Environment Bank, a leading nature restoration company and biodiversity net gain (BNG) provider which delivers solutions to the built environment industry is pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine Spitzer as its new Chief Executive Officer. She joins Environment Bank with a proven track record in scaling businesses and implementing
Commercial property investment volumes across the UK reached approximately £8 billion in the first quarter of 2024, according to Savills. In its latest Market in Minutes report, the international real estate advisor says that, subject to upward revision, at this trend rate the remainder of 2024 would deliver approximately a
Visitors to the event can discover investment options in Greater Lincolnshire including Low Carbon Energy and Agri-food Councils from Greater Lincolnshire will be represented at the annual real estate investor forum UKREiiF next month, alongside representatives from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) and Team Lincolnshire – a public
89% expect to see investment opportunities increase in the next year, according to Lismore research Investor research by leading independent property advisory firm, Lismore Real Estate Advisors has shown that 89% of investors expect to see investment opportunities in Glasgow city centre market increase over the next year. Property companies
Linkcity, the development arm of Bouygues UK, and Crosstree Real Estate Partners are delighted to announce the financial close and start on site of the fourth phase of the regeneration of Hallsville Quarter in Canning Town, London, forming part of the £3.7 billion Canning Town and Custom House Regeneration Programme.
Platform Housing Group, the largest housing association in the Midlands, has issued a second sustainability bond from its £1bn EMTN programme. The £250m bond has a 26 year maturity and was priced at Government gilts plus 0.83 per cent, producing a coupon and yield of 5.342 per cent. There was
Rund has been appointed to support Canadian investor, Starlight Investments, acting as Clerk of Works on three significant build to rent schemes at Liverpool Waters, Liverpool, Michigan Avenue, Manchester, and Victoria Road in Ashford, Kent. Liverpool Waters is a 31 storey, 278 unit build to rent scheme located on the
Aggregate Industries has opened a brand new asphalt plant to serve Staffordshire and the surrounding areas as part of a £9m investment. The Cauldon plant in the Staffordshire Moorlands is based next to the company’s existing Cauldon Low Quarry, which will serve the plant with materials. The investment is the
Waterhouse Gardens sits on historic site of the former Boddington Brewery ICG Real Estate, the real estate division of ICG, has provided a £100 million loan to Salboy Limited to fund the development of a major 556 build-to-sell residential scheme in Manchester’s ‘Green Quarter’ district. Sitting on the site of
Export Finance Norway (Eksfin) is providing loan financing of EUR 525 mn to Ørsted of Denmark, one of the world’s largest offshore wind developers. The financing is based on the purchase of two transformer platforms from Norway’s Aibel for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm project in the UK. The
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Environment Bank, a leading nature restoration company and biodiversity net gain (BNG) provider which delivers solutions to the built environment industry is pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine Spitzer as its new Chief Executive Officer. She joins Environment Bank with a proven track record in scaling businesses and implementing successful growth strategies. Catherine previously served as Managing Director at property consulting firm Bidwells LLP. In her new role, Catherine will oversee Environment Bank’s strategic direction, working closely with stakeholders to develop innovative BNG solutions for developers in England. She will also develop the company’s voluntary ‘Nature Shares’ proposition, aimed at large organisations with nature-positive ambitions. Commenting on her appointment, Catherine said: “I am delighted to join Environment Bank and to have the opportunity to contribute to such important work. This is a very exciting new phase for the company with the BNG regulations coming into force in February. I am looking forward to working with developers and delivering the highest integrity BNG solutions in the market.” Out-going CEO, James Cross, who has led Environment Bank since 2018, said: “Working alongside Professor David Hill and building such an amazing team has been a career highlight for me. With the BNG regulations passing into law in February 2024, the time is right for me to now pass on the baton to Catherine and I wish her and the whole team the very best of luck for the next phase of their journey.” Founder and Chair of Environment Bank, Professor David Hill, expressed gratitude for James Cross’s contributions. He said: “We extend our thanks to James for his many years of service and leadership. His passion for conservation and his strategic focus and expertise across the land-based sectors has been instrumental in shaping Environment Bank’s success. We wish him all the very best in his future endeavours.” Professor Hill also warmly welcomed Catherine Spitzer to the role, expressing confidence in her ability to lead Environment Bank into its next phase of growth and impact. “Catherine brings a unique combination of private equity investment, leadership, commercial experience and delivery to Environment Bank and we are excited to have her on board to lead the next stage of growth,” he added. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Commercial property investment volumes across the UK reached approximately £8 billion in the first quarter of 2024, according to Savills. In its latest Market in Minutes report, the international real estate advisor says that, subject to upward revision, at this trend rate the remainder of 2024 would deliver approximately a 12% increase on the £28.4bn total recorded for the whole of 2023. Savills says that a major driver of increased investment volumes this year could be the regional office market as the sector’s prime yield currently sits higher than that of the retail and industrial, despite them historically sitting in-line, reflecting specific post-pandemic concerns about the sector, with the yield gap between London offices and the rest of the UK also at its highest point in 32 years, at 2.6%. “With rental levels for top quality offices in regional cities increasing and the yield gap to other prime markets being the largest this century, wider UK offices provide a very interesting opportunity for investors”, comments Richard Merryweather, joint head of UK commercial investment at Savills. He continues: “The yield gap between London and regional offices is at its widest since 1991, so despite there being some headwinds still to dissipate, there is a real opportunity for buyers to take advantage of the difference now, while many geared buyers are finding the cost of debt for this sector prohibitively high.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Visitors to the event can discover investment options in Greater Lincolnshire including Low Carbon Energy and Agri-food Councils from Greater Lincolnshire will be represented at the annual real estate investor forum UKREiiF next month, alongside representatives from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) and Team Lincolnshire – a public and private sector group of Lincolnshire ambassadors. The Greater Lincolnshire contingent will also be providing two speaker sessions at the event within the Midlands Engine Partnership Pavilion, led by nationally recognised sector specialists; Lincolnshire: Feeding the UK and Energy in the UK: How Lincolnshire is at the Forefront of the Low Carbon Energy Sector. With over £1bn of investment opportunities in the region, Greater Lincolnshire will be showcased by the collaborative inward investment team, who will be promoting the county’s strengths as the place to live, learn and work, with an emphasis on the quality of life. Investment opportunities across the region include the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone, Humber Freeport, offshore renewables hub, hotel sites ready for development, land earmarked for housing, multiple business centres and commercial space and more. UKREiiF runs from 21 to 23 May, and now in its third year, it’s set to attract more than 10,000 delegates from the property industry, with more than 250 UK local authorities in attendance and 70 guest speakers over the three-day event. Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We have ambitious plans for Greater Lincolnshire and using the national platform UKREiiF provides, will be targeting investors, developers and organisations that can help drive forward our five core sector propositions. These are low carbon energy, agri-food, advanced engineering and manufacturing, defence & security and our visitor economy. “As we have 25% of England’s grade 1 arable land and 11% of its food production, with leading industry clusters across the food value chain, from agriculture to food manufacturing, this will of course continue to be a focus for a lot of our conversations.” Lincolnshire excels in food processing and agri-tech and was chosen as one of the Government’s manufacturing zones. This followed growth deal grants of £18 million, including £5.1 million for South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone and £2.4 million for University of Lincoln’s Centre of Excellence in Agri-food and Technology at Holbeach. Andy Gutherson, Executive Director of Place at Lincolnshire County Council adds: “We’re well- positioned in Greater Lincolnshire because as well as having established industries, we are also at the forefront of emerging opportunities for investment in the UK. In low carbon energy, we are already creating profitable opportunities and industrial businesses aligned with national sustainability goals. “We are also home to the UK’s most ambitious industrial decarbonisation project, a dynamic circular economy cluster, and the country’s leading offshore renewables hub.” Ruth Carver, Chief Executive at Greater Lincolnshire LEP said: “By attending UKREiiF as a collective, we are showcasing what Greater Lincolnshire can offer to an audience of key players, developers and decision makers within the property and investment industry. “Our team will be more than happy to talk about the devolution opportunities and recent developments in Greater Lincolnshire either now or in the future.” In addition, Team Lincolnshire, professional services firm Knights and contractor Lindum will be co-hosting a fringe event for Team Lincolnshire ambassadors and guests on 22 May, with over 100 attendees expected. Those interested in attending can email teamlincolnshire@lincolnshire.gov.uk The Greater Lincolnshire Pavilion is within the Pavilion Zone at the event with refreshments from Lincoln-based operator Stokes Tea & Coffee. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
89% expect to see investment opportunities increase in the next year, according to Lismore research Investor research by leading independent property advisory firm, Lismore Real Estate Advisors has shown that 89% of investors expect to see investment opportunities in Glasgow city centre market increase over the next year. Property companies are the most bullish, with over 90% forecasting a year of opportunity, while funds are more cautious at 40%. Investor feedback underscores Glasgow’s attractiveness due to its favourable yield gap compared to other key regional cities and robust fundamentals across various sectors, including an under supply of PBSA, a strong prime retail market and in the office sector, a low availability of Grade A space. Living and Industrial sectors are favoured by investors, accounting for 32% each, reflecting the appetite nationally for these sectors on the back positive supply/demand dynamics and strong forecast rental growth. The retail and office sectors also garner interest by 18% of respondents, with the micro location being highlighted as fundamental to appetite for both sectors. Despite this upbeat sentiment, only 21% expressing confidence in the public sector’s support, citing potential challenges such as rent control legislation hindering Glasgow City Council’s ambitions to revitalise its urban core and bring residents back to its heart. Positively, there is certainly appetite from the public sector and the Glasgow City Region deal will deliver £1.1bn in public sector investment to deliver major infrastructure and regeneration projects over the coming years. For an expert view, Lismore interviewed Stuart Orr, Senior Development Manager of Land Securities, who said: “Glasgow’s allure for redevelopment and investment lies in its robust infrastructure and economic prowess, boasting a substantial, well-educated population and thriving sectors like office and retail, with Buchanan Street having effectively zero vacancy and 20% rental growth over the last 18 months. “Challenges persist, with construction costs and financing hurdles hindering redevelopment projects in recent years. Despite setbacks, Glasgow’s resilience shines through, with strategies focusing on sustainable mixed-use and PBSA developments. Glasgow’s potential remains recognised, even amidst day-to-day urban issues, including a better integrated public transport infrastructure that connects to the airport and improvements to public realm. “As regeneration efforts continue, areas like Tradeston, Lancefield Quay and Cowcaddens emerge as hot spots for revitalisation, driven by favourable land values and proximity to transport hubs, promising a vibrant future for the city’s urban landscape.” Simon Cusiter, Director of Lismore agrees: “Glasgow City Council’s aspirations to rejuvenate the heart of the city and draw residents back to its centre reflect a broader trend in the UK property market. “Glasgow’s city centre population growth hinges on rent control policy, but uncertainty due to the Housing Bill, delays investment and has stalled development for several years. Short-term impacts hinder growth, but the medium-term potential is significant. It is more crucial than ever that public and private sectors are properly aligned in order to stimulate the development and regeneration the city deserves. “Glasgow’s resilience shines through, but the key to unlocking this potential is in supporting regeneration in the city centre collaboratively between public and private sector to provide housing and office space to allow the city to thrive.” More detailed research findings and expert views from Stuart Orr and Simon Cusiter can be found in the Lismore Quarterly Review for Q1 2024, available to download from: HERE Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Linkcity, the development arm of Bouygues UK, and Crosstree Real Estate Partners are delighted to announce the financial close and start on site of the fourth phase of the regeneration of Hallsville Quarter in Canning Town, London, forming part of the £3.7 billion Canning Town and Custom House Regeneration Programme. Phase 4 of the Hallsville Quarter proposes a new and exciting home for students in London developed by Linkcity, with design by PRP Architects and interiors by Holloway Li. The scheme comprises 375 purpose-built student accommodation rooms and a range of market-leading student amenity space with a roof terrace and landscaped public realm. As with the previous phases, Bouygues UK will be the main contractor and will take a low-carbon, sustainable approach targeting BREAAM Excellent. This project marks the penultimate phase of the £600 million Hallsville Quarter Masterplan and is expected to complete in the summer of 2026 ahead of the 2026 / 2027 academic year. In total, the Hallsville Quarter development will provide over 1,100 private and affordable homes, over 30,000 square metres of leisure and retail space and a new hotel all located directly opposite Canning Town underground station. The masterplan also provides new public spaces including play areas, pedestrian links, cyclist provisions and secure parking spaces. Oliver Campbell, Development Director of Linkcity said, “This is an exciting and pivotal moment as we reach financial close on the fourth stage of the Hallsville Quarter masterplan and commence work on site. The location of this development, in the thriving new town centre in Canning Town, will provide a vibrant area for students with excellent links into the centre of London. We are delighted to commence this joint venture with Crosstree and look forward to seeing the progress on site as we reach the final stages of this landmark, residential project.”Peter Robinson, Partner at Crosstree Real Estate Partners, added, “Crosstree continue to be active investors in the student accommodation sector benefiting from attractive cyclical and secular fundamentals. Given the market dislocation for forward funding transactions of this type, Crosstree is excited to partner with Bouygues UK, a best in class contractor/developer in taking forward a thoughtfully designed and highly specified PBSA scheme. Canning Town is a strong student location with excellent connectivity via the Jubilee Line to major university campuses in Stratford and London Bridge with 160k+ students within a 30-minute travel time. Together with our partners we look forward to the successful realisation of this project.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Platform Housing Group, the largest housing association in the Midlands, has issued a second sustainability bond from its £1bn EMTN programme. The £250m bond has a 26 year maturity and was priced at Government gilts plus 0.83 per cent, producing a coupon and yield of 5.342 per cent. There was significant demand for the transaction, with initial order books just under four times over subscribed and more than 50 investors participating. Jessica Friend, Group Corporate Finance Director at Platform Housing Group said : “The strong performance of this issue is supported by our on going engagement with the debt investor community and reflects Platform’s focus on balancing investment with maintaining financial strength. The proceeds will be used to help fund the provision of more much needed quality, affordable and sustainable housing as we continue to alleviate the housing shortage across the region.” Proceeds will be used in accordance with Platform’s Sustainable Finance Framework to fund the development of new housing that qualifies as ‘Green Buildings’, having an EPC of A and B and ‘Affordable Housing’, homes developed for those who are unable to access the private housing markets. Ben Colyer, Corporate Treasury Director at Platform Housing Group said : “The transaction will complement the £275m sustainability linked revolving credit facilities arranged earlier in the year and means that just under half of Platform’s £2.2bn debt portfolio is now explicitly supporting our sustainability objectives.” Rosemary Farrar, Chief Finance Officer at Platform Housing Group said : “We are incredibly pleased that our debt investors recognise the huge attractiveness of the social housing sector and continue to support funding the excellent projects we invest in. These investments help to make significant social and environmental improvements to the communities in which we operate, as we push ahead with our ambitious development and decarbonisation strategies.” Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets, Barclays Bank and National Australia Bank acted as active bookrunners on the transaction. Bevan Brittan and Addleshaw Goddard provided legal counsel and Jones Lang Lasalle and Avison Young undertook security valuations. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rund has been appointed to support Canadian investor, Starlight Investments, acting as Clerk of Works on three significant build to rent schemes at Liverpool Waters, Liverpool, Michigan Avenue, Manchester, and Victoria Road in Ashford, Kent. Liverpool Waters is a 31 storey, 278 unit build to rent scheme located on the northern docks of the city. With one, two and three-bedroom apartments it is set to transform the historic docklands site with a world class, high-quality, mixed-use waterfront. Michigan Avenue forms 391 units including studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments and town houses. Lastly, Victoria Road, developed by King Crescent Homes consists of 254 build to rent units across four buildings, including a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom modern apartments. Rund’s Clerk of Works team will provide Quality, Fire and M&E inspections including commissioning and testing, on all build to rent projects from January 2024. Its experts will be on site weekly delivering Quality inspections along with monthly visits for Fire and M&E inspections from Autumn 2024. Phil Smith, Director at Rund, commented, “This is an exciting partnership with Starlight Investments who are committed to providing high quality build to rent schemes in major cities across the UK and the London commuter belt. Demand for build to rent schemes remains high in the UK and we’re looking forward to bringing our experience and Clerk of Work skills to what will be three very significant schemes.” Liverpool Waters is set to complete next year, with Michigan Avenue and Victoria Road scheduled for completion in 2026. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Aggregate Industries has opened a brand new asphalt plant to serve Staffordshire and the surrounding areas as part of a £9m investment. The Cauldon plant in the Staffordshire Moorlands is based next to the company’s existing Cauldon Low Quarry, which will serve the plant with materials. The investment is the first new asphalt plant to be built by the company since 2013 and it will provide asphalt for ongoing road maintenance and infrastructure projects across Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and the M6 corridor. Specialist plant supplier Ammann was commissioned to install its Ammann ABP 240 Universal Asphalt-Mixing Plant which can produce 240 tonnes of asphalt an hour. It is hoped once at full capacity the plant will be capable of producing more than 250,000 tonnes a year. As well as the mixing plant and control room, the site has four bitumen tanks and a range of open and covered materials storage bays with a direct feed into the plant via conveyors. An on-site laboratory is under construction and will provide technical support and testing facilities for products. The new plant also has the ability to accommodate high volumes of RAP (Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement) which can be reused into new products and supply of stone from the adjacent quarry will reduce lorry movements and carbon emissions. Importantly, the inbuilt systems and processes are highly energy efficient resulting in a 30 per cent reduction in carbon emissions when compared to a traditional asphalt plant, and the latest technology is in place to reduce noise, dust and odours. Thomas Edgcumbe, Managing Director for Aggregate Industries’ Surfacing Solutions division, said: “We’re really proud to be investing in this brand new facility to serve our customers with a range of base, binder and surface course products across Staffordshire and the surrounding areas. “It will be a real asset to the many projects in that region whether they be National Highways or local authority led. “The benefits of a new plant and state-of-the-art equipment are immediately evident and very much centred on reliability and efficiency. From surety of supply from our adjacent quarry, which also means less incoming deliveries, to reduced carbon emissions due to the technology utilised and the high volume of RAP we can accommodate going forward, it all adds up to a more efficient and effective operation which will benefit our customers. “We are also looking forward to being part of the wider community and have a number of projects we will be contributing towards to support local good causes.” The facility has completed its final testing and commissioning phase and is now fully open for business. For more information on Aggregate Industries visit: www.aggregate.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Waterhouse Gardens sits on historic site of the former Boddington Brewery ICG Real Estate, the real estate division of ICG, has provided a £100 million loan to Salboy Limited to fund the development of a major 556 build-to-sell residential scheme in Manchester’s ‘Green Quarter’ district. Sitting on the site of the former Boddington Brewery directly opposite Manchester Arena and Manchester Victoria station, Waterhouse Gardens is well located to easily access the City’s core retail, leisure and employment districts by foot, including the vibrant Northern Quarter and Manchester College’s new city centre campus. The completed scheme will provide a community of high spec apartments, duplex and penthouses. Residents will have access to a private clubhouse offering high end amenities and services including a swimming pool, squash and basketball courts and a private cinema. The asset will be complemented by 30,000 sq ft of commercial space which will be home to boutique traders, independent restaurants and bars together with some office space. Construction of the scheme has commenced with cores for each block now complete and completion still on track for 2026. Salboy is an award winning developer with a strong track record of delivering high quality residential schemes. To date it has delivered over 3,500 homes in densely populated areas nationwide where demand for new, quality housing is high. While active across the UK, many of Salboy’s schemes are delivered in Manchester and neighbouring city Salford, where the company was launched and has built strong local market knowledge. The transaction supports ICG Real Estate’s strategy to fund the development of assets in sectors which are supported by compelling long term structural drivers such as the demand for new homes. Jai Patel, Managing Director of ICG Real Estate, said: “This transaction offered us the opportunity to back a proven residential developer in a local market that they know incredibly well, in a sector where we have a long held conviction. Manchester’s local economy continues to offer great opportunities to its residents in terms of jobs, leisure and education and is a city we favour, with this being the second development deal we have agreed in the city in the past 18 months. We remain keen to focus our attention on significant transactions in the living space which align with our deep conviction calls and continue to be supported by strong underlying fundamentals.” Simon Ismail, Managing Director of Salboy, added: “We are delighted to partner with ICG Real Estate as work gets underway at Waterhouse Gardens, one of the largest and last-remaining regeneration sites in the UK’s fastest-growing city[1]. By 2026 this scheme will deliver sought-after city-centre living for many of the thousands of students and young professionals that choose to stay in, relocate or return to Manchester every year to launch and progress their careers.”
Export Finance Norway (Eksfin) is providing loan financing of EUR 525 mn to Ørsted of Denmark, one of the world’s largest offshore wind developers. The financing is based on the purchase of two transformer platforms from Norway’s Aibel for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm project in the UK. The transaction increases Eksfin’s total offshore wind financing to nearly EUR 3.5 bn. Hornsea 3, situated off the Norfolk/South Yorkshire coast, will be the world’s single largest wind farm. It is expected to generate a minimum of 2.9 GW of electricity when in operation in 2027, enough to supply around three million homes with clean energy. It will be Ørsted’s third gigawatt-scale project in the Hornsea zone following Hornsea 1 (1.2 GW) and Hornsea 2 (1.3 GW), which are already in operation. Promoting Norwegian exports Building large offshore wind farms is capital intensive. Partnering with banks, Eksfin offers state-backed loans and guarantees directly to developers based on the purchase of equipment and services from Norway. The financing for Ørsted, together with last year’s EUR 45mn financing for Spanish energy companyt Iberdrola, falls into this category. Offshore wind is currently the main driver for the Norwegian supply industry’s strong growth in renewables. Norwegian companies specialise in platform construction, cable laying and maritime installations and have secured major export contracts. In 2022, the Norwegian offshore wind industry had an international market share of 7.5 per cent. The Norwegian government’s target for the Norwegian offshore wind industry is a world-wide market share of 10 per cent by 2030. Increased focus in the UK Ørsted currently manages 12 wind farms in the UK, which is one of the world’s most mature offshore wind markets backed by broad political support and the provision of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) that lock in a minimum price for green electricity. Ørsted secured attractive CfDs for Hornsea 3 with a duration of 15 years. The UK government’s ambition is to have 50 GW of offshore wind in operation by 2030 and to be net zero by 2050, requiring a total of between 65 and 125 GW of installed renewable power. This makes it a key market for Norwegian offshore wind suppliers going forward, and by default for Eksfin. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
