Ealing Council‘s cabinet has revealed plans to redevelop its current head offices in Ealing Broadway that will pave the way for building new homes.

Councillors agreed to proposals to redevelop the Perceval House site to make way for new homes and an improved customer service centre and library, as well as smaller replacement office accommodation for the council.

Under the proposals around 360 new homes would be built on the site at 14-16 Uxbridge Road with the council potentially retaining a substantial number to provide affordable housing.

The development may also include some commercial and retail space to compliment Dickens Yard and the new cultural quarter.

Revenue generated through the project will pay for a new customer service centre and new library to replace the current badly located Ealing Central Library, as well as replacement offices.

With property prices across London continuing to rise, the council’s Perceval House offices are now a valuable asset and the council is seeking to unlock the site’s potential by redeveloping it for housing, commercial space and replacement council facilities.

Council Leader, Councillor Julian Bell, said: “We’re sitting on top of a potentially very valuable site and when you consider the tough times we’re in financially and the desperate need to provide more affordable homes, it makes perfect sense for us to release the site’s value.”

Morgan Sindall has been appointed to build a £60 million Array Multiplex science research building at Granta Park in Cambridge.

The building is being constructed for BioMed Realty Trust, which owns, manages and operates scientific research centre Granta Park.

It will act as the new European headquarters for biomedical company Illumina, a world leader in genomics focused on improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome.

The facility will provide Illumina with a collaborative environment and access to the highly skilled workforce in the dynamic research cluster anchored by Cambridge University.

“Illumina and BioMed Realty’s commitment to building a new state-of-the art facility in Cambridge is great news for our area,” said George Freeman, UK Minister for Life Sciences.

“This is a strong endorsement of the UK’s Life Science Industrial Strategy and leadership in driving forward better treatments for people with cancers and rare diseases.”

Bob Ensch, area director from Morgan Sindall, said: “The building will utilise next-generation ‘smart’ technology and help to ensure the building operates at optimum capacity throughout its lifetime.

“Our project team will draw on knowledge gleaned from its extensive experience delivering world-class research facilities and will be bringing that insight to bear on this development.”

Sustainable features including brise soleil vertical solar shading panels will help to maintain the building’s temperature and prevent overheating. The building will also feature a three-storey winter garden.

Construction work is set to start on a £26 million Walton High Brooklands Campus which is due to create hundreds of new school places in the autumn of 2016.

The project by Milton Keynes Council is an expansion of Walton High academy to provide 1200 secondary and up to 400 Post-16 places for Brooklands and Broughton Gate.

The three storey building is being built by Wates Construction on a 9.36 hectares site and the grounds include sports pitches and fenced and floodlit multi-use games area and all weather pitch.

The first 270 students (90 in each of years 7, 8 and 9) will be able to attend the new Walton High Brooklands Campus in the autumn of 2016.

Cllr Norman Miles, cabinet member responsible for Children and School Improvement, said: “The building of this campus is part of our wider aim to provide an extra 10,000 places across the borough by 2018.

“This build is part of the council’s ambitious £160 million programme which will see the creation of seven brand new schools and the expansion of 12 more by 2018, cementing the borough’s reputation as one of the leading school builders in the country.”

Ian Vickers, Regional Managing Director for Wates Construction, said: “The start of construction at Walton High Brooklands Campus is a huge step forward in Milton Keynes Council’s ambitious investment in the town’s schools and marks a significant milestone in the creation of what is set to become a first class educational environment.”

Transport for London (TfL) is to release more than 300 acres of land to help build more than 10,000 new homes across London, paving the way for new construction jobs.

The new land-release programme is in addition to the work of TfL’s £360 million growth fund, which is creating more than 50,000 homes and 30,000 jobs by supporting 14 transport projects across London that are directly unlocking development.

The TfL land will be developed over the next decade to provide vital new homes, offices and retail units to support London’s rapidly growing population and the Capital’s contribution to the economy of the country. Sixty-seven per cent of this phase of development is in travel Zones 1 and 2.

