A38 opened 12 hours earlier than scheduled Between Friday 22 and Sunday 24 July, Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading Main Contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, erected a new pedestrian bridge over the A38 as part of its Peddimore project, being
First roll-out of ‘smart grid’ technology by a major developer on a gas-free site Latest innovation by St. Modwen to deliver greener, carbon-free homes West Midlands Mayor Andy Street welcomes “innovative green homes of the future” St. Modwen, a leading developer of new communities and high-quality homes, plans to deliver
A new public park in the heart of Sheffield has got off to a flying start before construction work has even been completed. Henry Boot Construction is transforming the former fire station site between Rockingham Street, Wellington Street and Carver Street into a beautiful green urban park, as part of
HS2 has published its annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion report. The report shows how the company delivering Britain’s new railway is continuing to challenge its national supply chain, and the wider rail engineering and construction sectors, to champion inclusivity. Across the supply chain, HS2’s performance continues to beat industry averages
Anyone interested in building design and energy conservation will have come across the Passivhaus standard. This internationally recognised benchmark has for some years been the top grade for sustainable buildings and the principles have been adopted by many UK construction professionals. Neil Foster, director at international M&E consultancy CPW, explores
The first lithium rough terrain LGMG telescopic booms to be delivered into the European market will be supplied by Access Platform Sales to Briggs Equipment Ireland Ltd. Briggs Equipment is taking platforms across the new all-electric telescopic boom lift range to assess their capabilities and performance against current equivalent diesel
Legrand has strengthened its data centre solutions offering with the acquisition of Bedford-based infrastructure specialist USystems. Acquiring USystems’ entire portfolio, which includes the world-leading ColdLogik cooling technology, the deal further strengthens Legrand’s position in providing added-value solutions in the growing data centre market. The acquisition will help Legrand expand its
Eighth project completed and delivered by Salboy in partnership with DOMIS, its dedicated construction partner. Fifty5ive Queen Street completed ahead of the completion date and under budget. Unique scheme, designed in collaboration with Jon Matthews Architects, to combine two industrial sites and deliver a scheme with a GDV of £52
Almost £6 billion has been given out in discounts through the Right to Buy (RTB) scheme since the size of the discount was increased in 2012, new analysis by the Local Government Association reveals. The LGA, which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, warns that the scheme
hub South West Scotland, on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council, has appointed Kier Construction as their construction partner to deliver the new St. Kevin’s Community Hub, which incorporates St. Kevin’s Primary School and community facilities. The modern learning, teaching and community campus will be situated close to its existing location
A38 opened 12 hours earlier than scheduled Between Friday 22 and Sunday 24 July, Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading Main Contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, erected a new pedestrian bridge over the A38 as part of its Peddimore project, being delivered for IM Properties. IM Properties is Birmingham City Council’s development partner for the first phase of Peddimore, which comprises all infrastructure works and the development of 37-hectares of the 71-hectare site. The civils and infrastructure project at Minworth, close to Sutton Coldfield, is to enable a major employment park. The steel tied arch footbridge has a 60-metre span, is 6.5 metres wide and the arch peaks at 20 metres above the highway. It was manufactured off site and then transported to Minworth in three deck sections and three arch sections approximately four weeks ago. It was assembled in an off-line area adjacent to the new 75 metre diameter roundabout that Winvic has also been constructing as part of the scheme. The roundabout and bridge can be seen on the Peddimore Winvic Live feed and a video of the weekend installation can be found on Winvic’s YouTube. On the morning of Friday 22, the Winvic team tandem lifted the 90-tonne structure with two mobile cranes – one 330-tonne and one 220 tonne – on to six Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMT). Traffic management was put in place from 6pm that evening and at 8pm when the road was closed to traffic the installation could begin. The SPMTs were controlled remotely, moving the structure into place on to the concrete abutments and temporary jacks by midnight, and through the night the structure’s bearings were secured and grouted. The temporary compressive struts and hangers were removed in sequence throughout the day on Saturday. Between 4pm and 4am on Sunday 24 July, 18 permanent, stainless-steel finish Total Macalloy Struts were individually torqued and tensioned to a predetermined load before being fine-tuned. The footbridge installation programme was planned meticulously by Winvic, not least because further works to the bridge could be undertaken until 10 August, due to a three-week embargo on road closures for the Commonwealth Games, being held in Birmingham. With completion of the Peddimore infrastructure project scheduled for summer, any postponement with the bridge would delay handover. The timescales also meant that no lead-time could be lost, but the UK’s record-temperatures also presented challenging conditions for operatives. Therefore, the site team made the decision to begin work at 5am each day so activities could still be carried to programme out before temperatures increased in the afternoons. The Winvic team completed the works ahead of schedule and the road was re-opened 12 hours earlier than expected, at 5.30pm on Sunday 24 July. This week, Winvic will begin the construction a permanent footpath, east of the bridge, to the Peddimore site as well as a temporary footpath on the west side of the bridge, which will meet with Walmley Ash Lane. The bridge and pathways will give residents pedestrian access over the A38 into Minworth and forms part of the green travel planning for the scheme. The other focus areas during the final five weeks of the scheme are installing access steps, handrailing, cabling and lighting, undertaking a secondary reinforced concrete cast to the bridge abutments, backfilling the abutments and approach ramps and completing the drainage and ducting connections. Rob Cook, Winvic’s Director of Civils and Infrastructure, commented: “Our scenario planning, programme management, health and safety preparations and liaison with Birmingham City Council have led to a very successful weekend at IM Properties Peddimore project. Every step of the footbridge installation – from lifting it on to the SPMTs to putting it in place over the highway to fitting the struts – went to plan; in fact, so well, we were able to open the A38 twelve hours earlier than scheduled. It was a true team effort and numerous specialist subcontractors proved themselves to be leaders in their fields. “There was no room in error with the timings, or our upcoming agreed handover date to IM Properties could not be met due to the embargo on road closures during the Commonwealth Games. The soaring temperatures certainly didn’t help in the run-up and I’d like to give special thanks to the whole Peddimore team who went above and beyond, starting work extra early so tasks could be completed before temperatures increased in the afternoon. With the bridge in place, we’re on track for handover towards the end of summer.” Andy Reynolds, Project Director for IM Properties added: “Winvic Construction Ltd, is a trusted partner in our supply chain and having worked with them across a number of our schemes, they have continually demonstrated their commitment to meeting deadlines and ensuring a partnership approach is taken when liaising with key stakeholders and the local community to work considerately and minimise disruption. “The success of the bridge works is testament to the professionalism and determination of the whole team to plan and execute a complex and time critical operation of this nature. Working in difficult conditions, they really excelled themselves and they have once again underlined why we selected them to deliver one of the UK’s largest manufacturing and logistics schemes.” Winvic praised a number of specialist subcontractors that worked as one team with Winvic to successfully deliver the bridge works, including Carver Engineering Services, Mammoet, USL Ekspan and Rubix. For more information on Winvic, the company’s latest project news and job vacancies please visit www.winvic.co.uk. Join Winvic on social media – visit Twitter @WinvicLtd – and LinkedIn.
