Work has begun on the UK’s first mobility hub in Ancoats, Manchester, part of Manchester City Council’s regeneration and net zero plans. The mobility hub is a new concept which aims to prioritise green investment, public space, sustainable and active travel, and individual building design over space for car parking
Work has been completed on a new 66-home affordable development in Doncaster. The work was undertaken by a partnership between ESH Construction, Together Housing Group and Housing 21. The site, located in Askern, includes a mix of general housing and retirement living housing. Residents are now moving into 56 two,
The University of Manchester has unveiled the next phase of plans to provide additional student accommodation on the Fallowfield campus. The major redevelopment will include Owens Park, Oak House and Woolton Hall. The University is progressing an outline planning application which would replace existing bedspaces with up to 3,300 new
The Government has been given the go ahead for a new railway station to be built in Cambridge. Work has already begun on the 4-platform, fully accessible station based at Cambridge Biomedical Campus in the south of the city. The Government has earmarked £200 million worth of funding for the
Essex based property Beresfords has recently been appointed to market the stunning Woodlands Park development, built by prestigious award-winning house builder Wickford Development. Located in Great Dunmow, Essex, the development currently includes five, four and three-bedroom high-quality family homes – with prices starting at £455,000. The homes are being built
Construction work has commenced on a new Coastal Activity Hub in Redcar. British Triathlon, British Rowing and British Cycling – the National Governing Bodies for their respective sports – have all endorsed the project with a vision of bringing community activities and local, regional, and national competitions to the hub,
Countryside Properties (Bicester) Limited has commenced work on new facilities for St Edburg’s CE Primary School on the Kingsmere development in Bicester. The company is working in partnership with the Oxfordshire County Council and the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education to complete the project by September 2024. The new facilities
A new development by real estate company Dominus, which will help solve the student housing crisis in Manchester, has been given the green light by Manchester City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee. The One Medlock Street scheme will provide more than 1,000 beds for the city’s university students, who would
Rushlift GSE, the specialist airport ground support equipment and services provider, has celebrated its tenth anniversary with a grand open-day event held recently at its new state-of-the-art Maintenance & Service facility at Gatwick Airport. Attended by over one hundred special guests – including customers, suppliers, Rushlift staff and management –
McLaughlin & Harvey is delighted to announce trainee engineer Christy Dickson has picked up the coveted CECA Scotland’s Most Promising Apprentice 2023 award. Developing the engineering stars of tomorrow is part of the ethos at McLaughlin & Harvey, with the company committed to ensuring 5% of the workforce is made
Work has begun on the UK’s first mobility hub in Ancoats, Manchester, part of Manchester City Council’s regeneration and net zero plans. The mobility hub is a new concept which aims to prioritise green investment, public space, sustainable and active travel, and individual building design over space for car parking and vehicles. Vehicle movements around Ancoats will be further reduced by the Hub’s delivery centre, which will receive parcels and other deliveries, which will either be collected by residents or transferred to buildings via small electric vans and cargo bikes. The hub will include 150 secure bike parking spaces and changing facilities, 102 Electronic vehicle charging points and up to 30 spaces for car club/car share schemes. There will also be 406 parking spaces for visitors and residents. The building has been designed by Buttress Architects LTD and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Commenting on the project Leader of the Council Bev Craig, said: “The redevelopment of Ancoats over the last two decades is an exemplar in urban renewal. And rightly so – the neighbourhood is internationally renowned and has been named one of the best places to live globally. “This next phase of regeneration gives us an opportunity to think differently about how our residents occupy and interact with the space they live in. The Mobility Hub is a key part of this – helping to put the pedestrian, active travel and green public space as the focus of the neighbourhood, rather than the car. “Upcoming development will deliver 1,500 new homes and the transformation of the local park in this part of our city centre and the Hub ensures that Ancoats will be not just renowned for regeneration, but for its sustainability – creating a low carbon, green neighbourhood that should be a model for future city centre investment.