The Mayor of London has pledged to have an exit strategy for all City Hall owned land by the end of his term in 2016, with 99 per cent now freed up for development to help deliver thousands of much needed new homes.

The London Land Commission, driven by the Mayor, will also map all land owned by public authorities in London for the first time, to identify further opportunities for housebuilding.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: ‘TfL’s plans will build on the great efforts we’ve already made at City Hall to ensure brownfield land that has laid empty for years is put to productive use in providing much-needed housing for Londoners.

‘It’s important that all key agencies work together to accelerate the rate of housebuilding across the Capital and redevelop land and assets wherever possible to deliver more homes.’

Graeme Craig, Director of Commercial Development at TfL, said: ‘We’re determined to use our assets to help create more homes and jobs for Londoners. As the custodians of some of the best assets in the Capital, it is right that we explore every opportunity to maximise the use of our land.’

BAM has been appointed as a principal contractor for a £170 million upgrade of the railway line between Aberdeen and Inverurie

The Scottish Government-funded enhancement will transform journeys on the route introducing a half-hourly commuter service while creating new jobs and boosting the building trades.

BAM, which recently completed the on-time, on-budget £294 million Borders Railway, will now oversee the delivery of the Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project – the first phase of which is due for completion in 2019.

Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, said: “I am pleased to witness the award of the contract to BAM for the first phase of the Aberdeen to Inverness Improvement Project.

“This project is especially valuable for the region for, as well as the clear benefits to passengers and freight users, it will also support jobs and growth, providing an economic boost to the cities and communities along the entire length of the route.”

Jerry Dickson, Operations Director for BAM, said: “Together with our partners AECOM, CH2M, Stobart Rail and Siemens, we are looking forward to commencing work on the Aberdeen to Inverness Enhancement Programme.

“This essential programme of works will improve connectivity between the major cities of Aberdeen and Inverness, with wider enhancements for the local communities in the north of Scotland.

“We are particularly proud to have been awarded this contract in our 150th anniversary year, which has also seen BAM and Network Rail successfully re-open the Borders Railway, which is now providing an essential rail link between Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders”.

Engineers are currently carrying out ground investigation, site survey and vegetation clearance works on the line as part of the project and main construction works will begin in spring 2016.

Willmott Dixon Energy Services will upgrade hundreds of homes in Oxford to create a healthier living environment and reduce fuel bills for residents.

Oxford City Council has selected Willmott Dixon’s energy efficiency business for a £20 million contract to refurbish five high-rise residential tower blocks.

Willmott Dixon‘s team of energy specialists will carry out work including structural repairs, cladding and extra insulation, replacement of windows, new heating systems and lift refurbishments.

The communal electrics and fire safety systems will also be updated as well as work car parks, fencing and front entrances.

The project will extend the life of the homes for at least 30 years and enable residents to live in healthier, warmer and cheaper to heat homes.

Sarah Campbell, who lives in Windrush, said: “The improvements cannot come quick enough; we often suffer from chest problems which the doctor has said is from the damp in the flat.”

Mike Rowley, Oxford City Council board member for housing and property services said: “This is a very important and much awaited project for the council and residents in the blocks.

“We welcome the appointment of Willmott Dixon Energy Services and will be consulting tenants and leaseholders on the forthcoming programme of repairs.”

Rob Lambe, managing director for Energy Services said:“Our work to install energy efficiency improvements at these tower blocks will help residents reduce their fuel bills and live in warmer, healthier homes.”

Developer Allied London has been given the go-ahead for the first phase of its £1.3bn redevelopment of the St. John’s neighbourhood in Manchester.

Allied London will commence the project in Autumn 2016, expecting to create new jobs in the building construction phase of the project.

The new neighbourhood will consist of 2.8 million sq ft. of workspace, events space, riverside parks, gardens, hotels, arts venues, independent shops, cafes, restaurants, including 1,450 homes, which will come together to form St. John’s, one of the key projects in the Northern Powerhouse initiative.

Designed to provide a real counterbalance to the Capital’s cultural hub the development will see a new calibre of culture in the North emerge and become the new home for The Manchester International Festival.

