Citrus Durham has submitted a reserved matters application to Durham County Council for the delivery of the next phase of industrial development, to be known as Evolution@Integra61, within its £300m mixed-use development at J61 of the A1(M). Evolution@Integra61 will comprise of 24 new industrial units totalling 50,921 sq ft and
COMMUNITY Development Partnerships is a brand-new consortium – led by national independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard – that has gained supplier status on Pagabo’s new national developer-led framework, worth an estimated £47 billion. The Pick Everard-led consortium comprises Watkin Jones PLC, Charles Street Buildings (Leicester) Ltd, Trebor
CEO of Checkatrade, Mike Fairman, said, “Our tradespeople have shown great resilience over this challenging period and are committed to safely carrying out home improvement and repair jobs following Government guidelines. Checkatrade has worked directly with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to share additional guidance for trade
Kirklees’ Cabinet to consider £58M investment plan that could secure funding to support their Dewsbury Blueprint Ambitions. At their Cabinet meeting on the 19 January, councillors will consider a report on the proposed application for 25M funding from the Government’s Towns Deal Fund. The Dewsbury Town Board and Kirklees Council
Next week, Tuesday 19th January, the online retrofit conference Low Carbon Homes Liverpool, supported by MCS, goes live for three days of knowledge-sharing to consider how Liverpool can rapidly scale up the retrofitting of housing across the city to meet its net-zero target. Liverpool City Council plans to make the
Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture, HS2’s main works construction partner for the Northolt to London Euston section of Britain’s new high speed railway, is today launching two new careers-focused initiatives designed to support those who have taken a career break to re-enter employment. In line with HS2’s drive to create
National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes has completed the purchase of a site on School Street, Thurnscoe, which will be developed in partnership with Homes England and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The site, situated within the Dearne Valley on the eastern outskirts of Barnsley, was previously owned by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council,
Steel-frame specialists Wareing Buildings has completed the design and build of a major commercial development for Henco International. The site at Cropper Close on Whitehills Business Park in Blackpool consists of two units totalling 20,000 sq ft, which offer high-quality storage and distribution space for potential occupiers. The first unit,
This month we ask Steve Blacker at award-winning property developers Kebbell to tell us a little more about a day in the life of a site manager. What made you first want to become a site manager? I was actually a carpenter but I was really intrigued about the running
Leading wet civil engineering specialists, Land & Water, has been appointed by Merton Council to build a new road bridge over the River Wandle in Mitcham. The new Bishopsford Bridge will replace the previous structure, which had to be demolished for safety reasons after partially collapsing following heavy rainfall in
Citrus Durham has submitted a reserved matters application to Durham County Council for the delivery of the next phase of industrial development, to be known as Evolution@Integra61, within its £300m mixed-use development at J61 of the A1(M). Evolution@Integra61 will comprise of 24 new industrial units totalling 50,921 sq ft and ranging in size from 1,205 sq ft up to 4,625 sq ft. The units, which will be available to purchase or lease, have been designed to address the regional shortage of modern small units to satisfy strong demand from local and regional occupiers seeking high quality industrial/warehouse units in a prime location immediately adjacent to the A1(M) in the centre of the County. The units within each terrace can be occupied individually or combined to satisfy larger requirements. Those occupiers seeking space from 15,000 sq ft upwards have additional options at Integra 61 where design and build packages are available for units up to 600,000 sq ft. Integra 61 agents Avison Young and Colliers International are now taking reservations on the units which, subject to planning consent, will be ready for occupation by Q4 2021. Already home to Amazon’s new 2m sq ft Fulfilment Centre, the pioneering development will also house circa 300 new homes and significant roadside opportunities including drive-thru’s, a 70-bed hotel, family pub/restaurant, nursery, car showrooms and trade counter/retail units. Fronting onto the newly upgraded A688 and Durham Services, Integra 61 is just 4 miles away from the City of Durham and has the potential to deliver some 4,000 jobs in total. Recent research by Avison Young demonstrates the critical lack of new build space in the North East where there has been an average provision of under 150,000 sq ft per annum of speculative new build space over the last five years, which is well below what is needed to satisfy demand. Avison Young’s research shows that all the small unit schemes recently built in the region are fully occupied and are achieving record rents. All of these schemes have been available on a leasehold basis only, whereas the units at Evolution@Integra61 will be available for companies to lease or purchase, giving occupiers much needed flexibility. Danny Cramman, Director at Avison