The number of new homes in England has risen by 25% over the past year – the highest annual percentage increase in 28 years, new figures released this week show.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark said it was further proof of the government’s commitment to get more homes built with 170,690 new homes last year and more than 700,000 additional homes delivered since 2010.

There has been a significant increase in the number of new homes delivered by converting buildings into residential properties.

More than 20,600 of these homes were built in 2014 to 2015 – a rise of 65% on the year before.

It comes just weeks after the government announced it would extend permitted development rights that enable offices to be converted into new homes without having to submit a planning application.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark said: “As a one nation government we’re determined to make sure everyone has the opportunity and security of owning a home of their own.

“Today’s figures show a 25% increase in the number of new homes over the past year – showing our reforms are building new homes across Britain.

“We are going further and will do everything we can to help families buy a place of their own. Government support like Help to Buy and our plans to build 200,000 new Starter Homes will help anyone who aspires to own their own home the chance of making their dream a reality.”

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “We’ve brought the housebuilding industry back from the brink, giving them the tools they need to get on with the job and build the homes hard-working people need.

“That includes making it easier for developers to turn underused buildings into new homes with today’s figures showing a 65% increase in these kinds of developments over the past year.”

VINCI Construction has been awarded a £22.5 million contract to build a sports and teaching facility at the highly regarded Eastbourne College.

Construction is set to commence this month and all work will be completed in autumn 2017, when the College celebrates being at the heart of the town for 150 years delivering outstanding education.
The four-storey sports block will include a 25 metre pool, sports hall, dining facilities and link to the new three-storey, 32-classroom block.

A new sports pavilion will command a view over the landmark cricket and rugby field, with the development landscaping complementing the listed flint boundary walls and quality facades.

Use of Silka large format blocks to the classroom block has provided cost and programme benefits, which will enable the building to be handed over in November 2016, a key requirement of the College.

Work is now underway on the new £65 million European Adhesive Resin Facility for Cytec Industries Inc that is proposed to create around 50 new highly skilled jobs in Wrexham.

At a ground breaking and tree planting event this week to mark the start of work, Economy Minister Edwina Hart thanked all parties, including Cytec and the local authority, for working in partnership to make this project happen in Wales.

The Minister said: “This is a major investment by Cytec and great news for Wrexham and for Wales and a good example of how innovative solutions can be found to encourage inward investment into Wales, to develop and sustain manufacturing and technical jobs.”

Aerospace Materials President Bill Wood from Cytec said: “Our investments in adhesive resin materials are a clear demonstration of our commitment to the industry’s growth and its need for optimized production and supply capacity.

“The support of the Welsh Government has been instrumental in enabling this expansion to go ahead in Wales and very much appreciated.”

Wrexham is the main location for Cytec Aerospace Materials European technical service and development team and their European customer service. The new facility will supply advanced adhesive materials to the largest OEMs in the aerospace industry.

The team drew up plans to fit the facility on the site, carried out all the preparatory work and obtained planning permission for the 7000 sq mt facility, car parking and service park.

British Land has appointed Roger Madelin to lead the development of its 46 acre Canada Water site that will boost economic growth and create new construction jobs.

Canada Water has excellent existing infrastructure and will also benefit from the opening of Crossrail at Canary Wharf in 2018.

It is a major, long term project, which will be delivered in a number of phases and presents a unique opportunity to create an attractive, mixed use town centre which fully reflects the needs of local communities.

British Land is currently working with the London Borough of Southwark and local communities to deliver the Canada Water Masterplan and expects to submit a planning application by the end of next year.

Roger has been at Argent since 1987 and was Chief Executive/Joint Chief Executive from 1997 – 2012. He was directly responsible for leading a number of Argent’s developments and from 2000 led the Argent team bringing forward the 67 acre King’s Cross development.

The acquisition of Surrey Quays Leisure Park in March this year completed British Land’s assembly of the Canada Water site, which also includes Surrey Quays Shopping Centre and Harmsworth Quays, the former Daily Mail General Trust printing works.

The combined sites, which have potential for around 5.5 million sq ft (net internal area) of office, retail, residential, leisure, educational and community space, have been assembled over the last five years and create a significant mixed use development opportunity in the heart of one of London’s major regeneration zones.

Construction of the £40 million Drake Circus Leisure scheme in Plymouth has moved closer with British Land involvement this week, paving the way for work to go-ahead.

The leisure development is expected to create 350 permanent jobs along with a number of temporary construction jobs.

As part of its development agreement with the Plymouth City Council, British Land will commit £2m to the construction of the city’s new coach station on Mayflower Street.

Plans consent was granted earlier this year for a 100,000 sq ft mixed scheme located on the site, next to Drake Circus Shopping Centre.

Last month, British Land exchanged contracts with Cineworld to anchor the development with the new 12-screen cinema featuring a 450-seat IMAX auditoria.

Construction work is expected to start in summer 2016 and the scheme is due to open mid-2018.

David Pollock, retail development director for British Land, said: “Once complete, Drake Circus Leisure will be the most significant leisure scheme in the South West and we are delighted to be one step closer to delivering the project.

“The recent letting to Cineworld and interest from restaurant operators has allowed us to accelerate our plans, and we are excited to be working with the Council to enhance the city centre.”

