INDUSTRY UPDATES

Each month, PSBJ rounds up the latest public sector construction updates, from new contracts to industry awards.

Construction commences at new 10,000m 2 school in Northern Ireland

Conlon wins trio of Cheshire East school projects

Conlon Construction has been awarded three school projects by Cheshire East Council, each procured through the North West Construction Hub Framework. The expansion of Wilmslow High School, which will enable the secondary school to increase from 1500 to 1800 pupil places, is already underway. The project will take the school from 12-form to 14-form entry and is expected to complete in time for the new academic year. The programme includes a single-storey extension to the main school building, a further extension linking the existing Olympic Hall and Sports Hall blocks, and substantial internal remodelling. Externally, the project includes modifications to car parks to improve provision for staff and visitors and create a new drop-off area. Conlon has also been appointed to deliver pre-construction services for a new primary school within a 1100-home housing development at Kingsley Fields, north of Nantwich. Conlon is also now on site to refurbish a council-owned building, which will create a new satellite school for the acclaimed Springfield Special School, Crewe. The project will see Conlon convert the former Dean Row Centre in Handforth – a vacant building previously used to support adults with learning disabilities. It will be upgraded for use as a SEND school for up to 80 children and young people aged four to 19 with autism spectrum condition (ASC).

Cruden Building appointed to £500m housing framework

Cruden Building, part of the Cruden Group, has secured a position on a £500m construction framework for the next four years. The Wheatley Group has appointed Cruden Building, together with seven other contractors, to deliver the provision of housing construction work. The framework covers the central belt and Dumfries and Galloway, and the contract will deliver a range of new-build homes at affordable lease terms for the housing provider. It is expected that up to 1000 units per year could be delivered under the new agreement, with a firm focus on providing low-carbon housing solutions. Steven Simpson, Managing Director of the Cruden Group, said: “We are pleased to be appointed to this major housing framework, which could deliver a number of opportunities over the next four years. We work very successfully with the Wheatley Group, and this framework will allow us to continue our positive relationship and supports our combined ambitions to delivering more sustainable and zero-carbon homes throughout Scotland.”

Construction work has started at New-Bridge Integrated College in Loughbrickland, Northern Ireland, where a new school building and sports hall will be erected on the site of the existing school and adjacent land, covering 10,000m2 to accommodate 620 students. The new school, for which HLM completed Stage 4 design, will be built by Ganson UK and replace the current accommodation of two main buildings and several modular structures. The modern threesection design features two wings of teaching spaces connected by a central block housing the entrance, library and dining facilities. The construction of a sports hall, sports pitch, synthetic pitch and tennis courts is also planned, along with media studies rehearsal and recording spaces. Furthermore, a car-parking area, school bus drop-off point and a new entrance onto Doard View Road have been incorporated into the design to improve accessibility. EmmaLouise Hannigan, Associate at HLM Architects, said: “New-Bridge Integrated College has been designed to provide an exceptional learning environment that meets the diverse needs of students, both academically and through extracurricular activities. Despite the challenges posed by the site and the project’s phasing, we are excited to see construction work underway on the new school development, which will equip staff and pupils with the necessary resources to teach and thrive academically.” The project was designed to RIBA Stage 3 by AECOM and is already on track to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. Completion is expected June 2025.

Brett advises on UK’s largest SuDS scheme

Brett Landscaping and Severn Trent Water have been working on the UK’s largest sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) scheme. The £76m project, to reduce flood risk in Mansfield, will create a surface water drainage system that can hold 58 million litres of water – roughly the equivalent of 23 Olympic-sized swimming pools. With funding approved under the OfWat Green recovery programme, Severn Trent and local authorities are working on retrofitting a series of SuDS measures across the Nottinghamshire town including bioswales, detention basins, raingardens, and approximately 50,000m2 of permeable paving. As well as supplying the Omega Flow permeable paving, Brett Landscaping’s experts are providing technical support and advice to the design team – which includes Severn Trent, ARUP, AECOM and Galliford Try – to assist with the design, construction and maintenance of these systems so that they perform as is expected to the British Standard (BS 7533-13: 2009). They also carried out CPDs, toolbox talks and a site visit to previously-installed permeable paving sites. Jamie Gledhill, Technical Engineering Manager for Brett Landscaping, said: “This scheme could be the first of many across the country as local authorities and water companies investigate the possibility of retrofitting SuDS. Sustainable drainage is due to be mandatory in all new housing schemes, but existing communities shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to mitigating flood risk and preserving water.”

