The Noble Consultancy secures approval for 450-home Barratt Redrow scheme in Gillingham
The Noble Consultancy has secured Reserved Matters planning approval for a 450-home development at Gibraltar Farm in Gillingham, on behalf of Barratt Redrow Homes, following a unanimous decision by Medway Council’s planning committee on 29 July 2026. The scheme delivers 450 new homes across the site, alongside 10.62 hectares of high-quality, multi-functional open space, and is fully compliant with Nationally Described Space Standards (NDSS). It marks the successful conclusion of a two-year process for The Noble Consultancy, which supported the site from BDW Kent’s early feasibility work through to the granting of detailed consent – on a site that had stalled since outline permission was first granted in 2018. The project’s direction shifted significantly partway through, when Barratt’s acquisition of Redrow turned Gibraltar Farm into a dual-brand development. Rather than proceeding with the site’s existing Reserved Matters application, The Noble Consultancy revisited the masterplan from first principles, exploring multiple layout options to establish a single coherent scheme that could accommodate both the Barratt and Redrow brands. The Noble Consultancy’s design team carried out a detailed local character assessment to ensure the scheme responded to the surrounding area, reviewing local policy and design guidance, analysing historic settlement patterns, and undertaking a tissue analysis of neighbouring residential areas. Midway through the process, Medway Council introduced an emerging policy requirement for NDSS compliance, prompting The Noble Consultancy to redesign all 450 plots within the existing programme without compromising open space provision or design quality. The team also develop an enhanced sustainable drainage strategy, using dual-purpose seasonal basins to maximise usable open space and built a planning narrative that balanced the client’s use of standard house types with the Local Planning Authority’s design aspirations. Extensive engagement underpinned the application throughout, including pre-application discussions, design workshops, a Design Review Panel, a Building for a Healthy Life assessment and ongoing coordination with the design team and council officers. Toby Eichler, Managing Director (Planning), at The Noble Consultancy said: “Gibraltar Farm has been a complex and rewarding project, requiring us to rethink the scheme following the Barratt Redrow merger while responding to evolving planning requirements. Through close collaboration with the client, council and wider design team, we helped unlock a site that had been stalled for several years and secure approval for a high-quality development that will deliver much-needed new homes and open space for the local community.” Gibraltar Farm is the latest in a series of major residential planning successes for The Noble Consultancy. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Fitzwilliam Gate opens a new chapter for Cambridge Living
Award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group is proud to announce the launch of Fitzwilliam Gate, a new collection of 70 one to four-bedroom homes in north Cambridge on Saturday 26 September 2026. Located on Histon Road Fitzwilliam Gate brings high-quality new homes to one of the city’s most connected and established neighbourhoods.Set within the welcoming area of Arbury, Fitzwilliam Gate combines the convenience of city living with the character and familiarity of a well-established, leafy suburb, ensuring these homes will appeal to families, professionals and first-time buyers alike. Well-regarded schools, a wealth of local amenities and the green space of Histon Road Recreation Ground are all close by.Rebecca Littler, Group Sales and Marketing Director at The Hill Group, comments: “Fitzwilliam Gate opens an exciting new chapter for homebuyers seeking the perfect balance of quality, connectivity and community. Many homes overlook the recreation ground, putting woodland trails, green space and a play park right on residents’ doorsteps, while the buzz of the city centre, top local schools and everyday essentials are all just a short walk away. Whether you’re a first-time buyer, a growing family or just looking for the best of city and village living, then this is a neighbourhood that truly suits every stage of life.” Each home has been finished to a premium specification, featuring luxurious touches throughout, including sleek Caesarstone worktops, fully integrated appliances and soft close drawers in the kitchens, while bathrooms showcase feature framed mirrors and generously sized porcelain tiles. The homes span two to three storeys, with underfloor heating on the ground floor providing extra comfort and flexibility. Many homes feature open-plan kitchen-dining areas with bifold doors opening out onto spacious terraces and gardens. Residents can also make the most of energy-efficient living with air source heat pumps, EV charging and large triple-glazed windows, whilst each home includes dedicated cycle storage and a private parking space. Two show homes – a four-bedroom and a three-bedroom home – will open soon, giving prospective buyers the opportunity to see the quality and craftsmanship on offer first-hand. Arbury is one of North Cambridge’s most established neighbourhoods, known for its strong community spirit, excellent local amenities and the popular annual Arbury Carnival. Fitzwilliam Gate brings residents close to the energy of Cambridge, while still providing a quiet sanctuary to unwind. Within easy reach, residents can explore Kettle’s Yard art gallery, a 13-minute walk away, or Jesus Green Lido, just 19 minutes on foot, while Cambridge Market Square is an eight-minute cycle from the development. Families will benefit from a broad range of education options nearby, spanning state and independent schools. Mayfield and Arbury Primary Schools are less than a 15-minute walk away, with both rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. For secondary education, residents have an excellent choice across the city, including Chesterton Community College and Parkside Community College, both rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. Independent options include Cambridge Arts and Sciences and The Leys School. Fitzwilliam Gate is ideally positioned for commuters to Cambridge’s thriving employment hub, with Cambridge Business Park just a 15-minute cycle and St John’s Innovation Park a 17-minute cycle away. For those working in the city’s growing science and healthcare sector, Cambridge Science Park is only 17-minutes by bicycle, whilst Cambridge Biomedical Campus is just 23 minutes by car. Cambridge Station is also a 15-minute cycle away, connecting residents onward across the city and beyond. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
HG Construction Starts £76m South Acton Student and Affordable Housing Scheme
HG Construction has secured a £76 million contract to deliver a major student accommodation and affordable housing development at Bollo Yard in South Acton, West London. Appointed by developer Hurlington Capital, HG Construction will deliver two residential blocks close to Acton Town station, combining a 21-storey student tower with a separate affordable housing building. The development will provide 429 purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) beds alongside 95 affordable homes, creating a significant new mixed-tenure residential scheme in the London Borough of Ealing. Construction is moving forward following Gateway 2 approval from the Building Safety Regulator, an increasingly important milestone for higher-risk residential developments before building work can commence. HG Construction secured Gateway 2 approval for Block AB in just 22 weeks, enabling the contractor and development team to progress into the main construction phase. The project has been supported by a £112 million development finance package secured by Hurlington Capital and its joint venture partner V-Fund. Ealing Council has separately agreed a £29 million deal to acquire all 95 affordable homes, which will be made available at social rent. The combination of purpose-built student accommodation and social housing provides the scheme with a diverse residential mix, while its location close to Acton Town Underground station offers strong public transport connections across West London and into central London. HG Construction will draw on a number of its in-house specialist businesses during delivery, including its piling, crane, mechanical and electrical and offsite pod operations. The integrated approach will give the contractor greater control over several key construction packages while supporting coordination across the high-rise development. DMWR Architects is leading the technical design for Bollo Yard, while KS4 is providing project management, cost consultancy and employer’s agent services. The project adds to a growing pipeline of purpose-built student accommodation being delivered across London as developers respond to continued demand for professionally managed student housing. Importantly, the South Acton development will also deliver a substantial package of new social rented homes alongside the student accommodation. For HG Construction, the £76 million contract further strengthens its presence in the capital’s high-rise residential and PBSA markets, with the contractor bringing its specialist construction and offsite capabilities to another complex urban development. With regulatory approval and development finance now secured, Bollo Yard is set to transform the South Acton site with more than 500 new student and affordable homes. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
BBV Completes Mammoth HS2 M42 Bridge Operation in Major Engineering Milestone
Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV) has completed a major weekend of engineering works on HS2, installing the final two 1,000-tonne viaduct spans over the M42 near Birmingham while simultaneously completing the roof structure of another major motorway crossing. The operation marked the culmination of four weekends of intensive construction activity and represents another significant milestone for HS2 infrastructure around Birmingham. At Water Orton, a 75-strong construction team installed two 45-metre-long viaduct spans, completing all six crossings required to carry the new high-speed railway over the M42. Each enormous span was assembled from 18 precast concrete segments manufactured at BBV’s Kingsbury facility. Once assembled, the structures were transported into position using self-propelled modular transporters before being secured together using internal tensioning cables. The two Water Orton viaducts form part of HS2’s complex triangular delta junction, which will connect Birmingham with the main high-speed route heading north. While work progressed at Water Orton, another 150-strong BBV team was completing the final stage of a separate 300-metre-long twin box structure close to the NEC. A 300-tonne crawler crane was used to lift the final 44 precast beams into position. Measuring