One way of enabling people to live cleaner, greener lives is by making sure the buildings in which people live and work are more eco-friendly so that the very environments in which we survive and thrive are helping us towards a more sustainable future. With this in mind, and using
Work on four new speculatively built units is underway at two major West Midlands logistics parks as Prologis, the leading developer of industrial property in the UK, expands its portfolio at Prologis Park Hams Hall and Prologis Park Ryton, near Coventry. At Prologis Park Hams Hall, three buildings are currently
The first CGIs of the residential development Lockside Wharf in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter have been released. Property investment company Joseph Mews, which is working with London-based property development company Consortia Developments to bring the properties to market, have released the images this month. Lockside Wharf, once called Scotland Works, is
Property investment and development company CEG has managed the acquisition of 33 Cadogan Street in the heart of the central business district of Glasgow. With full planning permission in place for a 275,000 sq ft development, the site has already been cleared and readied for construction. CEG has appointed a
Carefully selected construction firms have been chosen to help build about £500million of important projects in Central Bedfordshire over the next four years. Central Bedfordshire Council has created its own procurement framework tailored to its construction requirements and priorities such as promoting sustainability and the need to provide social value.
St. Modwen Homes announces £85m+ of investment across five sites St. Modwen Homes, one of the UK’s leading developers of new communities and high-quality homes, today announces five projects which will deliver over 1,100 new homes across England. The new sites will be situated in Lancashire, Kent, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and
Shropshire Council has unveiled proposals for a huge re-shaping of the Riverside area of Shrewsbury, in what would be one of the county’s biggest ever development projects. This is a major opportunity to transform Shrewsbury’s town centre for generations, creating a truly 21st century destination and experience, taking the town
PLANS have been revealed for a number of transformative development schemes in Stoke-on-Trent this week, including the mixed-used Etruscan Square development, which is set to procure both its development and construction through Pagabo’s national frameworks. Etruscan Square, which is backed by £20 million of levelling up funding from the
Budapest – HelloParks has signed a loan agreement worth more than 80 million euros (approximately 30 billion forints) with Erste Bank to finance the construction of its megapark’s first three phases in Maglód. The innovative, people-centred and environmentally friendly industrial and logistics park is being developed in several phases, the
Development is being built for leading UK confectionary manufacturer Swizzels at the new MA6NITUDE logistics/industrial development in Middlewich, Cheshire. GMI Construction Group PLC has today announced that it has been appointed by Magnitude Land LLP, a joint venture between Tritax Symmetry, the development arm of Tritax Big Box and NPLL
One way of enabling people to live cleaner, greener lives is by making sure the buildings in which people live and work are more eco-friendly so that the very environments in which we survive and thrive are helping us towards a more sustainable future. With this in mind, and using data from BREEAM, Distrelec found out which towns and cities are taking the time to invest in eco-friendly infrastructure and the countries that are taking the environmental impacts of their buildings most seriously. Countries with the Most Eco-Friendly Buildings With so many English places ranking so highly among towns and cities in the full study, you’d think the UK would easily top the list of countries with the most eco-friendly buildings under BREEAMS ratings, but whilst it scores impressively overall, with 91.53% of those buildings falling into the top band, it only sneaks into the top four as the Czech Republic managed to strike back to claim top spot with 93.15% of its rated buildings coming into that superior classification. Perhaps more shockingly, when taking a national overview, 0.40% of the UK’s buildings that undertook the BREEAM assessment came out as unclassified. Towns & Cities with the Most Eco-Friendly Buildings Of the many global cities and towns that data was gathered from, Coventry in Central England came out on top with a whopping 98.31% of the buildings certified by BREEAM falling into the Outstanding/Excellent/Very Good category with a further 1.69% coming in as Good. A former industrial powerhouse, Coventry was heavily damaged during the Second World War and has seen major investment and restructuring in the post-war years, becoming a noted University city, which may go some way to explain how it scores quite so highly. Polish city Krakow is not far off with an impressive 97.65% of its buildings rated by BREEAM coming into that top category and another 1.18% rated as Good. Interestingly, of the remaining top 10, eight are English towns and cities with Czech capital Prague rounding out the list with an impressive 96.27% of its ranked buildings falling into that top band. Hope you enjoyed the story! If you do decide to write, Original data source: https://knowhow.distrelec.com/energy-and-power/europes-most-eco-friendly-buildings/
