£300M BAE Systems Barrow project underway

BAE Systems have announced that work has started on the first phase of its redevelopment programme at Barrow-in-Furness.

The new £23M off-site logistics facility designed and built by Shepherd Construction will be used to store submarine parts and materials and is part of an eight-year £300M programme and is expected to see 850 contractors employed at its peak.

The programme will include new build facilities as well as the refurbishment of existing infrastructure in preparation for the construction of the successor to the Vanguard class.

Minister of State for Defence Procurement Philip Dunne said: “Barrow is the hub of submarine construction in the UK. The site has recently delivered the third of seven Astute submarines for the Royal Navy and will go on to work on our new fleet of four Successor Ballistic Missile submarines and the renewal of Britain’s nuclear deterrent; all helping to keep Britain safe.

“This investment in the logistics facility at the site is an important step towards the eight-year infrastructure upgrade programme at the yard, securing thousands of jobs and showing our commitment to increase defence spending each year for the rest of the decade.”

Director of the site redevelopment programme at BAE Systems Submarines, Allan Day, believes the new facilities will be crucial in delivering the submarines. He said: “The new submarines we are designing present one of the most complex and challenging engineering projects we have ever tackled. The world-class infrastructure this redevelopment will provide, together with our highly skilled workforce, will be critical in delivering these submarines to the Royal Navy.”

Paul Waller, Construction Director for Shepherd, commented: “We have already collaborated closely with the BAE Systems team to formulate a high quality design that absolutely reflects their vision and will meet the needs of their workforce when they come to start construction of the new submarines.

“Our commitment to deliver a foundation for the future and engage with the local community is a vital element of our work with BAE Systems. We look forward to applying some of the unrivalled skills available in the local area and working together to create a facility which leaves a lasting legacy.”

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FTA: Operation Stack hauliers should be compensated

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has today called for compensation to be considered for those hauliers affected by Operation Stack.

Figures from the FTA put the cost to UK hauliers stuck in Operation Stack on the M20 in Kent at over £21M during the 28 days (23rd June -2nd August) it was implemented. This figure does not include any other loss of business such as spoilt cargoes, missed export deadlines or the percentage of journeys diverted while Operation Stack was in force.

The Association estimates that the crisis was costing the UK freight industry £750,000 a day, as trucks were stopped on closed sections of the major access route to Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover.

Operation Stack was put into action during the cross channel disruption and used in recent weeks in wake of the French industrial action and the threat of migrants gaining access to the Channel Tunnel.

The FTA’s request comes as Home Secretary Theresa May and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve meet today in Calais to discuss how to handle the migrant crisis and to consider increasing security around the site where thousands of migrants are currently camped.

James Hookham, FTA’s Deputy Chief Executive, said: “FTA is calling on the French Government to consider compensation for UK freight operators to help recover some of their losses this summer due to Operation Stack.

“The weeks of chaos on the roads in Kent were unacceptable and we need a long-term solution to Operation Stack – this situation cannot be allowed to happen again. As the industrial dispute with the MyFerryLink workers has not been resolved, there is every likelihood that we could see a repeat performance before the summer is out.

“FTA has calculated that the UK lorries queued during Operation Stack accounted for only 15 per cent of all HGVs affected and therefore the wider costs to hauliers across Europe are significantly higher. So the French Government should accept that they are liable not only for the cost to British hauliers, but to all others involved.”

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Kier secures £34.5M Victoria contract

Company is part of major London regeneration project.

Kier has secured a £34.5M contract for improvement works at a development in Victoria, London.

Parnell House on Wilton Road is to undergo a major revamp, coinciding with the many large-scale regeneration projects in the area. Victoria is currently being developed and modernised in attempts to transform the central London hub into an attractive destination for consumers and businesses alike.

Kier Construction will be responsible for Parnell House’s renovation after being awarded the deal with Royal London Asset Management.

The mixed-use site is to benefit from 14 new high-end residential units, requiring the construction of three additional storeys. The residential column layout will also need support from a substantial reinforced concrete transfer structure. The apartments will then receive further enhancements to prepare them for central London’s luxury rental market.

Parnell House will also offer additional office floor space, made possible by the infilling of central atriums at the first six levels. This office space will be equipped to meet Category A standards.

Tenant facilities will include a secure car park, accessible by lift.

The building’s façade meanwhile will be removed to make way for cast masonry columns and a combination of bespoke curtain walling and aluminium/timber curtain walling systems.