Morgan Sindall has been appointed to carry out a £2.7 million expansion of St Martha’s Catholic Primary School in King’s Lynn.

The project for the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia is already underway and will provide the school with a new teaching block, comprising eight additional classrooms, an extended kitchen facility, a new school hall and a multi-use games area.

Morgan Sindall will also deliver hard and soft external landscaping including new planting areas, additional foot paths and a new school car park.

Students will remain on site throughout the construction process, which is due to be completed in time for the 2016 academic year.

Helen Bates, Assistant Director at the Roman Catholic Diocese said: “This is a shared project between the Diocese and Norfolk County Council, which will not only increase the number of primary school places in this part of King’s Lynn, but will also help to meet a growing demand for Catholic school places. The school will eventually increase in size from 210 places to 420, although it will not reach its full capacity until 2021.”

Gavin Napper, Morgan Sindall area director, said: “We’re delighted to have been appointed to this important scheme, which will expand and upgrade St Martha’s Primary and provide school users with a great teaching and learning environment.”

Wates Living Space has started work on the £18 million site of the former Guest Hospital on Tipton Road in Dudley, where it is set to build 157 new homes in partnership with the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA).

Wates Living Space will create a combination of 127 new build homes and 30 refurbished properties, including restoration of the locally listed former porter’s lodge, which sits on the site and is under ownership of the HCA.

Designed by architect, Armstrong Burton, 118 homes will be sold on the open market and 39 will be available for rent through Dudley MBC, following completion in summer 2019.

In an effort to positively impact the area Wates Living Space has committed to employing local suppliers and contractors on the project whilst also creating employment and training opportunities for local people.

Cllr Gaye Partridge, cabinet member for housing at Dudley Council, said: “This is an extremely welcome and exciting regeneration project. It will enable the provision of more affordable housing for our residents and bring an historic building back into use offering luxury apartments.

“This development compliments the regeneration of the area offering a significant economic and social boost to the local community.”

HS2 is the biggest infrastructure project to be built in Britain for decades and is a vital part of the UK government’s long term economic plan.

The scheme presents an excellent opportunity for Scottish businesses large and small to compete for over £10bn worth of contracts on offer.

Scotland’s engineering base is well placed to benefit from the construction phase of the project when it begins in 2017.

Over 160 firms working in a range of sectors from across the country have now signed up to find out more about getting HS2 ready, including companies from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness.

HS2 Ltd Chief Executive, Simon Kirby, said:“Britain’s high speed rail network is a major, long-term project offering a huge opportunity for Scottish companies to develop the necessary staff and skills base that will position them to bid for the billions of pounds worth of contracts available throughout the supply chain during construction.”

UK Transport Minister for HS2 Robert Goodwill, said: “The UK government’s ground-breaking HS2 programme provides a fantastic opportunity for businesses across the UK, including those here in Scotland.

“It will create some of the largest value contracts in UK construction history, creating job opportunities throughout the supply chain.”

The London Borough of Camden has appointed Graham Construction as preferred contractor to build the second stage of works to expand Kingsgate Primary School in West Hampstead.

The project, valued at £18 million, includes the construction of a new two-storey building for students aged four to seven years, a new nursery for children aged three to four years, and a community centre.

The school expansion forms part of a two-phase redevelopment vision for a previous light industrial site on Liddell Road. Phase two of the project is expected to complete at the end of next year to enable the new educational facilities to open for the beginning of the new school year.

Phase one involved the site preparation and construction of the new school buildings, access road and landscaping required for the expansion. The main school is located on Kingsgate Road.

Cllr Angela Mason CBE, Camden Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, said: “This is a positive step forward in the development of the Liddell Road site, made possible by Camden’s Community Investment Programme (CIP), our 15 year plan to invest money in schools, homes and community facilities.”

Graham Construction’s London office director, Rob Joyce added: “The expansion of the school will see the creation of new facilities to address the pressing need for more student places within the north-west of Camden.

“This project offers us the opportunity to bring to the fore, once more, our wealth of experience and knowledge of building and renovating schools and universities as we start work on Kingsgate Primary School.

“The site will pose a number of challenges as it is tightly constrained by the nearby homes and rail network, but we are used to working in these kind of conditions and coming up with solutions to minimise disruption without compromising delivery.”

Bradford Metropolitan District Council has given the go-ahead to plans to build a £150 million urban village between Bradford and Shipley.

New Bolton Woods development will see the building of up to 1,000 homes over 10 years on more than 30 hectares of land along with a new local centre comprising shopping facilities, a primary school and health centre as well as sports facilities.

The first 50 homes have already been delivered and are fully occupied and earlier this year planning consent was granted for a new Aldi food store at the development.

Work to deliver the next major residential phase will start as soon as house builder delivery partners are identified.

The granting of planning permission for the complete New Bolton Woods development is the culmination of three years of extensive urban design work and public consultation carried out by Canal Road Urban Village Ltd (CRUVL).

Peter Swallow, a director of Urbo and CRUVL said: “The granting of planning permission is a major milestone in the delivery of the residential phase of New Bolton Woods.

“We are now in a position to start talking to housebuilders and identify the right partners to deliver the scheme. We anticipate great demand given the excellent location of the development, its proximity to public transport and the demand for private housing in the area.”