2020 marks the 25th Anniversary of MKM Building Supplies Ltd, the UK’s largest independent builder’s merchant. Executive Chairman, David Kilburn looks back over the 25 years and shares some of the milestones and memories that have gone into constructing one of the building trade’s best-loved brands, and one of the
BUILDING A-rated homes is just the first step towards an ambitious Green Agenda, independent developer Archway Homes has pledged. The Cheshire-based family-run business believes the new homes industry can lead by example in helping cut carbon emissions. Rachael Whelan, Land and Sustainability Director at Archway Homes, said: “The housing industry
Robert Woodhead Ltd, part of the Woodhead Group, has capped an impressive start to the year by winning a place on the new Efficiency East Midlands (EEM) Property Improvement Works framework for the next four years. The framework, which covers both investment and refurbishment schemes, allows the Nottinghamshire-based company to tender for projects from public sector organisations across the East Midlands. The award is a continuation
If you run a construction, civil, or mining company, then you understand that road maintenance is one of the hardest tasks. Vehicles that are subjected to moving along unpaved roads are more susceptible to becoming damaged. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain the roads at your worksite in good condition
TEAM NOTTINGHAM will be returning to MIPIM, the world’s largest property event, this spring to showcase the city on a global stage. Made up of both public and private sector organisations, the 28-strong team will be attending the event in the south of France from 10-13 March. The team will
Parr Facilities Management Limited has announced an exciting contract win to kick off 2020 after being named a trusted maintenance provider by Co-op across their Food and Funeralcare estate. The Maintenance Framework Agreement which will apply to Co-op sites across the UK and Northern Ireland will cover sites spanning across
The main aims of the Centre of Excellence are to provide opportunities in Temporary Works and Construction Method Engineering, with a postgraduate course available and targeted research projects with direct industry involvement. About The Centre of Excellence comprises a large number of academic staff across engineering disciplines who are committed
EQUITONE fibre cement facade material has passed the BS 8414 fire safety test – further securing its position as being safe to use in high-rise and high-risk buildings. The rigorous test, which was sponsored by TENMAT Ltd, evaluates whether a cladding system that is subjected to a fire breaking out
ceda is thrilled to reveal the hosts of Conference 2020. Peter Martin will once again be joining us as the Host of the Business Day, following the brilliant reception he has received at the event in previous years. One of the most authoritative and well known commentators in the hospitality
The former site of a church in Lowton is being redeveloped to provide 26 much-needed new homes. Elan Homes acquired the 1.78 acre site on Newton Road from the Archdiocese of Liverpool following full planning permission being granted. Groundworks are now complete and construction of the first homes is now
2020 marks the 25th Anniversary of MKM Building Supplies Ltd, the UK’s largest independent builder’s merchant. Executive Chairman, David Kilburn looks back over the 25 years and shares some of the milestones and memories that have gone into constructing one of the building trade’s best-loved brands, and one of the UK’s fastest growing businesses. “In 1995, my favourite sound was the ring of the fire-bell going off in the warehouse. It meant there was an order!” said David. “As for any fledging business, in the early days orders are everything. And, after closing our first month with a trading profit and haven taken a healthy £123,000 – I am delighted to say 25 years later, we have never been short of orders and never looked back.” In many ways, the MKM of 2020 is almost unrecognizable from the first branch that opened in Hull in 1995. For a start the first branch sold caravan supplies rather than building supplies, which MKM is renowned for today. There was a small team of 5 people working from rental premises, which had been secured for 9 months to get the business off the ground. David recalls: “ Ironically, the premises belonged to an MKM competitor William Wilson. We signed up for 9 months but were still there 18 months later, at the time we were just glad not to be chucked out!” Today, MKM Building Supplies employs over 1650 people and last year recorded sales of over £460 million. Already this year MKM has opened its 70th branch and has ambitious growth plans to be operating 100 branches by 2021/2022. Aside from the phenomenal success story and exponential growth, according to David many things haven’t changed at all over the 25 years. “Since day one, our company culture has always been very people focused, how we treat people has remained exactly the same. Every single person is important no matter what their role … our people are our biggest asset.” David added: “Technology and the digital age have of course altered things, but our teams still do the majority of business either over the trade counter or on the phone. That may change in years to come, but essentially people buy from people.” “Relationships are key, our customers trust us to deliver quality products with great service as their own businesses rely on it – our teams appreciate that and make customers the priority. More so than any other industry, this is a people business and good relationships are the absolute bedrock of that business.” MKM was built on the concept that skilled, local people who understand the needs of local customers should serve the local trade. MKM is differentiated through its unique business model, centered on branch directors owning an equity stake in their branch with opportunity to share in profits. David