Progress made on Boston Barrier Scheme

Progress has been made on the Boston Barrier Tidal Flood Alleviation Scheme in Lincolnshire after the joint venture of two contractors, BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald, set about moving the barrier’s steel structure into place.

The Boston Barrier Scheme will improve flood protection for approximately 14,000 homes through the installation of a 300-tonne, 29m long steel barrier that has been imported from the Netherlands, with the installation of said new barrier lasting a total duration of three days.

Furthermore, installation of the new barrier was organised and commissioned by the Environment Agency and forms part of the Boston Combined Strategy which will protect the Boston area from flooding well into the next century.

The Boston Flood Alleviation Scheme has cost approximately £100M and the tidal barrier, forming the primary component of this strategy, will be fully operational by the summer of 2020 after it has been connected to hydraulic rams and control systems and has undergone essential safety and commissioning tests.

Other phases of the Boston Flood Alleviation Scheme involve the installation of a more flood resilient gate at the Port of Boston wet-dock entrance in addition to other works which will connect the Boston defences to the Haven Banks Scheme, heightening and bolstering existing defences along five kilometres of the river banks.

The Project Manager at BMMJV, Steve Lowder stated: “The delivery of the barrier gate is the culmination of hard work and collaboration by BMMJV its Client, and all the suppliers working on the project. The arrival of the barrier is a major milestone for the project.

“We have been working around the clock to get to this point and look forward to successfully completing the next steps of the scheme downstream. The team has achieved an exemplary safety record and are proud to protect and improve the environment for people living and working in the local community.”

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Significant drops monthly project value according to Glenigan

According to the latest Glenigan Construction Review, the value of construction projects starting on site in the three months building up to October 2019 rapidly declined when compared with the same statistics from the year before.

Specifically, these figures that have been published by Glenigan show the average value of projects which started on site as being £4.655Bn per month which is a proportion of 31 per cent lower than the total value that was recorded in the year previously, with the most substantially effected subsector within these construction projects being that of major projects.

Going into further detail it was revealed that in the three months up to October 2019 the value major projects, which include construction projects with a value that is equal to or greater than £100M, averaged at a value of £602M per month, which measures at just one third of the level over the course of the same period in the year before.

Comparatively, the average monthly value of underlying projects, those being projects with a value of less than £100M, over the course of the three month period building to October 2019 measured at a figure that was 12 per cent less than the average which was recorded over the same period in the year before, and was even 18 per cent lower than the same figure for the previous three month interval.

In regard to projects which have yet to start on site, but have been had contracts awarded, the average monthly value of these measured at £5.973Bn over the course of the three months building to October 2019, which is actually a nine per cent decline when compared to the same statistics over the same period one year prior.

Again here, it was major projects which felt a substantial drop, with a four per cent drop in value against the year before, as well as underlying projects, which experienced a ten per cent fall against the previous year.

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Kier appointed to Western and Wales CP6 Framework

The construction and property group Kier has been awarded a position on the five-year IP Western and Wales CP6 Framework for Network Rail after having been appointed to the Signalling, Power, and Communication (SPC) and Electrification and Plant (EP) Lot.

The Western and Wales CP6 Framework is, as has already been established, five years in duration but can also be extended by a further three years to make the potential duration of this framework eight years in total, with a potential turnover value of some £40M.

Specifically, contracts that will be awarded to Kier through this framework will entail the carrying out of SPC and EP works on: power supply systems, LV Distribution systems, non-traction HV electrical sub-stations and compounds, operational lighting, points heating, tunnel ventilation, operational plant, power supplies, telecoms, remote monitoring systems, minor signalling design and consultancy, and minor signalling.

Kier has already carried out a large quantity of work on behalf of National Rail through User Worked Crossing Upgrades for Signalling and Civils installations and what this appointment to the CP6 Framework will consolidate is a healthy and consistent pipeline of work within the railway infrastructure sector across Wales and Western England.

The Group Managing Director at Kier Utilities and Rail, Barry McNicholas stated: “This appointment develops and strengthens our ability to deliver regional rail engineering, signalling, electrification and plant and crossing upgrades throughout CP6 and plays into our business strategy to expand our geographical coverage in the area.

“It builds on our expertise in the SP&C and E&P sectors and allows us to bring local value and investment to communities in the area.”

Kier’s utilisation of construction frameworks has been extremely prominent recently following their appointment to a total of eighteen Lots on the Crown Commercial Service’s new Construction Framework.

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Adanac Park business park underway near Southampton

Work has officially commenced on the construction of the brand new business park at Adanac Park, just off of the M271 in Nursling, Southampton, where Ocean Estates has commissioned the construction of said business park and where the letting agents Keygrove Chartered Surveyors and Lambert Smith Hampton are setting about finding leaseholders.

At this moment in time, Keygrove Chartered Surveyors and Lambert Smith Hampton are offering 17 new Adanac Park business units to lease, varying in size from 3,434sq ft to 76,985sq ft and at rents of approximately £10 per square foot per annum.

As progress currently stands, the majority of the steel framework structure has now been erected on the site next to the M271, and the first letting, of one of the soon to be established units, has now  been released as being with the Southampton-based Marineguard Systems who have signed up to a new lease on the 5,016sq ft Unit F1.

A representative of Keygrove Chartered Surveyors, Andrew Archibald stated: “This is good news for the regional economy as there have not been any new business units built in the Southampton region for many years and so we are expecting strong demand. Adanac North is particularly special, being well located at Junction 1 of the M271.”

A representative of Lambert Smith Hampton, Dan Rawlings added: “There is still an opportunity for potential tenants to have an input into the internal layout of the new units, ready for occupation in May 2020.”

And finally, a representative from Oceanic Estates, Harry Hutchinson concluded: “It is really exciting to see Phase 1 under construction and on the remainder of the site we can also offer bespoke buildings for larger occupiers designed to suit individual tenants’ requirements.”

Due to its location near the motorway, Adanac Park is expected to benefit the local economy greatly and will be naturally beautiful location as it is situated next to a 75-acre woodland.

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Partnership develops cameras to inspect railway tracks

A technology lead scheme is currently being carried out by a partnership of Omnicom Balfour Beatty and the University of York, supported by the organisation Innovate UK, to develop cameras which can inspect railway tracks in minute detail so that railway companies know when repairs and preventative maintenance needs to take place.

According to calculations by the developers of this technology, the cameras will be able to save train companies approximately £10M per year on repair works, operating by taking high-definition pictures of the train tracks which are then analysed to alert maintenance officers where urgent repairs are needed while also predicting where faults will soon occur.

The Project Leader and the Head of Operations for Omnicom Balfour Beatty, Stephen Tait stated: “We are developing digital technologies that are rapidly changing our industry; from ‘predict and prevent’ technology and advanced digital surveying techniques through to data science. All of our solutions are underpinned by a long legacy of design and construction expertise.

“Our collaboration with the University of York has been invaluable; this latest innovation is an excellent example of how Balfour Beatty continues to deliver our commitment to reduce our onsite work by 25 per cent by 2025 as we progress against our commitment to develop technologies to evolve the digital railway for a more reliable, cost efficient and safe network for all users”

The Lead Researcher on the project, from the Department of Computer Science at the University of York, Professor Richard Wilson commented: “These machine vision technologies for high speed rail inspection will improve the reliability of the railway network, reduce costs and increase the safety of manual inspection. The computer vision and machine learning technologies provide automated inspection of complex assets such as junctions and crossings”.

The Knowledge Transfer Adviser for the Knowledge Transfer Network, delivering the programme for Innovate UK, Ian Blakemore added: “This Knowledge Transfer Partnership has significantly improved the potential to automate rail inspection to an accuracy that will vastly improve the productivity of the whole checking process – something which is critical to the operation of the rail network.

“The partnership between Omnicom Balfour Beatty and the University of York flourished as a result of the discoveries and innovation that the close working delivered, adding real value to the business.”

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Eastrop Barns Ltd to construct eight new homes

A marketplace lender named Assetz Capital has provided £3.1M in funding, though only in the form of a loan, to the company Eastrop Barns Ltd for the purpose of constructing eight new luxury homes in Highworth near Swindon in the South West.

The Eastrop Barns Ltd construction project will be comprised of the conversion of three luxury farmhouse buildings, three large barn conversions, and the renovation of two workers cottages, with each development consisting of a mixture of three, four, and five-bedroom buildings.

Construction began on these eight developments in the July of 2019 and are scheduled to continue for a year, with the completion of the homes predicted for the July of 2020.

Assetz Capital have, since 2013, issued funding that totals a figure of £880M to small-to-medium-sized-enterprises (SMEs) and housebuilders in the UK to fund projects that entail the construction of commercial properties, care homes, and even student accommodation.

The Director of Eastrop Barns Ltd, Nigel King stated: “We have been impressed with Assetz Capital’s knowledge of the market and speed of delivery, which has allowed us to make a start on construction and target completion in less than a year. We look forward to continuing our work with Assetz over the course of construction and beyond.”

The Relationship Director at Assetz Capital, David Hales added: “We have a commitment to support ambitious developers in their quest for building more houses and meeting the country’s demand for quality new homes.

“Placing our funds into property development means that we are able to make a positive impact on the housing market. This particular development will positively impact Highworth, creating jobs, fuelling growth into the town and adding to the luxury property market, making the area more desirable for future property owners.”

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Affordable homes underway in Thornaby

The construction company PF Burridge have begun the delivery of ten new affordable homes on the former site of the SD Print Works in the Teesside town of Thornaby after being commissioned by the housing development firm North Star Housing Group.

The new affordable homes are being delivered at a cost of £1.4M through a grant that has been provided by Homes England, with the houses soon to be made available through affordable rent at a cost that is just 80 per cent of the normal market value.

The properties will be constructed on Millbank Lane and will consist of two-bedroom housing, being made available by the summer of 2020, whereas another recent project that has been undertaken by PF Burridge in recent times after seven two-bedroom bungalows were constructed on Darlington Lane in Thornaby.

The Executive Director of Assets and Growth, Emma Speight stated: “North Star is delighted to work with PF Burridge on this new build scheme, helping to increase the number of homes we offer by delivering two bedroomed properties for the people of Thornaby.”

The Commercial Director at PF Burridge, Stephen McCoy added: “We are delighted to have secured these two opportunities to work with North Star as we seek to respond to government driven agenda to increase the number and quality of new homes being built, year on year, addressing our region’s housing shortage.

“This is an exciting time for Teesside, with significant investment and regeneration which is transforming the area for the benefit of existing and new families.”

PF Burridge is a contractor company based in Newcastle, also owning a depot in Wakefield, that employs approximately 160 people and carries out primarily repair and refurbishment projects across the North of England for universities, hospitals, and housing associations.

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