, an investment with rewards. To communicate this message, TrustMark has created a number of assets to make it easier for businesses to become Green Homes Grant installers, outlining the steps in more detail at: www.trustmark.org.uk/ghgvsopp And, since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the Government and industry have worked hard to ensure written safety guidelines are in place. To keep everyone safe, TrustMark, has created Work Safe Safe Work: a three-part guide to help customersknow what to do before, while and after they have tradespeople working for them. “We know that many people have reservations about what is expected of them and what they need to do while the work is taking place to ensure it’s safe. That’s why we would recommend tradespeople send out the Work Safe Safe Work guide to their customers at least 48 hours prior to the work being done”, says Simon Ayers. “In providing such clear and simple information, the guide will keep both tradespeople and customers safe, while giving them confidence in this new reality we are finding ourselves in.” For further information, please visit TrustMark’s dedicated Green Homes Grant page for trades: www.trustmark.org.uk/ghgvsopp.
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has reshaped many areas of life as we know it. Necessary measures such as social distancing, quarantine and isolation have altered work and home lives for large swathes of the world population, as part of the measures put in place to try and slow the spread of the virus and protect the most vulnerable members of society. One area which has seen an unprecedented boost is in the use of virtual viewings for those looking at making changes in the property market. With so many restrictions in place in terms of travel and entering other people’s homes, those looking to buy or rent a new property are now turning to virtual tours to view those properties rather than a physical viewing. Zuneth Sattar of Xavier Investments Limited has a long-standing interest in the UK rental property market for investment and is continually adding new residences to his property portfolio. Sattar is one of many thousands of people now resorting to virtual tours to get an idea of what a property is like before committing to making a purchase. Virtual Viability Prior to the pandemic, it is likely that most people would prefer to physically visit and view a property before deciding to buy or rent it. However, things have changed. A recent survey conducted by Purplebricks found that a full third of 2,000 UK adults surveyed would be happy to judge a potential new property based on an online viewing, provided they were able to see the entire inside and outside of the property. One in six would go so far as to put an offer in to purchase a property if the virtual viewing showed them everything they needed. Changing Priorities The pandemic has also changed customer demand in terms of what people are now prioritising when looking to move home. Gardens are now seen not as a luxury, but as an essential, multi-functional space that can allow people to socialise even during times where stricter measures for social distancing have been put in place. Functionality in general is becoming more important, as ongoing temporary closures of businesses and restrictions mean that the home, and especially the garden, can often be the only place where people can safely meet family and friends. Increased Buyer Demand Zoopla statistics show that buyer demand in Wales increased by 41% just 24 hours after the housing market re-opened following lockdown. Across the UK, buyer demand has increased by as much as 46% compared to levels before lockdown, which given the wider economic landscape is a significant jump. Demand has also risen in the rental sector, with tenancy activity higher now than it has been at this point for the past two years. However, supply is down by around 15% across the sale and rental markets combined, which creates a sellers’ market and could see house prices and leases increase if nothing changes. Technology At present, virtual house viewings are only available to a limited section of the market as customers are required to own their own VR headsets to access the service. However, estate agents are already embracing the phenomenon, and some have started to offer loans of headsets to people looking at new build properties. Where complexes are under development with multiple identical homes becoming available, some realtors will allow customers to use headsets they have supplied to virtually view one or more of the properties, as this encourages people further down the buying pathway than a two-dimensional plan ever could.