believes empowering people and supporting their entrepreneurial spirit has been a key driver of growth. By 2005, MKM had opened 15 branches, five years later in 2010 a further 17 branches had been opened and by 2018 MKM Building Supplies had 54 branches throughout England and Scotland – the brand new MKM Grantham marks their 70th branch. David recalls: “Our biggest challenges in the early years were always time and money. If we had more of both earlier we would have grown more quickly, but it is important to keep a level head and not get ahead of yourself. We always prided ourselves on paying suppliers and staff on time, even though both my business partner and myself often took a reduced salary.” Business wasn’t always plain sailing, in 2008 almost every industry in the UK fell victim to what the media dubbed a ‘double dip recession’. The building and construction industry were hit hard, their performance acted as a barometer for the economic downturn and went into meltdown. David commented: “In 2008, we were acutely aware that external factors, beyond or control can take a serious toll on business. It seemed the entire financial world collapsed, our own industry went into a desperate panic with many of our competitors laying off 30 to 40 percent of their people.” “We took the decision not to take action. We decided to back our people and ride out the storm and were confident that business would eventually pick up… which of course it did. While the majority of the industry seemed to lose up to 40 percent revenue, I’m glad to say we did fare better and suffered losses of up to 11 percent, relatively unscathed in comparison.” Looking forward, MKM has an ambitious growth programme to open a further 30 branches in the next two years. David said: “Today, we still face challenges. We have an expansive growth programme but finding good properties in good locations can be a challenge and planning applications can be very slow, which frustrates progress.” “However our mantra, which we instill in all of our teams is to have fun at work. Indeed, some of the most demanding times in business have also been the most enjoyable. Some of our best times were in the early days – negotiating manufacturing deals, securing credit with the banks and often coming up against brick walls, whilst driving a couple of old bangers to collect building materials and grafting to sell. Working hard, but having fun is very much the MKM culture.” While looking forward to the opening of their 100th branch, David also believes there are growth opportunities ahead for MKM with acquisitions, developing new product lines and developing the kitchen and bathroom offering. David concluded; “Our own recipe for success, now fine-tuned over 25 years has been giving customers what they want, employing and retaining the best staff, engaging people in profit generation activities and of course having fun at work – which we certainly do!”
BUILDING A-rated homes is just the first step towards an ambitious Green Agenda, independent developer Archway Homes has pledged. The Cheshire-based family-run business believes the new homes industry can lead by example in helping cut carbon emissions. Rachael Whelan, Land and Sustainability Director at Archway Homes, said: “The housing industry has the ability to lead the sustainable agenda, and to clearly demonstrate how practical solutions can be delivered. It is hoped that the government will recognise the commitment of our industry and will work with us in delivering a sustainable future. “Our short term objective is to launch our new specification which will ensure all our houses are A-rated (EPC). Archway will introduce the new A-rated specification at Lime Tree Grange, Cheshire Oaks. The company already carries out planting to promote biodiversity and will be introducing hedgehog holes in fences; presenting customers with bird and bug boxes for their gardens and offering guidance on how to encourage wildlife to their gardens. “We have always endeavoured to build houses which exceed minimum standards. As such our houses were already energy efficient but this is about doing more. Making the houses A-rated and enabling our customers to live more efficiently, and save them running costs in the process,” Rachael added. “But improving the energy efficiency of our houses to A-rated is only the first step. Part of our plan for the future is to assess the materials we use in our houses and identify where we could use more sustainable alternatives. This is a process that will require a significant amount of work by the team.” It is a reflection of Archway’s commitment to a sustainable future that the company is funding the changes to the specification at no additional cost to the consumer. At present the design of Archway’s homes can readily accommodate the changes proposed, however the homebuilder recognises there will be step changes. For example, if air source heat pumps become the norm, house types may need to be redesigned to accommodate the technology Going forward, Archway believes a number of the changes within the supply chain will need to be driven by the government, for example, the removal of gas boilers. The company is looking to work with other businesses committed to the green agenda. “The main challenge for the industry is in the final adoption of a zero carbon agenda, exactly as it was in the noughties,” Rachael added. “This requires a totally holistic approach, as not only will developers have to adopt the appropriate specifications but our infrastructure will need to be upgraded accordingly and our manufacturing base developed to deliver the technology that will be necessary, in a cost effective manner. “The key challenge to adopting more sustainable building practices, is the recognition that we have to address the issues of today. This is largely a state of mind and a determination to find sustainable ways of housing our future population.” For more information about Archway Homes and its Green Agenda, see https://archwayhomes.co.uk.