Work on four new speculatively built units is underway at two major West Midlands logistics parks as Prologis, the leading developer of industrial property in the UK, expands its portfolio at Prologis Park Hams Hall and Prologis Park Ryton, near Coventry. At Prologis Park Hams Hall, three buildings are currently under construction with steelwork and cladding currently being put in place. The three units – DC2 (259,510 sq. ft.), DC3 (131,780 sq. ft.), and DC4 (85,685 sq. ft.) – are set for completion in summer 2022. At Prologis Park Ryton, work is underway on a 330,770 sq. ft. unit, also due to be completed in summer 2022. With seven of its 22 logistics parks located in the West Midlands, these new developments further strengthen Prologis’ commitment to delivering logistics property in strategic locations for UK supply chains. Prologis Parks Ryton and Hams Hall are important locations in the Midlands, especially for the automotive industry and are already home to companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, LEVC and DHL. Both sites have quick access to the national motorway network, with Prologis Park Hams Hall also featuring an on-site intermodal rail freight terminal, which links to three seaports and the channel tunnel. Alongside playing their part in improving the flow of goods around the country, the four new units will also deliver social value through job creation and strengthening the local economy. Sustainability has been factored into the build process from the outset too, with all units being net zero in construction, and will be targeted BREEAM-rated ‘excellent’, and EPC A rated. Tom Price, capital deployment and leasing director at Prologis UK, said: “These four new units will provide vital extra capacity for the West Midlands logistics and warehousing market. We know that our customers and the wider business community recognise the value of the region to their supply chain operations, and we’re pleased to be providing facilities to help meet that demand. It’s exciting to see the new units take shape and we’re looking forward to their completion later this year.”
The first CGIs of the residential development Lockside Wharf in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter have been released. Property investment company Joseph Mews, which is working with London-based property development company Consortia Developments to bring the properties to market, have released the images this month. Lockside Wharf, once called Scotland Works, is currently under development and will be a careful restoration of a historic Birmingham landmark situated along the city’s canal system. The canal-side development, based on Scotland Street, was formerly offices and is a historic Victorian building, recognised as a hub of manufacturing in Birmingham since 1897. Work has already begun to convert the site into 61 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, split across the restored old building and a brand-new building on the adjacent empty site. There will also be roof extensions, creating four penthouse-style apartments at the top of the development. While one half of Lockside Wharf will be a complete restoration of the original structure, the other will be a newly developed structure on the neighbouring brownfield site. The newly released images by Joseph Mews showcase what the inside of some of the apartments will look like, featuring designer Poggenpohl kitchens, quartz worktops and designer interior styling, as well as wine fridges and balconies. The Joseph Mews Property Group, which officially launched at the start of the year, and was set up by former SevenCapital sales director Andy Foote, is proud to be helping Consortia Developments bring this product to market. Andy said: “Throughout the development it will keep its ‘reclaimed aesthetic’ with exposed brickwork and steel sitting alongside Karndean flooring, state-of-the-art appliances and clean lines. “It’s expected that Lockside Wharf will be a unique proposition for buy-to-let investors interested in Birmingham. The wider development is designed to appeal to the professional tenants flocking to Birmingham in search of work at some of the biggest companies in the city. We are looking forward to bringing these homes to the market, alongside Consortia Developments,” he said. Lockside Wharf is expected to complete in the second quarter of next year. For more details about Joseph Mews email Sales@Joseph-Mews.com or visit www.joseph-mews.com.
Property investment and development company CEG has managed the acquisition of 33 Cadogan Street in the heart of the central business district of Glasgow. With full planning permission in place for a 275,000 sq ft development, the site has already been cleared and readied for construction. CEG has appointed a design team to enhance the sustainability credentials of the new development. Glasgow based, Cooper Cromar, has been retained as architect for the scheme having successfully delivered CEG’s award-winning Number One Kirkstall Forge in Leeds. CBRE advised CEG on the acquisition of 33 Cadogan Street. Knight Frank and JLL represented M&G on the sale. JLL and CBRE have been appointed as joint agents to market the new development on behalf of CEG. Tom Gaynor, Head of Investment at CEG, said: “We are confident in the strength of Glasgow’s office market. The city is under supplied in terms of Grade A workspace and there is a very restricted pipeline of consented and funded schemes. A significant number of recent lettings has further eroded available stock. “Designed as a UK best in class building, The Grid responds to occupiers Net Zero Carbon and sustainability requirements as well as providing enhanced amenities and a workspace environment that occupiers are seeking for their employees. The scheme is fully funded and we are committed to a pathway to commence construction on site as soon as possible.” The new development will reflect the quality of workspace CEG is renowned for, with its Kirkstall Forge office being named the best commercial space in the UK by the British Council of Offices. CEG has a track record of delivering award-winning offices in Scotland. Following the development of Aurora on Bothwell Street in 2006, the company helped to kickstart the regeneration of the area with its 178,000 sq ft new build. The successful speculative development was fully let within six months of completion. The company’s ONYX development in Glasgow was recently redeveloped to deliver a new café, an extensive range of facilities for cyclists and new flexible Let Ready studios, providing fully-furnished grow-on space for smaller companies and project or satellite space for larger firms.
Carefully selected construction firms have been chosen to help build about £500million of important projects in Central Bedfordshire over the next four years. Central Bedfordshire Council has created its own procurement framework tailored to its construction requirements and priorities such as promoting sustainability and the need to provide social value. This new framework will see specialist construction firms, which best met the council’s criteria for a delivery partner, able to tender for forthcoming construction projects. The framework will enable the council to develop strong working relationships with delivery partners to enhance potential projects. It will also speed up the procurement process and how quickly schemes will be built and offers better value for money as external frameworks are not required. Councillor Eugene Ghent, Executive Member for Housing and Assets, said: “Having our own procurement framework and choosing from a carefully selected group of firms has significant benefits. It will offer cost savings and speed up the procurement process meaning we can get schemes built quicker. Importantly, we will work closely with a smaller number of firms forging important relationships and this collaborative working will ensure we can deliver quality, value for money projects which support our ambitions for Central Bedfordshire and our residents. “We look forward to working closely with our selected partners over the next four years as we build prosperity for our local communities.” Some of the projects expected to be procured through the framework, subject to the relevant Planning and Executive approvals, include Schools for the Future, the proposed new leisure centre in Leighton Buzzard and various housing projects. The new procurement framework comes into operation at the end of March 2022 and is important in supporting the council’s Strategic Plan. Procurement framework information The procurement framework was created in lots linked to the potential value of the project and specific types of projects needing specialist experience. The successful firms are below. Lot 1 £0k: £750k Beardwell Construction Ltd Gray & Sons Builders Ltd Borras Construction Ltd Conamar Building Services Ltd G&S Hutchinson Ltd Steel & Bray Ltd Lot 2: £750k – £2.0m SEH French Beardwell Construction Ltd Conamar Building Services Ltd Borras Construction Ltd T&B Contractors MGBC Ltd Chas Berger Ltd (reserve) SDC Builders Ltd (reserve) Lot 3: £2.0m – £8.0m Pentaco Construction Ltd RG Carter Cambridge Ltd Barnes Construction T&B (Contractors) Ltd Ashe Construction Jeakins Weir Ltd Chas Berger Ltd (reserve) SDC Builders Ltd (reserve) Lot 4: £8.0m – £15.0m Kier Construction Ltd Wates Construction Ltd RG Carter Cambridge Ltd Morgan Sindall Construction Willmott Dixon Construction Barnes Construction BAM Construction (reserve) VINCI Construction UK Ltd (reserve) Lot 5: £15m+ Kier Construction Ltd Wates Construction Ltd Morgan Sindall Construction Willmott Dixon Construction BAM Construction John Graham Construction VINCI Construction UK Ltd (reserve) Farrans Construction (reserve) Lot 6: Modular Elliot Group Portakabin Hawker Construction For further information please contact: Julian Cotton, Communications and Engagement Business Partner – Place, on 0300 300 5987 or email julian.cotton@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
St. Modwen Homes announces £85m+ of investment across five sites St. Modwen Homes, one of the UK’s leading developers of new communities and high-quality homes, today announces five projects which will deliver over 1,100 new homes across England. The new sites will be situated in Lancashire, Kent, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and London and will total over £85m of investment from St. Modwen Homes. The new developments include 28.6 acres of land in Ditton Edge, Kent, which has permission for 300 homes, as well as 116 homes in Coalville, Leicestershire. In West London, St. Modwen’s joint venture with Vinci has secured permission for 267 units in Uxbridge on the former RAF Uxbridge site while a further 300 homes will be delivered in Newark, Nottinghamshire. An additional 128 homes are due to exchange in Chorley, Lancashire. The announcement follows news this week that St. Modwen Homes plans to double in size over the next five years. St. Modwen Homes built almost 1200 new homes in 2021 and has been recognised as a five-star housebuilder with a Home Builder Federation customer satisfaction rating of over 90%. In September 2021, St. Modwen was named by Homes England as a preferred partner in its new Delivery Partner dynamic purchasing scheme. Dave Smith, Managing Director, St. Modwen Homes, said: “There is an urgent need for new homes in the UK, but the homes that are delivered need to be high quality, and communities must be created in the right places. St. Modwen has a proud record of delivering homes of the highest standard and thriving communities for people to live. Today’s announcement expands our footprint into new areas across the UK and builds on our continued, sustainable growth.”
Shropshire Council has unveiled proposals for a huge re-shaping of the Riverside area of Shrewsbury, in what would be one of the county’s biggest ever development projects. This is a major opportunity to transform Shrewsbury’s town centre for generations, creating a truly 21st century destination and experience, taking the town to the water to create a stunning riverside attraction. This is the future of Shrewsbury that respects its past, reconnects it to the River Severn, transforming how we work, how we spend our leisure time and what the town has to offer. The river has always been central to Shrewsbury, and this now brings that full circle to create a new focal point and a fresh addition to a historic town centre, in tune with the fast-changing world around us, opening up to one of Shrewsbury’s greatest assets – the Severn. This is a game-changing mixed-use development combining new leisure attractions, vibrant hospitality and public space, a new quayside and hotels to support the town’s existing retail while bringing new workspace that can attract high quality jobs into the town. A place where you arrive by a brand-new eco-friendly bus, on your bicycle or somewhere you can park – and charge – your electric vehicle. A place you can work in a zero-carbon office and enjoy a vibrant mix of shops, restaurants and bars – all next to the new quayside fronting on the River Severn. A development that will create almost 2,000 jobs, see a modern, friendly multi agency hub and offices open with 500 spaces for workers, allowing the public to access what they need where and when they need it. Somewhere with a brand-new bus station, a high-quality transport hub kitted out for modern vehicles with more charge points, better lighting and bigger spaces. A destination that will see 270 new homes built, offering the chance to live, work and relax in the middle of a green, modern town centre. This transformation should help Shrewsbury attract 750,000 new visits a year and substantially increase investment and footfall for the benefit of existing businesses across the county as part of a wider £800 million investment in the town under the Big Town Plan. This is chance for Shrewsbury to transform and thrive in a changing world and offer everyone using this part of the town a unique experience and the chance for the town to continue to evolve and open a new chapter in its long and vibrant history.
PLANS have been revealed for a number of transformative development schemes in Stoke-on-Trent this week, including the mixed-used Etruscan Square development, which is set to procure both its development and construction through Pagabo’s national frameworks. Etruscan Square, which is backed by £20 million of levelling up funding from the government, is set to transform the city centre with a 3,600-capacity arena, 82,000 sq ft of commercial space, 285 homes, a 138-bedroom 3-star hotel, and a 701-space multi-storey car park to support existing demand and new amenities alike. The announcement of the Etruscan Square development, which is already out for pre-planning consultation, was one of several levelling up initiatives announced by the leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council at global real estate conference MIPIM. As part of the overall announcement, the procurement strategy for the scheme was revealed by council leader Abi Brown, who spoke to developers at MIPIM about how 7.12 acres of city centre land is shovel-ready, and how Meigh Street Car Park is already being cleared to make way for new development. Jonathan Parker, head of construction at Pagabo, said: “We’re incredibly pleased to be working with Stoke-on-Trent City Council on the procurement of such an exciting development, which will bring huge transformation and opportunity to the city. “The government’s levelling up plans and funding have been widely welcomed, and we’re very pleased to see Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been so quick to put that funding towards schemes that will benefit the wider city. Being able to support schemes like this with simple, yet efficient and compliant procurement processes is something that we’re really proud of and that allows us to help turn these plans into a reality.” The procurement strategy reveals the council’s commitment to the comprehensive delivery of the Etruscan Square masterplan, outlining the use of Pagabo’s Developer-Led Framework to ensure the successful delivery of high-quality, mixed-use development. Meanwhile, the Etruscan Square multi-storey car park will be delivered via a stand-alone two stage design and build contract between the council and a main contractor, which will be procured through Pagabo’s Major Works Framework. Councillor Abi Brown, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Our Levelling Up projects already have huge momentum behind them and significant, tangible progress is being made to deliver them. We’re confident that we have the right opportunities, and the right mix of developments that can make the biggest difference to our city and are attractive schemes for development. “We’re backed by the biggest allocation in Levelling Up funding for a specific city in the country, we’ve tested out our proposals to major national investors in London, and now we’re telling global brands, major UK-based international companies and key national agencies what we are delivering in Stoke-on-Trent and how they can be a part of our success story.” The council has stated that the £20 million of levelling up funding for the development will be defrayed to de-risk and support the early delivery of the multi-storey car park, infrastructure and first phase residential proposals, which will act as the catalyst for the wider masterplan. Planning approval for the development is expected to be granted in the summer, shortly followed by the tender process to appoint the key parties through Pagabo’s frameworks to deliver the transformative scheme. For more information about Pagabo and its frameworks, please visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/
Budapest – HelloParks has signed a loan agreement worth more than 80 million euros (approximately 30 billion forints) with Erste Bank to finance the construction of its megapark’s first three phases in Maglód. The innovative, people-centred and environmentally friendly industrial and logistics park is being developed in several phases, the next, second building is planned to be handed over in the last quarter of 2022. Erste Bank will provide a total of EUR 82 million in loans to Futureal Group’s industrial real estate developer, for the realization of the first three phases of HelloParks Maglód, for a period of more than 10 years. The first 46,000 sqm building (MG1) was handed over in January, just shortly after that it has received the Excellent certificate for the Design Stage in BREEAM’s New Construction category. Preparations are underway for the second 45,000 sqm hall, which is scheduled to be handed over by the last quarter of 2022, however, further facilities are already being designed and licensed to enable the company to meet existing and future needs as quickly as possible. The megapark in Maglód will be realized on a 46-hectare area where the company plans to develop more than 200,000 sqm of warehouse and light industrial space. HelloParks Maglód is located along the ring road M0, near the M4 and M5 motorways and the Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, in the fastest-growing industrial zone of the eastern agglomeration of Budapest. The megapark in Maglód is targeting logistics and urban distribution service providers, light industry manufacturers, assembly companies, but it can also serve tenants with special requirements. The competitive mix of the location and customer-centric solutions is well demonstrated by the fact that several large companies have already decided to partner up with HelloParks, which was founded just one and a half years ago. The first building, handed over in Maglód, is home to companies with an international network, such as the Hungarian-owned Karzol-Trans, which has been dealing with logistics for more than 25 years, FoxPost, who set up a central warehouse here to serve its nationwide parcel sorting machine network, or the Lithuanian based Bútor1, with a distribution centre for 8 countries. The first 46,000 sqm phase is already operating with more than 80% occupancy and negotiations are underway for the remaining free space “One of the keys to our company’s competitiveness is a comprehensive service package that goes beyond warehousing. The use of environmentally friendly, sustainable and high-quality engineering solutions is becoming a priority not only for us, but also for our tenants, as well as creating a liveable, people-centred and user-friendly environment, which plays an important role in employee retention. That is why we take our clients’ needs into account right from the design stage. The newly signed loan agreement between HelloParks and Erste Bank is another step in the decades-long successful cooperation between one of the largest financial institutions in the Hungarian banking market and the Futureal Group, also a guarantee that with their help we will be able to deliver our plans at the highest level,” emphasized Rudolf Nemes, CEO of HelloParks. “Erste Bank’s more than 15 years of cooperation with the Futureal Group has reached another milestone, and we are particularly pleased that the group has chosen Erste Bank to finance its new industrial logistics business. Environmental protection and sustainability are top priorities within Erste Group and the financing of the planned investment with its BREEAM Excellent rating fits perfectly into the bank’s ESG financing strategy. We are proud to be part of the latest chapter in the history of Futureal,” – highlighted György Salamon, Head of Real Estate Financing, Erste Bank Hungary. The common feature of the completed unit in Maglód, and the planned four modern facilities, each with a floor space of 20-45,000 sqm, is that they will also meet the requirements of the BREEAM sustainability standard through smart solutions for energy efficiency and environmentally friendly operation targeting the highest level, just like the first building. Creating a liveable, people-centred and user-friendly environment that provides long-term value for the partners, is also a key aspect of the development. At the ParkCenter, which will be implemented in accordance with the WELL Standard Mind and Community criteria, short-term offices, HelloCafé, conference rooms with catering services and long-term A-category offices will also be available for the convenience of tenants.
Development is being built for leading UK confectionary manufacturer Swizzels at the new MA6NITUDE logistics/industrial development in Middlewich, Cheshire. GMI Construction Group PLC has today announced that it has been appointed by Magnitude Land LLP, a joint venture between Tritax Symmetry, the development arm of Tritax Big Box and NPLL to commence work on a new 158,000 sq ft facility for leading UK confectionary company Swizzels at the MA6NITUDE logistics/industrial development situated in Middlewich, Cheshire. To herald the announcement of the project a ground-breaking ceremony was held onsite involving dignitaries from GMI and Tritax together with members of the extended project team. Construction of the AEW designed new facility started at the beginning of 2022 and is expected to be complete by the end of 2022. The facility represents the first phase of Swizzels’ expanded manufacturing/distribution capacity, which could grow up to 458,000 sq ft as future phases are added. To the northern area of the site at MA6NITUDE, Tritax Symmetry and GMI are delivering two new build facilities which are being built on a speculative basis and will comprise 149,000 sq ft and 41,000 sq ft. and expected to be available in June 2022. Speaking about the announcement Marc Banks, Divisional Marketing Director GMI Construction Group said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been instructed by Tritax to construct this important new facility for famous UK Confectionery manufacturer Swizzels. This follows our successful appointment on the adjacent plot where GMI is well along presently with the construction of new two speculative warehouse units of 149,000 and 41,000 sq ft respectively. GMI enjoys a strong and expanding working relationship with Tritax and we look forward to delivering another high-quality outcome for them.” Also Speaking about the next phases of development at MA6NITUDE, David Nuttall, development director at Tritax Symmetry, commented: “MA6NITUDE continues to evolve and with the two new speculative buildings available in the summer, we are well placed to welcome new high-quality occupiers to the area. Swizzels’ new manufacturing building will be an exceptional facility for their business and also opens up a further plot to enable us to deliver a 230,000 sq ft building by early 2023.”. Matt Pochin, director at Legat Owen, joint agents for the scheme with Savills and B8 Real Estate continued: “MA6NITUDE is already a major business destination in its own right and the high-level of activity, coupled with the fact that the speculatively developed units are constructed to net zero carbon in construction, will certainly appeal to businesses looking for more sustainable accommodation in line with their own ESG values”. Magnitude Land is being advised by project team including RPS (PM/QS), AEW Architects, civils and infrastructure specialist SGI, and CMS Solicitors.
