Social housing developer First Endeavour LLP has invested in a complete range of on and off machine technology from SITECH® UK & Ireland to optimise engineer time and site productivity as council projects flood in for the New Year. The Scottish business with offices in Aberdeen and Fife began discussions
Plans to redevelop the northeast part of the Grahame Park Estate in Colindale and deliver 505 new homes passed at a Housing and Growth committee meeting in Hendon Town Hall last night 16 November. Barnet Homes will work as the agent for the council and will be replacing the existing
Construction, property, and facilities company, The Sovini Group, are investing in offsite construction as part of their ongoing Net-Zero Carbon Commitment. The Group who boasts a unique end-to-end supply chain is supporting their wider environmental strategy with their latest initiative in the form of adapting raw materials for the new build
Plans to create an affordable housing community in Cheddar are officially underway, following a confirmed partnership with Alliance Homes. Looking to bring much-needed homes into the area, partnership housebuilder Keepmoat, along with community based social housing provider, Alliance Homes, will transform the 5.8-acre site into a high-quality sustainable housing community.
Two employees at a Midlands housing association have been announced as finalists in a top awards scheme. Joe Henshaw and Andy Hibbert – colleagues at Platform Property Care, a subsidiary of one of the UK’s largest housing associations, Platform Housing Group – have been shortlisted in The Team of the Year category in The 2022 Direct
Work has begun on a substantial housing development in Carterton in Oxfordshire that will see 200 homes provided for people to live in the area. Platform Housing Group have begun work at the site at Milestone Road which has been provided by West Oxfordshire District Council and will be developed
Willmott Dixon, the UK’s leading independent construction and property services company, has been selected for the construction of 55 affordable homes and two community centres by the London Borough of Brent. With a value of over £30 million, the work will be delivered under two contracts. “We are looking forward
A Lancashire not-for-profit housing association has invested £24.8m to provide affordable homes as part of its ongoing work to tackle the current social housing crisis. With a commitment to support the local community, Progress Housing Group has pledged to provide 1,000 affordable new homes by 2024, with 226 homes built
Kirklees Council has approved a £2.38 million grant to refurbish Fieldhouse into Station Apartments. Fieldhouse is a four-storey building which stands opposite Dewsbury Railway Station, in the area around Daisy Hill and Bond Street. The council plans to create a new neighbourhood around Daisy Hill, made up of homes which
The Leader & Deputy Leader of Barnet, Cllr Barry Rawlings & Cllr Ross Houston, and Cllr Claire Farrier joined Pocket Living’s Chief Commercial Officer, Nick Cuff, to lay the first ceremonial brick at the innovative housing developer’s first scheme in the borough. The visit represents a significant milestone in the
Social housing developer First Endeavour LLP has invested in a complete range of on and off machine technology from SITECH® UK & Ireland to optimise engineer time and site productivity as council projects flood in for the New Year. The Scottish business with offices in Aberdeen and Fife began discussions to fit their machines with SITECH Trimble technology six months ago after experiencing a shortage of skilled labour, as the business shifted to bring more of its building services in-house and new development sites began to stack up. With projects lined up for the next eight years for housing providers including Fife, Angus and Aberdeen Councils, First Endeavour LLP have invested in machine control, 3D designs, project monitoring and reporting technology with SITECH. This includes four excavator Trimble 3D Earthworks Kits, a Trimble total station, a GNSS Rover and a drone with Trimble Stratus and Trimble Business Centre modelling software giving the company a complete start to finish solution – helping to make productivity, efficiency and safety gains which give them a competitive advantage Scott Napier, Engineering Manager at First Endeavour, said: “We’ve purchased four 20 tonne excavators and two 14 tonne excavators which SITECH have fitted with Trimble, technology, and we’ve just purchased a 35-tonne excavator and two dump trucks which means we can do our own cut and fill so we’re making some big investments now. “When we began discussions with Liam at SITECH we were looking for two more engineers and he explained how the technology could help us to progress projects, because we’re so busy with so many sites going through planning that I need to survey and engineer them as efficiently as possible and iron out any issues quickly. “Surveying using the drone and Trimble Stratus has been a revelation to us as it is a one-stop shop. As soon as we purchase a site we now go out and survey it with the drone then the data goes