Goodman has broken ground on 477,370 sq ft of prime distribution and logistics space at Crossways Commercial Park, Dartford. Construction begins on 477,370 sq ft of prime distribution and logistics space M25-adjacent location will provide customers with access to 9.2 million consumers within a one-hour drivetime, with a combined purchasing
Health risks from Coronavirus and occupational disease are big issues for businesses. IOM’s clients are benefiting from 50-years’ experience of keeping workers healthy and businesses compliant. The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) has been at the forefront of scientific research to understand and mitigate a range of occupational and environmental
One of the UK’s leading engineering and construction companies – ENGIE Fabricom – has secured an additional contract as part of a major framework agreement with owners and operators of strategic gas assets across Europe. The new contract will see ENGIE Fabricom manage and coordinate the full implementation and commissioning
Leading construction software company, COINS, have announced a new integration which they hope will speed up the entire reservation and sales process for UK home builders. The new partnership between COINS and Yourkeys will provide UK home builders with a suite of powerful features, designed to increase efficiency in the
GLP, a leading investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks, today announces that it has leased a 155,000 SQ FT unit, Unit 3, at its G-Park Northampton site, to Whistl on long-term lease. Whistl is the UK’s leading delivery management company and the development at G-Park Northampton will
National-contractor Tolent has handed over a new £12.5m student accommodation scheme on Burley Street in Leeds. Known as Union, the development has created 87 extremely spacious and thoroughly modern studio apartments within easy walking distance of both the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University, as well as Leeds city
Boris Johnson’s decision to extend green homes grants by another year should be stretched to the next two decades, urges the construction industry. Getting existing buildings more energy-efficient is going to take longer than a year warn builders and surveyors. The Federation of Master Builders, FMB, chief executive Brian Berry
Last week, housebuilder Dandara received permission to build 63 new homes on Clappins Lane in Naphill. Plans for the development include the delivery of 30 affordable homes (48%) the creation of public open space and a footpath connecting the new homes with the existing public Right of Way and wider
A joint venture (JV) between Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management has acquired an 8.63-acre site in Peterborough to speculatively develop up to 200,000 sq ft of industrial, roadside and trade space. Located on Maskew Avenue, the site has lain vacant for a decade and is around two miles north of
Södra, one of the UK’s foremost suppliers of sustainable timber, has launched a landmark immersive experience that transports viewers to its world-leading Swedish forestry operation. Using the latest 360ᴼ video technology, Södra’s video takes users to the forest – just a small section in its network totalling over two million
Goodman has broken ground on 477,370 sq ft of prime distribution and logistics space at Crossways Commercial Park, Dartford. Construction begins on 477,370 sq ft of prime distribution and logistics space M25-adjacent location will provide customers with access to 9.2 million consumers within a one-hour drivetime, with a combined purchasing power of £185 billion The high-specification development will be one of Goodman’s most sustainable UK schemes The park will incorporate three units providing 238,800 sq ft, 137,365 sq ft and 101,205 sq ft, opening up opportunities for retail, e-commerce and third-party logistics customers in the sought-after M25 location. Due to complete in Summer 2021, Crossways Commercial Park forms part of Goodman’s global strategy to meet the increasing demand for strategically located logistics space with easy access to large consumer markets. Customers will benefit from excellent transport links with direct access to Junction 1a of the M25 (Dartford Crossing), providing fast connections to London and the national motorway network, and is within easy reach of the Channel Tunnel, Port of Dover and London Thamesport. The site is in a prime position to enjoy the benefits of the proposed Lower Thames Crossing. Expected to open in 2027, this will open up an additional 90% road capacity, building on Dartford as a key area for logistics and transportation. George Glennie, Development Director at Goodman, said: “Crossways Commercial Park will see us continue to deliver our global strategy of investing in prime sought-after locations in close proximity to wide consumer bases. “In the UK, we are investing primarily in London and the South East, helping retail, e-commerce and third-party logistics customers reach areas with the highest levels of delivery demand. “At Crossways, proximity to ports and fast access to Central London will see our customers benefit from the capital’s status as a global gateway city – where large consumer spending meets with national and international connectivity.” Part of the established Crossways Business Park, the high quality development will join existing industrial, office and leisure space at the 300-acre employment site. “The mix of unit size, excellent connectivity and good local amenities – including public transport links and a landscaped park environment – makes the project an attractive and flexible proposition. Stuart Read, Executive Chairman at Readie Construction Ltd: “We are looking forward to working with Goodman to deliver the three-unit scheme for handover in Summer next year. Our focus is producing premium industrial and logistics sector specifications to benefit both the client and end-user.” Committed to creating sustainable developments, Crossways Commercial Park will include solar-enabled infrastructure, electric car charging points and rainwater harvesting, delivering environmental benefits as well as energy, cost and maintenance savings to Goodman’s customers. Each property will feature a carbon neutral cladding system with enhanced air tightness, designed to meet ‘chill-store’ and ambient product requirements. Agents marketing the scheme include CBRE, Colliers and Savills. For further information and to enquire about Crossways 101, 137 and 239, please visit the website for more details.
Health risks from Coronavirus and occupational disease are big issues for businesses. IOM’s clients are benefiting from 50-years’ experience of keeping workers healthy and businesses compliant. The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) has been at the forefront of scientific research to understand and mitigate a range of occupational and environmental health risks for over 50 years. “IOM understands the risks affecting human health in the workplace and the wider environment,” says Managing Director Nathan Baker. “Through scientific research and workplace protection services, we support companies to understand and mitigate a range of health risks, keeping their workplaces safe, healthy and compliant. “Our work started in coal-dust and asbestos and has evolved to include modern-day risks such as carbon nanotubes, occupational diseases, air pollution and coronavirus.” Key capabilities include air monitoring for hazardous substances (such as dust, silica and chemicals), noise and vibration measurements, face fit testing, design and review of ventilation systems along with final testing, and BREEAM certification. Recent projects with long-term clients such as Network Rail, Graham Construction and HS2 have underlined IOM’s ability to react quickly and effectively to challenges as they arise in different environments, solving problems not just reporting on them. This is only possible because of IOM’s breadth of expertise. “Our service and consultancy work delivers objective, independent assessments of workplaces and benefit-led recommendations, whether derived from desk-based consulting or the review of site-based measurements and analysis. “Our technical teams identify areas of poor practice which may need attention, and provide clear recommendations for improvement. Our methodology, reporting and recommendations are precise, to the point and practical.” Thus, IOM has established a unique and trusted voice that is valued by Industry, Government, Academia and the wider public. More recently, its work has understandably focused on risk associated with coronavirus. This has seen IOM carry out ventilation testing and design work for COVID related healthcare clients, risk assessments for many varieties of companies working during the pandemic, and essential dust monitoring and other hazardous substances for companies continuing to work on critical projects during the pandemic. Nathan is particularly proud of the work IOM carried out for the NHS Louisa Jordan, a temporary emergency critical care hospital created to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. It was an “intense project to build an entire hospital from an exhibition centre in a matter of weeks” and required “great partnership working with other contractors”. Successful collaboration was fundamental. Nathan says he was “so proud that our team’s efforts were a major contributing factor to the hospital opening on time and safely for the patients using it.” 2020 has been challenging for all and IOM, like many other businesses, had to evolve. “We have actually adapted and improved how we work based on our experiences this year. We have adopted virtual first, travel last principals, which has made us much more efficient and more accessible. “We have adapted to the changing needs of clients as they return to work or continue to work under the restrictions in place. We have taken a much more agile approach to meet client needs. We are constantly innovating – whether that be changing how we work or finding new solutions to client issues. The team at IOM are leveraging the last 50 years of solution finding experience and applying it to the modern world. We are making the most of a difficult situation and using the opportunity to adapt to our teams’ needs as they have different working/ life balances.” And as Nathan looks to the future, the focus is ensuring IOM can continue to lead from the front. “We work with a range of companies that are working hard to manage the health risks in their workplaces. We want to help our clients share and highlight how an independently verified workplace protection programme has benefited their organisation.”
One of the UK’s leading engineering and construction companies – ENGIE Fabricom – has secured an additional contract as part of a major framework agreement with owners and operators of strategic gas assets across Europe. The new contract will see ENGIE Fabricom manage and coordinate the full implementation and commissioning of two upgraded pairs of Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) systems, which play an integral role in maintaining critical emergency power should there be a failure with the input power source or mains power. The win comes on the back of ENGIE Fabricom delivering the following for its client over the last two years: A resilience study on the UPS’s assessing all critical loads on the site; Provision of detailed documentation outlining the full capability and resilience of the systems, including a series of recommendations to reduce the risk of equipment failure; Delivery of a FEED study and detailed design of the upgrade, including specifications for the new equipment; Additional support in suitable vendor selection of the new equipment. In the next phase of the project ENGIE Fabricom will manage and commission the upgrade of the UPS systems during a shutdown period in 2021. As part of this, the company’s responsibilities include: Shutdown planning and site coordination of the project; Engagement with the site incumbent installation contractors and systems integrators; Taking on the role of ‘Technical Authority’ on behalf of our client in relation to the main equipment supplier. This project is another great example demonstrating the company’s complete end to end capabilities. It has worked closely as a partner alongside its client to take the project from the initial conceptual stage to define the problem and develop a robust solution, which ENGIE Fabricom will now see through to managing the implementation and commissioning stages.
Leading construction software company, COINS, have announced a new integration which they hope will speed up the entire reservation and sales process for UK home builders. The new partnership between COINS and Yourkeys will provide UK home builders with a suite of powerful features, designed to increase efficiency in the sales reservation process, driven through COINS solutions, used by many of the UK’s leading home builders. “The benefit of using Yourkeys with COINS is that it greatly reduces the reservation process and time taken to complete a sale. During the tough times that we are all currently facing, the ability to manage the entire process remotely and more importantly digitally allows a much quicker process, ultimately saving time and money for the home builder and sales teams.” Duane Wingell, COINS It will be much easier for home builders to review sales progress, as real-time customer information will be available within COINS – from digitally signed agreements to sales progress and reservation reports. Yourkeys is integrated into the case management systems of over 1,100 law firms, enabling sales progression updates to be fed into COINS and providing sales teams with the tools to track real-time sales progression. This will also reduce administration for home builders as sales reservation processes such as ID verification and document signing will be automated – reducing delays and making remote working easy. Buyers will also be able to onboard themselves online using their mobile phone or other device. “The COINS and Yourkeys partnership sets a new benchmark in user experience for new-home buyers. A completely digital reservation process with real-time sales progression sets a new standard for customer experience.” Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson, Yourkeys UK home builder’s interested in finding out more about the COINS and Yourkeys integration and launch webinar Homebuilder Insights: Digitising your entire reservation process on Tues 1 December should visit https://www.coins-global.com/blog/new-coins-partnership-promises-to-speed-up-home-builder-sales/bp579/ Or to arrange a custom demo please visit https://www.coins-global.com/yourkeys
GLP, a leading investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks, today announces that it has leased a 155,000 SQ FT unit, Unit 3, at its G-Park Northampton site, to Whistl on long-term lease. Whistl is the UK’s leading delivery management company and the development at G-Park Northampton will serve to support Whistl’s continued growth in the ecommerce fulfilment markets. This letting is the second major lease between GLP and Whistl following the construction and lease of a 233,000 SQ FT development at G-Park Bedford in September 2019. G-Park Northampton is situated in a prime location benefiting from its proximity to both the M1 and M6 and is within easy reach of the A45 & A14. This puts 90% of the population of England and Wales within a four-hour HGV drive time. G-Park Northampton is a much sought after location for logistics located within Moulton Park and comprises three units and one build-to-suit logistics warehouse, with sizing ranging from 50,000 to 155,000 SQ FT. Grade ‘A’ rated, the highly specified buildings have achieved BREEAM Very Good rating and are suitable for a range of occupiers including last mile logistics, 3PLs, retail/FMCG and manufacturers. In August this year, GLP announced that it had leased Unit 2 at G-Park Northampton, a 90,000 sq ft unit, to SF Express. SF Express is a global customer of GLP and the lease marked its first UK Distribution Centre outside of China. Moulton Park is one of the most successful industrial estates in Northamptonshire and is already home to a range of regional and national businesses. Occupiers continue to be attracted by the areas’ transport links, access to national markets and skilled workforce. Joe Garwood, Development Director at GLP UK, said: “Having worked closely in partnership with Whistl to deliver their new state-of-the-art, built-to-suit super depot at G-Park Bedford last year, we are delighted to be working together once again as part of Whistl’s ongoing growth.
National-contractor Tolent has handed over a new £12.5m student accommodation scheme on Burley Street in Leeds. Known as Union, the development has created 87 extremely spacious and thoroughly modern studio apartments within easy walking distance of both the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University, as well as Leeds city centre. Built on behalf of Burley Place Ltd (BPL), the seven storey building used 5,700 tonnes of concrete and over 55,000 bricks to create its structure. John Currie, regional director for Tolent, said: “Union has been a fantastic project to work on and our teams can be really proud of what they have achieved. We’ve completed over 3,000 student accommodation schemes across several major cities including Leeds, York, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester and this project is another fantastic development to put our name to. “This was our first project with BPL and having received such positive feedback on the quality and collaborative working on site, we hope to work with the team again in the future.” All the apartments benefit from en-suite luxury bathrooms, modern kitchens, entertaining space, double beds, contemporary furniture, flat screen TVs and high-speed fibre optic internet. The development also includes several wheelchair friendly apartments. Hamze Idriss, managing director of Burley Place Ltd, said: “Union will set a new benchmark in terms of the standard of accommodation on offer and the lifestyle students who live here will enjoy. “Every apartment has been specifically designed to combine spacious living areas with their own high quality kitchens and luxury bathrooms. There is also a superb range of facilities within the development, including a gym, gaming areas, and large communal lounges and kitchens where students can relax and socialise. As a result, it’s proving very popular with students who are already reserving apartments to move into from the UK and overseas.” In addition, Co-op has opened a handy convenience store on the ground floor. Tolent has worked across the central region of the UK since 1990, delivering a variety of contracts from industrial, leisure and more recently student accommodation. Projects ongoing in the area include the £34m build-to-rent residential scheme on Sweet Street in Leeds. Working on behalf of property developer Oakapple Group, the development known as Fabrik is part of the Holbeck Urban Village in the south bank area of the city and includes a mix of 216 one, two and three bedroom rental apartments.
Boris Johnson’s decision to extend green homes grants by another year should be stretched to the next two decades, urges the construction industry. Getting existing buildings more energy-efficient is going to take longer than a year warn builders and surveyors. The Federation of Master Builders, FMB, chief executive Brian Berry said: “Our existing homes contribute 20 per cent of all our carbon emissions and consume 35 per cent of our energy. A long term retrofit strategy is needed over the next two decades to make all our existing homes more energy-efficient. “Such a strategy has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and save the NHS as much as £2 billion because of the cost of people living in poor housing conditions.” The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS, has said the grants are not enough to help with the costs of home insulation, heat pumps, or solar thermal heating systems. Government vouchers of up to £5,000, and £10,000 for those on benefits, is insufficient, it claims. “Only a small proportion of properties can be renovated within the scope of current incentives made available by the UK government,” said RICS data analyst Jon Querejeta. Existing building stock with poor energy ratings is massive More than half of the UK’s 29 million houses and more than a third of its one million commercial properties were built before 1970 and as a result, have low energy performance ratings. “In our opinion focusing on renovations and retrofitting should be central to the green recovery. The green homes grant scheme is a good start and we recommend that the government should consider using the scheme as a pilot project to roll out more energy renovation measures and incentives,” said Mr Querejeta. RICS would like all properties to be brought up to a minimum energy performance certificate rating of C by 2035. New build housing generally has an energy performance rating of at least B, however, it makes up just one to two per cent of current housing stock. The professional body argues if VAT on repairs and maintenance was cut from 20 to five per cent this would be a motivator for homeowners hiring traders to do energy performance work. Brokers Hank Zarihs Associates said development and refurbishment finance lenders were keen to support builders in embracing the business opportunities green retrofits presented.
Last week, housebuilder Dandara received permission to build 63 new homes on Clappins Lane in Naphill. Plans for the development include the delivery of 30 affordable homes (48%) the creation of public open space and a footpath connecting the new homes with the existing public Right of Way and wider village. The development site was allocated for development in the Wycombe District Local Plan and will help the district meet its housing targets. The housebuilder, which has recently received five stars from the HBF for quality, expects that the groundwork for the new homes will begin in the first quarter of next year and the first residents are likely to move in during the summer. Simon Pendlebury, Sales and Marketing Director for Dandara, commented: “We are pleased to have received outline planning permission for this development of quality new homes which will offer a range of different property types. As the site falls within the Chiltern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, we have worked hard to ensure that these homes will be built in keeping with the local area, with specific design references to the Chilterns Buildings Design Guide.” Local residents are invited to make suggestions for road names by emailing dandara@building-relations.co.uk . To find out more about the range of new homes coming soon to Naphill, visit www.dandara.com.
