Alumno reaches topping out milestone on new 262- bed student residence in Glasgow
Alumno has marked a significant milestone in the construction of its new purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) development Woodlands Point on St George’s Road in Glasgow, celebrating the topping out of the six-storey, 262-bed residence. The topping out ceremony marks the completion of the building’s main structural frame and represents an important step towards delivering much-needed student accommodation in the city. The ceremony was attended by representatives from Alumno, Henderson Park, international private equity real estate firm, and the main contractor Clark Contracts and members of the wider project team. Located in Glasgow’s west end, close to the city centre, Woodlands Point sits within the vibrant Woodlands district, one of the city’s most established student neighbourhoods. With local shops, bars, restaurants and cultural venues nearby, the scheme has been designed to become part of the existing neighbourhood while responding to the significant demand for student accommodation in Glasgow. The six-storey development will provide a mix of four and five-bed cluster flats and studio apartments, alongside a range of shared amenities. These include a ground-floor common room, sixth-floor dining, study and lounge spaces, and landscaped courtyard areas to the rear. David Campbell, CEO of Alumno, said: “The topping out stage is always exciting as you can really start to see the building and the community it will form. Student accommodation should always feel like part of a neighbourhood, not separate from it and we have worked hard to understand what makes Woodlands Point special and to create a place where students can feel at home, connect with one another and engage with the wider community. We are delighted to reach this milestone and look forward to seeing the project progress towards completion.” Mrinal Jalan, Managing Director at Henderson Park, commented: “Reaching this milestone is an important step towards delivering a high-quality student accommodation scheme in one of the UK’s most sought-after university markets. This project stood out to us due to its excellent location in Glasgow’s West End. Together with Alumno and Clark Contracts, we are creating a modern development that will provide students with a best-in-class living experience while helping to address the growing demand for high-quality accommodation in the city.” Michael Scanlan, Director, Clark Contracts said: “It’s fantastic to reach the topping out stage at St George’s Road and celebrate the progress made on site. This milestone is the result of the dedication shown by everyone involved in the project and demonstrates the strong partnership between Clark Contracts, Alumno and the wider design team. As well as helping address the demand for student accommodation in Glasgow, this development will create a high-quality place for students to live and become part of the local community. We look forward to completing the next phases of construction and delivering a project that will make a positive contribution to the city.” The project is funded by Henderson Park, an international private equity real estate firm, and the professional team includes Stallan Brand Architects, RankinFraser Landscape Architecture, Will Rudd Davidson, Ridge and Partners and Sound Advice Acoustics. With the main structure now complete, works will continue the building’s façade, interiors and landscaping, with completion scheduled ahead of the 2027 academic year. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
DMA Group awarded place on new Government facilities management framework
Property maintenance specialist DMA Group has been approved onto the Government Commercial Agency’s new facilities management and security services framework. DMA Maintenance, known as DMA Group, has been named as a supplier on the Government Commercial Agency’s RM6378 Facilities Management and Security Services framework, Lot 2a: Hard Facilities Management. Through Lot 2a, public sector organisations can access DMA Group’s hard FM services, including gas, heating and plumbing, for contracts with an estimated average annual value up to £2m. With a heritage spanning more than 200 years, DMA Group delivers fully integrated hard facilities management, mechanical and electrical maintenance and energy sustainability solutions for a range of private and public sector customers across the UK. Government Commercial Agency (GCA) is the UK’s central commercial and procurement organisation, connecting public and private sectors to achieve the best outcomes for the UK and its citizens. GCA uses its commercial expertise to create a simpler procurement experience that redirects valuable resources into essential public services – creating value for the nation. DMA Group is also a supplier on the RM6264 Facilities Management and Workplace Services DPS, which covers lower value and less complex hard and soft FM services. Together, the two agreements give public sector buyers a compliant route to DMA Group across a broad range of estate requirements. DMA Group Managing Director Wendy Bennett said: “Public sector estate teams are under real pressure to keep buildings safe, compliant and running, often with less resource than they need. Being on Lot 2a means they can bring us in without a lengthy procurement exercise and get on with the work. “As an independent SME, we are proud to have been successful in this competitive framework process. Buyers in this value range want responsiveness and accountability, and that is what we are built around.” With its head office in Rochester, Kent, and working across London and the South East, DMA Group is well placed to support public sector estates across the region, with recent contract wins including the London Borough of Sutton and Thurrock Council in Essex. Key to winning and retaining contracts like these is DMA’s award-winning BiO® service management platform, which gives customers complete visibility of asset condition, compliance status and performance, with automated calls-to-action that remove manual intervention, saving time and cost. All performance data is available to everyone, anywhere, anytime, on any device and at no extra cost, offering a level of transparency rarely seen in the sector. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