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Work has been completed on a new 66-home affordable development in Doncaster. The work was undertaken by a partnership between ESH Construction, Together Housing Group and Housing 21. The site, located in Askern, includes a mix of general housing and retirement living housing. Residents are now moving into 56 two, three and four-bedroom homes and 10 two-bedroom bungalows which have been delivered for Together Housing. All properties include front and rear gardens as well as parking facilities. Commenting on the completed works, Simon Woodward, Operations Director at ESH Construction, said: “Askern is a land led scheme which has been long in the making. It was jointly developed by ESH alongside two clients to meet identified housing needs in the area and create a community which fosters inter-generational living. “As a local contractor, we have maximised the benefits of our local supply chain by re-investing more than £7.4 million into the Yorkshire region throughout the overall scheme. We are delighted to reach completion and handover these new homes to Together Housing.” Reflecting on the project, Kevin Ruth, Together Housing Group Chief Executive, said: “I’m delighted to see these new homes in Askern, which will help to meet the need for affordable housing in the area. From the bungalows to the four-bedroom houses, these high-quality homes offer attractive housing options for a wide-variety of residents. “I’d like to thank everyone involved from the early stages who have helped to bring this project to fruition. As a Group, we’re committed to working with partners to invest in homes and communities.” The development in Doncaster has been positively received by the local council. Praising the work, Deputy Mayor and Portfolio holder for Housing and Business at City of Doncaster Council, Cllr Glyn Jones said: “A further 66 new affordable homes is another welcome boost to Doncaster. Being able to afford a home in an area with close proximity to essential facilities will be an attractive proposition to many of our residents and I am delighted that so many will now be able to make this a realistic possibility.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The University of Manchester has unveiled the next phase of plans to provide additional student accommodation on the Fallowfield campus. The major redevelopment will include Owens Park, Oak House and Woolton Hall. The University is progressing an outline planning application which would replace existing bedspaces with up to 3,300 new bedspaces. The redevelopment will be delivered in multiple phases and includes the demolition of Owens Park Tower which has been closed for several years. The work does not affect students currently living in halls at the Fallowfield campus and prospective students can continue to apply for existing halls as normal. The University has launched an accompanying public consultation to gauge the opinions of students, staff and local residents. The public consultation will close on the 30 June, prior to the submission of the outline planning application to Manchester City Council. Commenting on the plans, Dr Simon Merrywest, Director for the Student Experience, University of Manchester said: “The proposals for the redevelopment of this area of the Fallowfield campus will strengthen the University’s ability to offer a world-class, supportive student experience in well-located, good value, quality accommodation. This redevelopment provides an opportunity to widen the choice and supply of student bedrooms whilst ensuring they are fulfilling the requirements of future students studying at the University. “Through creating these welcoming and inclusive spaces, it helps create a positive sense of place for our students as they live, learn and thrive within the surrounding community.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Government has been given the go ahead for a new railway station to be built in Cambridge. Work has already begun on the 4-platform, fully accessible station based at Cambridge Biomedical Campus in the south of the city. The Government has earmarked £200 million worth of funding for the project which is due to be completed in 2025. The construction of the station is expected to create 300 new jobs and when completed, will provide links to Stansted Airport and the Eurostar. It’s expected to receive 1.8 million passengers a year. Unveiling the plans, Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: “This brand-new station will not only benefit local passengers but deliver a major boost to the entire city, improving connectivity to a world-leading academic hub while unlocking local business and growth opportunities across the region. “This is just another step in our efforts to create a thriving, well-connected, passenger-focused rail network to support communities for generations to come.” Reacting to the announcement, Katie Frost, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “It’s an exciting time for the railway in Cambridgeshire with a green light to deliver a new station that will serve the vitally important and growing biomedical campus. “Rail continues to be an environmentally sustainable form of transport and I know the minister’s announcement will be welcomed by the customers and communities we serve across Cambridgeshire and beyond.” One of the main beneficiaries of the project, Kristin-Anne Rutter, Executive Director at Cambridge Biomedical Campus Limited, said: “We are delighted that the Cambridge Biomedical Campus is to get its own railway station in less than 2 years’ time. Better public transport links will be critical in fulfilling our vision of a more sustainable campus. “Currently, there are around 5 times as many visits to the site as there are car parking spaces. We have to find ways of making it easier for the thousands of staff, NHS patients and visitors arriving daily to get here without needing to use a car. “This is a campus dedicated to improving human health, so anything that has the potential to cut air pollution and take pressure off our local roads is also very welcome. Coupled with the recent approval of the East-West Rail route directly linking Oxford with the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, we believe we can create a successful yet sustainable health and life sciences cluster that can both grow the economy and save lives.