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Dexter Moren Associates celebrates quartet of hotel planning approvals achieved in the month of October

Kenneth Booth November 12, 2018

Hospitality specialist architects, Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) is celebrating a quartet of hotel planning approvals achieved in October 2018. DMA’s ability to deliver creative and intelligent solutions for developers and operators has seen successful planning consent granted for London developments Hyatt Place Hotel in Whitechapel and Creed Court Hilton Hotel

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Traditional Retailers Should Celebrate In-Store Interaction

Cristina Diaconu November 9, 2018

Traditional retailers are making the wrong technology investment or delivering the wrong in-store experience, which leaves them with increasingly harsh criticism from both customers and analysts. Craig Summers, UK Managing Director, Manhattan Associates, explains why retailers cannot hope to compete with the disruptors unless they stop playing inept catch up

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The RFU opens the new gateway entrances to Twickenham Stadium

Kenneth Booth November 5, 2018

Designed by London-based architects WilsonOwensOwens (WOO), two new iconic entrances to Twickenham Stadium, the Home of England Rugby, will welcome spectators and visitors to the grounds from this month. Formed from standing seam zinc, the gateways frame the main entrances to the Stadium from Whitton Road – creating a true

Read More »

New Retail and Leisure Complex Opens in Leeds

Cristina Diaconu October 30, 2018

‘The Springs’ retail and leisure complex at Thorpe Park Leeds was launched last week, following the successful completion of building work by GMI Construction Group. The project was delivered across an 80-week phasing programme that coincided with a gas main diversion and major civils work being carried out on adjacent

Read More »

Hotel-Led Development Comes to East London

Cristina Diaconu October 30, 2018

A new hotel-led development in East London has received planning permission. Developed by Rockwell Property, the 30-storey landmark building located at 82 West India Dock Road in Westferry includes a 400-key hotel with a ground floor restaurant, cafe and bar. The site will also house 66 new one, two and

Read More »

Davlyn Construction Delivers New Sports Facilities

Cristina Diaconu October 19, 2018

Derby-based Davlyn Construction has secured a £6 million contract as the main build contractor for Repton School in South Derbyshire. Davlyn will be transforming the sports facilities at the historic school. Phase One has already been completed and a new strength and conditioning gym, together with a 1250 m2 state-of-the-art

Read More »

Ground-Breaking Ceremony for Leisure Scheme

Cristina Diaconu October 18, 2018

The state-of-the-art £3.6 million leisure development in Grantham, Lincoln, held its ground-breaking ceremony. Once completed, the 20,000 sq ft site will house a five-screen, 650 seat cinema, operated by Savoy Cinemas, as well as two retail units. The development forms part of the wider regeneration of Grantham town centre and

Read More »

Lighting Controls Ltd. wins Marylebone Cricket Club contract

Kenneth Booth October 17, 2018

Marylebone Cricket Club (owner of Lord’s Cricket Ground), has completed the first phase of their planned redevelopment with the construction of the Warner Stand at Lord’s, adjacent to the existing Grade II Listed Pavilion, and opposite the iconic Media Centre. The club has been located in St John’s Wood, London,

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An Epic Era for the Ballymore Business

Cristina Diaconu October 1, 2018

Ballymore continues to be celebrated for its pioneering approach to creating places where people live and thrive. Putting quality of life and a rooted connection to arts and culture at the core of the business, Ballymore take great seriousness in their role as a place maker. Standing proudly as one

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Issue 323 : Dec 2024

Commercial : Retail News

Dexter Moren Associates celebrates quartet of hotel planning approvals achieved in the month of October

Kenneth Booth November 12, 2018

Hospitality specialist architects, Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) is celebrating a quartet of hotel planning approvals achieved in October 2018. DMA’s ability to deliver creative and intelligent solutions for developers and operators has seen successful planning consent granted for London developments Hyatt Place Hotel in Whitechapel and Creed Court Hilton Hotel near St Paul’s Cathedral, as well as new hotels in Bath City Centre and at Bicester Heritage. Commenting on these planning successes, DMA said: “We’re delighted to see these four signature projects granted planning permission and further build on our strong track record of creating deliverable hotel projects that meet both client aspirations and planning requirements. Each project is different and presents unique challenges, but working closely with clients and local authorities we have been able to develop design solutions that have been supported at committee level and will result in positive contributions to their respective locations.” Hyatt Place Hotel, Whitechapel DMA was appointed by Resolution Property to reconfigure a previously DMA consented 217-key aparthotel scheme as a 280-key Hyatt Place hotel in Whitechapel, London E1. DMA proposed some clever internal changes to ensure the design of the hotel meets the expectations and requirements of Hyatt Place whilst respecting the external treatment established during the original planning stages. In particular, guestroom levels have been reviewed to satisfy the Hyatt brand and a roof bar added that overlooks Whitechapel Road with a south-facing terrace on the ninth floor. Creed Court, St Paul’s Dominvs Group appointed DMA to review this consented boutique brand 4/5 star hotel scheme near St Paul’s Cathedral. Using its extensive expertise in hotel design, in particular space planning in a prime location and a good understanding of the client’s aspirations, DMA has reconfigured the internal layout of the scheme to meet the expectations of a luxury boutique offer. The redesign increases the number of rooms from 132 to 152 keys and reconfigures the ground level to provide a bar and restaurant that optimises active frontage and facilities for both guests and the local community. Located in a conservation area, the building has been designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent, incorporating a height amendment to facilitate green roofs across the scheme. City Centre Hotel, Bath A second project with Dominvs Group is the newbuild 198 room “lifestyle hotel” on the site of a former Bath College building in the historic core of the City. The design, while respecting the World Heritage Site and character of the Conservation Area, was developed under the guidance of the local planning authority to produce an entirely contemporary scheme responding to the individual nature of its location fronting three streets. The hotel will also create a new destination, with restaurant, bar and gym facilities at ground-floor level open to guests and public alike. Bicester Heritage DMA’s design for a newbuild 252 room hotel and 92 room aparthotel for Bicester Heritage, centre of classic automobiles and aeroplanes, received unanimous approval from Cherwell District Council. Inspired by the rich former RAF base site heritage the new five storey building offers a modern interpretation of the form of adjoining listed hangers with a signature entrance atrium designed around the display of classic cars.  Augmenting the extensive amenities of this centre of engineering & automotive excellence, the hotel includes a restaurant, conferencing and leisure facilities with pool.

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Traditional Retailers Should Celebrate In-Store Interaction

Cristina Diaconu November 9, 2018

Traditional retailers are making the wrong technology investment or delivering the wrong in-store experience, which leaves them with increasingly harsh criticism from both customers and analysts. Craig Summers, UK Managing Director, Manhattan Associates, explains why retailers cannot hope to compete with the disruptors unless they stop playing inept catch up and instead celebrate the value of the in-store interaction with truly empowered store associates able to deliver something far more engaging and valuable than any online experience. Lost Cause As long established family favourites vanish from the high street it appears the pure play disruptors, which are essentially tech companies, have won the hearts and minds of customers and the writing is on the wall for old style retail. But is that really the case? Far too many traditional retailers remain inherently scared of technology and it’s this fear of failure  – fear of making the wrong technology investment, of creating the wrong in-store atmosphere – that is destroying the high street. From price match offers that take 24 hours to confirm to compelling customers to complete time consuming and irrelevant customer surveys during check-out, the high street is littered with examples of ill-considered attempts to copy slick online models in-store. It doesn’t work, especially when the technology deployed is years behind that of the disruptors. It is all wrong and it fundamentally misses the point. Golden Egg Online retail has not removed customers’ desire to buy in store or interact with sales assistants; what it has done has been to raise customers’ expectations of that experience. It is incredibly simple: people still want to come in store and be served; they want to interact with an enthusiastic and engaged individual, someone who not only knows the products – and can share experiences – but is also able to locate any item anywhere in the supply chain in real time and get that item to the customer quickly, in any location. Rather than complaining about the pure plays’ low cost infrastructure and lack of real estate overhead, traditional retailers need to stop viewing the high street as the Achilles heel and think of the retail store as the golden egg. That means investing in technology that delivers the complete supply chain visibility and mobile point of sale that ensures store associates can be continuously engaged with customers anywhere on the shop floor and also investing in high quality sales staff. Attempting to ‘become Amazon’ in two years; or replicate the model of the pure play competitor over the next 18 months is never going to work: the competition is too fast, too slick and too tech savvy. Playing catch up will result in the end of the high street. What is required is a willingness to disrupt the disruptors, to leverage the advantage of a tangible personal experience and quickly exploit relevant technology to deliver an outstanding in-store experience.

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The RFU opens the new gateway entrances to Twickenham Stadium

Kenneth Booth November 5, 2018

Designed by London-based architects WilsonOwensOwens (WOO), two new iconic entrances to Twickenham Stadium, the Home of England Rugby, will welcome spectators and visitors to the grounds from this month. Formed from standing seam zinc, the gateways frame the main entrances to the Stadium from Whitton Road – creating a true sense of arrival to the venue. The gates will be in use for the first time at the forthcoming autumn international matches at the stadium. The entrances are framed by simple singular folded zinc portal canopies and designed to create a heroic sense of arrival at the venue, providing an inspiring ‘first glimpse’ of the stadium. Based on a temporary structure initially created by WOO for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the new design complements the existing Poppy and Rose Gates in look and feel. Each entrance provides new state of the art turnstile and access systems, plus weather protection of for staff and spectators alike during security checks. The main entrance canopy is capped by free standing zinc lettering announcing TWICKENHAM. The lettering is edge lit with subtle LED lighting, giving an understated and timeless classic feel to the spectacular new entrance. LED screens will be installed within the canopy to provide dynamic information and wayfinding information for visitors and fans on event and match days. Lighting will also be used on non-match days to provide a recognisable ‘moment’ for the many visitors to the stadium. Either side of the main structures are two 3-metre-high decorative gates; each carrying a verse of the hymn ‘Jerusalem’. The graphic design and concept developed by WOO’s in-house team forms a singular text surface laser cut from treated sheet steel. The project was led by WOO partner and co-founder Kevin Owens who said, “Our work at Twickenham as lead architects for the 2015 Rugby World Cup demonstrated that the West Fan Zone of the stadium could be reinvigorated and transformed by a realigned perimeter and new entrances. We wanted to deliver a true and recognisable entrance for the real fans. A destination and arrival worthy of the Home of English Rugby.” In addition to the main entrances along Whitton Road, WOO has also looked at the broader masterplan with a rationalised western perimeter to the West Fan Park, delivering new high quality flexible spaces for event and temporary activations, and an improved entrance canopy and access from the neighbouring Cardinal Vaughn School site for match days. Twickenham is the world’s largest dedicated rugby venue in the world and the second largest stadium in the UK. It staged its first rugby match in 1909 and is also home to other events including major concert events.

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New Retail and Leisure Complex Opens in Leeds

Cristina Diaconu October 30, 2018

‘The Springs’ retail and leisure complex at Thorpe Park Leeds was launched last week, following the successful completion of building work by GMI Construction Group. The project was delivered across an 80-week phasing programme that coincided with a gas main diversion and major civils work being carried out on adjacent plots. Part of a wider 1.35 million sq ft development plan in phase two development at Thorpe Park Leeds, The Springs project was handled by Scarborough International Properties Limited (SIPL), the UK and international real estate developer and its joint venture partner Legal & General. “We were delighted to launch The Springs last week in partnership with a great team at GMI Construction. With historical knowledge of the site, which wasn’t without its challenges, GMI has shown great tenacity and outstanding flexibility in accommodating the demands of the project and its many changes to deliver a project of exceptional quality that sets a precedent across the UK. GMI had also worked closely with our team to exceed our commitment to creating new jobs and inspiring careers for young people in the region,” said Simon Marshall, Joint Chief Executive at Scarborough International Properties. The brands part of The Springs include M&S Foodhall, H&M, Next, TK Maxx, Outfit, Boots and leisure brands such as Nando’s, Gino D’Acampo’s My Restaurant and Pure Gym. A 44,000 sq ft, 10-screen ODEON offering state of the art screen and audio technology and luxury seating, is also due to open in Spring 2019 with other high street leisure and retail occupiers due to be announced over the coming weeks. “The Springs looked amazing on opening and my thanks have to go to the team at GMI Construction who worked tirelessly from start to finish. We were very clear from the start that we wanted The Springs to stand out as an out of town retail and leisure destination of the future and GMI have played a critical role in helping us achieve this vision,” concluded Gordon Aitchison, Director, Head of Transactions at LGIM Real Assets.

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Hotel-Led Development Comes to East London

Cristina Diaconu October 30, 2018

A new hotel-led development in East London has received planning permission. Developed by Rockwell Property, the 30-storey landmark building located at 82 West India Dock Road in Westferry includes a 400-key hotel with a ground floor restaurant, cafe and bar. The site will also house 66 new one, two and three bedroom apartments. “Our vision for 82 West India Dock Road will breathe new life into a neglected site that has been derelict for many years. This inspiring new building includes a hotel that will bring new jobs and business to the local area, in addition to much needed new homes for the local community in an inspiring new building. We are dedicated to delivering this exciting, high-quality development and look forward to turning this site into a place that locals can be proud of,” said Donal Mulryan, Founder of Rockwell. Designed by UK architects SimpsonHaugh & Partners, the development includes: ground floor retail or community space, activating the street and providing a local amenity; extensive public realm and landscaping works, both on site and in the surrounding area to significantly improve place-making and provide a more connected, safe, cohesive and green environment; half an acre of gardens and 48 additional trees including the introduction of an urban arboretum, residents’ garden and over 220m of children’s play space; and over £7 million in Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy to fund local infrastructure improvements, training programmes for local residents and support for local recruitment. “We have worked closely with Rockwell Property to design a high quality, mixed-use scheme that will improve connections across West India Dock Road, providing new homes, employment and training opportunities, whilst creating a safer and more secure public realm environment for the community,” added Mark Savage, Partner, SimpsonHaugh. Construction work is due to start on the site in Summer 2019 and once completed, 250 jobs are expected to be created in the hospitality sector.

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Davlyn Construction Delivers New Sports Facilities

Cristina Diaconu October 19, 2018

Derby-based Davlyn Construction has secured a £6 million contract as the main build contractor for Repton School in South Derbyshire. Davlyn will be transforming the sports facilities at the historic school. Phase One has already been completed and a new strength and conditioning gym, together with a 1250 m2 state-of-the-art sports hall, designed by Matthew Montague Architects, is in place. The new facility will be used for indoor hockey, netball, basketball and football along with new squash courts, changing rooms, seating and sports storage area. The contract, worth £3 million, also included the demolition of the old 1960s squash courts. The second phase, which is also worth £3 million, is now being delivered by Davlyn. This will see the existing Tanyard Building extended and refurbished to create a new entrance, changing rooms, briefing room, link corridor, social area, viewing gallery and the creation of a bigger car park. “Firstly, we’re delighted to have been appointed as the main build contractor on such a prestigious job at Repton School. We’re really pleased to have delivered phase one of the project to a high standard and on time and it’s fantastic to see the school and its students benefiting from it,” said David Gaskin, Director at Davlyn Construction. “Now we are very much focused on phase two and delivering that to an equally high standard. We have the constraints of working on a live site and within a conservation area but that is something we are very experienced in. We have worked with Repton School for over 14 years and have established a very good working relationship with them. We are proud to be part of their plans to deliver even better facilities for their students and staff. Education is a very important sector for us as a company so we are particularly pleased to have been awarded this contract,” David added. Repton School, established in 1557, is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils and has around 650 students.

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Ground-Breaking Ceremony for Leisure Scheme

Cristina Diaconu October 18, 2018

The state-of-the-art £3.6 million leisure development in Grantham, Lincoln, held its ground-breaking ceremony. Once completed, the 20,000 sq ft site will house a five-screen, 650 seat cinema, operated by Savoy Cinemas, as well as two retail units. The development forms part of the wider regeneration of Grantham town centre and will include the provision of improved public realm. “We are delighted to be working on this scheme; the project is an important part of the wider regeneration of Grantham, which is currently seeing significant investment to revitalise the town through a range of different schemes,” said Javeed Virk, director at Pick Everard, which acts as the quantity surveyor and NEC contract supervisor of the scheme. “We are very pleased to be involved in delivering this scheme that will bring brand new retail and leisure facilities to the town centre. Pick Everard is involved in delivering quantity surveying and overseeing the running of NEC contracts, ensuring that all parties work together to deliver the project on time and on budget. This is something we have a great deal of expertise and experience in, and we look forward to taking this exciting project to completion,” Javeed added. The project has been procured via the Scape Regional Construction framework, with construction company G F Tomlinson delivering the build. “It’s exciting to see our partners delivering such a state-of-the-art project in the midst of the regeneration plans in Grantham. Scape’s commitment to delivering social value through our Regional Construction framework will ensure the local economy feels the benefits throughout the project’s lifetime and beyond,” commented Victoria Brambini, managing director of Scape Procure. “By engaging the local supply chain, the scheme will create important local employment and training opportunities, and once complete the whole community will benefit from the improved public realm. I look forward to seeing the project progress over the coming months,” she continued. Work on the public realm and building shell are due to be completed by Christmas 2018 to allow interior fit-out work to take place. It is expected that the development will open to the public next Easter.

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Lighting Controls Ltd. wins Marylebone Cricket Club contract

Kenneth Booth October 17, 2018

Marylebone Cricket Club (owner of Lord’s Cricket Ground), has completed the first phase of their planned redevelopment with the construction of the Warner Stand at Lord’s, adjacent to the existing Grade II Listed Pavilion, and opposite the iconic Media Centre. The club has been located in St John’s Wood, London, since 1814, and parts of it are Grade II Listed, including the pavilion. The new Warner Stand comprises five levels with two tiers of seating for 2,656 spectators. There are three bars and a spacious restaurant on the top floor with pitch-facing views. It also includes a new facility for match officials, and match-control and PA rooms. Lighting Controls Ltd were selected by the primary M & E contractor Sykes & Son to provide the lighting control system for both operational and public areas incorporating intelligent DALI components. The system includes PIR sensors, scene plates and a connection to the Building Management System via a BACNET interface. This unique interface enables automated HVAC control from the lighting control system using both presence detection and manual light switch control. This control of the HVAC system according to areas are occupied or not contributes to considerable overall saving on energy consumption by using the Lighting Control system. The system also incorporates an overall monitoring and management system.

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Innovation in South West hotel construction sees Midas hit high point at new Holiday Inn Express

Kenneth Booth October 15, 2018

A new 138-bedroom Holiday Inn Express is rapidly take shape just outside Bridgwater, Somerset, hitting its milestone topping out in just six months thanks to innovative construction techniques being used by Midas. The £10 million project is being built by Midas Construction, part of the Midas Group, on behalf of customer Zeal Hotels, and is believed to be the first in the South West to use a highly-efficient form of offsite and modular construction, delivering high quality finishes combined with considerably shorter build times. The new Bridgwater Holiday Inn Express is situated on Junction 24 of the M5 motorway and will be one of the biggest hotels in the area, featuring a bar and restaurant, lounge area, meeting rooms and parking for more than 60 vehicles. Due for completion in spring 2019, the hotel is being built to Holiday Inn Express group’s Generation 4 specifications and will provide accommodation for visitors to the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and surrounding areas. The building features perimeter pre-cast, acid-etch external finished and sandwich-insulated concrete panels, which are manufactured off site. These are craned into place and fixed to the frame of the building – also constructed using pre-cast concrete – instantly delivering a high-quality external finish and providing an internal surface ready for decorative finishes. The windows, made by a specialist company in Bristol, are pre-glazed and installed into the pre-cast panels before being delivered to site. Bathroom pods are also manufactured locally, less than 10 miles from the construction site, before being delivered for installation. Neil Lewis, Senior Project Manager at Midas Construction, said: “Off-site manufacturing isn’t new but this particular method of construction, and the standard of finishes it achieves, is a first for Midas and, we believe, the South West. “We are subscribing to modern methods of construction and the innovative use of design and build techniques to deliver a more consistent product and finish for our customer. “We’re impressed by the results and delighted to be leading the way in developing a new approach to hotel construction in the South West, which we hope will see greater take-up in the future.” The scheme adds to a list of prominent construction projects recently completed by Midas in the region; including the award-winning National College for Nuclear Southern Hub for Bridgwater & Taunton College and Yeovil Innovation Centre for South Somerset District Council. Midas Group’s strategy is to become the contractor of choice in the areas in which it operates, by developing long-term relationships through the delivery of its vision to be   leaders in customer service and performance. Midas Construction has worked closely with customer Zeal Hotels throughout the project, and representatives of both companies were on hand to celebrate topping out on 25th September as Midas marked reaching the high point of the build. Tim Wheeldon, Managing Director of Zeal Hotels, said: “I am pleased this project is proceeding well, both on time and on budget. This highly efficient form of offsite and modular construction ensures a high quality of finish and we will certainly be looking to replicate this with our pipeline of additional hotel developments. “Topping out is always a milestone and we are pleased to celebrate this today with Midas Construction along with several consultants on site.” Portfolio holder for Economic Growth at Sedgemoor District Council, Cllr Anne Fraser, said: “It is exciting to see the progress being made on this important new asset for the District. It is particularly pleasing to see how many local businesses and people have already benefitted from the construction including the two apprentices taken on. We are now looking forward to the opening next year when Sedgemoor will be able to offer a wider range and choice of accommodation for people wanting to do business here or enjoy our wonderful countryside.”

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An Epic Era for the Ballymore Business

Cristina Diaconu October 1, 2018

Ballymore continues to be celebrated for its pioneering approach to creating places where people live and thrive. Putting quality of life and a rooted connection to arts and culture at the core of the business, Ballymore take great seriousness in their role as a place maker. Standing proudly as one London and Dublin’s most active property developers, Ballymore have over 5,500 people engages with them on every level throughout current projects. Current projects include that of new headquarters for the English National Ballet and London Film School, on London City Island. Previous work has seen the business work alongside the US Government, moving their embassy from Grosvenor Square to Embassy Garden, Nine Elms, a project which established a new riverside cultural district for the city. Recently, Royal Wharf has been presented with the Seal of Excellence at the NHBC Awards. An honour presented to Joe Cashman, Director, after the joined the top 450 UK Site Managers to win a Quality Award for the projects Phase 2B Development. Joe Cashman is now part of an elite and recognised group of site managers who have showcased dedication and commitment, leading to a representation of the top 100 site managers in the country. An initial 16,000 enter the NHBC Awards in the hope of being granted the honour of Seal of Excellence. The award stands as a testament to Ballymore’s continuous commitment to the creation of homes of outstanding quality, that are built with the benefits of the client in mind. The NHBC judge Site Managers on six key areas: attention to detail, leadership, consistency, technical expertise, interpretation of drawings and specifications, and health and safety measures. The Pride in the Job Award has been presented by the NHBC since its launch in 1980 and has since helped businesses to showcase their ability and performance, driving the standards that new builds should meet a certain criteria to be the very best they can be. NHBC standards are integrated into the culture and heart of Ballymore, which stands as a company that is forever looking to improve and innovate, to offer the very best in modern home design and construction. Joe Cashman has expressed his pride in being awarded the esteemed honour and is happy to have received recognition on behalf of the Royal Wharf project and Ballymore. Despite the award being granted to individuals, it is an overall representation of the company and every individual involved in a recognised project. “For the company, the awards from the NHBC mean we’re doing something right,” remarks Joe. “For me at Royal Wharf, it is the result of all the team’s efforts. We’ve been here on site as principal contractor for the last three and a half years, and the award represents the successful accumulation of a lot of hard work.” Ballymore offer an ability to not only continuously deliver homes to the highest of standards but have build an established reputation that show a willingness to constantly seek improvements through constant dedication.

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