Willmott Dixon has secured planning permission to deliver the new Outwood Academy Kirkby in Nottinghamshire, paving the way for a full replacement of the school’s dated 1970s buildings. Ashfield District Council has approved the scheme, which is fully funded by the Department for Education through its School Rebuilding Programme, with
IFS, the leading provider of Industrial AI software, today announced the next evolution of its IFS Loops agent platform: 10 Digital Workers with 50 agentic skills, and a near-term roadmap for 100 skills designed for mission-critical workflows in construction, energy & utilities, manufacturing, telecoms, aerospace & defence, and service industries.
Data-driven solution offers predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring, closing the book on reactive, high-cost approaches Facilities management industry disruptor Bellrock has unveiled its Symphony playbook – a proactive approach to delivering M&E maintenance that promises to transform the FM space, ushering in a new data-led era of predictive maintenance and
Panattoni, the world’s largest privately owned industrial developer, has acquired an additional plot at Horizon 120 Business Park in Braintree, Essex, as it continues to expand its footprint in the South East logistics market. Braintree is a well-connected town in Essex, approximately 15 miles from Stansted Airport. The area provides
Plans are moving forward for the first data centre at Blackpool’s landmark Silicon Sands digital infrastructure site, marking a major milestone in the town’s ambition to become a leading hub for sustainable technology and data innovation. An application for planning permission is due to be submitted before Christmas for a
The country’s first NHS National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), based in Nottinghamshire, will soon open its doors to patients, heralding the beginning of a new era for rehabilitation. The NRC is a 70-bed, state-of-the-art specialist rehabilitation centre for NHS patients who have experienced a life-changing illness or injury and is run
Eric Wright Construction has completed the first care home, Castlewood in Clitheroe, for client Wrightcare. The £14m development comprises 68 en-suite bedrooms with shared living spaces including lounges, dining and kitchen facilities, a café and bar area, hair salon and multiple wellness and activity spaces, supported by integrated technologies to
Winvic Construction Ltd has been recognised for its industry-leading approach to collaboration and project delivery, with the Orwell Bridge Westbound Joint Replacement project winning the Judges’ Outstanding Achievement Award at this year’s National Highways Asset Community East (ACE) “Better Together” Awards. Delivered through National Highways’ Scheme Delivery Framework (SDF) in
Whitbread secures planning consent to convert Verity House in the South Bank area of the city centre into a 131-room hotel Whitbread plc, owner of Premier Inn – the UK’s largest hotel brand – has received planning consent to transform Verity House, a vacant office building in the South Bank
Reading’s long-awaited Minster Quarter regeneration has taken a major step forward after the council signed a £250 million development agreement with McLaren Living. The deal clears the way for one of the town’s most significant urban renewal schemes in recent years, transforming a prominent brownfield site into a new mixed-use
Willmott Dixon has secured planning permission to deliver the new Outwood Academy Kirkby in Nottinghamshire, paving the way for a full replacement of the school’s dated 1970s buildings. Ashfield District Council has approved the scheme, which is fully funded by the Department for Education through its School Rebuilding Programme, with completion targeted for the 2028/29 academic year. The project will create a modern, energy-efficient learning environment designed to meet contemporary curriculum needs and community expectations. Central to the plans are improved specialist teaching areas, dedicated sixth-form facilities and an upgraded sports offer, supporting both pupils and local users. The new main building will be constructed on the existing site, with the design focused on durability, low running costs and a better day-to-day experience for students and staff. To maintain continuity of education, the works will be delivered in phases. A temporary teaching block will be installed and operated alongside the retained lower school and existing sports facilities, ensuring classes can continue with minimal disruption while construction progresses. Once the new school is ready for occupation, the current buildings will be safely demolished and the external sports areas completed, providing the final piece of the campus upgrade. Nick Heath, director of delivery at Willmott Dixon, said the scheme reflects the contractor’s long-standing ties to the county and its emphasis on social impact. “With strong roots in Nottinghamshire, we’re delighted to be the selected partner for Outwood Academy Kirkby. The new facility will provide an enhanced offering to the local community, including dedicated sixth-form spaces and the transformation of the current on-site sporting facilities. As part of the project, we will also be engaging with local schools and colleges to provide careers advice and work experience opportunities. Social value is at the heart of what Willmott Dixon does, and we hope to leave a positive legacy by helping pupils prepare for their future. We have already started working with Outwood Academy Kirkby pupils, delivering mock interviews to help hone their skills for future opportunities.” With planning now in place, enabling works and detailed sequencing can begin ahead of the main build. The approved approach balances the need for a safe, live school environment with the delivery of a high-quality education estate that will serve Kirkby and its surrounding communities for decades to come. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
IFS, the leading provider of Industrial AI software, today announced the next evolution of its IFS Loops agent platform: 10 Digital Workers with 50 agentic skills, and a near-term roadmap for 100 skills designed for mission-critical workflows in construction, energy & utilities, manufacturing, telecoms, aerospace & defence, and service industries. The IFS Loops agentic platform delivers templated Digital Workers that autonomously manage high-volume operational tasks, including field dispatch, supplier coordination, customer order manager, and inventory replenishment, across enterprise systems with real-time intelligence, audit-ready compliance, and domain-specific understanding. Unlike traditional automation, RPA, and Generative AI, IFS Loops Digital Workers manage complex workflows, make context-driven decisions, and continuously improve operational performance while working right alongside employees to reduce manual tasks and amplify their impact. Whether embedded in IFS Cloud or running alongside legacy systems, these digital workers provide immediate ROI and operational impact. Somya Kapoor, CEO of IFS Loops, commented: “The pace of operational change is faster than ever, with complexity growing faster than human teams or legacy systems can handle. Operations leaders and CIOs can’t wait for months of IT rollout to benefit from new capabilities. IFS Loops gives companies a digital workforce they can deploy today, orchestrating complex industrial workflows reliably, securely, and contextually, allowing skilled teams to focus on higher-value tasks. For many, this is their first step into agentic AI and a natural entry point into the broader IFS Cloud ecosystem.” Recognising the CIO urgency to plan now for 2026 and beyond, IFS is scaling its agentic AI capabilities with a roadmap of 50 additional agentic skills available in December 2025, ensuring that Digital Workers continue to evolve alongside operational complexity and emerging industrial challenges. IFS Loops Studio, coming Q1 2026, will enable customers to create their own digital workers as needs arise, with rapid workflow customisation. Highlights of IFS Loops today: Mickey North Rizza, Group Vice President, Enterprise Software, IDC, said: “Companies that deploy agentic AI today are positioning themselves ahead of competitors, turning Digital Workers into a differentiator that not only drives productivity but also enhances employee experience and operational agility.” To learn more about IFS Loops Digital Workers, click here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Data-driven solution offers predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring, closing the book on reactive, high-cost approaches Facilities management industry disruptor Bellrock has unveiled its Symphony playbook – a proactive approach to delivering M&E maintenance that promises to transform the FM space, ushering in a new data-led era of predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring. Symphony translates constantly monitored building data into actionable insights, allowing expert teams to identify warning signs and fix problems before they even occur. Such predictive maintenance drives cost savings and compliance, in contrast to reactive, high-cost emergency maintenance approaches. “The current approach to building maintenance is broken,” said Mark Tyson, Managing Director of Bellrock’s Intelligent Asset Care division. “Different rooms, systems and estates are managed in isolation, in a way that lacks the intelligence to see when something is wrong, or soon will be. Symphony tackles the problem head-on by monitoring a building’sstatus continually and then feeding alerts, curated trends and expert analysis into the hands of building services engineers and facilities managers.” Symphony learns and adapts to the way buildings are used, their capex investment profile and their energy reduction targets. Algorithms assess a building’s current status, identify inefficiencies and recommend preventative action when performance failure thresholds are close to being breached. Through data, technology and engineers working to a high level of autonomy, Bellrock takes account of different building environments to develop a bespoke preventative maintenance regime that is unique to every space, from hospitals to restaurants to commercial office