The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am
Poets, a landmark housing development in the Swinton area of Salford, will soon make its first wave of properties available for purchase. The first six homes for off-plan sale at the 160-property mixed-tenure development have been announced by Salix Living. The development is part of a wider project to develop
SME house builders are to be given help in navigating the development finance process and accessing the funding they need, following the publication of a new guide by UK Finance and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The guide offers practical advice on how small house builders should present their
The centre of Durham has welcomed a new, purpose-built student accommodation scheme incorporating a former Victorian hospital, which was successfully completed in anticipation of this year’s intake of students. Sladen Estates, Peveril Securities and Helios Properties completed the high-specification, 362-bed development Rushford Court three weeks ahead of schedule. “We are
Graven Hill is the UK’s most exciting custom build community, designed for those who want a home that is extraordinary. Self-build becomes possible through Graven Hill, who focus on the bespoke and the unique, creating communities that are suited to the needs of the individual, their lifestyle and their taste.
Interserve, the international support services and construction group, has delivered the UK’s first NHS high-energy Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Centre in the North West in collaboration with their supply chain partners Mace, Arup & HKS on time and under budget. The state of the art technology uses an advanced form
More than 100 guests donned their hard hats and gathered on site at the new £33.5m Circle Birmingham Hospital in Edgbaston for a ceremony to mark the project’s progress. Guests of honour attending the event at the former Pebble Mill site included the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Yvonne Mosquito
Ballymore continues to be celebrated for its pioneering approach to creating places where people live and thrive. Putting quality of life and a rooted connection to arts and culture at the core of the business, Ballymore take great seriousness in their role as a place maker. Standing proudly as one
One of the UK’s most successful regional theatre companies lifted the curtains on a brand-new era in its 90-year history tonight (Sep 26) following a £7.5m refurbishment project. Mayflower Theatre took a ‘dramatic pause’ as it turned off the lights for the multi-million pound project back in June. Tonight it
Healthcare consultancy, Essentia Trading, has announced the winning contractors for two new energy saving frameworks that offer unique savings guarantees for NHS Trusts and other public sector organisations. They are the Essentia LED Lighting Framework and the Essentia Battery Storage Framework. NHS Trusts and other public sector organisations will now
The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am very pleased to congratulate Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery and all the materials handling partners involved in this exciting project. I am particularly proud of the role played by BITO’s broad capabilities and experience in helping the project deliver Siemens’ goals for its new facility,” said Edward Hutchison, managing director of BITO Storage Systems. In order to promote health & safety, deliver reduced cycle times and costs, while expanding service capabilities, the company invested in the new GSOC, located next to its overhaul facility at its Teal Park site in Lincoln. The future-proof centre was delivered on time and on budget and is now facilitating growth without needing to increase headcount. The centre ensures stock availability and the same- or next day response to help Siemens’ customers minimise downtime. The storage and order picking solution provided by BITO included an impressive three-level high engine rack. Its bespoke design using BITO’s standard beams and uprights, enables engines weighing up to 6-tonnes, and stored on 1-tonne pallets to be located on the first beam level, as well as ground level. In addition to its pallet racking, live storage and plastic containers, a further innovative part of BITO’s solution was the first UK installation of its LEO Locative driverless internal transport system to separate vehicle and human work areas, while providing swift and safe transfer of items between Goods In, storage areas and the packaging stations. Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery designs, manufactures and services small industrial gas turbines, with an installed fleet of over 3,500 units across 90 countries. 1500 of these remain operational with key customers in the oil and gas industry, industrial customers, hospitals and paper mills.