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Essex based property Beresfords has recently been appointed to market the stunning Woodlands Park development, built by prestigious award-winning house builder Wickford Development. Located in Great Dunmow, Essex, the development currently includes five, four and three-bedroom high-quality family homes – with prices starting at £455,000. The homes are being built using traditional construction techniques, with more than 80 house types available that are aesthetically different to other large residential developments. Traditionally built with high-quality brick and concrete block materials, there are numerous external finishes that have been employed across the varying house types, to give each plot a distinctive feel. To further enhance the character of the estate, rendered finished have been strategically chosen and selected house types include sparse use of Eternit weatherboarding to complement the finishes and colours. The thoughtful architectural designs add to the palette and tapestry of each house, giving Woodlands Park its own unique identity and sense of place. The properties include either sliding sash or casement windows to suit to the style of the house and some have been fitted with bi-fold doors. All the plots have a laid patio and turfed lawn, with planting to the front garden, brindle block paviours laid in the driveways, parking courts and raised road platforms. Beautiful, landscaped gardens are included around and across the development and Wickford Development has planted and nurtured hundreds of trees across the site, to ensure the ambience of the estate is enjoyed by those living and visiting Woodlands Park. As part of its marketing efforts, Beresfords has also designed new branding for Woodlands Park which includes a refreshed logo and updated colour scheme as well as new banners and sales boards across the park. Joe Waller, new homes manager at Beresfords, said: “We’re delighted to be representing Woodlands Park in Great Dunmow, working with Wickford – who we have a long-standing relationship with. “Wickford are passionate about providing excellence in building high-quality homes across its sites. Acting as the agent on behalf of the company and marketing these exceptional, award-winning homes is something we that we are extremely proud of. We look forward to meeting prospective buyers as they look to purchase their dream home in Essex.” Wickford Development prides itself on providing quality from start to finish, and over the last 50 years its top-class team have collectively won more than 41 individual NHBC Pride in the Job awards – including 12 times regional winner and UK finalist. Stephen Hammond, managing director of Wickford said: “Following on our success at Woodlands Meadow, Wickford are delighted to be working with Beresfords at Woodlands Park, Great Dunmow. We keenly anticipate selling our NHBC award winning homes via Beresfords knowing they will provide an excellent service to Wickford and to the new home purchaser.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction work has commenced on a new Coastal Activity Hub in Redcar. British Triathlon, British Rowing and British Cycling – the National Governing Bodies for their respective sports – have all endorsed the project with a vision of bringing community activities and local, regional, and national competitions to the hub, including the Go Tri series. Local Active Partnership Tees Valley Sport has also offered its support – recognising the role that facilities play in driving participation. The hub could offer the opportunity for local organisations to host a range of other exciting activities, sports and events such as beach volleyball, land yachting and running events, with local sports clubs and community groups already showing interest. The Coastal Activity Hub will be located in a unique shipping container village that can be used as a meeting place and an informal base for clubs, school groups, activity leaders, families, or groups of friends. Coatham beach and the surrounding area is currently used for a wide variety of coastal activities and the hub will provide a base for these existing groups and individuals. Facilities for the Coastal Activity Hub will include a range of indoor and outdoor multi-use spaces, public toilet facilities, showers, lockers, an equipment store, changing facilities and parking. An accompanying catering offer will enhance the experience for visitors. The external space adjacent to the container village will form a flexible event area that could be used for a range of outdoor activities, such as exercise classes, sports, and demonstrations. It could also provide space for an event village, from which competitions could start and finish, including running festivals and triathlons. All attempts will be made to keep disruption to a minimum on site as the site is already cordoned off for other works on Coatham, including the development of Play Park and the Adventure Golf Course. This is part of the Coatham seafront masterplan, which aims to regenerate the seafront along Majuba Road to create a leisure-based destination. The new 100-space car park, which was recently built on the former Coatham Bowl site, will help mitigate demands for parking. The total project cost of the project is £880,000 with £855,000 being met by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority and £25,000 via the Redcar Town Deal. The Redcar Town Deal is led by a group of industry experts, business leaders, and community representatives, who have volunteered to support the regeneration of Redcar. Alongside the Council, they have helped develop large-scale regeneration plans on how to make Redcar a vibrant, sustainable town. Construction will take approximately six months, with a completion date set for November this year. An operator is currently being sought for the Coastal Activity Hub, which includes two provisionally licenced Food and Beverage units. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Countryside Properties (Bicester) Limited has commenced work on new facilities for St Edburg’s CE Primary School on the Kingsmere development in Bicester. The company is working in partnership with the Oxfordshire County Council and the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education to complete the project by September 2024. The new facilities will allow St Edburg’s CE Primary School in Bicester to expand from a two-form entry to a three-form entry school operating across two sites within the Kingsmere development. Commenting on the work Councillor Liz Brighouse, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Youth Services, said: “This extra capacity will have huge educational benefits for pupils at St Edburg’s CE Primary School. It is yet another exciting project from the county council, working with communities and partners on our commitment to provide first class education for Oxfordshire’s children and young people.” Martin Leach, Director, Countryside Properties (Bicester) Limited, said: “We are delighted to have reached another key milestone at Kingsmere. The provision of new facilities for St Edburg’s CE Primary School will provide an enhanced educational offering for residents and the local community right on their doorstep.” Speaking about the features of the project Tony Wilson, Director of Education at the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE), said: “The new facilities will be served by air source heat pumps utilising the very latest in green energy technology. With our commitment to confronting the climate emergency, ODBE is delighted that this expansion is designed and built with sustainability as a key consideration. ODBE believes that the pupils of St Edburg’s CE Primary School will thrive and flourish in their new learning environment.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A new development by real estate company Dominus, which will help solve the student housing crisis in Manchester, has been given the green light by Manchester City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee. The One Medlock Street scheme will provide more than 1,000 beds for the city’s university students, who would otherwise be forced to live in privately rented houses. The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University attract around 45,000 and 36,000 students a year respectively, while only 26,830 professionally managed student beds in Manchester remain available. If current demand levels from students continue to grow at a predicted rate of 3.2% each year, then up to 14,772 additional students will be forced into privately-owned accommodation, taking vital supply away from the broader rental market. Manchester City Council’s recently-published PBSA Study identifies Dominus’ One Medlock Street development as one of the key named sites committed to meeting the city’s needs for student beds over the coming years. The development, which includes two new buildings with 13 and 37 storeys respectively, replaces an existing Premier Inn hotel and is expected to support 475 jobs and provide a £198 million productivity boost to the local area during construction. Jay Ahluwalia, Principal Director at Dominus Real Estate, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Whitbread to create a mixed-use scheme that will provide an attractive, sustainable and well-connected hub for work, study and living. Our aim is to provide a huge boost to Manchester’s Southern Gateway, contributing to the continued regeneration of the First Street area. “Our One Medlock Street scheme will bring high-quality and flexible Grade A offices, much-needed student housing at a location supported by the City Council and a better street-level experience for all. “Dominus Real Estate’s portfolio ranges from hotels to residential and office spaces, and we are constantly expanding our £2.4 billion pipeline by working with universities, local councils and other local stakeholders to meet the most pressing demands of those communities. “We are delighted that Manchester City Council have resolved to grant planning permission at Planning Committee. We look forward to starting on-site and delivering this exciting project.” As well as student accommodation, the development – being delivered alongside partners Whitbread – also includes office space with room for 2,200 jobs, a landscaped pocket park and rain garden, and “green streets” connecting the site to the wider First Street Regeneration Area. There will also be a nine-story piece of public art to enhance the site. Once completed, the scheme is expected to contribute £1.6 million in business rates each year. The plans have been designed by award-winning architects Jon Matthews Architects, who have delivered a number of transformative regeneration projects in Manchester including Axis, Oxygen and Brazennose House, and Planit-IE. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rushlift GSE, the specialist airport ground support equipment and services provider, has celebrated its tenth anniversary with a grand open-day event held recently at its new state-of-the-art Maintenance & Service facility at Gatwick Airport. Attended by over one hundred special guests – including customers, suppliers, Rushlift staff and management – the newly opened service centre provided the perfect venue to celebrate the company’s great success story, to date. Welcoming guests, Tim Willett, General Manager and Director of Rushlift GSE, said: “After ten years of continued growth, it seems highly appropriate to hold this celebratory open-day party with our team and partners at our very latest 36,000 sq ft Service facility at Gatwick. The fact that this is now our fifth such facility here at the UK’s second busiest airport helps demonstrate the growth that we have achieved over the last ten years and our steadfast commitment to supporting our clients well into the future.” Illustrating Rushlift GSE’s recent successes, the company has just secured a 56-month extension to its successful, long-running GSE contract with Europe’s leading short-haul airline, easyJet. The new multi-million pound deal continues a pre-existing five-year agreement with Rushlift GSE to supply, manage and maintain easyJet’s ground-handling fleet at London’s Gatwick Airport. In total over 600+ ground support assets are managed by Rushlift GSE under a progressive program of innovation and equipment enhancement, which includes an on-going transition from diesel to electric vehicles. Further success came less than two years ago with Rushlift GSE’s entry into a six-year global framework agreement with airport ground services company, Menzies Aviation, to supply GSE equipment. Under the arrangement, Rushlift GSE initially leased 650 brand-new vehicles to Menzies Aviation’s ground handling operations at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. At the open-day event, Daniel Chapman, easyJet’s Regional Operations and Contracts Manager, said of the new service centre: “The value-add of a facility such as this is being able to strip down pieces of GSE equipment that have been running for several years and then refurbish them to a standard that is going to support us over the next five years – and to do it at some scale.” Ian Baker, GSE Asset and Lease Manager at Menzies Aviation, said: “It’s a great facility, and with this 10-year anniversary it’s good to see Rushlift thriving and investing for the future. We have been working with Rushlift for almost two years, mostly at Heathrow, but our involvement with them is growing at Gatwick and elsewhere in the UK. Some of the new equipment we are bringing in is now electric, replacing old diesel units, which is better for the environment and, importantly, they’re intrinsically safer – as with the new belt loaders and stairs.” The new Maintenance & Service Centre is a long-term investment by Rushlift GSE involving a £250,000 comprehensive upgrade of the facility: including the installation of LED lighting, an uprating of the electrics with a move to three-phase power, the provision of vehicle charging points, a pumped waste-oil tank, and a vehicle exhaust extraction system. To further increase operational resilience, the number of on-site service engineers working across the three Rushlift GSE sites will be increased to 41. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
McLaughlin & Harvey is delighted to announce trainee engineer Christy Dickson has picked up the coveted CECA Scotland’s Most Promising Apprentice 2023 award. Developing the engineering stars of tomorrow is part of the ethos at McLaughlin & Harvey, with the company committed to ensuring 5% of the workforce is made up of apprentices, students and graduates on formalised training schemes. Christy Dickson is clearly making his mark in that 5% having joined McLaughlin & Harvey in 2019. Initially gaining experience with the team at the Bushmills Distillery Offsite Maturation Facility site followed by a brief spell with the estimating department, he then joined the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme which has been a focal point of his work since September 2020. Despite balancing working away from home on challenging projects and the impacts of Covid, Christy sailed through his Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) Foundation course and moved straight onto the HLA in Civil Engineering. He is currently in his second year and attends university every Thursday during term time. Always willing to help encourage more people into the industry, Christy has frequently put himself forward to take on the additional responsibilities of mentoring and supervising young people or work-returners brought on-site for work experience, site visits or work placements. In 2022, Christy helped guide eight S3 girl pupils from Hawick High School on-site as part of the CECA Scotland endorsed What-IF programme. Upon completion, the S3 girls were keen to explore opportunities in construction, with each offering compliments to and of Christy. Robin Erskine, Senior Contracts Manager at McLaughlin & Harvey, said: “I have had the opportunity to work with Christy at the Hawick FPS for the past two and a half years and I’m very proud of how he has developed into a very competent young engineer. From day one, he has shown a real willingness and eagerness to learn and advance his knowledge in civil engineering. His attitude, dedication and work ethic are exemplary. He works every other weekend on-site in Hawick due to his mid-week college day commitments back in Belfast. He has an excellent relationship with his peers, colleagues, subcontractors and client team, and I am delighted that he has picked up CECA Scotland’s Most Promising Apprentice award – thoroughly deserved.” Commenting on his award win, Christy Dickson said: “I am very honoured to have won this year’s CECA Scotland award for Most Promising Apprentice. I cannot thank Seamus Devlin and the team at McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd enough for all the training, support and opportunities they have given me. As well as my family and friends who have helped guide me throughout these early stages in my career as a Civil Engineer.” Christy received the award at the annual CECA Awards Dinner, held at the Doubletree by Hilton in Glasgow at the end of March. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
