Homes England pumps £40m in Watford retirement scheme
Homes England has injected £40m of funding into retirement homes developer Audley Group’s planned Watford Riverwell scheme in Hertfordshire.
The loan is one of the first for the older living sector from the £4.5bn Home Building Fund and will accelerate the construction of 255 mid-market retirement homes.
Balfour Beatty has secured a £68m contract from Audley Group for the mix of one- and two- bedroom apartments.
The firm will also lead the delivery of communal facilities that include swimming pool, restaurant, a health club and a multi-purpose village hall that will be surrounded with green spaces and parking.
Balfour Beatty will manufacture 180 apartment balconies offsite, thereby reducing the risk of working at height and improve the overall project efficiency.
The early works at the site are already underway and the main construction works are slated to be completed in 2023.
Peter Denton, Chief Executive at Homes England, said: “Our loan directly addresses market funding challenges due to the pandemic and highlights our commitment to ensuring diverse communities.”
Nick Sanderson, CEO, Audley Group said: “The transaction with Homes England is an important milestone for the retirement living sector.
“A coming of age. Government backing underlines the importance placed on increasing provision in the retirement living sector and developing more innovative housing solutions.
“Our aspiration to transform retirement is shared with both Homes England and BlackRock Real Assets and this will be the focus as we look to the future.”
Mayfield’s first Retirement Village will be built near Watford General Hospital.
The development is a cornerstone to the wider Riverwell regeneration scheme in what is a priority location for the agency, allowing it to help deliver more ambitious plans.
The project also incorporates elements of Modern Methods of Construction, covering build and project management activities.
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Keltbray brings down 198 metre power station chimneys: Video
Keltbray completed the latest major demolition job at the former Ferrybridge ‘C’ Power Station in West Yorkshire on Sunday.
A single ‘blowdown’ saw the removal of the two chimney stacks, the main boiler house, and Bunker Bay.
At 198-metres high, the two chimney stacks were the tallest structures at the Ferrybridge site. This blowdown follows the successful demolition of a cooling tower at the site in July 2019 and four further cooling towers in October of the same year.
Keltbray carried out the blowdown using controlled explosives, with a 250-metre exclusion zone being put in place to ensure safety. In addition, nearby homes were evacuated for a short time with Keltbray and site owner SSE engaging with residents throughout.
Bobby Ellis, Keltbray Senior Project Manager, Demolition & Construction said: “This morning’s blowdown was a success. The demolition was months in planning and marks another major milestone in history, not only in Ferrybridge but in the UK in general.
“Keltbray is committed to being considerate to the communities in which we operate. As well as engaging with local residents, we put in place comprehensive ground monitoring to ensure the surrounding structures were unaffected by the blowdown, and we’re pleased to report that the activity went ahead safely and efficiently.
“The demolition activities are part of SSE and Keltbray’s ongoing commitment to be low-carbon and focus on renewable energy, in line with the UK’s ambition for net zero carbon emissions by 2050. I’d like to say a massive well done and thanks to the project team for all their hard work. Also thanks to the local community for their patience and cooperation.”
SSE Group Energy and Commercial Director, Martin Pibworth said:“This blowdown represents a major milestone in our decommissioning of Ferrybridge ‘C’ and is another special and poignant moment for the local community, with the power station playing a major role in so many people’s lives.
“As the UK looks to lead by example in tackling climate change, SSE is committed to driving the transition to a net zero future with a core focus on renewable energy, backed up by cutting-edge, low-carbon power stations.
“This latest blowdown was many months in planning, and we have worked closely with local residents, Wakefield Council, West Yorkshire Police, the Highways Agency and the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure a safe and efficient demolition.”
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Contract race starts for latest £115m stretch of A9 Dualling
Transport Scotland has officially started bidding for the £115m A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project.
A contract notice is now live here launching the competition to select the main construction contractor to dual the next phase of the A9.
Minister for Transport Graeme Dey, said: “Creating employment and training opportunities that benefit the people and communities surrounding this project is a key focus for this significant investment in Scotland’s infrastructure that intends to deliver improvements that bring economic, social and environmental wellbeing to the area.
“This new construction contract will help deliver our shared vision for Scotland – a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system, helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.
“It will also set out new aspirations for carbon reduction in construction and revitalise employment opportunities through a wide range of skills and training initiatives and educational engagement, throughout the duration of the construction phase.”
