The buy-to-let market has remained remarkably resilient, despite change sin tax regulations, the lettings fees ban and interest rate rises, and the majority of landlords feel positive about the year ahead. This statement is also backed up by the annual Shawbrook Bank buy-to-let barometer, where 65% of investors reported they
Britcon, the North Lincolnshire building and civil engineering firm, has started working on site for a major contract that includes the extension of a Leeds operating site for Vickers Oils. The complex project involves the construction of a 5,500 sq ft two-storey, river-side building to house a first-floor laboratory with
Research into Migration in the UK Construction and Built Environment, the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) new Green Paper, has revealed that less than a third of employers have taken action to deal with the impact of the UK leaving the EU. The key findings of the research include: one
Four smart motorway projects worth £500 million are due to begin over the next 18 months in North West England. Over 100 miles of extra lanes will be developed across the region’s motorway, with work starting this summer on a three-mile stretch of the M62 near junction 12. Temporary narrow
The second phase of the £32 million flood alleviation project for Perry Barr and Witton near Birmingham is underway. The scheme will be reducing the risk for 1,400 properties currently at risk of flooding from the River Tame, including 950 homes. Part of the Environment Agency’s programme of £2.6 billion
The AGM of SELECT, the campaigning trade body for the electrotechnical industry in Scotland, has reported another year of successful awareness raising, outreach and training initiatives. Kevin Griffin was re-elected as President of SELECT and Kenny Duncan was re-elected as Vice President at the meeting and Technical Update, which was
The £14.2 million expansion project of a primary school in London has been offered to Morgan Sindall. The project will allow Tufnell Park Primary School to double its capacity from 315 pupils to 630 pupils by 2025. “Tufnell Park is a well-established and much-loved part of a growing community in
An £82.7 million deal has been agreed between M&G Real Estate and Redrow Homes for the funding of more than 180 new build to rent homes in Colindale, North London. The 48-acre project, which is being created by Redrow on the site of the former Peel Centre Metropolitan Police training
SLADEN Estates and Peveril Securities have announced the start of the speculative development of two high-quality industrial and distribution buildings located in Nimbus Park, Doncaster. Construction work on the two buildings, measuring 164,000 sq ft and 106,202 sq ft, is due to commence later this month, with the completion date
Construction work has started on a £32 million West Suffolk waste hub. The developments aims to streamline waste services on a single 16 acre site at Hollow Road Farm, in Fornham St Martin, to offer a waste transfer station, household waste recycling centre, vehicle workshop and re-use shop. Contractor Morgan
The buy-to-let market has remained remarkably resilient, despite change sin tax regulations, the lettings fees ban and interest rate rises, and the majority of landlords feel positive about the year ahead. This statement is also backed up by the annual Shawbrook Bank buy-to-let barometer, where 65% of investors reported they feel confident about their property portfolio in 2018. Many landlords have therefore decided to streamline their portfolios in order to strengthen return in the changing buy-to-let landscape. Data from Paragon Mortgages supports this, stating that smaller scale landlords and prolific portfolio landlords in particular have been reorganising, with many using downsizing as a method to manage economic changes. The research also highlighted a drop in the number of small scale landlords, with the total of those who own between three and five buy-to-let properties falling at the end of last year. A reduction in large scale landlords who own in excess of 50 properties was also seen. The only group increasing their portfolios were middling landlords with between six and 20 properties in their portfolio, a group that increased by 4% in the last 12 months. The current market factors have now created the perfect environment to sell, with an influx of first time investors entering the sector. Statistics from the latest HomeLet Rental Index show that rents are on the rise with prices up 2% year-on-year during May, which, combined with the demand for rented homes believing to hit six million by 2025, means that the buy-to-let sector will continue to entice investors. Moreover, a shortfall of quality rental accommodation and growing national demand makes for a win-win situation when it comes to selling. Vendors have an eager audience of investors waiting to buy for the right price, while buyers can be confident that they are buying into a buoyant and growing market.
