A £7m indoor attraction based on the blockbuster ITV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will open at MediaCityUK later this month following a 32-week project by principal contractor MC Construction. The Salford company carried out enabling and fit-out works at the venue and managed all directly-appointed
National contractor Wates Construction has reached its latest significant milestone in the construction of the £73m Sandwell Aquatics Centre, in Smethwick, procured through SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading procurement authorities, with the laying of the first of 190,000 pool tiles. The occasion was marked with a ceremony held at
Building Better, the National Housing Federation-supported alliance of 29 housing associations and local authorities working together to increase the use of modern methods of construction (MMC), has appointed three manufacturers to deliver its first offsite homes framework. Procurement for Housing and Building Better have signed up Ilke Homes, Impact Modular
LEADING construction consultancy Edmond Shipway has been appointed to provide project management, cost consultancy and mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy services for the proposed €85m expansion of Center Parcs’ Longford Forest resort. Building on the success of the resort since opening in July 2019, Center Parcs has recently announced its
Public asked to give views on key topics including access and inclusion, sustainability, heritage, and jobs People across the UK are being invited to tell the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme what they think about key aspects of the restoration of the nation’s Parliament buildings. The Palace of
Leading UK conservation specialist, DBR, restores the Palace of Westminster’s iconic 19th century flooring to its original splendour The Palace of Westminster was built during the Middle Ages as a royal residence to a number of famous—as well as infamous—monarchs. Over time, it became a meeting place for the first
Bristol-based construction firm Beard has completed work on a project to bring two thousand years of heritage to life, for visitors to the historic city of Bath. The Archway Project, comprising a new World Heritage Centre and Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre, has been handed over to Bath & North
AN ULTRA modern office space in Beeston has now been let after it was snapped up by Christian owned and run bank Kingdom Bank earlier this month, with commercial property agent Innes England acting for the landlord. Kingdom Bank – which has a history of over 65 years providing UK
Construction works on a new multi-million-pound neighbourhood centre have now completed at Blythe Valley Park (BVP) in Solihull, and the finished scheme was marked with a socially distanced handover ceremony on 16 April. The £7.5million project, which was led by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson on behalf of client IM
THERE is no doubt that many across the construction industry expect The Construction Playbook to be a driver of truly transformational change. One thing that has resonated with national framework provider Pagabo is that ten of the 14 key policies outlined by the government fall within the first of the five phases of procurement.
A £7m indoor attraction based on the blockbuster ITV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will open at MediaCityUK later this month following a 32-week project by principal contractor MC Construction. The Salford company carried out enabling and fit-out works at the venue and managed all directly-appointed contractors, including those responsible for themed attraction installations, ticketing, retail fit-out, IT and communications and the building management system. The works were undertaken across the back-of-house, entrance, reception and attraction space and retail areas. Tickets for I’m a Celebrity… Jungle Challenge will go on general sale Wednesday, July 21 and it will open to the public on Friday, July 30 at Quayside MediaCityUK, formerly known as the Lowry Shopping Centre, which is owned by Peel L&P. Continuum Attractions will operate the attraction. During hours of wholesome fun, Campmates will be taken into the heart of the themed jungle setting to navigate a series of fun-filled, physical challenges. Featuring Main Camp, the Throne and Winners Bridge, the action-packed experience will put Campmates’ nerves and agility to the test as they race against the clock in a bid to collect stars and be crowned King or Queen of the jungle. Timed trials will involve scaling The Ascent, with over 8m of vertical rock, racing across the suspended Treetop Trail, swinging round the Jungle Run, taking a leap of faith on Get a Grip and gliding through the trees on a Zipline. Campmates could also find themselves taking on Kiosk Kev and a multiple-choice Dingo Dollar Challenge if the iconic telephone boxes, synonymous with the TV programme, ring out. The attraction will also feature Europe’s first ceiling-mounted Spyrider (*), a high-speed track which whizzes above the jungle canopy. Russ Forshaw, group operations director at MC Construction, a family-owned business which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, said: “We are thrilled to have partnered with ITV on this project supporting the delivery of what will undoubtedly become one of the north west’s best new indoor attractions. “Talented craftsmen and equipment from all over the world were required to produce the fantastic end product. “Co-ordinating the specialists involved and the logistics of this scheme would have been difficult in normal times, but considering the entire project was delivered during the Covid-19 pandemic, I’m really proud of the way our team adapted and went the extra mile to deal with everything that was thrown at them. “Thankfully the construction industry has remained active throughout the pandemic so we’re also very pleased to be a part of a project that will form part of the leisure and tourism industry’s economic recovery.” James Penfold, Controller of Partnerships for ITV Global Entertainment, said: “I’m a Celebrity… Jungle Challenge is a one of a kind, multi-sensory adventure – bringing together the heart and soul of the hugely celebrated series and ITV’s expertise in curating fantastic, memorable live brand experiences for guests and families across the world. “We’re delighted to see the vision for our flagship I’m a Celebrity… Jungle Challenge attraction come to fruition. “MC Construction delivered the finished product to exacting standards and expertly handled the design and logistical challenges associated with the specialist nature of the project and equipment involved whilst following stringent Covid-19 guidelines.” (*) Tickets for Spyrider are limited and will be available to upgrade for £3 once inside the attraction, subject to availability.
National contractor Wates Construction has reached its latest significant milestone in the construction of the £73m Sandwell Aquatics Centre, in Smethwick, procured through SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading procurement authorities, with the laying of the first of 190,000 pool tiles. The occasion was marked with a ceremony held at the site, attended by the Minister for Sport and Tourism, Nigel Huddleston and the leader of Sandwell Council, Councillor Rajbir Singh and other partners. The first tile was laid by Nigel Huddleston, MP and Councillor Rajbir Singh, leader of Sandwell Council, along with other dignitaries and two work experience students Howard Dunn and Kye Roseblade. With less than a year till handover, Wates is now focused on completing the interior of the state-of-the-art facility and finishing its three pools. This will see up to 190,000 tiles laid carefully to waterproof the 50m Olympic-sized pool, 25m diving pool and community swimming pool ready for use. Some 3,000m3 of concrete were used in the pools’ creation, which had to be carefully poured to an accuracy of mere millimetres to comply with Olympic standards. Initially starting on site in September 2019, the project is being accelerated through SCAPE Construction, a direct award framework designed to drive collaboration, efficiency, time and cost savings. So far Wates has fully completed the external structure and roof of the site, which included installing 14 steel trusses, each spanning 75m and weighing around 30 tonnes. The team has also installed the 10m dive tower earlier in the year and recent work has included the completion of the building facades. Internally, high-level works within the pool hall have been ongoing, including lighting, fire alarm cabling and ventilation and heating duct work. Sandwell Aquatics Centre is a landmark development for the Midlands, featuring the only Olympic-sized pool in the region and has been designed to create a lasting legacy for community health and wellbeing, with its three pools and seats for up to 1,000 spectators. Other facilities at the aquatics centre will include three activity studios, two 4-court sports halls, a 108-station fitness suite with a 25-station ladies-only gym, dry diving facilities, an indoor cycling studio, a new football pitch, a café, and changing facilities including a sauna and steam room. Externally, a new urban park will feature a children’s play area. Throughout construction, Wates has worked closely with Sandwell Council, its supply chain and SCAPE to ensure the project is delivered safely and provides maximum benefit to the community. This includes supporting 34 local students with work experience across the construction of the site to support NVQs, creating 12 new apprenticeships, along with investing nearly £190,000 so far into Social Enterprise initiatives close to the region. The project is on schedule and set to complete in spring 2022, before opening to the public in the spring of 2023. Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport and Tourism said: “Fantastic progress has been made on the Sandwell Aquatics Centre since I was last here in February 2020. It will be an outstanding new leisure centre for the community. It is a great example of how we are levelling up across the country, by investing money in new world-class facilities that leave a lasting legacy for local people.” Councillor Rajbir Singh, Leader of Sandwell Council said: “It was amazing seeing the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre and looking at the scale of the work being undertaken. The venue, which is located in Smethwick, is impressive and will be well used by local residents and the wider region for generations to come.” John Carlin, regional managing director for the Midlands at Wates Construction, said: “Now tiles are going in, you can start to see properly how the facility will look once it’s completed, and ensuring all 190,000 are laid perfectly is the latest in a long line of technically complex features which we’ve delivered as part of this ambitious build. “As we get closer to our handover date, we’re focused on not only finalising this landmark site, but ensuring as many local people play a part in its completion as possible. I’d like to sincerely thank all our local apprentices and supply chain partners for contributing to the success of the build so far, and look forward to its next milestone.” Mark Robinson, group chief executive of SCAPE and who recently visited the site, said: “Our world class athletes deserve world class facilities and this is what I saw when I visited Sandwell Aquatic Centre. The collaboration between Wates Group and Sandwell Council was clear to see, and the facility will be a true jewel in our nations crown. The progress made is fantastic and I very much look forward to my next visit. “At SCAPE we are proud to be a part of this landmark project that will not only bring investment and a lasting legacy to the local area but help to train our next generation of sporting heroes.”
Building Better, the National Housing Federation-supported alliance of 29 housing associations and local authorities working together to increase the use of modern methods of construction (MMC), has appointed three manufacturers to deliver its first offsite homes framework. Procurement for Housing and Building Better have signed up Ilke Homes, Impact Modular and TopHat to the volumetric framework which is worth up to £600m over five years. Social housing providers will be able to procure pre-manufactured 3D construction systems for both houses and apartments through the deal. Over 185,000 homes are managed by the 29 housing associations and local authorities that make up Building Better. Initially, they will build at least 800 new offsite homes via the framework with a further 4,500 properties to be produced using modern methods of construction before 2026. This pipeline will grow as more social housing providers join the alliance. Procurement for Housing and Building Better have appointed the three successful manufacturers to the framework on a direct award basis. This means that housing associations and local authorities won’t need to go through any additional tender process. It is estimated that this streamlined contracting approach will save each housing provider around £15,000 in procurement costs alone. All MMC homes procured under the Building Better framework will be able to meet the government’s ‘zero carbon ready’ Future Homes Standard, they will take a ‘fabric-first’ approach – prioritising insulation ahead of add-ons like solar panels, they will meet nationally described space standards and have the option to be wheelchair accessible. Offsite homes developed by Building Better members will also be certified by the Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme and be assessed and accepted by building warranty provider the National House Building Council (NHBC). Trina Chakravarti, Project Director of Building Better said: “In the past, housing associations, local authorities and manufacturers have often gone through the MMC process alone – there is no aggregation of knowledge or resources, and mistakes are repeated. We want to change this through early, honest partnership working between social housing providers, manufacturers and residents, sharing information and learning together to improve MMC and overcome traditional barriers.” Steve Malone, CEO at Procurement for Housing said: “By assessing the MMC market, narrowing the field and appointing just three manufacturers, our goal was to reduce much of the due diligence and procurement complexity that housing associations and local authorities often face around MMC. Ilke Homes, Impact Modular and TopHat all impressed us with their commitment to the collaborative ethos of this framework. For them, involving residents and working closely with housing providers is key to continually improving their MMC offer.” Last year, housing secretary Robert Jenrick said that he, chancellor Rishi Sunak and the chief secretary to the treasury Stephen Barclay were “hugely supportive” of using modern methods of construction to build homes. The government has made it a condition of their £11.5bn affordable homes programme that at least 25% of those homes should be manufactured through modern methods. For further information about Building Better’s MMC Category 1 Construction Systems framework visit: https://procurementforhousing.co.uk/mmc-category-1-framework/
LEADING construction consultancy Edmond Shipway has been appointed to provide project management, cost consultancy and mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy services for the proposed €85m expansion of Center Parcs’ Longford Forest resort. Building on the success of the resort since opening in July 2019, Center Parcs has recently announced its intention to submit a planning application for a significant investment to further develop its Longford Forest resort, which is set in around 400 acres of woodland located five kilometres from Ballymahon. The plans include the addition of 200 new lodges, including four of Center Parcs’ most luxurious accommodation – Treehouses. Hidden within the forest, each Treehouse sleeps up to eight people and comes complete with a games den, outdoor hot tub, private parking, and a dedicated Treehouse Host for the duration of the break. Alongside increasing the number of lodges, the development also proposes to extend existing facilities, including leisure facilities, restaurants, and cafes, back of house facilities, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise and Aqua Sana Spa. The development will remain within the existing site boundary. David Stevenson, managing director at Edmond Shipway, said: “We have a relationship with Center Parcs that spans decades, so we are really pleased to be continuing to support its latest ventures. We provided services for the delivery of the initial Longford Forest scheme, which is one of the biggest tourism investments Ireland has ever seen and brought the high-quality resort facilities that Center Parcs is renowned for to the country. “We look forward to working closely with the team, supporting the planning application for these expansion plans and to hopefully leading on the delivery of more exceptional facilities for the Irish resort.” Martin Dalby, CEO at Center Parcs, said: “We are thrilled to be developing the next chapter for Longford Forest, reaffirming our confidence in our product and the Irish market. We are delighted to be working once more with Edmond Shipway, who I’m sure will deliver for us once again.” The development, which will remain within the existing site boundary, is driven by a great confidence in the business and the Irish domestic tourism market and will create 250 permanent jobs, along with a further 300 jobs during construction. Edmond Shipway’s four core services – cost consultancy, project management, M&E and sustainability consultancy – allow the practice to add value to all of its projects, and its specialist teams focus on individual markets to deliver industry-leading expertise and maximise efficiencies and results for clients. For more information about Edmond Shipway, please visit https://www.edmondshipway.com/
Public asked to give views on key topics including access and inclusion, sustainability, heritage, and jobs People across the UK are being invited to tell the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme what they think about key aspects of the restoration of the nation’s Parliament buildings. The Palace of Westminster is falling apart faster than it can be fixed, with maintenance and ongoing work costs doubling in just three years to more than £125m a year. Essential restoration and renewal work is needed to protect it for future generations. The work to restore and renew the Palace will create thousands of jobs and training opportunities across the UK. As the restoration team continues its work to develop a detailed and costed restoration plan, members of the public will be able to submit ideas and share their views on a range of issues to help inform the plans which are currently under development. Their views will be taken into account alongside those of MPs, Peers, the Parliamentary community and a range of other organisations with an interest in the Palace of Westminster. Sarah Johnson, CEO, Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Sponsor Body said: “The world-famous Palace of Westminster is a national and international landmark, and the cornerstone of our democracy. As we develop the detailed and costed plan to restore and renew the Palace of Westminster we would like to involve people from across the country and give everyone the opportunity to tell us what they think about their national Parliament building.” Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees Mogg said: “People will rightly expect the essential work needed to restore and renew the Palace of Westminster to be cost effective to ensure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. “I welcome all good ideas on protecting our magnificent Houses of Parliament while addressing important issues including making the Palace more accessible for Members and visitors.” Through a new online participation platform, people will be asked how the programme can make the restored Palace of Westminster more welcoming and accessible for Members, staff and visitors. The building does not meet all current guidelines for accessibility, with a wide range of challenges for people with mobility issues and other disabilities, including many areas of Parliament that are impossible to access step-free and without assistance. Members of the public will also have the opportunity to tell the restoration programme what they think about the importance of the 150-year-old Palace of Westminster being a more environmentally friendly and sustainable building. The programme will also ask people about celebrating and preserving the heritage of the Palace, including its world-famous architecture, as well as the potential for archaeological discoveries and how to highlight them. Finally, the public will be asked about how the restoration programme could make sure the thousands of jobs and training opportunities that will be created across the UK can benefit them directly, including considering how the UK-wide supply chain recruits a diverse range of people. People will be able to join in the conversation, starting today until 14 July by visiting the Restoration and Renewal online conversation platform. Members of the public can also share their views by post. The conversation will be centred around the four topics outlined above. There will be more opportunities for people to share views on the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster as plans are developed. The detailed and costed restoration and renewal plan, which will for the first time set out a true sense of costs and timescales, will be considered by Parliament in 2023. The work to develop the detailed and costed plan will include more than 100 investigative surveys, with specialist teams spending thousands of hours analysing the building, including the 1100 rooms and more than 3000 windows. The restoration and renewal team is also continuing to work with Parliament to determine all the functions the building needs to have in future, as well as look at vital improvements in areas like accessibility. With 3000 people typically working in and visiting the 150-year-old building every day, there are a huge number of requirements to consider. Restoring the building will create thousands of jobs and training opportunities across the UK, including through an industry-leading apprentice loan scheme that will see around 160 apprentices, including engineers, designers, stonemasons, and carpenters, employed by the organisations overseeing and delivering the restoration of the Palace of Westminster and loaned to UK businesses working on the restoration.
Leading UK conservation specialist, DBR, restores the Palace of Westminster’s iconic 19th century flooring to its original splendour The Palace of Westminster was built during the Middle Ages as a royal residence to a number of famous—as well as infamous—monarchs. Over time, it became a meeting place for the first members of Parliament, and the first official Parliament of England, or “Model Parliament”, conjugated there in 1295. During the reign of King Henry VIII, a fire ravaged through the royal apartments, followed by an even greater fire three centuries later, which destroyed the rebuilt Houses of Parliament. Only a few notable rooms and structures survived, including Westminster Hall, Cloisters Court, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft and the Jewel Tower. Only the very best would do when it came to restoring the affected areas. Celebrated architect, Charles Barry, who was known for his use of Italianate architecture, was selected to bring the landmark back to its former glory. Enhancing Parliament’s Encaustic Tiles: A Decade-Long Journey Leading UK conservation specialist, DBR, restores the Palace of Westminster’s iconic 19th century flooring to its original splendour The Palace of Westminster was built during the Middle Ages as a royal residence to a number of famous—as well as infamous—monarchs. Over time, it became a meeting place for the first members of Parliament, and the first official Parliament of England, or “Model Parliament”, conjugated there in 1295. During the reign of King Henry VIII, a fire ravaged through the royal apartments, followed by an even greater fire three centuries later, which destroyed the rebuilt Houses of Parliament. Only a few notable rooms and structures survived, including Westminster Hall, Cloisters Court, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft and the Jewel Tower. Only the very best would do when it came to restoring the affected areas. Celebrated architect, Charles Barry, who was known for his use of Italianate architecture, was selected to bring the landmark back to its former glory. He chose the talented Gothic Revivalist, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, to focus on the decorative elements, including the iconic encaustic tiles, the name of which derives from the Greek word meaning ‘burnt in’, or in this specific context, ‘inlaid’. As an iconic feature of the building’s interiors, looking after the Palace’s tiling became a constant task, and they were continually laid and changed as they became worn or damaged. In 2010, leading UK conservation specialist, DBR, was commissioned to carry out a whole panel replacement trial in a section of St Stephens Hall using a mixture of salvaged and new tiles provided by Craven Dunnill Jackfield. After the trial’s success, the company’s talented stone masons continued the encaustic conservation project throughout the Palace from 2013 until the end of May this year, when restoration of the entire 1500 square-metre space, comprising a staggering 50,000 tiles, was finally completed. Laying the ground for success Introduced at the beginning of the 13th century from France, encaustic tiles became popular in abbeys and royal palaces. As principle architect on the current Palace, Barry had suggested the floors of several Halls, Galleries and Corridors within the building be composed of this prestigious material, embellished with spectacular heraldic symbols. As a public building, heavy footfall, mechanical issues and WWII bomb damages inevitably caused major wear and tear to the flooring over the centuries, leading to the loss of colour and grip. To add yet another complication, Thomas Minton & Sons, the renowned ceramics company and official producer of the encaustic tiles, ceased its production in the 1960s. This meant any tiles manufactured for repairs after this date came from various sources, which couldn’t match the originals. Therefore, a more permanent solution was needed. Rising from the ashes, straight to the challenge When DBR was commissioned by Strategic Estates to undertake this monumental project, its heritage experts realised just how extensive the replacement of tiles had been over the decades. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, as well as trial areas laid in 1998 and 2004, the inconsistency in artwork quality, and reproduction of the original designs, disrupted the continuity of pattern across the floor. Further, replacement tiles used in the latter half of the 20th century were around half the thickness of the Minton originals. The original 25mm tiles were laid in soft mortar and could accommodate movement without cracking, whereas the 20th century ones, at 13mm thick, were designed to be laid on a hard mortar bedding as a floor finish and, as such, were less robust. ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor Lastly, previous temporary repairs were carried out using coloured epoxy resins, which was visually unappealing. As a result, some of the tiles had suffered so much damage their inner core began to show. Commenting on the process, Adrian Attwood, Executive Director of DBR, says, “As it receives nearly a million visitors per year, the Palace of Westminster required high-quality restoration work which would involve replicating the exact original design of the tiles and ensuring they would remain intact for as long as possible. “We also had to make sure we could conduct these repairs over the years with minimal disruption to Parliament’s numerous employees and visitors. To do this, we set up a controlled environment, consisting of tents and vacuum air filters, which were designed to protect everyone and everything within the space, including the works of art.” ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor Once the tiles were recorded to an agreed methodology, which included a combination of physical and photogrammetric surveys, the project then required a great deal of skill from DBR’s stone masons. They had to work with 1.5 millimetre joints, manage dust and moisture control, carry out repairs to the sub floors to deal with cracks and maintain the fine tolerances in the floor layout. While it was certainly a challenging task, the incomparable craftsmanship of the team—which consisted of the same craftspeople throughout the entire duration of the project—combined with a flexible and collaborative client approach, meant the end result was one of the most successful restorations the
Bristol-based construction firm Beard has completed work on a project to bring two thousand years of heritage to life, for visitors to the historic city of Bath. The Archway Project, comprising a new World Heritage Centre and Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre, has been handed over to Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) council, which will now focus on the fit-out of the buildings ready for opening later this year. The project represents another key development in the heritage sector for family-run Beard, which has established an impressive track record in the restoration of landmark and historic buildings in the region. Beard was able to draw on that extensive experience and management of complex buildings for the Archway Project, which partly involved working underground to develop the learning centre amongst ancient Roman remains dating back c2,000 years. Mike Hedges, director at Bristol-based Beard, said it was a truly unique project which brought out the best in the team in terms of problem-solving, technical expertise, quality of finish and seamless delivery. He said: “It is extremely rare that anybody gets to go to work everyday among 2,000-year-old remains, which are literally part of the fabric of our nation’s history. “Of course, the Romans were renowned for their innovative building and engineering skills. So as a construction firm with a specialism in the heritage sector, it was a truly unique experience to work among the remains of their construction work. “It is a project that will bring this fascinating part of our history to life for future generations and we’re proud to have played our part in creating the setting and space for that to happen.” Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will provide: • A World Heritage Centre in York Street with free admission, where people can find out why Bath is so special, and pick up trails and guides to help them explore the World Heritage Site • A Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre for pre-booked school and community groups, with three state-of-the-art learning rooms, and a hands-on Investigation Zone set among real Roman remains • New areas of the Roman Baths including a Roman gym and laconicum (a type of sauna) which will be brought to life for Roman Baths visitors by projections and sounds depicting the Roman spa experience B&NES Council Leader Kevin Guy, who toured the Archway Project last week, said: “After a huge amount of hard work by the project team, architects and construction company, it’s wonderful to see the buildings looking so spectacular. There is still more work to be done, but we look forward to opening these three areas to the public later this year.” Richard Samuel, Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Resources, said: “It’s great news that construction work has been successfully completed and the buildings handed over to the Council. We are now counting down to the opening, when residents, visitors and school children will be able to enjoy these fantastic new facilities and all of the exciting activities that will happen in them.” Councillor Dine Romero, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Communities and Culture, added: “About 15,000 school children and community groups are expected to use the Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre every year. The new, purpose-built facilities will improve the quality of their visit to the Roman Baths dramatically, with specially designed learning rooms and a hands-on Investigation Zone which will offer a memorable experience for primary school children.” For more information about the project go to: www.romanbaths.co.uk/archway
AN ULTRA modern office space in Beeston has now been let after it was snapped up by Christian owned and run bank Kingdom Bank earlier this month, with commercial property agent Innes England acting for the landlord. Kingdom Bank – which has a history of over 65 years providing UK churches with financial solutions – is relocating from its former head office at Ruddington Fields Business Park due to a requirement for more space as its work expands. Having been acquired in 2020 by a group of independent Christian investors alongside Christian charity Stewardship, Kingdom Bank is seeking to grow the number of churches, Christian workers and charities it serves across the country. Located within the established Boulevard Estate on Padge Road in Beeston, the 4,850 sq. ft suite within Media House will provide open plan office space on the ground floor to accommodate the bank’s growing team of around 30 employees. It is also in a prime commercial location within close proximity to the M1 as well as Beeston town centre and Nottingham city centre. The office building also offers high-end features and amenities such as glass partitioned meeting rooms, a suspended ceiling with inset LED lighting, a stylish communal kitchen and shower facilities, as well as 22 car parking spaces. Ross Whiting, associate director at Innes England, acted for the landlord Venus Estates – a commercial property management and maintenance business based in Nottingham. Ross said: “Although this year has been hugely challenging for a large proportion of businesses across the UK, the office market – which may be surprising to some – has remained relatively stable. The signing of a new 15 year lease at Media House shows that there are ambitious and growing businesses out there that are still looking to expand and relocate to bigger and better offices, despite the challenges and change in working habits over the past year. “With the shift to home working offering more flexibility and appealing advantages, many employers will need to create an office environment that employees want to spend time in – it needs to be modern and stylish, with open plan areas and social spaces to facilitate the collaborative working and team building approach. “Beeston is currently thriving thanks to its £50m Beeston Square development and has proved to be a popular place with local businesses over the last year. It is great to see Kingdom Bank make the move to Beeston and I am pleased to help our client Venus Estates achieve its full rental potential.” Paul Houghton, chief executive officer at Kingdom Bank, which is well known for holding deposits from Christians and lending to churches, charities and Christian workers across the UK, said: “We are delighted to be leasing Media House as a space in which the work of the Bank can grow in the coming years. We are confident that these new premises will provide us with the environment we need for the exciting ongoing developments in the Bank’s support of Christian work across the UK.” Find out more at http://www.innes-england.com or join the conversation at @InnesEngland.
Construction works on a new multi-million-pound neighbourhood centre have now completed at Blythe Valley Park (BVP) in Solihull, and the finished scheme was marked with a socially distanced handover ceremony on 16 April. The £7.5million project, which was led by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson on behalf of client IM Properties, involved the construction of four mixed-use, high quality apartment buildings to act as a new hub for BVP. The 1.2million sq. ft. park employs 3,500 people and is occupied by more than 25 businesses, including a range of high-profile brands such as Gymshark, Lounge, Cooper Parry, Siemens and Zenith. Bloor Homes and Crest Nicholson are also on site building 750 new homes. BVP also features a number of amenities for people who live and work within the development, including Java Lounge Coffee House, Busy Bees Nursery & Pre-School and Virgin Active Gym, as well as 122 acres of surrounding parkland. The new neighbourhood centre helps to seamlessly blend the growing residential and commercial communities at the development – providing 48 one and two-bed apartments, 36 of which are being retained and let by IM Properties. The affordable housing element is being managed by Bromford Homes. Modern retail spaces make up two of the ground floor buildings, which are available for a convenience store and a further retail unit, creating additional jobs in the area. All four of the new apartment buildings provide level access to accommodate disabled members of the community and renewable green technology has been installed to provide power to apartments and communal areas. There is also cycle storage, a number of electric car charging points, and an onsite electric pool car for short journeys. Andy Sewards, managing director at G F Tomlinson said: “It has been a pleasure to work with IM Properties to create the new neighbourhood centre at Blythe Valley Park, which has delivered a significant number of new homes, complete with retail and food outlets, that will boost the local economy and employment. “Blythe Valley Park is a well-established business hub that offers great investment, employment and residential opportunities and we’re extremely pleased to have handed over this exciting project this spring, which has helped to further expand the park’s residential community. “As a Midlands-based contractor, we are always proud to work on schemes that deliver investment into the region and this is another significant residential project to add to our portfolio.” Richard Knight, technical director of IM Properties said: “We’re pleased to have worked in partnership with G F Tomlinson as a part of our trusted supply chain to create the new neighbourhood centre as part of our ambition to create one of the Midlands’ first truly mixed-use schemes. “The new neighbourhood centre helps to connect the commercial and residential phases and add to the buzz of community life at the heart of the scheme, with people living, working and enjoying leisure time alongside.” Chris Hill, project manager at Novus, said: “A fantastic project, delivered via a solid and collective team ethic, within extremely challenging circumstances; yet with programme and quality maintained. We are delighted to have been provided the opportunity to work with G F Tomlinson and the role of driving this scheme on behalf of our key client.” An 80-bed care facility is also under construction by Macc Care Group.
THERE is no doubt that many across the construction industry expect The Construction Playbook to be a driver of truly transformational change. One thing that has resonated with national framework provider Pagabo is that ten of the 14 key policies outlined by the government fall within the first of the five phases of procurement. With a goal of demystifying the Playbook, Pagabo is leading on a series of webinars over the coming months – the first of which saw executive chairman, Gerard Toplass, being joined by a panel of experts, including Jane O’Leary, strategic advisor for education at ISG; Peter Masonbrook, associate director at Faithful+Gould, and Jan Grant, managing director at ProQual. As well as this, the panel was joined by Fergus Harradence, deputy director for infrastructure and construction at the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), who was involved in bringing the Construction Playbook to publication. Gerard said: “One of the key focuses within the construction industry as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic is to ‘build back better’. The Construction Playbook is just one way in which the government is showing its commitment to doing this and will be one of the most important building blocks for us to do this – but it will take a joined-up effort from the whole industry.” Cultural and behavioural change will be key Many of the policies outlined in the Playbook will be underpinned by the need for behavioural change. This was highlighted by Peter Masonbrook of Faithful+Gould when it comes to social value and a ‘whole life’ approach. These are terms that the industry is extremely familiar with at this point, but there are still attitude changes needed. There is an appetite from the public sector for social value measurement, but as professionals we need to be measuring that social impact beyond asset delivery. As we would measure ‘whole life costs’ from a capital point of view, we must be considering how the local community will benefit from our projects in years to come. The overriding driver of the Playbook is to maximise the benefit for the public purse – and the Playbook is a clear directive that this cannot stop the moment a project is handed over. There has also been a clear direction of policy set out by the government when it comes to a widespread adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC) with recent legislation, with an expectation for wider adoption to permeate throughout the wider industry. It is important to remember that MMC is not simply ‘big Lego’, but a wider term, embracing a range of manufacturing and construction techniques. Indeed, we are seeing this permeate throughout the industry – with Fergus highlighting the education and housing sectors as particularly strong but noting that other more complex areas of the industry may take longer due to their nature, such as infrastructure. However, the panel expect to see an acceleration of MMC throughout the industry – and as more clients and contractors embrace these methods, the quicker adoption will accelerate to a point where they are the primary options. Again, this leans into the cultural and behavioural changes that continue to arise in conversations around the Construction Playbook. Jane O’Leary, strategic advisor education at ISG, highlighted that contractors must make sure that their cultures work with that of the client. Flexibility to client’s requirements must go beyond the project itself and into the way in which we collaborate. The pandemic has shown that construction can prove its reputation wrong by adapting and responding very quickly when needed. A huge part of this has been thanks to digital technology and is an attitude that the industry cannot lose. As an industry, we are second only to agriculture when it comes to digitisation, and through adoption of technology we have the potential to see the kind of step change seen in the retail world during the 1990s – so we need to use the momentum built by the pandemic to drive this even further. Training for the future – Playbook and beyond It’s clear that truly delivering on the government’s agenda here goes beyond simply reading the Playbook. Fergus Harradance detailed the work being done by government to upskill people on the elements within the document to ensure that they are in the best position to adapt to it. The Playbook covers so much ground – taking you from the point where you decide what you want to build, to asset handover and beyond, as well as several key government agendas – so it’s clear that every organisation within the built environment is going to have to adapt its behaviour in some form in response. As the panel agreed, there is a huge emphasis on changing culture and behaviour in order to deliver on the aims of the Playbook, but this goes beyond projects and processes. Jan Grant, managing director of awarding body ProQual, brought a fresh perspective to the discussion, focusing on the need to not just adapt the way the industry works – but how it learns too. ProQual’s digital-led approach ties into the principles of the Construction Playbook, allowing a competency passport to be delivered that gives a visual confirmation of skills and competency, and corroborates the authenticity of an individual and their core skills. The future emphasis, however, is for organisations like ProQual to work closely with the industry to identify what skills are needed, rather than dictate this. This is the only way to develop truly fit-for-purpose qualifications that help the industry progress. This in itself creates opportunity for the industry to lead, adapt and tackle issues quickly through training. An example of this is the current need for recladding buildings following Grenfell, which is an ongoing process that would greatly benefit from more training specific to the task at hand. Through close collaboration, specific qualifications could be developed, accredited, and rolled out to deliver expertise to a specific issue. And another consideration would be to ensure that this – or any new qualification – allows for transferable skills to keep our skilled workers within the industry. Gerard concluded: “To reflect the need for industry wide collaboration to deliver on the principles of the Construction Playbook, we’re really pleased to be bringing together expert panellists throughout this series of webinars on the topic. Together we must work