Transport Scotland anticipate that the contract for the third section of the A9 Dualling will be awarded in the second half of 2022.
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Highways England gets new name and CEO
Highways England has changed its name again as its new chief executive was confirmed.
Nick Harris is the new full-time leader of the government company which builds and operates the country’s motorways and major A-roads.
Harris has been acting chief executive since taking over from Jim O’Sullivan in February.
Highways England will also now be known as ‘National Highways’ which “reflects the new focus the company has on delivering the government’s £27bn strategic roads investment programme, while also continuing to set highways standards for the whole UK.”
The last rebranding of the company was from the Highways Agency to Highways England in 2015.
Highways England Chair, Dipesh J Shah said: “Nick’s steady hand throughout the last few months has established a solid foundation to help us on our journey to transform how we work with our supply chain, how we deliver our net zero carbon and how we realise our digitalisation ambitions.”
Harris said: “I am pleased to be taking up the reins at such an exciting time. We have achieved a great deal and there is still more to be done.
“As we deliver the second roads investment strategy ensuring the safety of all road users, the delivery of our work and the benefits to our customers remains at the centre of our organisation.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps added: “Nick will be an excellent CEO and I’m looking forward to continuing to work closely with him as we build back better across the country.
“Nick will steer Highways England into an exciting new chapter, as it evolves into National Highways and delivers on our £27bn plan to improve our roads and make journeys safer, smoother and greener.”
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Buckingham Group starts £30m London ice rink
Buckingham Group Contracting has just started demolition work to clear the way for a £30m ice skating centre in London’s Lee Valley.
The project designed by Faulkner Browns will replace the 34-year old Lee Valley Ice Centre with two Olympic size rinks.
The centre would be the first twin-pad venue in the south of England, and will also feature a new gym and exercise studio.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is promoting the scheme, which will be built in two phases to maintain an open ice rink at the site at all times during construction.
The consultant team includes structural and civil engineer Expedition and MEP engineer Max Fordham.
The proposed building will have an 80,000 sq ft footprint and rise 10.5m in height.
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Osborne sells £130m civils arm to private equity
Geoffrey Osborne has sold its £130m revenue infrastructure business to London private equity firm Sullivan Street Partners.
The deal cuts the family-owned south east contractor’s ties with civil engineering on which it was founded 55 years ago.
The remaining £250m turnover construction business will now focus on residential and education building projects.
Osborne Infrastructure Limited is a leading regional civil engineering and transport infrastructure businesses, with longstanding relationships with key clients Network Rail, Highways England, and Transport for London.
The business will continue to operate under the leadership of managing director John Dowsett, who will now become CEO.
David Fison, former CEO of Skanska UK and the Osborne Group, will return to the civils business as chairman.
Richard Sanders, Founding Partner of Sullivan Street, said: “We are excited to be acquiring a business with a fantastic reputation and which provides essential infrastructure to the nation’s transport networks.
“We look forward to supporting the management team as OIL enters its next chapter as a focused independent business.”
Dowsett said: “We are delighted to welcome the investment and support from Sullivan Street which will help us to achieve the growth ambitions set out within our business plan.”
Andy Steele, Chief Executive of Osborne added: “Having secured the very best sponsor for Osborne Infrastructure Ltd, we now have an amazing opportunity to prioritise our investments and focus our energy and resources into becoming market leaders in the residential and education sectors.
“This move provides us greater clarity of purpose and with our in-house expertise we can add value into every stage of the property lifecycle.
“Through offering end-to-end land acquisition through operation and property maintenance, we will provide sustainable, intelligently designed spaces that improve people’s lives.”
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Renewal race for Scape £750m Eastern region framework
Scape has started the renewal race for places on its East Midlands and the East of England framework for projects worth up to £7.5m.
The next-generation framework, worth £750m over four years, introduces a parallel lotting structure to give clients the option to engage early with two contractors before awarding a project.
Scape’s existing regional construction framework has successfully delivered 362 projects and is due to expire in Summer 2022. Current framework incumbents include: Ashe, Clegg, Conamar, R G Carter, Lindum, Seddon and G F Tomlinson.
In response to additional feedback from clients, this framework will provide further flexibility by offering a ‘commercial choice’ option in addition to a direct award procurement pathway, as part of the contractor selection process.
The new framework will be structured into 4 regions:
John Simons, acting group procurement director at Scape, said: “By evolving this framework offer, we will provide a simplified and high-quality route to market that will enable clients to get projects off the ground quickly through delivery partners who have the expertise to help them achieve their ambitions.”
Firms have until 24 September to submit prequals for the framework which will go live in August 2022.
Click here for tender notice.
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Former Harry Fairclough staff win pay battle after collapse
More than 60 Harry Fairclough employees made redundant when the contractor collapsed have won their legal battle against the business and secured a payout totalling just over £180,000.
A tribunal judged that the company had failed in its duty to its staff after the contractor ceased trading last year.
The Warrington firm was founded in 1898 and closed closed its doors for the final time in February 2020 resulting in more than 150 job losses.
Now 61 former employees represented by legal firm Simpson Millar are due to receive a pay-out totalling £183,056 after an employment law tribunal found that Harry Fairclough had failed in its legal obligation to formally consult with its staff during the ‘redundancy consultation period’.
The pay-out comes in the form of protective awards which have been claimed from the Redundancy Payments Service (RPS), which is part of the Governments Insolvency Service.
Damian Kelly, an employment law expert at Simpson Millar, said: “The collapse of Harry Fairclough had a devastating impact on the many employees who were left out of work with very little notice.
“We are delighted to have now secured a Protective Award for those affected, which will provide much needed peace of mind following what has been an incredibly tough year for anyone looking for work within the construction industry.”
A Protective Award is an award of compensation of up to 90 days’ gross pay that can be awarded by an Employment Tribunal for failure by an employer to follow the correct procedure when making redundancies.
Kelly said: “While many people assume that job losses are simply inevitable if a business enters into administration, not least in the construction industry given the uncertainties around lockdown regulations during the past year, employers do still have a duty under current employment law legislation to carry out a proper consultation with staff at risk of redundancies.
“When that law is disregarded, it is possible, as Simpson Millar has demonstrated, to hold the company to account through the Employment Tribunals.
“Sadly we are working on behalf of several thousand clients whose livelihoods have been affected by the turbulence caused by the pandemic over the past year or so.
“Of course, the process to claim for a Protective Award does not result in an influx of cash immediately, and this has been exacerbated by the lengthy delays in the Employment Tribunals nationwide which are also still suffering from the outfall of Covid with a 60% increase in employment law claims as a result of Covid.
“Nevertheless, legal protection remains in place to support people who are made redundant without being taken through the correct consultation process, and the money recovered in successful claims will provide some longer-term security for those affected.”
The RPS is a government funded scheme set up to pay up employees up to a maximum of 8 weeks’ pay in the form of a protective award where an employer has become insolvent and has therefore decided not to properly consult with its employees over inevitable redundancies.
Kier road workers stage sick pay protest
Highways workers at Kier are planning a protest on Wednesday following a row over sick pay.
Construction union Unite is backing the demonstration at Kier’s Basingstoke office following a dispute on its Highways England Area 3 contract which covers Hampshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.
Unite officials said the workers – who have provided a seven day, 24 hour service throughout the pandemic – only receive statutory sick pay (SSP) worth just £96.35 a week when off work.
Office based Kier staff and workers directly employed by client Highways England receive full sick pay for up to three months.
Unite regional officer Malcom Bonnett said: “Kier’s workers who operate in all weathers to keep the South East’s motorway network fully operational deserve full sick pay, when they are ill.
“The pandemic has exposed the fact that workers simply can’t survive on SSP which is less than £100 a week.
“The lack of sick pay results in workers continuing to come to work when they are ill. In normal times, due to the safety critical work they undertake. this could have tragic consequences. During the Covid pandemic it leads to unnecessary risk of exposure to infection.
“It is simply unjustifiable that office based workers receive full sick pay while those working on the motorway network only receive SSP.”
A Kier spokesperson said: “The terms and conditions of our operational workforce in Highways, including those employed in Area 3, are aligned with the Construction Industry Joint Council, which is a union-supported national agreement.
“The welfare of our employees is a key priority for us and we are therefore committed to working through this matter in collaboration with Unite.”
5 Tips For Construction Project Managers
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Construction project managers are responsible for overseeing and supervising construction projects from start to finish. They are tasked with making sure projects are delivered on time and within budget. Job duties differ from company to company, but construction project managers are typically responsible for overseeing the budget, working with owners, architects, and engineers, hiring subcontractors, scheduling and planning work, and ensuring materials and equipment are delivered to the project site on time.
