TO DRAW attention to the damage litter causes to the UK’s waterways, lakes, and oceans, leading housing provider Barratt Homes and specialist civils provider Wrekin Products has partnered on an initiative – ‘The Sea Starts Here’ – to educate the public. The campaign’s message will be featured prominently on Wrekin gully grates
A water feature has been created near the entrance of a Biddenham development, to give the collection of homes ‘a sense of arrival’. The fountain has been installed at Davidsons Homes Biddenham Park development near Bedford, adding more life and vibrancy to the area. Scott Chamberlain, Senior Architectural Technician, masterminded
Construction students from EKC Sheppey College in Sheerness got valuable insight into what it’s like to work on a construction site when Jones Homes invited them to its Shurland Park development. The eight students visited the site – where Jones Homes Southern is currently building 171 new properties off Larch
Award-winning housebuilder, The Hill Group, has announced the promotion of Cain Peters to Managing Director in charge of Special Projects, which specialises in large high density construction projects. Cain, who began his journey with Hill as a site manager 17 years ago, will leverage his extensive experience managing this region,
The construction of 750 new affordable homes on the Durham Coast is getting underway, marking the next milestone in the development of the county’s first ‘garden village’. Karbon Homes has partnered with Esh Construction to begin work on the first phase of its new homes at Seaham Garden Village. The
A Bellway site manager from Newcastle who returned to the construction industry after a spell in the Royal Navy has won a prestigious national award. Darren Best received a Quality Award in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) annual Pride in the Job competition for his work at The View
A £28.7m, 11-storey apartment scheme delivered by Clegg Construction in Sheffield has won an award at the Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Awards. The Ironworks took the title of Regional New Build Project of the Year at the awards ceremony, held in Leeds. Featuring 229 one and two-bedroom apartments, the scheme includes
Jigsaw Homes Midlands has selected a new contractor to complete the development of over 130 homes at Rolleston Drive in Arnold. Midlands-based Morro Partnerships was appointed following a procurement process and will start work on the scheme from July. Morro will complete the homes, originally manufactured off site by ilke
Family-owned developer City & Country has announced several new promotions as the business continues to grow its operations across the UK. Amongst those promoted include Lee Kirtland, who has been promoted to Regional Design Manager based in the East region. Lee has been fundamental in helping to proactively solve problems
Preparation work has commenced to develop nearly 400 new homes in Congleton, Castle Green Homes has announced. The homebuilder is primed to begin developing a 57-acre site on Viking Way to provide 396 new homes. Around two-thirds of the development will be affordable housing under a partnership with Torus. The
TO DRAW attention to the damage litter causes to the UK’s waterways, lakes, and oceans, leading housing provider Barratt Homes and specialist civils provider Wrekin Products has partnered on an initiative – ‘The Sea Starts Here’ – to educate the public. The campaign’s message will be featured prominently on Wrekin gully grates in Barratt’s Kings Park, a David Wilson Homes development in Macclesfield. It aims to raise awareness of how small pieces of litter can snowball into lasting environmental effects. To further grab attention, Kings Park gully grates have been painted a stark bright blue. Keep Britain Tidy estimates that the UK discards a staggering 30 million tonnes of litter annually, incurring a cleanup cost of £1 billion. Shockingly, nearly half of this litter (14m) ends up contaminating our rivers and canals, as reported by the Canal & River Trust. This ongoing damage has led to a situation where none of our waterways are currently classified as being in ‘good health’. Simon Turner, commercial director at Wrekin Products said: “We hope this campaign will go some way to increasing awareness about the interconnectedness of our infrastructure and the problems and effects of water pollution on our marine wildlife. “As one of the most popular suppliers of gully grates in the UK, we’re using our position as an opportunity to create a positive environmental impact by reminding people that there is a correct place for litter to go, and it’s not down our drains. “We’re lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful natural landscapes on the planet, and so it’s a shame to see it needlessly harmed by pollution and rubbish. More so when we see the ripple effects of excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen seeping into and harming our freshwater habitats, and in some cases being enough to kill the fish population. “Kings Park is just the beginning of this campaign, and we’ll be looking to spread this important message even further throughout this year and beyond. The main culprit of river pollution in the UK is smoking-related litter. However, confectionary packets, drinks bottles and cans, fast food, wet wipes, and, more recently, disposable vapes all contribute to a harmful chemical cocktail.” The government’s Environmental Audit Committee (2022) found that housing developments’ drainage systems which are clogged with ‘a profusion of plastic and other non-biodegradable waste’, in addition to heavy rainfall, often leads to an overloaded sewerage system unable to cope effectively. Alaric Ross-Wagenknecht, project engineer at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Anglia, said: “As leaders in the residential housebuilding sector, we wanted to work with Wrekin to educate children and adults in a fun and informative way about the importance of pollution control and the role of drainage infrastructure and the water cycle. “To permanently imprint the message ‘The Sea Starts Here’ on a gully grating means the message will be here for years to come, throughout the gully’s whole life cycle. That will get people thinking twice about gullies and their role.” More information surrounding the effect of litter on drainage systems and in the UK’s waterways can be found at the Wrekin website here: https://www.wrekinproducts.com/tssh Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A water feature has been created near the entrance of a Biddenham development, to give the collection of homes ‘a sense of arrival’. The fountain has been installed at Davidsons Homes Biddenham Park development near Bedford, adding more life and vibrancy to the area. Scott Chamberlain, Senior Architectural Technician, masterminded the water fountain from Managing Director James Burnham’s instructions to create something special and create a ‘wow factor’ for residents and locals. Scott said: “The inspiration for the water fountain came from areas like Alconbury Weald, where there were bodies of water either side with an entrance running through the middle, and our very own offices in Blisworth where you are greeted with a water feature as you enter. “We had some heavy constraints already in place as the road and roundabout were already designed, but we knew we wanted to create a feature which gives a strong sense of arrival. We also wanted to of course make sure that we are keeping children safe, which was addressed with the use of a three-bar ranch style fence and life buoys around the edge. “We wanted to consider the fact that being by water and green spaces can improve people’s mental health, so it’s very important to provide those areas for people to enjoy. We consider ourselves to be, not just housebuilders, but also placemakers – creating spaces where people really love to live, explore and enjoy – so this fit in perfectly with our ethos. These blue and green areas are key to help calm emotions and connect with nature. “The fountain pattern and height was also a key consideration – after all if done wrong, it’s easy to look as if you’ve hit a water main! That of course needs to be balanced by the water feature not being too small and unremarkable. After lots of back and forth, I really think the resulting design will bring joy to the owners of our new homes, and local people who may be passing by too.” James Burnham, Managing Director for Davidsons Homes South, added: “Designing and creating this water fountain is the perfect way to show that Davidson Homes is more than just a housebuilder – we truly care about our homebuyers and want to create places that they will love to live in for many years to come.” Davidsons Homes is building new homes at Biddenham Park near Bedford. For more information, visit davidsonshomes.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction students from EKC Sheppey College in Sheerness got valuable insight into what it’s like to work on a construction site when Jones Homes invited them to its Shurland Park development. The eight students visited the site – where Jones Homes Southern is currently building 171 new properties off Larch End in Minster on Sea – on Friday 14 June. The group, who are studying for their Level 2 qualification in Bricklaying and Construction, were shown different stages of build at the development including the show home, finished houses, piling, brickwork, scaffolding, and plots at the second fix stage of construction. Nicole Fitzpatrick, Head of Building Services at EKC Sheppey College which is part of East Kent Colleges Group, said: “We would like to thank Jones Homes for this opportunity and are looking forward to developing this relationship further in the future. “These links are vital in supporting our learners’ development and, as well as supporting tutor delivery, will allow them an invaluable insight into the latest developments within industry. “Learning from professionals via these links will help support with the transition into their chosen vocational fields and hopefully spur their passion for this industry further.” The students, who were all supplied with hi-vis vests and hard hats to wear during the visit, met Sales and Marketing Manager Sophie Steel, Construction Director Terry Brown, and Site Manager David Yeo. They spoke to the students about a range of topics including health and safety, the importance of communication, hitting targets, quality control, and the process of building a home from start to finish. Terry said: “Pursuing a career in construction is a great choice for young people as there are so many opportunities to learn, develop and progress. So, we were very happy to host the students from Sheppey College and give them a real insight into the work we are doing here and give them an understanding of what the industry is like. “These students are already making great strides by studying for their Level 2 qualifications and I hope that their visit to Shurland Park inspired them even further and has shown them what the possibilities are.” To find out more about Jones Homes’ Shurland Park development, visit jones-homes.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Award-winning housebuilder, The Hill Group, has announced the promotion of Cain Peters to Managing Director in charge of Special Projects, which specialises in large high density construction projects. Cain, who began his journey with Hill as a site manager 17 years ago, will leverage his extensive experience managing this region, which includes key joint venture partnerships and has become a major pillar of Hill’s recent success. Since 2015, in his role as Regional Director, Cain has worked closely with the Special Projects region. The move exemplifies Hill’s commitment to career progression and the wealth of talent within the organisation. Cain will now manage a team of over 100 employees and a division with a projected turnover of £300 million for the current financial year. Andy Hill OBE, Group Chief Executive of The Hill Group, comments: “Cain has demonstrated exceptional loyalty and a commitment to continuous improvement during his time at Hill. This latest promotion is both a well-deserved progression for Cain, reaffirming the confidence I have in his lead and develop further our Special Projects team to remain the ‘partner of choice’ on large joint venture projects with key partners across London and the South East.” Cain Peters, Regional Managing Director for Special Projects, comments: “I am passionate about Hill and proud to have been a part of the company’s success over the past 17 years. I look forward to leading the Special Projects division and contributing to the company’s future achievements and planned period of growth.” Hill has gone from strength to strength in recent years and was recently named Housebuilder of the Year at the 2023 WhatHouse? Awards. The company is set to announce its financial results for its previous financial year, ending March 2024, and is currently planning for the next phase of its business strategy, in which the Special Projects region will play a key role. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The construction of 750 new affordable homes on the Durham Coast is getting underway, marking the next milestone in the development of the county’s first ‘garden village’. Karbon Homes has partnered with Esh Construction to begin work on the first phase of its new homes at Seaham Garden Village. The partnership will deliver 750 affordable homes, half of the total 1,500 homes planned for the new community. The garden village will also include a new primary school, convenience retail and health and well-being facilities. Taking advantage of the location on the Durham heritage coast, around 50% of the garden village will be dedicated to managed green space, with over 3 miles of landscaped paths and cycle routes. Sarah Robson, Director of Development and Regeneration at Karbon Homes, said: “I’m delighted we’ve started to build these much-needed affordable homes at Seaham Garden Village which will not only be an exciting new location in County Durham but also one of the few garden villages being delivered in the north-east region. The project is a fantastic example of collaborative working, that not only delivers new homes but a thriving new community and a great place to live for our residents. “We’re pleased to announce Esh Construction as our construction partner for the first phase of this scheme. We have worked well together elsewhere to deliver good quality, affordable homes, and we look forward to seeing progress on this site and new homes becoming available later in the year for people looking to live in a beautiful garden village environment.” The first homes from Karbon will become available towards the end of the year, for both affordable rent and affordable home ownership options, shared ownership and rent to buy. Karbon’s 750 homes are being delivered alongside 750 homes for private sale, developed by national housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes. Andy Radcliffe, chief executive officer at Esh Construction, said: “We are proud to be chosen as construction partner by Karbon for the exciting and innovative Seaham Garden Village development. With a spade in the ground on the first phase, this marks a key milestone in our strategic growth plans as we capitalise on a number of major project wins within the affordable housing sector and help registered providers deliver more quality, much-needed affordable