IMPORTANT plans for the future supply of homes in Edinburgh have been given the go-ahead by Councillors at a hearing on the 22 MAY 2019. The 655-home development at Cammo Estate is a consortium project by CALA Homes and David Wilson Homes and includes 164 much-needed affordable homes. The development
Winchester’s first primary academy school is due to be delivered by contractor Willmott Dixon, which was awarded the £8.35 million contract by Hampshire County Council. The new Barton Farm Academy is a single storey two-form entry school that features a main hall, holistic music and drama studio, ‘discovery point’ library,
Leading UK construction company Willmott Dixon has strengthened its presence in Sussex with a new office. The firm held an event to celebrate the opening of the Gatwick office, welcoming leaders and representatives from both Crawley and Surrey County Council. The new base expands the company’s presence as it looks
Schoolchildren in Cheshire are enjoying a renewed sense of health and wellbeing, following a ground-breaking project at Alsager School. The £320k development has provided students with space to enjoy the fresh air – whatever the weather. Tasked with overseeing the design, build and installation of a sleek new ETFE canopy
The 2019 East Midlands RICS Awards have recognised the £30 million Lincoln Transport Hub, winning the top prize in the Infrastructure category. The Wilmott Dixon-built development garned praise from the judges for being delivered “on time and within budget”. In addition, this major win has also secured the project’s place at
An £8 million industrial scheme has been completed by Caddick Construction in Knowsley, Merseyside, boosting the provision of warehouse space in the area. The scheme called Element is part of a bigger development at Network Space’s Alchemy Business Park, which will provide three highly specified industrial warehouse units of 22,900
The Mayor of Dawlish has officially opened Cavanna Homes’ latest show home at Barley Meadow community in Dawlish with a ribbon-cutting. The development, located off Secmaton Lane, has already secured four reservations. Councillor Lisa Mayne was joined by Andy Addison, Head of Operations, Lauren Pybus, Sales Manager, and Anne Beadle,
Weston Homes is due to deliver a project that will transform a historic military hospital site in Aldershot into a new £60 million residential area of 140 private sale homes. The former Cambridge Military Hospital and ancillary buildings will be converted into the new homes, commercial/community facilities and grand communal
Berwick will turn one of its current infirmary into a new £25 million hospital, with all of its previous services still continuing into the new building. After reviewing feedback on previous proposals to develop a joint site with the Swan leisure centre, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Northumberland
Site remediation works have been completed at Broad Street in Birmingham, allowing for construction to begin on a new £118 million residential tower. When complete, the Broad Street development, which was recently renamed The Mercian, will have 481 apartments exclusively for rent, offering hotel level service and a whole host
IMPORTANT plans for the future supply of homes in Edinburgh have been given the go-ahead by Councillors at a hearing on the 22 MAY 2019. The 655-home development at Cammo Estate is a consortium project by CALA Homes and David Wilson Homes and includes 164 much-needed affordable homes. The development will provide a unique mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, terraced homes, colonies as well as detached family homes. A spokesperson on behalf of the consortium, said: “We must thank the local community first and foremost for engaging with us throughout, helping us to shape the final proposals which have evolved over the past two years. “We fully understand how important the junctions at Maybury and Barnton are and traffic was a key concern for many people at the outset. “We feel the improvements made through Planning Gain contributions will benefit the wider community and those commuting in or out the city. “Following yesterday’s decision our focus now turns to assisting the City of Edinburgh Council to ensure a timely delivery of these improvements” A key component of the site is the extent of publicly accessible green space – which totals over a third of the entire development and includes linear parks, a seven-hectare park, and over 700 new specimen trees. In addition, a half kilometre 20-metre wide green corridor at Maybury Avenue will feature a much-needed cycle and footpath detached from Maybury Road. Further improvements to the walking and cycling network will be made from Planning Gain contributions the developments will make. In line with the Local Development Plan these routes will connect to the land at West Craigs, and as part of that development connect onwards to the Gyle and Edinburgh Park. The spokesperson added: “At the heart of the design solution has been the delivery of an outstanding landscape environment along with significant investment to improve public transport, education and health care and the delivery of an excellent pedestrian and cycle network. “Within the development site we will deliver new bus infrastructure in addition to making contributions to public transport connections to the site. “In addition, there is an exceptionally wide range of homes that will help to ease the supply shortfall that features throughout the market.” As part of the 655 homes, 25% of the development units will be of affordable tenure delivered with our Registered Social Landlord partner; comprising a wide range of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments and terraced homes. The affordable housing will commence as part of the initial phase of development.
