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NEWS INDUSTRY UPDATES

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

Caerphilly innovative housing development shortlisted at prestigious UK awards

A project developed by Caerphilly County Borough Council to deliver 18 new one-bedroom apartments has been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s prestigious Inside Housing Development Awards. The council has worked in partnership with construction expert Willmott Dixon, Ystrad Mynach-based manufacturer Caledan and architect firm Holder Mathias to develop innovative new homes on sites in Trecenydd and Trethomas. Homes on these developments are the first in Wales to be developed to Passivhaus standards using a steel primaframe design. The homes not only help lower carbon emissions but will ensure fuel costs are kept to a minimum for future tenants. The Caerphilly Innovative Housing Pilot has been shortlisted in the category for ‘Best Development’ and ‘Best Partnership’. Award winners will be announced at a celebratory event in London on 30th September. Councillor Shayne Cook, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “With over 250 entries submitted for these awards from housing developers and providers from across the UK, to receive two shortlists is an incredible honour.”

DPP, an independent national planning consultancy, is calling for local planning authorities (LPA) to have more awareness of the need to meet the Government’s ‘Project Speed’ planning targets for public service infrastructure. Project Speed, a national strategy to bolster and speed up the delivery of public service infrastructure in England in the wake of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, was introduced in September 2021. However, none of the eight applications handled by DPP have been determined within the new timescales. Oliver Corbett, Principal Planner at DPP, said: “LPAs need to act quicker on applications for public service infrastructure if England’s regeneration and infrastructure improvements are to come to fruition at the faster pace that the Government intended. These are delaying desperately-needed school places for children across the country, preventing the delivery of new hospitals and medical facilities and risking the economic growth and recovery of the country following the pandemic.” Mr Corbett also called for clarity on what action the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will take if a planning authority does not determine an application in the new timeframes. In a bid to encourage even more people to enjoy the beautiful 230-acre Leybourne Lakes Country Park in Kent, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has enhanced the incumbent water sport provision through the development of a cafe, outdoor seating area, toilets and changing facilities. Procured, designed and developed by Alliance Leisure through the UK Leisure Framework, which is owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure, the new facilities have been largely funded through the developer contributions paid to the council under Section 106 payments, leaving the council with just 10% of the £880,000 to invest. Working as lead development contractor, Alliance Leisure appointed Saunders Boston Architects to design an environmentally-sustainable building that complements its surroundings. Cutting-edge ‘green technology’ is being incorporated to drive energy efficiency, including the installation of a water-source heat pump using water from the lake and solar power to create a unique, environmentally-friendly development in this beautiful parkland setting.

Works are underway at Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge, as Morgan Sindall Construction transforms a disused modular structure into a new £5.8m resource centre. The scheme, which is being delivered for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, will see the conversion of the old modular building into a new-stateof-the-art, two-storey comprehensive resource centre, with a gym, cafe and offices, as well as space for dance, art, performance and leisure. By recycling the modular units, the team at Morgan Sindall Construction will be able to utilise the current steel structure of the building, cutting build time significantly. This method will also divert a significant amount of waste from landfill and cut CO2 emissions, making it a more sustainable alternative to manufacturing a new structure. Due to the nature of the live site, the team are refurbishing the units off site, allowing for minimal disruption to Fulbourn Hospital and its users. Jamie Shearman, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We are delighted to be delivering this incredibly important scheme for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. The resource centre will not only act as a gateway to the hospital, but it will also provide a much-needed activities and leisure hub, which is crucial to patients and carers.”