New images unveiled of new-look Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre

A major sports project designed by Lincolnshire architect firm LK2 is expected to be granted planning permission within the coming weeks. The LK2 design for the redeveloped Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre delivers a demand-led solution for Southampton’s sport, health and wellbeing provision, significantly enhancing the current offer to provide a sustainable and multifaceted facility, with projected monetarised benefits of £98.8m. The never-before-seen 3D images released today by LK2 capture a masterplan of improvements for the ‘green lung’ of the city. Improvements welcomed by 97% of people through public consultation. The transformations will provide inclusive access to sport and dramatically open up opportunities for communities across Southampton to increase their level of physical activity within a multi-sport community hub. The designs released showcase a palette of contextual and contemporary natural materials, a bespoke architectural response that creates a positive focus within the natural landscape and reflects the project’s commitment to ecology. Glenn Swann, Director at LK2 Architects, said: “Over the years, LK2 Architects have been pivotal in the delivery of mixed-use retail, commercial and leisure facilities as destinations to provide more whole-life engagement across the country. We have brought forward several bench-marking schemes over the years, but the Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre raises the bar and will have a significant positive impact for Southampton Council and the wider community with this amazing project.”

Derby Market Hall’s second phase of building work in full swing

The highly-anticipated Derby Market Hall refurbishment has commenced its second phase of work, making drastic internal and external improvements. The Victorian market hall on Tennant Street is set to become a vibrant retail and leisure destination, linking the Derbion shopping centre and St Peter’s Quarter to the Cathedral Quarter and the Becketwell regeneration scheme. When complete, the refurbished market hall will pay homage to its heritage while evolving to meet modern needs and consumer demand. A vital part of this next phase is to develop the public space at Osnabruck Square, a key entrance to the Grade II Listed building, as well as reinstating the north entrance. The refurbishment is being led by Wates Group, which is working in collaboration with Derby City Council. The project team is made up of specialists operating within the region, including Lathams Architects, structural engineer Rodgers Leask and M&E consultant Clancy. Lisa Cunningham, Pre-construction Director at Wates Construction, said: “The market hall will play a vital role in creating a thriving cultural heart in Derby and we’re pleased to support this project to restore and transform such a unique building. With the roof restoration completed, this next phase will begin to show substantial improvements to the interiors and strengthen the exteriors to ensure the building has a long life.”

Wales

Work is progressing at a significant refurbishment project at a school in Merthyr Tydfil, which will pave the way for the future construction of educational facilities in Wales. Morgan Sindall Construction was appointed the contract for Pen Y Dre High School by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council last summer, which, once complete, will be the first major school refurbishment project delivering net-zero carbon in operation in Wales. The scheme is partially funded by the Welsh Government, as part of its Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, which aims to invest in and improve educational facilities. The project will see the use of CarboniCa, Morgan Sindall’s innovative digital carbon reduction tool, which is enabling the contractor to support its customers decarbonise local communities. CarboniCa is part of Morgan Sindall’s Intelligent Solutions approach, bringing together digital and platform design capabilities with modern construction methods and innovative carbon reduction tools to create unique, sustainable and inspiring places for customers. It measures wholelife carbon emissions, ensuring potential carbon outputs can be managed and reduced during the design, construction and entire building lifecycle.

Major housing association merger concludes

A multi-disciplinary team from national law firm Bevan Brittan has been advising on the conclusion of the merger between Peabody and Catalyst. The outcome from which has created a single not-forprofit organisation, focused on improving services and investing in existing homes. 12 months ago, Peabody and Catalyst announced plans to merge and initially Catalyst became a subsidiary of Peabody. The process to transfer all assets, operations and employees has now completed and the new single housing association will be known as Peabody. Simultaneously, Rosebery Housing Association, which had been a subsidiary of Catalyst, has merged into Peabody’s subsidiary Town & Country Housing. The group is responsible for 104,000 homes providing housing for around 220,000 residents across London and the Home Counties. Sarah Greenhalgh, a specialist housing corporate governance partner from Bevan Brittan, who advised on the merger alongside a wider team at the firm, said: “Bringing two large organisations together is a complex process, requiring tight governance. After advising on the initial merger last year, we have worked closely with the leadership team on a simplification process that will help Peabody move forward strongly.”