Robert Woodhead Ltd, part of the Woodhead Group, has capped an impressive start to the year by winning a place on the new Efficiency East Midlands (EEM) Property Improvement Works framework for the next four years. The framework, which covers both investment and refurbishment schemes, allows the Nottinghamshire-based company to tender for projects from public sector organisations across the East Midlands. The award is a continuation of the contractor’s long-standing relationship with EEM, having been part of its housebuilding frameworks for the previous eight years. During this time, the company has delivered or is on site with more than £50m of projects and completed its 500th new home secured through the framework in 2019. Previous work procured through EEM include the long-standing B@Home partnership with Bolsover District Council, delivering 107 new homes as well as housing projects for Newark and Sherwood District Council, North West Leicestershire Council and Bassetlaw District Council. Leo Woodhead, business development director at Woodhead Group said: “The framework will give our public sector partners easier access to Woodhead Group for a wider scope of work, this will expand our offer from the existing new build housing framework to include improvement and refurbishment works across the public sector corporate and commercial property portfolio. “We have delivered excellent social value returns across our EEM projects and as a company we are passionate about working collaboratively to hand over successful projects.” EEM is a not-for-profit procurement consortium that delivers simple and comprehensive procurement solutions, which offer a wide range of compliant, competitive and high-quality products and services. Rebecca Dermody-Simmons, Deputy Chief Executive at EEM said “Our new, re-vamped Property Improvement Framework will help our Members deliver a much wider scope of projects and we are delighted that Woodhead has gained a place on the newly introduced Corporate and Commercial Property lot. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship over the next four years.” For more information about Woodhead Group, please visit woodhead-group.co.uk or join the conversation @WoodheadGroup.
If you run a construction, civil, or mining company, then you understand that road maintenance is one of the hardest tasks. Vehicles that are subjected to moving along unpaved roads are more susceptible to becoming damaged. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain the roads at your worksite in good condition to cut on potentially expensive repair costs. It is, consequently, diligent in implementing dust control and road maintenance to help you protect your fleet as well ad increase the site’s efficiency. Using dust control systems on the unsealed roads will be beneficial because the vehicles and trucks will not need to work harder to get to the destinations. These techniques will also ensure that these same vehicles are not contributing to dust production at the worksite. Here are some of these strategies. 1. Reduce traffic When vehicles use an unpaved road, they stir up dirt. Therefore if there is high vehicle traffic on these roads, it is bound to increase the level of dust production. Similarly, when the traffic is reduced dust production will decrease. You can achieve that by imposing a limit on the number of vehicles allowed to use the unpaved road or restricting the weight of the cars using the unpaved roads. 2. Palliative 3 (Binding particles together) This kind of Innovative surface solutions Involves using dust palliatives. The palliatives in this technique include chemicals that bind fine dust particles onto each other or larger particles. The chemicals comprise of different groups. There are petroleum-based, electrochemical stabilizers, synthetic polymers, as well as organic non-petroleum chemicals. Petroleum-based binders thinly coat the particles with asphalt causing an increase in particulate mass, therefore decreasing any chances of these particles becoming airborne. They include cutback asphalt, Bunker C, and emulsified asphalt. Electrochemical stabilizers, on the other hand, neutralize soil particles, therefore, preventing them from attracting water and, instead, bonding together. These stabilizers are worked into the surface using equipment; and include ionic stabilizers, bentonite, and sulfonated petroleum. Synthetic polymers bind the soil together, therefore, forming a semi-rigid layer on the road. They are applied in liquid form and need time to dry up undisturbed. An example is polyvinyl acrylics. Organic non-petroleum suppressants are water-soluble and include resins. 3. Imposing low-speed limits Dust production increases with speed, hence when vehicles are moving at high speed, they stir up more dust. By putting up signs and enforcing these speed limits, you can significantly reduce the level of dust production. Setting up bumps and drainage channels along the unpaved road will also help slow down the vehicles. However, for these speed limits to work, members of the surrounding community need to agree on and follow them. Proper drainage channels will also play a significant role in reducing dust. Proper drainage ensures that once it rains, water doesn’t stagnate on the road; and cause accumulation of displaced soil along the sides of the road. Poor drainage causes and an urgent need for resurfacing, due to dust production once the water dries up as well as numerous potholes. 