Real estate debt advisory specialists, Sirius Property Finance, has revealed that land plots account for just 1.4% of current for sale stock listed on the market and demand is high, with 55% of these already being snapped up by developers. As part of the most recent Budget statement, Chancellor Rishi
Cordia, Hungary’s leading residential property developer is continuing its expansion in the UK residential property market: its local subsidiary is building a complex of 366 rental apartments, bringing the total number of homes planned for the West Midlands region to over 1,800. Cordia, member of Futureal Group has reached its
Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, has handed over a commemorative key to global transport and logistics company DSV, to celebrate the practical completion of a 522,000 sq ft industrial facility and offices. The scheme
On 27 October, Epping Forest District Council’s Development Committee Meeting issued a resolution to grant planning permission to Qualis Commercial for five key development sites in Epping Town Centre. The sites include the delivery of a new £25m leisure centre, a new multi-storey car park, commercial units and 269 high
The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is on the rise but PropTech specialist Virtual Viewing warns that incorrect implementation can increase construction costs, cause delays and even carry legal consequences. Recent statistics by Statista* reveal that 73% of UK construction professionals have implemented BIM into their project in 2020.
New public money focussing on unlocking brownfield land to pave the way for up to 116,000 new homes has been announced by the government. The £624m funding is available to all housebuilders particularly SMEs to help them pay for key infrastructure such as public transport and new schools as well
South East LEP’S Clean Growth event highlights how we can be a pioneer in addressing climate change. Renowned sustainability activist and writer Jonathon Porritt addressed the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP)’s event last week, South East Futures: What Does Clean Growth look like in the South East? and spoke
IGEL, provider of the next gen edge OS for cloud workspaces, announces today that United Living has selected IGEL OS to extend the life of existing desktop PCs used within the business, provide an easy to manage EUC solution for equipment at numerous temporary site offices and enable staff to
Regeneration business Peel L&P, responsible for the UK’s largest regeneration projects including Wirral Waters and Liverpool Waters, has become a member of Changing Streams CIC and has signed up to their Charter that sets out a clear mission and ambition for reducing plastic in the construction industry. Changing Streams
FOLLOWING a 12,000 ft² expansion, Mincon Carbide, leading tungsten carbide specialist manufacturers, enlisted the expertise of RB ALLAN & SONS Ltd and PermaRoof Commercial, part of PermaGroup, to secure its three-acre UK site in Sheffield. The site, which has been the home of Mincon Carbide’s offices and factory for more
Real estate debt advisory specialists, Sirius Property Finance, has revealed that land plots account for just 1.4% of current for sale stock listed on the market and demand is high, with 55% of these already being snapped up by developers. As part of the most recent Budget statement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £1.8 billion of government money to help fund the regeneration of brownfield land up and down the country as part of a mission to satisfy the ever-intensifying need for new homes. The research by Sirius Property Finance shows that the need for these additional land plots is clear, as current levels account for a very small proportion of overall residential sales listings. The research shows that across Britain there are some 677,533 residential property opportunities listed on the current market, with just shy of 10,000 of these coming in the form of land plots available for development – just 1.4% of the total market. What’s more, 55% of these plots have already gone under offer or sold subject to contract. Swansea is home to the highest level of land plot availability, accounting for 1.9% of current residential listings. Aberdeen (1%) and Bradford (1%) are the only other major cities where land plots account for at least one per cent of the current market. While land plot availability may be scarce, demand is high. In Bournemouth, 77% of all land plots listed on the market have already been marked as under offer or sold subject to contract, while Bristol (68%), Newcastle (67%), Cardiff (60%), Edinburgh (57%) and Nottingham (57%), are also home to above average levels of demand. Managing Director of Sirius Property Finance, Nicholas Christofi, commented: “Land plots currently account for a minute proportion of available property purchasing opportunities but the appetite for these plots is clear, with more than half of those listed already being snapped up across the nation. We need more homes and we need them quickly. Opening up the nation’s brownfield is just one step in addressing this shortage and while it will utilise land that has otherwise been overlooked for quite some time, it certainly won’t solve the problem in its entirety.” Table shows the availability of land plots as a percentage of all for sale stock in each area, as well as demand based on the percentage of land plots that are already sold subject to contract or under offer Location Land Plot Availability Land Plot Buyer Demand Swansea 1.9% 30.0% Aberdeen 1.0% 14.3% Bradford 1.0% 41.7% Nottingham 0.9% 56.9% Glasgow 0.7% 46.7% Plymouth 0.6% 52.6% Liverpool 0.5% 37.5% Sheffield 0.5% 40.9% Cardiff 0.4% 60.0% Sunderland 0.4% 33.3% Bristol 0.4% 67.9% Southampton 0.4% 41.7% Bournemouth 0.4% 76.9% Cambridge 0.3% 25.0% Leeds 0.3% 50.0% Oxford 0.3% 50.0% Newcastle 0.3% 66.7% Edinburgh 0.2% 57.1% Leicester 0.2% 37.5% Birmingham 0.2% 53.3% Manchester 0.2% 50.0% London 0.1% 34.0% Portsmouth 0.0% 0.0% Great Britain 1.4% 55.2% Source – Rightmove