A joint venture (JV) between Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management has acquired an 8.63-acre site in Peterborough to speculatively develop up to 200,000 sq ft of industrial, roadside and trade space. Located on Maskew Avenue, the site has lain vacant for a decade and is around two miles north of Peterborough town centre. It is also immediately adjacent to the established Maskew Retail Park which includes B&Q, Matalan, Aldi and Argos as occupiers. The vacant site’s vendor was Wren Kitchens and the value of the sale is undisclosed. The JV intends to submit plans to the local authority within the next four months which, if approved, will provide the opportunity for a mix of industrial, warehouse, trade counter, self-storage and roadside accommodation. Subject to planning, Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management have already agreed the sale of one acre of the site to self-storage company Lok’nStore. In addition, the JV is also in advanced negotiations with drive-through food and beverage retailers. Commenting on the acquisition, Chancerygate development director, George Dickens, said: “We are very pleased to have secured this prominent development opportunity and bring back to life a site that has lain dormant for 10 years. “We specialise in speculative development and believe that the Maskew Avenue site is ideally placed for us to do what we do best by creating a mix of industrial, roadside and trade units which will attract investment and jobs to the area. This is already evident by our agreement with Lok’nStore and the positive ongoing negotiations with drive through operators. “We are looking forward to delivering much-needed, high quality accommodation for a wide variety of businesses.” Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management have been working in partnership on projects for more than 10 years. Investments include the development of ‘The Curve’, a student housing development in London SE1; the regeneration of Beeston Business Park, Nottingham; and the recent acquisition of a site for industrial development in Coventry. Bridges Fund Management partner, Guy Bowden, added: “Our Maskew Avenue site will allow us to regenerate and revitalise a sizeable area of land by creating a new place for both business and the wider Peterborough community. We are looking forward to having the opportunity to deliver another successful project with Chancerygate.” Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management have appointed property consultancy Savills as agents for the Maskew Avenue site.
Södra, one of the UK’s foremost suppliers of sustainable timber, has launched a landmark immersive experience that transports viewers to its world-leading Swedish forestry operation. Using the latest 360ᴼ video technology, Södra’s video takes users to the forest – just a small section in its network totalling over two million acres – and the ‘Södra neighbourhood’. The virtual reality neighbourhood offers a glimpse of how wood-based products can facilitate a more sustainable way of life. In the forest, users can meet a forest inspector and a family of forest-owners. Södra is run by more than 42,000 forest owners in southern Sweden – many of whom have inherited forests passed on through several generations. As well as narration at each stage, users are able to click, drag and control their own perspective for a truly immersive experience. As they look around, knowledge bubbles appear, allowing users to view information, videos and fun facts relevant to what they’re seeing. For those in the UK’s timber and merchants’ industries this video offers a unique chance to discover the potential of wood-based products and experience Södra’s Swedish operation as close to first-hand as possible, without getting on a plane. Södra Sales Director, Nigel Buckley-Ryan, explains the motivation behind the experience: “We wanted to bring to life wood’s almost endless number of uses. Of course, we’re confident that high-quality, sustainable timber will continue to transform the UK construction industry in the coming years. But some of the perhaps less-obvious by-products of wood as a raw material are fascinating – from biomethanol and tall oil, both renewable fuels, to lyocell and viscose for textiles for clothing, bed linen and soft furnishings (to name just a few).” Nigel continues: “We’re incredibly proud of our Swedish operation and passionate about how sustainably-managed forests can facilitate a truly sustainable future. This video allows us to share this passion with our UK audience – some of whom may not have been aware of the possibilities wood can offer or ever had the opportunity to see what a world-leading forestry operation looks like. People can now experience that from the comfort of their own homes.” Södra’s immersive 360ᴼ experience is available to view at www.sodraexperience.com For more information, visit www.sodra.com/en-gb/gb/