Poets, a landmark housing development in the Swinton area of Salford, will soon make its first wave of properties available for purchase. The first six homes for off-plan sale at the 160-property mixed-tenure development have been announced by Salix Living. The development is part of a wider project to develop the Poets Estate, also known as Beechfarm, and is the first of Salix Homes since becoming a stand-alone registered housing provider in 2015. As part of the ambitious redevelopment scheme, 146 properties are being demolished that had suffered historical structural damage with 160 brand new homes being built – 40 of which will be made available for outright sale, with the remaining 120 being homes for social housing. “This is a very exciting time for Salix Homes, and we’re very proud to announce our very first properties for sale and play a major role in providing much needed housing in the area. By transforming the Poets Estate, we are helping to make Swinton an even more attractive place to live and work. Poets is just the start for us, and by 2020, we aim to have 400 new homes either developed or in development,” said Jonathan Drake, service director for Salix Living. Throughout the development process, the residents on the estate have been involved to ensure there was minimum disruption to the community. Those affected by the demolition of existing properties on the estate were temporarily rehoused nearby, and are being given priority to move back into the new-build properties. A range of two and three bedroom properties will be available with prices starting at £144,995 for a two-bedroom home and £159,995 for a three-bedroom property, with four-bedroom homes available to buy in the later phases of the development. The homes all feature integrated appliances in the kitchen, Porcelanosa tilling in the bathrooms plus off-street parking, turfed garden areas and a timber garden shed. Interested buyers are urged to get in touch to register their interest in anticipation of the homes being in high demand. For further details, click on this link: https://poets-swinton.co.uk/.
SME house builders are to be given help in navigating the development finance process and accessing the funding they need, following the publication of a new guide by UK Finance and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The guide offers practical advice on how small house builders should present their finance applications to lenders to improve their chances of success, as well as listing the alternative options available if an application is turned down. It also offers SME house builders advice on how to make the most of the diverse range of finance options available to them including challenger banks, private equity, crowd funding, finance brokers and Government-supported funds. It follows the announcement of several schemes to increase funding for SME house builders, such as the Housing Delivery Fund and the Housing Growth Partnership, which have been backed by the finance industry in partnership with Homes England. The guide, which will be available on both the FMB and UK Finance websites, was launched today at the FMB’s Eastern Business Conference in Chelmsford, Essex. Stephen Pegge, Managing Director of Commercial Finance, UK Finance, said: “The range of finance options available to SME house builders is now greater than ever, from traditional high street lenders to challenger banks and government-supported schemes. But too often, SMEs are deterred from applying for finance because they are unsure about where to look or whether they’ll be successful. “This guide is designed to help smaller housebuilders navigate this diverse landscape and find the right form of finance for them. Through close cooperation between UK Finance, the FMB and the Government, we are determined to help SME builders grow their business and build the homes the country needs.” Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Over the past decade, for many SME house builders, development finance has been difficult to access. Although there have been improvements in this picture in recent years, nearly half of SME house builders still view lack of access to finance as a major constraint on their ability to build new homes. We will continue to work with the Government and UK Finance to identify ways to improve this situation by enabling lenders to lend more to this sector. “However, it is also the case that the process of obtaining development finance can be complex and difficult to navigate, especially for new entrants or those without recent experience of the market. It is important that SME builders and developers understand what to expect when seeking development finance, the options available and the process they will go through. That is what this guide is designed to achieve and we are really pleased to have joined forces with UK Finance to develop some practical advice for builders. We believe it will open doors and play a part in helping more new homes get built.” Small Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst said: “Smaller house builders in particular face challenges accessing the finance they need and this new guide provides useful, practical information on the available options that will help them build the homes the country needs. “As part of our modern Industrial Strategy, the Government is working with the construction sector to boost skills and foster modern building techniques to help the sector reach its full potential.”
The centre of Durham has welcomed a new, purpose-built student accommodation scheme incorporating a former Victorian hospital, which was successfully completed in anticipation of this year’s intake of students. Sladen Estates, Peveril Securities and Helios Properties completed the high-specification, 362-bed development Rushford Court three weeks ahead of schedule. “We are delighted to have completed this stunning development ahead of schedule for Unite Students. This is a significant scheme for Durham on a site with a great deal of local heritage and we are exceptionally happy with the finished development,” said Chief executive at Sladen Estates, Nick Sladen. The development saw the extensive restoration and modernisation of the original 1850’s Durham County Hospital Harding building, which now houses a range of studio apartments and amenities including: a gym, cinema room, co-study areas and communal entertainment space. Two, modern, purpose-built accommodation wings have replaced the redundant 1970’s buildings on the hospital site. “We have revitalised a gateway site to the city whilst also providing much needed student accommodation to relieve some of the pressure on the local housing stock,” Nick added. The development is owned and operated by Unite Students, the UK’s largest and most established manager and developer of purpose-built student accommodation which operates more than 50,000 beds across the country. “We have seen excellent take up so far which is testament to the quality of services on offer and there is no doubt that Rushford Court offers the best accommodation available in Durham. From our first glimpse of the site and the proposed scheme we knew it would attract a great deal of positive attention, and the finished scheme has realised an even better vision than the plans displayed,” said Matt Painter of Unite Students.
Graven Hill is the UK’s most exciting custom build community, designed for those who want a home that is extraordinary. Self-build becomes possible through Graven Hill, who focus on the bespoke and the unique, creating communities that are suited to the needs of the individual, their lifestyle and their taste. The minister of housing, Kit Malthouse MP, paid Graven Hill at visit on the 18th of September to get a first hand look at how the largest self-build community in the country is progressing. “It has been marvellous to be here and wonderful to see the energy at Graven Hill. This is an infectious, ambitious project providing the housing needed for growth and success of the town.” “We are extremely proud of this development; we’re creating a place to live, delivering the homes that people need and helping them to see their grand designs become a reality,” commented Cllr Barry Wood from Cherwell District Council, which hosted the visit, showcasing the exciting and innovative Garden Town project. Standing proudly as pioneers of self and custom build, Graven Hill enable individuals to design inspiring homes on pre-prepared plots that offer the chance for the house of dreams to be created across a range of budgets. Each house can be as imaginative as the buyer chooses and fit their requirements perfectly. Up to 1,900 unique homes will be build over a ten year period, surrounded by open, green spaces inclusive of woodland, allotments and a network of footpaths and cycleways. Alongside planning consent for the new builds, a new primary school will be created, a new pre-school nursery and a new community centre. The Garden Town project will also feature cafes, shops and a local pub. “The development could revolutionize the future of home building,” concluded Managing Director of the Graven Hill, Karen Curtin.
Interserve, the international support services and construction group, has delivered the UK’s first NHS high-energy Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Centre in the North West in collaboration with their supply chain partners Mace, Arup & HKS on time and under budget. The state of the art technology uses an advanced form of radiotherapy for the treatment of complex and hard-to-treat cancers in children and adults. The Christie, who worked in partnership with Interserve, was selected by the Department of Health as one of two providers of the service, together with University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Although procured at the same time, The Christie chose to deliver the construction phase through the Procure 21 framework. This speed to site procurement route means that from 2018, patients will benefit from local access to this advanced treatment at The Christie. The state of the art 15,000 m2 five storey building will provide: 4 treatment rooms; a patient reception; consultation rooms and public space. The building is designed to be future proof with additional space for the Trust to grow into. The building will begin treating patients in the autumn and, once fully operational, will treat around 750 people a year. This life-changing facility will not only save lives, but also prevent families from enduring expensive and stressful travel abroad for treatment. PBT uses a high-energy beam of protons rather than high-energy X-rays to deliver a dose of radiotherapy. It directs the radiation treatment to precisely where it is needed with minimal damage to surrounding tissue. As this unique project was the first being built in the UK, Interserve had no blueprint to follow so they travelled extensively around the globe to bring the benefit of international expertise and learning to the UK, overcoming many challenges to deliver this world class facility and become experts in delivering this type of facility. The building’s list of technical features is almost as extraordinary as proton beam treatment itself: To contain the radiation, the concrete walls are up to six metres thick. The building incorporates 20,000m³ of concrete & 1,700 tonnes of reinforcement, including steel bars up to 100mm diameter. Through this, 10km of services pipework has been carefully threaded. The concrete itself weighs 48,000 tonnes, the equivalent of two aircraft carriers. To meet the building’s demanding energy needs, a new sub-station has been built, which provides an equivalent amount of power to that needed to run the nearby Trafford Industrial Park. The building is the first PBT Centre to target BREEAM excellent. Reclaiming heat from the Proton Beam equipment will make a significant contribution to the BREEAM scoring. Jason Dawson, Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this life changing treatment to patients. The delivery of this facility has been one of the most complex and precise projects within the NHS. “We identified very early in the project that we needed a construction partner that could work alongside our team. The partnership approach integrated with Interserve’s technical expertise and energy to solve problems is one of the key reasons we completed on time. George Franks, Managing Director of Interserve Construction said: “We are proud to have delivered this life-changing facility which built on our long-term relationship with The Christie with whom we have been construction partners for more than 10 years. The Interserve team’s knowledge, experience, innovation and expertise as well as the extensive field research undertaken at the start of the project has contributed to delivery on time and on budget. The completion of this project is another substantial milestone in our long-term relationship with The Christie and one that we hope continues long in to the future with many more successes along the way.”
