A new and exciting opportunity awaits specialists in the field of fire safety as they are encouraged to participate in a groundbreaking framework aimed at supplying fire safety measures for the public sector. The Fire Safety (FS2) Framework, established by the LHC Procurement Group, is now open for applications from
A new research-led report has revealed where public funding is urgently needed to kick-start town centre regeneration and support the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda by stimulating investment in the most neglected areas of the country. National law firm Shakespeare Martineau and planning and design consultancy Marrons have analysed data from
Net Zero Panels – launching as part of the Premier Modular Group – is driven to minimise construction’s embodied carbon through panelised solutions. Joining the Premier Group alongside Net Zero Buildings (NZB) – which focuses on delivering buildings that are net zero in operation – Net Zero Panels enables a
SJ Roberts Construction has handed over the first 50 of 80 luxury holiday lodges to Bluestone National Park Resort marking the early completion of the first phase of the resort’s £24m investment programme. The remaining lodges, all being delivered by SJ Roberts, are due for completion by October of this
Leading UK and Ireland offsite manufacturer McAvoy has been awarded a £37.5m project by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver the new Orsett Heath Academy, part of the South West Essex Community Education Trust (SWECET) in Thurrock, Essex. Commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education, McAvoy has embarked
National Pile Croppers has always been proud of the continuous R&D that goes in to making its hydraulic pile croppers more efficient, safer, customer focused and productive. The latest development of this non-stop development programme is the new version of the company’s Quad XXL cropper which is proving to be
Balfour Beatty Investments (BBI), part of leading international infrastructure group, Balfour Beatty, has unveiled proposals for a flagship student living scheme at 8 Torwood Close, in Westwood Heath, Coventry. The plans, which are now subject to a consultation, will provide approximately 780 student bedrooms across two buildings as well as
West Fraser has been recognised for the excellent relationship with the builders’ merchant community it serves. The Builders’ Merchant Federation has joined forces with Builders’ Merchants’ News to compile a list of the Top 100 Supplier Influencers in the merchant sector, based on involvement, presence and commitment to the industry.
Top 10 homebuilder Keepmoat has announced it has become the latest strategic partner of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), with a commitment to build 4,000 additional new homes in the West Midlands. Keepmoat has also committed to aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions when building on brownfield sites
A new and exciting opportunity awaits specialists in the field of fire safety as they are encouraged to participate in a groundbreaking framework aimed at supplying fire safety measures for the public sector. The Fire Safety (FS2) Framework, established by the LHC Procurement Group, is now open for applications from prospective suppliers nationwide until mid-August. With a substantial allocation of funds, this framework holds significant value, with £105m allocated for England, £20m for Scotland, and £15m for Wales. Each regional area will have six available spaces per lot, ensuring ample opportunities for successful applicants. The FS2 framework encompasses a broad range of services, including the provision of new or replacement passive and active fire protection measures for both domestic and non-domestic buildings. Additionally, it covers fire suppression, consultancy services, waking watch services, and cladding remediation. Compliance with all current legislation, such as the Building Safety Act 2022, Fire Safety Act 2021, and Fire Safety (England) regulations 2022, is a crucial aspect of the framework. Dean Fazackerley, Head of Technical Procurement at LHC, expressed the importance of fire safety in light of recent events, particularly the Grenfell Tower tragedy. He emphasized that local authorities and social housing providers are now prioritising the preparedness of buildings in the event of a fire. In response to these urgent concerns, FS2 represents a significant advancement from its predecessor, FS1, by expanding the range of fire safety measures available. The framework has been meticulously developed in collaboration with expert consultants, ensuring comprehensive coverage of current legislation. By aligning with regulations and industry best practices, it offers clients peace of mind. Fazackerley further highlighted the value and expertise that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) bring to the field. By tapping into their knowledge and capabilities, the FS2 framework aims to provide a wide array of national and local organisations capable of undertaking specialised projects. This approach will undoubtedly offer distinct value and