Building work on new council homes in Manchester has been completed by Willmott Dixon. A total of 40 new council homes in north Manchester have been handed over to tenants, while a further 20 new shared ownership homes were bought by the City Council to help residents on to the
Manchester City Council joined UK construction union Unite’s Construction Charter and now they have announced a new partnership. Both institutions will work together to stand up for the city’s construction workers and outlaw poor construction practices on building projects under its control. “By signing up to Unite’s Construction Charter, Manchester
Planning consent has been granted by Liverpool City Council to a revised scheme for the stalled Baltic House project in Liverpool. The revised scheme, designed by architect Brock Carmichael, was submitted by Crossfield Exclusive Developments, after purchasing the Norfolk Street site out of liquidation late last year. Now under the name
Local councillors recommended to approve Burnley’s Town Centre and Canalside Masterplan at the end of the month. The masterplan sets out proposals on how the town centre and canalside areas could look in the future. The key proposals include: A major new leisure development called “Pioneer Place”, which includes the
An ambitious £93.8 million transformation plan is set for Coventry city centre and Coventry Station. Coventry City Council’s planning committee gave its permission for the £11.8 million scheme to improve the Upper Precinct and the £82 million Coventry Station Masterplan. The plans submitted by Shearer Property Group include a framed
Balfour Beatty Living Places has won a £103 million highways maintenance contract from Telford and Wrekin Council. The contract is initially for seven years, with the option to extend it for a further seven years. “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract by Telford and Wrekin Council; it
Leeds Council has signed off a city centre planning agreement on a £350 million mixed-use development on the six acre site in the heart of the South Bank. Work is set to begin next month and it involves demolishing the former warehouse on Water Lane and preparing the site for
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Building work on new council homes in Manchester has been completed by Willmott Dixon. A total of 40 new council homes in north Manchester have been handed over to tenants, while a further 20 new shared ownership homes were bought by the City Council to help residents on to the property ladder. Northwards Housing, the council’s housing management organisation, will be managing the 40, two-bed homes located across six sites in north Manchester. Developed by Willmott Dixon with support from Homes England of a £1.4 million grant funding, the rental properties will all be affordable. “The positivity and community spirit surrounding the delivery of these highly-anticipated homes is inspiring. This project represents a truly positive legacy far beyond just bricks and mortar. Throughout this project we have been focused on helping to raise the aspirations and opportunities available to the north Manchester community, providing a range of jobs and training on our sites, and we are delighted to be able to see the fantastic reactions of those moving into their new homes,” said Anthony Dillon, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon in the North. The City Council has also purchased 20 new, high-quality family homes in partnership with Taylor Wimpey at Booth Hall in Charlestown, north Manchester, that will be re-purposed to support its people onto the property ladder through affordable shared-ownership. The next phase of the North Manchester new homes project is due to be announced later this year and it will include a further 150 new homes. The affordable homes projects represent the first phase of an ambitious affordable housing investment programme that will see 6,400 genuinely affordable homes built up to 2025.
Manchester City Council joined UK construction union Unite’s Construction Charter and now they have announced a new partnership. Both institutions will work together to stand up for the city’s construction workers and outlaw poor construction practices on building projects under its control. “By signing up to Unite’s Construction Charter, Manchester City Council is making a serious commitment to securing the best employment standards for construction workers. The Charter will protect workers from poor industry practices which result in the loss of employment rights, it stops blacklisting and means workers can raise health and safety issues without fear,” said Unite’s regional coordinating officer for construction, Andy Fisher. “It’s fantastic news that one of the UK’s major cities has pledged to lead the way and demand the highest standards in construction. It means that projects across the city including the ongoing work at Manchester Airport will need to meet the highest employment standards. Unite representatives at Manchester City Council deserve a special thanks for the work they did to help get the Charter up and running,” Andy Fisher added. Manchester City Council is the latest local authority to sign up to Unite’s Construction Charter, which ensures building contractors and sub-contractors under the control of the local authority provide good jobs, good apprentice training, excellent health and safety and that they ensure workers are paid the going rate for the industry. “Manchester City Council has ambitious plans for the city and we are delighted to work with Unite to ensure that our construction projects meet the highest standards for workers and for residents. The council has a number of important development projects in progress including the renovation of Manchester Town Hall and the Factory project. The Charter means that workers and residents can be confident that these projects will move forward with ethical construction practices,” commented Councillor Carl Ollerhead.
