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Surging demand sees JCB “sold out until next year”
JCB said most of its products are now sold out until next year as demand hits historic highs.
The machinery giant is recruiting another 100 new welders for its Staffordshire factories in a bid to keep up with orders.
So far this year JCB has recruited 1,350 new shop floor employees and handed permanent contracts to 1,000 agency employees.
The firm said “demand for JCB machines has reached historic highs with most products now sold out until next year.”
Mark Turner, JCB Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to be building on that success with the creation of 100 permanent new welders’ jobs.
“We offer some of the best conditions and pay rates in the region and with opportunities for nightshift work and overtime, this is great news for welders in the area looking to join a successful global company.”
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Vistry bags share of £5.2bn affordable homes funding – list
Homes England has selected its 31 new strategic partners to deliver grant-funded affordable homes over the next five years.
Under the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26, Homes England is committing almost £5.2bn in affordable housing grant to 31 strategic partnerships.
Vistry is one of the new private sector partners bagging £83m to build nearly 1,500 affordable homes. Retirement specialist McCarthy & Stone and new modular housing entrant Legal and General are also among the new faces securing direct funding.
Homes England’s strategic partners will deliver nearly 90,000 grant-funded affordable homes across the country. London has decided its own extra £3.46bn funding allocations focused on councils and housing associations to deliver nearly 30,000 affordable homes over the next five years.
It is the first time that councils and for-profit providers have been able to access strategic partnership funding after a change to the rules that previously allowed only housing associations to apply.
Homes England Affordable Homes Programme grantsOrganisationGrant fundingNumber of homesAbri£250m3,218Accent£210m3,305Aster£114m1,550Bromford£240m4,000Clarion£250m4,770Curo & Swan£160m2,425EMH & Midland Heart£172m3,551Flagship£93m1,500Great Places£241m4,920Greensquare Accord£213m3,755Guinness & Stonewater£250m4,180Hyde£250m3,000Karbon£132m2,200Legal & General£126m2,121LiveWest£124m2,550Longhurst & NCHA£230m3,935McCarthy and Stone£94m1,500Metropolitan Thames Valley£623m1,500Onward£152.m3,208Orbit£104m1,500Places for People£250m4,403Platform£250m4,680Riverside£81m1,530Sage£74m1,750Sanctuary£100m2,000Sovereign£167m3,338Thirteen£191m3,270Together£250m4,047Torus£140m2,736Vistry£83m1,474Vivid£106m1,550
Peter Denton, chief executive officer at Homes England, said: “These strategic partnerships give our new partners the funding, flexibility, and confidence they need to build much needed affordable homes across the country, it also establishes a large network of organisations looking to share their skills and capabilities to expand the affordable housing sector and transform communities.
“By forming strategic partnerships with a wide range of public and private organisations, we are creating the conditions needed for institutional investment to catalyse affordable housing supply and in future give local authorities more of the tools they need to plan and act strategically, shaping their communities and building new homes.”
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KPMG facing formal complaint over Carillion audit
Accountant KPMG is facing allegations of providing “false and misleading information” during audits of collapsed contractor Carillion
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has delivered a disciplinary Formal Complaint against KPMG LLP, a former KPMG partner and certain current and former KPMG employees.
The FRC’s investigation was opened in November 2018 after KPMG had self-reported certain matters relating to the review of the 2016 Carillion audit.
A Disciplinary Tribunal has been convened to hear the Formal Complaint and determine whether or not the respondents have committed misconduct.
The hearing is scheduled to commence on 10 January 2022.
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Wernick buys Danzer to boost site cabin production
Modular specialist Wernick has bought smaller Manchester-based rival AVDanzer to boost production of site cabins in the face of rising demand from contractors.
The new acquisition means that Wernick will add additional manufacturing capabilities and increase its fleet with more than 2,000 cabins and modular bays.
AVDanzer, also known as Danzer, supplies major infrastructure and development projects including the London Power Tunnels Project and the nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset.
Following the acquisition, Danzer will continue to operate as usual from its sites in Manchester and Langley Mill.