Britcon, the North Lincolnshire building and civil engineering firm, has started working on site for a major contract that includes the extension of a Leeds operating site for Vickers Oils. The complex project involves the construction of a 5,500 sq ft two-storey, river-side building to house a first-floor laboratory with roof plant area and ground floor storage facility. “Our environment acceptable marine lubricants have helped our business to grow significantly in recent years following legislation that requires the worldwide shipping industry to make changes. This has allowed us to invest in our plant and relocate our wet chemistry function into the new laboratory whilst keeping our mechanical testing and offices in the old buildings,” said Chris Wholley, Technical Director at Vickers Oils. “The challenge to Britcon is no mean feat as they are required to manage the construction project alongside mechanical and electrical installation and laboratory outfitter simultaneously in a very short timescale. We are extremely pleased with the efficiency of the Britcon team so far,” he added. Part of a substantial investment by Vickers Oils, the laboratory extensions aims to update the company’s 50-year-old laboratory buildings and consolidate it into a more modern facility with improved extraction, heating and ventilation. A new boiler house and tank farm have already been installed, while the existing structures have been demolished to make room for the new laboratory. “We are pleased to be working with Vickers Oils to deliver this significant project that will help facilitate further growth for a market leader. The project is complex and challenging but we have the expertise and value engineering capacity to deliver. We are also in discussions to carry out phase three of the project to install energy efficient windows, a new façade to the existing building and refurbishment of the old laboratories,” said Paul Clarkson, Managing Director at Britcon. Britcon was established more than 25 years ago and it now has a team of over 90 people in the UK, as well as a depth of experience working within the chemical and petrochemical sector. Its clients include Lindsey Oil Refinery, BASF, Kemira Chemicals, and Associates British Ports.
Research into Migration in the UK Construction and Built Environment, the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) new Green Paper, has revealed that less than a third of employers have taken action to deal with the impact of the UK leaving the EU. The key findings of the research include: one in three construction employers are feeling the impact of Brexit (up 9% since last year); almost half expect the recruitment of skilled workforce to become more difficult over the next two years, with just 4% expecting it to get easier; less than a third has taken action with regards to Brexit; only 8% of employers who have started making Brexit contingency plans said they will increase training; and the most important goal employers have in the run-up to Brexit is to keep hold of the workers they currently employ. “With Brexit approaching, construction employers are expecting the recruitment of skilled workers to get harder as they anticipate restrictions on access to migrant workers. However, few employers are making firm plans to address this and instead are focusing on retaining their existing migrant workforce,” said Steve Radley, Director at the Construction Industry Training Board. Mr Radley added the paper highlights the need for a “twin-track strategy – investing in the domestic workforce while enabling employers to continue to secure the vital talent of migrant workers”. “With an estimated 158,000 construction jobs to be created between now and 2022, it is critical that industry works together to deliver its part of this strategy,” he said. CITB is the Industry Training Board and a partner in the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry in England, Scotland and Wales. Its job is to work with industry to encourage training, which helps build a safe, professional and fully qualified workforce, by offering support and funding.
Four smart motorway projects worth £500 million are due to begin over the next 18 months in North West England. Over 100 miles of extra lanes will be developed across the region’s motorway, with work starting this summer on a three-mile stretch of the M62 near junction 12. Temporary narrow lanes will be introduced to allow contractors to work at the side of the motorway, and a 50mph speed limit will be needed for the safety of drivers and workers. The roadworks will be gradually extended to junction 10 by the autumn and the smart motorway scheme is due to be completed by spring 2020. Speed limits of 50mph will also be introduced between junctions 10 and 18 on the M60 later this summer as the remaining section of the North West’s first motorway goes live. Overnight resurfacing work will continue into the autumn on parts of the M60 once the smart motorway is operational. “Smart motorways have been proven to be effective at tackling congestion, with the smart motorway on the M62 in West Yorkshire saving commuters an average of 30 minutes each week,” said Mike Bull, Highways England’s smart motorways programme manager for the North.”We’ll be starting work on four new smart motorways in the North West over the next 18 months and will do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum, including only closing parts of the motorway overnight when traffic levels are much lower.” The other schemes include a 20-mile stretch of smart motorway on the M6 in Cheshire, which will provide 40 miles of extra lanes for drivers by spring 2019. Work will also start in spring next year on a four-mile smart motorway on the M56 near Manchester Airport and on a 10-mile stretch on the part of the M6 that links the M62 near Warrington to the M58 near Skelmersdale. Additionally, a new 19-mile smart motorway will be created over the Pennines on the M62 between Rochdale and Brighouse. The route will link up with other schemes on the M62 to create almost 60 miles of smart motorway between the North West and Yorkshire, with construction work due to start in autumn 2019.