Young, commented; “Our research clearly demonstrates the regional need for these new units. They are ideally suited to local and regional businesses and crucially offer companies the opportunity to own their own premises which is very rare in this size range. Occupiers can also take advantage of the wider benefits of being part of one of the region’s most dynamic new employment hubs which, together with the roadside elements and new homes now being delivered, will provide an exceptional offering for employees, residents and visitors alike.” David Cullingford, Project Lead for Integra 61 and Citrus Durham, said; “The creation of the smaller units makes Integra 61 a truly inclusive scheme, with wide ranging opportunities for businesses of all sizes. This further significant investment will generate yet more jobs and we are pleased to be able to support regional occupiers with their growth ambitions and be part of this unique project in County Durham.” For enquiries please contact Avison Young or Colliers International; Robert Rae 07860 398 744robert.rae@avisonyoung.com /Danny Cramman 07796 993 750 danny.cramman@avisonyoung.com Robert Whatmuff07703 393 145robert.whatmuff@colliers.com / 07736 480 041simon.hill@colliers.com
COMMUNITY Development Partnerships is a brand-new consortium – led by national independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard – that has gained supplier status on Pagabo’s new national developer-led framework, worth an estimated £47 billion. The Pick Everard-led consortium comprises Watkin Jones PLC, Charles Street Buildings (Leicester) Ltd, Trebor Developments LLP, APB (Leicester) LLP, Sowden Group Ltd, and Venture Properties Group Ltd. Acting on behalf of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, the Pagabo framework will cover a range of developer-led schemes within the construction industry and is open to all public sector bodies including schools, universities, local authorities, police and emergency services, NHS organisations, health and social care providers and housing associations, as well as central government departments and the Ministry of Defence. Pagabo’s framework – which will run for five and a half years – features nine lots covering three contract structures: Property Development via Joint Venture and Special Purpose Vehicle, Long Income Lease and Lease Back, and Property Development Single Site by Development Agreement. The awards will see Community Development Partnerships working with public sector organisations to offer developer management services – providing them with expertise, creative and viable development solutions, private sector investment and development delivery. Appointments cover single site development agreements valued up to £40m across the North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands and South West, as well as agreements valued at more than £40m in these regions, and London, the East of England and the South West. As well as this, the Pick Everard-led consortium has been selected on a direct award basis to cover projects valued between £20m and £40m across the Midlands, delivered through either special purpose vehicles or joint ventures; to cover long lease income and lease back schemes valued up to £40m in the South West, and between £40m and £100m in the Midlands, London and the South and the South West. Alastair Hamilton, partner at Pick Everard and executive lead for Community Development Partnerships, said: “Use of frameworks is central to a lot of our work at Pick Everard, so with this in mind we are really thrilled to be announcing the appointment of Community Development Partnerships to a number of lots and regions on Pagabo’s newest framework. “Procuring and delivering value for the public sector in particular is set to be incredibly important as we look to the future, and both this framework and our consortium are ideally placed to support the public sector in realising its aspirations for regeneration and inward investment. Together, they will be pivotal in helping public sector bodies unlock and realise the enhanced asset value across their property and land portfolios. “Our combined track record of working together to deliver success on projects in a range of sectors, and in creating social value and a sustainable built environment, the group of partners will maximise Community Development Partnerships’ ability to services the requirements of clients via this unique framework – bringing together the best in the market to deliver the best for clients.” Jason Stapley, managing director at Pagabo, said: “With all our frameworks we aim to simplify the whole procurement process, ensure flexibility and provider greater choice for clients, all packaged up with OJEU compliance – our developer-led framework is no different in that respect. It will allow developers the ability to procure works through a compliant and simple to use framework and help the public sector with vital expansion plans, creating an overall more robust sector. “We’ve been absolutely blown away by the response we’ve had in this tender process and are really pleased to be bringing a unique procurement offering to market with such a strong set of companies.” The consortium secured a place on the framework following a rigorous OJEU compliant tender process, covering relevant experience and financial suitability, as well as dedication to delivering social value and implementing the use of technology. Pick Everard employs more than 500 staff across its 13 offices, providing a range of project, cost, and design consultancy services. For more information, please visit www.pickeverard.co.uk.
CEO of Checkatrade, Mike Fairman, said, “Our tradespeople have shown great resilience over this challenging period and are committed to safely carrying out home improvement and repair jobs following Government guidelines. Checkatrade has worked directly with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to share additional guidance for trade members and homeowners to help everyone stay as safe as possible. For example, we encourage our tradespeople to use video calls for advice and quotes, and recommend you keep in touch with your tradesperson to talk through the work in advance and agree how to reduce risks. “As we continue to spend more time at home, homeowners will be wanting to also invest time and money into making them as comfortable as they can be and as a result, we’re seeing uplifts in searches for tradespeople to carry out home improvements in the winter months bucking the trend of previous years.” The measures that homeowners are encouraged to undertake when carrying out home improvements and maintenance work include: · Keep in touch: Regular contact with your tradesperson in advance of any home visit is important – to talk through details of the work and to agree how risks can be reduced · Keep it digital: Checkatrade is encouraging tradespeople to embrace video calling for advice and quotes, whenever that is possible · Keep it clean: Clean surfaces around the working area and in ‘high traffic’ areas such as door handles with disinfectant before, during and after work is carried out · Keep a distance: Avoid too much face-to-face contact with those working in your home and keep children or pets in other rooms whenever possible
Kirklees’ Cabinet to consider £58M investment plan that could secure funding to support their Dewsbury Blueprint Ambitions. At their Cabinet meeting on the 19 January, councillors will consider a report on the proposed application for 25M funding from the Government’s Towns Deal Fund. The Dewsbury Town Board and Kirklees Council have compiled a Town Investment Plan as part of their bid, following consultation with local people at end of 2020. The investment plan proposes nine projects that the board feels would best benefit from the funding and deliver on what is important to local people. Cllr Shabir Pandor, Leader of the Council and Interim Chair of Dewsbury Town Board said: “The council and the town board are working together to make our ambitions for Dewsbury come true. In February 2020 we set out a ten-year vision for the town, many of the schemes that the board has selected to support with this plan were included in that vision. With this funding from the government, and match funding from the council we could see many of our plans come to fruition and demonstrate that Dewsbury really is a town of distinction. With a new town centre park, the regeneration of the arcade and the market, and high quality residential accommodation attracting commuters from nearby cities, local people could see significant changes in the town over the coming years. Dewsbury is a proud town and it deserves to be brought back to life as a family friendly place to live, work, shop and play.” Should the bid be successful, in order to make sure they can successfully complete the projects, the council will also be looking to allocate £33.6M of match funding from a variety of sources including council capital, Arts Council grants, private sector contributions, and the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund and Getting Building Fund. If Cabinet approves the report, officers will finalise the Town Improvement Plan and submit it to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government by 29 January 2021. Once agreed Kirklees Council and the Town Board will enter into a Town Deal with government, before drawing up more detailed plans for the proposed schemes. The full list of projects included in the Town Improvement Plan are: £1.3M for the redevelopment of The Arcade as a multiuse space. £6.6M for an improved market offer in the town. £3.15M to build on the success of the Townscape Heritage Initiative with a new Building Revival Scheme. £250,000 investment in digital connectivity for town centre properties. 6.25M to create a town park and improve the public realm throughout the town. £1.5M investment in construction skills for local people. £2.195M investment in the Union Arts Centre as part of the town’s creative town ambitions. £3m to develop a living town at Daisy Hill in Dewsbury, and finally £2M to improve the roads and make it safer and easier to travel by bike or on foot. This latest funding opportunity will build on the council’s earlier investments of over £8M in the town, including the recent redevelopment of Pioneer House as the Pioneers Higher skills Centre, and the purchase of The Arcade.
Next week, Tuesday 19th January, the online retrofit conference Low Carbon Homes Liverpool, supported by MCS, goes live for three days of knowledge-sharing to consider how Liverpool can rapidly scale up the retrofitting of housing across the city to meet its net-zero target. Liverpool City Council plans to make the city carbon neutral by 2030, creating more energy-efficient housing stock, increasing the amount of green space in the city area, and improving air quality. The Council’s vision includes: incentives for the private sector to build more energy-efficient housing; retrofitting 6,000 homes with energy-saving features such as triple glazing, heat pumps and solar panels; and financial incentives for homeowners, including discounted green mortgages. The Faculty of Engineering and Technology at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), host partner of the event, plays a unique role in fusing industry and academia together. It leads and delivers a range of business innovation programmes, including the Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory. Three mornings of presentations and debate have been specifically curated with the assistance of LJMU, Liverpool City Council and an Advisory Board of local stakeholders: Day 1 (Tuesday 19th January) – What have we got to do and how are we doing? Prof. Mike Riley, Pro-vice Chancellor, LJMU Cllr. Barry Kushner, Cabinet Member, Housing & Regeneration (opening the event) Ian Rippin – CEO & Alex Hughes – Operations Analyst, MCS Richard Partington, MD, AceOn James Hill, Property Strategy Director, Onward Housing Day 2 (Wednesday 20th January) – What else could we be doing? Charlie Baker, Director, Red Coop David Lewis, MD, ista Marianne Heaslip, Associate, Urbed Day 3 (Thursday 21st January) – What’s holding us back? Dave Woods, Director of Operations, Cobalt Housing Dr Lisa Newson, Programme Leader MSc Health Psychology, LJMU Prof. Andy Ross, Professor of Construction Economics & Management, LMJU Louise Davies, Head of Housing Delivery, Liverpool City Council Lucy Pedler, Director, Futureproof Wendy Osborn, Partnerships Manager, CITB Low Carbon Homes Founder, Graham Lock comments:“We’ve been working with LJMU for over a year now to deliver this event. Originally planned to be a conventional in-person conference, we’ve now successfully transitioned to online, making the event freely accessible to all those concerned with the challenge of scaling up retrofit in Liverpool and the city region. The role of the Advisory Group has been vital in developing a programme that truly reflects the challenges facing Liverpool. We’re taking a close look at the viability of retrofit in an area of the UK with relatively low property values and high levels of poverty and look forward to achieving positive outcomes that will enable the city to take bigger steps towards their bold net-zero vision.” Low Carbon Homes on 19-21 January, hosted by Liverpool John Moores University, is a free-to-attend online event bringing professionals from inter-related sectors together to collaborate and consider the scale of the challenge, the solutions available and the barriers to overcome. After Liverpool, Low Carbon Homes will be staging further events across the UK. Next is Kent (26-28 January), followed by Oxfordshire, Manchester and Portsmouth.
Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture, HS2’s main works construction partner for the Northolt to London Euston section of Britain’s new high speed railway, is today launching two new careers-focused initiatives designed to support those who have taken a career break to re-enter employment. In line with HS2’s drive to create employment opportunities for local people and those from disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, the Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture is working in partnership with London-based organisations Women Returners and STEM Returners to actively engage the local community and support individuals who have taken a career break back into work. The Women Returners initiative is aimed at experienced professionals from a variety of backgrounds who took a career break of two years or more. The programme will offer six months’ paid work placements to six candidates, with a high likelihood of ongoing employment on the HS2 project. Participants will receive comprehensive support, including a Career Returners Coaching Programme from Women Returners. In 2020, the joint venture recruited six high-calibre employees through the Women Returners programme, with a 100% conversion into permanent employment. It hopes this year’s programme will encourage more people to join the sector and secure long-term employment in line with their career aspirations. Ambrose Quashie, HS2 Ltd’s Skills Manager for Greater London said: “We have set robust employment and skills targets for all our contractors to ensure that local people benefit from opportunities to work on this once in a lifetime project. “This is a fantastic example of how we are ensuring that those in need of additional support to boost their career can really benefit”. The programme particularly welcomes applications from female returners, as this supports HS2’s aim to address the gender imbalance commonplace in the construction and rail sectors. However, recognising that career breaks for parental care or personal reasons are not exclusive to women, the joint venture also encourages male applicants for the programme. Fabiana, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Administrator and 2020 Return to Work programme graduate said: “Joining the project through the Return to Work programme really helped me with my confidence to be ready and prepared to come back to work. When you are out of work, it can be hard, and you worry about lots of little things. The support provided is essential”. Alice Jennison, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture explains: “We have already hired six people through our Return to Work programme and we are excited to expand the programme in 2021. We offer tailored support to individuals who are returning to work through coaching, training, mentoring and a dedicated buddy. There are many talented people wanting to return to work and we welcome applications from people with or without infrastructure industry experience.” The joint venture’s second recruitment initiative is an innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) focused programme. Six places will be available on the 12-week programme which is designed for individuals with a STEM-focused career background, such as engineering, or those who have worked in the STEM sector. Mentoring and coaching will be provided to ensure that those returning to work, following a lengthy period of absence, are fully supported. Following completion of the 12-week programme, successful candidates may be offered full-time positions. The STEM Returners programme has already supported almost 200 candidates and 96% have been offered full-time roles at the end of their placement. For more information about the two back to work programmes, visit womenreturners.com/ for details of the Women Returners programme and stemreturners.com/ for the STEM Returners programme. The joint venture expects to recruit over 4,000 jobs, including employment for around 550 previously unemployed people and 400 apprenticeships to deliver its programme of work on the HS2 project. Details of current opportunities can be found at scsrailways.co.uk/careers/.
National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes has completed the purchase of a site on School Street, Thurnscoe, which will be developed in partnership with Homes England and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The site, situated within the Dearne Valley on the eastern outskirts of Barnsley, was previously owned by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, and will see 360 brand new homes created in the area. The development will comprise of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes with off-street parking and private gardens, of which 5% will be affordable housing. The £52m development represents the third phase of housing on the wider site and highlights Keepmoat’s commitment to working with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to transform the area through the creation of high-quality, modern homes, public open spaces and a children’s play area. As part of their ongoing commitment to the local community, Keepmoat Homes has pledged to support local people and help generate opportunities in training and employment through the use of sub-contractors, work placements and educational visits to the site, which will be delivered throughout the lifetime of the project. Dan Crew, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat Homes, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing to work in partnership with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Homes England to deliver our third phase in Thurnscoe. “As a local developer, with our Head Office in Yorkshire, this acquisition is a positive step for our ambitious growth plans in South Yorkshire and following the success of previous developments in the area, it’s a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our presence in the town and cement our relationship with the Council. “The new homes are designed for both first time buyers and those looking to up-size, as well as providing much needed provision of more affordable homes. We are driven to make a big impact to the local area and aim to create a new community with open spaces and park facilities for everyone to enjoy.” The first homes will become available to purchase at the start of 2021 and the development will take around nine years to complete.
Steel-frame specialists Wareing Buildings has completed the design and build of a major commercial development for Henco International. The site at Cropper Close on Whitehills Business Park in Blackpool consists of two units totalling 20,000 sq ft, which offer high-quality storage and distribution space for potential occupiers. The first unit, comprising 8,000 sq ft with an additional 2,000 sq ft of mezzanine, ‘grade A’ air-conditioned office space, has been let to gift and toy designers/distributors Floss & Rock who will take occupancy of the unit later this year. The remaining unit spans 12,000 sq ft, also offering the option of additional mezzanine offices, and has the potential to be split into two separate units covering approximately 5,000 sq ft and 7,000 sq ft. Both units at 7.5m to eaves benefit from excellent loading facilities with a large yard, including 25m turning circle and loading doors. Wareing Buildings’ role in the development included site preparation and clearance, implementing concrete foundations and strip footings, the fabrication and erection of the steel frame structure and construction of external cavity brick walls. Wareing Buildings also added a concrete floor slab with power float finish, roof and wall cladding and composite sheeting and aluminium-framed glazing. It is the latest in a series of projects that Wareing Buildings, based in Preston, has completed on behalf of commercial development and investment company Henco, which has been operating on the Fylde coast for more than 35 years. Henco owns several developments on Whitehills Business Park, a number of which were built by Wareing Buildings. The contractor was appointed to deliver six units at Apollo Court in 2013 totalling 12,000 sq ft, a four-unit development on Brooklands Way spanning 5,500 sq ft, which completed in 2017 as well as nine units at Juniper Court in 2018 totalling 13,000 sq ft. Whitehills Business Park provides easy access to the M55 which joins the M6 motorway, allowing ease of commuting throughout the North West and beyond. Commuting options are also available to the surrounding towns of Blackpool, St Annes and Lytham. Simon Tickle, estimator at Wareing Buildings, said: “Henco holds an extensive amount of space at Whitehills Business Park because it identified that the area offered fantastic commercial opportunities for businesses wanting to make Blackpool and the Fylde their home. “Since the first spade was put into the ground on the Apollo Court development in 2013, we have worked in partnership to develop spaces that will serve to drive forward the commercial sector in the region and make the area a thriving business hub. “This latest project once again offers something new to occupants, and we look forward to seeing which other exciting businesses take advantage of these high-quality facilities.” Chris Hibbert, Managing Director at Henco International said: “Whitehills Business Park offers a great opportunity for businesses operating on the Fylde Coast with new, high-quality buildings and a central location with easy access, just a stone’s throw from the regions motorway network.” “The Park continues to grow in occupier numbers, with approximately 750,000 sq ft of commercial premises now built, accommodating a diverse range of businesses. With over 2,000 new homes scheduled for development within a 2-mile radius and funding for the long-awaited M55 link road directly connecting Whitehills at Junction 4 to Lytham St Annes now secured, Whitehills provides a fantastic business location for the area.”
This month we ask Steve Blacker at award-winning property developers Kebbell to tell us a little more about a day in the life of a site manager. What made you first want to become a site manager? I was actually a carpenter but I was really intrigued about the running of a site and how it all came together so I progressed to an assistant site manager position and have been a site manager now for 20 years. What skills do you need to be a site manager? A trade background gives you a head start. You need to be knowledgeable about the build process and have some IT skills, to understand what works commercially, be good at problem solving and have a good eye for detail. Strong communication skills, being a team player and a people person are really important. What are your main responsibilities? I am responsible for the day-to-day running of a particular construction project being developed by Kebbell. I have one eye on the timescales and another on the budget of a project, and I manage any delays or problems encountered and deal with all the sub-contractors. I like to get the best out of the people on site and our designs. Encouragement and quality are key. I keep a close eye on snagging and do daily inspections. Tell me about your typical day? Really every day is different depending on things like deliveries, weather, snagging, who is on site, the stage of the development and so on. There is a lot of travel involved because I live in Welwyn Garden City and drive every day, and occasionally at the weekends, to whichever site I am working from. I get to site usually about 07:20 and spend the first part of the morning checking all of the tradespeople are okay and are aware of what the priorities of the