#befirst

Special delivery – the homes built in half the time

The last of the modules making up 13 new council homes were delivered to Sugden Way, Barking yesterday (Monday, 27January). Be First, the council’s pioneering regeneration company, commissioned specialist construction company Rollalong to build and deliver the modular homes, which are built offsite and then bolted together and finished on

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Builders Wanted for Town Centre Regeneration Plans

Barking and Dagenham Council has ambitious plans to deliver a £1 billion town centre rebuild and is looking for a select list of builders capable of delivering it. Entirely owned by the council, the urban regeneration company Be First aims to create a panel of contractors to deliver over 40

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Latest Issue
Issue 322 : Nov 2024

#befirst

Special delivery – the homes built in half the time

The last of the modules making up 13 new council homes were delivered to Sugden Way, Barking yesterday (Monday, 27January). Be First, the council’s pioneering regeneration company, commissioned specialist construction company Rollalong to build and deliver the modular homes, which are built offsite and then bolted together and finished on site. The first modules were lifted into place on Monday 20 January and the last arrived today – making a delivery in just six days. Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing visited as the third delivery took place last week. “I was astonished by the progress”, he said, “but the beauty of this system is that we can construct top quality permanent new homes twice as fast as using traditional methods, and in half the time, meaning significantly less disruption to the neighbours”. The modern construction method is widely used on the continent and has become renowned for its quality, since the majority of the construction work can be done in controlled conditions and tested rigorously. Be First appointed Rollalong to design and build 19 modular homes for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham from its 11-acre manufacturing and head office site in Dorset. Rollalong Managing Director Steve Chivers commented: “I was very proud to see the initial delivery of modules to the site.  It is a very exciting project which will provide a range of high-quality, affordable housing for people in Barking and Dagenham, and we’re very pleased with progress so far. “There is a shortage of housing in the borough and our modular alternatives to traditional construction offer a real opportunity to address the shortfall in approximately half the time.” Tom Mather, Construction Director at Be First, added: “I am delighted with the pace and delivery of the project to date.  This is very much the future of the building industry and we expect to use offsite construction regularly, since we can reliably deliver more quality homes much more quickly.”

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Builders Wanted for Town Centre Regeneration Plans

Barking and Dagenham Council has ambitious plans to deliver a £1 billion town centre rebuild and is looking for a select list of builders capable of delivering it. Entirely owned by the council, the urban regeneration company Be First aims to create a panel of contractors to deliver over 40 projects. Architects West Williamson + Partners have drawn up the town centre regeneration plans, which have at its heart the existing listed station building. 2,200 new homes will be built, together with new commercial and social infrastructure, all connected by over two hectares of new clean, green, accessible open spaces. Moreover, the masterplan also includes significant over-track development, which will create a series of urban quarters linked by a reinvigorated high street and capillary routes. The construction framework will be divided into two lots – one covering projects worth up to £20 million and the other projects valued at over £10 million. Lot one has an estimated value of £250 million over the next four years, while Be First expects Lot two to account for up to £750 million worth of projects. Firms interested in the scheme have until the 9th of July to complete proqual documents, available on the e-sourcing site: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Barking:-Construction-work./SY8JJ34E6T. Be First has already confirmed the appointment of architects to deliver the next phase of the Gascoigne Estate East rebuild, known as Weavers Quarter. White Arkitekter will deliver the detailed design for phase two, while HTA Architects will deliver phase three of the scheme which involves over 500 homes. In total the estate renewal will see over 1,575 new homes being built, along with the new primary and secondary schools, an energy centre, community centre, play areas and retail space. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2024.

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