tailored solutions to meet the diverse needs of clients. If you are a fire safety expert seeking to be part of this groundbreaking framework and make a significant impact in the field, we invite you to find out more about FS2 and apply by clicking here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A new research-led report has revealed where public funding is urgently needed to kick-start town centre regeneration and support the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda by stimulating investment in the most neglected areas of the country. National law firm Shakespeare Martineau and planning and design consultancy Marrons have analysed data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Government’s Geospatial Data Commission in order to pinpoint towns where public funding is most needed, and those that are primed for private sector investment. As part of the group’s More Than Stores report, which proposes policy solutions to arrest the decline of town centres across the UK, the Regeneration Index ranks 360 of the UK’s largest market towns* in England and Wales based on housing affordability, job creation potential, population growth and accessibility. The research confirms that there is a clear North/South divide, with towns in the South East of England more resilient and successful in attracting public and private sector investment than those in the North. Their relative success is largely due to a more diversified townscape, supported by stable population growth and local job creation. Regeneration Index – the ‘bottom 50’ Only two towns in the South East are ranked among the ‘bottom 50’ (of the Regeneration Index), which means that they urgently need Government support or other public sector investment to kick-start regeneration activity. By contrast, 37 towns in the ‘bottom 50’ are located in in the North of England – including Derby, Spennymoor (Durham), Barnsley (Yorkshire), Selby (Yorkshire), South Shields (Tyne & Wear) and Grimsby. The remaining 21 are located across the rest of England and Wales. While the ‘bottom 50’ towns have been ranked ‘worst’ in terms of their regeneration readiness, it is hoped that identifying their plight will help to inform future public funding decisions at a local and national level. Regeneration Index – the’ top 50’ Just six towns in the North of England – which is defined as the Midlands and beyond – and four in Wales, are in the ‘top 50’ (of the Regeneration Index), which means they are considered to be among those best placed to grow organically, without requiring urgent Government-backed intervention. The remainder are located primarily in the South of England. The ‘top 50’ towns have been ranked best in terms of their regeneration readiness, which means they are best placed to secure inward investment and grow organically, without the need for urgent Government intervention. The rankings have been published as the Government faces continued criticism over the allocation methodology behind its £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund, with critics claiming its broad reach is not targeted enough to help areas most in need of regeneration. The application process is also said to be onerous and bureaucratic, costing local authorities significant time and money when applying for funds. Analysis from the Labour Party has revealed that London will receive a higher allocation of funding (from the Levelling Up Fund) than Yorkshire and the North East, the latter of which will receive almost half of the amount given to local authorities in the South East. Further research by the Institute for Public Policy Research has found that investment in deprived areas of the North of England is amongst the lowest of the world’s most advanced economies. ‘Bottom 50’ Ranked: towns where public investment is most required, according to the analysis Town Region Derby Midlands Caerphilly Wales Spennymoor North East Barnsley Yorkshire Bridgend Wales Selby Yorkshire South Shields North East Grimsby Midlands Halifax Yorkshire Workington North West ‘Top 50’ Ranked: towns best placed to grow organically, without requiring urgent Government-backed intervention, according to the analysis Town Region Wakefield Yorkshire Tewkesbury South West Cheshunt East of England Paignton South West Chard SouthWest Baldock East of England Boscombe South West Chesham South East Bridgewater South West Aldershot South East Alex Smith, managing director of infrastructure and specialist markets at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “Our Regeneration Index takes a magnifying glass to town-level investment and sets out to explain why some market towns urgently need Government intervention, whereas others are showing that they can support themselves. Previous studies have looked at this problem regionally or have placed a significant emphasis on cities. They have also assumed that funding is limitless. Both of these approaches overlook local disparities that only a granular, town-centre analysis can reveal. “From the 360 market towns we have analysed, we’ve ranked the 50 most in need of public funding to kickstart regeneration. We’ve also ranked the 50 that are most ‘resilient’, where private sector investment is already evident and more likely to be forthcoming in the future, “This isn’t determined geographically, but on a range of demographic and social factors, not least employment density, population growth and housing affordability in sustainable communities close to or within town centres.” In a call to central government and local authorities, the report from Shakespeare Martineau and Marrons puts forward a series of policy recommendations to encourage town-centre regeneration. The NHS, planning, housing, and retail are all key areas of focus. The report recommends the introduction of micro-scale ‘health hubs’ to provide treatment for minor complaints and health conditions on the high street – an activity which could also help to alleviate pressure on NHS services. Other recommendations include the creation of Town Centre Priority Zones and Regeneration Panels within local authorities, and a centralised National Brownfield Map. The latter should be supported by a ‘Prove it or Lose it’ policy, where brownfield land is put up for auction if planning consent is not secured within two years of it being advertised. The report comes after another year of decline for high streets across the UK, where more than 50 shops closed each day in 2022, according to the Centre for Retail Research. The total number of retail closures last year was 17,000, 50% higher than in 2021, and the highest in five years. Closures from independent retailers made up 65% of the total. Brian Mullin, head of Marrons, said: “The evidence suggests that our high streets are
Net Zero Panels – launching as part of the Premier Modular Group – is driven to minimise construction’s embodied carbon through panelised solutions. Joining the Premier Group alongside Net Zero Buildings (NZB) – which focuses on delivering buildings that are net zero in operation – Net Zero Panels enables a holistic approach to sustainability, helping clients to ensure compliance, reduce embodied carbon. Net Zero Panels will support several sectors – particularly education – as it continues to help clients gain traction towards optimal use of offsite components via a ‘kit-of-parts’. What is panelised construction? Panelised construction can be either structural – a whole building comprising of internal and external load-bearing walls, floor cassettes and a number of structural roof options – or a wrap, where external walls and a roof ‘wrap’ around a concrete or steel-framed building. To meet growing demand for panelised solutions, Premier Modular Group, the market leader in offsite construction – for capacity and capability – has launched a new division: Net Zero Panels (NZP). “NZP is designed to strike a balance between compliance and carbon reduction,” explains Dan Allison, director, NZP. “Compliance is at the heart of the approach, and we ensure extensive acoustic and structural fire testing is built into every system – along with carbon assessments – so we’re best placed to advise on the best materials for your project and their embodied carbon impact. “Using a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach, with NZP, buildings can be configured from a pre-defined kit-of-parts – offering the simplicity of structured panels with all the advantages of flat-packed, volumetric building.” Designing for purpose “NZP is an integrator and distributor, which innovated X-Guard panels,” says David Harris, managing director, Premier Modular Group. “X-Guard panels are made of either timber or light-gauge steel structural elements, but we also use other materials in our kit of parts, such as glulam, hot rolled steel, modified gypsum fibreboard and precast concrete. It’s a question of what’s fit for purpose for your individual building, and it can be provided in one package. “The business has taken off so well that it’s worthy of its own division as an integral part of our group. NZP has all the agility of a start-up with all the financial stability, capacity and ESG credentials you’d expect from a long-established company.” The Department for Education and other public procurement frameworks help schools prioritise the use modern methods of construction for new buildings, which is increasing their prevalence. NZP is taking advantage of this and has already delivered the kit of parts for DfE’s first carbon pathfinder scheme at Treetops Free School in Grays in Essex. Treetops Free School – the UK’s first net zero carbon pathfinder The DfE commissioned the 3,293m2 extension to Treetops School as the government’s first zero carbon pathfinder project, which completed in August 2022. Zero carbon pathfinder projects follow a ten-point plan to achieve net zero carbon in operational energy and dramatically reduce embodied energy in their construction. NZP delivered the structural solution for Treetops, which provides full-time education and therapeutic behavioural support for 3-16 year-old pupils with special educational needs (SEN). Treetops’ building solution comprised of a hybrid, structural timber panel system with a highly insulated envelope. The NZP ‘kit-of-parts’ system included floors, external