Cordia, Hungary’s leading residential property developer is continuing its expansion in the UK residential property market: its local subsidiary is building a complex of 366 rental apartments, bringing the total number of homes planned for the West Midlands region to over 1,800. Cordia, member of Futureal Group has reached its next milestone in its operations in the United Kingdom: the Birmingham-based Cordia Blackswan, acquired and renamed last year by the company has announced its next major development. Cordia Blackswan is building a complex of 366 rental apartments in Birmingham’s Digbeth district, on a site of nearly 8,000 sq m. Digbeth is a regeneration area in the centre of the UK’s second largest city, with a strong industrial heritage. This area is now recognised as a vibrant cultural, creative and diverse neighbourhood, a kind of bohemian quarter. Cordia Blackswan’s new development will feature a combination of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units, in two ‘u’-shaped blocks of five and eight storeys, set around landscaped public realm. Residents will benefit from shared amenities, including a resident’s lounge and concierge service, with high quality private outdoor spaces including courtyards and balconies. This project is not the first residential rental development of Cordia Blackswan, as the company has a number of developments in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, which is still home to one of Europe’s largest jewellery manufacturing communities. These include The Lamp Works, a 148-home build-to-rent apartment scheme, while Bradford Works will be the city’s first purpose built shared living scheme for young professionals, with access to high-quality communal areas and shared amenities. Although The Gothic is not a rental housing development, but is also located in the same neighbourhood: the buildings that were built in the early 19th century will be converted into Victorian-style homes with carefully restored heritage features. This development is named after the pub that welcomed visitors from 1870 until the early 2000s. Beyond its Jewellery Quarter placemaking agenda, the company is keen to support Birmingham’s growth and development more broadly and this latest acquisition in Digbeth signals the next step in Cordia Blackswan’s journey of ambitious growth. Together with the development just announced, Cordia Blackswan has a pipeline comprising over 1,800 homes, as well as 33,500 sq m space for commercial uses across the West Midlands and is actively looking for new sites across the region.
Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, has handed over a commemorative key to global transport and logistics company DSV, to celebrate the practical completion of a 522,000 sq ft industrial facility and offices. The scheme – designed, constructed and partially fitted out by Winvic during the pandemic – is located at the 238-acre Mercia Park in North West Leicestershire. Delegates from DSV travelled from the company’s global headquarters in Denmark to see the fully realised facility, which comprises three buildings – totalling 522,000 sq ft – and contains 104 dock levellers: A 358,000 sq ft steel-framed warehouse containing three mezzanine floors and two single-storey hub offices totalling 4,360 sq ft A 112,000 sq ft cross-dock terminal that contains a 7,050 sq ft single-storey hub office A 35,660 sq ft three-storey office building The large stand-alone office building was designed and executed to meet DSV’s global standard and Winvic also fitted out the office spaces found within the warehouse buildings. Prominent design features to the main office include a glass lift, wood panelled walls in an oak finish and a feature staircase. The external works package included 381,700 sq ft yard space plus car parking for 406 vehicles, and the programme contained all drainage, retaining wall, and hard and soft landscaping works. The project’s progress has been streamed throughout construction and the full timelapse video can be viewed here. Winvic Construction Director, Rob Bull, said: “The DSV project bucks the industrial facility trend because it comprises separate buildings for the main warehouse, cross dock and offices, but there was no doubt that we could carefully sequence the construction and fit out works to build them all simultaneously and within ten months. Additionally, our team led by Project Manager David Gilbert knew that the aesthetics, material quality and execution had to meet DSV’s high global design standards and we’re as thrilled as DSV are about the exceptional finish achieved. Without such a talented team who works as one and always has an eye on the joint, end-goal we wouldn’t be able to deliver schemes of this nature so swiftly, expertly and in the challenges presented by the pandemic, so thank you to them.” Brian Winther Almind, Executive Vice President, Group Property at DSV, added: “It has been a pleasure to work in partnership with Winvic over the past year on Mercia Park and the team’s skill and knowledge has driven the project to a successful completion, on time and to budget. It is an important site to DSV – as it will now become home to all three of our business units, DSV Roads, DSV Solutions and DSV Air and Sea – so we’re delighted that the high-quality design, construction and finish not only meets our global standards but that Winvic has once again exceeded expectations and delivered a true flagship campus for our business.” Winvic started works for IM Properties (IMP) to undertake the civils and infrastructure works at Mercia Park in June 2020 and in March 2021, Winvic was appointed once again by the developer to construct the largest ever single occupier logistics park for tenant Jaguar Land Rover. Winvic will remain on site for another year and just last week announced – in partnership with IMP – the launch of the first ‘Future of Construction’ Training Centre, located on-site at Mercia Park. Furthermore, the DSV project was selected as the first of two schemes where the Computer-Vision-SMART technology will be developed. The AI enabled cameras that were placed around the site have now been moved to the IMP Jaguar Land Rover site and development of the machine learning software will continue for another 12 months. For more information on Winvic, the company’s latest project news and job vacancies please visit www.winvic.co.uk. Join Winvic on social media – visit Twitter @WinvicLtd – and LinkedIn.
On 27 October, Epping Forest District Council’s Development Committee Meeting issued a resolution to grant planning permission to Qualis Commercial for five key development sites in Epping Town Centre. The sites include the delivery of a new £25m leisure centre, a new multi-storey car park, commercial units and 269 high quality new homes. Simon Rutter, Managing Director of Qualis Commercial comments, “These applications are the conclusion of almost two years hard work by an experienced professional team, with support from many others on the Council and in the community.” “Through extensive public consultation with over 10,500 visitors to our website and over 2,200 contributions these schemes have evolved from feedback received throughout the comprehensive process. We now look forward to delivering these quality schemes that will bring financial and community benefits to the district.” The new leisure centre on the Bakers Lane car park site will provide a six-lane swimming pool, fitness suite, gym, studios, sports hall and two squash courts and targets ‘BREEAM Excellent’. Chris Whitbread, Leader of Epping Forest District Council said, “My congratulations to the Council’s wholly-owned development company, Qualis, for taking our vision and bringing it to the verge of reality. The St John’s consultations have been going on for perhaps ten years or more. It has been a long and difficult process, but we are now on the cusp of delivery. Taking a holistic approach, we are delivering a balance of development to rejuvenate the town. Residents said they wanted a new leisure centre with a swimming pool, and a cinema. “Our younger residents who are driven from Epping by the high price of property have been crying out for starter homes. Over those ten years, the environmental climate change debate has also driven the process, shaping our plans for sustainable transport, limiting the number of new cars while re-providing town centre parking in the most sustainable way. All the new developments will be at the cutting edge of sustainable energy use, making Epping an even more green and attractive place to work and live.” Simon Rutter continues, “The approvals mark an important step and early milestone in delivering the aspirations of Qualis that has been formed to drive regeneration across the district, creating jobs, economic growth and better public amenities’’. “The team has worked closely with experts to ensure that the schemes are sustainable and sympathetic to the environment they will impact. These sites will be delivered as a comprehensive plan for the town centre that will complement and enhance the existing High Street and see a vibrant cohesive community develop.” The new Cottis Lane car park site will provide a multi-storey car park of 330 spaces, to support the continued vitality and viability of the Town. There are additional commercial and mixed use units focused around an active meanwhile space to create a vibrant environment. The BREEAM Excellent building will have 50 spaces for electric vehicle charging use only. The St John’s Road site will provide 184 much needed new homes for the local area, including 46 affordable homes and will revitalise the derelict former school site whilst refurbishing the locally listed Centrepoint building and Cookery school to restore its heritage and bring them back into use. All complimented by extensive green biodiverse landscaping and increased tree planting to include fruits trees. The site of the vacant Conder Building behind the Councils Civic Offices will transform an underutilised car park into 45 new homes. The pond, which is home to Great Crested Newt will be retained and the area enhanced with planting and trees. The existing leisure centre site at Hemnall Street will be redeveloped once the new Bakers Lane leisure centre has been opened. It will provide complete the town centre transformation with 40 new homes. Parking for all the three residential schemes will have 100% electric vehicle charging spaces and there will be over £2.5m of contributions through the Section 106 for education, health care, open space and other wider community wide benefits. For further information about Qualis Commercial please visit: www.qualiscommercial.co.uk
The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is on the rise but PropTech specialist Virtual Viewing warns that incorrect implementation can increase construction costs, cause delays and even carry legal consequences. Recent statistics by Statista* reveal that 73% of UK construction professionals have implemented BIM into their project in 2020. That’s a 4% increase from 2019 and a staggering 60% uplift since 2011 when only 13% of respondents confirmed using BIM. The UK’s use of BIM hasn’t gone unnoticed as it was recently announced that the US intends to adapt the UK’s national BIM development programme in order to comply with the international standard for BIM- ISO19650. Stewart Bailey, director of Virtual Viewing, says: “BIM has become an essential tool for efficiently managed construction sites, helping teams to create homes that are safe and commercial developments that are functional. Although the industry is incorporating BIM into their sites more frequently, we are witnessing projects where the system hasn’t been used properly by all parties involved. This stops the technology’s capacity from reaching its full potential and can cause a variety of problems along the way. “In addition to construction delays and increased costs caused by poor communication between teams, companies must be aware that any data gap can cause the BIM model to be outdated. This can result in the final development differing from the originally approved plans and building permission. After the passing of the new Building Safety Bill, this could be a criminal offence.” To maximise your BIM performance, Bailey shares his Top 3 Tip 1. BIM Beyond Build An often overlooked key USP of BIM is the array of benefits this technology holds for the future tenant of the property. Not only does a correctly designed BIM structure benefit the construction process, it also functions as an information hub for the property’s end user. Your BIM system could hold all of the property’s important documents such as warranties, contracts and even feature digital home user guides. Virtual Viewing’s clients who have incorporated this in their BIM for residential projects confirm that it has contributed to buyers feeling more confident about the project and effectively boosted sales. At the same time, giving the owners of the property a 3D model protects you from unfair post-construction law suits as the model acts as direct proof of your work and could help identify where any problem with the build may have originated instead. 2. Joined Effort To maximise the productivity level of your BIM, Virtual Viewing advises giving all relevant parties involved in the project access to the platform. This is the only way to ensure that everyone feeds progress updates into the system from their side in order to avoid problems further down the line. For example, if the design team were to develop a plan without considering updates from the construction team such as site conditions and material availability, it could have dire consequences on the success rate and construction timeline. Communication between teams is therefore essential and fully implemented BIM can offer exactly that. 3. BIM Managers To avoid any such hiccups in communications, it’s crucial to have a BIM Manager on board who is capable of overseeing the whole construction progress whilst monitoring all parties involved. Companies often make the mistake of not maximising the use of their BIM Manager to ensure that responsibilities are clarified from the very beginning – a good EIR (Employer’s Information Requirements) document is essential. A good BIM Manager will be able to truly maximise your BIM performance. One of Virtual Viewing’s apps is called SlimBIM2go™; a revolution in the application of BIM. Through advanced model processing SlimBIM2go™ uses a stripped-down version of your BIM model. The clever process and programming techniques allow you to simplify BIM models and make it fully interactive on mobile or tablet devices. To find out more, visit www.virtualviewing.co.uk or call the team on +44 (0) 203 714 8710. *Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1019177/construction-industry-bim-adoption-rate-uk/
New public money focussing on unlocking brownfield land to pave the way for up to 116,000 new homes has been announced by the government. The £624m funding is available to all housebuilders particularly SMEs to help them pay for key infrastructure such as public transport and new schools as well as land remediation. Housing minister Christopher Pincher said: “This money will build on our commitment to bring derelict and abandoned sites back to life, regenerating towns and cities as we level up across the country.” Redeveloping underused land for new homes and improving public services is a key part of the government’s mission to level up and create communities where people want to live and work. Homes England chief executive Peter Denton said: “This new infrastructure funding will be a powerful catalyst for creating new homes, places and communities.” He said the resources would enable the government to back developments such as the regeneration of Rugby’s radio station site where 6,200 homes are to be built. The £35m public funding is going towards paying for a new primary and secondary school plus a link to the town centre. But the National Federation of Builders, NFB, said while the loans were of some help the government still needed to improve the system. NFB head of housing and planning policy Rico Wojtulewicz said: “Finance remains a challenge for SME builders and the home building fund does help some to access lending. “However, it is still viewed by industry as bureaucratic and not appreciative of the staffing expertise difference between SMEs and large PLCs, plus doesn’t always offer as competitive rates as the market.” Brokers Hank Zarihs Associates said development finance lenders could offer smaller housebuilders competitive rates on construction loans for developing brownfield land on well-located sites. Gov’t hopes new loans will help smaller builders take on complex sites This latest government funding is part of the £2.2 bn loan financing made available in last year’s spending review to support infrastructure and drive housing supply. Homes England will administer the loans via the home building fund that makes finance available to developers. In last month’s budget chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a further £1.8bn to regenerate brownfield land and deliver transport links and community facilities. The funding boost meets the government’s manifesto commitment to a £10bn housing fund and will help unlock one million new homes.
South East LEP’S Clean Growth event highlights how we can be a pioneer in addressing climate change. Renowned sustainability activist and writer Jonathon Porritt addressed the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP)’s event last week, South East Futures: What Does Clean Growth look like in the South East? and spoke about the LEP’s role to support the move from the old economy to a new one economy – with no fossil fuels—ensuring prosperity and securing jobs in the new economy, allowing communities to prosper and move towards net-zero with speed. “The time for action is now, and at speed,” said Jonathon, adding that the most impactful course of action is to not get lost in the bigger picture, but instead focus on the basics of what we can do now. Specifically: putting efficiency first—it is not enough to use sustainable energy if the assets are still inefficient; switching to renewable energy, particularly solar for the South East, especially as costs decrease to make this source more competitive; and electric vehicles, especially commercial fleets and investing in charging infrastructure to make this industry more accessible. He set out how we can still achieve economic growth and progress for the South East economy through clean technology, new models of economic growth, investment and innovation. The event also heard from Andrew Griffith MP, the UK’s Net Zero Business Champion, who praised SELEP’s “incredible track record in funding a wide range of innovative, sustainable projects to help businesses reduce their emissions”. He highlighted some of the clean growth projects in the SELEP area, including LoCASE, supporting businesses to decarbonise their operations; and the Riding Sunbeams Solar Railways project, which received more than £2.5m in Getting Building Funding from SELEP in 2020, as part of the Government’s effort to combat the economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The actions of every single business will be central to the country’s successful transition to a low carbon economy,” he said. “It’s going to drive jobs and growth within the UK, but also open up large and attractive new sectors of the world economy, in which businesses who are based in the UK can take significant market shares.” He gave three asks to businesses to take practical actions to become part of the green revolution, namely: signing up to the Race to Zero campaign; telling their supply chains and showing them what they’re doing to become greener; and promoting their efforts so that they can be championed, to provide confidence and reassurance to other businesses. Jonathan Withey, head of business development at sustainability certification body Planet Mark, gave great, practical steps that businesses can take to start their journey to becoming net-zero which included understanding where emissions are generated by their operations, how to measure them and how to get started and ‘make a plan’ to be able to reach net zero by 2050. Planet Mark offers weekly seminars and workshops to support businesses on their journey, and Jonathan highlighted a message which is becoming increasingly loud: “This is our moment, a time for change and companies that have a strategy will be rewarded… The transition to net zero is creating the greatest commercial opportunity of our age.” The event provided an opportunity to educate, inform and demonstrate how we can embrace this moment to recover and grow a future economy in a sustainable and considered way. SELEP Chair Christian Brodie said: “This event was an excellent way to bring together the South East’s key players in the realm of sustainability, clean growth and renewable energy during this crucial time, as the world’s focus is on Glasgow during COP26. “As well as reiterating just how much SELEP has already done in this arena, it also highlighted the vast potential for our area. Our stretching coastline gives us prime opportunity to drive forward in areas such as tidal energy, as well as the potential for pioneering new ideas like floating solar on waterscapes, as mentioned by Jonathon Porritt in his keynote address. “I would like to thank the speakers and all our partners who took part in the day, providing fascinating insight into key areas of this hugely important agenda. We must keep the momentum from this event moving forward in every aspect of our work.” The event also featured a series of debate panels, showcasing existing activity happening in the South East to deliver clean growth and outlining where the future opportunities lie for the South East in this new economy.
IGEL, provider of the next gen edge OS for cloud workspaces, announces today that United Living has selected IGEL OS to extend the life of existing desktop PCs used within the business, provide an easy to manage EUC solution for equipment at numerous temporary site offices and enable staff to work from home. This further supports United Living’s agile working approach post pandemic. Driven by its strong company values to leave a positive, sustainable legacy behind, United Living is always exploring ways to reduce its carbon footprint. The use of IGEL OS has seen the conversion of around 130 PCs. As a device’s carbon value is typically incurred during the manufacturing process, it can take two years to offset. By extending the life of these devices, United Living has ensured that it becomes incrementally more sustainable. In addition to the actual hardware savings, further costs were realised as a three-year anti-virus software and maintenance subscription was not renewed given the built-in security features of IGEL OS. United Living provides essential services to the owners and operators of critical UK property and infrastructure assets and creates the communities where people want to live, work and play. The business employs 1,100 staff and has revenues of over £500m. United Living uses Citrix Virtual Apps to provide a standard desktop for a range of staff who work on projects and temporary site offices around the country. They access standard Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft SharePoint along with the company’s finance system. John Merrick, United Living’s IT service manager, explains, “We move these desktop PCs around from project to project. Getting a great Citrix experience for colleagues who use them was impacted as the endpoint hardware and associated operating system were old. We were looking for a solution which meant we could reutilise existing investment in hardware while boosting the end-user experience which is why we selected IGEL.” Supplied by Bytes Software Services, one of IGEL’s authorised expert partners, IGEL OS has been used to convert the PCs into locked-down and easy to manage endpoints. The PCs at site offices link back to a private cloud environment using Citrix SD-WAN[1]. Merrick adds, “We made the transition to IGEL OS easily, cost effectively and efficiently.” Users are presented with a desktop with a similar ‘look and feel’ to Windows which has helped with uptake and adoption. IGEL OS also allows digital cameras and other external storage drives to be connected – devices commonly used in the construction industry. United Living has realised a range of other benefits: Converting the 130 desktop PCs was quick, easy and fault free; IGEL’s Universal Management Suite (UMS) means it is easy for the IT department to ‘push’ updates to each machine over time, with remote control of devices and support to individuals given when needed; Security is enhanced as no data is stored on machines locally as they switch between projects. Granular information is also provided about each device such as who logged in last. Merrick says, “Ultimately, end-users have commented how much quicker the PCs are – they turn them on and they’re working in seconds not minutes. That’s been the best feedback as no one ever really thanks you for boosting efficiency.” The use of IGEL OS meant that United Living was able to respond quickly to COVID-19 by loading the OS onto laptops – typically used at the main offices – for staff to then use at home. Merrick says, “We’ve used some of our IGEL licences to mobilise people to work from home. The laptops connect to Citrix NetScaler providing access to our virtual desktop and applications.” Moving forward, United Living is positive about the future. Merrick says, “IGEL is a trusted partner. We know that when we introduce new technologies or functionalities whether that be Microsoft Teams or a new version of Citrix for example, IGEL will support us.” Simon Townsend, IGEL’s chief marketing officer, says “Working from anywhere is here to stay. IGEL OS is designed to enable firms to support their staff to do this and the United Living project is an excellent example. Irrespective of whether their staff work at different project sites or from home, our software offers easy management, security, performance and, the best bit, lower EUC costs to the business.”
Regeneration business Peel L&P, responsible for the UK’s largest regeneration projects including Wirral Waters and Liverpool Waters, has become a member of Changing Streams CIC and has signed up to their Charter that sets out a clear mission and ambition for reducing plastic in the construction industry. Changing Streams CIC was established in 2019 to tackle plastic pollution in the industry. The construction sector was chosen as the first because, after packaging, this industry is the largest user of plastics – generating over 50,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste each year in the UK. Working with The University of Liverpool, Changing Streams acts as the bridge between academia and industry to drive and effect change and reduce our plastic footprint. The Charter includes a commitment from members to significantly reduce plastics in the construction industry, whether in design of the building, materials or packaging. The association with Changing Streams will bring together Peel L&P’s construction partners with researchers from the University of Liverpool to identify where sustainable plastic-free alternatives can be used in the building sector. In addition to becoming a member and signing up to the Charter, Peel L&P and Changing Streams are developing a large and pioneering research project at Wirral Waters – one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects with a consented Masterplan of 20 million sq ft, that is very much in delivery phase. The project will involve the largest residential construction project being delivered at Wirral Waters over the next few years, with more details being announced in the coming months. Dr Gareth Abrahams, Co-Founder and Head of Building Design Research at Changing Streams CIC, commented; “Whilst the construction industry is one of the largest consumers of plastic in the UK, there have been very few efforts to understand how and why plastic is used in construction and, more importantly, if and where it may be exchanged for plastic-free alternatives. “This partnership between Peel L&P, Changing Streams CIC and the University of Liverpool is the first dedicated attempt to tackle this issue on a large, landmark scheme. Our first project together will be an initial step in a long-term plan that will help position the Liverpool City Region as a thought leader and driver of change in the construction industry.” Jo Holden, Sustainability Director for Peel L&P, said: “At Peel L&P we understand the importance of action on climate change and the drive to sustainability in everything we do. Working in partnership we are already taking action through smart built environments, low carbon energy solutions, functional green public realm and the promotion of sustainable travel options. “Reduction in the use of plastics in construction represents a huge opportunity to deliver real transformation in the industry. Signing up to the Charter is just the first step. Working in partnership with Changing Streams we will leave no stone unturned in the drive to reduce plastics across our supply chains.” Richard Mawdsley, Director of Development for Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters, added: “We want to make Wirral Waters one of the most sustainable regeneration projects in the UK, and we cannot achieve this without tackling the issue of plastics in the construction process. This collaboration with Changing Streams CIC and The University of Liverpool will bring both industry experience and academic excellence to the project, and we are looking forward to working with the team over the coming months and years.”
FOLLOWING a 12,000 ft² expansion, Mincon Carbide, leading tungsten carbide specialist manufacturers, enlisted the expertise of RB ALLAN & SONS Ltd and PermaRoof Commercial, part of PermaGroup, to secure its three-acre UK site in Sheffield. The site, which has been the home of Mincon Carbide’s offices and factory for more than 70 years, has recently been refurbished by contractor RB ALLAN & SONS Ltd, to ensure it is waterproof and secure for years to come. The site redevelopment began in 2019 with the demolition of a derelict building, which was on the company’s grounds, making way for an extension of 12,000 ft² taking the full surface area to 35,000 ft². Meanwhile, work on the roofing stage of the project began in June 2021, for which the PermaRoof Commercial team was appointed by RB ALLAN & SONS Ltd and Firestone to provide consultative and installation support, and is expected to be completed in phases over the next four years. Sunny Lotay, national commercial manager for PermaRoof Commercial, said: “It is essential that prominent companies, such as Mincon Carbide, invest in their infrastructure to prevent potential issues from developing that, in turn, require potentially costly repairs. The refurbishment Mincon Carbide has undertaken at its site in the heart of Sheffield’s industrial region shows significant forward planning in the future-proofing of its operations from a structural perspective.” As leading suppliers of roofing solutions and services, PermaRoof Commercial is working alongside RB ALLAN & SONS Ltd, who is responsible for the installation of a comprehensive Firestone RubberGard EPDM waterproofing system and Firestone HD Coverboard throughout the duration of the four-year project. Craig Glasby, director of RB ALLAN & SONS Ltd, said: “We were thrilled to work with PermaRoof Commercial on this project for engineering leaders, Mincon Carbide. PermaRoof has supported with logistics surrounding materials and installation advice, ensuring the right solution was found for the challenges faced on site. The adaptability of the EPDM rubber roofing products that were specified means the job can be completed with confidence.” The Firestone HD Coverboard was laid first on the corrugated roof to create a safe and workable space that could take foot traffic during the refurbishment works. Fixed roof ladders posed a unique challenge for standard rubber roofing as it was inflexible in the space, which could have led to potential waterproofing issues. However, PermaRoof Commercial utilised the qualities of liquid rubber to effectively seal the gaps around the fitted ladder, overcoming the issue of waterproofing in a difficult space. Sunny continued: “The benefit of utilisng Firestone products with a PermaRoof Registered Installer (PRI) is the 20-year BBA approved warranty. By equipping our PRIs with the training and knowhow to make recommendations for challenges faced on each project, particularly renovations, it means projects that require our support, such as Mincon Carbide has with installers RB ALLAN & SONS Ltd, have the peace of mind in knowing their investment will survive the seasons for years to come.” For more information on PermaRoof Commercial, please visit permaroofcommercial.co.uk or call 01773 608839.