blocks, based on the specific usage patterns of each one. “If you think of the building as an orchestra, with many different assets, Symphony is the conductor that makes sure they are all playing in harmony,” said Tyson. Symphony has been in development since 2019. Since then, it has been tried, tested, and refined with clients including Legal and General Asset Management (L&G). It is now being used by a range of organisations to save money through the remote triaging of issues, increased uptime, and reduced maintenance costs across their estates. Bellrock CEO, Carlo Alloni, added: “The facilities management industry is ripe for disruption, and Symphony is ready to disrupt it. Companies are missing a trick and wasting money by relying on manual, disconnected systems that only kick in when things go wrong. Individually, isolated incidents concerning a blocked drain or a malfunctioning air conditioning system may seem trivial, but collectively, they are responsible for thousands of pounds of waste every day. The good news is that this is all preventable if organisations invest in a more intelligent facilities management platform.” Ongoing training on the processes and technology is delivered to engineers and facilities managers directly through the Symphony Academy, where users are trained on a data-led approach to building maintenance. In March, the Symphony Academy was recognised for the role it plays in training team members in digital skills and modern maintenance techniques when Bellrock, in partnership with Legal & General and Demand Logic, won the Collaboration category of the prestigious CIBSE Building Performance Award. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Panattoni, the world’s largest privately owned industrial developer, has acquired an additional plot at Horizon 120 Business Park in Braintree, Essex, as it continues to expand its footprint in the South East logistics market. Braintree is a well-connected town in Essex, approximately 15 miles from Stansted Airport. The area provides direct access to the A120 and A131, linking swiftly to the M11 and M25 motorways, and benefits from mainline rail services to London Liverpool Street and a strong local and regional workforce. The newly 10-acre acquired site will form the next phase of Panattoni Park Braintree 1.0, to be known as Panattoni Park Braintree 2.0. The purchase follows 12 months after the launch of the initial phase, which comprises four units, one of which is already under construction. The new phase will deliver an additional 164,000 sq ft across six units, all built speculatively in response to sustained occupier demand in the South East of England. With an estimated Gross Development Value of £50 million, the project underlines Panattoni’s continued investment and long-term commitment to the UK logistics market. Offering a competitive alternative to units within the M25, the scheme is expected to attract a diverse range of occupiers seeking modern, sustainable accommodation with excellent connectivity and value. Full detailed planning consent has already been secured, enabling construction to commence in late 2025, with practical completion expected in late 2026. James Watson, Head of Development – Southern England & London at Panattoni, said: “This acquisition represents an important next step in our long-term commitment to Braintree and the wider Essex logistics market. The area remains significantly undersupplied, particularly for occupiers seeking high-quality, sustainable accommodation within close proximity of Stansted Airport and the M25. Panattoni Park Braintree 2.0 will enable us to deliver additional capacity to meet that demand, continuing the successful rollout of our speculative development strategy.” Panattoni Park Braintree 2.0 will deliver six new mid-box units designed to meet the needs of regional and national occupiers, including those in the aviation, parcel distribution, and local last-mile sectors. The buildings will be constructed to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and EPC ‘A’ standards, with flexibility for semi-detached units to be combined into larger configurations if required. Panattoni has appointed CBRE and Coke Gearing as leasing agents. For more information, please visit: https://panattoni.co.uk/our-properties/braintree2 Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Plans are moving forward for the first data centre at Blackpool’s landmark Silicon Sands digital infrastructure site, marking a major milestone in the town’s ambition to become a leading hub for sustainable technology and data innovation. An application for planning permission is due to be submitted before Christmas for a 6MW carbon-friendly data centre alongside 20,000 sq ft of office and research space. The development has already attracted strong interest from private sector investors keen to be part of the Fylde Coast’s emerging digital economy. Located next to Blackpool Airport, the Silicon Sands project builds on the arrival of the transatlantic Aquacomms cable, which connects the UK to North America and Europe. The initiative is designed to position the region as a strategic location for high-capacity, energy-efficient