First roll-out of ‘smart grid’ technology by a major developer on a gas-free site Latest innovation by St. Modwen to deliver greener, carbon-free homes West Midlands Mayor Andy Street welcomes “innovative green homes of the future” St. Modwen, a leading developer of new communities and high-quality homes, plans to deliver up to 350 new all-electric homes on the historic MG Rover site that was once home to the MINI in Birmingham. Powered by a dedicated ‘smart grid’, electricity will be supplied and tracked across a network of homes to ensure this first phase of homes will be 100% gas-free. The innovation is believed to be the first to be used by a major developer as St. Modwen continues to pioneer sustainable new ways to build and power homes. The smart grid design is being developed alongside SNRG, specialists in next generation energy infrastructure. This latest move follows the launch earlier in 2022 of St. Modwen’s first carbon-negative homes, a landmark trial that makes homes so airtight that they can return power to the UK grid. By using the latest construction techniques and embracing new renewable technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps, the carbon-negative homes are designed to produce more energy than they consume and could reduce a family’s total energy bills by 76%1 when compared with a standard new-build house. Aspects of this trial will be deployed in the new electric homes and in turn across all new developments by St. Modwen as carbon-reducing technology becomes standard. Sarwjit Sambhi, CEO of St. Modwen, said: “Every organisation needs to be taking steps to deliver more sustainable products and services, but at St. Modwen we have taken leaps by introducing carbon-negative homes and smart-grid powered developments. We’re proving that greener homes can be delivered at commercial scale, something which is not just the right thing for the environment but also allows us to meet the demand of our customers.” Caroline Hill, Managing Director, Europe, Head of Real Estate ESG at Blackstone, added: “This initiative demonstrates the role innovation can play in creating the greener, more sustainable homes we need for the future. Supporting our portfolio companies to be innovative is at the heart of what we do, and we hope it will lead to similar pioneering practices being adopted at scale and across different sectors.” Outline planning was secured for the Longbridge site in 2021 for a total of 350 new homes. Detailed planning for the first phase is currently with the local authority, meaning new homes are expected to be built by St. Modwen Homes from the Autumn 2022. Wider development delivering 1000s of homes and jobs The vast site in South Birmingham is boosting the local economy, with 7,500 new jobs expected over the coming years in Longbridge. Adjacent to the new electric homes, work has started to create a large veterinary hospital, creating over 100 new full-time jobs. Further new employers are anticipated to move to the area, including a global science business, as it becomes more established as a leading hub for science and technology, medicine, advanced manufacturing and R&D. The site has been made possible following £20 million of infrastructure investment in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Longbridge has been extensively regenerated with homes, retail, education and green spaces delivered to date. On completion of the regeneration, St. Modwen plans to create a total of 3,000 new homes, 2 million sq ft of commercial floorspace and up to 10,000 jobs at Longbridge. Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands Combined Authority, added: “I congratulate St. Modwen on building the innovative green homes of the future right here in our region. These new homes will be wonderful places to live, boost energy efficiency and affordability and help us to tackle the climate emergency. Longbridge is a brilliant example that points the way to a more sustainable future for the West Midlands – fast becoming a fantastic hub from which to live, work and play as well as creating high quality job opportunities for our local residents along the way. I’m pleased the West Midlands Combined Authority has been able to play its part – investing over £6m at Longbridge. I wish the scheme continued success.”
A new public park in the heart of Sheffield has got off to a flying start before construction work has even been completed. Henry Boot Construction is transforming the former fire station site between Rockingham Street, Wellington Street and Carver Street into a beautiful green urban park, as part of the £470m Heart of the City development programme. Monitors from the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), who inspect construction sites to check employee wellbeing, environmental impacts and respect for the community, gave Henry Boot Construction’s site at Pound’s Park full marks in the three main categories. Inspectors praised waste recycling at the site, with the use of recycled materials in the design as best practice. They also praised the health-related support, including mental health care, available to site workers. Henry Boot Construction’s commitment to education was also spotlighted. The three local projects (Pound’s Park, Elshaw House & Cambridge Street Collective and Kangaroo Works) share a common community engagement plan which is updated with achievements monthly; between the three sites there are over 25 apprentices and nine site-based placements students gaining valuable on-site work experience. Named after Sheffield’s first Chief Fire Officer, Superintendent John Charles Pound, the new park is set to be completed in early 2023. The landmark green space will feature event space, imaginative play spaces, climbing features and areas for relaxing. Richard Grafton, Head of Policy & Compliance, at Henry Boot Construction said: “This is the highest score that we’ve achieved under the new CCS criteria and scoring system and is testament to all the hard work that goes on to engage communities, support our employees and make our sites safe. Well done to Rob Bell and Jonathan Scaife on site for guiding the project to this brilliant score. “One of our other sites in the Heart of the City development, which neighbours Pound’s Park, has already been registered as an Ultra Site – meaning it is recognised by CCS as a beacon of best practice. Our Cocoa Works site in York also has Ultra Site status and these are the only two sites in the whole of Yorkshire to be registered to this standard. “Henry Boot is committed to achieving the highest possible standards and raising the bar across the industry and it’s brilliant that we’re able to do this at the same time as creating a relaxing and inviting urban space.”
HS2 has published its annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion report. The report shows how the company delivering Britain’s new railway is continuing to challenge its national supply chain, and the wider rail engineering and construction sectors, to champion inclusivity. Across the supply chain, HS2’s performance continues to beat industry averages for the number of female and BAME employees working on the project, with the supply chain achieving 28% and 18% respectively. With all three phases of the project now live, and HS2’s journey north beginning, challenge and opportunity come in equal measure. HS2 Ltd has set itself high standards, leading the way in the performance it expects from the 2,500 UK-based businesses engaged in its supply chain. Whilst just shy of the internal targets it set itself, HS2 Ltd’s own performance saw its female workforce reach 37% [40%], whilst the number of BAME employees peaked at 22%* [23%]. Natalie Penrose, Head of Legacy at HS2 said: “HS2’s construction is gathering pace by the day, and we now have a 25,000-strong workforce spread across more than 350 sites. HS2’s scale brings the reality of our challenge to life, given the white male dominance that has gripped the rail and civil engineering sectors for many years. “But every challenge brings opportunity, and I’m proud of the huge waves we are making to address national skills shortages, the threat of an ageing workforce in engineering and in attracting more women and BAME candidates into employment on the project.” At the heart of HS2’s drive for change is the growing network of employees who challenge the organisation to achieve excellence. With a collective membership of over 1,650 across eight bespoke networking groups, staff are empowered to share their experiences and expertise on a range of initiatives from gender balance, the inclusion of ethnic minority staff, challenging homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and promoting disability awareness. Engaging employees in the strategy, policy and decision making processes had driven positive change and key achievements during 2021/2022. On International Disabled People’s Day in December, HS2 launched its accessibility policy and digital accessibility hub, which seek to address the changing needs of disabled employees in the workplace and ensure that staff recognise the adjustments they can make to support their colleagues and the wider workforce. Learning from others remains a key focus for HS2 in the years ahead and we are proud of the partnerships we are forming with schools, specialist employment support services and charitable groups along the line of route to help us achieve best practice. Our work with SEND schools and specialist schools for the deaf helps us to understand the design changes we can implement to make our stations and trains accessible for all, as we strive to ensure that we build a railway that reflects the diverse needs of the communities it will serve. For more information about HS2’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, read the full report here.
Anyone interested in building design and energy conservation will have come across the Passivhaus standard. This internationally recognised benchmark has for some years been the top grade for sustainable buildings and the principles have been adopted by many UK construction professionals. Neil Foster, director at international M&E consultancy CPW, explores why projects aiming for full certification are surprisingly rare – meaning its transformative potential for futureproofing the country’s building stock has yet to be realised. After some delay and much consultation, the updated building regulations on conservation of fuel and power (Part L) have come into force, with stipulations for improved energy performance that some consider to be unambitious. Although certain aspects of the Part L regulations are now closer to the Passivhaus standard – such as those around fabric insulation levels – should legislation be going further, faster? It takes very little time to see the benefits of Passivhaus. When a simple change to triple glazing reduces heat loss by 40%, why would anyone ignore the opportunity to reduce energy consumption through passive means and avoid the need to generate energy, however sustainably, in the first place. When this approach is rigorously applied to every aspect of the building design, it is possible to reduce heating demand to near zero – even in a cold climate. Furthermore, the benefits remain despite changing views on the best energy production methods, shifting landscapes on energy security and fuel price escalation. The initial cost of Passivhaus compliance can be unpalatable and may fall victim to value engineering – a popular term among clients and contractors. Ultimately, this comes down to what is considered to be valuable. In my opinion, true value engineering should go beyond simple cost cutting and also include measuring the sustainability benefit in the long term. Homeowners would surely value a house that costs extremely little to heat all year round – an entirely possible scenario if the Passivhaus standard is achieved. The iterative nature of the value engineering process itself may play a