Danzer 60-unit welfare complex for Barking Riverside development
The manufacturing of anti-vandal steel that is currently based at Langley Mill will continue trading as AVDanzer. But its Brentwood depot will merge and become a part of Wernick’s depots in Essex and Kent.
Wernick’s Group Chairman, David Wernick, said: “We have strong admiration for Danzer’s manufacturing capability and products, and after initial discussion it quickly became apparent that both family-owned businesses share the same values of excellent customer service, outstanding product quality, focus on safety, and keeping things simple.”
McAvoy names head of strategic development
Offsite construction specialist McAvoy Group has appointed Neil Stanley as head of strategic development to expand the business.
He brings 35 years’ experience in construction, having worked with a variety of clients, consultants and contractors.
Most recently his roles included director positions with London and south east fit-out firms, Camino Interiors and Square Metre.
Stanley will focus on supporting McAvoy’s growth strategy in its targetted healthcare, education and commercial markets.
Stanley said: “I join McAvoy at an exciting time for the business – I look forward to working with the management team to deliver an ambitious growth strategy with a focus on leading innovation in MMC and supporting Carbon Net Zero targets.”
Last month McAvoy Group reported a return to profit in the first six months to April 2021 after a 30% revenue uplift in the first half to £24m.
The McAvoy Group has secured all its budget revenues for 2022 and significant progress has been made in securing forecast revenues for 2023.
The business recently secured new education projects totaling £39m to be delivered for the Department for Education, including one of the UK’s first low carbon school buildings.
The £23.7m Merstham Park secondary school in Redhill, Surrey forms one of the DfE’s Pathfinder Low Carbon projects.
£3.46bn London affordable housing grant awards – list
The London Mayor has secured £3.46bn to deliver 29,456 homes with councils and housing associations in first round of bidding for a new five-year affordable homes programme.
This latest grant bidding round cements the council housing comeback in London, with more than four in 10 of the homes being built by councils, totalling 12,024 homes.
More than half of the social rented homes will be built by councils, and 57% of all homes will be for social rent.
A further £5.2bn was announced by the Government today for affordable homes to be delivered outside London by Homes England, but details have yet to be released.
The Mayor’s new 2021-26 programme – running alongside the extended 2016-23 programme – will see 79,000 new homes started over the next five years.
Affordable homes programme 2021-26 allocationsOrganisationTotal
HomesSocial Rent
HomesAHP
FundingHavering395161£35.2 mEstuary Housing Association3016£1.3 mRichmond Housing Partnership13180£13.9 mCity of Westminster Council230106£24.1 mParagon Asra Housing1,455930£181.7 mHammersmith and Fulham394186£32.3 mPoplar HARCA227145£21.2 mA2Dominion Homes500300£56.0 mBarnet217105£23.5 mPlaces for People Homes4444£4.0 mEaling1,032561£109.6 mHarrow – Housing411219£44.4 mThe Guinness Partnership300150£32.7 mTBG Open Door Homes4810£3.8 mNewlon Housing Trust12080£15.8 mBromley535535£38.0 mOptivo1,500825£180.8 mWandsworth289138£23.4 mHyde Housing Association1,476590£163.8 mLewisham456285£70.0 mCroydon Churches Housing Association12050£12.5 mKingston upon Thames105105£13.1 mCity of London200150£16.5 mSouthern Housing Group300100£33.5 mLondon Legacy Development Corporation825149£67.7 mBrent701701£111.7 mCamden569569£86.6 mOne Housing Group386252£41.7 mHexagon Housing Association18090£24.9 mRiverside Housing Association15190£18.8 mPhoenix Community HA7348£10.0 mLambeth311212£28.2 mHounslow540540£93.2 mGreenwich230230£38.1 mLondon & Quadrant539154£55.1 mCromwood Housing7575£11.3 mNewham550500£91.7 mSutton6554£10.1 mWaltham Forest7777£15.4 mHackney100100£17.5 mHaringey647647£127.5 mBarking and Dagenham1,757573£171.0 mEnfield1,119824£166.6 mTower Hamlets194194£32.0 mMetropolitan Housing Trust1,035538£128.8 mCatalyst Housing1,000535£118.9 mNetwork Homes1,000500£122.5 mNotting Hill Genesis1,265577£126.8 mOctavia Housing450225£55.1 mReSI Homes1,250£56.3 mClarion Housing Group2,0001,250£240.0 mSouthwark852664£126.5 mPeabody Trust1,000500£120.0 mTotal29,45616,739£3.46bn
In total, almost six in ten of the homes (16,739 homes) funded by the first round of this affordable homes programme will be made available at the cheapest social rent.
The remainder will be for shared ownership and London Living Rent which can help Londoners on average incomes move into homeownership.
The Mayor has set ambitious targets for London to be a zero-carbon city by 2030 and expects homes built with funding announced today to be environmentally sustainable.
New standards introduced in the Mayor’s New London Plan include requirements for all developments of ten or more homes to be net zero-carbon and to incorporate sustainable urban green spaces.
Housing providers building homes funded by the new AHP will also have to meet new conditions on building safety and design.
HP funding project conditions
1. The installation of sprinklers or other fire suppression systems in new blocks of flats
2. A ban on combustible materials being used in external walls for all residential development, regardless of height
3. Minimum floor-to-ceiling heights and a requirement for private outdoor space
4. A ‘sunlight clause’ requiring all homes with three or more bedrooms to be dual aspect, any single aspect one- or two-bedroom homes to not be north-facing and at least one room to have direct sunlight for at least part of the day
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “I am delighted that we have been able to come to a deal with the Government to get started on nearly 30,000 genuinely affordable homes.
“Today’s funding is good news but I know we can still go further, faster, working with ministers, housing associations and councils to deliver more of the homes Londoners so desperately need.”
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Delays and cost hikes hit Balfour Highlands rail job
Balfour Beatty has been forced to push-back the completion date of its £16m contract to repair the UK’s highest railway.
The Scottish Government’s Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) agency has confirmed the Cairngorm furnicular will not reopen until the “second half of 2022.”
The railway at the ski resort was due to reopen early next year following strengthening work on the 1.9km viaduct that supports the track.
Balfour began work in April 2021 but delays have arisen due to “technical challenges associated with designing and implementing effective solutions to an existing structure, as opposed to a new build.”
Work has also been hampered by the impact of Covid and extreme weather including blizzard conditions in the spring.
HI added that “extra effort has also been required to source vital construction materials that are currently in short supply across the UK.”
HIE interim chief executive Carroll Buxton said: “We’ve always been upfront in describing the reinstatement programme as one of the most complex and difficult civil engineering projects in Scotland.
“As well as managing technical challenges, the team has to take great care to protect the mountain environment, and deal with difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions that can quickly become hazardous.
“The original schedule was very ambitious, even without the impacts of the pandemic lasting as long as they have and before the more recent problems in sourcing construction materials of suitable quality.
“With limited time available to complete these works before winter, postponement has become inevitable.”
The funicular was built by Morrison Construction and opened in 2001 but was taken out of service in 2018 after an engineers’ inspection identified structural defects that raised safety concerns.
Buxton said: “We’re now working with our designers and contractors on a revised schedule for the remainder of the project.
“Harsh mountain conditions mean that all work will need to halt over winter and resume next spring. To ensure safety, there also needs to be a period of testing and certification at the end of the programme, so our current expectation is that the funicular can be relaunched in autumn 2022.
“Clearly, a longer timescale will also have a financial impact. We’ll be reviewing costs very carefully and will publicly confirm a revised budget as soon as it’s possible to do so.”
HIE has also approved up to £780,000 for an extensive refurbishment of the Ptarmigan building that sits on the plateau and includes the UK’s highest restaurant, a shop, exhibition space and viewing platforms.
Following competitive tender, resort operator Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd (CMSL) has awarded a contract for the first phase of the Ptarmigan works to Simpson Builders Ltd, based in Beauly. The refurbishment is due to start at the end of August and be completed by the end of 2021.
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18 firms win £220m Yorkshire civils framework
Eighteen regional contractors have secured places on a civil engineering framework for the seven councils forming the Yorkshire Highways Alliance including North Yorkshire County Council
The works for complete or part construction and civil engineering work will predominantly take place on bridges and the highway network.
Potential works include: resurfacing, reconstruction, slurry sealing, drainage and kerbing, repairs to bridges, retaining walls and culverts.