approximately 23 metres in length and weighing as much as 92 tonnes each, the beams form part of the structure’s substantial 9,800-tonne roof. In total, 175 beams have now been installed across the twin box. The completed structure stands approximately 10 metres high and is supported by two 145-metre-long walls and 46 internal columns. Careful programming allowed both major operations to take place during the same weekend motorway closure, minimising disruption to road users. The M42 reopened at approximately 4am on Monday, around an hour ahead of schedule. BBV project director Oliver Shore described the works as a “huge engineering challenge” and praised the teams involved in delivering the complex programme. Work at Water Orton will now move into its next phase, with BBV extending the Water Orton 2 viaduct by a further 40 metres to close the remaining gap above Gilson Road. Further activity over the motorway is already planned, with another M42 closure scheduled from 23 to 26 October to enable parapets to be installed above the carriageway. The latest milestone demonstrates the scale of temporary works, heavy lifting, off-site manufacturing and logistical coordination involved in constructing HS2 around existing strategic highways, with BBV continuing to progress some of the programme’s most technically demanding structures across the West Midlands. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Solar Battery Storage: Disadvantages, Safety Features and Trade-Offs
A battery can reduce evening electricity purchases without making a house independent of the grid. It can also provide backup, but only through the right equipment and installation. Understanding those limits is part of choosing well, not a reason to dismiss storage. For UK households, solar battery storage involves an upfront cost, conversion losses and decisions about where equipment belongs. A useful home battery storage assessment weighs those drawbacks against measurable benefits, with safety features examined as part of the complete installation rather than as isolated claims. Put the drawbacks beside the intended benefit The value of solar battery storage depends on what the household needs to shift from one time of day to another. If little surplus is available, or most electricity is already used during solar hours, the battery may have less useful work to do. Upfront expenditure The Energy Saving Trust describes battery costs as dependent on type and size, with a broad range from £1,500 to £10,000. That range is context, not an OCEAN 2 Plus quotation. Obtain a property-specific installed price and compare identical scopes. Losses during operation Charging and discharging do not return every unit of input energy to appliances. The financial calculation should include those losses, plus any export income given up when solar is stored. Otherwise, the model exaggerates the value of each unit moved into the evening. A finite energy budget Storage shifts energy; it does not create it. A battery that empties on a dark winter evening needs another charging opportunity. Increasing capacity alone cannot compensate for a persistent shortage of solar input or an operating plan that leaves no suitable charging period. Examine the protection around the battery EcoFlow’s home battery storage product page describes ten protection layers for OCEAN 2 Plus, divided into six passive and four active layers. Read that alongside the operating instructions. A protection architecture is useful evidence about design, but it does not make every installation location appropriate. Cell chemistry The product uses lithium iron phosphate, commonly abbreviated LFP. Chemistry is one part of the safety design, alongside monitoring, protective devices and installation. Avoid describing any rechargeable battery as risk-free merely because its cell chemistry differs from that of another product. Fire detection and alarms PAS 63100:2024 includes fire-detection provisions for certain indoor battery locations, including requirements that may apply to infrequently visited areas such as store cupboards. Battery-app alerts should not be treated as a substitute for any fire detection or alarm measures required by the applicable design. The installer should confirm the requirements for the proposed location. Siting and fire separation Within its scope, PAS 63100:2024 gives preference to outdoor installation where reasonably practicable and places restrictions on certain indoor locations, including areas associated with sleeping accommodation and escape routes. Indoor installations may require additional assessment and protective measures depending on the proposed location. It is a technical specification, not a substitute for applicable law; verify its scope and the project’s design basis. Environmental protection EcoFlow specifies IP66 protection and indoor or outdoor options. Those statements do not remove temperature, access or siting requirements. The bottom-module immersion claim also has specified test conditions; it should not be interpreted as permission to install the whole system in a flood-prone position. Understand what backup does and does not promise For home battery storage, backup requires an agreed circuit arrangement and sufficient output. EcoFlow describes integrated backup and conditional 0 ms load-side switching under specified operating conditions. Those conditions and the applicable backup output limits should remain alongside the claim when comparing backup performance. Transfer speed does not establish how long appliances will run. Duration depends on available