Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens are set to receive a £10 million facelift as plans have been unveiled for a multi-million pound regeneration. Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets (L&G) will give the city centre space an overhaul as part of a £10 million investment, in conjunction with Manchester City Council.
Technical and non-technical workplace safety and performance consultancy, People Factor Consultants (PFC) is celebrating a record six months after recording major rises in the number of people taking its electrical safety and human factors courses. The consultancy firm offers a number of highly interactive electrical safety courses accredited by City
Steel firm SCH Site Services is helping major logistics company Stiller to expand once more with the development of a £750,000 warehouse. Based on Aycliffe Business Park, Stiller Warehousing and Distribution is in the process of building a new 40,000 sq ft warehouse for its rapidly expanding list of customers.
Balfour Beatty has announced that its managing director for the north of Scotland is retiring after a 40 year career in the industry. Aberdeen-based George Hood recently oversaw the completion of the £22.3 million Third Don Crossing for the giant construction and civil engineering firm. The major project marked one of the last
York based housebuilder Persimmon Homes has secured planning permission for its latest residential project in Wigan. This week, the planning committee at Wigan Council gave the green light for Persimmon to create 150 new homes on land East of Pocket Nook Farm in Lowton. Around a quarter of the properties
The property management team from Sheffield solicitors, Taylor&Emmet LLP, is achieving national recognition of its skills, after being shortlisted for a prestigious industry award. Taylor&Emmet is one of the final four firms in the running for the legal services category at this year’s Property Management Awards (PMAs). The competition celebrates
The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national Scheme to improve the image of construction – has made appointments with a new Statutory Board of Directors. The new board includes four independent non-executive Directors: Roma Agrawal, a distinguished structural engineer; Richard Byrne, a prominent Health and Safety Director; Nick Coley, a
Vital Energi would like to congratulate York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on their work to lower carbon emissions, which has been honoured for the fourth time at a national awards ceremony. This will help bring inline York Healthcare programmes. “Best Examples of Efficiencies” The Trust’s energy project at The
Introducing the World’s First Elevated Home: Is It the Answer to the UK’s Housing Issues? While some industries are constantly heralded as holding the keys to a bright and progressive future, others are derided as moribund and increasingly irrelevant in the modern age. Take manufacturing, for example, which despite accounting
A RISING star from leading independent management, design and construction consultancy Pick Everard has won the Young Achiever of the Year award at this year’s Constructing Excellence National awards. 31-year-old Mike Reader said he was thrilled to win the Young Achiever award, which recognises the very best emerging talent in
Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens are set to receive a £10 million facelift as plans have been unveiled for a multi-million pound regeneration. Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets (L&G) will give the city centre space an overhaul as part of a £10 million investment, in conjunction with Manchester City Council. L&G’s lease area is set to be extended in return. Bill Hughes, Head of Real Assets at L&G, said that they see the partnership with Manchester City Council and the proposal for Piccadilly Gardens as a chance to regenerate a prominent and well-used space in central Manchester that is also a thoroughfare to other parts of the city He continued: “Under the proposals L&G will dedicate £2m worth of investment in improvements to Piccadilly Gardens to make them more attractive and welcoming to families while deterring anti-social behaviour. The plans include removing the existing Pavilion building and feature wall and replacing them with two new Pavilion buildings linked by a covered area of new public space for year-round use. Greater Manchester Police have been consulted on the landscaping design “to deter anti-social behaviour and improve natural surveillance”. “The proposed Pavilion design will bring a new vibrancy and economy to Piccadilly Gardens which we hope residents can be proud of and visitors to Manchester will see as a destination in its own right,” Bill Hughes said. “L&G has a longstanding track record of working with progressive local authorities to bring forward regeneration and improvements to social infrastructure projects. We see Piccadilly Gardens as a prime example of this kind of collaboration in action.” The proposals for the Pavilion and Gardens will be undertaken and paid for by L&G. It is estimated that the cost will surpass the £10 million mark, of which £2 million will be invested in public realm improvements.
Technical and non-technical workplace safety and performance consultancy, People Factor Consultants (PFC) is celebrating a record six months after recording major rises in the number of people taking its electrical safety and human factors courses. The consultancy firm offers a number of highly interactive electrical safety courses accredited by City & Guilds as well as its range of non-technical, human factors training. Earlier in the year, the firm launched its newest course, HV Systems Operations. This course combines eight days worth of training into one five day course and provides operators with what it describes as a ‘flexible, cost effective option’ for electrical safety training. Brian Crichton, Technical Director at PFC, commented on the company’s success: “Our portfolio of courses is extremely flexible and we have ensured that all courses are developed to meet the current needs of the industry for cost-effective training solutions. Even during the toughest times, operators have still acknowledged that we need to avoid complacency with workplace safety and that investment at this time will pay off in terms of safety and performance. “Between this year and last we’ve doubled the number of Responsible Electrical Person courses delivered, and numbers for our Electrical Safety and Situation Awareness have increased fivefold over the same period last year. Our HV Switching course, which is now incorporated into our HV Systems Operations course, has proved extremely popular with delegates. We’ve had a significant amount of excellent feedback, with one delegate sharing that he has never undertaken such effective training during his 30 years in the industry. “The success of our training courses is testament to our experienced team of specialist trainers and is a reflection of our flexibility in developing the most effective courses which offer delegates a comprehensive understanding of electrical safety.” PFC offers a portfolio of 15 technical and non-technical training courses. Many of these are accredited by City & Guild, as well as providing tailored training and consultancy services to high hazard industries across the world.
Steel firm SCH Site Services is helping major logistics company Stiller to expand once more with the development of a £750,000 warehouse. Based on Aycliffe Business Park, Stiller Warehousing and Distribution is in the process of building a new 40,000 sq ft warehouse for its rapidly expanding list of customers. The latest development will stand at 10 metres tall and will have the capacity to store a further 6,000 pallets for the family run business. The scheme will support dozens of local jobs during its construction. Darlington bases ADG Architects will manage the project with civil engineering support from Durham based firm BDN. Hall Construction is its main contractor, based nearby at Rushyford, which awarded Aycliffe based SCH a project to fabricate and erect its frame using 90 tonnes of steel. CH, which has previously worked with Hall Construction on the refurbishment of buildings at PD Ports on Teesside, completed the steel fabrication and erection of the frame within eight weeks, and the warehouse is expected to be fully completed in the New Year. SCH managing director Gary Finley said: “We’re delighted to have worked on a project so close to us in Newton Aycliffe which is supporting several local employers. “We fabricated the steel in-house at our facility just around the corner from Stiller’s site and erected it on site. “The extension had to join an existing warehouse which made it a little more complex than a stand- alone shed and we also had to design the end connections for the structure, but we’re pleased we’ve been able to work with one of our neighbours in enabling their ambitious plans for future growth.” The new warehouse will take Stiller’s recent investments in equipment, people and property to more than £6.4 million in the last three years.
Balfour Beatty has announced that its managing director for the north of Scotland is retiring after a 40 year career in the industry. Aberdeen-based George Hood recently oversaw the completion of the £22.3 million Third Don Crossing for the giant construction and civil engineering firm. The major project marked one of the last chapters of a career that started for Mr Hood as a 19-year old trainee quantity surveyor in 1975 with the firm Alexander Hall, which would later become Hall & Tawse. This was eventually be bought by the Scottish construction firm, Mansell, a part of Balfour Beatty since 2003. When he started out Mr Hood took home a salary of £1,301 from an industry that was “booming” in the north east of the country, even before the discovery of oil in the North Sea. He said: “We were putting up lots of multi-storey flats for the council” and the sector was also meeting the needs of a whisky industry that demanded the building of bonded warehouses. But it was with the oil boom of the 1980s a construction frenzy began. “All of a sudden Aberdeen was flooded with Yanks – high rollers”, said Mr Hood. “We were busy busy, building all the sort of stuff you would get in a frontier-style town.” Office blocks and hotels went up for the oil industry executives and workers, followed by a boom in pubs, nightclubs and restaurants. Within eight years of starting in the industry, Mr Hood was project surveyor on a number of large Aberdeen office developments that would transform the city, including at the Hill of Rubislaw for ConocoPhilips, Marathon Oil and Britoil. He would later also project manage the Bon Accord shopping centre and oversaw the demolition of George Street. One of the ironies of his career was building a hospitality suite at Ibrox Stadium, despite being a life-long Celtic fan.
York based housebuilder Persimmon Homes has secured planning permission for its latest residential project in Wigan. This week, the planning committee at Wigan Council gave the green light for Persimmon to create 150 new homes on land East of Pocket Nook Farm in Lowton. Around a quarter of the properties will be affordable housing for either sale or rent. Part of the development will see Persimmon create an open public space that will feature a play area, informal parks, wetlands and ponds. The firm will also make a contribution towards a road marking scheme and the maintenance of play areas and parks. Wigan Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr David Molyneux, said the scheme’s approval is “brilliant news for the borough”. He commented: “It can take time to get to this stage and to get things really moving forward so this is a great step for our economy. “It is vital that we support appropriate housing development in the borough to keep up with demand for housing and help support growth in our local economy.“ Speaking further, Cllr Molyneux said it is important to keep building affordable homes “so a range of people are attracted to our borough and can find the right home for them”. He added: “Good quality new housing along with improved transport links and employment opportunities provides the right mix to keep our local economy growing.” Outline planning permission for the development was granted in January this year. Persimmon Homes has worked to boost its presence in the North West with a number of residential projects over the last two years. In September last year, the firm signed a £7.25 million deal to acquire 25.8 acres of land in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, from asset management company Gresham House.
The property management team from Sheffield solicitors, Taylor&Emmet LLP, is achieving national recognition of its skills, after being shortlisted for a prestigious industry award. Taylor&Emmet is one of the final four firms in the running for the legal services category at this year’s Property Management Awards (PMAs). The competition celebrates the dedication and passion of those in the property management sector. To make the shortlist, Taylor&Emmet was required to demonstrate its quality of service, depth of knowledge, excellence in communication and commitment to staff development. Winners will be announced on December 1 at a special black tie ceremony at Wembley Stadium in London. They will be chosen based on the combined results of a public vote and the scores of an independent judging panel. We are really excited to reach the finals of the PMAs for a third consecutive year. Cassandra Zanelli, Taylor&Emmet’s head of property management, said: “We are really excited to reach the finals of the PMAs for a third consecutive year. Our team is relatively small in comparison to other contenders, but we are proving a big hit with all types of clients across the UK. Our services are becoming increasingly sought after, thanks to the quick and consistent results we achieve and our focus on customer service.” Taylor&Emmet’s PMA shortlisting follows hot on the heels of success at the Yorkshire Legal Awards, where it was named the region’s top residential conveyancing firm. To support Taylor&Emmet’s bid for a Property Management Award, visit www.propertymanagementawards.co.uk/vote before 5pm on Monday, November 14. For more information about its property management services, telephone (0114) 218 4000, visit www.tayloremmet.co.uk or follow the firm on Twitter @tayloremmet.
The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national Scheme to improve the image of construction – has made appointments with a new Statutory Board of Directors. The new board includes four independent non-executive Directors: Roma Agrawal, a distinguished structural engineer; Richard Byrne, a prominent Health and Safety Director; Nick Coley, a successful entrepreneur within civil engineering and contracting; and Simon Harvey, a renowned strategy and marketing director with a wealth of experience of launching consumer products to younger generations. They were appointed at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Scheme in London on 2 November. Scheme Executive Chairman Isabel Martinson leads the new Statutory Board of Directors, which also comprises representatives from the Schemes owners, Dr Diana Montgomery, Chief Executive of the Construction Products Association (CPA), Professor John Nolan, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and Chief Executive of CIC, Graham Watts OBE. Mike Petter joins the Board as Chairman of the new standing Service and Performance Committee. I am delighted to announce the newly formed Statutory Board of Directors Isabel Martinson, Executive Chairman of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, said: “I am delighted to announce the newly formed Statutory Board of Directors. The new directors bring experience and expertise across a wide spectrum of disciplines and industries, as well as a passion for the construction industry and the built environment. They are all fully committed to the ethos of the Scheme’s vision to further improve the reputation and image of the industry and to change perceptions held by Government, the general public, educators, careers advisors, parents and individuals, including the next generation and career changers.” The new standing Service and Performance Committee, led by Mike Petter, will oversee the operational management of the Scheme and will report in to the Statutory Board of Directors. Click here to find out more about each of the new appointments.
Vital Energi would like to congratulate York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on their work to lower carbon emissions, which has been honoured for the fourth time at a national awards ceremony. This will help bring inline York Healthcare programmes. “Best Examples of Efficiencies” The Trust’s energy project at The York Hospital was “Highly Commended” in the “Best Examples of Efficiencies” category of the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2016. This follow wins by the Trust at the Association for Decentralised Energy Awards, the H&V Awards and achieving “Highly Commended” status at the NHS Sustainability Awards 2016. Vital Energi have been working in partnership with the Trust to implement a range of energy conservation measures in addition to installing a state-of-the-art, low carbon energy centre. The project is underpinned with an energy performance contract, provided by Vital Energi, which guarantees carbon reductions of almost 3,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and financial savings of £848,000 per year over the course of the 15 year contract. Regional Director, Mike Cooke commented, “This project has been extremely successful and we are delighted to see it, once again, honoured at a national awards ceremony. This was one of the first projects to be procured through the Carbon & Energy Fund and what it has done is clearly demonstrate the financial and carbon savings which can be made by Trusts who embrace the two-step approach to energy reduction and energy generation and we are sure more, like-minded Trusts will follow in York’s footsteps going forward.” After the project at The York Hospital proved successful, Vital Energi was commissioned to undertake similar projects at the Trust’s Scarborough and Bridlington hospitals. These three projects will deliver a guaranteed £22.2m savings and reduce carbon emissions by over 87,000 during their 15 year contracts. Jane Money, Head of Sustainability, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “This project, procured through the Carbon and Energy Fund, has allowed us to tackle carbon reduction through engineering solutions, which included speeding- up replacement programmes, reducing operating costs and achieving critical plant resilience. With the guaranteed financial savings and the reduction in carbon emissions achieved in the first year, the obvious next step for us was to replicate these arrangements at Scarborough and Bridlington Hospitals, and continue this carbon and cost reduction work with Vital Energi. The Trust is delighted to receive national recognition for this project.” All in all this is great for the future of York Healthcare plans.
Introducing the World’s First Elevated Home: Is It the Answer to the UK’s Housing Issues? While some industries are constantly heralded as holding the keys to a bright and progressive future, others are derided as moribund and increasingly irrelevant in the modern age. Take manufacturing, for example, which despite accounting for 52% of UK exports and generating 2.5 million jobs in the UK is still viewed as a declining entity. A similar gap between perception and reality is also evident in the construction sector, particularly as the demand for new homes has suffered in line with rising price points. Despite this and the challenges created by Brexit, however, the construction sector actually showcased impressive growth while the Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index increased to a healthy 52.6. The World’s First Elevated Home, and What Will it Means for the UK? While supply, demand and determinism shape the robust nature of the construction sector, however, there is another important factor at play. This is innovation, which was in evidence recently as a UK developer applied for planning permission to construct an experimental property that can rise on jacks in the event of a flood. Although still at the planning and stage, the idea is the subject of both domestic and international patents and it has the potential to revolutionise the property market (particularly in the UK). The structure itself, which will be built in Spalding, Lincolnshire once planning permission has been granted, will sit on a steel ring beam instead of conventional foundations. It will also boast a modular, steel-frame design that can be easily disassembled at will, while the mechanical jacking system (which includes eight individual jacks) will be powered by a central metre and elevate the property by up to 1.5 metres. According to moderate estimates, this system can fully elevate the property within a period of five minutes, enabling home-owners to react to unexpected flooding and safeguard their home before seeking out temporary accommodation. Are There Any Potential Issues with the Build, and How Might it Influence the Marketplace? Aside from planning delays and potential construction issues, there are other issues that may prevent this innovative project from coming to fruition. To begin with, the cost of the build is likely to be high, particularly when you scale the idea and factor in features such as integrated, rooftop solar panels and complex pipe networks. Given the challenges that construction firms face when attempting to budget their working capital across large-scale projects, an inflated cost base could make the completion of multiple units unlikely in the near-term. With that being said, however, there is no doubt that this ground-breaking concept could have a seminal impact on the housing market in the UK. Not only could it increase the level of demand for property in coastal areas, for example, but it may even enable private sector firms to build on land that is currently inaccessible due to the risk of flooding. With demand currently outstripping supply in the housing market, elevating homes could correct this imbalance and lower price points accordingly. This is a long way off, of course, and there are many challenges to overcome before the first elevating house can even by built. If the concept is a commercial and theoretical success, however, it could open up more land to construction firms and help to re-establish a viable equilibrium in the property market.
A RISING star from leading independent management, design and construction consultancy Pick Everard has won the Young Achiever of the Year award at this year’s Constructing Excellence National awards. 31-year-old Mike Reader said he was thrilled to win the Young Achiever award, which recognises the very best emerging talent in the construction industry across the UK. Held at the Marriott Grosvenor Square on 4 November, Mike said: “I am very honoured to receive the award. The support and development opportunities I’ve been given at Pick Everard over the last nine years has been amazing. “It was humbling to have initially won the regional award in the East Midlands, so to be selected for the national award is a huge personal achievement.” Pick Everard has 11 offices across the UK in London, Birmingham, Inverness, Derby, Bury St Edmunds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Leicester, Glasgow, Manchester and Taunton. We’re immensely proud of Mike’s achievement Alastair Hamilton, partner at Pick Everard, said: “We’re immensely proud of Mike’s achievement. In our 150th anniversary year as a business, it’s fantastic to see our staff being recognised in this way. It’s a testament to the hard work and determination Mike shows on a daily basis that he’s achieved this award.” Mike has flourished during his career at Pick Everard and was appointed as national director of strategic development, last year. His career progression has seen him develop from a graduate civil engineer to national director level within just nine years. During this time, he has helped to propel Pick Everard forward, helping to take the firm into new sectors and areas of work, consistently challenging traditional ways of working and offering more effective solutions. Mike is the youngest director ever appointed at Pick Everard and is already establishing himself within the national built environment sector. He is a tenacious and hardworking individual who is passionate about the industry and promoting the successes not only of Pick Everard, but the industry as a whole, and regularly goes over and above what is expected of him to achieve that. He has built a specialist strategic development team within Pick Everard, which has helped to transform the traditional marketing, business development, bidding and client care functions of the firm. Mike is also committed to upskilling the construction industry as a whole and works hard to engage with schools, colleges and universities to help to encourage the next generation of talent. This will help with more students becoming the Young Achiever. The annual Constructing Excellence awards recognise the very best achievements by construction industry firms, individuals and clients across the region. Pick Everard, which is today one of the UK’s top 30 multi-professional consultancies, operates regionally and nationally across a broad range of sectors including education, blue light, healthcare, defence, custodial, industrial & manufacturing and workplace. Its services include project management, cost management, architecture, building surveying, building services engineering, civil engineering, structural engineering and management advice