The first concrete look into how the UK market has performed on the two-year anniversary of the country’s decision to leave the EU has been provided by the latest UK HPI release of property price data for June. With the headlines showing house price growth is at a five year
A unique development in Stafford which saw a former 19th century hospital restored to become a collection of luxurious apartments, has now been completed. Previously named St George’s County Asylum, the grade II listed building on Cooperation Street first opened in 1818 and housed over 1,000 patients with dysentery and
MiiHome project, a pioneering home safety project that uses XBox technology to monitor the welfare of elderly people has been shortlisted for a national award. The project, which is being trialled in Salford, aims to help older people live more safely in their homes for longer by tracking their movements
Rhodar has won the demolition project of three 18 storey tower blocks that have stood empty for over 10 years. Appointed by Together Housing Group as part of plans to regenerate a key area of Halifax in Calderdale, Rhodar will help clear the Beech Hill estate site, which is currently
A new five year framework with UK sports charity, the Football Foundation, has been secured by four firms. The firms appointed to provide services which will improve hundreds of community sports facilities in northern England are industry consultancy Gleeds and specialist sporting architecture firm LK2, along with Couch Perry Wilkes
Proposed new house designs can now be revealed for the aspirational collection of luxury properties that Duchy Homes intends to build in the picturesque Warwickshire village of Tanworth-in-Arden. The premium house builder has now submitted Reserved Matters to Stratford-on-Avon District Council and hopes to be granted planning permission to redevelop
Bryson, UK’s leading importer, manufacturer and distributor of fixings, temporary protection and safety products has just announced its partnership with last mile logistics provider Quiqup and hyper-local mini-warehouse location and technology provider Parcelly. Together, they offer the industry’s first on-demand, same-hour delivery service of construction materials to customers across London.
A new 306-home student accommodation development in Acton, west London, approached completion and it now stands at 7-storeys, offering 306 studio apartments complete with communal spaces including a café, student lounge, arcade and gym. Developed by Tide Construction and its offsite manufacturing company Vision Modular Systems, Chapter White City is
A £7.75 million contract for the extension and partial refurbishment of South Cliff Holiday Park in Bridlington for East Riding of Yorkshire Council via the YORbuild framework has been secured by Interserve. The scheme will see the redevelopments of the caravan and camp site, as well as provide new amenity
Kier Construction will be continuing to grow its industrial portfolio with the latest appointment to deliver a £39 million regional distribution hub facility in Wixams, Bedford, for developers UK Land and Property. The facility will be occupied by B&M Retail Ltd and will serve as its Southern Distribution Centre. The
The first concrete look into how the UK market has performed on the two-year anniversary of the country’s decision to leave the EU has been provided by the latest UK HPI release of property price data for June. With the headlines showing house price growth is at a five year low across the UK, leading Hybrid Estate Agent, Emoov.co.uk, has crunched the numbers to see where has suffered and where has shrugged off the wider market slowdown to enjoy strong price growth. The UK Nationwide, prices are up 7.3% since the vote, with England and Scotland both enjoying the same increase, while price growth in Wales trails slightly at 7.1% and has hit 7.7% in Northern Ireland. Regionally, the West and East Midlands are ahead of the rest with price growth hitting double-digit figures in the last year, 10.9% and 10.3% respectively. The North East has suffered the most with prices increasing by just 0.3% in the last two years. The high cost of living in the capital has also taken its toll with London the second worst performer at 1.8%. This is largely due to central London and when split, Inner London price growth falls further to 1.2% while Outer London picks up the pace at 4.1%. The Best Across the UK it’s the Orkney and Shetland Islands that have enjoyed the largest growth since Brexit, up a huge 36.1% in the Orkney’s and 19.9% in the Shetlands. England compiles the rest of the top 10 largest increases with Thanet (18.8%), Harborough (18.4%), Kettering (18.4%), Tendring (17.8%), Maldon (17.7%), Sandwell (17.2%), Blaby (17.2%) and North Norfolk (17.0%). The Worst The City of London has been by far the worst area of the UK for property price growth with a drop of -21.9%. However, with an average house price of over £900,000, homeowners aren’t completely out of pocket. The City of Aberdeen is the second worst and only other area to see a double-digit drop at -12.3%. With an average house price of £1.2 million, Kensington and Chelsea has also seen a notable drop at -7.4%, with the Western Isles (-6.2%), the City of Westminster (-6.0%), Three Rivers (-5.7%), wider Aberdeenshire (-5.4%), Hammersmith and Fulham (-4.4%), Wandsworth (-2.9%) and Southwark (-2.9%) all seeing some of the largest declines in price growth.