4. Reducing the exposed ground When the ground is covered with vegetation, very little dust is not produced and blown up. Any footpath or dirt parking lot is a source of dust. The more they are at the worksite, the worse the dust-issue becomes. Therefore to minimize dust, maintain the natural vegetation at the worksite, and ensure that vehicles are only being driven along designated trails. This dust control strategy is effective because apart from plants covering the ground, their roots also hold the soil particles in place. 5. Slowing down the wind Having windbreaks will help ease dust production in your area. Effective barriers break the forward movement of wind and redirect the flow without generating excess wind eddies. The windbreaks also slow down the wind. Examples of windbreaks are snow fences and rows of plants. To ensure that you are getting the best results, purchase windbreaks that are designed for particular wind directions. 6. Sealing unsealed roads with impermeable material Although it is the most expensive technique, paving is undoubtedly the best way to control dust on unpaved roads. There is a wide range of effective and durable surfaces in the market to choose from. These impermeable surfaces prevent any soil surfaces from breaking down and producing dust. This paving method is especially helpful on busy roads that are used by hundreds of vehicles on a daily basis. Chip seals are another kind of impermeable material that can be used on unsealed roads, although they are not as effective as paving. Finally, fiberglass can be used to seal the roads and trails of oilfields in a cold climate. They provide a useful temporary solution. These fiberglass interlocking plates can support huge loads for short distances without the need for structural roadbeds. They also have a long lifespan. These are some of the most effective techniques to manage dust production at your worksite. The cost of each technique varies, therefore you can solve your dust problem using a technique that suits your budget and needs.
TEAM NOTTINGHAM will be returning to MIPIM, the world’s largest property event, this spring to showcase the city on a global stage. Made up of both public and private sector organisations, the 28-strong team will be attending the event in the south of France from 10-13 March. The team will highlight the £2bn regeneration of Nottingham’s Southside as well as the £650m Island Quarter development at the expo – promoting the city to potentially thousands of investors in the space of a few days. This year’s event sees Bradgate Estates, Cassidy Group and Conygar stepping up as headline sponsors of Team Nottingham. Nottingham will also use the opportunity to talk about its commitment to becoming the first carbon neutral city in the country by 2028 – a plan that will inform decisions from transport to infrastructure and will be a priority for all developments in the years to come. Lorraine Baggs, head of inward investment at Invest in Nottingham, said the city wants to showcase the ambitious and inspiring Southside development programme which will offer unprecedented real estate opportunities in the heart of the city centre, enhancing Nottingham’s reputation as a world-class destination. She said: “Nottingham is embarking upon one of the largest regeneration programmes of any UK city, with plenty of opportunities for further development available. “Nottingham City Council has invested heavily in the southside already with the renovation of the station, extending the award-winning tram system as well as the redevelopment of the Broadmarsh Centre. This investment has had a catalytic effect on driving further interest and investment into the area. “Team Nottingham acts as a vehicle to showcase the fantastic schemes we have in the city and wider region but also to highlight specific individuals and companies who are helping to make it happen. We’re looking forward to getting out there and shouting about our great city.” As well as being headline sponsors, Bradgate Estates and Cassidy Group are first-time supporters of Team Nottingham, alongside Wise Living. Joe Levy, managing director of Bradgate Estates, said: “We are delighted to support Nottingham this year. As a major developer with schemes in the Nottingham community we are thrilled to be part of the Nottingham success story. “At MIPIM 2020 we want to show the investors and developers we might meet in Cannes the benefit of working with Nottingham.” Patric Cassidy, director of Cassidy Group, said: “We’re very happy to be supporting Team Nottingham at MIPIM 2020. “We’re investing more than £320m across the city on sites including York Place, Saffron Court, Arkwright Street, Chainey Place and others, and we wanted to show our commitment to the city through this sponsorship and spread Nottingham’s message at MIPIM while finding more end-user residential funds for our schemes. “We have already completed and are on site with over £120m of residential projects in Nottingham and we will be developing a further £200m over the next two years. Nottingham is a really important growth city for us and we are keen to develop more schemes across the city.” Mark Gratton, development and land manager, at Wise Living added: “We are very excited to be supporting Invest in Nottingham for what will be Wise Living’s first MIPIM. We are looking forward to a productive few days networking and meeting with both existing and potential new development partners to help us continue on our track as the fastest growing build to rent family housing developer. “Having recently secured further funding we are now full steam ahead focusing on