energy and demand. Nor does a rapid transfer prove that every appliance can start together. Ask the installer to demonstrate the actual protected circuits rather than relying on a general whole-home description. Compare trade-offs with explicit assumptions Use a small decision table to separate different benefits. Financial savings, outage support and future flexibility answer different questions. Combining them into one percentage hides the compromises, particularly when the same stored energy is reserved for backup and also counted as daily bill reduction. Reserve versus everyday use A larger reserve can improve outage readiness while leaving less energy for normal evening demand. Choose the reserve deliberately. Ask the supplier to model the setting you intend to use, rather than assuming the entire usable capacity is discharged for savings every day. Choice Potential benefit Trade-off Larger reserve Outage readiness Less daily use More capacity Longer supply Higher cost More automation Better scheduling Setup and monitoring Capacity versus utilisation Solar battery storage should be sized around recurring demand and charging opportunity. A larger battery may support a future appliance, but unused capacity still costs money. Compare today’s design with a clearly defined future scenario instead of assuming every possible household change will occur. Modularity can make expansion possible, subject to the supported configuration. Obtain the applicable limits for the UK equipment. Expansion should be a documented option with compatibility conditions, not a vague assurance that any additional battery can be fitted whenever convenient. Match efficiency assumptions to the charging route With AC-coupled solar, panel DC becomes AC before conversion back to DC for battery charging, then AC again for household use. DC-coupled solar can avoid that intermediate AC stage, although DC conversion and battery losses remain. Count the actual energy path rather than assuming lossless solar charging. Price assumptions matter As an illustration, buying at 10p/kWh and delivering energy with 90% round-trip efficiency gives an input cost of about 11.1p per delivered kWh. Avoiding a 30p import would leave roughly 18.9p before other costs. These are assumed rates, not a tariff offer. Grid charging requires AC-to-DC conversion and subsequent DC-to-AC supply to household appliances, including in a hybrid system with DC-coupled solar. Coupling architecture alone therefore cannot establish grid-charging efficiency. Losses depend on equipment, load, temperature and standby consumption, rather than a universal figure above 10%. For home battery storage, use an efficiency figure whose measurement boundary matches the calculation:
McLaren Living Secures Green Light for £65m Hackney Co-Living Development
McLaren Living has secured planning permission for a £65 million co-living and affordable housing development at Fish Island in Hackney Wick, paving the way for 324 new homes in east London. The Wansbeck Road scheme will deliver 280 co-living studios alongside 44 affordable homes across two buildings rising to 10 and seven storeys. Occupying the final development plot within the wider Neptune Wharf masterplan, the project will complete a key part of the regeneration of Fish Island and establish a new residential gateway at the junction of Wansbeck Road and Monier Road. Designed by HTA Design, the development has been conceived as a residential-led community combining private accommodation with an extensive range of shared amenities. Residents of the co-living building will have access to a gym, library, cinema and creative studios, together with communal kitchens and dedicated dining and social spaces. At ground-floor level, plans also include a social co-working café and flexible pop-up event space, helping to create greater activity and interaction between the development and surrounding neighbourhood. A landscaped central courtyard will sit between the two buildings, providing shared outdoor space while creating new connections through the site. Sustainability has also been embedded within the design. The car-free development will provide extensive cycle facilities alongside rain gardens and sustainable drainage measures, while rooftop solar panels will contribute towards reducing operational energy requirements. The scheme is targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating, further strengthening its environmental credentials as McLaren Living looks to deliver a high-density residential development designed around sustainable urban living. The combination of co-living and affordable housing also reflects the increasing diversification of London’s residential market, with purpose-designed shared living emerging alongside more established housing models as developers respond to demand for well-connected homes with greater communal and amenity provision. Ed Court, divisional managing director at McLaren Living, said the developer was excited to progress its plans for Wansbeck Road and complete an important remaining part of the Neptune Wharf masterplan. He added that the location represented a significant co-living investment opportunity, supported by a diverse professional population and strong connections to employment, education and leisure destinations across the capital. With planning permission now secured, the £65 million development represents another significant addition to Hackney Wick’s evolving residential landscape and the continuing regeneration of Fish Island. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals