Category: Construction Section

Big Contractor Bosses Unite to get Britain Building

Twenty Three of the Country’s biggest contractors, including Kier Group (based near Stevenage) and Wilmott Dixon (based near Welwyn Garden City), have put their names to a new campaign: “Creating Britain’s Future”. They want the Government to speed up the decision making process and find new ways to help finance construction projects.

The initiative has kicked off with a letter published in the Daily Telegraph setting out the industry’s ability to stimulate growth, and the official launch today at London’s Centre Point tower to an audience including representatives from the CBI.

Villagers share ‘good will’ payout of £1m

Manchester Surveyors – 600 villagers in Knutsford, Cheshire have received £1500 each, alongside further compensation for six local schools, following claims that noise and fumes from Manchester’s second runway had wiped thousands off the value of their homes.

After the runway’s construction in 2001, airport management had to pay out £9m in compensation, but refused to pay those that had not submitted claims before the 2010 legal deadline. Regardless, following a campaign by the residents backed by local MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, a goodwill figure of £1m was agreed despite the lateness of application.

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Planning Inspector Suspends Wigan Council Plans

Wigan Surveyors – In a letter to Wigan Council, inspector Kevin Ward has suspended the planning document for six months in order for the council to carry out additional work and public consultation on further housing sites. His concerns are that the plan does not deliver enough land for housing.

The inspector indicated that the council should plan for at least 16,500 homes over a 15 year period, but that the current plan for Wigan contained a shortfall of 2,500 which needed to be rectified.

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Brighton & Hove takes on One Planet Living Framework

Brighton Surveyors – To curb the localities ‘voracious’ appetite for resources which many believe is unsustainable for both the community and the planet at large, Brighton and Hove have taken on the One Planet Living Framework with ten guiding principles to creating a pleasant, sustainable and ‘green’ environment.

The result has been a new community f 172 flats within Brighton, next to the railway station, which were completed in 2010. They have been constructed in local, high performance materials and the energy is generated via a biomass boiler, solar panels and a contract to fill the remaining requirement with guaranteeed green energy from the One Brighton Energy Services Company.

Sheffield Project to include Football Pitch on Roof!

Sheffield Surveyors – The construction company ‘Wates’ has won a prestigious project in the City of Sheffield, to build a new £8.5m college University Technical College on the Porter Brook Site, Shoreham Street.

Their plans for the site impressed, describing a three storey structure topped with a five-a-side football pitch to save space. Construction should start in September and take a year to complete.

Birmingham Moves Forward on Affordable Homes

Birmingham Surveyors – Birmingham Council has become the third local authority, and the first outside of London, to sign on to the Communities and Local Government’s £1.8bn affordable housing scheme.

The council will receive £6.7m in funding to help them deliver 305 affordable homes for rent. That equates to a substantial subsidy of almost £22,000 per home. In total, the plan hopes to create 80,000 new homes by 2015.

Kingswood Hospital opening delayed due to restoration work

Bristol Surveyors – Works at Kingswood Community Hospital in Bristol are still ongoing, delaying the grand opening of the 105 year old building to November this year. The hope was to start serving patients in October after the £19m redevelopment was completed.

Even this date is far beyond what was originally anticipated, with the first plans predicting a completion date in early 2012, but the discovery of an historic mine shaft on the site set back plans to the autumn.

2.6m sq ft development in Salford seems set to go ahead

Salford Surveyors – A large scale development in the Salford area of Greater Manchester which seemed to have stalled after concerns were raised over vandalism of an empty building on the site, has sparked back in to life with the demolishment of that building.

The scheme at Middlewood locks has outline planning consent for a large, mixed use site of residential, commercial, retail and leisure facilities. They have stated that they plan to moderate their original plans in light of the current climate and present a scheme suitable for Salford’s current needs.

Second firm goes down during £28m Ebbw Vale project

Following the closure of MJN Colston just a week ago, Bristol based firm All Mass Cladding Systems has been placed into administration.

Both firms were working on Leadbitter’s £28m Blaenau Gwent Colege project in Ebbw Vale and up to 25 people are now thought to have lost their jobs. The company reputedly turnedover around £10m per year.

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