part, gradually eroding the original design aspiration. Once one sustainability goal is discarded, others become vulnerable. Passivhaus is an established, unambiguous standard that is not easily diluted – ideally suited to being used as the required standard for new construction. It may be that this is not just a target, but a necessity in the future. The clock is ticking As the name implies, the Passivhaus standard stems from research on domestic houses. However, the passive approach to heating internal spaces is universally applicable. It remains to be seen whether key decision makers are willing to see it used on as many buildings as possible. Progress is being made. Legislation in the form of Part L of the Building Regulations, governing the conservation of fuel and power, continues to set more stringent standards with each new update. However, progress is slower than many hoped and comes at a cost to the environment. It’s important that we also remain realistic and not look to the future through rose tinted glasses. In many cases, the impact of political rumblings and consequential high prices mean that meeting a design brief is simply not possible for clients without breaking the bank. Therefore, having this conversation during a time of vastly increased construction costs is difficult, but the clock is ticking. What to expect next The Building Regulations will continue to improve the standards for buildings, with the goal of introducing a zero carbon ‘Future Home Standard’ and ‘Future Building Standard’ in 2025. It is likely that there will be a greater emphasis on refurbishment projects. This can be significantly cheaper, and the embodied carbon associated with materials and construction is much reduced. However, the suitability of repurposed buildings as safe and healthy environments will be increasingly scrutinised, especially in the wake of the recent pandemic. EnerPhit, the Passivhaus accreditation tailored to renovation projects, details a lower threshold of energy efficiency in recognition of the limitations imposed by the existing fabric. Nevertheless, whilst it is typically three to four per cent more expensive to make a new build meet Passivhaus standards, meeting the EnerPHit criteria can mean a cost increase closer to 20 to 25%. We are also seeing rising demand for support on decarbonisation projects, often across several sites operated by the client. There are, of course, lots of stakeholders to consider during this debate, so it’s inevitable that there will be some acting with more urgency than others. Shaping our future The need for decarbonisation is nothing new and many consultants offer good advice. Recent changes to legislative standards will initially increase demand for MEP support but these will quickly become the norm. Our ethos is to consider the long-term view and work towards the greater good, maintaining momentum in the right direction and supporting a consistently higher standard. We always advise and aim for certified projects in hope of influencing a high-quality construction build which demonstrates very little difference between design simulation and in use energy consumption. Training all our engineers in Passivhaus principles has helped them understand building physics and means they are becoming more sustainability-focussed MEP designers. A Passivhaus certified building results in ultra-low demand for heating and lighting and is an essential step towards true zero carbon buildings. It allows efficient use of low temperature heating systems such as heat pumps, which in turn removes dependence on gas. Zero carbon also means using electricity that is not generated using gas or other fossil fuels. The next innovation will be to use smart technologies to manage the usage and minimise the local PV generation needed to achieve the ultimate goal of zero carbon emissions, low running cost and a comfortable environment for the end user. For more information about CPW, visit www.cpwp.com
The first lithium rough terrain LGMG telescopic booms to be delivered into the European market will be supplied by Access Platform Sales to Briggs Equipment Ireland Ltd. Briggs Equipment is taking platforms across the new all-electric telescopic boom lift range to assess their capabilities and performance against current equivalent diesel machines, with the strong expectation of placing further orders. APS, the UK and Ireland distributor for LGMG, is due to deliver the platforms, launched in July 2022, in the autumn. Briggs Equipment is an engineering and equipment provider with operations in Ireland and the UK. Its powered access rental operation has a combined fleet of more than 2,500 platforms. Martin Masterson, Short Term Hire Manager at the company, said: “At Briggs Equipment, we’re committed to transitioning to more sustainable options in powered access. “Our experience is that our customers want to join us on this journey, and we want to work with partners that are better positioned help us make it a success. “LGMG is the only supplier that can provide us with lithium RT booms we require for our fleet. Thanks our existing relationship with APS, the collaborative support it provides, and the success we’ve had with the LGMG platforms we already operate, we’ve decided to make