Amey has successfully secured the hard facilities management (FM) contract for HMP Lowdham Grange, a training prison located in Nottinghamshire. HMP Lowdham Grange is a Category B facility for male prisoners aged 21 and over, with sentences exceeding four years and at least 12 months remaining. The prison has a
Barratt Developments PLC has entered into a joint venture with Homes England and Lloyds Banking Group to create MADE Partnership. MADE Partnership will focus on the master development of large sites, to help deliver thousands of much needed new homes across the country. MADE Partnership will act as master developer
The final phase of the £42.8m award-winning Welsh Streets neighbourhood regeneration in Liverpool has been completed, bringing the total number of Placefirst homes delivered across the area to 296. The now complete scheme delivers professionally managed, newly built and refurbished rental homes. In close partnership with Liverpool City Council, Placefirst
Graf UK rainwater harvesting tank helps to dismiss cricket club’s watering woes. The installation of a Graf UK rainwater harvesting system at Chiswick Cricket Club has delivered a hat trick of firsts. Initially, it was the first time that water consumption consultants Ecoprod had specified a Graf UK system. Secondly,
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has launched a training programme to help building services firms work more closely with schools and inspire future generations of building services engineers. The BESA School Engagement and Engineering Discovery (SEED) Programme is fully funded by the Association and was developed by the schools
Häfele UK has added EGLO to its lighting portfolio, building on its existing offering with the aim to provide lighting solutions for every room in the home. A wide selection of products from EGLO’s affordable luxury range will now be available from Häfele including decorative pendants, ceiling and wall lights,
McAleer & Rushe invites new sub-contractors and suppliers to join their Supply Chain for upcoming projects in Scotland McAleer & Rushe will host a dedicated Meet the Buyer event to discuss the exciting collaboration opportunities available on their strong pipeline of projects across Scotland. With a successful track record of
Balfour Beatty Communities, a leading national residential real estate investment and management company, is in the process of engaging with multiple fiber optic network providers to introduce cutting-edge broadband fiber optic capabilities to its privatised military housing portfolio, starting with an initial rollout of 10,000 homes at six U.S. Army
Glencar, a leading UK construction company that was recently ranked amongst Europe’s fastest growing businesses, has today announced that is has completed the construction of 14 new industrial/warehouse units for its repeat customer: urban logistics property developer and asset manager, Chancerygate at its Dagenham Logistics Hub development in Dagenham, London.
THE CITY of Nottingham has seen the opening of a brand-new green space, representing a key milestone for the wider £2 billion Broad Marsh regeneration project – one of the largest development spaces of any core city in Europe. The ‘Green Heart’, which was officially unveiled by Nottingham City Council
Amey has successfully secured the hard facilities management (FM) contract for HMP Lowdham Grange, a training prison located in Nottinghamshire. HMP Lowdham Grange is a Category B facility for male prisoners aged 21 and over, with sentences exceeding four years and at least 12 months remaining. The prison has a capacity of 888 inmates. Previously managed by Sodexo, the prison was brought back under public sector control in May 2024. The facility garnered media attention in July 2024 after the Independent Monitoring Board reported concerns over safety, citing a shortage of prison officers and six deaths in custody between March 2023 and February 2024. Amey has retained the existing maintenance team through the TUPE process when the contract commenced in August, with plans to fill additional vacancies in the near future. Pete Mathieson, Justice Business Director at Amey, commented: “Having been a key partner to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for several years, we have a deep understanding of the unique requirements for delivering FM services at these complex sites. HMP Lowdham Grange presents its own set of challenges, and we will work closely with the current personnel and prison team to bring the site back to a stable condition.” Amey delivers essential FM services across the justice sector, including at 64 high-profile prisons. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Barratt Developments PLC has entered into a joint venture with Homes England and Lloyds Banking Group to create MADE Partnership. MADE Partnership will focus on the master development of large sites, to help deliver thousands of much needed new homes across the country. MADE Partnership will act as master developer for multiple large scale, residential-led developments from 1,000 to more than 10,000 homes along with a variety of community facilities and employment uses. Potential development opportunities will include large brownfield developments, as well as new garden village style communities. The partnership brings together Barratt, the UK’s leading national sustainable housebuilder, Homes England, the Government body responsible for housebuilding and regeneration in England, and Lloyds Banking Group, one of the largest funders of the UK housing sector. This is a long-term partnership, initially backed by combined equity funding of up to £150m provided equally by the partners. The partnership brings together the essential skills, expertise and long-term approach, with the ability to unlock and scale the capital required to bring larger sites into production, enabling both major and SME homebuilders to build the new homes and communities the country needs. Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said: “A failure to ensure the development system is working properly has held back the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes over recent years and this Government will work in partnership with all those who are focused on turning things around. “The landmark new partnership announced today will support our commitment to ramp up housing supply and boost economic growth by developing more large-scale, attractive and sustainable places across the country with the homes, jobs and infrastructure that communities need to thrive”. David Thomas, Chief Executive of Barratt Developments, said: “We are committed to playing our part in delivering the millions of new homes the country needs over the next 10-20 years. To help us achieve this goal, we need to deliver more large developments. Through the MADE Partnership, we are creating a master developer which can manage the infrastructure and placemaking that is needed to deliver at scale, whilst consistently achieving the high quality and sustainability standards that Barratt is known for.” Peter Denton, Chief Executive of Homes England, said: “MADE Partnership will provide a master developer platform with the ambition and capability crucial for creating not just the homes but the vibrant, diverse places England needs. Whether it’s transforming a brownfield site, extending an existing town, or creating a whole new village, the partnership will have the finance, tools, expertise and partners required to ensure a cohesive approach to delivering a fabulous place that people want to live and work.” Charlie Nunn, Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group, said: “Our pioneering MADE Partnership between Lloyds Banking Group, Homes England and Barratt Developments has created a master developer – enabling the largest-scale projects and place-based solutions to be achieved, and helping to deliver tens of thousands of new homes which are so urgently required. This is the cross-sector collaboration we need, at significant ambition and scale.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The final phase of the £42.8m award-winning Welsh Streets neighbourhood regeneration in Liverpool has been completed, bringing the total number of Placefirst homes delivered across the area to 296. The now complete scheme delivers professionally managed, newly built and refurbished rental homes. In close partnership with Liverpool City Council, Placefirst developed a masterplan in 2016 that has delivered a carefully considered neighbourhood, designed to transform the highly deprived area into a vibrant community that meets the local housing needs. The single-family housing developer’s sixth and final phase offers 13 new builds, consisting of three-bedroom houses, and one to two-bedroom apartments, to mark the completion of Placefirst’s 10-year regeneration programme. Featuring a community hub, where Placefirst’s dedicated resident services manager will be based, in addition to providing a place for community engagement and building initiatives, the project is one with community needs at its core – from design to operation. Investing over £40m into the area’s transformation, Placefirst has generated socio-economic benefits that have seen a domino effect of greater investment into the area, including over £1.7m into housing, business property refurbishments and a rise in the number of small businesses[1]. The nine streets that comprise Liverpool’s Welsh Streets – named after the Welsh workers who built and lived in the houses that stood there in the late 19th century – have a celebrated history in the city including being the birthplace of The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, and the site for the BBC’s ‘Peaky Blinders’. Marking the completion of Welsh Streets, David Mawson, chief executive of Placefirst, said: “Rooted in the area’s history, the significance of Welsh Streets to the local community and the city of Liverpool cannot be understated. “Our mission to transform this once-neglected area into a neighbourhood that instils pride and delivers lasting social and economic benefits has driven this ambitious 8-year project. As we prepare to welcome residents to the final phase, Welsh Streets stands as a testament to the importance of community-centred development. Working closely with existing residents, the completed neighbourhood celebrates the area’s history whilst reflecting the ambitions of today’s community, fit to deliver longstanding value for generations to come. “As our growth continues at pace, Welsh Streets remains a flagship development that has set a standard for what to expect as we look to continue enhancing communities through the growth of our single-family rental portfolio.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Graf UK rainwater harvesting tank helps to dismiss cricket club’s watering woes. The installation of a Graf UK rainwater harvesting system at Chiswick Cricket Club has delivered a hat trick of firsts. Initially, it was the first time that water consumption consultants Ecoprod had specified a Graf UK system. Secondly, it was the first time water management systems contractor Jamie Vacher had installed a rainwater harvesting system. And thirdly, the project is the first of its kind in Middlesex. Chiswick Cricket Club was founded in West London in 1853 and has recently undergone a major redevelopment in line with the English Cricket Board’s (ECB) emphasis on sustainability. Part of this focus has been on increasing their facilities throughout the year without increasing the use of mains water, as well as thwarting the increasing occurrence of temporary use bans which mean that during hosepipe bans the club can only water its cricket square. Through accessing the ECB’s County Grants Funding, Middlesex Cricket approved the grant contributing towards the cost of Chiswick Cricket Club installing a rainwater harvesting system, which is believed to be the largest below-ground system in cricket in the country to date. Chiswick CC will monitor its performance until the end of the summer to better understand how rainwater harvesting on this scale can benefit a cricket club, with the potential for the project to be used as a sustainability exemplar for the ECB. Ecoprod was called in by Chiswick to suggest a suitable system, having sustainably redeveloped the women’s changing rooms two years ago. Having often come across Graf UK, and also having a mutual acquaintance in Prof Jacob Tompkins OBE as a consultant, they decided to specify Graf’s 15,000-litre Platin XL shallow-dig underground rainwater harvesting tank. This stores circa 250m³ of rainwater per annum from the main roof of the clubhouse, which is clay plain tiles, and from rear and side flat-roof extensions, together totalling 550m². The run-off is used to water the 900m2 cricket square and surrounding grassed area of more than 5,000m2. Jamie’s first installation of a rainwater harvesting system took just six days from start to finish. A team of two used a five-tonne excavator and general hire tools to dig a 9m-long by 2.5m-wide by 2.3m-deep hole in virgin ground at an outdoor eating area next to the clubhouse. The 7.5m-long by 2.2m-wide by 1.3m-high tank weighing 710kg was then lifted in by the excavator and backfilled with 40% of the sand that had been underneath the top layer of clay. The remaining 60% of sand was used to re-dress the cricket pitch itself, completely negating waste. To complement the fully assembled Graf tank, Jamie added a water meter to the mains top-up feed so the club will not have to pay for the waste water it is not processing. So impressed with the ease of installation of the Graf UK system was Jamie that he is now keen to become a regular installer of Graf UK systems. “We did get lucky with the ground conditions but it was a very easy installation, perfect to be honest. The Graf systems do exactly what they say on the tin. I had to ring the technical team on one occasion, about the water top-up sensor, and it was resolved straightaway. It was the best service you can get and a very good experience overall.” He added: “I can definitely see the benefits of rainwater harvesting systems now. We just need to get more people realising that.” Ecoprod’s director and general manager Marcus Rose was equally impressed by his first specification of Graf UK systems. He said: “The project ran very smoothly, with both technical support from Graf and excellent on-site operations from our appointed contractor Jamie Vacher, so it will be very appropriate as an exemplar case study for the English Cricket Board.” He added: “Graf are now our go-to supplier for below-ground rainwater harvesting systems.” Josh Knappett, facilities and projects lead for MCCC, said that despite the exceptionally wet season, Chiswick CC and Middlesex Cricket wanted to learn what impact a rainwater harvesting system with below ground storage would have on cricket clubs in London as many are facing extremes of climate conditions, alongside increasing water mains costs. “We hope that by the end of the summer we will have a better understanding of Chiswick Cricket Club’s use of rainwater versus mains water on the maintenance of their grounds and on playing conditions. Anything we can do to support a cricket club, we will do,” he said. As well as rainwater, the Platin XL recycled and recyclable plastic tank is designed to accommodate substances such as wastewater, raw sewage, effluent, silage, slurry, greywater and bluewater. This makes it an excellent choice for applications including firefighting. Its adjustable lid height allows for flush alignment with ground level, ensuring the tank fits seamlessly into its surroundings. Additionally, the rotating tank dome aids in aligning connecting lines, simplifying the installation process even further, and an optional vehicle loading lid, which is ideal for installation under drivable surfaces like driveways or parking lots, allows the tanks to handle significant loads, ensuring durability and safety in high-traffic areas. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has launched a training programme to help building services firms work more closely with schools and inspire future generations of building services engineers. The BESA School Engagement and Engineering Discovery (SEED) Programme is fully funded by the Association and was developed by the schools engagement specialists Built Environment Skills in Schools (BESS) which has worked with more than 4,000 schools across the UK. The 12-week programme is designed to give engineers and business owners the skills and knowledge they need to engage effectively with their local schools and promote career opportunities in the building services industry. The training will be delivered in three tranches with eight places available on the September intake with another eight in January 2025 and a third cohort setting out on their engagement journey in April. Full details can be found here. BESA members regularly cite long-term skills shortages as the biggest challenge to their businesses and this new fully funded scheme is part of the Association’s response. Members will now have the chance to work with experienced educators to gain insights into engaging the interest of school children and inspiring them to want to work in a sector that can make a huge difference to major social issues like climate change, air quality, and health & wellbeing. ConfidenceAs well as helping to shape a future generation of engineers and improve the flow of skilled workers into the sector, this exercise can also have major benefits for existing staff who gain valuable communication and presentation skills – not to mention improved confidence. “This is a groundbreaking exercise for our industry and an opportunity not to be missed,” said BESA’s head of skills & policy Stuart Rattray. “Early adopters can demonstrate their commitment to education and community involvement which will boost their reputation. “It also gives them the opportunity to spot and nurture young talent early, creating a direct pipeline of future apprentices and employees who are already familiar with the company and the work opportunities available in our sector.” BESA also pointed out that working with schools aligns with corporate social responsibility goals, demonstrating a company’s commitment to giving back to the community and supporting local education. “By helping to educate and inspire future engineers today, employers are investing in the long-term success and sustainability of their companies and the broader building engineering services industry,” said Rattray. “They will be sowing the SEEDS for the future of skills in our industry.” Topics covered in the training include understanding the National Curriculum, OFSTED requirements, safeguarding issues, and best practices for engaging with schools safely and effectively. The programme also shows employers how to build partnerships with local educators. Adam Taylor, chair of BESA’s Indoor Air Quality group, has already completed several engagement projects with schools focused on the topic of air quality. He said the adults working with the children also gained valuable, and sometimes surprising, insights. “The children were clearly engaged and had a lot of fun building the air filter boxes we used as a practical exercise,” said Taylor who is CEO of ARM Environments. “The exercise ended up being one third educational (about air quality), one third just having fun building the boxes, and the other third was all about demonstrating you can do this kind of thing for a living and make a difference to people’s lives. “As an example of how to engage school children in activities with a building services connection, it shows the importance of giving them something visual and interesting to work with,” said Taylor. Sign up for the free BESA School Engagement and Engineering Discovery (SEED) Programme and become part of this major new initiative to inspire future generations of building services engineers and secure your skills pipeline. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Häfele UK has added EGLO to its lighting portfolio, building on its existing offering with the aim to provide lighting solutions for every room in the home. A wide selection of products from EGLO’s affordable luxury range will now be available from Häfele including decorative pendants, ceiling and wall lights, downlights, bathroom lighting, track lighting and LED ceiling fans. EGLO’s products are inherently trend-led, enabling customers to add personality and visual interest to their spaces through decorative lighting. Pendants and ceiling lights are available in a mix of unique shapes and finishes, with a collection of vintage, art-deco, geometric and retro-inspired pieces on offer. Certain fixtures tap into sustainable and biophilic design, while finishes including matt black, gleaming brass and coloured glass enable customerswith any taste to select their own statement piece. Adding EGLO to its portfolio enables Häfele to support the industry with ‘whole house’ lighting provision, having previously been recognised as a leader in the field of LED and furniture lighting solutions. The EGLO products now available from Häfele will enable customers to purchase cost-effective lighting solutions for multiple applications from one source, with some of the range also suitable for commercial environments including offices,and retail and leisure spaces. The EGLO range will be included in Häfele’s new Lighting and Electrical Directory available from October and can be added to designs developed by Häfele’s free Lighting Design Service, as part of Service+ Planning. Jake Loughlin, Category Manager for Lighting and Electrical, said: “It’s long been our ambition to build on our industry-recognised expertise in furniture lighting, and offer a solution for every room in the home, providing a true ‘lighting for living’ proposition. “The addition of EGLO to our range is a key part of this strategy and will make us an invaluable partner to customers who want to create efficiencies by working with a sole lighting supplier for all their needs. “As a luxury product with an affordable price tag, the EGLO range makes it easy to put decorative, statement pieces at the centre of interior design without a huge cost outlay. We anticipate a very positive response to the brand now being part of our lighting portfolio, and look forward to seeing the incredible impact the products have on the spaces our customers are creating.” Find out more about EGLO lighting from Häfele at https://www.hafele.co.uk/eglo. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
McAleer & Rushe invites new sub-contractors and suppliers to join their Supply Chain for upcoming projects in Scotland McAleer & Rushe will host a dedicated Meet the Buyer event to discuss the exciting collaboration opportunities available on their strong pipeline of projects across Scotland. With a successful track record of operations in the region, the company is currently on site with a 373-unit build to rent scheme in Leith and is set to commence several projects in Glasgow and Edinburgh within the PBSA, Residential and Hotel sectors. Scotland-based businesses of all sizes are invited to attend the event on Thursday 19th September at 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow between 11am and 2.30pm. Attendees will have the chance to meet senior members of the Commercial and Procurement teams and learn more about current and future opportunities in McAleer & Rushe’s construction projects across Scotland. Date: Thursday 19th September Time: 11am to 2.30pm Location: Ground Floor, 200 Renfield St, Glasgow, G2 3QB To register your interest in attending the event, please click here: https://bit.ly/4cUttnu The family-owned business, founded in 1967, prides itself on its strong and collaborative relationships with supply chain partners and is keen to expand its network in Scotland, strengthening ties with the community and generating local economic opportunities. Connor Graham, Head of Buying at McAleer & Rushe commented: “We have an exciting order book of upcoming projects in Glasgow and Edinburgh and are eager to establish long-term relationships with local businesses and skilled labour. At McAleer & Rushe, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of Health, Safety, and Quality, with dedicated targets to transition to a low carbon economy. Our goal is to become a partner of choice for businesses in Scotland who share these values and together, we can aim to achieve excellence, and leave a lasting positive legacy in the local communities we are fortunate to work in.” The company is interested in Scotland-based sub-contractors specialising in: Additionally, the company welcomes businesses of all sizes to discuss opportunities in supply packages such as: McAleer & Rushe is committed to Sustainability and strives to protect the environment while leaving a positive legacy with dedicated ESG targets for each project it delivers. As part of its journey to becoming a Net Zero Carbon business by 2045, the company actively seeks ecologists, social enterprises, and sustainability consultants, including Whole Life Carbon Assessors. To register your interest in attending the event on 19th of September, please click here: https://bit.ly/4cUttnu Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Balfour Beatty Communities, a leading national residential real estate investment and management company, is in the process of engaging with multiple fiber optic network providers to introduce cutting-edge broadband fiber optic capabilities to its privatised military housing portfolio, starting with an initial rollout of 10,000 homes at six U.S. Army bases. This strategic upgrade is expected to significantly enhance connectivity and deliver improved digital services to military families residing in housing on base. Theresa Steele, Vice President, Project Development at Balfour Beatty Communities said: “Delivering exceptional living experiences means continuously adapting to meet residents’ evolving needs. “We are excited to bring a more reliable, robust and secure internet network to our communities for the direct benefit of our residents.” This fiber-to-the-home deployment will deliver the high-speed connectivity that has become critical for everything from schoolwork and videoconferencing to telemedicine, paying bills and watching TV. Balfour Beatty Communities currently is in various phases of development with third party providers to implement fiber-to-the-home projects in its military housing communities at Fort Eisenhower (Georgia), Fort Bliss (Texas), Fort Jackson (South Carolina), Fort Stewart (Georgia), Fort Leonard Wood (Missouri), and Fort Carson (Colorado), with plans to continue expanding access across the balance of its military housing portfolio. A spokesperson at Fort Jackson Army Housing Office said: “Fort Jackson prioritises the quality of life for soldiers assigned to the installation. Fiber technology has been standard in residential areas since the early 2000s, which is not the case on all Army installations including Fort Jackson. “Army families would benefit greatly from a much-needed upgrade to fiber optic connectivity. Not only will this improve connectivity performance in every home, it also future-proofs our partner-managed homes, increasing the overall value. Our mission units rely on a dependable fiber network to serve every mission on Fort Jackson, our housing area is overdue for this needed update.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Glencar, a leading UK construction company that was recently ranked amongst Europe’s fastest growing businesses, has today announced that is has completed the construction of 14 new industrial/warehouse units for its repeat customer: urban logistics property developer and asset manager, Chancerygate at its Dagenham Logistics Hub development in Dagenham, London. Chancerygate sold the development to investment manager, Padrock in June 2022 The project saw the construction of 14 Grade A units in a range of sizes from 6,456 sq. ft up to 34,826 sq. ft. in a single unit. The units typically feature 8-10M clear internal height, 37.5 to 50kN sq. m floor loading, electric loading doors, covered loading bays, fitted first floor offices, 15% warehouse roof lights, PV panels, air source heat pumps, the ability to combine units, 12 year collateral warranty, comfort/cooling heating and a landscaped environment. Also incorporated in the newly available units are an extensive number of environmentally friendly technologies to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating together with an EPC rating of A+ for each unit. As a result, occupational costs to the occupier will be greatly reduced. These include electric vehicle (EV) charging points, photovoltaic (PV) panels, high-performance building fabric and secure cycle storage for those wishing to reduce their carbon footprint. The design will maintain optimal daylight and air permeability levels throughout the site. Speaking about the project, Glencar Managing Director for the UK South, London, and Ireland, Roy Jones, said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with Chancerygate once again. This marks our third project with them, and we are thrilled to be involved in a flagship, multi-unit scheme with such compelling green credentials. Dagenham Logistics Hub provides an excellent solution for businesses across Greater London and is a prime example of how sustainability can work hand in hand with economic growth. I would like to thank the entire professional team involved in this build for delivering an exceptional end-product, and we look forward to seeing the building in operation very shortly”. George Long, Padrock Development Manager said: “Occupiers are looking for high specification units with strong ESG credentials, constructed to a good quality which has been delivered to us on this scheme. Glencar were very professional in their approach to this development and the team on site were all very knowledgeable of the various nuances throughout their time on site.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
THE CITY of Nottingham has seen the opening of a brand-new green space, representing a key milestone for the wider £2 billion Broad Marsh regeneration project – one of the largest development spaces of any core city in Europe. The ‘Green Heart’, which was officially unveiled by Nottingham City Council leaders and local school children, has been described by officials as ‘a place for locals to enjoy nature’, with 38 trees, 34 of which are newly planted, alongside colourful planting, a superbloom providing nectar to wildlife all year round, as well as a new marsh pond and rain garden areas. Pathways have been created from sandstone, which wind around the Green Heart and allow visitors to wander through the new public space, while the main path through the Green Heart serves as a direct route to the local train and bus stations, as well as the interconnecting city centre. Multi-disciplinary firm Pick Everard was behind the scheme, operating through Perfect Circle under the SCAPE Consultancy framework to deliver advisory, contract management, project and cost management, health and safety, and civil engineering services. The firm has worked closely with contractor Willmott Dixon and Nottingham City Council to bring the project to life, following its successful delivery of the Broad Marsh Bus Station and Car Park, Nottingham Central Library, Collin Street play area, and interconnecting public realm work. Oliver Hatton, director at Pick Everard, said: “The completion of the Broad Marsh Green Heart scheme represents a significant milestone in the quest to redevelop a key part of Nottingham’s public infrastructure. “Our team has collaborated closely with project partners to ensure the delivery of a vibrant community space, which reflects changing attitudes to the way we view our towns and cities, with plenty of accessible greenery that contributes positively to modern sustainability goals. “Having been a key part of the team that has delivered several Broad Marsh initiatives, including the car park, adjacent library and Collin Street revamp, we’re proud to be continuing to lead the charge in transforming Nottingham’s future, and look forward to the Green Heart becoming an integral part of the city’s Southside area.” The Green Heart project was funded through the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities fund, a £161 million package given to Nottingham and Derby in 2020 to keep cities moving and improve connections between and around cities. Its transformation is among several redevelopment initiatives taking place in Nottingham city centre, with plans for a green infrastructure network connecting Nottingham Castle to the city’s £1.4 billion Island Quarter project, which is set to deliver new homes, grade-A office space, a five-star hotel, retail units, and student accommodation. More progress on the ongoing regeneration of the wider Broad Marsh area is still to come, with a state-of-the-art NHS Community Diagnostic Centre set to open in the area, as well as plans for new homes and offices. Councillor Neghat Khan, Nottingham City Council leader and executive member for strategic regeneration, transport and communications, said: “I’m proud to officially open this beautiful new green space for the city. It’s wonderful to see so many people already enjoying it. Following the collapse of the intu Broadmarsh shopping centre, we asked people in Nottingham what they wanted to see in this space, and they overwhelmingly asked for a new green park. “I’m pleased that something amazing has bloomed, creating a wonderful new space for people and wildlife alike. Thank you to council colleagues and partners who have brought this to life. “The Green Heart is just the latest step in regenerating the Broad Marsh area, following the new Central Library, pedestrianised streets, and the bus station and car park. New homes and offices will follow in the future – providing a complete revamp for this part of the city.” Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “After demolishing the old shopping centre on the site, we’re pleased to have delivered new spaces for children, shoppers, workers and the local wildlife to enjoy. “The vibrant, biodiverse Green Heart and the new play area on Collin Street have created a welcoming gateway between the city centre and the train station. Nottingham is currently a hub of regeneration, and the addition of these pedestrianised routes will also help to drive connectivity between the city’s different quarters.” For more information on Pick Everard and the services it provides, visit: www.pickeverard.co.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