homes. “As a Durham-headquartered contractor, our commitment to Constructing Local will amplify social and economic benefits in County Durham over the coming years, through local job creation, procurement opportunities, our bespoke award-winning school programmes, and quality work placements for the next generation of construction professionals.” The 78-hectare garden village, located on the A182 going into Seaham town centre, has sustainability and community spirit at its heart. Karbon is aiming to build all of its 750 homes to net zero carbon and the very latest building standards, ensuring they are fit for the future. They will all boast a range of energy efficiency technologies, including solar PV panels and battery storage units. The delivery of Karbon’s 750 homes is supported by funding from Homes England, through the housing association’s Strategic Partnership with the government’s housing delivery agency. The strategic partnership has provided Karbon with £165m in funding, to deliver 2,200 new affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire over the next few years. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A Bellway site manager from Newcastle who returned to the construction industry after a spell in the Royal Navy has won a prestigious national award. Darren Best received a Quality Award in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) annual Pride in the Job competition for his work at The View at Abbey Heights development in Callerton. The 33-year-old is one of just 449 site managers from across the UK to receive the accolade. Ten per cent of the winners in the annual competition were from Bellway. The father-of-two was selected from a pool of more than 8,000 site managers whose developments have been inspected by the NHBC over the past year, placing them among an elite group within the industry. Darren said: “It is a huge honour to win this prestigious award from such a respected organisation as the NHBC. It may sound like a cliché but this really is an accolade which has been earned by the whole team, with a special mention for my assistant site manager Craig Carter, whose help has been vital. “This is the first Pride in the Job award I have won and Craig and myself are determined that it won’t be my last. My motto in life is that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well and it is great that everyone in the team buys into that philosophy.” Darren first went into the construction industry when he started work at a building company as a joinery apprentice at the age of 17. “I went in straight from school and qualified as a joiner after three years but suddenly fancied a career change, so I joined the Royal Navy,” he said. “After five years, I wanted to get married, settle down and have a family so I decided it would be better to leave the Navy and get back into the building industry. “I went for a job as a joiner but the management team thought that with my experience in the Services I should start as a trainee assistant site manager. Within a year I was promoted to assistant site manager and three years after that I was made site manager. “I joined Bellway in 2021 as a site manager and have never looked back. I was delighted to be given the job of being in charge of the second phase of The View at Abbey Heights, where we have completed building 24 four and five-bedroom houses. It was really satisfying to be working on a collection of executive homes, which look incredible now that we have finished.” As a Quality Award winner, Darren, who is now in charge at Bellway’s neighbouring Abbey Heights development, is automatically entered into the next stage of the competition – the NHBC’s Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards, which will be awarded later in the year. The NHBC runs the Pride in the Job awards annually and every site registered with them is automatically entered into the competition. Each site manager is judged on a wide range of aspects of their work including attention to detail, leadership, technical expertise and health and safety. Dan Walker, Construction Director for Bellway North East, said: “The Pride in the Job Quality Awards are rightly held in high regard nationally as everyone in the industry knows just how hard it is to win this accolade. “The judging is incredibly rigorous, which means that winning the award is testament to the quality of the homes being built at The View at Abbey Heights. “I would like to congratulate Darren and every member of the fabulous site team for their achievement and wish them all the best for the next stage of the competition in the autumn.” For more information Bellway developments in the North East, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/north-east. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A £28.7m, 11-storey apartment scheme delivered by Clegg Construction in Sheffield has won an award at the Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Awards. The Ironworks took the title of Regional New Build Project of the Year at the awards ceremony, held in Leeds. Featuring 229 one and two-bedroom apartments, the scheme includes a range of sustainability features such as a biomass energy centre providing hot water and heating throughout the building, with the intention to connect to the city’s district heating system in due course and use hot water from energy generated from the city’s Energy-from-Waste (EfW) plant. Each apartment has a central thermostat that is linked to an app on the resident’s phone, allowing the heating to be carefully and remotely controlled. The flow rates and temperature of water going into and leaving every apartment are monitored daily and a monthly report provides data on areas where the efficiency of the system can be improved. Completed by Clegg Construction last year for Rise Homes, the scheme also includes flow rate restrictors, electric vehicle charging, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), bat boxes, and automatic light movement sensors. Michael Sims, managing director at Clegg Construction, said: “The Ironworks was a fantastic project to deliver for Rise Homes and we are delighted that it has been named as Regional New Build Project of the Year at the Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Awards. “It is truly deserving of this title, as the development includes an array of sustainability features which are helping to reduce impact on the environment and enable residents to live in a greener, more environmentally friendly, way. Congratulations to all involved in delivering The Ironworks, and to all those who won Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Awards at the recent awards ceremony.” The Ironworks has also been shortlisted for an Insider Property Dinner South Yorkshire award, having been named a finalist in the Sustainable Development of the Year Award. Nigel Rawlings, CEO of Rise Homes, said: “The Ironworks is an attractive private rented scheme that Sheffield, and everyone involved in delivering it, can be very proud of. For it to now win the title of Regional New Build Project of the Year at the Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Awards is a brilliant accomplishment and a great endorsement of our commitment to sustainability.” Clegg Construction is a Midlands, East Anglia, and Yorkshire-based construction firm specialising in the delivery of public and private sector projects. The company works with organisations of all sizes and specialities across a range of different sectors. For more information visit www.cleggconstruction.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Jigsaw Homes Midlands has selected a new contractor to complete the development of over 130 homes at Rolleston Drive in Arnold. Midlands-based Morro Partnerships was appointed following a procurement process and will start work on the scheme from July. Morro will complete the homes, originally manufactured off site by ilke Homes before the company went into administration, and build the four remaining homes on site. The Homes England-backed scheme, known as Birch Fields, will have 45 two-bedroom homes, 73 three-bedroom homes and 13 four-bedroom homes and will be available for either shared ownership or affordable rent. The affordable rent homes will be advertised through Gedling Borough Council’s Homesearch scheme and allocated accordingly to meet local housing needs. Garnet Fazackerley, Operations Director of Development at Jigsaw Homes Group said: “This was an incredibly challenging time following the collapse of ilke Homes in June 2023. However, we remained committed and confident that we could find a suitable partner who could complete the scheme and provide much-needed affordable homes and we are delighted to be working with Morro Partnerships to complete this development. “The homes will have NHBC warranty following stringent quality and compliance checks and will be finished to a high standard as they have been kept watertight and secure since the development stalled. We appreciate the patience from Gedling Borough Council, Homes England and local residents as we know this has been a frustrating time for all concerned, but we are now on the right track to deliver new homes for those most in need.” Giovanni Corbo, Head of Technical and Design at Morro Partnerships said: “Morro are delighted to have been selected on this project and to be working in partnership with Jigsaw Homes and Gedling Borough Council. As a sustainable partnerships’ developer, we are keen to showcase our delivery of affordable homes on this project and complete the homes on this much needed affordable housing scheme, though a modern and sustainable form of build system. “Morro specialise in the delivery of affordable high efficiency homes developments in the Midlands for Registered Providers and Local Authorities, and our current pipeline of over 2,500 plots will help meet the growing demand for affordable housing across the region. We are exciting to be embarking on our first scheme with Jigsaw Homes and are looking forward to working with them on other developments to jointly deliver significant numbers of mixed tenure, highly efficient homes across the region. “Works will commence on these high-performance modular homes in July 24 with phased handover of plots allowing new residents to occupy the homes within the first few months of our 12-month programme. We hope