HG Construction Lands Major Ilford Residential Scheme with 326 Homes Set for Former Department Store Site
HG Construction has been appointed to deliver a major residential development on the site of the former Harrison Gibson department store in Ilford, bringing forward 326 new homes on a prominent east London site that has remained vacant for almost a decade. The contractor will deliver the new homes in residential towers on Ilford High Road for MP Living, the social housing provider established by real estate investment manager Meadow Partners. Main construction work can now move forward after MP Living secured the first tranche of grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA), marking an important step towards regenerating the long-vacant town centre site. MP Living is working in partnership with the GLA and the London Borough of Redbridge to deliver the development and will retain ownership and management of the completed homes, providing a long-term approach to the operation of the new residential community. The project represents a significant intervention in Ilford town centre, transforming a former retail site into much-needed housing while bringing a prominent stretch of the High Road back into productive use. The Harrison Gibson department store was once an important part of Ilford’s retail landscape, but the site has stood vacant for nearly ten years. Previous redevelopment proposals failed to progress, before MP Living brought forward a new residential-led vision for the site. Redbridge Council’s Planning Committee unanimously approved the proposals in May 2025, clearing the way for the development team to progress funding and construction preparations. The scheme also demonstrates the growing role of partnerships between private investors, local authorities and the GLA in unlocking difficult urban sites for housing delivery. J. Andrew McDaniel, director of MP Living and co-founder and partner at Meadow Partners, said London continued to experience substantial demand for affordable housing while facing major challenges in bringing forward sufficient new supply. He said the development demonstrated what could be achieved through constructive strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors, with MP Living taking a long-term investment position within the affordable housing market. For HG Construction, the appointment adds another significant London residential project to its pipeline and follows its continued expansion across high-rise housing, affordable homes and purpose-built student accommodation. With grant funding now beginning to flow and a main contractor appointed, the development is positioned to move into its construction phase, bringing a site that has remained dormant for years back to life. Once completed, the 326-home scheme will not only deliver new housing but also contribute to the continuing regeneration and residential transformation of Ilford town centre. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Robertson to Revive Historic Gamble Building in £15m St Helens Transformation
Robertson Construction North West has been selected to deliver the £15 million transformation of the Grade II-listed Gamble Building, bringing one of St Helens town centre’s most important heritage assets back into public use. The contractor will restore and extend the Victoria Square landmark to create a new creative, learning and community hub, with St Helens Central Library returning to the building as a central part of the redevelopment. The revitalised Gamble Building will also accommodate an archive, youth hub, offices, café and flexible communal spaces, creating a multi-purpose civic destination within the heart of the town centre. Robertson will deliver the project through a two-stage design and build contract. The contractor will initially work alongside St Helens Borough Council and the wider project team to review the proposals, focusing on buildability, value and the practical requirements of restoring and adapting the historic structure. A key architectural intervention will be a contemporary extension to the rear of the building. This will provide a new entrance facing Gamble Plaza and the soon-to-be-completed St Helens Transport Interchange, helping establish stronger connections between the heritage building, surrounding public realm and the wider town centre. Dating from 1896, the Gamble Building has played an important role in the civic history of St Helens. However, structural problems resulted in its closure to the public in 2017. Its restoration will combine the conservation of the Grade II-listed fabric with the introduction of modern facilities capable of supporting a significantly broader range of community, educational and cultural uses. Main construction is scheduled to begin in December 2026, with completion targeted for May 2028. The £15 million project forms part of the wider £90 million first phase of St Helens town centre’s regeneration, which is being led by Vinci Building. The broader programme is transforming key parts of the town centre through new buildings, public realm and infrastructure as the council seeks to create a more attractive and accessible destination. For Robertson, the appointment also provides an opportunity to generate wider economic benefits during construction. Paul Coyle, regional managing director at Robertson Construction North West, said the business would work with its regional supply chain and the local community to create social and economic value extending beyond the construction period. The Gamble Building project highlights the growing importance of heritage-led regeneration within UK town centres, where retaining and repurposing existing civic buildings can provide a focal point for wider investment. By combining restoration with a substantial new extension and renewed public uses, the scheme will return a building closed for almost a decade to the centre of civic life in St Helens. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
