Ideal Heating has received the green light to establish a new £12.5m research and development facility to support low carbon technologies including heat pumps. The company has been granted full planning permission for the UK Technology Centre its headquarters site in Hull. The R&D facility will create a testbed for
Construction site wages increased by an average of 2% in 3Q 2023 compared to 3Q 2022, the latest data from the Hays/BCIS Site Wage Cost Indices, published by the Building Cost Information Service shows. This represents the lowest annual growth since 2Q 2021. Against the second quarter of 2023, average
A new road designed to improve the flow of traffic in and around Aylesford has been officially opened. The £8m road linking Station Road and Bellingham Way, has been delivered by Panattoni as part of its £180m redevelopment of the former Aylesford Newsprint site. Creating more than 1 million sq
Torsion Group forms a Joint Venture to deliver one of Yorkshire’s largest Build-to-Rent Residential Developments with Khalbros Group and Oliver Cookson’s Family Office. Leeds-based Real Estate company Torsion Group is celebrating the successful sale of 50% of the freehold and shares in The Phoenix residential scheme. The Phoenix consists of
Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of private and public sector construction and civil engineering projects has given 16 Design, Surveying and Planning T-Level students from Walsall College hands on experience at three sites as part of the Winvic Enrichment Programme. Over
Leading housebuilder, Barratt Developments Yorkshire West’s Commercial Director, Lindsey Sills, has been named as a finalist in the Forward Ladies Leadership Summit & Awards 2023. Forward Ladies is a community of like-minded women dedicated to advancing leadership opportunities for the next generation of ladies coming into the workforce. Currently in
A residential property development in East London has been refinanced, following a bespoke £15m development to investment loan from Secure Trust Bank (STB) Real Estate Finance (REF). Situated in Chadwell Heath, an area rising in popularity for new property development schemes, the eight-story building will provide 55 high-quality residential units
Affordable housebuilder, Orbit Homes and leading construction company, Wates are celebrating after being presented with the Gold award for Best Partnership Scheme at the 2023 What House? Awards in recognition of their regeneration of Park East in Erith. The award was presented following completion of a £120m scheme which was
Rotherham Council recently celebrated an important milestone towards achieving its aim to provide more affordable housing to the area. The completion of 12 homes at Harron Homes’ The Paddocks development in Wickersley marked the 500th home built and was celebrated by an event hosted at the development. Harron successfully put forward
The BPMA’s annual awards programme has been recognising and rewarding the achievements of pump businesses, large and small for over two decades. Throughout that time, it has become one of the leading events to serve the industrial and commercial arena. So, if you have a pump related product, system, or
Ideal Heating has received the green light to establish a new £12.5m research and development facility to support low carbon technologies including heat pumps. The company has been granted full planning permission for the UK Technology Centre its headquarters site in Hull. The R&D facility will create a testbed for product development and advancements in the heating solutions to help decarbonise UK homes and business premises. The state-of-the-art facility will also see the UK market leader expand its R&D team. The facility represents a significant investment from Ideal Heating and will play key role in the company’s transition to low carbon heating solutions, including heat pumps. Pre-construction work on the site of the UK Technology Centre is expected to begin by the end of this year, with the main part of the facility due to be completed by the end of 2024. The R&D centre is set to be operational in 2025. Ideal Heating Engineering Director Helen Villamuera said: “Our UK Technology Centre is part of a major £60m investment we’re making in our Hull site, to support heat pump manufacturing, distribution and innovation in heating technologies. “From the outset, Hull City Council has been fully supportive of our plans, which will create highly skilled jobs and expand our existing R&D capabilities at our site in Hull. “We’re delighted to have secured full planning permission for the UK Technology Centre. We will now begin a competitive tender process to appoint a contractor to deliver this project.” The two-storey building, with an additional partial storey to accommodate plant rooms for the centre, will help to develop and refine the low carbon heating technologies, including heat pumps, needed to decarbonise UK’s 25 million homes. The Government has set ambitious targets for head pump deployment, including for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed in domestic properties annually by 2028. The UK Technology Centre will provide a purpose-designed new home for Ideal Heating’s expert R&D team, which has an increasing range of engineering roles related to design, development, electronics, simulation and product testing disciplines. Laboratory facilities within the 38,000 sq ft (3,500 sq m) building will enable Ideal Heating’s R&D team to simulate a range of scenarios and conditions to test new innovations and advancements. The centre will also house environmental chambers, a heat pump testing area, workshop spaces and a training room. In designing the building, Ideal Heating has practiced what it preaches. The R&D facility features roof-mounted solar panels to generate renewable electricity for the building, with air source heat pumps serving the mechanical heating system. LED lighting and controls will help reduce energy consumption within the building and high-performance building fabrics will reduce heat loss. The R&D facility is one of a series of major investments at Ideal Heating’s Hull site. Construction work has been completed on a heat pump production facility and expanded distribution centre, totalling £20m of investment. Ideal Heating also announced recently it had started producing its new monobloc heat pump, Logic Air, in Hull as the company supports the rollout of renewable heating products. Ideal Heating has also opened a £2.2m National Training and Technology Centre in Hessle, on the outskirts of Hull, with capacity for up to 5,000 installers every year to learn the skills needed to supply and maintain heat pumps. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction site wages increased by an average of 2% in 3Q 2023 compared to 3Q 2022, the latest data from the Hays/BCIS Site Wage Cost Indices, published by the Building Cost Information Service shows. This represents the lowest annual growth since 2Q 2021. Against the second quarter of 2023, average site wages were up by 1.2%. Source: BCIS, Hays While the greatest annual growth was seen among unskilled and semi-skilled workers, whose pay was on average 7.2% higher than in 3Q 2022, there were significant differences between skill categories, perhaps reflective of movement in national wage awards agreed among trades over the summer. Building trades skilled workers’ pay was up by 4.8% on 3Q 2022 while, on a quarterly basis, Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) Trades Skilled workers saw the biggest rise on 2Q 2023, with a 5.2% increase. BCIS solutions architect, Paul Burrows, who compiles the indices for BCIS and Hays, said: “BATJIC and the CIJC respectively agreed 8.0% and 7.6% increases for builders in the summer, while a 7% rise is due in January 2024 for the electrical contracting industry under the JIB collective agreement. After a 3% increase for plumbers under JIB-PMES in England in January 2023, a 7% rise is planned for January 2024. “As salaried workers have sought inflation-matching pay, so too do other workers on site look for better rates, particularly when there have been uplifts in wage awards. “The underlying data also suggests lower demand for groundworkers is reflected in site wages, which, given the delayed starts to projects and seasonal conditions, is not surprising.” Source: BCIS, Hays Hays also reported fewer construction job placements in 3Q 2023, continuing a decrease which has been seen since 2Q 2021. Burrows said: “At the moment we have these opposing factors of both declining construction volume in new work, which we are no doubt seeing in the frequency of placements in the industry, and a skills shortage. “In some cases, I’m sure there’s an element of contractors retaining some of the agency workers they have on site on PAYE, so that they have the skilled labour available when they need it. At the same time, with the cost of living that all workers face, everyone on site is determined to see wage rises.” Latest figures from ONS show that while overall construction output in 3Q2023 was slightly up, by 0.1%, it was driven by repair and maintenance work, with new work down 0.3% on 2Q 2023. While new orders, based on submitted planning applications in 3Q 2023, were up by 3.9% on 2Q2023, on the year they were down 20%, and by 38.5% specifically in infrastructure. The Hays/BCIS Site Wage Cost Indices are produced using market data from Hays Recruitment, generally representing short-term labour requirements for immediate fulfilment. Because of this, the indexes tend to be more volatile and faster to react to changes in market conditions than other labour indices. The BCIS Labour Cost Index, for example, incorporates the movement in nationally agreed wage awards, which are generally updated annually, across the industry. Source: BCIS, Hays, ONS For more information about BCIS, visit the website at www.bcis.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A new road designed to improve the flow of traffic in and around Aylesford has been officially opened. The £8m road linking Station Road and Bellingham Way, has been delivered by Panattoni as part of its £180m redevelopment of the former Aylesford Newsprint site. Creating more than 1 million sq ft of high quality logistics and distribution space, the site near Junction 4 of the M20 in Kent is the South East flagship development of Panattoni, the largest logistics real estate company in the UK and Europe. The road was jointly opened with a cutting of a ribbon by Cllr Roger Gough, Leader of Kent County Council; Cllr Matt Boughton, Leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, and Tony Watkins, Panattoni’s Head of Development for South East and London. Tony Watkins said: “It’s great to be able to deliver on a key part of our promise to the local community. This new road has been designed to relieve congestion on the local road network and enable the site to support high quality businesses and the people they will employ.” As a result of the new road, all non-HGV traffic destined for Panattoni Park Aylesford or New Hythe Business Park can now access them via junctions 4, 5 and 6 on the M20, via Bellingham Way and Station Road. KCC Leader Roger Gough, added: “This investment in new infrastructure shows why it is so important to attract positive investment from market leaders such as Panattoni. “The timely provision of the new link assists with local connectivity, complementing the area’s highway network, and has enabled the redevelopment of the vacant Aylesford Newsprint site, creating thousands of new jobs. We look forward to supporting Panattoni’s continued investment in Kent and see this as a great vote of confidence in the importance of the county’s economy.” Thanks to its location, the site called Panattoni Park Aylesford, is now home to Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer; DHL, the global logistics company; Evri, the UK’s biggest dedicated parcel delivery company; Fowler Welch, the temperature-controlled logistics company, and Marley, a UK leader in the manufacture and supply of pitched roof systems to the construction market. Planning permission has also recently been granted for the development of 630,000 sq ft to be constructed on the site. The only remaining space is Plot 6A which offers the design and build of a further 16,500 sq ft of space for another logistics industry business. Cllr Matt Boughton, said: “Since first unveiling its plans in 2020, the team at Panattoni have been true to their word and transformed this derelict 90-acre site. They must be congratulated for delivering a really high quality home for world-class businesses offering a wide range of modern jobs here in Tonbridge and Malling.” As part of an agreement with Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council during the planning process, Panattoni will support the refurbishment of the Aylesford and New Hythe railway stations. It will also extend the provision of local bus services in the area, and put new cycle paths and footpaths in place. The existing buildings on the site have been built to achieve high environmental performance. DHL’s building is a net zero carbon facility with a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ and an EPC rating of ‘A+’ to support its last-mile facility serving the South East. The 97,891 sq ft building taken by Fowler Welch incorporates a 1.5MVA photovoltaic array covering the roof; a bespoke car park canopy; and cycle shelter. The peak electrical output from the solar panels is equal to the incoming supply, which means the Fowler Welch facility will be able to operate fully from the power generated onsite. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Torsion Group forms a Joint Venture to deliver one of Yorkshire’s largest Build-to-Rent Residential Developments with Khalbros Group and Oliver Cookson’s Family Office. Leeds-based Real Estate company Torsion Group is celebrating the successful sale of 50% of the freehold and shares in The Phoenix residential scheme. The Phoenix consists of two tower blocks in the centre of Leeds. Tower Block A is a 156 Build-to-Rent apartment development. Tower Block B is a private build-to-sell residential development. The combined GDV of the development is in excess of £90m, making this one of Yorkshire’s biggest residential developments, and it expects to bring high-end, affordable living into a prominent Leeds market. The Joint Venture structure consists of 50% of the freehold being sold to Oliver Cookson’s Family Office, with the remaining 50% being retained by Torsion Group and Joint Venture partner Khalbros Group. Tower Block B, which represents the Build-to-Sell element of the scheme, has been pre-sold to private owners, and it will be ready for occupation in the first quarter of 2024. Upon completion in 2024, The Phoenix will be the fourth tallest residential building on the Leeds city skyline. Block A reaches an impressive 21 storeys at 223ft high, and Block B stands at 180ft with 17 storeys. The transaction team consisted of Shakespeare Martineau, DWF, Shoosmiths, Addleshaw Goddard on Legals, Cowgils and Saffery on Tax, Maslow Capital on Debt Financing with additional professional services provided by Abacus Cost Management, Gardiner & Theobald and Dalbergia Group. Dan Spencer, Group CEO of Torsion Group Limited, said: “The Phoenix represents our continued growth in the Living sector and the Company’s first venture into the Build-to-Rent and Build-to-Sell market. This sale is a truly significant milestone in the evolution of Torsion Group.” “When set against the backdrop of a challenging economic, financial, and housing market, it is clear to see just what a remarkable achievement it is for everyone involved. This deal shows that prime assets in great locations like The Phoenix are proving to be resilient and remain attractive to investors. I am incredibly proud of the Torsion team and their determination to develop and construct this landmark Leeds development.” “The Build-to-Rent assets complement our delivery model and operational business and deliver excellent returns for ourselves and investor partners. Having a fully vertically integrated delivery model including developer, contractor, facilities management, and operator allows us to ensure we deliver best-in-class sustainable buildings.”. “We have a strong secured pipeline across all our living sectors, including Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Residential, Later Living and Care Homes. We will continue to grow in the Build-to-Rent sector and have recently secured planning on our subsequent three schemes in Leeds, Manchester, and Sheffield.” Oliver Cookson, said: “My roots are in the North – it’s where I’ve launched my latest nutrition venture, Verve, and it’s where I grew up and bought my first house. So I feel passionate about this investment as it allows me to drive local economic growth even more, while providing high quality new housing for the area’s growing population of professionals. Leeds is a great place to invest for the long term. It’s a leading business hub with key growth industries bringing new opportunities, and a huge student population with the talent to make it even better.” To find out more about The Phoenix, visit https://www.torsiongroup.co.uk/the-phoenix-leeds/ For more information on Torsion Group Ltd, go to https://www.torsiongroup.co.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of private and public sector construction and civil engineering projects has given 16 Design, Surveying and Planning T-Level students from Walsall College hands on experience at three sites as part of the Winvic Enrichment Programme. Over a three-week period, the students spent a total of six days across three projects. Kent St Baths is a 406 apartment build-to-rent scheme in the centre of Birmingham being delivered for Edmond De Rothchild and Stoford’s Redditch Gateway is an industrial project where two facilities are being constructed. West Midlands Interchange is a 734-acre site where civils and infrastructure works have recently commenced for Oxford Properties Group and Logistics Capital Partners. The six days of on-site education not only upskilled and improved the confidence of students in further education, but it also contributes to the three projects’ social value commitments and Walsall College’s 35-hour enrichment activity aims. In total the sessions have provided 465 enrichment activity hours. Sessions in the Winvic Enrichment Programme have been designed to showcase several elements of a construction project, but they can also be tailored to meet the needs of each cohort and their course subject. Sessions enjoyed by Walsall College students included digital engineering, earthworks, planning, quantity surveying, CV writing, mental health and fairness, inclusion and respect (FIR); they were given activities to complete, site tours, got hands on and up close with various construction processes and were encouraged to ask questions at any time. The feedback received from the students and tutors was outstanding and a number of students contacted Winvic after the programme to express their thanks. One said: “I enjoyed meeting the QS and doing the task he provided us. I also enjoyed seeing how tasks are done and how knowledgeable the site team are and how they treat the site with respect and care.” Another student emailed: “I feel like I have learnt a lot in the past 6 days we’ve had on the different sites. I liked being able to meet new people and get their advice and opinions on the different sectors of the industry. I’ve definitely taken in a lot of information from everyone there and I think the thing that will stick the most is how you can always work your way up in the industry as long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort in.” “These 6 days gave me real experience and understanding of different processes in construction,” said another T-Level student. “Thank you to all the professionals who allocated time for us during their working day and showed us and told us about their tasks at construction sites, the work process, what difficulties they encountered, and what experience they had. It was very informative to listen to and ask each of the professionals questions.” The Programme has led to more engagement in the coming weeks including the provision of on-site block placements for four students; the new HTQ Level 4 in Construction Management for England students will also be visiting Crown Place Birmingham – Crown Student Living’s Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) project comprising 814 beds – for a bespoke one day site visit. Furthermore, Winvic collaborated with Walsall College over the summer to provide Continued Professional Development (CPD) training to two tutors, on site at IM Properties’ Peddimore industrial project, supporting them to gain knowledge about the very latest construction technologies, materials and methods of construction. Kayleigh Merritt, Winvic’s Talent Development Manager, commented: “This is the fourth time we have delivered an Enrichment Programme to students, and it has been wonderful to hear how much the students enjoyed each session and how the experience opened their eyes to different roles. Because we have a large number of projects in and around Birmingham, the students were able to visit projects in our three key sectors – multi-room, industrial and civils and infrastructure – and that was an added bonus to be able to show them even more than one site could offer. It’s no small task to organise a six-day programme so I’d like to thank our site teams and the numerous subcontract partners who contributed to providing this engaging learning experience.” Martin Lake, Lecturer in Advanced Construction at Walsall College, said: “We would like to thank Winvic’s talent and site teams for providing an excellent experience for our students and ourselves. A number of students have expressed that the induction placements provided an excellent insight into different sectors within the industry and have helped shape their future career choices.” For more details on the Winvic Enrichment Programme, please contact traning@winvic.co.uk. 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 X (formerly Twitter) @WinvicLtd – and LinkedIn. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Leading housebuilder, Barratt Developments Yorkshire West’s Commercial Director, Lindsey Sills, has been named as a finalist in the Forward Ladies Leadership Summit & Awards 2023. Forward Ladies is a community of like-minded women dedicated to advancing leadership opportunities for the next generation of ladies coming into the workforce. Currently in its 13th year, the theme of this year’s Leadership Summit & Awards is ‘Breaking Barriers’, honouring the impact of female leadership within a variety of business sectors. The housebuilder’s Commercial Director, Lindsey Sills, has been shortlisted in the STEM Leader of the Year category, which recognises women in senior positions working within science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors, who are encouraging other women to join their industry and demonstrating significant achievements in male-dominated businesses. Within the nomination, Lindsey demonstrated not only her achievements but also the challenges that came with being a female in the industry during this time. These included being the only female in her team for over half of her career, facing increased challenge and breaking down typical stereotypes. Following 20 years in the housebuilding industry, Lindsey joined Barratt Developments Yorkshire West in March 2023 where she joined as one of seven board members. As Lindsey has progressed in her career, her determination to support in diversifying the industry and create an inspiring work environment for her entire team no matter the gender continues to develop. Lindsey has been an inspiration across the industry, showing that the award’s theme of ‘Breaking Barriers’ is possible in the sector. Lindsey is passionate that everyone has the same opportunities no matter a person’s upbringing or background and is keen to spread this message to young people. Outside of work, Lindsey has visited her child’s school to support STEM week and showcase the opportunities available within the industry, in particular to young girls who are considering joining the housebuilding sector. In her journey to inspire young women, Lindsey is set to invest her time into teenage girls who are negatively impacted by social media. She wants to inspire those who may not know what career opportunities are available to them, or to consider career paths that they may not have otherwise considered. Lindsey is keen to mentor and support these young women to find their ideal path no matter what their background. On the nomination, Lindsey said: “I’m extremely proud to have been named as one of the finalists in this year’s Forward Ladies Leadership Summit & Awards for STEM Leader of the Year. “I’ve worked within Commercial teams in the housebuilding industry for more than 20 years and one of my greatest achievements is being able to head up the Commercial department at Barratt and create a supportive environment for my team to grow and thrive. “I’ve worked hard to break the stereotypes and the stigma surrounding housebuilding over the lifetime of my career and have used my own experiences to positively encourage my teams to become more diverse and I’m proud to say more women than ever are coming through into this part of the business. “Diversifying the industry and inspiring young women to consider this career path is something I’m incredibly passionate about, and I hope I can be an inspiration to women in and out of the industry. It’s so exciting to be able to attend these awards and I wish all the finalists the best of luck at the event.” The Forward Ladies Leadership Summit & Awards 2023 ceremony will take place on November 24th, 2023, in London, which will see Lindsey and members of the Barratt team enjoy a full day of celebrations with category winner announcements and talks from female industry leaders. For more information about Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, please visit: www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A residential property development in East London has been refinanced, following a bespoke £15m development to investment loan from Secure Trust Bank (STB) Real Estate Finance (REF). Situated in Chadwell Heath, an area rising in popularity for new property development schemes, the eight-story building will provide 55 high-quality residential units comprising of between one to three bedrooms. The residential property is set to further appeal particularly to small and growing families, with a landscaped park and nature area nearby. The apartment block also includes one commercial unit and is due to reach practical completion in January 2025. The ground-up scheme will be welcome news in housebuilding given the UK’s ongoing need for more housing, especially in London where there is a particular shortage of affordable homes. The five-year loan was facilitated thanks to a longstanding relationship between Matthew-Blaine Young, Head of Origination at STB, and the broker, Stuart Bradney of Carbon Funding Consultants. Lawyers Dan Keys, of Clyde & Co, and Liz Roberts, of gunnercooke, also played a vital role in securing the deal. STB’s experience and expertise in providing finance for property development assisted in shaping a transaction curated to the buyer’s unique requirements. The £15m development to investment loan enables the developer to hold and operate the property in the long-term as a build-to-let scheme. Stuart Bradney of Carbon Funding Consultants said: “We’re delighted to have sealed the deal with STB. Our established relationship with Matthew, and ultimately STB overall, was testament to completing the transaction in a timely fashion. “A complex transaction like this requires the right team around it to achieve a successful outcome. As a result, STB’s previous experience in overcoming the challenges affiliated with property development investment, alongside the professional input of the deal’s lawyers and surveyors, was crucial to finalising the agreement. “Conducting a weekly touch point meeting with Matthew and the team was pivotal to ensuring fluent and clear communication throughout the process. To us, STB is a trusted bank. We have been working with the real estate finance team and Matthew for five years now, and they have a tailored approach that really sets them apart from the competition.” Matthew-Blaine Young, head of origination at Secure Trust Bank Real Estate Finance, said: “Having worked with Stuart and Carbon Funding Consultants in the past, it was clear that our partnership for this deal would be a productive and rewarding one. As specialists in residential property development finance and investment, we were adamant that we could provide a bespoke deal to befit the client’s needs. We are proud to have played a role in providing new housing at a time whereby it is most needed.” For further details on Secure Trust Bank Real Estate Finance, please click here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Affordable housebuilder, Orbit Homes and leading construction company, Wates are celebrating after being presented with the Gold award for Best Partnership Scheme at the 2023 What House? Awards in recognition of their regeneration of Park East in Erith. The award was presented following completion of a £120m scheme which was the latest phase by the two organisations of a wider initiative to regenerate two estates in Erith in the London Borough of Bexley. Between the two phases, around 900 households have been moved from substandard accommodation and a similar number of new homes for market sale, rent and shared ownership have been built under the partnership. The judges praised the collaborative approach in delivering a thoughtfully designed scheme, with a high level of specification and architectural detail, as well as the palpable community feel that has been generated at what is an exemplar of estate regeneration. Group Director of Orbit Homes, Helen Moore, commented: “I’m extremely proud of this award. To be presented with the Gold Award for Best Partnership alongside Wates is an outstanding achievement. “The award is a real testament to how partnership working and a shared commitment to providing high quality affordable homes can help to transform estates previously dominated by poor quality, ageing housing into vibrant and attractive, mixed tenure communities. “Park East and its neighbouring Erith Park are now safe and inclusive communities providing high quality, energy-efficient homes. It’s wonderful to see the team’s shared vision and seamless partnership in creating a place people are proud to call home achieve recognition with this award.” To find out more about Orbit Homes, click here. Helen Rieman, Business Growth Director, Wates said: “Creating genuine partnerships is what we strive to achieve – to work with deprived and wanting communities, to create not just better homes but a better living environment in all ways. We are very proud of our collaboration with Orbit and to win this Gold award from WhatHouse? is the culmination of a strong and enduring partnership between our teams. “The integration with all stakeholders and ensuring that we have a supply chain that is aligned to our and our partners’ values, are all important ingredients to creating a successful new development. At Park East, we have taken an area and a community that needed support and investment, through a journey which has delivered them a well-connected and quality new place to call home.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rotherham Council recently celebrated an important milestone towards achieving its aim to provide more affordable housing to the area. The completion of 12 homes at Harron Homes’ The Paddocks development in Wickersley marked the 500th home built and was celebrated by an event hosted at the development. Harron successfully put forward a bid to provide all 12 of the affordable homes to Rotherham Council. The 12 homes are made up of six rented units and six shared ownership homes which were purchased at a discount rate in line with Rotherham Council planning policy. Harron Homes’ Sales Manager Paul Walters welcomed Rotherham Council’s Deputy Leader Councillor Sarah Allen, and Assistant Director of Housing, James Clark to The Paddocks for the official handover of keys. The Council serves the residents of the city and surrounding areas. The affordable housing scheme is the latest in a series of measures to help families in the area find and maintain a home, with a target of acquiring hundreds of more homes by the end of March 2026. Councillor Sarah Allen said, “We are grateful to Harron homes for participating in the scheme and helping us reach this all-important milestone. Rotherham Council works to provide support for all those in our community and we are glad we can offer affordable housing to those who need it most. As a Council we have an important part to play in addressing the challenges faced and achieving better outcomes for the people of Rotherham.” Paul Walters added, “It was an honour to celebrate this important milestone with Councillor Allen and Mr Clark. Our teams dedicate themselves to delivering the highest quality in all areas and we are proud our homes can assist Rotherham Council in its goal of providing families with affordable housing. We look forward to continuing this relationship to support our local communities.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The BPMA’s annual awards programme has been recognising and rewarding the achievements of pump businesses, large and small for over two decades. Throughout that time, it has become one of the leading events to serve the industrial and commercial arena. So, if you have a pump related product, system, or service that you feel is deserving of industry-wide recognition, this is the ideal platform. Maybe you are proud of a particular pump project, or your overall environmental credentials? Perhaps you have a staff member who has gone above and beyond or you believe your commitment to skills development is worthy of acknowledgment. Whatever your engineering or business successes might be, third-party endorsement of your key achievements through this awards process delivers unrivalled promotional opportunities. The closing date for all entries is Friday 5th January 2024, so you now have just over a month to consider, prepare, and submit your entries. Entering is simple, and by putting forward a nomination you are demonstrating confidence and pride in the quality of your work, people, products, and projects. Submissions are sought for activities and achievements that took place in the 18-month period up to December 2023, and the online entry forms will remain on the dedicated awards website – www.pumpindustryawards.com – until the entry deadline of 5.00pm on Friday 5th January 2024. Please make a note of this important date, and begin considering which key developments, initiatives, staff, and successes you will be putting forward for wide spread recognition. Maintaining the early Spring timeline, and following the huge success of the 2023 event, the next Gala Dinner and Presentation Ceremony will take place on Thursday 14th March 2024 at our fantastic venue – the Hilton at St George’s Park in Burton on Trent. Situated on the edge of the National Forest, this impressive hotel is part of St. George’s Park – the training ground for all 28 English national football teams – and recognised the World over as the Home of English Football. Sporting excellence is synonymous with this venue, and early next year it will once again become the location for heralding engineering excellence across the pump sector. This key sector of industry continues to play a crucial role in ensuring our food production, utilities, manufacturing processes, transportation and other essential services are maintained, and the 2024 awards programme, will again give special recognition to those companies and individuals who have not just met, but exceeded the demands and challenges presented by the sectors served. This recognition and acknowledgement will be represented by eight award categories, that collectively honour the full breadth of product and service delivery by the pump industry: • Product of the Year – Sponsored by DFA Media Group • Project of the Year – Sponsored by AESSEAL • Environmental Contribution of the Year – Sponsored by SPP Pumps • Manufacturer of the Year – Sponsored by WEG UK • Distributor of the Year – Sponsored by Caprari / Calpeda • Supplier of the Year – Sponsored by Wilo • Contribution to Skills & Training – Sponsored by Crest Pumps • Rising Star Award – Sponsored by World Pumps Once again, we have secured the support and backing from a host of leading brands, all of whom recognise the value and importance of promoting excellence across the sector. In addition to our main category sponsors (highlighted above) there are also other sponsorship options to help support specific elements of the 2024 presentation evening. Several opportunities still exist, so please get in touch if you would like your brand aligned to outstanding engineering achievement. Wayne Rose, Director and CEO at the British Pump Manufacturers Association, commented: “This year’s awards ceremony – the 22nd such event – was as good as any I can remember. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the competition intense. Business and professional excellence deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated and these awards do just that for this most important of sectors. I would therefore encourage all those involved in the pump industry to prepare and submit their entries for the 2024 awards programme.” For further information on the 2024 Pump Industry Awards, and to submit your entry(s) please visit the website – www.pumpindustryawards.com – or call Event Director, Andrew Castle on 07785 290034. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