Time to conform to new public infrastructure planning deadline Kent Country Park opens new amenities to encourage active visitors

Morgan Sindall Construction championing sustainability with new hospital resource centre

HOK secures planning consent for 100% affordable neighbourhood in West London

HOK’s London studio has secured detailed planning approval for a new neighbourhood of 92 homes in Northolt, 100% of which will be affordable, on behalf of Broadway Living, Ealing Council’s wholly-owned housing company. Northolt Grange, which was approved unanimously at committee, will sit on a one-acre site bordered by Rushdene Crescent, Hartfield Avenue and Down Way, and will provide a mix of apartments and family houses across a variety of housing tenures. The homes are set in a green and permeable neighbourhood that pedestrians can access from all sides, with the buildings set back 7m from the street to create green and active spaces, in line with the Healthy Streets approach adopted by the Greater London Authority. The landscape-led design will see the green streets connect to a new public park and creates a new entrance to the existing St Raphael’s primary school, allowing pupils and staff to enjoy the outdoor space. The neighbourhood also includes parking provision for 30 cars, accommodated away from view underneath a new 700m2 children’s playdeck, which connects directly to each of the buildings at first-floor level. HOK’s design includes a modular approach to construction, with the homes consisting of a series of standardised stackable parts increasing quality, accelerating delivery and significantly reducing construction waste.

Commercial lighting manufacturer, Whitecroft Lighting, has scooped the Added Value & Contribution Award at the ProCure22 Framework Awards, in recognition for its work on the emergency COVID-19 Nightingale Centres. The award was gained in recognition of Whitecroft’s outstanding contribution to the NHS ProCure22 (P22) framework, in particular the speed and cost at which it supplied critical specialist healthcare lighting as part of the NHS’ rapid response to COVID-19. Whitecroft not only met the exceptionally short deadlines dictated by the potential rapid spread and impact of the virus, but did so within the framework’s usual capital and operational budgets. Whitecroft supplied lighting to eight of the 10 centres. A number of the venues selected to be Nightingale Centres were large, cavernous spaces never intended for clinical use, which created a new set of challenges for Whitecroft. But as a UK manufacturer, Whitecroft holds lighting inventory in stock, and was able to quickly review what was available, and draw on its long experience of lighting healthcare to select and adapt products accordingly.

Whitecroft Lighting wins healthcare efficiency award Seddon completes £2m regeneration of Staffordshire’s Shire Hall

Stafford’s 224-year-old Shire Hall has received a £2m regeneration, with Seddon turning the former library space into a new business enterprise centre. The new facilities offer a range of 97 to 323ft2 office spaces, a reception room and meeting areas to facilitate networking opportunities and knowledge sharing, with flexible hot desking and PO Box rental also on offer to local businesses. The new business centre will create accessible provisions to help support local small and start-up businesses with flexible tenancies and an onsite support team. During the 28-week project, a bespoke lath and plaster ornate ceiling, an original part of the building, was repaired and redecorated by a specialist. As Shire Hall is Grade II Listed, Seddon and its delivery partner, Entrust, worked to standards and expectations set by the Heritage Authority to uphold the integrity of the building, whilst optimising it for its new life as a business enterprise centre. Peter Jackson, Managing Director of Seddon, said: “The Shire Hall project has been an excellent project for us, modernising the interior of one of Stafford’s landmark buildings whilst still keeping its history and integrity in place. Regeneration projects like this are important to both Seddon and the communities we serve. The project is a testament to our relationship with Staffordshire County Council, which continues to go from strength to strength.”

Winckworth Sherwood advises Tower Hamlets Community Housing on fire safety funding facility

Winckworth Sherwood’s Social Housing Finance team has advised Tower Hamlets Community Housing on both the finance and property aspects in securing a new funding facility with Santander. The new funding will enable Tower Hamlets Community Housing to carry out fire safety works to a number of its homes and provides a funding solution that offers flexibility moving forwards. Winckworth Sherwood’s Social Housing Finance team undertook the due diligence and negotiations required to secure a portfolio of stock, which included a large proportion of ex-Large Scale Voluntary Transfer properties (LSVT) and some tower blocks concentrated in the locality of Tower Hamlets. The finance side was led by Winckworth Sherwood Partner Patricia Umunna and the property security work by Head of Charging, Jill O’Reilly, with support from the wider charging team. Helen Neal, Director of Resources at Tower Hamlets Community Housing, said: “We are very happy to have worked with Jill and Patricia and their teams on this refinance and property security project. The service and advice they provide is of excellent quality. By securing this funding, we will be able to provide the required fire safety works with no costs to our residents. We take safety very seriously and see it is a key part of our purpose to create places people are proud to call home.”