data infrastructure. The proposed data centre will be powered entirely by renewable energy and will feature advanced liquid immersion cooling to maximise efficiency. Waste heat generated by the facility will also be captured and reused to provide energy for nearby properties — a key element of its sustainable design. Councillor Mark Smith, Blackpool Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Built Environment, said the project could be transformative for the area. “Silicon Sands is a transformational opportunity for Blackpool. It can create thousands of well-paid jobs, attract investment, and put us at the forefront of sustainable digital development. That vision is proven by the significant interest we have had from the private sector already. Silicon Sands is about so much more than just data centres though. We are carefully managing the programme so that we can create data centres which are carbon friendly and can even supply waste heat back to local communities.” The first phase of development will be located on the former fire station and engineering yard at Blackpool Airport, which was demolished in 2023, as well as the old administration offices and security point. If approved, the project will signal the start of an ambitious new chapter for Blackpool, establishing Silicon Sands as a pioneering example of how digital infrastructure and sustainability can work hand in hand to drive regional growth. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The country’s first NHS National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), based in Nottinghamshire, will soon open its doors to patients, heralding the beginning of a new era for rehabilitation. The NRC is a 70-bed, state-of-the-art specialist rehabilitation centre for NHS patients who have experienced a life-changing illness or injury and is run and staffed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). NUH has developed the transformative clinical model to be able to deliver more intensive treatments and rehabilitation earlier in a patient’s journey, and has created a bespoke workforce and relevant training to support this. The brand-new facility is co-located with the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate (SHRE) near Loughborough. The concept of establishing Defence and National Rehabilitation centres on a single site was that of the late 6th Duke of Westminster back in 2009 and he purchased the SHRE for the purpose. At the same time the Black Stork Charity was specifically created to achieve the overall concept – not least by means of a successful funding campaign to raise the necessary £300m to create the Defence establishment and enable the National one. Capital funding for the construction of the NRC was provided by the government’s New Hospitals Programme, and the building is the NHS’s first operationally carbon neutral building, featuring solar panels on the roof of the NRC and four air source heat pumps in the adjacent energy centre. NHS patients at the NRC will benefit from: The NRC will primarily receive patients from across the East Midlands, many of them anticipated to come through the East Midland’s Major Trauma Centre – the busiest in the UK and based at NUH. The national aspect to the NRC is that it will lead rehabilitation research and innovation, as well as providing training and education through an NRC Academy, all in collaboration with a consortium of 26 Universities throughout England. Patients at the NRC will have the opportunity to take part in research during their stay, with the aim of significantly reducing the time between identifying effective new treatments and them benefitting patients. Clinical staff will also all be encouraged to take part in research and educational activity. What happens at the NRC is anticipated to be of international significance too – the research, innovation and evolution in rehabilitation technology and treatment is anticipated to be global in its impact and future potential. The long-term ambition for the NRC is to be the national ‘hub’ in a future ‘hub and spoke’ model, or a single model multi-site service, with regional rehabilitation units (‘spokes’) established across the country to widen impact and benefit as many patients as possible. Anthony May, Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are proud to be at the point of preparing to open the doors of this pioneering facility to our first patients. The difference the NRC will make to patients and families cannot be underestimated.” “The NRC has been 15 years in the making. I should like to thank all those who have been involved for their perseverance, dedication and determination to make it a reality. I should like to pay a particular tribute to the Black Stork Charity for their considerable and unwavering support since the vision for the Centre was first conceived.” “This is a significant moment for NUH, for rehabilitation medicine in this Country, and for the many NHS patients whose lives will be changed and restored in this groundbreaking facility, set in a unique location. “Moreover, the innovation, research and knowledge generated from the NRC will help develop rehabilitation nationally and internationally.” Miriam Duffy, NRC Director and physiotherapist, said: “I am delighted that we are on the verge of opening the first NHS NRC and beginning the journey of transforming the way we provide rehabilitation in this country. “The impact of timely and effective rehabilitation lasts a lifetime and can be the difference to enable someone returning to the home, work, family and hobbies that they love. “By taking inspiration and learning from other rehabilitation centres across the globe, we are confident that we have delivered the very best rehabilitation facility where our dedicated and motivating staff will work with researchers and innovators to give our patients back their independence and the best quality of life possible. “However, this is just the beginning, and the NRC is much more than just a building. Our aim is to revolutionise rehabilitation across the country so that every NHS patient who suffers a life-changing illness or injury receives the best rehabilitation possible and the best chance to return to living an independent and fulfilling life.” Mark Preston, Chairman of The Black Stork Charity said: “Fifteen years ago, the 6th Duke of Westminster decided to improve the rehabilitation facilities for members of the Armed Forces and, at the request of the Defence Secretary, to extend such provision to the nation as well. His action is why the new National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) building is about to take patients – and that is a very good outcome and NUH has done well to get to this point. “I think we can all be sure that the NRC will bring huge benefits – in this case for the East Midlands region. It promises to return many people to work and life in a way which is currently not the case, bringing in its wake improvements to the national workforce and the economy. “This approach is novel and will need proving in the next couple of years and, if proven, Government should look to such provision across the country in the ‘hub and spoke’ way that is common in the NHS. The Charity and NUH will, together, do all in our power to ensure that this is the case.” Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said: “This brand-new, state-of-the-art facility, backed by £105 million of government money, will transform care for patients who need specialist rehabilitation support. “The National Rehabilitation Centre embodies the future of the NHS: community-based care, digital innovation,
Eric Wright Construction has completed the first care home, Castlewood in Clitheroe, for client Wrightcare. The £14m development comprises 68 en-suite bedrooms with shared living spaces including lounges, dining and kitchen facilities, a café and bar area, hair salon and multiple wellness and activity spaces, supported by integrated technologies to enhance resident care and safety. James Eager, director of Eric Wright Construction commented “We are proud to handover Castlewood to our client, Wrightcare, on time and on budget. As this is a full turnkey project, our team has ensured that every aspect has been delivered to the highest standards to provide a high-quality, comfortable and safe environment for residents and employees. “Working collaboratively with our consultants, supply chain partners, sub-contractors, and the client team, we successfully addressed a range of technical challenges, turning them into opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement. The valuable experience gained will further strengthen our approach as we also start to move forward with the construction of Wrightcare’s second care home in Lancashire.” Gill Chadwick, managing director for Wrightcare added “This is a significant milestone for Wrightcare, as we celebrate the handover of our first care home, Castlewood. “This is the beginning of creating a community founded on compassion, dignity and the very best person-centred care. I’m looking forward to the journey ahead and to welcoming our first residents.” Castlewood has been designed with a focus on maximising the outdoor spaces including a village green entrance to the property, with greenhouses and raised beds for residents who want to enjoy gardening and private patios to the ground floor apartments. Wrightcare, which is also part of the Eric Wright Group, plans to build, retain and operate a number of new care homes across the North West in the near future and the construction team is due to start on site with the second care home Brindlewood, Grimsargh near Preston. This second development will encompass a 72-bedroom care home, along with 48 bungalows that are being delivered by Applethwaite, also part of the Eric Wright Group. The project team included: Planning – Steve Abbott Associates, Lead Designer / Architect – Cassidy & Ashton, Civil & Structural – JP Structures, Landscape Architect – TEL Landscapes, MEP – TACE, Fire Engineering – Hoare Lea, Acoustics – Cundalls, Transport – Mode, Environmental – Envirotech, Building Control – Sweco. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Winvic Construction Ltd has been recognised for its industry-leading approach to collaboration and project delivery, with the Orwell Bridge Westbound Joint Replacement project winning the Judges’ Outstanding Achievement Award at this year’s National Highways Asset Community East (ACE) “Better Together” Awards. Delivered through National Highways’ Scheme Delivery Framework (SDF) in the East Region, the project exemplified Winvic’s commitment to collaboration, innovation, customer excellence, and health and safety leadership. The vital scheme addressed the urgent replacement of deteriorated expansion joints on the A14 Orwell Bridge – a critical transport link connecting the Port of Felixstowe to the wider UK road network. Despite the complex technical and logistical challenges, the project was delivered safely on time, and within budget. From the earliest planning stages, close collaboration between Winvic, National Highways, WSP, Chevron, Maurer, and Roocroft was central to its success. Innovative techniques such as hydro demolition safeguarded the bridge’s structure, bespoke engineering solutions resolved complex design issues, and advanced traffic modelling minimised disruption for road users. The judges selected the Orwell Bridge project for its exemplary demonstration of collaboration, customer focus, and stakeholder engagement at every stage – from early planning through to delivery. They commended the extensive communication and engagement efforts carried out before any works began, ensuring public awareness, customer confidence, and minimal disruption. This partnership-driven approach reduced the construction programme from a potential 175 days to just 37 days, saving £9 million, while also achieving outstanding results in environmental performance, community engagement, and social value. Local suppliers were engaged throughout the project to strengthen the regional economy and reduce environmental impact. The team delivered a range of community initiatives, including school visits to promote safety awareness to over 120 pupils at Morland Primary School, volunteering at St. Elizabeth’s Hospice’s pop-up shop in Ipswich, and participating in public engagement events such as the Suffolk Show and Buttermarket Centre to promote road safety and raise awareness of the scheme. The award was presented by Paul Bowman, Chair of Asset Community East and representative from Colas. Rob Cook, Winvic’s Managing Director for Civils and Infrastructure said:“Winning the Judges’ Outstanding Achievement Award for the Orwell Bridge project is a proud moment for everyone involved. This success highlights how collaboration, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to safety and customer focus can turn complex challenges into industry-leading results. It’s an honour to see our project team and supply chain partners recognised for delivering excellence on such an important piece of infrastructure.” Winvic was also shortlisted in multiple categories – including Customer Experience of the Year, Project/Team of the Year, and Collaborative Project/Team of the Year – and continues to champion best practice across the sector. As both a finalist and a sponsor of this year’s awards, Winvic reaffirms its commitment to driving innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the UK’s highways network. Rob Barron, National Highways Supplier Relationship Manager East said:“The Orwell Bridge project has been recognised for exemplifying the Asset Community East’s ethos of “Better Together”. The Judges commended the initiative for its outstanding collaboration, customer-centric approach, and comprehensive stakeholder engagement throughout every phase – from early planning through to successful delivery. This Award honours all those involved for their unwavering commitment to partnership and collaborative working. The Judges were particularly impressed with the proactive communication and engagement strategies deployed before any physical works began. These efforts ensured good public awareness, built customer confidence, and minimised disruption – setting a benchmark for infrastructure projects across the region.” Richard Salter, WSP’s Technical Director said: “The Orwell scheme was a shining example of the collaboration that can be achieved through a mature and experienced supplier relationship on the Scheme Delivery Framework. Working together on numerous schemes such as M20 Medway and Allington, A404 Bisham Brook and M3 Bramley Wood enabled WSP and Winvic to build a trusting partnership enhancing our ability to succeed on such a complex and high-profile scheme as Orwell. I look forward to continuing this pattern of success through the remainder of the framework.” Join Winvic on social media – LinkedIn, and Instagram. Join National Highways Asset Community East on LinkedIn. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Whitbread secures planning consent to convert Verity House in the South Bank area of the city centre into a 131-room hotel Whitbread plc, owner of Premier Inn – the UK’s largest hotel brand – has received planning consent to transform Verity House, a vacant office building in the South Bank area of Leeds city centre, into a 131-room hotel. Seeing the opportunity to capitalise on a highly accessible location minutes from Leeds Railway Station and the scenic waterfront of Granary Wharf, the FTSE-100 hotel company purchased the 44,000 sq ft (GIA) former office building at risk in October 2024. A planning application for the development was submitted to Leeds City Council in May 2025. Last week, the crucial section 106 agreement between Whitbread and the Council was signed, effectively paving the way for the development to proceed, following the delegation of decision-making to the city’s planners. Construction work is expected to commence in early 2026 and complete in Spring 2027. Jill Anderson, Acquisitions Manager for Whitbread, said: “Gaining approval of our plans for Verity House is a major achievement in our efforts to deliver more high-quality, affordable bedrooms for our guests in Leeds City Centre. We’re seeing huge demand in the city and this wonderfully accessible location is sure to be incredibly popular for our business and leisure guests. “Whitbread has a long and successful track record of converting office buildings into high-quality, successful Premier Inn hotels. By purchasing Verity House freehold last autumn, we demonstrated that Whitbread is unafraid to take on planning and development risk to convert former offices into hotels in locations that match our network plan requirements and meet the expectations of our guests for outstanding, easily accessible hotel locations. “We’re actively looking for similar opportunities across the north of England as we continue to grow our hotel estate in the region.” On opening, Verity House will complement three trading Premier Inns in Leeds city centre with a new 143-bedroom Premier Inn at Leeds Harewood Quarter is also under contract as part of a Council-led redevelopment. The hotel will offer the latest format Premier Inn ‘Standard’ and ‘Premier Plus’ bedrooms. Based on a mature occupancy of more than 80%, Whitbread expects more than 57,000 of its guests will stay at the Premier Inn at Verity House every year generating an additional £5.5 million in visitor expenditure annually – half of which is expected to be spent in Leeds city centre. This latest investment in the city forms an important part of Whitbread’s strategy of expanding its hotel network in the north of England. Across the region, the company is searching for more than 20 new Premier Inn locations, in addition to 15 targets in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as it grows towards its long-term potential target of 125,000 UK & Ireland rooms. As part of Whitbread’s Force for Good sustainability strategy, all Whitbread self-built or converted hotels will be powered solely by renewable electricity from 2025, and the company has a stated target to reduce water consumption per sleeper by 20% by 2030. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Reading’s long-awaited Minster Quarter regeneration has taken a major step forward after the council signed a £250 million development agreement with McLaren Living. The deal clears the way for one of the town’s most significant urban renewal schemes in recent years, transforming a prominent brownfield site into a new mixed-use neighbourhood. The 5.2-acre site, previously occupied by the town’s Civic Centre, will be redeveloped to deliver more than 600 new homes, of which 30% will be affordable. Alongside the residential element, the plans include 40,000 sq ft of workspace, new shops, food and drink venues, and a 102-bed hotel – all centred around a new civic square in front of The Hexagon Theatre. The project will also deliver a new community hub and upgraded public spaces connecting Reading Minster and the market on Hosier Street. McLaren Living’s design aims to create a vibrant new quarter that blends homes, culture, leisure, and workspaces in a central and accessible location. The scheme will prioritise sustainability and placemaking, with green spaces, pedestrian-friendly routes, and improved links to existing cultural and retail destinations across the town centre. The developer is already playing a major role in Reading’s urban transformation, leading the nearby Broad Street Mall redevelopment, which will bring hundreds of additional homes and new commercial opportunities to the area. Combined, the two projects represent a pipeline of around 1,200 new homes, helping to meet local housing needs while reinvigorating the heart of the town. A spokesperson for McLaren Living said the Minster Quarter represents “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine Reading’s civic and cultural core” and will be delivered in partnership with the local community and stakeholders. For Reading Borough Council, the agreement marks a major milestone in a long-term ambition to revitalise the town centre and repurpose underused land for housing and economic growth. Construction is expected to start following detailed design and planning work, with the scheme set to act as a catalyst for wider regeneration across central Reading. Once complete, the Minster Quarter will deliver a new destination that celebrates Reading’s history while providing the modern homes, amenities, and public spaces needed for its future. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals