CONSTRUCTION

Minister calls for faster, smarter rail upgrades

The government has challenged London’s rail industry to pioneer new ways of working that will halve the time and reduce the cost of delivering critical infrastructure projects.

That’s the idea behind the next stage of Project SPEED, the details of which were unveiled recently by rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris.

In a keynote speech at the recent Project SPEED conference, hosted by the Rail Industry Association, Mr Heaton-Harris invited the 1,800-strong virtual audience to get on board with the new approach to become faster, smarter and more efficient in the way that projects are delivered.

Rail Project SPEED (Swift, Pragmatic and Efficient Enhancement Delivery) was jointly developed by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Network Rail last summer. Infrastructure projects at different stages of development have been reviewed to identify how government funding could go further and work could be carried out faster. This approach identified ten key themes to lower costs and speed up the delivery of infrastructure schemes, such as rapidly increasing the use of innovative construction methods and removing complexity from planning processes.

These new and innovative ways of working will be rolled out across all rail upgrades, with the intention of: • ensuring passengers experience better journeys more quickly • giving greater value to taxpayers • transforming the pace and way in which our railways are improved Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “The whole country has relied on the transport industry over the past year to keep the country moving, get supplies delivered and key workers to their jobs. We are now depending on transport to kickstart our economic recovery.

“Rail Project SPEED, forged alongside Network Rail, is a call to arms to cut unnecessary red tape, be bold and purposeful, and empower the railway industry to be radical in its thinking to halve the time and reduce the cost of delivering infrastructure projects.

“By maximising the benefits of every pound that we’re channelling into rail, we will make the case for continued investment. Our intention is to create a more resilient, resourceful and robust railway, equipped for the challenges ahead and delivering better for its passengers, as we build back better from COVID-19.” Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, said: “There has never been a more important time to make the case for rail. The pandemic has spurred us to make real progress in removing barriers that have long hindered industry transformation.

“But, of course, there is still much more to do, and we will do that faster and more effectively when we work together across the industry.”

At the conference, Mr Heaton-Harris called on the supply chain to come up with creative ideas where they can help reduce the cost of delivering infrastructure projects, with the best ideas set to be recognised in future industry awards.

The launch of Project SPEED builds on the new Acceleration Unit, announced by transport secretary Grant Shapps in August 2020, to complete public investment projects more strategically and efficiently.

The DfT’s new unit brings together transport experts, ministers, businesses, local government and other specialists to inspire fresh ideas, get to grips with opportunities to improve infrastructure delivery, and help the transport sector share best practice and learn from other industries.

❛❛There has never been a more important time to make the case for rail. The pandemic has spurred us to make real progress in removing barriers that have long hindered industry transformation.❜❜ ❛❛The whole country has relied on the transport industry over the past year to keep the country moving, get supplies delivered and key workers to their jobs. We are now depending on transport to kickstart our economic recovery. ❜❜

Lost and found: raising a glass to Morden Wharf and celebrating regeneration in Greenwich

❛❛A place you don’t know about yet. A place you won’t forget. A beach in the east facing west. A corner of the capital seconds past the Prime Meridian that’s waited centuries for its big moment. Reclaimed again by Dutch design masterminds for you and I, for a pint by the river, a picnic in the park, a book on the beach while the sun goes down.❜❜

Regeneration specialist U+I revealed it has signed a lease with craft beer exponents Brew By Numbers to establish a brewery and taproom at Morden Wharf, the 19-acre regeneration scheme it is currently developing on the western edge of the Greenwich Peninsula. Beer aficionados in south east London and beyond will certainly be raising a glass or two to celebrate that independent brewing is returning to Greenwich, and that’s got to be something worth celebrating.

As part of the wider transformation of the old industrial site into a new and dynamic mixed-use neighbourhood, Brew By Numbers will occupy a 6,000 sq ft space located in a refurbished warehouse next to the River Thames. Showcasing the ambitions of the new-look Morden Wharf, the new brewery will be Brew By Numbers’ second in the capital, expanding production beyond its headquarters on the Bermondsey Brewery Mile in south London.

As well as setting up the new brewery, Brew By Numbers is looking to expand its food and retail offer with its new taproom, creating an all-day destination at Morden Wharf and complementing its two existing outlets in Bermondsey and Peckham.

In addition to securing Brew By Numbers, U+I is re-signing MDM Props, a creative industries business that produces artworks and props for film, television and theatre, to remain on the site. MDM Props’ work includes a number of pieces for the famous ‘Fourth Plinth’ in Trafalgar Square, including ‘Nelson’s Ship In A Bottle’, designed by Yinka Shonibare and now on permanent display outside the Sammy Ofer wing of the National Maritime Museum, also in Greenwich.

Having two such illustrious tenants in place highlights U+I’s ambitions for Morden Wharf, which will see the major repurposing of this once-vibrant, but now down-atheel industrial setting. Synonymous with innovation and industry, historically Morden Wharf hosted shipbuilding activities, traditional rope-making, and the manufacture of the world’s first submarine cables, enabling Britain to communicate effortlessly with the rest of the world.

Sadly, this activity went into decline in the late 20th century, and save for a few small businesses, the area fell quiet, its purpose lost, its potential unrecognised.

But this is all set to change. U+I’s bold regeneration plans will result in a diverse and thriving community of businesses occupying 200,000 sq ft of commercial space, alongside 1,500 new homes – more than a third of which will be affordable – together with bars, cafés and restaurants, and acres of new open space for visitors and the local community.

At the heart of Morden Wharf is a new riverside park, covering nearly four acres and stretching for hundreds of metres along the banks of the River Thames. The park itself will lead directly off the Thames Path, which will be upgraded and expanded to comfortably accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. Meanwhile, a new public square will be laid out where the Thames Path meets Sea Witch Lane, the main boulevard running east to west where the old Sea Witch pub was located. And thanks to underground car parking, the public space will cater almost exclusively to pedestrians and cyclists.

Local infrastructure will play a significant part in Morden Wharf’s success, with an improved transport network to connect the neighbourhood with key transport hubs, including the North Greenwich station on the Jubilee line, just 15 minutes’ walk away.

And the impact of Morden Wharf goes beyond placemaking too – overall, the scheme is expected to contribute £42m a year in local economic value and a further £25.2m in social value over the next decade, primarily through the generation of more than 1,000 new permanent jobs on and off site, plus an additional 2,000 jobs throughout the development and construction process.

The plans for Morden Wharf are the culmination of nearly a decade of activity and engagement with the local community, all of which has shaped U+I’s vision to create somewhere that all Londoners can live, work and visit.

The introduction of Brew By Numbers is a significant step forward in making this vision a reality – by bringing life this forgotten corner or Greenwich Peninsula long before construction begins on the wider site.

U+I’s ambitions, once realised, will result in a truly mixed-use and prosperous community, where homes, leisure, work and play seamlessly combine. Morden Wharf will become a destination for visitors to explore, and a new vision for what a London neighbourhood can – and should – be.

“Lost and Found” (abridged) by Michael Evamy, commissioned by U+I.

KIDBROOKE VILLAGE:

A place transformed through public, private and community partnership

Kidbrooke Village is one of London’s most significant regeneration projects. Berkeley is building just over 5,000 spacious, high-quality new homes sitting surrounded by 136 acres of parkland and open space, and centred around well-planned and environmentally diverse public realm. It is a place where local people are valued and love living.

Berkeley is working with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the Greater London Authority to transform the land of the former Ferrier Estate. Over ten years in the making, Kidbrooke

Village is a great example of the power of working in partnership, both with development partners and with the community..

This £1 billion regeneration project changed significantly since the first spade was placed in the ground in 2009. Kidbrooke Village has really taken shape and its community is drawn from all walks of life. People come from miles around to enjoy the green space and take part in the regular events such as village fêtes,

Christmas markets, street food festivals and other health & wellbeing activities such as yoga. When finished, Kidbrooke Village will house more than twice the number of people than the old estate, while only building on 35% of the land – delivering much-needed homes for Londoners. The brutalist architecture has been replaced by traditional brick, surrounded by parks and wetlands, rich in flora and fauna and with a thriving eco-system. Above all, it’s about creating a great place to live: high-quality, welldesigned and environmentally friendly homes, where residents can live healthy, comfortable and sustainable lifestyles. The homes meet residents’ needs, now and in the future.

Green spaces for people and wildlife

Biodiversity plays an important role within towns and cities, helping to improve air quality, providing resilience to climate change, adding amenity value and supporting wellbeing. While in London biodiversity continues to decrease at an alarming rate, Berkeley is committed to delivering a net biodiversity gain at Kidbrooke Village and all of its developments. This means creating new habitats to attract wildlife and plant life to make a positive impact on the local environment. In Cator Park alone, Berkeley has created a 258% net biodiversity gain with new wetland habitats, swales and wildflower meadows, along with over 500 newly planted trees. To help achieve this, Berkeley is proud to work with the London Wildlife Trust to enhance nature across Kidbrooke Village and to engage local people in loving and caring for their green spaces. The vision is to create spaces where the community and wildlife grow side by side, and an engagement programme means a constant calendar of events are delivered from nature conservation volunteering to bat walks.

When you visit Kidbrooke Village today, you will discover an unrivalled sense of space. Over 86 acres of the development area is set aside for parkland, so it is easy to explore and escape into the great outdoors, and learn about nature, right at the heart of urban London. Cator Park was created as an important and integral part of the Kidbrooke Village’s vision. It is a destination used and enjoyed by residents and the wider community with accessible areas for jogging, walking and cycling, and spaces to relax and enjoy the landscaped lawns and beautiful water features. Cator Park forms a ‘green river’ through the village, connecting all the local neighbourhoods and leading into Sutcliffe Park, which has been declared a local nature reserve and has Green Flag status. In creating the green heart of Kidbrooke Village, the focus was firmly on ecology, sustainability and partnership.

Collaboration with the public, private and community sector

The success of Kidbrooke Village has been a result of true collaboration between a wide range of partners, from Berkeley, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the GLA to the housing associations Southern Housing, Optivo and Moat, who manage the affordable housing, the local businesses and healthcare providers, the schools operating in and around Kidbrooke and of course the local residents. The shared ambition for Kidbrooke Village is to create a long term sustainable community. The Kidbrooke Community Forum meets quarterly, with representatives from all partners attending. These meetings create opportunities to identify new projects and funding for the community and to ensure that all the partners are collaborating and sharing any projects or work they are focused on. The Forum is empowered to make important decisions about the development, and the residents act as champions, updating the wider community on the latest updates. Relationships have been built with all partners, resulting in a strong mutual trust and respect. Collaboration, passion and tenacity have all been essential in making Kidbrooke Village an exemplar of placemaking and successful urban regeneration.

The next phase of Kidbrooke Village

Currently, Berkeley have delivered just over 2,000 homes in Kidbrooke Village, along with the extensive level of open space. The next phase of Kidbrooke Village will bring forward 1,306 new homes, 503 of which are affordable homes and a proportion of these are to be delivered in partnership with L&Q, one of the biggest affordable housing providers in the country. The partnership consists of a mix of Affordable Rent and Shared Ownership homes, incorporating much needed affordable family homes for the local community in the form of larger houses and family sized apartments. Earlier this year, L&Q’s presence in Kidbrooke Village was cemented with the opening of a dedicated marketing suite and show home within the Village Centre. Together with building new homes, Berkeley will also make significant enhancements to the southern area of the award-winning Cator Park. Berkeley is enhancing another 11.4 acres of parkland, improving connectivity with new cycle ways and pedestrian paths and providing new play areas which are accessible to all children’s abilities. This will provide an opportunity to further enhance the work already ongoing by LWT at Kidbrooke Village and provide new apprenticeship and job opportunities for local people. Kidbrooke Village has transformed the former Ferrier Estate to create a new urban neighbourhood with vast parkland and an abundance of wildlife. Much has been achieved over the past ten years by working collaboratively with partners and the local community, and what’s to come in the future is equally exciting. Berkeley Homes ❛❛When you visit Kidbrooke Village today, you will discover an unrivalled sense of space. Over 86 acres of the development area is set aside for parkland, so it is easy to explore and escape into the great outdoors, and learn about nature, right at the heart of urban London.❜❜