this further investment in their lithium product range.” Briggs Equipment has selected three out of four of the new lithium telescopic boom models, with eight platforms ordered in the first tranche. They are the: LGMG T20JE – working height 21.8m, outreach 16.6m; LGMG T22JE – working height 23.8m, outreach 17m; LGMG T28JE – working height 29.8m, outreach 22.5m. The fourth platform in the range is the LGMG T26JE, with a working height of 27.9m and an outreach of 22.3m. Briggs Equipment has also placed orders for LGMG A14JE electric articulating boom lifts, which have a working height of 15.8m and an outreach of 7.81m. APS Northern Sales Director Shane Paver said: “We’re excited to supply the first of these platforms in Europe to Briggs Equipment. They represent the future or powered access for LGMG and for our industry. “Clearly, forward-thinking rental companies like Briggs Equipment, and their customers, are eager to embrace new technology, and current conditions in terms of high fuel costs, are reinforcing that thinking. “Being strongly placed to support innovative and sustainable choices in the access rental market is central to LGMG’s business strategy, which is why APS can fulfil these orders in a timely way.” A key reason Briggs Equipment has selected the LGMG boom lifts is the way they fill important niches in working height levels that complement standard industry working heights, creating more flexible rental options. However, it is the switch from thermal engine to electric power that is the key consideration, said Martin Masterson. “Being able to offer lithium powered rough terrain boom lifts allows our customers to streamline their onsite fleets and increase utilisation rates by using the same platforms for internal and external work,” he added. “We’ll be able to give our customers more innovative choices as they implement their own strategies to become more sustainable, low carbon businesses, at a time when ever stricter environmental regulations are becoming the norm. “Also, with increasing diesel fuel prices, the rental costs of diesel and electric platforms for our customers are beginning to equalise, which is bringing down barriers to moving to using electric MEWPs.” The new LGMG boom lifts are powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that allows the platforms to operate for two to three days at typical usage rates between charges. Each has a variety of standard charging modes that allows regular and fast charging. All models are dual capacity – 300kg unrestricted and 450kg with restricted outreach – with 3600 platform slewing. The boom lifts have 2.4m wide, triple entry baskets, four-wheel drive, four-wheel steer, with one touch wheel alignment, and oscillating axles. Platform weights range from 12 tonnes for the LGMG T20JE to 18.7 tonnes for the LGMG T28JE. www.accessplatforms.co.uk
Legrand has strengthened its data centre solutions offering with the acquisition of Bedford-based infrastructure specialist USystems. Acquiring USystems’ entire portfolio, which includes the world-leading ColdLogik cooling technology, the deal further strengthens Legrand’s position in providing added-value solutions in the growing data centre market. The acquisition will help Legrand expand its presence in the UK data centre market, while also helping to grow USystems’ international business. USystems’ portfolio of cooling solutions and racks help data centres reduce their overall energy bills, subsequently bringing down their carbon footprint. USystems’ efficient technologies allow customers to reach the IT densities required, combined with unprecedented levels of sustainable cooling efficiency. The range of retrofit and new build ColdLogik Rear Door Coolers, for example, provides an efficient and sustainable cooling range from 0.1 to 200kW plus per rack. This is particularly impactful in the growing micro data centre (MDC) market, where USystems has developed its ColdLogik technology to occupy less than one square metre of floor space to fit most edge applications. Pascal Stutz, CEO, Legrand UK & Ireland, said: “The acquisition of USystems enables us to strengthen our position in the fastest growing segments of the data centre sector – HPC (high performance computing) and MDCs; complements our existing offering in the data centre white space market in both the UK and globally; and provides Legrand with additional expertise and capabilities in specialist cooling and energy efficiency technologies. All of which allows us to better serve customers’ needs through value-add, problem solving and an increasingly solutions-based approach to the markets we serve.” Scott Bailey, MD, USystems Ltd, said: “USystems’ ColdLogik technology is in a prime position to support the data centre industry’s move towards a more sustainable, energy efficient future, as well as to meet HPC’s higher cooling requirements easily. Our EDGE range of micro data centres complements Legrand’s existing portfolio and fits with their philosophy of developing a more integrated, solutions-based approach to helping their customers, as opposed to simple product-based deployments. We are excited to join the Legrand Group and to expand the USystems portfolio internationally.” For more information, visit www.legrand.com.
Eighth project completed and delivered by Salboy in partnership with DOMIS, its dedicated construction partner. Fifty5ive Queen Street completed ahead of the completion date and under budget. Unique scheme, designed in collaboration with Jon Matthews Architects, to combine two industrial sites and deliver a scheme with a GDV of £52 million Salboy, the national developer, has announced the completion of Fifty5ive Queen Street, a 220-unit residential scheme in the popular Greengate neighbourhood of Salford, Greater Manchester with a GDV of £52 million. Fifty5ive is now the eighth development to have been completed by Salboy in partnership with DOMIS, its dedicated construction partner. Fifty5ive is a scheme developed across two adjoining sites that in isolation were not considered viable for redevelopment: the old Copperworks on King Street and a second site on Queen Street, both of which were surrounded by historic and often listed buildings. Working with Jon Matthews Architect, Salboy and DOMIS were able to bring forward an ambitious scheme that combined the two sites to allow for a more efficient floorplate, larger amenity space and more natural light. The residential development comprises 220 stylish 1 & 2 bed apartments and 3-bed duplexes. The complex includes a cinema, a fully furnished gym, yoga studio, co-working spaces and a break-out lounge and is specially targeted at young professionals building their lives and careers in the twin cities of Manchester and Salford. The Fifty5ive development is located in the Greengate area of Salford, only 10 minutes’ walk from Manchester’s bustling shopping district and popular Northern Quarter. The scheme also stands next to the historic Black Friars pub which was restored and reopened last year, as well as Local Blackfriars, also designed by Jon Matthews Architect, a luxury city-living development of 380 apartments, townhouses and penthouses completed by Salboy in 2019 at a GDV of £85 million. Greengate has experienced major regeneration in recent years and has become hugely popular among buyers. Committed to creating a vibrant and welcoming community, Salboy has marketed this development to a blend of owner-occupiers and investors letting their properties to long-term renters. At the point of practical completion, 98% of the scheme’s homes had been reserved by buyers. Fifty5ive is the eighth scheme completed and delivered by Salboy in partnership with DOMIS. Seven of the partners’ joint schemes have been located in Manchester, Salford and Cheshire. The partners are currently on site on further six developments spanning Manchester, Salford, Cornwall and Central London. Salboy projects completed and underway with DOMIS have an estimated combined GDV of £1 billion. Simon Ismail – Co-founder and MD Salboy: “Once again, the Salboy and DOMIS partnership has delivered: Fifty5ive was completed under budget and on time and is almost entirely sold out in advance. It’s hugely rewarding to deliver another scheme in this important part of Salford that’s home to a lot of the city’s history and rightly deserves to be regenerated and enjoyed by people who work and make their homes there for years to come.” Kingsley Thornton – Director of DOMIS Construction: “We’re proud of the collaborative work with our business partners at Salboy and Jon Matthews to find a solution that delivers a viable and exciting new development next to our flagship scheme Local Blackfriars. On top of that, we delivered ahead of schedule and under budget – something that was only made possible by the hard work of our teams and partners on-site.”
Almost £6 billion has been given out in discounts through the Right to Buy (RTB) scheme since the size of the discount was increased in 2012, new analysis by the Local Government Association reveals. The LGA, which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, warns that the scheme is becoming unsustainable, with councils struggling to rebuild homes as quickly as they are being sold. The size of the discounts available were increased in April 2012, and as a result the average discount has increased by 150 per cent to more than £67,000 in 2020/21. At the same time, this has led to a quadrupling in the number of Right to Buy Sales. Councils are also not able to keep all of the money from RTB sales. This means that they have only been able to replace around a third of homes sold since 2012, impacting on their ability to provide housing for homeless and vulnerable families. While Right to Buy has helped many families get on the housing ladder, the LGA said the scheme faces an uncertain future unless councils are given the flexibility to set discounts locally and retain 100 per cent of sales receipts to fund the replacement of homes sold off under the scheme. Councils also need to be able to combine RTB receipts with government grant funding, such as the Affordable Homes Programme, and transfer funding from sales to ALMOs or housing companies to give them greater flexibility over how new council housing is delivered. Cllr David Renard, housing spokesperson for the LGA, said: “Councils want to urgently address the number of people on waiting lists for a council home and stuck in temporary accommodation. At a time of an escalating cost of living crisis, we urgently need to build more council homes, not have less. “It is becoming impossible for councils to replace homes as quickly as they’re being sold and they are increasingly having to do so with far less money than the property sells for because of discounts being offered. “Every home sold that isn’t replaced risks pushing more families into the private rented sector, driving up housing benefit spending and rents and exacerbating our homelessness crisis. “Right to Buy continues to enable many families to achieve their dream of getting on the housing ladder and owning their own home. However, without reform of the scheme, future generations will not enjoy the same opportunity.”
hub South West Scotland, on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council, has appointed Kier Construction as their construction partner to deliver the new St. Kevin’s Community Hub, which incorporates St. Kevin’s Primary School and community facilities. The modern learning, teaching and community campus will be situated close to its existing location in Bargeddie. Incorporating a decoupled St. Kevin’s Primary School, the introduction of an additional new hub will allow for a more spacious community facility to successfully meet the needs of North Lanarkshire’s growing population, by increasing its capacity to 242 pupils when complete. Expertly designed by architecture firm Stallan-Brand, the St. Kevin’s campus will offer a modernised hub incorporating generous classrooms and outdoor learning facilities alongside a large gym hall and impressive multi-use games area. Helping to bring a fresh outlook, pupils are involved in the design process and will take part in workshops to offer their creative visions as inspiration for the new campus. The local community will benefit throughout the build of St. Kevin’s community hub, as local contractors and SMEs will be supported, and eight new construction roles will be created, including two modern apprenticeships. There will also be approximately 30 work placements and over 100 training opportunities provided. Kier Construction is due to begin works on the site in summer 2023, with an expected completion date of mid-2024. Speaking of the wider community benefits that will be provided through the new St. Kevin’s Community Hub, Kirsten Larsen, Convener of Education at North Lanarkshire Council commented: “The St. Kevin’s community hub is going to be a fantastic new school and community facility which will deliver a superb teaching and learning establishment for pupils and staff alike. “Importantly, this new hub will deliver many facilities for the wider community to enjoy and we look forward to seeing our vibrant vision come to life over the next couple of years.” Phil McDowell, Regional Director of Kier Construction North & Scotland, said: “We are thrilled to be appointed as preferred bidder for stage 1 of St. Kevin’s Community Hub, particularly as this lies within our local area, near to Kier’s main Scotland office. This new hub will be transformational for North Lanarkshire, providing a dynamic and sustainable space for pupils, teachers and the community to hugely benefit from. “Kier has a long-standing relationship with hub South West Scotland and the transparency and support that we receive from them is instrumental in ensuring that we take the needs and demands of the local community into full consideration throughout the development journey. We look forward to working with them again to bring tangible benefits to the local area.” Chief Executive of hub South West Scotland, Michael Ross, said: “To date we have successfully delivered over £116 million of educational projects for North Lanarkshire Council. As delivery partner we are helping drive North Lanarkshire’s school estate strategy and we have a further three live projects on site worth over £58 million. As an industry collective we are focused on working together to create first class built environments which bring positive impacts for the wider community and support the local economy through a wide range of initiatives. “Having already delivered a large number of projects with Kier, it is great to be working with them again on this project. Not only do they deliver work which is of a very high standard, they share our commitment to growing and enhancing local communities around South West Scotland.”