and internal walls, the primary frame for the Hall and the panelised roof solution to the entire building. “This was all made possible by our design, engineering, production, manufacturing and installation capabilities, as well as the transparent ways we collaborate with the school, main contractor and our supply chain,” says Dan Allison. “Treetops shows how green the schools of the future will be because of its net zero considerations, and it can be reconfigured as needs change.” Lawrence Sheriff School in Rugby, Warwickshire – less school more panels A long-established school – Lawrence Sheriff in Rugby, Warwickshire – needed a new facility to expand teaching capacity. It required new science classrooms and a studio, as well as a modern dining room. Completed in December 2021, the 346m2 extension needed to complement and integrate seamlessly with the heritage building and adhere to best practice in net zero construction. In this project, the main contractor built a primary hot-rolled steel frame, and NZP wrapped the structure with its highly insulated timber panel system. NZP provided a structural, closed-panel system with a factory-fitted drylined service zone and clad with cedar and airtight brick facades onsite. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
SJ Roberts Construction has handed over the first 50 of 80 luxury holiday lodges to Bluestone National Park Resort marking the early completion of the first phase of the resort’s £24m investment programme. The remaining lodges, all being delivered by SJ Roberts, are due for completion by October of this year. The platinum lodges are the resort’s most luxurious offering featuring sunrooms, a private entrance and 20% more space than the existing lodges. In keeping with resort’s eco-credentials, they’ve been constructed with the utmost respect to sustainability. SJ Roberts partnered with sister company, Lowfield Timber Frames, which supplied the high-quality sustainable timber frame kits used in the construction of the lodges, each of which is heated via air source heat pumps. Additionally, the paths which connect the lodges have been constructed utilising revolutionary nappy recycling technology – a world first.[i] The contract to deliver the luxury lodges was secured following a series of meetings and a recognition that there were significant synergies between both Bluestone and SJ Roberts. Managing Director of SJ Roberts Construction, Mike Sambrook, comments: “Bluestone and SJ Roberts share many similarities and values. We’re both family-owned businesses with strong commitments to work progressively, with a significant element in this respect being our shared assurance to develop in the most sustainable way possible. “The use of timber frame construction not only allowed us to partner with our sister company Lowfield Timber Frames, but also to deliver these luxury lodges within a condensed timeline, thereby reducing the impact to the rest of the resort and local community. Perhaps most significantly, though, is that timber is not only a renewable and carbon-neutral material, it also has the lowest CO2 impact of all building materials. It continuously absorbs CO2, reducing carbon footprint and environmental impact making it highly sustainable – a key priority for this project.” Over the duration of the contract approximately 100 local construction jobs will have been created, with many more created over the long-term by Bluestone to manage the extended facilities. Speaking of the decision to engage SJ Roberts Construction on this significant investment, Marten Lewis, Director of Sustainability at Bluestone, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything that we do at Bluestone, and it underpins our ‘Free Range Future’ ethos. It was, therefore, vital that we partnered with a contractor that shared these values and which could demonstrate tangible experience in sustainable construction. “The combination of SJ Roberts and Lowfield Timber Frames couldn’t have been a better option for Bluestone’s expansion. Our new platinum lodges not only exude the utmost in luxury, reflecting the quality and exemplary workmanship of the SJ Roberts team, but they do so with market-leading sustainability credentials.” Mike Sambrook concludes: “The UK’s holiday industry has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years which shows no signs of abating. However, with this comes increased consumer demand in where they stay. Bluestone has recognised this in its most recent investment, and we’ve been honoured to deliver such a prestigious project for this hugely respected operator within the sector.” [i] The ‘path project’ at Bluestone National Park Resort used 60,000 recycled disposable nappies that were cleansed before the useable fibres from the plastic were separated and used to reinforce the asphalt, replacing the traditional materials typically used. The project brought together a trio of Welsh suppliers including SJ Roberts, GD Harries (the asphalt suppliers), and NappiCycle which spearheaded the nappy recycling technology. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Leading UK and Ireland offsite manufacturer McAvoy has been awarded a £37.5m project by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver the new Orsett Heath Academy, part of the South West Essex Community Education Trust (SWECET) in Thurrock, Essex. Commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education, McAvoy has embarked on the construction of a new 8,610sqm secondary school. With construction underway, the school will have the capacity for up to 1,200 pupils aged 11-16 in its 3-storey accommodation. The new secondary school will showcase innovative internal design features including a double-height dining area, spaces for students to collaborate and share ideas, and a performing arts hub. Externally, the brief includes extensive hard and soft landscaping, parking areas for cars and bicycles, outside lockers, playing fields and the installation of a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA). Works started on site in May with the school due to be completed in Summer 2024. The project has been described as a “very exciting” development for children and families in Thurrock and will replace the temporary accommodation where students are currently learning with a brand new, state-of-the-art secondary school. Positioned in close proximity to the Thurrock Rugby Club and Thurrock Harriers Athletics Track, the academy is poised to strengthen its existing partnerships and will support the development of a thriving sports hub in Thurrock. The prime location will foster development pathways for pupils and the wider community at all levels. McAvoy has been at the forefront of the UK and Ireland’s offsite industry for more than 50 years, with significant experience in the education sector. It has recently delivered projects including Merstham Park School, a pioneering ‘Low Carbon Pathfinder’ project, and The Cavendish School, the world’s first International Baccalaureate special free school for Department for Education, as well as 2 SEND classroom blocks at Great Oaks School for Southampton City Council. McAvoy CEO, Ron Clarke said the awarding of the Orsett Heath Academy project reflected the confidence in offsite manufacturing as a preferred solution within the education sector. “Our team has significant experience of delivering high-quality accommodation within the education sector to demanding programmes and we are delighted to be appointed for this major project by the Department for Education. We have invested heavily in our manufacturing and delivery infrastructure in recent years with a view to securing projects of this nature where sustainability, quality and delivery within budget and programme are essential.” The new building will provide a much-needed permanent building and cater for the growing demand for secondary school places at Orsett Heath Academy. The school has a specialism in sports, the arts and a strong international approach to languages, and will remain in joint use with the interim site for educational and sports provision, creating a lasting legacy, enhancing education, sport and recreation as a ‘Thurrock Institute of Sport.’ Steve Munday, CEO of SWECET, said: “Our community, students and families have eagerly awaited this state-of-the-art facility that will allow us to continue to provide an exciting and ambitious ethos of high expectations and achievement to more students in our local area. We’re so pleased that building work is underway and would like to thank all those who have supported us in our community during this time.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
National Pile Croppers has always been proud of the continuous R&D that goes in to making its hydraulic pile croppers more efficient, safer, customer focused and productive. The latest development of this non-stop development programme is the new version of the company’s Quad XXL cropper which is proving to be an essential tool on HS2. As the leading supplier of hydraulic pile croppers across the world, National Pile Croppers (NPC) array has been in demand on large multi-site infrastructure projects for some time. The croppers have now found a particular niche on HS2 where a variety of contractors and civil engineering companies have used the UK manufactured and supported croppers to great success. As with any NPC product however, there is constant vigilance of where refinements can be made, with the needs of HS2 in particular leading to the revision of members of the NPC armoury. Bigger, better and more powerful With a project as big and as demanding as HS2, there has arisen a requirement for even larger more powerful pile croppers. “As we always work closely with our customers to ensure that they are getting the very best in hydraulic pile cropping, we soon identified a need for an even larger cropper,” says NPC director Lee Aston. This has led directly to the development of the new Quad XXL. “We have a well-proven and existing range of Quad croppers that cover virtually any requirement, with our Quad XL 1000 cropper for one being designed to be used for the reduction of augured (round) piles up to 1050mm in diameter. As with the entire Quad range, it utilises four powerful and fully synchronised rams with specially designed blades to give a superb pile cut. The cropper will also hold the cut pile section safely for removal to a designated safe area. Best utilised on piles with ‘de-bonded’ reinforcement bars, it has proved to be the ideal solution when reducing contiguous and secant piled walls with spacing as close as 150mm. However, on some parts of HS2, the Quad XL although effective, needed to be super-sized to make it even more productive,” adds Lee. A beast of a machine The new Quad XXL is a true cropping behemoth being designed and developed to deal with piles of between 900 and 1200m in size. Weighing in at a mighty 3,675kg, it is best used on an excavator of at least 31t in weight. “Although big, the new Quad XXL is still easy to use, and our experienced support staff are at hand from the initial order to the installation on site to make sure that customers get what they pay for. Operation is still simple, with the cropper being lowered to the ideal height, with the jaws then being closed until pile sections ‘pop’ free. The broken pile section then can be easily removed for recycling to a dumper or a specified area. “The feedback we’ve received has been beyond our expectations. Our customers seem to want more and more of the Quad XXL as the targets and deadlines shorten on HS2. Despite its size and power, the new Quad XXL is as efficient as the other members of the Quad range, delivering an effective solution wherever it has been used,” conclude Lee Aston. The new Quad XXL from National Pile Croppers is now available for hire or purchase throughout the UK and will be introduced globally in the coming months. New Quad XXL technical specifications Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Balfour Beatty Investments (BBI), part of leading international infrastructure group, Balfour Beatty, has unveiled proposals for a flagship student living scheme at 8 Torwood Close, in Westwood Heath, Coventry. The plans, which are now subject to a consultation, will provide approximately 780 student bedrooms across two buildings as well as shared cluster rooms for students, and a range of amenities including study areas, lounges, cinema room, and a gym. Green roofs, terraces and outdoor courtyards are also included, with the aim of creating a cohesive student community which maximises the student experience and enhances wellbeing. The proposed site is strategically located a short distance from the University of Warwick and is currently an underutilised stand-alone office block. The site is situated between an existing student accommodation campus and a proposed scheme, which has recently been granted planning consent. Balfour Beatty Investments, said: “The proposed site at Torwood Close is ideally suited to student accommodation. Situated close to the University of Warwick and easily accessible from Coventry University, the proposals can quickly meet the growing demand for student beds. “Importantly, it will help unlock existing family housing elsewhere in the city rather than force students to rely on HMOs and the private rented sector. “Part of a wider transition within the area, our proposals will be highly sustainable and make use of a prominent brownfield site. We look forward to engaging with the community and others to ensure the benefits are maximised.” A public consultation has now been launched. You can find out more about the proposals, and leave feedback, by attending a public exhibition on 12th July, 3pm-7pm at 8 Torwood Close, Westwood Heath, Coventry. A consultation website will be made live on 12th July at 7pm. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
West Fraser has been recognised for the excellent relationship with the builders’ merchant community it serves. The Builders’ Merchant Federation has joined forces with Builders’ Merchants’ News to compile a list of the Top 100 Supplier Influencers in the merchant sector, based on involvement, presence and commitment to the industry. Making the list is not one, but two members of the West Fraser team, confirming the company’s position of a supplier merchants want to do business with. West Fraser’s nominees Sanjit Dosanjh, National Sales Manager, and Simon Woods, European Sales, Marketing & Logistics Director have been prominent voices in the merchant sector. West Fraser is a long-term supporter of merchant awards and Simon Woods represents the wood-based panel industry on the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) panel of industry experts. Speaking about the nominations, Sanjit said “It is a great feeling to receive recognition for the relationships and influence we have with the merchant industry. We are proud of our strong relationships, built over many years on a solid foundation of good communication with our customer base and being able to support our customers has been a priority. The merchant industry is a great place to be in and I encourage anyone that is thinking of making the move into the industry to do it.” For further information, call 01786 812 921 or visit https://uk.westfraser.com/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Top 10 homebuilder Keepmoat has announced it has become the latest strategic partner of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), with a commitment to build 4,000 additional new homes in the West Midlands. Keepmoat has also committed to aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions when building on brownfield sites and to increase their housebuilding by 50% across the West Midlands. As a strategic partner, Keepmoat will build a range of homes across different tenure types in the West Midlands, creating hundreds of new jobs for local people and generating at least 250 new apprenticeships. At least 70% of the workforce needed to deliver the homes will be employed from within a 30-mile radius, while building supplies and materials will be purchased from West Midlands-based businesses wherever possible. The memorandum of understanding between Keepmoat and WMCA also supports the Combined Authority’s wider aim of creating a fairer, greener and more prosperous West Midlands. In March, a ground-breaking Deeper Devolution Deal was secured between WMCA and Central Government, giving WMCA wide-ranging new powers and additional funding in excess of £1.5bn to level up the West Midlands. Charlotte Goode, Divisional Chair for Keepmoat West Midlands & East Midlands, commented: “We are delighted that we have been named as a strategic partner of the WMCA and that our work in the region continues to go from strength to strength. As part of our development work with WMCA, we’re already building a minimum of 1,000 new homes at price points that are accessible to people including first-time buyers. “Building sustainable communities is also a core value at Keepmoat. Working as a strategic partner of WMCA, we are actively pursuing net zero carbon developments, with schemes incorporating climate adaptation measures that respond to the short and long-term impact of climate change. These zero carbon standards go above and beyond the 2025 Future Homes Standards and help contribute to WM2041.” Keepmoat’s £360m Spirit Quarters development has so far delivered 979 new homes, with 275 of these allocated for first-time buyers. Supported by WMCA’s £1 million investment of devolved funding, this scheme continues to transform the former Wood End estate in Coventry, putting regeneration and place-making at the heart of a local community. The homebuilder’s investment into the West Midlands will support the West Midlands target of delivering 215,000 new homes by 2031. In December last year, WMCA announced that the number of new homes being built in the region had surpassed pre-Covid levels, with 16,730 new additional homes delivered in the 12 months to March 2022 – 203 more than in the year up to March 2020. The latest Strategic Partner MoU also bolsters the West Midlands’ Plan for Growth – a roadmap to develop eight specific industrial clusters where the region already has a competitive advantage. Manufacturing of future housing is one of the West Midlands clusters, reflecting the expertise arising from millions of pounds of public investment in brownfield regeneration across the region, which is also home to the National Brownfield Institute in Wolverhampton. Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “The West Midlands has been incredibly successful in recent years at regenerating old brownfield sites to build new, affordable homes – so much so that we are currently on track to meet our ambitious 2031 housing target. “However now is the time to double down on our success – not ease off – and so I am delighted we have been able to sign this deal with Keepmoat that will see even more homes, jobs, and investment come to the region. “Working together with Keepmoat we will breathe life into derelict brownfield sites, helping to protect our precious greenbelt while providing affordable, energy efficient, good quality homes and jobs for local people.” Cllr Ian Courts, WMCA portfolio lead for housing and land and leader of Solihull Council, added: “Keepmoat is the latest Strategic Partner who we have signed an MoU with – progressive developers and investors who share our vision of a more sustainable West Midlands where people have the opportunity of a decent job and a good quality, affordable home. “The commitment to use derelict industrial sites for eco-friendly, energy efficient housing is exactly the sort of future-looking approach our region needs. Not only does this help protect our precious greenbelt while creating high quality and sustainable communities, it also boosts the local economy and supports the wellbeing of residents.” WMCA was founded in 2016 and is made up of 17 local councils to deliver an ambitious plan to drive inclusive economic growth across the West Midlands. Keepmoat is a top 10 UK partnership homebuilder with a track record of delivering quality new homes across the UK at prices people can afford. To date, almost 70% of its current developments are on brownfield sites and over 70% of its customers are first-time buyers. In the last survey year, Keepmoat achieved HBF five star builder status, receiving a rating of at least 90% in the National New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
