Water control and fabrication specialist ECS Engineering Services has continued its work on the Environment Agency’s Romney Weir by fabricating nine radial gates for use at the facility. Designed to operate on the weir for at least 60 years and minimise operating costs – the new gates add to already
Foresight Group has ploughed £3 million into Manchester bases civil engineering firm Utilities Design & Planning from the Foresight Regional Investment Fund. UDP, a provider of traffic management and civil engineering services, offers inspections, planning works and project management of utilities, sewer connections and highways and rail schemes. The firm
A major North East infrastructure scheme has been nominated for a national award. People of the North East are being asked to vote for the Crag End Landslip Stabilisation project in Northumberland, which is one of the possible winners of the UK’s most popular civil engineering project. Voting is now
The developer of a major North Yorkshire mining project has revealed a £1 billion financing plan to allow construction to get under way, having agreed a £245 million deal with a firm chaired by an Australian billionaire. Last month, Sirius Minerals entered into the £245 million finance deal with Hancock
Kier Integrated Services and Morrison Utility Services have secured places on a £400 million framework with Affinity Water. The companies have been appointed to the four year framework by the Home Counties and North West London water supplier. Broken down into three programmes, the framework has a combined value of
A number of major construction industry forecasts suggest strong growth in the UK’s infrastructure spending in the coming years. It is hoped that this would mitigate the faltering commercial industry which is predicted to worsen as the effects of Brexit take its toll. New reports indicate that this influx of
WilkinsonEyre has seen off strong competition to win the job to design Leicester’s new £18 million Great Central Railway Museum. The Stirling Prize-shortlisted practice’s winning ‘iconic design’ beat proposals by six rival practices including HawkinsBrown, Carmody Groarke, Grimshaw, Farrells and BDP. WilkinsonEyre’s design includes three two-storey exhibition halls with a
Cities now have an unprecedented chance to transform and decarbonise their energy supply and use, according to the latest report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable Energy in Cities, released on the side-lines of the Habitat III Conference in Quito, estimates the energy use in 3,649 cities and
Plans have been revealed for a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system which would take travellers from a new station in Paisley to Glasgow Airport if a project by Junction 29 (Scotland) Ltd is selected as the preferred option for a new airport rail link. The PRT system, which would run
Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network is due to expand even further after plans for a new £350 million tram line through Trafford Park were given the go ahead. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has granted Transport for Greater Manchester legal powers to construct the new 3.4 mile line which will allow work
Water control and fabrication specialist ECS Engineering Services has continued its work on the Environment Agency’s Romney Weir by fabricating nine radial gates for use at the facility. Designed to operate on the weir for at least 60 years and minimise operating costs – the new gates add to already extensive renovation work carried out in the area by ECS. ECS was contracted to produce one 2.38m wide x 1.13m high and eight 2.68m wide x 4.43m high radial gates for installation by their in-house engineers at the weir. The entire design process of each gate was carried out in-house by ECS, with all designs adhering to BS EN 1090-2 certification. The gates were required to geometrically match the existing gates at the weir and mirror their crest level, preserving the water dynamics through the weir. Radial gates are intrinsically economic in design, providing a light-weight solution that can be open and closed with minimal effort, consequently reducing energy costs for end users during operation. ECS has a proven track-record in such installations, having recently completed a similar project at Old Windsor Weir. As ECS is also able to offer completely customised radial gates to client specifications and execution class 3 standards, the company was an obvious choice for the project. Each radial gate was fabricated in-house by ECS from steel to the required Environment Agency MEICA specification and applicable CE standards. All sealing arrangements on the gates were also redesigned to offer the maximum service life, reducing maintenance requirements. Each of the eight larger gates weighed in at four tonnes upon completion. Following construction, a painted protection system was also added to the gates, guaranteeing a minimum service life of 25 years without maintenance. Maximum control over gate speed Once installed, the new gates will be connected to a new Rotork actuator based drive system allowing maximum control over gate speed and positioning, therefore enabling precise control of water flow through the weir. This will be managed via a control kiosk incorporating a PLC and HMI control panel. ECS are existing framework contractors to the Environment Agency and continue to support both the Agency and its WEM framework contractors in its continuing multi-million pound renovation of these types of structures on the River Thames.
Foresight Group has ploughed £3 million into Manchester bases civil engineering firm Utilities Design & Planning from the Foresight Regional Investment Fund. UDP, a provider of traffic management and civil engineering services, offers inspections, planning works and project management of utilities, sewer connections and highways and rail schemes. The firm has sales of around £6 million and employs 33 members of staff, a number that will rise through the use of sub-contractors. The investment will allow the continued expansion of the company and the ability to make the most of the major infrastructure investments in the North West. UDP was established in Salford 20 years ago by the current directors Noel Gallagher and David Hilton who will stay with the firm as part of the transaction. Former MD at Enterprise, Richard Fraser, will join as non-executive chairman, and former FD at Amey Plc, David Atherton, will join as finance director to support the current management team. This is the third investment from the £40 million FRIF which is led out of Foresight’s office in Manchester and invests in high growth SMEs in the North West area. Managing Director UDP, Dave Hilton, commented: “The Manchester market is fast providing more opportunities for expansion with focus on a growing economy and infrastructure. Foresight’s support will allow us to engage with this growth in activity through driving sales, and by expanding services into adjacent geographies to meet emerging demands.” Among UDP’s clients are Manchester and Salford City Councils, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Police and property developer Argent. Claire Alvarez, senior investment manager, Foresight added: “UDP has demonstrated strong growth in recent years, and is a great example of the type of SME that we look for in the FRIF.” Foresight WAS advised in the transaction by a team from Addleshaw Goddard led by Katie Simpson and Andy Green with financial due diligence provided by Stephen Green’s team at RSM, commercial diligence carried out by Roger Penny of RPL and management due diligence carried out by Mike Hicks of Catalysis.
A major North East infrastructure scheme has been nominated for a national award. People of the North East are being asked to vote for the Crag End Landslip Stabilisation project in Northumberland, which is one of the possible winners of the UK’s most popular civil engineering project. Voting is now open online for the ICE People’s Choice Award, which allows everyone who uses infrastructure to select the greatest civil engineering achievements of the year in the UK. The Crag End Landslip Stabilisation scheme, which repaired and future proofed a stretch of the B6344, is one of 12 nominated projects from throughout the country. The public has until November 30 to choose its favourite project. The winning infrastructure scheme will be revealed in January 2017. The £9.5 million scheme saw the reconstruction of a 300 metre section of road that was previously closed by a huge landslip in December 2012. Not only did it deal with the direct impact of the 2012 landslip, but also addressed the underlying causes of ground instability, which ensured the residents of Rothbury will no longer have to take lengthy detours to reach the town. In achieving this, civil engineers from the VBA Joint Venture, who were commissioned by Northumberland County Council, designed and built an anchored bored piled retaining wall to support the road. An innovative passive dewatering system was also constructed to reduce groundwater pressure. Civil engineers working in local communities across the North East and throughout the world are always finding new ways of providing practical solutions to the everyday problems encountered by society, and will propel nations in the future with new, ever-improving infrastructure. ICE North East Regional Director, Penny Marshall, commented: “Civil engineers create, maintain and operate almost everything between and under our homes. The infrastructure they build connects, nourishes and improves the lives of everyone it serves.”
The developer of a major North Yorkshire mining project has revealed a £1 billion financing plan to allow construction to get under way, having agreed a £245 million deal with a firm chaired by an Australian billionaire. Last month, Sirius Minerals entered into the £245 million finance deal with Hancock Prospecting, which is a privately owned firm operating in the agricultural and mining sectors which is chaired by the richest woman in Australia, Gina Rinehart. Along with the royalty financing deal with Hancock, Sirius said it would launch an underwritten placing and open offer to raise around £330 million to £400 million and an underwritten convertible bond offering to raise around £326 million to £367 million. Chris Fraser, Sirius Managing Director, said that the scheme will create jobs throughout Teesside and North Yorkshire, and represents a major business investment in the UK. ‘Compelling value proposition’ Fraser continued: “It’s been a long journey to this point, and we still have some way to go, but I want to thank everyone who has supported the company in its efforts to reach this major milestone. “Once we have received shareholder approval, we want to get on with the job of delivering this compelling value proposition, not only for our shareholders but also for the North Yorkshire community.” Sirius is anticipating that the project will progress in two phases: the initial construction phase and the expansion phase. The initial construction phase is intended to achieve first production from the mine within the next five years. The expansion phase will be funded from operational cash flows and is intended to eventually increase production capacity subject to receipt of further planning permissions and the completion of additional infrastructure. This first tranche of cash will finance the cost of all site preparation, mine shaft excavations, tunnel caverns and the money is expected to be spent in three years. The second round of fundraising will bring in a further US$1.8 billion.
Kier Integrated Services and Morrison Utility Services have secured places on a £400 million framework with Affinity Water. The companies have been appointed to the four year framework by the Home Counties and North West London water supplier. Broken down into three programmes, the framework has a combined value of £100 million per year. Its three programmes are made up of: Distribution Mains; Developer New Mains and Services (Developer Services); and Design and Installation of Trunk Mains. Morrison Utility Services has been appointed to the Distribution Mains and Developer Services programmes. The company will take responsibility for design and build works covering 100 km of mains renewals per year, while also working on more than 600 developer services schemes. Kier has been chosen for the Trunks Mains programme and will design and install trunk mains to transport water around the Affinity Water network. The contracts will start in January. The framework makes up the bulk of Affinity Water’s £500m infrastructure investment between 2015 and 2020. Kier and Morrison Utility Services previously worked together under Anglian Water’s AMP6 programme. The two firms secured contracts with the water supplier in 2014. Kier was selected along with Clancy Docwra to deliver Anglian Water’s AMP6 Integrated Metering and Developer Services contract, valued at up to £12m a year. Kier, Morrison Utility Services and Barhale were chosen for Anglian Water’s Integrated Operational Solutions contract, valued at around £70m over five years. Meanwhile, Kier has announced “significant revenue growth to £1.7 billion, up 34 per cent,” according to the firm’s full-year results. The company said that the results for the year ending June 30 this year were underpinned by “a raft of strong facilities management contract wins, worth a total of around £100 million.” The results also showed that underlying profit from operations of £150 million increased by 44%, including a full year’s contribution from Mouchel.
A number of major construction industry forecasts suggest strong growth in the UK’s infrastructure spending in the coming years. It is hoped that this would mitigate the faltering commercial industry which is predicted to worsen as the effects of Brexit take its toll. New reports indicate that this influx of monies into the sector could result in a post-Brexit growth of between 0.2% and 0.3%. A sharp deviation from the predicted 3.6% growth before the referendum. Figures from the CPA suggest that a majority of the industry activity in the interim are being sustained by the work on projects that were agreed on or started before the referendum. The construction forecast posits Construction output to rise 0.6% in 2016, 0.3% in 2017 and 0.2% in 2018 Offices construction to increase 8% in 2016 before falling 3% in 2017 and a further 10% in 2018 Factories construction to fall 5% in 2016 and 2% in 2017 Infrastructure work to rise by 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018 Private housing starts to rise 2% but remain flat in 2017 and fall 2% in 2018 Retail construction to fall 8.0% in 2016 before falls of 4% in 2017 and 2% in 2018 This implies continued activity in the industry for the first half of next year. The second half though, does not bode well for privately funded construction sectors who are poised to suffer more from the uncertainty of the current times. Noble Francis, the economics director at the CPA predicts that industrial construction outputs could fall as much as 11% by 2018. This he argues is because large players in the industry would likely make fewer major investments as a result of the economic uncertainty that has gripped the industry. Reports indicate that it is vital that the Chancellor, for the upcoming autumn statement, focuses on reducing uncertainty for the private sector and ensure the delivery of projects that are already in the pipeline if the industry is to survive the times.
WilkinsonEyre has seen off strong competition to win the job to design Leicester’s new £18 million Great Central Railway Museum. The Stirling Prize-shortlisted practice’s winning ‘iconic design’ beat proposals by six rival practices including HawkinsBrown, Carmody Groarke, Grimshaw, Farrells and BDP. WilkinsonEyre’s design includes three two-storey exhibition halls with a glass wall allowing visitors arriving by train to see into the museum from the track. The scheme allows the Great Central Railway to retain the existing railway station building and its platform – a feature which local campaigners had fought to keep. The new museum, which is being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will house a collection of locomotives and provide a new headquarters for the Great Central Railway. Supported by the National Railway Museum in York and Leicester City Council, the new 5,105m² facility will be constructed next to the heritage railway’s existing Leicester North terminus. Chief executive of the Great Central Railway Andy Munro said: ‘This will be a museum for the whole of the city and the county and it was vital we consulted as widely as possible before choosing the winning design. ‘There were several key factors to consider; would the new building be the right environment for the intended displays, was it iconic enough considering where it will sit on the city skyline and of course, does it fit with the projects budget? The museum team were set a hard task by such a high standard of shortlisted schemes, but we’re confident we have chosen the right one.’ Paul Kirkman, director of the National Railway Museum, added: ‘We have a number of irreplaceable locomotives which will go on display within the museum. Famous names like ‘Green Arrow’ and ‘Butler Henderson’ deserve to be shown off in a building that is just as iconic, but crucially has to be able to protect the exhibits too.
Cities now have an unprecedented chance to transform and decarbonise their energy supply and use, according to the latest report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable Energy in Cities, released on the side-lines of the Habitat III Conference in Quito, estimates the energy use in 3,649 cities and explores their potential to scale-up renewable energy by 2030. It finds that although there is no one-size fits all solution; every city has huge potential to cost-effectively boost renewable energy use at the local level. IRENA Director General, Adnan Z.Amin, commented: “Cities can play a transformative role in leading the world to a clean and sustainable energy future. “We have to rethink the entire urban energy landscape, which requires rigorous planning and holistic decision-making. Renewable energy, combined with energy efficiency, will power the future growth of cities. We must ensure this transition happens as soon as possible.” Electricity use varies widely throughout different cities depending on climate conditions, population density and development stage. Similarly, energy use for transport varies hugely depending on urbanisation models. Today, renewables supply just 20% of this energy, but much more is possible. Renewable Energy in Cities outlines three priority areas – both in technology and in policy – where cities can take action to scale up the use of renewable energy sources: renewable energy in buildings (for heating, cooling, cooking, and appliances); sustainable options for transport (electric mobility and biofuels); and creating integrated urban energy systems. Accounting for 65% of global energy use and 70% of man-made carbon emissions, cities must play a major role in the transition to a low-carbon economy. By highlighting best practice from cities across the world, the report shows what is possible and what policies are required to enable the change. It also offers concrete examples of how city actors can accelerate the switch to renewable energy at the local level by acting as planners, regulators, financiers and operators of urban infrastructure.
Plans have been revealed for a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system which would take travellers from a new station in Paisley to Glasgow Airport if a project by Junction 29 (Scotland) Ltd is selected as the preferred option for a new airport rail link. The PRT system, which would run from a relocated Paisley St James station, is one of the two options being considered by the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Cabinet for the proposed Glasgow Airport Rail Link. The rival tram-train option, which would see carriages running from Glasgow Central to the airport via Paisley, is estimated to cost £144 million and would offer a 16.5 minute direct journey from Glasgow city centre to the airport, with an estimated completion date of 2025. Using the existing main rail line which goes through Paisley Gilmour Street station, PRT’s backers said their alternative option offers a reduced cost, faster journey times, a quicker completion speed and would cause less disruption. Junction 29 (Scotland) Ltd said its plan would cost £70-£80 million to deliver over 12 months and would be built alongside the existing network. It also claims that a 1.1 mile journey from the airport would take just four minutes. Junction 29 (Scotland) Ltd owns a 40-acre site next to Glasgow Airport at Junction 29 of the M8. The site is large enough to provide a park and ride at this new station plus additional land for a mixed-use development. The PRT option uses proven technology and features small automated vehicles, which can be different sizes, operating on a network of specially built lightweight guideways. Managing Director of Junction 29 Ltd, Paul Kelly, commented: “The PRT option offers reduced costs, a faster journey time, can be delivered within 12 months and would significantly ease congestion on the M8 corridor between the airport and the city centre.
Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network is due to expand even further after plans for a new £350 million tram line through Trafford Park were given the go ahead. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has granted Transport for Greater Manchester legal powers to construct the new 3.4 mile line which will allow work to start this winter. TfGM, which owns the Metrolink network, has developed plans for the Trafford Park line and will soon appoint a contractor. Once in operation in 2020/2021, the line will offer a major public transport boost for the region, and will offer fast, frequent transport links for thousands of workers. The new Trafford Park line will branch off from the existing Pomona stop and call at six new tram stops. Among these new stops is Wharfside, situated close to Old Trafford football stadium, the Imperial War Museum, key business areas through the industrial park and visitor destinations such as Eventcity and the intu Trafford Centre. The £350 million funding package to construct the line has already been secured by Greater Manchester Combined Authority through the ‘earn back’ funding agreement as part of the Greater Manchester devolution deal. Mayor of Greater Manchester, Tony Lloyd, welcomed the news, commenting: “Today’s announcement is another big step forward for Greater Manchester. I’m delighted that our long held ambition to build a new Metrolink line through Trafford Park is now about to become a reality. “This new line will boost our economy and bring us closer to our goal of a world class transport system for Greater Manchester. I look forward to seeing the first shovel in the ground this winter.” Meanwhile, bosses at RATP Dev UK, which has operated the trams for Transport for Greater Manchester for the last five years, have their sights set on running the city’s buses. RATP, one of the five largest transport companies in the world, already runs 12% of London’s 8,600 buses for TFL, along with 4,500 buses in Paris.