our goal of delivering 6,000 new homes across England over the next 3 years.” Nottingham will be part of the Midlands UK Pavilion at the property exhibition in March, promoting its place at the heart of the UK economy and putting the spotlight on the Midlands. The Midlands Pavilion was first introduced at MIPIM in 2017 and has gone from strength to strength, welcoming thousands of visitors each year to learn more about what is possible for investors and developers in the region. The Team Nottingham delegation will be organising networking events before, during and after MIPIM and there will be a range of events organised collectively in the Midlands Pavilion. Team Nottingham will also be hosting a dinner for developers and investors to highlight the huge opportunities in the city. MIPIM takes place from 10 to 13 March and is centred round a large-scale exhibition in the Palais de Festival in Cannes in the south of France, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors. For more information please visit www.investinnottingham.com/services/mipim or join in the conversation on Twitter @InvestInNottm
Parr Facilities Management Limited has announced an exciting contract win to kick off 2020 after being named a trusted maintenance provider by Co-op across their Food and Funeralcare estate. The Maintenance Framework Agreement which will apply to Co-op sites across the UK and Northern Ireland will cover sites spanning across the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A significant new client for this company on the rise, the partnership between Parr FM Limited and Co-op will encompass facilities management works across a diverse range of disciplines including fabric, mechanical and electrical management services as well as specialist services where required. Speaking on behalf of Parr Facilities Management Limited, Ivan Morley, Facilities Management Director, said, “Parr Facilities Management boasts a wealth of experience providing electrical and mechanical management services to retail, healthcare and hospitality sectors throughout the UK and Ireland. Winning another contract with one of the UK’s most trusted brands was certainly a highlight of 2019 and reinforces our continued growth across mainland UK. We look forward to supporting the team at Co-op sites across the UK and Northern Ireland beginning this month to enable them to maintain their excellent standard of customer satisfaction and experience.” Parr Facilities management launched in Belfast in 2007 and chose Greater Manchester as its base for their UK-wide operation. Systematic of Parr Facilities Managements recent growth, the organisation has invested heavily in new offices located in Bolton, staff and infrastructure across the UK, with an estimated 60% increase in its workforce over the past year to support a number of big business wins within its FM division including contracts with Co-op, BUPA & Whitbread. These contracts have contributed to a quadrupled turnover within this period of growth. Parr Facilities Management Limited currently employs over 100 members of staff across its Belfast and Manchester operational bases.
The main aims of the Centre of Excellence are to provide opportunities in Temporary Works and Construction Method Engineering, with a postgraduate course available and targeted research projects with direct industry involvement. About The Centre of Excellence comprises a large number of academic staff across engineering disciplines who are committed to addressing industry challenges associated with construction processes. This groups has many years of experience in providing insight into practical problems and have access to state-of-the-art testing facilities that allow exploration into simple and complex problems. People Research The main aim of the Centre of Excellence is to undertake research that will support the Temporary Works Forum (TWf) in driving “long-term change and waste reduction in the way we construct”. The Centre of Excellence at City, University of London, supported by the Temporary Works Forum (TWf), have two doctoral research projects on-going, please see the descriptions below: 1. Safety of Working Platforms for Tracked Plant Formed from Construction Demolition Waste. The key design criterion for working platform design is whether it can safely support the application of an extremely high monotonic load applied eccentrically through the tracks of plant. Thus, the design criterion is stability. The BRE guide idealises this load case as load acting over an equivalent area, rectangular in plan, which lies on layered ground. The depth of the upper layer, the working platform, is determined by assuming a punch through failure mechanism in this layer and conventional bearing capacity failure in the subgrade. Designers following this method then need to determine the appropriate angle of friction to be used in the calculation of the resistance of the platform material (construction demolition waste) to punching failure. The aim of this approach is to provide a conservative design method given that insufficient data exists. This research is being carried out by Greta Tanghetti under the supervision of Dr Richard Goodey. 2. The strength and stability of steel reinforcement cages in their temporary state. The contributing strength of a steel reinforcement cage to that of a reinforced concrete column, beam, slab or wall is well understood. However, the strength and stability of that same cage during its assembly, handling and whilst lifting into position prior concreting is not. Whilst a number of guidance documents exist for industry to consult, they contain no real guidance for their technical assessment. This poor understanding of the behaviour of these highly flexible structures, coupled with changing industrial practices involved with their construction, means that there continues to be accidents from stability collapses and tie failures during the temporary state. The aim of the project is to establish the strength and stability of reinforcement cages in their temporary state to make suitable recommendations and assessment methodologies to improve industry guidance and best practice leading to a safer construction environment. This research is being carried out by Konstantinos Kalfas under the supervision of Dr Brett McKinley. If you are interested in contributing to either of these projects please contact the Director of the Centre of Excellence Dr Andrew McNamara. Facilities Civil Engineering Laboratory We have access to an array of recently refurbished facilities, including exceptional laboratories. The Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility is the centrepiece of the Civil Engineering Laboratory which also accommodates a large flexible laboratory space used for centrifuge model preparation, model testing at 1g, concrete testing and teaching. Adjacent to this are concrete mixing and casting facilities, a temperature-controlled soil element testing laboratory and a concrete durability laboratory. Read more about the Civil Engineering Laboratory’s facilities Structures Laboratory In addition we have access to a Strong Floor and loading frames including new strong-wall being developed for lateral loading of column and tall structures. This particular facility has seen £800K investment in equipment for teaching and research including high flow computer controlled hydraulic loading for static, cyclic and dynamic & hybrid testing with ring-main, static compression up to 12MN and 50kN tension testing for steel materials. Wind Tunnel The Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics have also initially agreed to the use of their Wind Tunnel Laboratory facilities. These are renowned for being newly upgraded and leading-edge facilities. Education New MSc in Temporary Works and Construction Method Engineering Our new MSc degree, the first and only of its kind in the UK, provides a specialist qualification for those involved in the design and construction of temporary works and addresses industry need for such a professional qualification. The Temporary Works Forum (TWf), which promotes best practice within the UK construction industry*, has designated City, University of London as a Centre of Excellence in Temporary Works and Construction Method Engineering and collaborated in the development and delivery of this new masters. For more information on our MSc degree please see our Post-graduate courses page or contact the Director of the Centre of Excellence Dr Andrew McNamara. The first cohort of students on the new MSc Temporary Works and Construction Method Engineering with Bill Hewlett, former chairman of the Temporary Works Forum and Andrew McNamara, programme director and director of the Centre of Excellence for Temporary Works and Construction Method Engineering.
EQUITONE fibre cement facade material has passed the BS 8414 fire safety test – further securing its position as being safe to use in high-rise and high-risk buildings. The rigorous test, which was sponsored by TENMAT Ltd, evaluates whether a cladding system that is subjected to a fire breaking out of an opening in an external wall will result in excessive fire spread up the outside of the building – creating a risk of the blaze re-entering the building at a higher level. BS 8414 tests are conducted in specialist laboratories and involve building a 9m high model wall, covering it in a cladding system and starting a fire at the bottom. It is important to note that the classification applies solely to the complete external facade system that has been tested. All EQUITONE materials comprehensively meet the fire performance classification A2-s1,d0 to EN 13501-1:2018 – meaning they do not contribute to the formation or spread of a fire. EQUITONE [natura] was the material used during the BS 8414 test and further reinforces EQUITONE’s long-standing commitment to ensuring its materials are safe and suitable to use. Martin Smithurst, technical manager at EQUITONE, said: “Building material combustibility is a key focal point during the specification stage so we are delighted that EQUITONE has passed the BS 8414 test, which strengthens its position as a robust material that does not contribute to the formation or spread of a fire. “The BS 8414 test is designed to simulate the response to a fire spilling out of a window – exposing the external facade to the fire to see how it spreads. It provides a rigorous assessment of cladding systems. As EQUITONE has passed the test, it is officially classified as being safe to use in high-rise and high-risk buildings. “When choosing facade materials that need to meet the demands of the current fire performance requirements, our dedicated technical and specification team can offer expert support to architects, designers and contractors – from the initial design concept through to build completion and beyond.” All EQUITONE materials have a life expectancy of at least 50 years and are available in a range of colours, finishes and fixing options, giving full creative scope. For more information on EQUITONE facade materials, visit www.equitone.com/en-gb.