Planning consent has been granted by Liverpool City Council to a revised scheme for the stalled Baltic House project in Liverpool. The revised scheme, designed by architect Brock Carmichael, was submitted by Crossfield Exclusive Developments, after purchasing the Norfolk Street site out of liquidation late last year. Now under the name of Baltic View, the development will comprise 129 apartments with associated communal space and courtyard. It will also feature nine office units totaling 1,174 sqm on the ground and first floors to accommodate businesses in the digital and creative sectors, complemented by storage space for up to 100 bicycles. “We have worked closely with Liverpool City Council over many months and we are pleased that the planning committee shares our vision for the transformative potential of this site. Baltic View will be a new dawn for the site and our local, experienced team is committed to creating a development that provides a positive, enduring addition to the area,” said David Cain, director at Crossfield Group. The plans received approval by Liverpool City Council last week and Crossfield Construction is already on site to begin work on the scheme. Approximately ten new full-time jobs are expected to be created during construction, in addition to as many as 400 workers on site through a local supply chain. “We are really pleased to see the stalled development site back on track. It’s been a painful daily reminder of failed developments over the past few years,” said Liam Kelly, chair of the Baltic Triangle area company. “It’s really encouraging to see the site now being developed by Crossfield Group, who share in the area’s vision and have engaged with the stakeholders right from the start. This is an example of how the area can retain its identity and continue to see positive growth over the coming years, with everyone working together.”
Local councillors recommended to approve Burnley’s Town Centre and Canalside Masterplan at the end of the month. The masterplan sets out proposals on how the town centre and canalside areas could look in the future. The key proposals include: A major new leisure development called “Pioneer Place”, which includes the relocation of Reel cinema to a new multi-screen complex at Curzon Street. The new site will also include new food, beverage and retail units. It would include a new public square and improved pedestrian access. The development would include a 125-space car park. Continued improvement to Charter Walk shopping centre, including new frontages for the shops facing Market Square and the relocation of the market hall access stair. The development of a university campus site, including new student accommodation around Sandygate Square. A longer-term option is to develop the George Street Mill site, which is between the town centre and Sandygate. Largely derelict at present, the area could become a future university campus site, including additional teaching buildings for UCLan, with more student accommodation, or it could be developed for residential use, building on the success of Bridgewalk Apartments. “We’re grateful to everyone who fed back their views during the consultation. The overall response was generally supportive of our vision for the future of Burnley. This masterplan sets out how the town centre and surrounding areas could be developed to establish Burnley as a university town with a thriving and vibrant shopping centre and an historic heart that successfully mixes industrial heritage with future aspirations,” said Asif Raja, Executive Member for Economy and Growth. “The council’s job is to bring together investment from the council, the wider public sector, and business, so we can deliver aspects of the masterplan. This isn’t going to happen overnight, but we make no excuses for putting forward an ambitious and aspirational vision that will deliver a brighter future for Burnley,” he concluded. The plan is projected to bring an estimated £100 million boost and up to 1,000 new jobs to the borough.
An ambitious £93.8 million transformation plan is set for Coventry city centre and Coventry Station. Coventry City Council’s planning committee gave its permission for the £11.8 million scheme to improve the Upper Precinct and the £82 million Coventry Station Masterplan. The plans submitted by Shearer Property Group include a framed courtyard in the Upper Precinct along with planting, landscaping, water features, seating areas and timber terraces. The work also involves the demolition of the existing escalator and footbridges connected to West Orchards Shopping Centre, and the creation of a 75-room student accommodation block in the district. Phase one of the council’s masterplan for Coventry Station is already underway and it aims to construct a new footbridge and canopies, as well as an access tunnel under Warwick Road. The second phase consists of the construction of a multi-storey car park for 633 vehicles, a new station concourse with access to all platforms and Warwick Road, and a new pedestrian route via an access tunnel under Warwick Road to a new bus interchange. This project is being funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, the CWLEP, the Department for Transport and other borrowings. “It’s been a while since we had this level of investment in our city approved in a single planning committee – but now we have the green light to crack on with these two important city centre projects,” said Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration at Coventry City Council and CWLEP board director. “Our work in the Upper Precinct will help to reinstate it back to something much closer to Donald Gibson’s original plan. We will ensure we retain the very best of the old whilst creating an environment appropriate for the way people want to enjoy their city centre today. The railway station is the fastest growing outside London with passenger numbers increasing year-on-year so we need a station that can cope with increased demand and provide the right kind of Coventry welcome,” he continued. Coventry City Council is working in partnership with Network Rail, Virgin Trains and other rail operators, Transport for West Midlands, Friargate Coventry LLP and other stakeholders to deliver the scheme.
Balfour Beatty Living Places has won a £103 million highways maintenance contract from Telford and Wrekin Council. The contract is initially for seven years, with the option to extend it for a further seven years. “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract by Telford and Wrekin Council; it builds on our trusted expertise in highways services. We look forward to working closely with the Council and the local community to deliver tangible improvements across the Borough,” said Steve Helliwell, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Living Places. Working together with the Council, Balfour Beatty will be maintaining the Borough’s 626 miles of highways and 743 miles of footpaths, providing drainage cleansing services, winter fritting and reactive highways maintenance as required. Moreover, Balfour Beatty Living Places will work closely with the council to help deliver its £20 million capital investment programme of planned highways and transport projects to improve roads, paths and highways structures. This will be delivered over the first two years of the contract. Approximately 48 full-time employees will be hired during the works, including four apprentices and graduates. “This is a key contract for the Council at a time when we are investing very heavily in improving roads and footpaths across the Borough through our £45 million Pride in Our Community programme. The savings from the contract will have no effect on the major capital investment that we are making between now and April 2021 targeting roads in particular,” added Councilor Hilda Robert, Cabinet Member for Transport, Roads and Broadband. With work due to commence in April 2019, this partnership is expected to bring an estimated saving of approximately £200,000 a year for the Council through an enhanced management of services.
Leeds Council has signed off a city centre planning agreement on a £350 million mixed-use development on the six acre site in the heart of the South Bank. Work is set to begin next month and it involves demolishing the former warehouse on Water Lane and preparing the site for development. A programme of archaeological excavation will uncover whatever remains on the site. CEG has already invested £300,000 into securing the Grade II listed bridge which formed a historic route for the Marshall empire and will once again form a physical link over Holbeck, connecting Water Lane and Marshall Street to the new development at Globe Road. “Our proposals for South Bank bring together the birthplace of the industrial revolution in Leeds; the home of Marshall’s first two Mills, as well as the Marshalls’ last, and greatest creation, Temple Works. This is an exceptional opportunity to breathe life back into these, creating locally and nationally important iconic landmark buildings and innovative public spaces. This is not just about building on a historic legacy; it is about creating a new one,” said Jon Kenny, strategic development director at CEG. CEG’s South Bank development has received detailed planning permission for two office development with ground floor retail and leisure, totalling up to 26,100 sq m and outline planning permission for mixed-use development of up to 103,900 sq m of offices, retail, leisure, hotel, health, education and community uses, parking and up to 750 new homes, along with new public spaces and landscaping. “Many years of hard work are being realised as we launch to market an exceptional opportunity for the highest quality office developments just minutes from Leeds City Station. This, along with the retail, leisure, hotel, residential and community uses, benefitting from innovative outdoor spaces and the waterfront, will bring a strategic development of a critical mass and international standard, putting South Bank Leeds on the map as a place to live, work and enjoy,” explained David Hodgson, head of strategic development north for CEG. Overall, the wider South Bank regeneration area covers 253 hectares south of the River Aire in Leeds and it is set to double the size of Leeds City Centre, providing more than 35,000 jobs and 8,000 homes – making it one of the largest City Centre regeneration initiatives in Europe.