into the Trimble Stratus software and I get the worksite map back within hours which I can go into and get all sorts of measurements and estimate volumes. “Our surveyors are using it now to calculate volumes, completed distances and distances to be completed, and we give our clients access to the platform so they can see their site in its entirety while it’s in progress – which they really like. “From the office I can see where everything is being moved to and from, which saves me a lot of time with site visits. The Trimble Works Manager is fantastic for me as I can make changes, troubleshoot problems, and send solutions straight to the excavator.” SITECH provided ongoing training and systems support to Scott so he could have full confidence in the new systems, and he admits that while some of their operators had concerns about using the machine control technology at first, they now love how simple it is to use and the degree of accuracy it delivers. “It’s so easy to use Trimble that I can’t fault it or the team at SITECH who always come back to me within the hour if I have an issue,” Scott added. “We’ve not finished investing in connected site technology, as we’ve saved over 15% on concrete alone just in relation to doing footings because of the accuracy of the GPS. This may not seem a lot, but at the volume of concrete we use it means the kit has almost paid for itself – and that’s not considering the time savings in terms of manpower. “We now have a one-stop shop for projects from inception to completion and the technology from SITECH has certainly exceeded our expectations.” Liam Payne, Regional Sales Representative at SITECH UK & Ireland, a former site engineer himself, said the accuracy of the GPS technology means customers can work well within tolerances, while the GPS setups along with drone mapping through Trimble Stratus can halve engineer labour time on site profiling roads or setting up batter rails which are time-consuming tasks. He added: “It can also eliminate health and safety concerns for site operatives, helping to minimise the risk of suffering trips or falls and reducing the risks present when working around deep excavations.” “We gave Scott a demo on the Trimble SPS986 GPS rover, SPS720 Total Station and Trimble TSC7 survey controller then we talked about drone surveying because Scott oversees multiple sites which would take days to survey and process using more traditional methods. Stratus can carry out a survey in less than an hour and you receive it a few hours later fully processed ready to share with colleagues or clients.” “Having supported Scott and his team to implement the technology from day one I’m really excited to follow them on their journey. Initially Scott and some of his excavator operators were quite apprehensive about using the technology but now they wouldn’t go back, and it’s exciting to see how it is helping First Endeavour LLP to grow.” To find out more about the construction technology, software and specialist services and training SITECH UK & Ireland offers, visit the website at www.sitechukandireland.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Plans to redevelop the northeast part of the Grahame Park Estate in Colindale and deliver 505 new homes passed at a Housing and Growth committee meeting in Hendon Town Hall last night 16 November. Barnet Homes will work as the agent for the council and will be replacing the existing 157 homes in this part of the estate and, by bringing this work forward, could save up to £650k in maintenance. Using a £22.4m Greater London Authority grant, the scheme will deliver 50:50 affordable housing including social rent, London living rent which will work towards the 1,000 homes manifesto pledge, shared ownership, build to rent plus two new commercial spaces. Cllr Ross Houston, Barnet Council’s Housing and Growth committee chair, said: “The residents of Grahame Park have been asking for this development to be done for a long time and so we’re very pleased to be able to bring this forward. “Not only are we maintaining our pledge to work towards well-built affordable rental housing, but this work will also lead to a cost saving of over six hundred thousand pounds. “We care about our people in Barnet. We care how they live and how their homes are built so we can also make great spaces while ensuring money saved goes back to residents and not to developers.” The grant for £22.4m comes from the Greater London Authority’s Affordable Housing Programme 2021-26 and has been formally approved. Community engagement has started, with an early focus on the most affected residents, and feedback has been incorporated into the design. The future engagement strategy for the next stage of work includes opportunities for designing together with residents where possible. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction, property, and facilities company, The Sovini Group, are investing in offsite construction as part of their ongoing Net-Zero Carbon Commitment. The Group who boasts a unique end-to-end supply chain is supporting their wider environmental strategy with their latest initiative in the form of adapting raw materials for the new build construction arm of business, Sovini Construction. The highly advocated method of construction is set to facilitate the Group’s development framework to deliver 1,000 new high quality and affordable homes within the next four years. Their newest shift in sustainable construction management is the latest in a longline of ecological and biodiverse plans for delivering affordable social housing across the North West. Time for timber The structurally graded timber is sourced from Scandinavia and delivered to the Group’s independent builders’ merchant, Sovini Trade Supplies. The climate-smart raw material is then transferred to a local Merseyside-based organisations, timber frame specialist SticX. The award-winning team at SticX use the latest 3D CAD software to integrate the main architectural design of the structures. Once constructed using the PEFC certified timber, the frame is compartmentalised and transported to site where it is erected. SticX timber frame delivery on site The Sovini Group’s timber framed homes provide a significantly lower carbon footprint through its manufacturing, reducing energy consumption throughout its lifetime and locking-away atmospheric CO2 for generations. John Maddock, Director of SticX shares: “Timber Framing is a great solution for The Sovini Group. For a client who’s genuinely concerned about sustainability it scores highly. By partnering with them, we can help develop improved solutions to save money and time. Ultimately, using timber frames means they can provide higher quality houses for their clients. We’re also a local company, so their spend stays local and benefits the Merseyside economy. We’re delighted to share our expertise with such an enlightened and progressive client”. The Group uses recyclable materials which is designed to achieve superior levels of fabric performance, suitable for their projects which are seeking to achieve the very highest fabric efficiency, airtightness standards, and sustainable credentials. The Sovini Group recently welcomed timber frame specialist SticX to their flagship Morris Meadows development in Merseyside to view the environmentally friendly materials come to life. From left to right, Anita Harrison- Carroll The Sovini Group Chief Business Officer, John Maddock SticX Director, Alan Evans Director of Operations at Sovini Trade Supplies. Sustainable Social Housing The Sovini Group create thriving and inclusive communities which are well-integrated into wider urban systems. The offsite construction has proven performance, providing an advantageous construction method for affordable housing and with the Group’s timber frames being produced off site and delivered in a prefabricated form, construction times to make a building ‘wind & watertight’ can save as much as 30% over that of traditional construction. Employing over 800 colleagues, The Sovini Group is a key contributor to the social, economic, and environmental development and future growth across the North West. To read more about The Sovini Group’s end-to-end supply chain services and Net-Zero Carbon Commitment visit their website here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Plans to create an affordable housing community in Cheddar are officially underway, following a confirmed partnership with Alliance Homes. Looking to bring much-needed homes into the area, partnership housebuilder Keepmoat, along with community based social housing provider, Alliance Homes, will transform the 5.8-acre site into a high-quality sustainable housing community. Bringing affordable housing to the Somerset area, Steart Farm will offer 29 homes under shared ownership, and 29 as affordable rent. Well positioned to local transport links, the development lies 10 miles south-east of J21 off the M5 motorway and 11 miles south of Bristol Airport via the A371 and A38, and the new community will feature a local play area, wildlife zone and public open space. Charlotte Goode, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat said: “We’re incredibly pleased to be working with Alliance Homes to help bring affordable housing to the village of Cheddar, which offers excellent transport links and open green spaces. “In keeping with our positive environmental practices, the Steart Farm community will be created with sustainability in mind and will be a gas-free development which uses air source heat pumps throughout. “Over the coming months we look forward to working with the local community and welcoming new residents to the area.” Iain Lock, Director of Investment at Alliance Homes said: “We’re really pleased to be involved with Keepmoat on this development. Not only will these 58 homes be a big step on our way to developing 2,000 homes over 10 years, but the environmental credentials of the homes meet our plans to be a green and ethical business. This site will be 100% affordable and that has been made possible thanks to a grant from Homes England.” The Reserved Matters planning application was approved in September 2022, and first completions are expected mid-2024. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Two employees at a Midlands housing association have been announced as finalists in a top awards scheme. Joe Henshaw and Andy Hibbert – colleagues at Platform Property Care, a subsidiary of one of the UK’s largest housing associations, Platform Housing Group – have been shortlisted in The Team of the Year category in The 2022 Direct Works Award. The winners will be unveiled at a ceremony in Manchester on Monday 14 November. Lee Duty, Head of Programme at Platform Property Care said : “Following our merger, there was a huge amount of work to do and staff to recruit in order to create one accredited and compliant team. It was at this time that Joe and Andy both stepped forward to – not only continue carry out their roles as qualifying supervisors – but support those in our other localities which were not as well served.” Their dedication and commitment has resulted in achieving the following in the short timescale of three months: Consistent inspection of all electricians; Introduction of relevant software across the board to ensure consistency and remove the paper trail; Provide relevant recommendations and improvements for all electricians; Develop a performance database for all electrical work; Compliance with NICEIC criteria, which confirms competence when undertaking electrical work. Lee concluded : “We are so proud of both Joe and Andy and how they have gone above and beyond in their roles, ensuring that we are now moving forward as one robust and compliant organisation. Well done both! We wish them all the luck at the forthcoming awards evening!” Direct Works acts as the leading voice for specialists in social housing maintenance; its awards scheme provides an opportunity for colleagues to recognise and reward each other on a national scale. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Work has begun on a substantial housing development in Carterton in Oxfordshire that will see 200 homes provided for people to live in the area. Platform Housing Group have begun work at the site at Milestone Road which has been provided by West Oxfordshire District Council and will be developed by United Living. It represents the group’s largest site in the area to date and the continuation of their strong start of their strategic partnership with Homes England. Over the next four years, the new homes will be made available through Platform’s different affordable options. 105 of the homes will be available to rent, 12 as rent to buy and 83 through the increasingly popular shared ownership scheme. This allows people to purchase a share of their home and then pay a rent on the rest with the option to increase that share up to 100%. Amongst those visiting the site was MP for Witney and West Oxford Robert Courts who said, “It was a pleasure to visit the site in Carterton which will provide much needed affordable homes for local people. It was encouraging to see work getting underway and useful to learn more about how this development will benefit local people and the wider area in Carterton. I look forward to following progress closely.” Group Chief Executive of Platform Elizabeth Froude said, “It’s been fantastic to see the site today where we’ll be able to provide much needed affordable housing for the area. We look forward to offering people real opportunities to live in the area and even buy a home that is quality and affordable. With 200 different homes, we are delighted to be offering such a large site for our partners at West Oxfordshire District Council who have been fully committed to these options to help with the growth of the area. I’d also like to thank our developers United Living and Homes England for their help in delivering this development.” Carl Rylett Cabinet Member for Planning and Sustainable Development at West Oxfordshire District Council said, “It’s good to see this site come forward for development; affordable housing is greatly needed in West Oxfordshire. We identified the site through the Council’s Local Plan, and granted planning permission in 2020. We are fully committed as a council to bringing forward sites for affordable housing development, and this development will make a real difference to the community.” Neil Farmery, Construction Director, United Living New Homes, said: “We are delighted to have started building work at Milestone Road. Working collaboratively with Platform Housing Group, we look forward to delivering high-quality, affordable new homes that will provide a welcome housing boost to the local community.” The diginitaries took in a site tour as part of the visit today and got to find out how much the development will benefit people in the area from members of Platform’s communities department, who spoke about the services and support they give their customers. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Willmott Dixon, the UK’s leading independent construction and property services company, has been selected for the construction of 55 affordable homes and two community centres by the London Borough of Brent. With a value of over £30 million, the work will be delivered under two contracts. “We are looking forward to working with Willmott Dixon. Our partnership will help to deliver high quality and affordable homes for Brent residents, creating a fairer and more equal society for everyone,” commented Cllr Knight, Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters Security. The largest of the two projects is the £17.3 million Brent Indian Centre project, which involves the demolition of an existing building. The building would then be replaced with a new community facility and 29 affordable homes. The current building’s occupants, the Brent Indian Community, will move into the new development, which will include a large multi-purpose hall, commercial kitchen, offices and an IT training room. Meanwhile, the second contract is the £13.6 million Learie Constantine Community Centre project, which will also see a building demolished to make way for the Learie Constantine Centre’s new home, along with 26 new homes made up of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. “We’re delighted to be extending our track-record of building homes in London through our work on both the Brent Indian and Learie Constantine Community Centres for the London Borough of Brent. We’re looking forward to being a part of the community during our time in the borough and once completed, the new centres and homes will provide fantastic facilities for local residents,” said Chris Tredget, Managing Director at Willmott Dixon’s London and East business. Willmott Dixon was procured on both contracts via the SCAPE Construction framework and these schemes are the latest the company is working on in London. Willmott is currently on site at Frank Towell Court, providing 102 new homes in Feltham on behalf of Hounslow Council, while also delivering 112 homes for Westminster City Council at 300 Harrow Road. In east London, Willmott Dixon is building over 500 homes for Be First in Barking and Dagenham. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
A Lancashire not-for-profit housing association has invested £24.8m to provide affordable homes as part of its ongoing work to tackle the current social housing crisis. With a commitment to support the local community, Progress Housing Group has pledged to provide 1,000 affordable new homes by 2024, with 226 homes built last financial year. Recognising the necessity for a variety of affordable housing to reflect the needs of its tenants, 122 of these homes were for affordable rent, 69 for shared ownership, and 35 were supported living properties for people living with learning disabilities and mental health needs. Jacqui De-Rose, Chief Executive of Progress Housing Group, said: “We are on course and hope to meet our target. This financial year we invested £24.8 million into the development of new homes, with £4.4 million coming from government grants. “We have been working in partnership with Onward Homes to secure Strategic Partnership Grant funding from Homes England to support the delivery of 600 affordable homes by March 2026″.” Building homes is not the Group’s only focus, as it pledges to create a positive impact on its residents and the neighbourhoods where they live. Through this work, the Group has been named Corporate Fundraiser of the Year at the North West Employee Experience Group Awards. Mrs De-Rose added: “We believe housing associations have a wider role in society. We are committed to creating opportunities for people through access to personal and career development, and we have supported 304 people into training or employment through our Project Futures scheme. “We have also continued to work closely with communities across the country. “We invested £73,197 in supporting local groups and projects and activities at a number of our RWP supported living schemes. Projects have included a sensory garden, a pop-up Caribbean Carnival, digital engagement, youth activities, support for young carers, and activities for older people”. The Group has also carried out social value work, enabling its contractors and other suppliers to make a real difference. This has included community clean-up days, supporting a food bank, and sponsoring the Typhoon’s inclusive rugby club. With the cost of living crisis unfolding, Progress Housing Group remains steadfast in providing help for tenants who are struggling to manage their money or pay their rent. During the last financial year, the Group’s Financial Inclusion Team has helped 136 people increase their income by a total of £282,705. The Group has also created opportunities for 2,892 people to become more independent through its charity Key Unlocking Futures. Mrs De-Rose added: “We recognise that to make our communities great places to live, we need to help people achieve their aspirations and improve their prospects. Our Key Unlocking Futures team has been an integral force in achieving this. As well as securing accommodation, they have also been providing people at risk of losing their homes with vital advice on finding employment; and have provided family mediation sessions and budgeting support.” Progress Housing Group’s full annual report can be found on its website: https://www.progressgroup.org.uk/about-us/how-we-are-performing/annual-reports/corporate-annual-reports/
Kirklees Council has approved a £2.38 million grant to refurbish Fieldhouse into Station Apartments. Fieldhouse is a four-storey building which stands opposite Dewsbury Railway Station, in the area around Daisy Hill and Bond Street. The council plans to create a new neighbourhood around Daisy Hill, made up of homes which are both excellent quality and affordable to rent or buy. Once completed, the neighbourhood will feature both new buildings and converted ones. The plans will give Fieldhouse – and other buildings – a new purpose and lease of life, and will future-proof some of Dewsbury’s beautiful historic architecture for future generations. Fieldhouse itself will be the flagship of the development, transformed into 23 spacious apartments and commercial space. Once finished, the building will be known as Station Apartments. “There’s a growing need for quality, affordable housing, not just in Kirklees but nationally. To address this, we don’t just want to keep building new homes – we want to make the most of the beautiful structures we already have,” said Councillor Eric Firth, Cabinet Member for Transport and Dewsbury Ward Councillor. “This project, like others across Kirklees, isn’t just about tackling our housing shortage. It’s also about future-proofing our great historic buildings, giving them a new lease of life, and maintaining that personality in our town centres. Fieldhouse is the flagship of our development at Daisy Hill, which will be a turning point for Dewsbury as a living town and a major milestone in our Dewsbury Blueprint.” The aim of the neighbourhood is to create a type of residential development that doesn’t currently exist in Dewsbury. The plans will drive more spending in the town centre, supporting local retailers and boosting Dewsbury’s economy. Fieldhouse is perfectly situated – central, and just opposite the train station. It’s a particularly fantastic location to make the most of Dewsbury’s excellent transport connections, which make it a great commuter town. Fieldhouse is also a Grade II* Listed building, part of the Dewsbury Town Centre Conservation Area and the Dewsbury Heritage Action Zone (HAZ). The area was awarded HAZ status in 2017. The developer plans to start construction work in November this year. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
The Leader & Deputy Leader of Barnet, Cllr Barry Rawlings & Cllr Ross Houston, and Cllr Claire Farrier joined Pocket Living’s Chief Commercial Officer, Nick Cuff, to lay the first ceremonial brick at the innovative housing developer’s first scheme in the borough. The visit represents a significant milestone in the delivery of this 100% affordable housing scheme, which is expected to complete by summer 2023. All 86 one-bedroom homes at Woodside Park will be sold to Barnet’s first-time buyers at a 20% discount to the local market, pricing those who either live or work in the area into home ownership. The forward-thinking scheme will be car-free, contributing to the Council’s wider sustainability ambitions to be Carbon Net Zero by 2030, with everyone living at Woodside Park also benefitting from access to two rooftop gardens with lush planting, allotment beds and dedicated wellness space. Pocket Living’s database already has registered approximately 1,000 local people who live or work in the Borough who are interested in buying a home at Woodside Park, with a third of those registered working in the public sector. This includes roles within the Metropolitan Police, Barnet General Hospital, local primary schools, Middlesex University Business School and Barnet Council. With building starts in London expected to be at a 10-year low and in light of the growing challenge of rising build costs, with cost inflation, according to the Office for National Statistics, increasing by 22% since 2021, Pocket still remains committed to delivering affordable homes. This year will represent the most productive year in Pocket’s history, with 480 homes starting on site across four London boroughs: Barnet, Waltham Forest, Harrow and Greenwich. Pocket Living is also expected to go to planning committee in late October for their Dolman Close application in West Finchley, which could deliver a further 60 homes to local people in the Borough. Nick Cuff, Chief Commercial Officer at Pocket Living, comments: “As the cost of living continues to rise, the need to deliver affordable homes in the capital has never been greater. It is clear from the significant number of people who have already registered their interest for this scheme that there is significant demand for high-quality but affordable homes in this area of Barnet and we are delighted that Barnet Council is proactively working with us to deliver schemes such as Woodside Park”. Cllr Barry Rawlings, Leader of Barnet Council, added: “This is an exciting and innovative new development which will help us deliver on our commitment to build more genuinely affordable homes in Barnet and contribute to our sustainability goals. We’re delighted to welcome Pocket Living to the borough and look forward to working with them on other schemes in the future.”