day are. I order materials, I might deal with local residents or councillors or health and safety officers. Building inspectors do frequent visits at key stages. At about 16:45 I finish on site having made sure everything is locked up and is secure and I then head home and start looking forward to the weekend. I enjoy a clay-pigeon shoot! What are the best and hardest things about the job? The best thing is definitely taking a development from muddy field to building amazing new homes and then seeing buyers and their families move in. I enjoy seeing it all the way through. The hardest thing is when unexpected delays occur. Sometimes contractors or suppliers can’t meet deadlines which means schedules get pushed out which can be frustrating. Kebbell have an exceptionally high requirement level for quality and sometimes tricky conversations have to be had with tradespeople. What have you been working on lately? I have worked at Kebbell for five years, most recently on a new development of 8, two bedroom apartments called Misbourne House in Gerrards Cross which is set to complete in early 2021. One of the main issues I had to deal with on this project was getting hold of the materials we needed during both national lockdowns. I am shortly moving to a new site at Iver which will be a bigger build as a collection of 39, two and three bedroom luxurious apartments in three blocks with basement parking. The bigger project means more tradespeople on site. I like the variety but don’t really have a favourite project although I enjoy high end developments because of the even greater attention to detail needed. What has been your proudest moment? I was chosen for an NHBC Pride in the Job Quality Award in 2019 for the work I did as Site Manager at our Aubury Place development in London. We got top marks from an inspector and then I was chosen as award winner by a director of NHBC. We went to the awards dinner in Brighton and it was one of my proudest moments. How long do you stay on a project at any one time? It really depends on the size and build of the project. For example, I spent three years working on Aubury Place but just one year at Misbourne House. How has Covid-19 affected your job? It has mostly affected our suppliers and several times we have been close to the wire like nearly running out of roofing materials! As Misbourne House is made up of eight apartments social distancing was easily achieved by the tradespeople working separately in each apartment. What do you think makes Kebbell different from other housebuilders? Everyone at Kebbell is a team player and we always strive to deliver the best homes possible. We are always looking for any opportunities to enhance a house. For example, if it is possible to create a little more storage or change the position of a TV point, to maximise the flexibility of a room, we will take the time and effort to do that. It is often me who sees these opportunities whilst we are building so I will consult with Nick Kebbell, our Managing Director, and the rest of the team and together we perfect the change. We always think about how people will actually live in our homes and constantly question “would I be happy with that in my house?” If the answer is no then we make any changes necessary to turn it into a yes! What do you think makes a house a home? Family is what makes a house a home. To find out more visit https://kebbell.co.uk
Leading wet civil engineering specialists, Land & Water, has been appointed by Merton Council to build a new road bridge over the River Wandle in Mitcham. The new Bishopsford Bridge will replace the previous structure, which had to be demolished for safety reasons after partially collapsing following heavy rainfall in June 2019. Land & Water was contracted by Merton Council to carry out the demolition work last spring. Replacing the bridge is a particularly complex task because it influences river flow and has a range of utilities running through its structure. During the project, a temporary cofferdam to the north and south side of the bridge will be installed, while work takes place underwater. The new river crossing, along the A217, will be wider than the previous bridge, to include a northbound segregated cycle lane and a wider shared southbound pavement and cycle space. The new design has a single span, rather than three arches like the old bridge. Land & Water’s ongoing environmental commitment has been reflected in its choice of specialist plant, which minimises noise. The river banks border Watermeads Nature reserve and the plans will help promote biodiversity in the river and on its banks. Construction Director at Land & Water, Kevin Kirkland said: “We are looking forward to returning to Mitcham to build a new bridge at this key river crossing. “It is a particularly challenging project because the bridge influences river flow and has a range of utilities running through its structure. We will be working closely with Merton Council to safely build a new bridge to replace the 200-year-old previous structure. The new bridge is designed both to meet the demands of today’s traffic and to encourage people to make more journeys by bike or on foot. “Land and Water is committed to improving the environment around its engineering works.”