The second phase of the £32 million flood alleviation project for Perry Barr and Witton near Birmingham is underway. The scheme will be reducing the risk for 1,400 properties currently at risk of flooding from the River Tame, including 950 homes. Part of the Environment Agency’s programme of £2.6 billion investment into flood defences across the country, the second phase of the project will provide additional flood storage at Forge Mill in Sandwell Valley. Work in the Country Park will include new fencing for improved animal pens at Forge Mill Farm, extending it as a visitor attraction. There will also be improvements carried out to the entrance into the park for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders entering from the Old Newton Road. “It’s great to see first-hand work starting at Perry Barr and Witton – a fantastic scheme which not only proves the value of partnership working but which also promises to improve public spaces too. A keen cyclist myself, I’m pleased to see that as well as reducing flood risk the project will improve cycle paths and parkland in the area – a win-win for everyone,” said Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the Environment Agency. The main aspects of this phase are the building of the new embarkment, the installation of the river outlet and the temporary re-diverting of the river. “This excellent new scheme will better protect 1,400 more properties from flooding and will improve access to the wonderful Sandwell Valley Country Park for both local residents and tourists,” said Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey. “With funding coming from the government, local councils, the Arts Council and crowd funders, this project is a great example of how by working together, we can help protect our communities and improve our environment,” she added. The first stage of the project included improvements to the existing upstream flood storage area at Perry Hall Playing Fields, as well as improvement works in Perry Barr and Witton, such as wall repairs and wall raising along Brookvale Road, construction of walls along Tame Road and installation of a flood gate at the Atlas Industrial Estate entrance.
The AGM of SELECT, the campaigning trade body for the electrotechnical industry in Scotland, has reported another year of successful awareness raising, outreach and training initiatives. Kevin Griffin was re-elected as President of SELECT and Kenny Duncan was re-elected as Vice President at the meeting and Technical Update, which was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh in Inverkeithing, Fife. Moreover, the AGM also welcomed Darrell Matthews as the organisation’s new managing director and wished outgoing MD Newell McGuiness, who has served for 29 years, every happiness in his retirement. The technical main topic over the course of the year had been working on the 18th edition of BS 7671, on which many hundreds of hours had been spent to ensure amendments would be practical and would meet international standards. “For the third successive year, SELECT delivered awareness training to all local authority verifiers. This year we travelled to eight locations around Scotland delivering updates on BS 7671 and BS 5839. These events are an important part of maintaining our relationship with local authority building standards staff, which helps us represent members’ interests around the Certification of Construction Scheme,” said Mr Griffin. A strong year was also recorded at SELECT’s Toolbox Talks, where 12 events in 2017 had a record number of attendees. More than 650 members had come to hear about updates to the Scottish Building Standards and Surge Protective devices, a presentation which now features on YouTube. Training played another important role with a 5% increase in demand for SELECT training courses. Over the year SELECT trained 2871 delegates (2044 delegates from member businesses and the rest from non-member organisations) across 267 different courses. SELECT’s 1250 member companies account for around 90% of all electrical installation work carried out in Scotland. They have a collective turnover of around £1 billion and provide employment for 15,000 people.
The £14.2 million expansion project of a primary school in London has been offered to Morgan Sindall. The project will allow Tufnell Park Primary School to double its capacity from 315 pupils to 630 pupils by 2025. “Tufnell Park is a well-established and much-loved part of a growing community in Islington and we’re delighted to be working together with Islington Council on our third school in the last two years. The new building will enable teachers and staff to continue to deliver an outstanding teaching experience for pupils, ensuring that every child is given the best start to their educational journey,” said Richard Dobson, Area Director at Morgan Sindall’s London office. “Our project team is extremely experienced and adept at delivering high-quality education projects, often working in logistically challenging urban environments across London, and on live sites. We will bring this knowledge to bear on this development, doing our utmost to minimise disruption, engage both school users and the local community and manage the project to a high standard to ensure the journey to completion is a positive one for all stakeholders,” he added. The new building will feature bright and spacious interior with light wells reaching up three floors in the main corridor, as well as double-height foyer with a glass-fronted library designed to give an impressive, inspirational feel to the entrance space. Designed to create a new ‘heart’ at the centre of the school building, the library is located near the main entrance to encourage visitors and the wider community to celebrate learning.The new multi-use games area (MUGA) and halls will be available to both the school and local residents for community use outside of the school day. “Tufnell Park primary school is hugely popular with local families and rightfully so,” said Cllr Joe Caluori. “With strong demand for school places here, we wanted to make sure the expanded school would create a high-quality, pleasant and airy learning environment that helps to get the best out of pupils and teachers – and with facilities and spaces that are fit for the future, too. I am already looking forward to taking a tour of the finished building.” The new building is expected to be completed by the spring of 2020.
An £82.7 million deal has been agreed between M&G Real Estate and Redrow Homes for the funding of more than 180 new build to rent homes in Colindale, North London. The 48-acre project, which is being created by Redrow on the site of the former Peel Centre Metropolitan Police training college, will see more than 2,900 new homes built over the next 10 years. “This new deal with another top UK house-builder, increases our ongoing development pipeline, offering our investors the opportunity to continue capitalising on the UK’s rapidly growing private rental market. We look forward to continued deals of this stature in the sector, providing investors with the chance to increase their exposure to the residential market,” said Alex Greaves, Head of Residential Investment at M&G Real Estate. “This development is a clear statement that renting can be the tenure of choice for an upwardly mobile workforce, which requires the flexibility of renting with high-quality service and support. Colindale has emerged as a property hotspot and is an area undergoing major transformation,” he added. The 186 homes are part of the £1.2 billion Colindale Garden development and they are anticipated to be ready by 2021. “This deal is another exciting step forward for Colindale Gardens and Redrow as we look to create a diverse and sustainable community that offers a range of housing for a diverse mix of Londoners,” said Mark Parker, Managing Director at Redrow Homes East London. “The wider area is fast becoming a hotspot for families and young professionals and our development will offer all the attributes which customers prioritise, including excellent connectivity, green open spaces and an abundance of amenities on their doorstep.” M&G Real Estate is the property investment arm of M&G and one of the world’s largest property investors with £30.1 billion of assets across all the major sectors in the UK, Europe and Asia. Drawing on 150 years of investment experience, the firm actively manages its properties to maximise returns and generate a strong income stream for institutional investors.
SLADEN Estates and Peveril Securities have announced the start of the speculative development of two high-quality industrial and distribution buildings located in Nimbus Park, Doncaster. Construction work on the two buildings, measuring 164,000 sq ft and 106,202 sq ft, is due to commence later this month, with the completion date scheduled for March 2019. The main contractors for this development are Bowmer & Kirkland. Located just minutes off J6 of the M18 at Thorne, Doncaster, Nimbus Park offers excellent connections to the national motorway network. “Regional and national occupiers appreciate the benefits that Doncaster has to offer – particularly Thorne – due to the excellent labour availability,” said Rachel Wood of Sladen Estates. NP164 and NP106 will have clear internal heights of 15 metres and 12 metres respectively and both units will benefit from generous and fully contained secure yards and high quality office accommodation. “It is great to see activity on Nimbus Park, with the development of two high quality buildings at a time when there is increased occupier demand and focus on the South Yorkshire market,” said Rachel. “With the likes of The Range and BMW choosing to locate in Thorne for their national distribution hubs it demonstrates the strength of the location and it is a trend we only see continuing as other occupiers look towards the area,” she added. CPP and Moriarty & Co are retained as agents for the buildings, which are available on a leasehold basis. Sladen Estates is a commercial property development company specialising in industrial and commercial development throughout the UK and has offices in Derbyshire and Manchester. Peveril Securities is the property division of Bowmer and Kirkland – one of the largest privately-owned construction groups in the UK.
Construction work has started on a £32 million West Suffolk waste hub. The developments aims to streamline waste services on a single 16 acre site at Hollow Road Farm, in Fornham St Martin, to offer a waste transfer station, household waste recycling centre, vehicle workshop and re-use shop. Contractor Morgan Sindall is getting the community involved and has already developed a community engagement programme to work throughout the project with a Community Liaison Group. “The local community has held this project to account from the outset, and through its activism and tenacity has influenced the design and delivery of the site,” said Cllr Sarah Broughton, chair of the Community Liaison Group and St Edmundsbury Borough Council ward member for nearby Great Barton. “Construction will bring its own challenges and I welcome the contractor’s commitment to engaging with residents through the Community Liaison Group, to keep them involved and informed.” The developers of the site include St Edmundsbury Borough and Forest Health District Councils, together with Suffolk County Council. “We would like to assure residents that we will be doing everything in our power to ensure minimal disruption while work on-site is carried out,” mentioned Saul Humphrey, managing director for Morgan Sindall’s East region. The chairman of Fornham St Martin cum St Genevieve, Great Barton and Fornham All Saints parish councils has welcomed efforts to work with the community. Philip Reeve, of Great Barton, said: “It’s essential with a big project that there’s community involvement.” Michael Collier, of Fornham St Martin, said: ” We want to do everything we can to make sure things are as smooth as possible and they’re aware of our concerns.” Howard Quayle, of Fornham All Saints, said: “It’s a channel of communication.”