Civil Engineering Contractors Framework 2021
Projects £2m+ in North Yorkshire, York, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield.
C.R. Reynolds; Eric Wright Civil Engineering; Fox (Owmby); Jackson Civil Engineering Group; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction
Projects £500k – £2m in North Yorkshire, York, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield.
C.R. Reynolds; Colas; Dyer & Butler; Fox (Owmby); Galliford Try Construction; I & H Brown; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction
Projects: up to £500k – Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield
A E Yates; C.R. Reynolds; Cheetham Hill Construction; Hinko Construction; JN Bentley; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction; Seymour Civil Engineering Contractors; Thomas Armstrong (Construction); Thomas Bow;
Projects: up to £500k – North Yorkshire & York
A E Yates; C.R. Reynolds; Cheetham Hill Construction; Hinko Construction; Howard Civil Engineering; JN Bentley; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction; Seymour Civil Engineering Contractors; Thomas Armstrong (Construction)
Plan for major Leeds high-rise student and events scheme
Developer Downing will submit ambitious plans in the autumn for a major student accommodation and events scheme in Leeds city centre, adjacent to the Leeds First Direct Arena.
It will seek detailed planning consent for purpose-built student accommodation across two separate but adjacent plots, and outline planning to develop a multi-purpose events space, which would be taken forward at a future date by Leeds City Council.
A 38-storey purpose-built student tower is planned for Merrion Way featuring 728 student bedrooms in a mix of six-bedroom and 296 studios.
High-rise building proposed for site fronting Clay Pit Lane, Merrion Way and Brunswick Terrace, with nearby events centre plan still at outline stage
Meanwhile, the existing Yorkshire Bank office building would be demolished to make way for the second phase, comprising a stepped building rising to 18 storeys, featuring 543 student bedrooms in a mix of five and six-bedroom clusters and 216 studios.
Second student accommodation building proposal for site located between Clay Pit Lane and Elmwood Close
If approved, the plans will pave the way for 1,200 flats and the creation of a 110,000 sq ft facility including an 800-900 capacity auditorium at the centre of the Leeds Arena Quarter, designed to attract additional corporate, cultural and live events.
The sustainable development will incorporate photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps.
Each element of the plan promises to regenerate unused space in part of the city that will benefit economically from additional footfall. The proposals also have the potential to create approximately 390 jobs in the construction phase.
George Tyson, projects director at Downing, said: “It has long been recognised that Leeds is in need of an additional, flexible events space capable of hosting corporate banqueting, awards ceremonies and live entertainment. With 2,000 square metre flat floor space, this scheme has the potential to host conferences and exhibitions which can’t be facilitated at the Arena or other venues in the city centre, allowing Leeds to secure business that may otherwise be lost to other cities and regions.”
He added: “Attracting and retaining graduate talent is vital to the health of the regional economy and this relies on being able to offer attractive student accommodation. Our proposals will provide students with brand new, first-class living space in a dynamic part of the city, with fast access to university buildings and facilities.”
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Durkan wins Peabody £85m flats job in south London
Housing association Peabody has appointed Durkan to begin construction of a housing scheme in Lambeth, south London.
Over the next three years, Durkan will construct 134 new homes and over 45,000 square metres of commercial space at Higgs Yard, a former industrial site at Loughborough Junction.
Designed by PRP Architects, the scheme represents an £85m investment into the area and will be 50% affordable homes.
It is the largest single development which Loughborough Junction has seen since the Loughborough Estate was built in the 1950s.
Construction on the site is due to begin this Autumn, with completion planned for early 2024.
Tom Williamson, Senior Development Manager at Peabody, said previous plans had been reworked for a better mix of one, two and three-bed homes and incorporate a communal landscaped podium deck at the heart of the development and a roof terrace sitting on the 17th floor.
Ryann Peterson, Head of Bid Management at Durkan, said: Durkan is pleased to have been successful in securing and finalising the contract to deliver Higgs Yard.
This is a very exciting time for us as a business. We’re very much looking forward to continue building on our relationship with Peabody and maximising the potential of this fantastic development.”
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