McCoy Lands Major Hinckley Park Groundworks Package as McLaren Pushes Ahead with Logistics Scheme
McCoy Contractors has secured a major earthworks and groundworks package from McLaren Construction for a new industrial and logistics development at Hinckley Park in Leicestershire. The 40-week programme will see the Midlands-based contractor undertake extensive cut-and-fill operations and soil modification before progressing to a comprehensive groundworks package incorporating drainage infrastructure, water tanks, foundations, a pump station and external concrete yard slabs. The contract continues a longstanding relationship between McCoy Contractors and McLaren Construction, with the two businesses having collaborated on a series of major industrial developments across the UK. Central to McCoy’s delivery strategy at Hinckley will be the installation of its own concrete batching plant on site. The approach has already been successfully deployed by the contractor at the circa one million sq ft TJ Morris Distribution Centre in Doncaster, where McCoy is delivering a £22 million groundworks package for McLaren. Producing concrete directly on site is designed to provide greater control over quality, programming and supply while reducing reliance on external ready-mix deliveries. Fewer concrete vehicle movements can also help reduce transport-related environmental impacts and alleviate logistical pressures surrounding major construction sites. The system provides additional flexibility when scheduling pours around changing weather and site conditions, while allowing the construction team to coordinate production more closely with the wider programme. McCoy’s appointment comes as investment continues across the wider Hinckley industrial and logistics market. McLaren Construction Midlands & North is also delivering a £48 million expansion at Mountpark Hinckley, comprising two high-specification warehouse and distribution buildings totalling approximately 772,000 sq ft. Hinckley Park itself has become an established logistics location close to Junction 1 of the M69, positioned between the East and West Midlands. Existing occupiers at the wider park include Amazon, DPD, Geosynthetics and Octopus Energy. Delivery of McCoy’s package will nevertheless involve several significant engineering and logistical challenges. Construction activity will need to be carefully coordinated around overhead power lines, an existing railway bridge and a high-pressure gas main, alongside areas of vegetation requiring management. The latest contract further expands McCoy’s portfolio of large-scale industrial and logistics infrastructure projects, while transferring construction methods proven on previous schemes to the Hinckley development. The use of on-site concrete production in particular demonstrates how contractors are increasingly looking beyond conventional supply arrangements to improve productivity, programme certainty and environmental performance on major warehouse and distribution projects. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Pluto Finance Hits £1bn Lending Milestone as BTR Investment Expands
Pluto Finance has reached £1 billion of cumulative lending through its flagship institutional lending vehicle, marking a significant milestone for the real estate finance specialist as it continues to support residential development across the UK and Europe. The milestone comes as Pluto provides development finance for a new Build to Rent scheme in the Midlands, further strengthening its exposure to the living sector at a time when institutional capital continues to play an important role in delivering new rental housing. Pluto Finance specialises in real estate private credit, providing development, bridging and investment finance across residential and commercial property. Since its formation in 2011, the business has deployed more than £4 billion across over 350 loans and has helped finance the delivery of more than 15,000 new homes. Its flagship lending strategy has increasingly focused on areas where housing supply remains constrained, providing capital to developers and supporting projects ranging from conventional residential development to purpose-built rental accommodation. The £1 billion milestone also reflects Pluto’s expansion beyond the UK. The lender now operates across markets including Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, as it develops a broader European real estate finance platform. Institutional backing has played an important role in that growth. Universities Superannuation Scheme, one of the UK’s largest pension schemes, holds a substantial minority stake in Pluto, while the lender established a strategic partnership with Blackstone in 2025 focused on originating and executing larger mid-market real estate loans across Europe. For the BTR market, the latest Midlands financing demonstrates the continued role of alternative lenders in unlocking development at a time when construction costs, viability pressures and changing traditional bank lending appetite remain important considerations for developers. Sustainability is also increasingly embedded within Pluto’s lending strategy. Its Low Carbon Lending Programme provides incentives for developments achieving defined reductions in embodied and operational carbon, while much of its development lending has historically supported brownfield sites and urban regeneration. The latest BTR development loan therefore forms part of a much wider residential investment strategy, combining institutional capital with development finance to support the delivery of new homes. With its flagship vehicle now passing £1 billion of cumulative lending and its European operations expanding, Pluto Finance’s latest milestone highlights the growing importance of private credit to the UK’s BTR and wider residential development markets. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals