AEI Cables has sent a message to those making decisions about fire safety cabling under the new Building Safety Act 2022 which becomes enforceable from October. From October 2023, buildings of at least 18 metres in height or with at least seven storeys containing at least two residential units will
Wates is set to grow its retail project portfolio with the appointment to deliver three large-scale fit-out contracts on behalf of Marks and Spencer (M&S) in Dundee, Uckfield, and Guildford. With a combined area of over 80,000 sq ft, the three contracts form part of M&S’s major investment to transform
An ongoing partnership between Sir Robert McAlpine and temporary power and temperature control hire company, Aggreko has yielded an 85% reduction in emissions and fuel across five live tower cranes on one construction project. The two companies have been working together since a series of industry-first field trials in 2021
Planning applications for infrastructure have plummeted 45% so far in Q2 and contract awards have fallen 32% according to the latest analysis from Barbour ABI. Government-backed Infrastructure projects have previously provided some relief to the poor economic performance of the sector, as house builders and commercial contractors struggled. Meanwhile, the
Rural housing specialist, Hastoe Housing, together with development partners, Dorset Council and C G Fry & Son Ltd, marked Rural Housing Week (3-7 July) with a celebration of their latest development of 8 affordable homes in the historic centre of Bridport, Dorset. Martin Cox, owner of West Dorset Leisure Holidays,
Boultbee Brooks Real Estate has announced the completion of Pressworks located on Ambrose Street, Cheltenham. Pressworks is a newly refurbished and extended office building in Cheltenham’s historic and picturesque Central Conservation Area, close to the town centre and just a short 18-minute walk from Cheltenham Spa train station. Offering three
National commercial property and investment company LCP, part of M Core, has acquired a busy edge-of-town retail park in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. Weavers Wharf is a 220,000 sq ft retail park, just a few minutes’ walk from Kidderminster town centre, with anchor tenants Marks & Spencer, Next and TK Maxx, Café
Sean Moran, restructuring and insolvency expert at law firm, Shakespeare Martineau, said: “J Tomlinson is a longstanding and high profile operator in the Midlands and beyond, and news of its demise is unfortunate, if not unsurprising given current trends in the industry. The appointment of administrators clearly reflects the ongoing
Stepnell has completed work on a new Health and Wellbeing Hub for staff at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. The new building includes facilities such as a state-of-the-art gym, counselling rooms, areas for complementary therapies and group or individual reflections after traumatic incidents. The building is valued at £2 million with the
Wyatt Homes, a property developer based in Pool, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Beggs as the new Assistant Site Manager at the prestigious Rivers Edge development in Wimborne. David, 51, from Romsey, boasts over 30 years of experience in the finishing trade, including 25 years as a
AEI Cables has sent a message to those making decisions about fire safety cabling under the new Building Safety Act 2022 which becomes enforceable from October. From October 2023, buildings of at least 18 metres in height or with at least seven storeys containing at least two residential units will be deemed ‘high risk buildings’ and must be registered with the newly established Building Safety Regulator. The registration must be made by the organisation or person who owns or has responsibility for the building referred to as the Principal Accountable Person. Principal Accountable Persons could include housing associations, property management companies or individual managers or asset owners. A Principal Accountable Person who fails to register an occupied higher-risk building without a ‘reasonable excuse’ will be liable to either a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years. Stuart Dover, general manager of AEI Cables, said: “Those who are deemed to be the Principal Accountable Person should recognise their responsibilities. There can be no compromise when it comes to the selection of cables for fire safety and they should always meet the legal requirement. If in doubt, they should always check the relevant level of performance required. “Ultimately, we are talking about the threat to lives and property if the products installed in these tall buildings are not fit for purpose.” The Principal Accountable Person must have assessed all building safety risks and taken all reasonable steps to control them, give the safety case report to the Regulator on request and apply for a building assessment certificate. AEI Cables has also been communicating the dangers of not following the technical guidance for the selection and installation of cables for Category 3 Control fire performance cables under the revised British Standard BS8519: 2020. The systems powered by these cables – including smoke and heat extraction systems – assist fire services in firefighting and a safe evacuation in the case of life safety. Category 3 Control fire performance cables reduce harmful smoke, toxic gases and flame spread in the event of a real fire. AEI Cables is the only supplier in the UK with independent approval from LPCB for BS8519 Category 3 Control fire performance cables with a fire survival time of up to 120 minutes. Using the very latest in technology and science, the Firetec Total Fire Solutions range offers Mineral Insulated Cabling (MIC), Firetec Enhanced fire performance cabling, accessories and technical support from the AEI Cables distribution facility at Washington, Tyne and Wear. All AEI Cables’ products are supplied with approvals from independent bodies including BASEC and LPCB. It also holds approvals from organisations including Lloyds, the MoD, Network Rail and LUL and works to international standards around the world. For more information see the AEI Cables website, tel 0191 410 3111 or email sales@aeicables.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Wates is set to grow its retail project portfolio with the appointment to deliver three large-scale fit-out contracts on behalf of Marks and Spencer (M&S) in Dundee, Uckfield, and Guildford. With a combined area of over 80,000 sq ft, the three contracts form part of M&S’s major investment to transform its estate in response to changing retail trends, a move that is set to create 3,400 jobs across the UK. The largest of Wates’ contracts, in Dundee, will include the fit-out of a 52,467 sq ft sales floor split across two levels to create a larger full-line store. This will replace the current M&S Foodhall at the Gallagher Retail Park – a project previously delivered by Wates. Work on the new Dundee store will include the creation of a new Simply Food store and cafe as well as home and clothing departments, becoming one of eight new full-line M&S stores. Alongside Dundee, Wates will also complete fit-out projects for two new Foodhalls in Uckfield in East Sussex, and at Guildford Ladymead Retail Park, both approximately 15,000 sq ft, forming part of the retailer’s plans to expand its grocery trade. The M&S Uckfield project starts this summer with completion scheduled in time for Christmas and M&S Guildford Ladymead Retail Park will begin in January next year. All three contracts will be delivered to a fast-tracked schedule in line with M&S’s three-year store transformation programme. Each project is designed to bring more theatre to the shopping experience with new illuminated signage, bespoke wall finishes, new fridge cases and local wall messages. The projects will incorporate a range of energy efficiency measures to support M&S’s sustainability strategy. These contracts build on Wates’ long relationship with M&S, which spans two decades and includes the delivery of nearly 300 fit-out projects across the UK. This includes 50 projects through the retailer’s Foodhall Framework, established in 2014. Recent M&S projects delivered by Wates include the 25,440 sq ft Foodhall at Bluewater, Kent and a full-line fit-out in Colchester. Scott Camp, Managing Director of Wates fit-out and refurbishment business, said: “Retail trends are constantly evolving and working with M&S for the past 20 years, our business has seen how agile they are in their response to consumer needs. Understanding their strategy is absolutely vital to the work we do and enables us to not only bring their vision to life but do so at the pace required. We’re very proud to have worked across some of M&S’s flagship stores, and we look forward to making Dundee, Uckfield and Guildford as exceptional as all of our previous projects on behalf of M&S.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
An ongoing partnership between Sir Robert McAlpine and temporary power and temperature control hire company, Aggreko has yielded an 85% reduction in emissions and fuel across five live tower cranes on one construction project. The two companies have been working together since a series of industry-first field trials in 2021 to identify areas where savings could be made to reduce energy use and emissions during construction. The savings, which were made across five tower cranes from October 2022 to January 2023, came from powering on-site tower cranes with smaller generators, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and more sustainable fuels. Overall, estimated total efficiencies across the five tower cranes equalled over 234 tonnes of emissions and over 87,300 litres in fuel – equivalent to an 85% reduction in consumption. As Martin Mitchell, Plant Procurement Manager at Sir Robert McAlpine verifies, these savings demonstrate a clear roadmap forward for a sector looking to decarbonise: “We have been working closely with Aggreko for a while now as part of our shared goals to deliver long-term emissions and energy reductions on our projects. The fact that we’ve now realised an 85% reduction in fuel and emissions across multiple live cranes is fantastic news.” From October 2022 to January 2023, Sir Robert McAlpine’s tower cranes were powered by HVO-fuelled generators and BESS solutions. These work in synergy; the batteries operate the crane with generators, only running at time of peak load or to charge the batteries. Tom Adlington, Sector Sales Manager at Aggreko Europe has been a key stakeholder since the initial trials. He comments: “The typical nature of power consumption on construction sites means peaks and troughs are common. However, this also means generators are often oversized due to the misconception of incorporating greater power to meet start-up demand. In addition to adding a BESS solution, it was also crucial to select power solutions that would optimise energy usage through right-sizing.” Martin adds: “This evidence-based approach gave our business the confidence to invest in new technologies, which has clearly paid dividends in reducing our emissions and fuel consumption. As can be seen here, close working relationships across the supply chain are key to implementing more sustainable practices, and we look forward to working more with Aggreko in the future.” Batteries and hybrid solutions are a key strand of Aggreko’s recent £150m investment in its Greener Upgrades fleet, aimed at making cost and sustainability improvements via reduced emissions. Tom concludes: “Construction is and always will be vital to the UK economy, so it is crucial it is carried out sustainably. New technologies and processes must be part of the solution to optimising energy usage, which is why we continue to research, test and invest. “The success of this project provides a valuable example of challenging conventional thinking in the supply chain on the solutions and technologies required to reduce carbon footprints in line with net zero emissions targets set out in legislation.” To find out more about the Aggreko-Sir Robert McAlpine partnership, visit: www.aggreko.com/SRM Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Planning applications for infrastructure have plummeted 45% so far in Q2 and contract awards have fallen 32% according to the latest analysis from Barbour ABI. Government-backed Infrastructure projects have previously provided some relief to the poor economic performance of the sector, as house builders and commercial contractors struggled. Meanwhile, the smaller Industrial and healthcare sectors have also fallen 45% and 50% in the same period, following a positive start to the year. Overall, contract awards in June confirmed the new lower trajectory with £5.3bn, the third month in a row of below-average levels. Activity fell by 21% compared to Q1, averaging £5.2bn per month compared to £6.5bn in Q1 and including a 10% fall in residential activity. “We are seeing the positive impact of large Government investment in infrastructure projects after COVID begin to fade for the first time in our latest analysis.” Commented Barbour ABI chief economist Tom Hall. “This will have knock-on effects for the industry which is already struggling with high interest rates and inflated construction costs, hitting new businesses which previously might have been shielded due to the nature of their portfolios.” Early Planning stages It was also another subdued month across earlier planning stages with a small recovery for planning approvals in June failing to save a very weak second quarter which saw a steep 20% fall. The residential sector suffered the lowest quarterly result since 2016. For planning applications activity has now been very low for three months out of the last four. The main element that has changed over the last few months is the fall in the infrastructure sector, by 50% in some areas compared to 2022. “June’s planning activity provided further evidence, if it was needed, of the likely slowdown in construction over the second half of the year driven by inflation, rising interest rates and lack of consumer confidence. Residential construction planning remains weak and continues to suggest house building will be greatly reduced over the year whilst new weaknesses are emerging elsewhere.” Find out more at www.barbour-abi.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rural housing specialist, Hastoe Housing, together with development partners, Dorset Council and C G Fry & Son Ltd, marked Rural Housing Week (3-7 July) with a celebration of their latest development of 8 affordable homes in the historic centre of Bridport, Dorset. Martin Cox, owner of West Dorset Leisure Holidays, previously owned the land on which the homes are built along with his sister and cousin. Having grown up on Rope Walks with a strong memory of the community that once lived there, Martin and his family were keen to support the opportunity to bring more local people back into the centre of the market town. The 8, two and three-bedroom houses, were built on the site of a former coal yard. This influenced the design, which is a traditional style of architecture found locally, taking into account correct scale and proportioning with appropriate detailing. Hastoe Housing and C G Fry & Son Ltd both have a long-standing reputation for building high-quality homes, respecting not just local building style and traditions but environmental standards. The homes, completed in March 2023, incorporate many features of Hastoe’s New-Build Standard, ensuring the homes are highly energy-efficient and exceptionally well insulated in order to help reduce fuel bills for residents. Martin Cox, co-landowner, said: “My sister, cousin and I are all very proud to be involved in this project. Our family lived just across the road from here until I was 14 years old. The family coal business was on this land and we were very much part of the community that existed in the centre of town. “It’s extremely rewarding to see the old coal yard now being used for residential purposes. I’m sure that my father and uncle who worked for over 50 years in their coal business, and passed away a few years ago, are looking down and very pleased to see this development. “It also highlights what can be done to help overcome the current shortage of social and affordable housing, if land is made available and given the appropriate consents. “I hope the eight families who live in The Old Coal Yard will enjoy their new homes, the central location, and of course being part of the community in the town centre.” Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Lead Member for Housing at Dorset Council, said: “Housing delivery is a priority for Dorset Council. Our aim is that everyone in Dorset should have somewhere affordable to settle, live and call home. “Bridport is one of the areas in Dorset with the highest demand for affordable homes. There were over 70 bids for each of the rented properties and over 400 households have Bridport listed as one of their preferred areas to live. In total there are over 4,800 households on the housing register. “These new homes make a valuable contribution towards that goal and, I know, will make an invaluable difference to those residents who live in them. It is fitting that we celebrate the completion of these homes in Bridport’s historic market town during Rural Housing Week.” Philip Fry, Managing Director of C G Fry and Son Ltd, said: “CG Fry are a long-established local contractor and developer based just 7 miles from Bridport. We very much see it as our home time, so to be able to work with Martin Cox, his family and Hastoe to deliver much needed affordable housing on this brownfield site in the centre of Bridport was really rewarding. “Bridport has some wonderful architecture, and we wanted these houses to feel like they belonged to the town and hopefully our design and construction team have achieved this. It is good to show that good quality design does not need to be complicated. “It is important that all forms of new housing are built across the town to keep it such a vibrant place.” Lindy Morgan, Chair of Hastoe’s Board, said: “Hastoe has a long track record of partnering with local authorities, local communities and local contractors to build beautiful homes that fit with the local environment and historic vernacular. I think Martin Cox has vouched for the fact these homes are representative of those that used to be there.” “We are really pleased we have been able to provide residents with gardens – not an easy task in a town centre location – and ensured these homes are future proofed in terms of their environmental impact and cost to the occupier. By concentrating on the fabric of the building to reduce energy consumption, the homes are low in carbon emissions and energy cost.” Mandy Knott, one of Hastoe’s new residents living in the development at The Old Coal Yard, said: “They’re amazing. The houses are just amazing. Until recently, my whole family used to live in one room in an old flat. Now we have plenty of room and light and my grandchildren can play in the garden. We love our new home, thank you.” A Homes England spokesperson said: “Despite the current challenges affecting the country, accelerating housebuilding remains our number one priority. We are committed to supporting Hastoe Housing Association that has ambitions to build new homes, and our investment through an affordable housing grant allows us to do that. We’re delighted that this funding will enable Hastoe Housing Association to deliver much needed new homes in Bridport, Dorset.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Boultbee Brooks Real Estate has announced the completion of Pressworks located on Ambrose Street, Cheltenham. Pressworks is a newly refurbished and extended office building in Cheltenham’s historic and picturesque Central Conservation Area, close to the town centre and just a short 18-minute walk from Cheltenham Spa train station. Offering three fully self-contained units, set over three floors, available offices include: 2,637 sq ft, 5,737 sq ft and 6,232 sq ft spaces. The building’s new design boasts a contemporary style with premium finishes and state-of-the-art technology. Over the years the building has been home to various ‘works’, housing coach painters, mechanics and numerous printers. It is now extensively renovated into state-of-the-art offices with an ultramodern workplace design. Amenities include, shower/changing facilities, on site parking, secure cycle storage, IT enabled access control, HVAC and external roof terrace. Complete with a new roof extension and a new façade which gives a nod to its industrial heritage, the modern but sympathetic frontage with glazed tiles and smart new windows all bring it back to the property’s heyday. James Whitcher, Managing Director at Boultbee Brooks, said: “We are delighted to bring Pressworks to the market, it is a fantastic office building with a significant amount of heritage. “It is brilliant to see it newly refurbished and extended at such a high-quality standard. We look forward to welcoming any interested businesses to the building in the coming months.” Building works on the project were completed by Construction Company, Lancer Scott. Find out more information about Pressworks here: https://www.studio.space/cheltenham-pressworks. For agent enquiries, please contact oliver@thponline.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
National commercial property and investment company LCP, part of M Core, has acquired a busy edge-of-town retail park in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. Weavers Wharf is a 220,000 sq ft retail park, just a few minutes’ walk from Kidderminster town centre, with anchor tenants Marks & Spencer, Next and TK Maxx, Café Nero, Boots, Sport Direct, McDonalds and TruGym. Premier Inn is also on the site. LCP acquired the centre for an undisclosed sum from Nuveen Estate as part of its proactive acquisition drive in shopping parades, centres and retail parks across the country. James Buchanan, LCP group managing director, said “This significant investment demonstrates our appetite for acquisition and our focus on intensive asset management, where we want to realise opportunities for adding value. “As well as achieving a good return on our investment, we’re committed to improving our retail estate, providing better value for money for tenants and, where there are voids, attracting good-quality brands, ensuring a better shopping experience, and, of course, helping to bring jobs. “It is thanks to the hard work by our team, who identify the sites for us to acquire, then use their considerable expertise and extensive contacts to attract tenants, that our strategy is working.” Simon Eatough, director of landlord and tenant at LCP, will lead the asset management team. Situated on the edge of the West Midlands bordering Worcestershire, 17 miles south-west of Birmingham and 15 miles north of Worcester, Weavers Wharf Shopping Park is accessed via the A456 Park Butts Ringway. There is a pedestrian link to the high street and the adjacent Tesco Superstore. M Core is on a strong acquisition drive, investing in all commercial sectors throughout the UK and Europe. Major UK acquisitions include Cwmbran Centre, Cwmbran; The Galleries, Washington, Sunderland; and Three Spires in Lichfield. It has £300 million available to invest for assets ranging from £500,000 to £30 million and portfolios up to £150 million, and is actively seeking sites for acquisition. LCP’s solicitor was Catherine Gunz at Osborne Clarke and Simon Lewis at Lewis Ellis acted as agent. For the vendor, agent was Paul Williams at Morgan Williams and solicitor was Chris Swallow at K&L Gates. Weavers Wharf has five units available, from 1,256 sq ft to 30,000 sq ft, for more information about availability, contact Simon Eatough: SEatough@lcpproperties.co.uk, or agents for the scheme; Chris Linnel, of McMullen Real Estate and Camilla Clifton of Morgan Williams. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Sean Moran, restructuring and insolvency expert at law firm, Shakespeare Martineau, said: “J Tomlinson is a longstanding and high profile operator in the Midlands and beyond, and news of its demise is unfortunate, if not unsurprising given current trends in the industry. The appointment of administrators clearly reflects the ongoing challenges faced by the construction industry, including increased costs of raw materials and inflationary pressures. As a result, cashflow is squeezed, making it difficult to return profit on contracts where prices were fixed some time ago and some businesses are quite literally running out of money. “Whilst filing a notice of intention to appoint administrators creates a difficult and worrying situation for employees and their families, it may provide some breathing space while alternative options for the company are explored. This may mean that all or part of the business could be saved, although it is clearly too early to speculate. “In any event, the administration will undoubtedly have a domino effect on the local construction industry in the East Midlands. J Tomlinson’s sub-contractors and suppliers are likely to be adversely affected, and customers may have to appoint new contractors with any work undertaken almost certainly suspended following the appointment of administrators.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Stepnell has completed work on a new Health and Wellbeing Hub for staff at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. The new building includes facilities such as a state-of-the-art gym, counselling rooms, areas for complementary therapies and group or individual reflections after traumatic incidents. The building is valued at £2 million with the funds coming from local charity sources. During the work, Stepnell aimed to add social value to the project by investing in the local area. Three locals received jobs through the scheme with more than 100 hours of support going into employment training at Chesterfield College and Parkside Community School. The company also committed to a local supply chain by ordering building materials within a 30-mile radius of the project, which achieved a 50% local spend, including 36% spend with local SMEs. Commenting on the completed budget, Dr Hal Spencer, chief executive of CRH NHS Trust, said: “We want to be recommended as a place to come to work and for the clinical care we provide. The Health and Wellbeing Hub is pretty unique in allowing us to offer this kind of facility to colleagues. I am especially proud of us opening on the day of the celebrations for NHS75. Along with our Emergency Department, Pediatric Assessment Unit, the Community Diagnostic Centres and much more, we are redefining the role and abilities of this fantastic hospital.” Reflecting on their involvement for the Chesterfield health and wellbeing hub, Tom Sewell, regional director at Stepnell, said: “Our team has gone above and beyond to ensure quality throughout the design and build of this new Health and Wellbeing Hub. As well as ensuring the project was built on time and within budget, we were also proud to have supported the hospital alongside local people, communities and businesses to help raise the required project funds. We are thrilled with the end result and the positive feedback received from stakeholders across the project.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Wyatt Homes, a property developer based in Pool, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Beggs as the new Assistant Site Manager at the prestigious Rivers Edge development in Wimborne. David, 51, from Romsey, boasts over 30 years of experience in the finishing trade, including 25 years as a skilled dry liner and plasterer. David brings a wealth of knowledge to his role, further enhancing Wyatt Homes’ commitment to delivering exceptional craftsmanship. David’s career in the housebuilding industry has been a natural progression, and his previous experience has prepared him well for his role at Wyatt Homes. When asked about his decision to join Wyatt Homes, David expressed his admiration for the housebuilder’s strong industry reputation and the opportunity to build unique homes. David said “What sets Wyatt Homes apart is their impressive combination of quality and standards exhibited in their homes. He continued, “This drove me to become part of the Wyatt team and contribute to their ongoing success, producing homes that not only our homebuyers are proud of, but we are too.” Richard Coles, Construction Director at Wyatt Homes said, “We are delighted to welcome David to the team at Rivers Edge. We look forward to David’s many accomplishments as we continue to deliver exceptional homes to our esteemed customers.” Wyatt Homes is now selling homes at the prestigious Rivers Edge development in Wimborne from the marketing suite on Julians Road, Wimborne, BH21 1EF, and those interested are encouraged to book an appointment with a Sales Adviser to register their interest. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