to engage with local subcontractors where possible as part of our sustainability policy.” Chief Executive of Gedling Borough Council, Mike Hill said: “We’re very pleased to hear that the homes will be completed and we can get families, who have been waiting for such a long time, into these much needed affordable homes. This has been a very stressful time for families, and it has also impacted housing waiting lists in the borough, so we look forward to being able to reduce that list and get people out of temporary accommodation. “We know that this has been an incredibly difficult time for Jigsaw Homes to resolve this exceptionally unfortunate situation and we welcome this news that Morro Partnerships will be delivering these homes for local people.” The first homes are expected to be completed in October with the whole scheme aiming to finished by September 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Family-owned developer City & Country has announced several new promotions as the business continues to grow its operations across the UK. Amongst those promoted include Lee Kirtland, who has been promoted to Regional Design Manager based in the East region. Lee has been fundamental in helping to proactively solve problems ahead of construction, constantly striving to improve the performance and design of our developments. Sharyn King was also promoted to Head of Finance. Sharyn manages the finance team function at the company and will lead day-to-day operations. While Adam Van-West has been appointed Commercial Director in the West region in recognition of his contribution to the business in the last two years with commercial procedures, team improvements, and helping to enhance the Western region. Other promotions include David Haskell to Build Manager and Matt Ward to Project Manager. Lee Kirtland, comments: “Building on our reputation for high-quality design across our heritage and new build projects, I am committed to developing our exciting pipeline with a focus on retaining these details whilst ensuring our homes align with the forthcoming Future Homes Standard. I am delighted to be promoted to contribute to the business’ aspirations in the Eastern Region, as part of its wider five-year growth plan.” Wayne Douglas, Managing Director at City & Country, added: “I’m delighted to share our latest round of promotions at City & Country to help support our ambitious growth plans. We still have a lot to do and a long way to go but with the Team’s assistance to continuously improve our business, I’m confident we will get where we need to be sooner. Our people are crucial to our success and growth and this year’s promotions are a testament to the dedication and hard work of the team across our business. Congratulations to all these individuals and their achievements over the last 12 months.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Preparation work has commenced to develop nearly 400 new homes in Congleton, Castle Green Homes has announced. The homebuilder is primed to begin developing a 57-acre site on Viking Way to provide 396 new homes. Around two-thirds of the development will be affordable housing under a partnership with Torus. The initial phase of works will be carried out by civil engineering contractors who will create the roads and sewers for the development, along with the substructure of the homes. It’s expected that construction of the homes will begin in September. Partnerships director for Castle Green Eoin O’Donnell said: “We’re proud to be working alongside Torus to deliver much-needed new homes in Congleton. Around 60% of the overall development will be affordable homes, available for shared ownership or affordable rent. The remaining 160 will be private sale homes. “We’re aiming to deliver homes to Torus at a record pace so they can place local families in well-designed, fuel-efficient homes as soon as possible. To do this we’ll have two phases of affordable homes being built simultaneously with between 100 and 200 people working on the site. Alongside this, we’ll have around 70 people building the private sale homes on the Woodland Manor phase of the development.” Castle Green expects to handover the first affordable homes over to Torus by the middle of 2025. The homebuilder is targeting delivering 16 homes a month for the housing group, with the aim that all homes being built for Torus will be completed by December 2026. Director of development & technical at Torus Developments Steve Alcock said: “Partnerships, like the one we have with Castle Green Homes, allow us to build even more affordable homes in sought after areas across the region. Congleton will see us deliver the largest number of affordable homes on a single site to date. There is real synergy between Torus and Castle Green to create a thriving new community together.” The first of the 160 private sale homes at Woodlands Manor are due to be released for sale off plan next month, with show homes scheduled to open in spring 2025. The first private sale homes are expected to be ready to move into in spring 2025. It’s anticipated the overall development will be completed by the middle of 2028. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