George Osborne chose St. John’s Old Granada Studios building to host the Government’s Northern Powerhouse talk last week, revealing business reforms that will make a huge difference for the future of modern enterprise in the North and North West.

Michael Ingall, Allied London’s Chief Executive, said; “Allied London has long been championing Manchester and are fully supporting the Northern Powerhouse initiative, which now even has its own elected Minister in the Houses of Parliament.

“It is a mission of the utmost importance. Manchester has always been at the heart of enterprise, arts and culture and St. John’s will provide a platform for the city to cluster creative enterprise and activities and flourish with workspace, theatre, music, performance, events, craft workshops and independent retail at the heart of our new neighbourhood.”

Tesco has agreed the sale of fourteen Spenhill development sites across London, the South East and Bath, to a fund and clients advised by Meyer Bergman that will see the building of new homes.

The transaction, worth £250 million, is for sites suitable for mixed-use and residential development and marks further progress against Tesco’s strategic priority of protecting and strengthening its balance sheet.

Tesco and Meyer Bergman have reached completion on eleven sites, with the remaining sites due to complete in due course.



Dave Lewis, Chief Executive said:“We are very pleased to have agreed a deal with Meyer Bergman that will bring forward significant investment for these local communities, including opportunities for residential development.



We will be working with Meyer Bergman and local Councils in the coming weeks to complete a formal handover and look forward to the delivery of investment on these sites.”

Markus Meijer, CEO at Meyer Bergman, said:“We see this investment as an opportunity to give new impetus to the Spenhill projects, to make Tesco’s place-making ambitions for the sites happen and to make an enduring contribution to local communities.



“Backed by long-term and prudent global institutional capital, Meyer Bergman has a wealth of experience and expertise in the development and asset management of mixed-use properties.”

Housing specialist Lovell has been appointed by consortium LHC to carry out its new major kitchen and bathroom replacements framework in five regions of the UK.

Under the framework, the company will be eligible for large-scale housing refurbishment programmes – worth over £500,000 – for housing associations and councils in the East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber, the North West and North Wales.

Lovell business development director Peter Quinn said: “Lovell has a long track record of successfully delivering housing refurbishment programmes for housing association and local authority clients and residents and we’re absolutely delighted to be bringing this expertise to the high-profile LHC kitchen and bathroom replacements framework”.

John Skivington, director of LHC, said: “We would like to welcome Lovell on to this new framework. A lot of effort has been put into producing this framework by LHC to provide public sector landlords with a quality, compliant framework to meet their refurbishment requirements.”

Work covered under the LHC kitchen and bathroom framework will include installation of new kitchens and bathrooms, plumbing and electrical services, structural alterations and redecoration.

The appointment is the latest in a number of major housing maintenance gains for Lovell this year. They include a contract with Chevin Housing Association, a member of the Together Housing Group, to carry out £20 million of improvement work for homes across Yorkshire over the next two years.

Network Rail has begun work to build the new station at Abbey Wood as part of the Crossrail programme that will create new constuction jobs.

The first of more than 100 piled foundations which will support the new station have been installed. The piling will continue until the end of the year, when the building will start to become visible above ground.

The station, which will be built over two new dedicated Crossrail tracks and those used by North Kent services, will open at the end of 2017.

Work has been underway in Abbey Wood since 2013 and has included the construction of an interim station, the demolition of the old station and the installation of a new one mile section of track.

Matthew White, Crossrail Surface Director said: “Crossrail will help to transform Abbey Wood, dramatically improving transport links and bringing a state-of the-art station.

“A train every five minutes at peak times will make it quicker and easier to get to a range of destinations across London and the South East.”

Matthew Steele, Crossrail Programme Director at Network Rail said: “It’s great news that the construction of the new station is underway. As part of our railway upgrade plan, we are on schedule to provide people in Abbey Wood with a fantastic new station by the end of 2017.

“Local people will benefit from a spacious new ticket hall, step-free access to every platform and better access to local bus services.”