ceda is thrilled to reveal the hosts of Conference 2020. Peter Martin will once again be joining us as the Host of the Business Day, following the brilliant reception he has received at the event in previous years. One of the most authoritative and well known commentators in the hospitality industry, Peter has more than 35 years experience in the Industry, as a columnist, editor, media owner, board consultant and market analyst. Conference attendees can also look forward to Peter’s annual ‘State of the Industry’ presentation, which has become a staple of the Business Day. He will be joined by Chriz Brazier, who will again act as Host for both Thursday’s informal networking dinner and Friday’s Gala and Awards Dinner, during which ceda’s Grand Prix Awards will be presented. A passionate supporter and advocate of the hospitality, foodservice and retail sectors, Chris is Group Event Director at a number of industry leading shows; Commercial Kitchen, Lunch! and Casual Dining. He comes to Conference with a wealth of insider industry knowledge. Adam Mason, ceda Director General, commented, “I’m really pleased that Chris and Martin, who have such in-depth knowledge of our industry, have agreed to join us once again. As we strive to make Conference 2020 the biggest and best ceda event to date, they were the obvious choices.” The ceda Conference is the premier event of the Catering Equipment Industry, attracting distributors, manufacturers and representatives of other associations representing major end user groups. The annual two-day event, held in association with cedabond and the Craft Guild of Chefs, will this year be taking place at the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, on 23rd and 24th April. The first day features the ceda AGM and an informal networking dinner; the Business Day, on the Friday, is open to everyone within the catering equipment industry. ceda Partners and Members will be exhibiting and a number of world renowned speakers have been invited to discuss both industry-specific topics and more general business issues. There will also be a series of stimulating interactive seminars. Further information on speakers and exhibitors will be announced in the coming weeks.
The former site of a church in Lowton is being redeveloped to provide 26 much-needed new homes. Elan Homes acquired the 1.78 acre site on Newton Road from the Archdiocese of Liverpool following full planning permission being granted. Groundworks are now complete and construction of the first homes is now underway at the development, which is to be marketed as “St Catherine’s Gardens”. Philip Palmer, Land Director for Elan Homes in the North, said: “Redeveloping previously developed sites is part of our land acquisition strategy. The Lowton site presented a perfect opportunity to provide new homes in an area where there is a pent up demand for housing. “St Catherine’s Parish Hall was demolished several years ago, with the church itself cleared from the site in 2018. By building new homes we’re bringing brownfield land back into good use and contributing to Wigan Council’s housing supply both for open market and affordable properties. While work here has only just started, we are keen to acquire similar brownfield sites across the North West suitable for building 20 to 150 homes.” At Lowton Elan will build 20 open market homes, including three and four-bedroom semi-detached and detached designs, ranging from 933 sq ft to 1497 sq ft. There will also be six affordable homes consisting of two-bedroom Audley and three-bedroom Howden types, which will be available through shared equity at 70% of the open market value. Elan will also make a £25,000 off-site contribution towards affordable housing locally and contribute almost £45,000 towards open space provision at Pennington Flash Country Park. “The development will predominantly be two storeys in height with some 2.5 storey homes. This is in keeping with the surrounding area and is a significant reduction from the height of the church that once stood on the site,” Philip added. “Our aim is to complement the character of the neighbourhood, adding visual interest.” Homes will be built using quality materials including grey concrete roofs with red ridge tiles and red multi brick with contrasting red engineering brick. Some homes will be finished with off-white rough cast render. All private plots with parking spaces/ drives will have electric vehicle charging points. Other sustainable features include bird boxes and bat bricks/ slates. Existing trees at the rear or the site will be retained, plus Elan will carry out additional tree planting on site. With easy access to both Liverpool and Manchester, homes at the development will appeal to commuters. Situated in the catchment area for schools in nearby Culcheth, where Elan has built previously, the properties are also sure to be popular with families. To explore land opportunities with the Elan team visit https://www.elan-homes.co.uk/about-elan/land-enquiries. To find out more about where Elan is building or to register interest in St Catherine’s Gardens see https://www.elan-homes.co.uk/developments.