A project funded by AEW UK Investment Management, which has bought the site from Caddick Group in the stages to start construction. Wakefield 515, which will be speculatively built, marks the second phase of Crosspoint 33, an emerging warehouse & logistics hub by junction 33 of the M62 motorway. Caddick
Knowsley Council has started a public consultation on one of the largest housing developments in the North-west. The local authority has opened for views on a masterplan for Halsnead, a development worth an estimated £270m which will provide more than 1,600 homes over a 15-year period. The development was one
As well as being granted permission to proceed with London’s £27bn Crossrail 2 project, the latest construction news highlights the sheer number of green lights given to construction projects, not solely in London, but across the North of England. With landmark projects such as HS3, expansion to the M62 and
A project funded by AEW UK Investment Management, which has bought the site from Caddick Group in the stages to start construction. Wakefield 515, which will be speculatively built, marks the second phase of Crosspoint 33, an emerging warehouse & logistics hub by junction 33 of the M62 motorway. Caddick also built the first phase – a £100m 1.2m sq ft distribution centre now occupied by TJX Europe, parent company of retail brands TK Maxx and HomeSense. Myles Hartley, managing director at Caddick Developments, detailed thoughts on his company’s beds-and-sheds strategy. “As a group, our focus is on structurally-supported asset classes such as build-to-rent and industrial/logistics, where we see long-term growth potential,” he said. Caddick’s build-to-rent housing brand, Moda Living, opened its first development, Angel Gardens in central Manchester, last month. It is also due to start on-site with the first phase of its £300m SOYO neighbourhood in Leeds city centre, a 515-home BTR scheme that Caddick Construction will build for Moda Living.
Knowsley Council has started a public consultation on one of the largest housing developments in the North-west. The local authority has opened for views on a masterplan for Halsnead, a development worth an estimated £270m which will provide more than 1,600 homes over a 15-year period. The development was one of 14 granted garden village status by the government earlier this month, giving it access to a £6m government fund over the next two financial years. Halsnead is situated at the junction of the M62 and M57 in Merseyside, and the new development will include a new country park, schools, local amenities as well as the new homes. The consultation, produced by the council with support from Turley and Mott MacDonald, targets a 2018 start date for the site’s first residential developments, with an average of about 93 homes delivered per year through to 2035. The client expects to begin with two housebuilders on the £270m scheme initially, with a potential increase to four over the course of the project’s delivery. Graham Morgan, Knowsley’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, said the scheme was “the biggest change that Knowsley will see in the next 15 years”. “Historically the site formed part of the Halsnead Park Estate and has been out of bounds to the local community. The masterplan will change this by opening up the area and enhancing it for the benefit of local people and new residents,” he said. “We want people to get involved in the consultation on the draft masterplan and have their say. This is their chance to guide the development of this exciting and unique opportunity.” Read more at https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/markets/sectors/housing/plans-set-out-for-270m-merseyside-garden-village/10016407.article
As well as being granted permission to proceed with London’s £27bn Crossrail 2 project, the latest construction news highlights the sheer number of green lights given to construction projects, not solely in London, but across the North of England. With landmark projects such as HS3, expansion to the M62 and improvements made to both the A69 and A66 all given the green light, optimism is rife for the benefits the improved infrastructure of these schemes will bring. Additionally, a study as to the feasibility for a Trans-Pennine tunnel between Manchester and Sheffield was also given the go ahead for further investigation. Of course, the budget is, by very essence only a plan for development, yet with this plan clearly highlighting government dedication to improved infrastructure, the industry of tomorrow is one of great hope. And while direct benefits of the projects are some time down the line, with projects such as Crossrail 2 planned to be completed by approximately 2030, the industry is optimistically excited due to the volume of work the schemes will generate between now and then, with a vast number of construction jobs to be created in accordance. Yet, despite a forecast rise in the availability of construction jobs, key to remind ourselves of is the availability of skilled workers in the industry. Firstly urging a focus on the availability of such skills onto and into the future, Clare Watson, Chair for the North West of the National Federation of Builders highlighted that: “Improving transport and infrastructure will not only improve business prospects, it will increase social mobility and widen the opportunities available in construction for the next generation. With aforementioned plans already reported by the CITB to provide much-needed support in the training of tomorrow’s construction workforce, a clear effort is being made to shorten the skill gap, yet, with some 22,500 construction jobs to be created in the North West, even further emphasis throughout the sector is urged.
