Three new separate instructions received from GLP, Wrenbridge and Tungsten Properties at prominent developments in Northampton, Dartford and Eastways, Witham Glencar, an expanding construction company specialising in the industrial, logistics, distribution and manufacturing sectors has today announced that it has secured three new contracts valued at in excess of £20m for logistics/industrial development projects at sites in Northampton, Dartford and Witham, Essex. The projects include A 130,000 sq ft warehouse/logistics unit being developed speculatively by GLP on the final plot at its successful G-Park Northampton development A five-unit 177,000 sq ft speculative industrial scheme for Wrenbridge and its funding partner Railpen at The Bridge in Dartford A two-unit warehouse scheme totalling 45,000 sq ft for Tungsten Properties at Eastways, Witham All three projects are set to commence on site before the end of the year. Speaking about the announcement Glencar Managing Director Eddie McGillycuddy said: “We’ve continued to make significant advances this year in the industrial and logistics sector securing a succession of major contracts for some of the industry’s most prominent developers. We’re delighted to announce these latest contract wins and to be working for the first time with GLP, Wrenbridge and Tungsten Properties – three of the industry’s most prominent and respected developers who have chosen Glencar to develop these key new schemes. We look forward to getting started and working closely with the project teams”

16th December 2020 Icon Industrial has let a 69,295 sq ft speculative warehouse and logistics development in Harlow to an international logistics firm. Verhoek Europe has agreed a 10-year lease on Unit C at Icon Harlow in Essex, a highly specified warehouse building which was speculatively developed by Icon Industrial. The Dutch-based firm expects to be operational in the new building by the beginning of January 2021. Verhoek Europe is the latest occupier to move to Icon Harlow following the sale of Unit A, a new 69,872 sq ft head office and logistics development, to specialist food importer and distributor, SOP International. A third building is available for immediate occupation. Unit B is a highly specified 98,533 sq ft warehouse with three-storey integral Grade A office space, 15m clear eaves height and a 50m yard. Icon Harlow benefits from a detailed planning consent for phase two of the scheme, which consists of two additional build-to-suit units of between 70,000 sq ft and 200,000 sq ft on adjacent land. An additional detailed application was recently submitted for 112,000 sq ft which, if approved, will provide occupiers with the flexibility to have a unit delivered within six-months to a base build specification. Icon Harlow is situated within the established London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor, conveniently located just 30 miles north of central London and nine miles from the M25. It is the second development by Icon Industrial, a strategic joint venture between leading commercial property developer Stoford Developments and global private investment firm TPG Real Estate. Angus Huntley, Development Manager, Stoford Developments, said: “We’re pleased to welcome another dynamic and successful business to Icon Harlow. Verhoek Europe joins a strong and growing list of occupiers that have chosen to expand their operations and benefit from Harlow’s excellent connection to the north London, M25 and M11 corridors. There is increased demand for high-spec warehouse and logistics accommodation in the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor and we’re excited by what we can offer occupiers at Icon Harlow.” Jake Huntley, Partner at DTRE, said: “Icon Harlow provides much needed warehouse accommodation in one of the most constrained markets in the South of England. The letting to Verhoek, a third party logistics operator, illustrates the strength of the location for distributors. The industrial and logistics market has shown its resilience over the past 12 months and we expect this to continue into 2021.” Verhoek Europe was advised by Newmanor Law. For all enquiries regarding Icon Harlow, please contact the scheme’s retained agents: JLL, DTRE and M1 Agency.

Development of a major new employment scheme in Skipton is beginning to take shape, with enabling works now well underway and progressing quickly. Wyvern Park is a 58-acre scheme being brought forward by property developer HBD, providing 250,000 sq. ft. of industrial and office space, 188 new homes and creating up to 800 new jobs. Units will range from 1,180 – 50,000 sq. ft., providing a wide range of options for SMEs and each designed to suit occupier requirements. Esh Construction is completing the enabling works on behalf of HBD, which includes a new crossing connecting Carleton Road with the A629 Skipton bypass. A new roundabout on the A629, providing access to Wyvern Park, is already nearing completion, while landscaping and new open green space – including a new play area – will also complete in the coming months. New access roads will allow Bellway to begin construction on the new homes. Andrew Milne, Senior Development Surveyor at HBD, said: “Wyvern Park is an important scheme for Skipton, providing much-needed employment space for businesses looking to grow – we’ve seen a lot of interest from local companies as well as new firms considering relocating to Skipton, which is really positive. “We’re on track to complete the infrastructure works by Spring 2021 and development of the new employment units will begin shortly afterwards.” The agents on the scheme are Richard Harris of JLL and Mike Atkinson of Atkinson Associates.

Robertson Construction has been appointed by Babcock, the Aerospace and Defence company, to deliver its new Assembly Hall at Rosyth. The £31.5 million facility will initially be used for Babcock’s Type 31 Programme for the delivery of the five General Purpose Type 31 Frigates and has been designed to enable two vessels to be assembled side by side.  The 147m x 62m x 42m Assembly Hall will provide Babcock with productivity gains through improved access, digital connectivity, and protection from weather disruption. David Cairns, regional managing director, Robertson Construction – Central West, said: “This contract award further illustrates our capabilities in the Defence sector, and we are delighted to be working with Babcock. “Enabling works commenced in April and the main contract began in September.  Phase one of piling is complete which enabled the steel structure to commence in mid-November, the facility will be completed in summer 2021 in order that Ship Assembly can commence. Throughout the Assembly Hall build we will be seeking to support local employment and spend where possible. We have already committed significant orders to local Scottish suppliers and created five new full-time roles which have been filled by members of the local community.” The facility will provide open space to enable Babcock effective and efficient work practices and interior gantry stair access will remove the need for scaffolding inside the building, enabling personnel to safely access the vessels without having to leave the building.  Cairns, continues: “Babcock has cleverly applied lean thinking to the building which not only provides them with best value, but enables future proofing of the Assembly Hall.” Access to both the North and South of the facility for the clear flow of materials and ship sections is being accommodated through four Mega Doors which are 30m high and 25m wide with a demountable centre piece to create one large door if required.  Two 125T gantry cranes will also be installed inside to assist with ship assembly, providing cover to the entire internal area. Derek Jones, Chief Executive, Babcock Marine Sector said: “It is great to see the progress being made across the programme as we put in place new infrastructure and technologies to support the build phase of these fantastic new frigates. I know the team are looking forward to working closely with Robertson Construction on the development of the new Assembly Hall. “The Type 31 programme is re-energising the UKs’ maritime capability through innovative, next generation, UK ship design and build. The infrastructure investment underway at Rosyth, builds on our exceptional heritage, experience and engineering insight, delivering a very real step change in capacity and capability for modern UK Shipbuilding.”

Flanges are used in piping to connect sections of a pipe or join it to a pressure vessel, pump, valve or any other piece of equipment. You might think that that is a simple piece of equipment, but there are many different types of flanges and you can get steel flanges made from carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless / duplex steel, nickel alloys/superalloys and titanium, but they can also be made in aluminium, copper and polypropylene. Then as well as different materials, you have different types of flanges, but what do they all do and why are there so many? Here’s a quick guide to give you an idea.  Welding Neck Flange A welding neck flange is used in high-pressure and high/low temperatures applications that require an unrestricted flow of the fluid conveyed by the piping system.  Long Welding Neck Long weld neck flanges are similar to weld neck flanges, however, the neck is extended and acts as a boring extension. They are generally used on vessels, columns or barrels.  Slip-On Flange    A slip-on flange is connected to the pipe or the fittings by two fillet welds, one is executed inside and one outside the cavity of the flange. Slip-on flanges are also known as “Hubbed Flanges” and are easy to recognize due to their slim and compact shape. Threaded Flange Threaded flanges are joined to pipes by screwing the pipe onto the flange without seam welds. They are mostly used for small size piping in low pressure and low-temperature applications, like water and air utility services. Socket Weld Flange       Socket weld flanges are connected to pipes using a single fillet weld executed on the outer side of the flange. They are used for small-size and high-pressure piping that do not transfer highly corrosive fluids. Lap Joint Flange Lap joint flanges feature a flat face and are always used in conjunction with a stub end. This is a cost-effective solution for stainless steel or nickel alloy pipelines, as the material of the lap joint flange can be of a lower grade than the material of the stub end.  Blind Flange Blind flanges do not have a centre hole, and are used to blind or seal a pipeline, a valve/pressure vessel and block the flow of the fluid. Nipoflange A Nipoflange is used for branch pipelines at 90 degrees and is a product manufactured by combining a welding neck flange with a forged Nipolet. Weldoflange A Weldoflange is similar to a Nipoflange but is made out of a single piece of solid forged steel, not by welding separate parts together. Elboflange And Latroflange Other less common types of flange Olets are the Elboflange which is a combination of a flange and an Elbolet and the“Latroflange which is a combination of a flange with a Latrolet. Elboflanges are used to branch a pipeline at 45 degrees. Swivel Flange Swivel ring flanges facilitate the alignment of the bolt holes between the two mating flanges. They suit oil, gas, hydrocarbons, water, chemical and other demanding fluids in petrochemical and water management applications. Expander flange Expanding flanges, or “expander flanges”, are used to increase the bore of the pipeline from a specific point to another or to connect pipes to other mechanical devices such as pumps, compressors, and valves that have different inlet sizes. Reducing Flange (“Reducer”) Reducing flanges, otherwise called reducer flanges, have an opposite function than expander. they are used to decrease the bore of a pipeline.

Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management’s joint venture (JV) has exchanged contracts to acquire a 7.5-acre site in Edinburgh. The site, currently known as Grayfield House, is located in Sighthill which is approximately five miles south west of the city centre and currently comprises 90,000 sq ft of office accommodation. The vendor is Mapeley and the sale will complete next April. The JV intends to speculatively develop a ‘best-in-class’ urban logistics scheme on the site, which will be known as Capital Park, and has a projected gross development value of £25m. The JV will be submitting a planning application to redevelop the site to deliver 165,000 sq ft of industrial and warehousing space across 20 units ranging from 3,400 sq ft to 25,000 sq ft. Units will be available freehold or leasehold. Neighbouring occupiers to the proposed development include Evans Halshaw, Tool Station, Edinburgh College, Edinburgh Napier University and Burton Biscuit Company. Commenting on the acquisition, Chancerygate development director, Mike Walker, said: “We are very pleased to have secured this development opportunity in what is widely regarded as Edinburgh’s prime industrial location. “We believe there is an undersupply of Grade A best-in-class industrial space in Edinburgh and our site will go some way to addressing this imbalance. We will be offering the units on a sale or leasehold basis, which is quite rare within the city, and we already have interest from a variety of potential occupiers. “The site is situated within close proximity to Edinburgh’s motorway network, commuter links and airport, making it an ideal location for SME occupiers, trade counters and last mile logistics operators.” 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 acquisition of sites earlier this year for industrial development in Coventry and Peterborough totalling 454,000 sq ft. Bridges Fund Management partner, Guy Bowden, added: “It’s great to be finalising our third recent JV with Chancerygate following our acquisitions in Coventry and Peterborough. The site offers an excellent opportunity to carry out some significant regeneration work and we will ultimately provide space that is much more environmentally sustainable the accommodation currently available in the area.” The JV was advised by property consultancy Galbraith on the site acquisition whilst property agents Savills and Ryden advised Mapeley. Galbraith and Ryden will be the retained agents on the development.