Winchester’s first primary academy school is due to be delivered by contractor Willmott Dixon, which was awarded the £8.35 million contract by Hampshire County Council. The new Barton Farm Academy is a single storey two-form entry school that features a main hall, holistic music and drama studio, ‘discovery point’ library, staff room and workspace, administration offices and parent waiting rooms. As a response to the 2,000 new homes that are being built on the Barton Farm site, the Council has decided appoint a contractor and build further school places too. The school will target a BREEAM Excellent energy efficiency rating to provide a sustainable learning environment when it opens in September 2020. “The University is an outstanding provider of teacher education and has a strong track record of raising aspiration among young people. Pupils at the school will benefit from our values-driven ethos, extensive regional school partnerships, our evidence-based learning and teaching, our powerful links with local business and community organisations, and our passionate commitment to social justice and sustainability. The innovative Academy buildings, including state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor learning environments, will also meet our very high standards for sustainability,” said Professor Joy Carter CBE, DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University and Chair of the University of Winchester Academy Trust, which will run the school. This project win adds to Willmott Dixon’s recent contract to build the new Winchester Sport and Leisure Park to replace the River Park Leisure Centre. “Willmott Dixon is delighted to be involved in this project. The new school will provide much-needed inspirational learning spaces. We are always delighted to play a part in supporting the learning of the next generation. As will all our projects we aim to leave a positive legacy in the local community and are targeting 140 apprenticeship weeks on the project,” added Richard Poulter, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the Central South. Barton Farm Academy has been designed by Hampshire County Council’s in-house team of architects and landscape designers and meets the highest standards for environmental sustainability and will provide inspiring and creative learning spaces for children to flourish. The new school forms part of the County Council investment in new school places across Hampshire.
Leading UK construction company Willmott Dixon has strengthened its presence in Sussex with a new office. The firm held an event to celebrate the opening of the Gatwick office, welcoming leaders and representatives from both Crawley and Surrey County Council. The new base expands the company’s presence as it looks to deliver more projects that play a key role in the county’s future. The opening comes shortly after the successful completion of L3 Technologies’ new flight simulator production and training facility on Gatwick Road in Crawley. It was designed to promote an agile, collaborative, project-led working approach, and will accommodate both pre-construction and operations staff, with partners and customers also encouraged to utilise the space. “Willmott Dixon has been well established in the county since 1930 when we built Bailiffscourt at Climping near Littlehampton for Lord Moyne. Since then we’ve grown across Sussex and opening our new Gatwick hub, close to where many of our people live, is a natural evolution,” explained Russell Miller, Willmott Dixon Director for Delivery in Sussex. “Gatwick is a thriving area and has, along with Sussex, a really bright future with many bold and imaginative initiatives to encourage growth and investment. We want to be part of shaping that by basing ourselves in an area close to our partners and customers,” Russell added. The event also saw Chestnut Tree House – the children’s hospice for Sussex –presented with a cheque for £7,104.12 which was raised by the team at Willmott Dixon following a sponsored skydive.
Schoolchildren in Cheshire are enjoying a renewed sense of health and wellbeing, following a ground-breaking project at Alsager School. The £320k development has provided students with space to enjoy the fresh air – whatever the weather. Tasked with overseeing the design, build and installation of a sleek new ETFE canopy to enclose what was previously an open courtyard, Access North Build has made waves within the education sector with its industry-first solution. Yorkshire-headquartered Access North Build designed, developed and installed a pioneering solution, a lightweight steel space frame – the first of its kind supporting an ETFE membrane in the UK – erected to span the quad, thus enclosing the area beneath. Alsager School site manager, Matt Harris, explained: “Fresh air plays a pivotal part in the wellbeing and health of people of all ages. Creating a space which allows students to ‘go outside’ while providing protection from the elements – including rain and solar shielding – is key to supporting their development.” Engineered to carry more weight over a greater area – in order to provide plenty of natural light and promote student wellbeing – the greatest challenge was the location and layout of the outdoor space, which was enclosed by existing buildings on all sides. As a result, the superstructure – which is over 400 square feet in size – had to be assembled in the school car park before being carefully manoeuvred over the establishment and precisely into position on the pre-installed locating bolts. Access North Group managing director, Berenice Northcott added: “This type of ETFE enclosure provides an extremely beneficial space for organisations within the education sector where student wellbeing is crucial. Additionally, the new ETFE canopy has a design life of 70 years providing it is regularly maintained, but if the time comes when it is no longer required, the ETFE membrane and steel space frame are recyclable, extending the environmental-friendliness of the build with the circular economy in mind. “We relished the challenges of this particular project. Craning a huge space frame over a school and courtyard – which was bordered on all sides – without damaging buildings or people, was a testament to the planning, organisation and attention to detail of the team. The new roof has transformed a previously under-utilised area into a light and airy multifunctional space, resulting in a positive impact on staff and pupils.”
The 2019 East Midlands RICS Awards have recognised the £30 million Lincoln Transport Hub, winning the top prize in the Infrastructure category. The Wilmott Dixon-built development garned praise from the judges for being delivered “on time and within budget”. In addition, this major win has also secured the project’s place at the RICS national finals in London later this year. “The Lincoln Transport Hub involved complex stakeholder engagement as well as presenting numerous operational challenges from the outset. By working in collaboration with the council and other organisations involved, we were able to collectively deliver a real success story for Lincoln,” said Nick Heath, director of delivery for Willmott Dixon. “We are delighted to have been recognised by our peers for this project, which we are certain will continue to be the bedrock of growth in Lincoln city centre. We have previously worked with Lincoln University Technical College (UTC) to refurbish and extend its iconic building and we are continuing to deliver a number of exciting schemes across Lincolnshire, such as a next generation emergency services hub for Lincolnshire County Council.” Thornton Firkin and John Roberts Architects worked alongside Willmott Dixon to deliver the hub to meet the needs of City of Lincoln Council. It is a vital element of the council’s plans to transform Lincoln’s city centre with a better integrated and improved interchange into the city centre which will also encourage further inward investment in Lincoln. The scheme included a new bus station with 14 bus bays and a six-level multi-storey car park housing 1001 spaces. “The transport hub scheme helps the city council achieve our vision of delivering Lincoln’s ambitious future and our priority of driving economic growth in Greater Lincoln. The new bus station and wider transport hub project will help revitalise the key visitor arrival point into the city centre. Our commitment to the Transport Hub project demonstrates to people locally, regionally and nationally that Lincoln is a thriving city and we are confident enough in this belief to invest significantly in its future,” added Kate Ellis, director of major projects at City of Lincoln Council.
An £8 million industrial scheme has been completed by Caddick Construction in Knowsley, Merseyside, boosting the provision of warehouse space in the area. The scheme called Element is part of a bigger development at Network Space’s Alchemy Business Park, which will provide three highly specified industrial warehouse units of 22,900 sq ft, 35,200 sqft and 45,450 sq ft. “Element offers a prime location in Knowsley and enjoys exceptional transport links. This latest speculative development demonstrates the high level of confidence that developers have in Knowsley as a place to invest and do business,” said Dale Milburn, Knowsley Council’s Executive Director for Regeneration and Economic Development. The development, which was supported by a £1.8 million Local Growth Fund grant, has been designed to appeal to a wide range of logistics and industrial occupiers and feature generous self-contained yards, office and car park provision, separated office and yard access with 10m eave heights and dock level access provision on the two larger units. Once let, the Element units could accommodate up to 250 jobs and produce a net additional GVA per annum of £9.90 million for the region. “This is Network Space’s fourth self-financed scheme to complete within the last 12 months, taking the total space delivered within that period to just under 400,000 sq ft across 14 units. Within that same period, we have already let nearly 60% of the space and have good prospects for the remaining units. There remains a shortage of industrial warehouse space across the region and this coupled with the prominence, accessibility, quality and presentation of this scheme makes Element a compelling prospect for future occupiers,” commented Stephen Barnes, Managing Director (Development) at Network Space. B8 and CBRE are the appointed agents for the scheme and both have reported encouraging interest from a range of prospective occupiers.
The Mayor of Dawlish has officially opened Cavanna Homes’ latest show home at Barley Meadow community in Dawlish with a ribbon-cutting. The development, located off Secmaton Lane, has already secured four reservations. Councillor Lisa Mayne was joined by Andy Addison, Head of Operations, Lauren Pybus, Sales Manager, and Anne Beadle, Sales Advisor, for the ceremony. Cllr Mayne said: “It’s remarkable to see how this space has changed since the turf cutting back in November into a community of new homes for Dawlish. “It was a pleasure to officially open the new show home at Barley Meadow and to see this beautiful development coming to life”. Barley Meadow, offers a selection of two, three and four-bedroom homes close to the coast and the countryside, and is within easy reach of Dawlish town centre by car, foot, bike or bus. Andy Addison added: “It’s really positive to have four of our new homes already reserved before our show home was even opened. This development is bursting with energy and is surrounded by beautiful countryside. We would encourage anyone looking to move to the area to come and visit us”. The show home is a ‘Brook’ style three-bedroom detached property with a master en-suite bedroom, spacious lounge with large bay windows and double doors leading onto the lawned garden. Prices at Barley Meadow start from £225,000 for a two-bedroom home. The local area has two primary schools, a college, and local amenities including a post office, supermarket, banks, restaurants and a leisure centre. Dawlish train station is two miles away and provides links to Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol and London. As well as 74 new open market and affordable homes, the homebuilder will be funding a new cycle route to connect Barley Meadow to the town centre, and supporting recreation facilities and habitat improvements for the Cirl Bunting bird population. For more information about Cavanna Homes’ Barley Meadow development, please call the sales advisor on 01626 817424 or visit the website: www.cavannahomes.co.uk. The show home and marketing suite is open daily from 10am – 5pm.
Weston Homes is due to deliver a project that will transform a historic military hospital site in Aldershot into a new £60 million residential area of 140 private sale homes. The former Cambridge Military Hospital and ancillary buildings will be converted into the new homes, commercial/community facilities and grand communal foyers and spaces. The iconic site comprises a collection of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, which are being restored as part of Grainger’s Aldershot Urban Extension scheme, now known as Wellesley. “Weston Homes is pleased to be working alongside Grainger plc to reinvigorate the iconic Victorian and Edwardian military buildings of the Cambridge Military Hospital and transform them into a new residential address for Aldershot that local people will be proud to call home. With our proven historic building restoration expertise, Weston Homes will bring a new lease of life to these heritage buildings which are of national importance due to their military history, we will transform them into modern homes layered with the rich history and unique character of this historic site,” said Bob Weston, Chairman & Chief Executive of Weston Homes. The project involves a team of multi-award-winning architectural practices with the masterplan devised by Adam Urbanism, with detailed architectural design by Feilden & Mawson for the Cambridge Military Hospital; Omega Partnership for the Louise Margaret Hospital and former Nurse’s Residence; Adam Architecture for Gun Hill House & Gun Hill Water Tower; and Thrive Architecture for Cambridge House & St Michae’’s House, and Allen Pyke Associates for the landscape design. “We are delighted to have secured Weston Homes for this important heritage site and look forward to working with them to deliver 140 new homes within the historic buildings of the Cambridge Military Hospital. Weston Homes has proven restoration and conversion skills which will be essential for ensuring the preservation of the period buildings. This partnership underlines Grainger’s commitment to the wider Wellesley development and reinforces our role as a leading partner for major residential regeneration projects,” added Helen Gordon, Chief Executive of Grainger plc. Weston Homes will deliver both converted and new build homes, including one, two and three-bedroom apartments and two, three and four–bedroom houses set in landscaped grounds. Original features such as fireplaces, paneling and staircases will be retained and incorporated into the new homes that will become part of the new residential area. Work will begin this summer, with the project anticipated to be phased over several years.
Berwick will turn one of its current infirmary into a new £25 million hospital, with all of its previous services still continuing into the new building. After reviewing feedback on previous proposals to develop a joint site with the Swan leisure centre, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) agreed on the development. “We are delighted to be able to announce that the new hospital will be built on the site of the much loved (Berwick) Infirmary,” said Northumbria Healthcare CEO Sir James Mackey. “Following extensive joint public engagement, and a thorough review of all alternative sites, we believe this is the best option which also commands the support of both staff and the community – a factor which is very important to both the trust and the CCG. “It is clear that the joint development was not what the town wanted. Instead, people demonstrated their support for a stand-alone hospital on the current site. Accordingly, we have listened, responded and worked together to come up with this plan as an alternative.” The authorities will put a major emphasis on eradicating the need to travel for minor or routine appointments in the plans by ensuring they track and publish the number of miles patients have to travel on a yearly basis. The design of the facility will also focus flexibility, embracing new technology and ensuring outstanding care. “This is great news for Berwick and we are delighted to see the project moving forward in a way that meets the needs of the local community. Patients are at the heart of our services and this decision is as a direct result of the feedback we have heard,” added Janet Guy, chair of Northumberland CCG. “We very much look forward to working with Northumbria Healthcare to provide a first class health facility for the people of Berwick. It’s very exciting and is brilliant news for both the NHS and the town.” Preliminary talks are underway with a number of possible developers.
Site remediation works have been completed at Broad Street in Birmingham, allowing for construction to begin on a new £118 million residential tower. When complete, the Broad Street development, which was recently renamed The Mercian, will have 481 apartments exclusively for rent, offering hotel level service and a whole host of on-site amenities including a 24-hour concierge service and smart lifts that register when residents enter the building and are ready and waiting at ground level. It will also provide residents with quality health and wellness zones, including a 200m podium open-air running track on the roof – one of the first in the UK’s housing market. Rhodar completed an £850,000 remediation project at the site, removing redundant structures from the site including well shafts, the remnants of a former abattoir, and a series of Victorian-era basements. Remediation of soils across the 3,000 square metre site was carried out to remove asbestos, heavy metals and hydrocarbon contamination throughout the earthworks, removing all risks and safety hazards. Over a 16-week period, Rhodar’s team delivered an expertly-engineered platform to facilitate further operations allowing the tower construction phase to begin. Over 7,500 cubic metres of soil has been excavated and treated, with 6,500 cubic metres being returned to the site and 1,000 cubic metres of this soil being removed to achieve development levels. Specialist, heavy equipment, including a crusher, a screener, a roller and D5 bulldozer were needed for the next phase of remediation. 120 linear metres of sheet piling was installed to depths of up to nine metres below ground level to facilitate the excavation, processing and re-compaction of site soils during the removal of legacy below ground structures from previous phases of development. A specialist RTG RT21T piling rig was utilised together with concrete cutting equipment to remove difficult to access obstructions at the site boundaries and for the sheet piling to be installed. This will form part of the permanent works for the new residential tower. Construction has now started on-site after developer Moda Living held a ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday 30 April.