Works have already commenced with estimated completion in Spring 2017.

Cliff Thomas, Managing Director of Kier Construction in London, said: “The redevelopment of Parnell House is a key phase in the overall redevelopment of Victoria. We will deliver a high-end mixed-use scheme while maintaining continuity of service for the existing tenant, J D Wetherspoon, who will occupy the ground floor of the building throughout the construction period.
“We are also mindful of party wall considerations with the Grade II listed Apollo Theatre and Neathouse Place office block, and will bring our wealth of redevelopment experience to ensure a high quality finish.”

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Government figures show rise in housing completions

A 15% rise in completions in the year up to June 2014.

Housebuilding figures released by the government today have shown an increase in the number of housing completions in the June quarter 2015.

In this time, seasonally adjusted completions between April and June were 4% higher than the previous quarter, and the 35,640 completions represents an increase of 22% over the corresponding quarter of 2014.

Completions also went up in the private enterprise tenure and housing association sector, with a 4% and 6% rise respectively from the previous quarter.

When assessing the annual number of completions with the year ending in June 2015, work on 131,060 homes was finished. Although this is some way below the peak level represented in the 12 months ending December 2007, it is 15% higher than in the year ending June 2014.

In addition, private enterprise completions were up 11% annually and the figure for housing associations was even better at 30%.

The annual housebuilding completions are at their highest annual total for six years and Housing Minister Brandon Lewis described it as a “real boost.”

He said: “Our One Nation government has got the country building again with today’s figures showing that 131,060 extra homes have been built in the past year.

“This has provided a real boost to the UK’s construction industry and is delivering the homes that hard working people rightly deserve.

“However, we know there is more to do. That is why we have outlined plans to deliver 275,000 affordable homes by the end of this Parliament – the fastest rate of building for 20 years.

“We’re also determined to support those who aspire to own their own home, which is why we’re making up to £10M available to bring forward brownfield sites to build new Starter Homes, which will be available to young first-time buyers at a 20% discount.”

However, the news from the statistics released by the government today was not universally good. Although housing starts in the year ending June 2015 are up by 81% from the lull in the year to June 2009, the annual performance compared to the end of last June is disappointing.

There is a 1% drop in comparison to the year to June 2014, while housing association starts faltered by 16% compared to the year before.

The overall annual figure is 26% below the best recorded rate of the year up to December 2007, but private enterprise starts in the 12 months to June 2015 are up by 3%.

Quarterly starts fared worse, with the seasonally adjusted figure estimated at 33,280 for the quarter to June 2015 – 14% down from the March quarter. It means the number of housing starts is 6% below the level recorded in the June quarter 2014.

When compared to the trough of the March quarter 2009, the figure is up by 94% but it is still some 32% short of the peak enjoyed in the March quarter 2007.

In addition, private enterprise tenure starts and housing association starts both decreased in the June quarter by 12% and 23% respectively from the previous quarter.

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Luxury Embassy Gardens flats to be linked by ‘Sky Pool’

Plans have been unveiled for two luxury apartments blocks to be linked by a swimming pool suspended 115ft in the air.

Developed by Ballymore and Eco World, Embassy Gardens is located in London’s Nine Elms neighbourhood on the South Bank and will be linked at the 10th storey by a stunning outdoor pool, allowing brave residents to swim between buildings, 35m above the ground.

The pool, designed by Arup Associates, in collaboration with Eckersley O’Callaghan and aquarium designers Reynolds, will be 25m long, 5m wide and 3m deep with a water depth of 1.2m and is intended to more like an aquarium than an actual pool with glass 20cm thick.

A ‘sky deck’ will be located at the top of the two buildings to incorporate a spa, summer bar and Orangery for residents to relax and take in the stunning city views London has to offer.

Embassy Gardens is a new £1Bn development in Battersea situated next door to the new American Embassy containing 2,000 new luxury homes, which will cost from £600,000.

Sean Mulryan, Chairman and CEO of Ballymore Group said: “My vision for the Sky Pool stemmed from a desire to push the boundaries in the capability of construction and engineering, I wanted to do something that had never been done before.

“At Ballymore we like to push the boundaries on all aspects of design, the Sky Pool’s transparent structure is the result of significant advancements in technologies over the last decade.

“The experience of the pool will be truly unique, it will feel like floating through the air in central London.”

The exclusive Embassy Gardens buildings linked by the pool are part of the second phase of the development and will be put on the market in September, with buyers expected to be able to move in 2018.

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Rural Productivity Plan outlined by the government

Starter Homes will be delivered as part of the plan.

The government has today set out its first Rural Productivity Plan to help areas in the countryside flourish.

Set out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and the Environment Secretary, Elizabeth Truss, the Rural Productivity Plan is timely given how popular moving to rural areas is becoming.

The ten-part plan aims to increase the number of Starter Homes built, simplify planning laws for communities and businesses, improve transport links, move towards devolution, increase wages and invest in education.

Responsible for 16% of England’s total output, rural areas are vital to the economy and the Chancellor believes the new measures will mean in future, there won’t be as much of a reliance on city-based businesses.

He said: “For too long, the British economy has been reliant on businesses based in our cities and towns. We want to create a One Nation economy that taps into the potential of all parts of our country.

“That means setting the right conditions for rural communities and businesses to thrive, investing in education and skills, improving rural infrastructure, and allowing rural villages to thrive and grow.”

Within the ten-part plan, the government wants to make it easier to live and work in rural areas.

Therefore, there are plans to include more housing to make it easier for villages to establish neighbourhood plans and allocate land for new homes, including the use of rural exception sites to deliver Starter Homes.

This will give local areas a chance to allocate more Starter Homes sites for those living in the area, or for people with existing connections to the area.

Subject to local agreement, the government is keen to make sure that any English village can expand in an incremental way.

Within the plan to make it easier to live and work rurally, there will be an increased availability of affordable childcare.

Strong conditions for rural business growth will be created in the form of Enterprise Zones in these areas. Bidding for the current round ends next month with preferences given to proposals involving smaller towns, districts and rural areas.

The government will also provide better regulation and improved planning for rural businesses by reviewing planning constraints. Measures to tackle these issues will be outlined next year.

There will also be a fast-track planning certificate process for establishing the principle of development for minor development proposals.

Faster broadband and high quality mobile communications are also high on the agenda and as part of the government’s plan to populate rural areas with a highly skilled workforce, there will be access to high quality education and training by way of fairer funding for schools.

Local areas will also get the opportunity to participate in the re-shaping and commissioning of local post-16 skills provision.

Apprenticeships will be increased as part of the drive to bring a highly skilled workforce, while transport connections through the £38Bn rail investment programme and £15Bn Road Investment Strategy will be created.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said the plans will result in “thriving towns and villages.”

She said: “Our rural areas could be generating billions more for the UK and providing many thousands of new jobs – this plan will make that a reality, unleashing the full potential of our countryside to create a true One Nation economy.

“We’re connecting the countryside to make it just as simple to run a business from Cornwall as it is in Camden. But it’s not just about transport and technology.

“Our plan will help us create thriving towns and villages where generations of families can open and expand their businesses, buy a home and educate their children at first class schools.”

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Queensferry Crossing MEP contract awarded

Shepherd Engineering Services have won the contract to provide Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) services to the new £1.4Bn Queensferry Crossing being built over the Firth of Forth in Scotland.

The two-year contract will see the Company deliver MEP systems for the bridge’s North and South approach sections, the central cable stayed bridge, its three towers and abutment buildings.

Shepherd will deliver one of the most technically challenging parts of the project by undertaking its largest ever pre-fabrication installation to date by installing and securing 120 prebuilt road deck sections.

These fully-formed modules will be developed at a specially created off-site manufacturing hub in Rosyth, marking the first time that the Company’s pre-fabrication factory, Shepherd PRISM, has designed and engineered modules away from its Yorkshire base.

It is hoped that this process will save time and money to ensure this part of project is completed on schedule.

Colin Walker, Shepherd Engineering Services Regional Director for Scotland, said: “The Queensferry Crossing project represents a key facilitator to Scotland’s future economic success, so we are immensely proud to be able to support this major investment in infrastructure.

“The development of our unique off-site Shepherd PRISM pre-fabrication facility illustrates our commitment to innovation and smart thinking. Not only will our team of experts be able to maximise efficiencies by creating the bridge modules off-site, we will significantly contribute to a reduction in the project’s logistical and on-site health and safety risks.”

The Queensferry Crossing is the tallest bridge in the UK, with the three towers now standing over 160 metres as construction progresses. Once finished, the bridge will stand at 206 metres, over 40 metres higher than the previous record held jointly by the Forth Road Bridge and the Humber Bridge.

The Queensferry Crossing is due for completion by the end of 2016.

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