A unique development in Stafford which saw a former 19th century hospital restored to become a collection of luxurious apartments, has now been completed. Previously named St George’s County Asylum, the grade II listed building on Cooperation Street first opened in 1818 and housed over 1,000 patients with dysentery and syphilis, before it closed in 1995. When work began to transform the structure, floors and walls were crumbling and some parts of the building had to be demolished, following 20 years of neglect. However, today the building is unrecognisable. What was once a decaying and uninhabitable building, is now a collection of beautiful one, two and three-bedroom apartments and has been renamed St George’s Mansions. Behind the incredible transformation is housebuilder, Shropshire Homes who has been working on the development since 2015. The team was keen to preserve the history of the hospital and maintain the Georgian architecture. In order to achieve this, Shropshire Homes worked closely together with leading roof tile manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles, who has extensive experience in re-roofing and restoration projects. The manufacturer supplied 20,000 of its Lothian tiles in Slate Grey. The cost-effective tiles were able to replicate the look of other natural slate tiles on the building, whilst providing the sustainable benefits of concrete. The Lothian tiles form part of Russell Roof Tiles’ Natural Range – an expanding selection of thinner leading edge interlocking concrete tiles. When laid, the tile gives the appearance of a small format tile with the commercial benefit of a larger format tile. “This is the first project that we worked with Shropshire Homes on and we are proud to have been part of such a fantastic transformation. With significant experience in re-roofing, the Russell Roof Tiles team is equipped to provide suitable roofing solutions which not only meet the current building requirements but which also provides sustainable benefits for many years to come,” said Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles. Managing Director for Shropshire Homes, Howard Thorne added: “These magnificent old buildings deserve some TLC invested back into them. The original architecture is captivating and we enjoy the challenge and are motivated by the outcomes we can achieve – characterful, luxurious homes with attractive period features. “We work with the best of the original features and combine innovation and vision with craftsmanship to transform the old and unloved into something new and desirable. “It’s been a privilege to deliver this project and give Stafford a truly wonderful building that will stand with dignity for many years to come.” Russell Roof Tiles is a leading independent roof tile manufacturer providing products for leading UK house builders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects, where sustainability and eco-credentials are of the utmost priority.
MiiHome project, a pioneering home safety project that uses XBox technology to monitor the welfare of elderly people has been shortlisted for a national award. The project, which is being trialled in Salford, aims to help older people live more safely in their homes for longer by tracking their movements using artificial intelligence. A collaboration between housing association Salix Homes, working alongside Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, The University of Manchester, and The University of Salford, MiiHome project has been shortlisted in the Innovation of the Year category in the prestigious 24 Housing Awards, which recognises excellence in the housing sector. As part of the trial, X-Box Kinect sensors, which detect movement, were fitted into a number of properties at Salix Homes’ sheltered living schemes, which provide accommodation for older people. “The idea of MiiHome is that it acts as a sort of ‘digital guardian angel’ which is able to detect changes in behaviour that could mean something is wrong, for example someone’s gait may have slowed down, or they may be getting up more than usual in the night,” said Jonathan Drake, service director at Salix Homes. “Its aim is to provide an early warning system to enable a health professional to step in and provide the right sort of care before the situation escalates, and hopefully reduce hospital admissions and pressure on our already overstretched NHS,” he continued. The nomination for the prestigious award represents a double reason for celebration for Salix Homes, as its new affordable housing development – Alexander Gardens in Broughton – has also been shortlisted in the Affordable Housing Scheme of the Year Category. “It’s a real honour for Salix Homes to have two of our projects named as finalists in the 24 Housing Awards, and it’s testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved,” said Lee Sugden, chief executive at Salix Homes. The winners of the 24 Housing Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.
Rhodar has won the demolition project of three 18 storey tower blocks that have stood empty for over 10 years. Appointed by Together Housing Group as part of plans to regenerate a key area of Halifax in Calderdale, Rhodar will help clear the Beech Hill estate site, which is currently occupied by Cobden Court, Blenheim Court and Westbrook Court. Scheduled to work on the internal strip out and subsequent top down deconstruction of the tower blocks are up to 80 Rhodar operatives, along with a 65-metre super high reach excavator, of which only a handful exist in the UK. The excavator will remove approximately 10 storeys from each block, allowing further high reach kit to demolish the remaining structures. “This is an important milestone for our business as it will be the first major enabling works package we have undertaken since our corporate rebrand last month, and it’s extremely rewarding for our teams to be working on such a prestigious and high-profile regeneration scheme,” said Jason Davy, managing director at Rhodar. On hand to process site materials will be four excavators ranging from 21 to 40 tonnes. The existing concrete and rubble will be recycled on site into a specific engineered fill material that will then be used to create a development platform for the next level of regeneration. This will contribute to a significantly reduced carbon footprint for the project by minimising vehicle movements in and around the project area. The regeneration of Beech Hill is part of the Calderdale Together Investment Partnership, a partnership between Together Housing and Calderdale Council, which aims to deliver 500 affordable homes over the next five years, including new homes at the Beech Hill site, as well at other sites across Calderdale. “I, like many people in Halifax, will be delighted to see new, affordable homes replace these outdated tower blocks. This is part of our commitment to address the housing crisis in West Yorkshire where the average home is now seven times the average salary,” commented George Paterson, group director of Property Services at Together Housing Group. The site clearance is expected to take 64 weeks, with main demolition work starting in January 2019.
A new five year framework with UK sports charity, the Football Foundation, has been secured by four firms. The firms appointed to provide services which will improve hundreds of community sports facilities in northern England are industry consultancy Gleeds and specialist sporting architecture firm LK2, along with Couch Perry Wilkes and engineers BSP Consulting. “We are delighted to take a place on this framework with LK2. Football is the national game and the biggest team sport in England. The Football Foundation has already overseen investment of over £1 billion in improving facilities since 2000, and Sport England has invested more than £70 million into sports facilities over the past four years,” said Gleeds Director, Anthony Cork. “The sports sector is a key focus for Gleeds, and we are rapidly growing our expertise in this area so we are pleased to be part of an ongoing programme of works which will improve community sporting facilities across the north,” he continued. The work will vary depending on individual project requirements, with features including the design, supply and installation of modular buildings to provide new changing rooms and clubhouse facilities. The programme is part of a wider Government strategy to 2021 to improve ‘grassroots’ sporting facilities to encourage more community involvement. Dale Lui, Managing Director of LK2, also commented on the news: “We were keen to support Gleeds with this framework bid acting as a sub-consultant on the framework. Our firms have huge combined expertise in the sporting facilities sector. Together we will provide design and construction consultancy support and help improve large numbers of facilities in the north of England.” “We are very proud to join our peers LK2, Gleeds and BSP on this framework, which is an outstanding example of industry-wide collaboration and will no doubt deliver some truly excellent projects. Grassroots football is one of the key cornerstones of our national sport and improving the facilities local clubs have access to will go a long way to enrich the lives of aspiring sportsmen and sportswomen across the UK,” added Nilesh Mistry, director at Couch Perry Wilkes.
Proposed new house designs can now be revealed for the aspirational collection of luxury properties that Duchy Homes intends to build in the picturesque Warwickshire village of Tanworth-in-Arden. The premium house builder has now submitted Reserved Matters to Stratford-on-Avon District Council and hopes to be granted planning permission to redevelop Cank Farm’s four-acre site with a prestigious housing scheme. Situated on Well Lane, Duchy Homes’ vision is to deliver 18 new homes with a perfect blend of period charm and manor house opulence. Inspired by a farm and village theme, the award-winning developer has incorporated delightful architectural features such as traditional timber boarding, front gables and glass atriums set amongst impressive Georgian symmetry and the stately grandeur of columned entrances and deep statement windows. Buyers would be able to choose from seven unique house designs ranging from distinctive 4-bed and 5-bed traditional style detached homes to a stately 6-bedroom house design with a games room, triple garage and the option to include a private paddock. Focused on combining the idealism of country living with modern luxuries, each house would boast a high-quality specification for which Duchy Homes is renowned, including stylish open-plan living spaces, designer kitchens, indulgent bathrooms and luxury bedrooms with walk-in wardrobes. Its beautiful village location surrounded by picturesque Warwickshire countryside will make it ideal for home buyers to enjoy a relaxed lifestyle whilst also being easily-accessible from Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon via the M42. If planning permission is granted, demolition of the existing commercial buildings is anticipated for September with construction work expected to begin early next year.
Bryson, UK’s leading importer, manufacturer and distributor of fixings, temporary protection and safety products has just announced its partnership with last mile logistics provider Quiqup and hyper-local mini-warehouse location and technology provider Parcelly. Together, they offer the industry’s first on-demand, same-hour delivery service of construction materials to customers across London. Through a range of tailored business services, Quiqup offers local businesses like Bryson everything they need to power on-demand deliveries across London. Quiqup is not just a delivery provider but rather an end-to-end solutions partner, providing the technology, fleet, customer support and analytics Bryson needs to operate its own fast, local deliveries successfully. Parcelly is the UK’s fastest growing retailer and carrier agnostic PUDO network with over 1,600 nationwide on-demand fulfilment locations to date. The multi-award winning omnichannel technology provider resolves existing industry problems associated with first and last-mile delivery logistics and allows retailers like Bryson to move from a static transportation network to a dynamic system that flexes based on capacity and demand. Together, Parcelly and Quiqup enable Bryson to offer same-hour deliveries to their customers, by using Parcelly’s dynamic PUDO location network for storage. The collaboration allows Bryson to streamline their fulfilment process, speed up delivery cycles and ultimately improve customer experience and satisfaction. Customers download the BrysonNow app on the Google Play and Apple stores, available to all Bryson customers. Customers then input the postcode they would like their items delivered to and then simply browse the core product range available on BrysonNow and place an order for same-hour delivery, charged at a flat fee of £20. The order is then processed on Quiqup’s API and routed through Parcelly’s dynamic storage management system. The purchased items are collected by a Quiqup courier from the Parcelly location closest to the delivery destination. Customers are notified via email with a tracking link so they can watch their order arrive in real time. The Quiqup courier delivers the items to the customer’s selected address, within the hour. This same-hour delivery solution offers contractors one of the most valuable capabilities in the trade – the ability to turn a problem around in a matter of minutes.
A new 306-home student accommodation development in Acton, west London, approached completion and it now stands at 7-storeys, offering 306 studio apartments complete with communal spaces including a café, student lounge, arcade and gym. Developed by Tide Construction and its offsite manufacturing company Vision Modular Systems, Chapter White City is located on the site of the former Savoy Cinema. “Chapter White City is a fitting tribute to the famous cinema that once stood on the site, and the students that have chosen to make Acton their home will bring a vibrancy to this historic gateway to central London. Our work here with Vision and HTA is testimony to the versatility of modular construction and what it can deliver throughout London and the rest of the country, in both the residential sector, the hotel sector and the student sector,” said Christy Hayes, chief executive officer at Tide Construction. Manufactured by Vision in their purpose-built factory in Bedford, the modules used precision engineering production line techniques designed to streamline the process and deliver a quality end-product at a faster pace of construction. “Chapter White City is a stunning new addition to our growing London student portfolio, completed in time for the start of the 2019 academic year this September. Vision and Tide have perfected the art of modular construction, with Chapter White City standing as proof of the high-quality craftsmanship which can now be achieved by this innovative construction method,” said Troy Tomasik, Managing Director – Investments at Greystar. In addition, Tide and Vision Modular Systems are also onsite in Holloway delivering a 257-home student accommodation scheme for Chapter. Tide Construction Limited is a unique development and contracting company, utilising both traditional and Offsite Manufacturing Methodologies (OSM). The team provides full turnkey building solutions using highly advanced offsite techniques and are market leaders in modular construction.
A £7.75 million contract for the extension and partial refurbishment of South Cliff Holiday Park in Bridlington for East Riding of Yorkshire Council via the YORbuild framework has been secured by Interserve. The scheme will see the redevelopments of the caravan and camp site, as well as provide new amenity buildings, including toilet blocks, a new reception building and office accommodation. Moreover, it will create new pitches for tenting, touring, clamping, static caravan and lodges. Upgrades and refurbishment works will also be carried out to the existing caravan and camping site to improve the visitor experience. The YORbuild Employment and Skills Plan that will be delivered by Interserve as part of the project will ensure that opportunities for training, apprenticeships and work experience placements are available for local residents, along with assisting the unemployed back into work. “We have previously completed works on the site and are delighted to have been appointed to deliver this next phase; we look forward to continuing our long-term relationship with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, a forward thinking authority that continues to invest in its facilities,” said John Gittins, Divisional Director at Interserve. In addition to contributing to the local community, the expansion of the park will also provide a boost to the wider Bridlington economy. An estimated 158,280 additional visits made to the town each year are estimated to increase the spend in the wider economy by around £4.2 million per year. “I am delighted that, as well as creating new jobs on site, this newly expanded site will increase the number of people coming to stay in Bridlington and spending their money in the town and surrounding area, which will be a huge boost to the local economy,” said Councillor Symon Fraser, portfolio holder for strategic asset management, housing and environment.
Kier Construction will be continuing to grow its industrial portfolio with the latest appointment to deliver a £39 million regional distribution hub facility in Wixams, Bedford, for developers UK Land and Property. The facility will be occupied by B&M Retail Ltd and will serve as its Southern Distribution Centre. The equivalent to 12 premier league football pitches, the 21.5 m high, 1 million sq ft warehouse will help meet market demand. The Distribution Centre consists of warehousing and distribution facilities including temperature controlled zones to accommodate chilled and frozen goods, offices, recycling and ancillary areas. There will also be other provisions, including a refuelling area, a maintenance area for vehicles and a gatehouse, surrounding the main building. “First class warehouse space is in real demand and working with UK Land and Property LLP, we are looking forward to delivering this space in a perfectly situated location for deliveries across the country. As the UK is the eighth largest manufacturer in the world, we are proud to be supporting UK businesses and their growth and also help secure thousands of job opportunities in the area,” said Mark Pausey, managing director of Kier Construction Central. “It is an exciting award for Kier and not only is the size of the warehouse going to be impressive, but it also includes 200,000m3 of earthworks and will see us use 4,500 tonnes of steel throughout the build. The finished distribution hub will create around a thousand new jobs and we’ll also be supporting employment growth in the local area throughout the build,” he continued. The news on the Distribution Centre follows on the announcement that Kier will be building a major extension to the Telford-based Müller factory. The £10 million project will see Kier double the size of the existing site and enable Müller to significantly increase its yoghurt production.