Leeds City Council has submitted plans to transform an ageing leisure centre site into a state-of-the-art and wellbeing hub. The council has had long-standing ambitions for Fearnville Leisure Centre in Gipton to be replaced with a facility that is fit for the 21st century. This could soon become a reality,
Unite Students has started building work on its new £185 million property in Stratford, London. Hawthorne House is being built in Farthingale Walk, Stratford, and is replacing former office block Jubilee House, which has now been demolished. It will open in time for the 2026/27 academic year. The 36-storey property
To support the UK’s focus on delivering sustainable regeneration and 5,800 new homes on a brownfield site, housebuilders can consider what these sites have to offer and how they can create sustainable homes at accessible prices. By committing to working towards the latest targets announced by the Department of Levelling
Plans for 280 apartments to be built in the centre of Preston have been formally submitted to the City Council. The new building, consisting of 67 two-bedroom and 213 one-bedroom apartments, will replace some of the existing buildings within the development site at 127-131 Church Street. It will rise from
Network Rail and Homes England have chosen McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate as the strategic developer for their major brownfield scheme, York Central. York Central is being brought forward by a partnership between Network Rail, Homes England, the City of York Council and the National Railway Museum. The scheme
Improvement work to the external façade of the Health Hydro leisure centre in Swindon has commenced. Owned by Swindon Borough council the centre closed earlier this year, extensive surveys have been carried out, which could not be done while the building was in use. Now, scaffolding has been put up
Beard has commenced work on a major renovation project at Nuffield College, a graduate college of Oxford University. The three-phase, £3.3 million project will see Beard undertake significant remodelling and accessibility improvements across the Grade II listed building. In the first phase – which is already underway – Beard is
Bradford’s One City Park office scheme, delivered by Muse in partnership with Bradford Council, is now complete and contracts have been exchanged with a corporate anchor tenant, to be announced in the coming weeks. The landmark city centre building was delivered on schedule, a major feat for a scheme of
Willmott Dixon has completed the once-in-a-generation £132 million transformation of Bristol Beacon, one of the most iconic cultural landmarks in the South West of England. It has taken five years and involved more than a million hours of time to create a flagship venue that will attract thousands of people
Rotherham Council recently celebrated an important milestone towards achieving its aim to provide more affordable housing to the area. The completion of 12 homes at Harron Homes’ The Paddocks development in Wickersley marked the 500th home built and was celebrated by an event hosted at the development. Harron successfully put forward
Leeds City Council has submitted plans to transform an ageing leisure centre site into a state-of-the-art and wellbeing hub. The council has had long-standing ambitions for Fearnville Leisure Centre in Gipton to be replaced with a facility that is fit for the 21st century. This could soon become a reality, with good progress being made towards identifying funding for a scheme that would deliver a significant boost to communities facing sizeable social and economic challenges. The council’s plans would see a new wellbeing centre being built on part of the King George V Playing Fields, a 28-acre green space that is home to the current Fearnville facility. Indoor amenities would include a large main swimming pool, learner pool, sports hall, fitness studios, spin room and a 120-station gym as well as a community café and adventure play area. Major improvements would also be made to Fearnville’s outdoor offer, with an all-weather pitch, tennis courts, skatepark and play zone among the proposed features. Tree-planting and soft landscaping would increase the site’s biodiversity, with insects, birds and other wildlife giving people fresh opportunities to get in touch with nature. The new-look centre would encourage more take-up of physical activity among residents in Gipton & Harehills and Killingbeck & Seacroft – densely-populated wards which suffer from low life expectancy and high obesity rates – as well as benefiting wider east Leeds. Local demand for sports and leisure facilities is set to grow in the coming years, with thousands of new homes planned through the East Leeds Extension and related development sites. Fearnville also offers essential learn-to-swim provision for more than 30 primary schools – part of the largest programme of its kind in the city. If plans are approved, it is hoped that work could get under way in the middle of 2024. The existing centre would remain open while the new facility takes shape on a part of the site that at present is occupied by a disused artificial football pitch. Then, once construction is complete, the current building – which dates back to the 1980s – would be demolished. The bulk of the funding for the scheme is proposed to be sourced from a mix of external grant support, the council’s capital programme and developer contributions. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Unite Students has started building work on its new £185 million property in Stratford, London. Hawthorne House is being built in Farthingale Walk, Stratford, and is replacing former office block Jubilee House, which has now been demolished. It will open in time for the 2026/27 academic year. The 36-storey property includes a 65,000 sq ft sixth-form academy, the London Academy of Excellence, over eight floors, which will be in place for an initial 35-year term. Unite Students is using a ‘fabric first’ approach, which means the design of the building optimises the materials being used in its construction to give better energy efficiency, such as maximising air tightness and solar gain. The development’s embodied carbon saving is 9,770 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) over 60 years, which exceeds the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 2030 Climate Challenge baseline. These are voluntary performance targets for operational energy use, water use and embodied carbon. London, which is home to over 300,000 students, hosts three of the world’s top 25 universities. Unite Students is the capital’s largest student accommodation operator and is committed to adding more beds. Unite Students acquired the Farthingale Walk site earlier this year for £73million. RG Group has been awarded the build contract. Tom Brewerton, Group Development Director at Unite Students, said: “Unite Students is leading the purpose-built student accommodation sector in London and Hawthorne House will be a unique offering in the capital. Our rental offer remains very competitive when compared to alternative forms of student accommodation and we are confident our fixed-price, all-inclusive rent provides real value-for-money for our customers. “Hawthorne House will offer high quality bedrooms, social and study areas, and will be home to a sixth form academy. It shows Unite Students’ commitment to deliver high quality student accommodation using sustainable methods. We look forward to furthering our relationship with both University of the Arts London and the London Academy of Excellence.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
To support the UK’s focus on delivering sustainable regeneration and 5,800 new homes on a brownfield site, housebuilders can consider what these sites have to offer and how they can create sustainable homes at accessible prices. By committing to working towards the latest targets announced by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, housebuilders across the UK can bring lasting change that improves the economic and wellbeing outcomes of communities across the UK. Tim Wray, Group Development Director at top 10 UK housebuilder Keepmoat, reflects on these new targets and how planning, construction and development teams can pinpoint brownfield redevelopment projects to create sustainable communities in spaces that were once unused, to benefit populations across the UK . Redeveloping brownfield sites Sustainable land Developing brownfield land and creating thriving new communities is key to delivering the government’s housing targets, whilst also contributing to the UK’s sustainable regeneration advancements. With more than 67,000 acres of brownfield land across the country, if developed effectively, these unused sites can offer sustainable, social and economic benefits to the surrounding cities and towns. Brownfield sites also provide ideal opportunities to provide housing stock at accessible price points, creating employment opportunities, promoting conservation efforts and adding new social areas, such as playgrounds, playing fields or sitting areas. Developers may want to look at prioritising sustainable development practices as we look to the future of housebuilding. By purchasing formerly developed land, these sites continue to promote urban regeneration, providing new homes, workplaces, and amenities in areas that have suffered from neglect or lack of investment. Many local authorities also support regeneration in their communities, making it easier for developers to gain planning permission to create new housing stock at a price point that residents can afford. Keepmoat recently began work on a new site of 300 new homes in Northstowe, Cambridgeshire. The homes will be constructed using a closed panel timber frame technique to deliver part of the second phase of the new town which is located on former RAF military land. Developing this unused RAF site means the newest Cambridgeshire town, which in total will see more than 10,000 homes, eight schools, a new town centre with multiple facilities and open spaces provided, will become a sustainable, lively community. Land acquisition Revitalising communities through the delivery of high-quality multi tenure homes, in well-designed and well-connected neighbourhoods, is made possible through a strong local authority partnership approach. One such partnership is the Leeds City Council Brownfield Land Programme. Keepmoat is working with Leeds CIty Council to deliver 1,000 new multi tenure homes, across 13 brownfield developments across east Leeds. The scheme is widely considered to be the most prominent package of brownfield redevelopment in the Leeds area. The large-scale intervention will not only broaden the housing on offer in East Leeds but will aid the regeneration of three neighbourhoods, through local amenities, highway improvements and greenspace provision. The housing stock is multi-tenure and set at accessible price points to attract first time buyers and young professionals to the area. 68% of purchasers are between 18-30 years old. The Synergy development in Halton Moor is the latest in the Leeds Brownfield project to see construction begin. The project will deliver 109 new two, three and four-bedroom properties, of which a percentage are available for affordable housing provision through Leeds Federated Housing Association. Keepmoat and the Council have engaged with local schools, colleges and employment groups to recruit local young people through apprenticeship schemes. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Plans for 280 apartments to be built in the centre of Preston have been formally submitted to the City Council. The new building, consisting of 67 two-bedroom and 213 one-bedroom apartments, will replace some of the existing buildings within the development site at 127-131 Church Street. It will rise from four storeys to a part-19 storey building with 337 sq.m of ground floor commercial accommodation provided in addition to residential amenity areas, landscaped courtyard and cycle storage. The historic 131 Church Street will be retained and refurbished and the scheme will boast an outdoor seating area in the new central public realm core. If approved the 19,257 sq.m apartments scheme in Preston is expected to start on site during Autumn 2024. Luke Averill, Managing Director of developer TAG, said: “Preston City Centre continues to look forward and we are delighted to have submitted this planning application. “We believe our project will contribute significantly to the long-term success of Preston, which is outlined in the transformational 15-year vision ‘Preston’s City Investment Plan (2020 – 2035)’. I would like to thank the professional team that have got us to this stage and also say that we are actively seeking joint venture partners for this exciting scheme.” Consultants on the scheme include DAY Architectural Ltd, Zerum PDM, Scalia Planning, Futureserve, TPM Landscape Ltd, MB Heritage, ERAP, Adept Consulting Engineers (Manchester) Ltd, SK Transport Planning Ltd, Arcaero, GIA Surveyors, Noise Air, Jensen Hughes, TC Property and RAD. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Network Rail and Homes England have chosen McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate as the strategic developer for their major brownfield scheme, York Central. York Central is being brought forward by a partnership between Network Rail, Homes England, the City of York Council and the National Railway Museum. The scheme has the potential to significantly boost the local economy by creating up to 6,500 jobs and delivering over £1.1 billion of Gross Value Added to the economy of York per annum. There are already £135 million of infrastructure works underway to enable this major regional scheme to progress. These include over 3km of new roads, footpaths, cycleways and also include two new bridges over the East Coast Main Line. The appointment of McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate as a development partner is the latest milestone in delivering York Central, which will see a key piece of York city centre brought to life by transforming under-utilised railway land into vibrant and distinctive residential neighbourhoods, cultural spaces, high quality public realm and a high-quality commercial quarter. McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate partnership have significant experience in delivering major mixed use regeneration schemes and neighbourhoods including Durhamgate, Newton Aycliffe and Upper Brook Street, Manchester. Peter Denton, Chief Executive at Homes England said: “This is a major milestone in the important regeneration of York Central. Over the last few years, Homes England and Network Rail have worked closely with City of York Council to create a vision and masterplan, and have invested in the critical infrastructure to make this a reality. It will now be delivered at pace through our chosen development partner for long term delivery and stewardship.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Improvement work to the external façade of the Health Hydro leisure centre in Swindon has commenced. Owned by Swindon Borough council the centre closed earlier this year, extensive surveys have been carried out, which could not be done while the building was in use. Now, scaffolding has been put up in order to repair failing roofs and sections of the stonework and windows. This work is part of a £6.9 million refurbishment programme which is being funded using money from the Council, the Government’s Towns Fund and Historic England. When complete, users will experience substantial improvements with enhanced changing facilities, a new entrance and fitness suite in the former washing baths hall and a new mechanical, electrical and plumbing plant system to service the main pool and improve the building’s environmental performance. As this is only the first phase of works, further funding is needed for the £5.7m second phase. Last month a £4.6m grant bid was submitted to the National Heritage Lottery Fund, which will aim to fund the completion of the restoration and enhancement of the main pool hall. Overall, the Health Hydro project will repair and insulate the main pool hall roof, deliver substantial improvements to the building’s environmental performance and undertake conservation works to the exterior and interior including the spectator gallery and stained-glass window. The project will also focus on how to showcase the building’s remarkable history and its role in informing the blueprint for the NHS. The success of the first stage of this bid will be revealed in March 2024. If successful, a second application will then need to be prepared and submitted. Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Heritage, Art and Culture, said: “This bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund signals a new era and wave of optimism for Swindon’s heritage and marks an important milestone for the restoration and regeneration of this building. “The Hydro is an important landmark for the town and it’s one we want to see restored to its former glory and available for future generations to enjoy. “We have recently embarked on developing a new Heritage Plan, which will chart our next priorities for unlocking the value and opportunities from Swindon’s rich heritage, not only including the Hydro but also in the rest of the Railway Village and the Borough as a whole.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Beard has commenced work on a major renovation project at Nuffield College, a graduate college of Oxford University. The three-phase, £3.3 million project will see Beard undertake significant remodelling and accessibility improvements across the Grade II listed building. In the first phase – which is already underway – Beard is building new, fully accessible facilities in multiple locations at the college site. Phase two will see Beard relocating the main entrance, moving the porters’ lodge to the Worcester Street entrance to the College, where it was originally planned to be, providing more modern and accessible facilities. This will then be followed by phase three, with the existing lodge site transformed into accessible meeting spaces, as well as the refurbishment of existing facilities to create a new 100-person lecture theatre. Throughout the project, the Beard team will also be completing major landscaping works to improve access to the ground floor spaces. In addition to raising the paving in the upper and lower quads to door level, Beard will also be increasing ramped access between the quads. To meet the requirements of the Grade II listed building and reduce the loss of embodied energy, Beard will be retaining and re-using the old York stone paving slabs. The project, which is set to complete next summer, is taking place in a live building. As a result, Beard has split the project into 15 mini-phases to ensure the college can maintain access. Meanwhile, the team has implemented partitions, walkways and fences, as well as a full-time traffic marshal to keep all members of the college safe. This is particularly important as the college’s arched entranceway will mean deliveries will have to be forklifted onto the site, while materials used for the landscaping will be transported using dumper trucks. Dean Averies, Beard director for Oxford, said: “Beard has built a formidable reputation in the education sector and we’re incredibly proud of the longstanding partnership we have with Oxford University and its colleges. To be chosen once again to support the growth of one of the country’s finest educational institutions is certainly not lost on us. “Working on any listed or heritage building presents its own challenges, especially when the building is still active and in regular use. However, we have plenty of experience in complex refurbishments in education and in live environments across Oxford and further afield. The college has clear ambitions to enhance its facilities – and we believe we have the skills and expertise to help make that a reality.” Andrew Dilnot, Warden of Nuffield College, added: “This project represents one of the most significant interventions made to the College since it was built. The works will radically improve accessibility into and around the main College site and through the refurbishment of internal areas will provide outstanding facilities which will further support the College’s core functions as a centre for research and teaching in the social sciences. We are pleased to see Beard begin work and are grateful to them and the wider professional team on the project for the expert ways in which they are approaching what is a very complex project while also enabling the College’s day to day activities to continue to the fullest extent possible. We look forward to the project’s completion next summer.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Bradford’s One City Park office scheme, delivered by Muse in partnership with Bradford Council, is now complete and contracts have been exchanged with a corporate anchor tenant, to be announced in the coming weeks. The landmark city centre building was delivered on schedule, a major feat for a scheme of this scale in a prominent and extremely tight city centre location. Brought forward by national place makers Muse and in partnership with Bradford Council, the scheme offers 56,403 sq. ft of sustainable and flexible office space in the heart of the city and was delivered by main contractor Caddick Construction. Additional funding came from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Simon Dew, development director at Muse, said: “One City Park will be a catalyst for further investment in the city and signifies a newfound confidence in its commercial centre that will attract future big-name businesses. The project also demonstrates a very successful public/private partnership that will reap long-term benefits by providing incredible job opportunities for the younger, growing, population in the city.” The project is the first large capital development to complete in the city, ahead of the £23m Darley Street market scheme set to open next year, as well as Bradford Live which is currently undergoing its own multi-million-pound transformation. The city has also committed to a Walking and Cycling Improvements Scheme that is set to transform the way people get around the city centre. The £43m scheme includes the pedestrianisation and landscaping of a number of city centre streets and re-routing some buses – all aimed at creating a healthier, safer and more attractive place in which to live, work and visit. One City Park only launched to market last year and is represented by commercial agents Knight Frank and Colliers. It features five floors of workspace and a roof terrace, flexible floor plans that can adapted to accommodate more agile working practices as well as promote wellbeing. It is designed to suit a range of businesses from home grown starts-up and SMEs, through to larger organisations and multi-national occupiers. The building, which has now been formally handed over to Bradford Council as the owners, is framed by new public spaces including stepped access and attractive seating areas. Cultural assets such as the Grade I Listed City Hall, St George’s Hall and new music venue, Bradford Live, all surround One City Park and are expected to play a major role in the city’s UK City of Culture celebrations in 2025. Sustainable design elements are at the core of One City Park including high-performance glazing, photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps to make sure the building operates on renewable energy. Every car park space has an electric car charging point, coupled with secure cycle storage and changing facilities to encourage workers to take more sustainable and healthier modes of transport. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Willmott Dixon has completed the once-in-a-generation £132 million transformation of Bristol Beacon, one of the most iconic cultural landmarks in the South West of England. It has taken five years and involved more than a million hours of time to create a flagship venue that will attract thousands of people each year to see some of the world’s best entertainment acts. Described by Arts Council England as “one of the great cultural icons of modern-day Britain”, the largest concert venue in the region also represents the second largest investment in the arts in England by the Arts Council in the last 10 years. Thanks to the structural refurbishment led by Willmott Dixon, Bristol Beacon now boasts four new world-class performance spaces, allowing it to deliver over 800 events a year and generate an estimated £13 million annually to the economy. Its music education centre in the transformed and previously inaccessible cellars, called Bristol Water Sound Studios, will enable 30,000 children a year to use new state-of-the-art practice and rehearsal spaces. As well as having some of the best acoustics of any concert hall in Europe, it will also have some of the highest levels of physical accessibility throughout making it truly accessible to everyone, both artists and audiences. Sustainability has also been built in – the environmentally conscious design of the transformed venue will contribute to its net zero goal by 2030 and adapt Bristol Beacon for a lifetime of sustainable use. Richard David, director who led Willmott Dixon’s team at the Bristol Beacon, said: “I can’t emphasise enough just how proud Willmott Dixon is to be a part of Bristol Beacon’s renewal. Its complexities and challenges have been like nothing the team has ever undertaken, yet everyone has risen to the challenge and both our team and our supply chain partners deserve recognition for their commitment and dedication. “The project has required intricate planning at every stage, and we have ensured that since the start we have truly respected the heritage of the building, its conservation, restoration and renovation, as well as understanding the building structure and fabric. An extraordinary amount of work and skill has been required to resolve the issues we faced; archaeological, historical, logistical and technical. “The building that has been delivered is incredible. Bristol Beacon is so much more than a construction project and will have a fantastic impact on the city for generations to come.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rotherham Council recently celebrated an important milestone towards achieving its aim to provide more affordable housing to the area. The completion of 12 homes at Harron Homes’ The Paddocks development in Wickersley marked the 500th home built and was celebrated by an event hosted at the development. Harron successfully put forward a bid to provide all 12 of the affordable homes to Rotherham Council. The 12 homes are made up of six rented units and six shared ownership homes which were purchased at a discount rate in line with Rotherham Council planning policy. Harron Homes’ Sales Manager Paul Walters welcomed Rotherham Council’s Deputy Leader Councillor Sarah Allen, and Assistant Director of Housing, James Clark to The Paddocks for the official handover of keys. The Council serves the residents of the city and surrounding areas. The affordable housing scheme is the latest in a series of measures to help families in the area find and maintain a home, with a target of acquiring hundreds of more homes by the end of March 2026. Councillor Sarah Allen said, “We are grateful to Harron homes for participating in the scheme and helping us reach this all-important milestone. Rotherham Council works to provide support for all those in our community and we are glad we can offer affordable housing to those who need it most. As a Council we have an important part to play in addressing the challenges faced and achieving better outcomes for the people of Rotherham.” Paul Walters added, “It was an honour to celebrate this important milestone with Councillor Allen and Mr Clark. Our teams dedicate themselves to delivering the highest quality in all areas and we are proud our homes can assist Rotherham Council in its goal of providing families with affordable housing. We look forward to continuing this relationship to support our local communities.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