More than 100 guests donned their hard hats and gathered on site at the new £33.5m Circle Birmingham Hospital in Edgbaston for a ceremony to mark the project’s progress. Guests of honour attending the event at the former Pebble Mill site included the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Yvonne Mosquito and Councillor Dierdre Alden. The ceremony included the unveiling of a plaque to mark the ‘topping out’ stage of the build. The hospital, which is being built by Simons Group, will be complete in Summer 2019 and will be the second largest private hospital in the UK. It will be an addition to Circle Health’s other hospitals in Bath, Nottingham and Reading. Guests including surgeons and other health professionals, along with all site workers who were invited to down tools especially for the event, watched the ceremonial unveiling.
Ballymore continues to be celebrated for its pioneering approach to creating places where people live and thrive. Putting quality of life and a rooted connection to arts and culture at the core of the business, Ballymore take great seriousness in their role as a place maker. Standing proudly as one London and Dublin’s most active property developers, Ballymore have over 5,500 people engages with them on every level throughout current projects. Current projects include that of new headquarters for the English National Ballet and London Film School, on London City Island. Previous work has seen the business work alongside the US Government, moving their embassy from Grosvenor Square to Embassy Garden, Nine Elms, a project which established a new riverside cultural district for the city. Recently, Royal Wharf has been presented with the Seal of Excellence at the NHBC Awards. An honour presented to Joe Cashman, Director, after the joined the top 450 UK Site Managers to win a Quality Award for the projects Phase 2B Development. Joe Cashman is now part of an elite and recognised group of site managers who have showcased dedication and commitment, leading to a representation of the top 100 site managers in the country. An initial 16,000 enter the NHBC Awards in the hope of being granted the honour of Seal of Excellence. The award stands as a testament to Ballymore’s continuous commitment to the creation of homes of outstanding quality, that are built with the benefits of the client in mind. The NHBC judge Site Managers on six key areas: attention to detail, leadership, consistency, technical expertise, interpretation of drawings and specifications, and health and safety measures. The Pride in the Job Award has been presented by the NHBC since its launch in 1980 and has since helped businesses to showcase their ability and performance, driving the standards that new builds should meet a certain criteria to be the very best they can be. NHBC standards are integrated into the culture and heart of Ballymore, which stands as a company that is forever looking to improve and innovate, to offer the very best in modern home design and construction. Joe Cashman has expressed his pride in being awarded the esteemed honour and is happy to have received recognition on behalf of the Royal Wharf project and Ballymore. Despite the award being granted to individuals, it is an overall representation of the company and every individual involved in a recognised project. “For the company, the awards from the NHBC mean we’re doing something right,” remarks Joe. “For me at Royal Wharf, it is the result of all the team’s efforts. We’ve been here on site as principal contractor for the last three and a half years, and the award represents the successful accumulation of a lot of hard work.” Ballymore offer an ability to not only continuously deliver homes to the highest of standards but have build an established reputation that show a willingness to constantly seek improvements through constant dedication.
One of the UK’s most successful regional theatre companies lifted the curtains on a brand-new era in its 90-year history tonight (Sep 26) following a £7.5m refurbishment project. Mayflower Theatre took a ‘dramatic pause’ as it turned off the lights for the multi-million pound project back in June. Tonight it reopened its doors to the public for the first time to reveal the results of its biggest transformation of the last 30 years. The iconic Southampton venue has been completely repainted with a dramatic new red and gold colour scheme. All of the seats in the stall and circle have been removed and replaced with 1,659 brand-new, wider seats while the seats in the balcony have been reupholstered. The theatre has gained an extra seat, taking its total seat capacity to 2,274. New environmentally-friendly LED lighting has been installed, the orchestra pit has been moved beneath the stage and accessibility has been improved, with better facilities for people with disabilities. The multi-million pound project will ensure the theatre remains best in class and continues to draw in hundreds of thousands of people to the city. Every year more than 500,000 people visit Mayflower Theatre and the venue contributes an estimated £75m to the economy. Michael Ockwell, chief executive of Mayflower Theatre, said: “This is without doubt the most significant refurbishment project that the theatre has seen in the last three decades and we were thrilled to lift the curtains on the new look tonight. For us, this project is very much about ensuring Mayflower Theatre remains best in class not just for now, but long into the future.” The £7.5m investment has been welcomed by representatives from the public as well as the private sector. Southampton Cultural Development Trust Chairman Brad Roynon said: “Mayflower Theatre doesn’t just bring in huge shows and hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city every year. It also plays an important part in connecting new audiences with theatre and inspiring young people to get involved in the arts. It’s therefore absolutely vital that we preserve this historic and culturally important venue to ensure it remains, and develops further, as a catalyst for the growth of arts and culture.” Cabinet Member for Homes and Culture at Southampton City Council, Councillor Satvir Kaur said: “It’s fantastic to see the Mayflower theatre opening its doors again. This iconic building is an integral part of the extensive entertainment offering that can be found in Southampton. The theatre is one of the biggest outside of London and attracts people from a huge area. This essential refurbishment ensures that the venue itself lives up to the reputation that it has.” Mayflower Theatre is the biggest regional theatre outside of London and has seen the likes of Julie Andrews, Laurel and Hardy, Michael McIntyre, Take That and even The Beatles tread its boards over its 90-year history. The venue opened on December 22, 1928 as the Empire Theatre, becoming The Gaumont in 1950 and eventually Mayflower Theatre in 1987. It remains the largest theatre in the south of England and employs 230 staff. Its reopening was celebrated with a gala evening of music and entertainment, commemorating the theatre’s past and celebrating the future with some of the next generation of stage performers. The first official performance will be Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, which runs from September 28 and 29. Tickets can be booked online at www.mayflower.org.uk or by visiting the box office.
Healthcare consultancy, Essentia Trading, has announced the winning contractors for two new energy saving frameworks that offer unique savings guarantees for NHS Trusts and other public sector organisations. They are the Essentia LED Lighting Framework and the Essentia Battery Storage Framework. NHS Trusts and other public sector organisations will now be able to use the frameworks to procure public sector compliant suppliers for their energy saving projects. Both frameworks guarantee that if the expected cost savings are not reached within the contract period, then the supplier will have to pay the difference. Suppliers have been appointed for up to four years after a rigorous selection process. Details of the frameworks and the winning contractors are as follows: Essentia LED Lighting Framework A free-to-use, UK-wide lighting framework that helps public sector clients to deliver cost, carbon and ongoing maintenance savings, as well as improve environments and lighting services. Flexible in its approach, contracts can be awarded via both direct award or mini-competition. This is the only lighting-specific framework to offer a savings guarantee. There are seven winning suppliers on this framework: E.ON Ecolite Thorlux Lighting Blackbourne Gamma Group Energy Saving Lighting (ESL) Energys Group Essentia Battery Storage Framework A free-to-access battery storage framework that supports public sector clients in procuring battery storage solutions to reduce fixed and variable charges. The framework has several suppliers on it that can implement computer-controlled battery storage solutions enabling organisations to reduce Triad charges, DUoS charges, Capacity Market Charges and utilise grid incentives such as Firm Frequency Response. There are six winning suppliers on this framework: Bouygues Energies and Services red T Energy Storage Centrica Business Solutions Powerstar EDF Energy Veolia Trusts and public sector bodies that choose to use the framework will be helped through the selection and contracts process by Essentia’s award-winning sustainability team. Since 2014, Essentia has helped deliver over £18m of energy savings for 19 NHS Trusts, 27 Acute Hospitals and over 30 community-based sites. Alexandra Hammond, Sustainability Director at Essentia, commented: “The NHS currently spends more than £540 million on energy every year, but could be making significant savings by installing technologies such as LED lighting and smart energy management systems”. “The major benefit of using an Essentia framework is that all projects come with a savings guarantee and built-in business case. We take away the complexity of energy saving procurement and provide a fast route to market and provide advice and guidance throughout the procurement process to ensure clients secure the best partners for their projects.” For further information on either of the Frameworks, contact sustainability@essentia.uk.com or call 0207188 6000. For more information on Essentia’s sustainability work visit: https://www.essentia.uk.com/
