Willmott Dixon was chosen by Coventry University to build a new £14 million campus for the recently opened Coventry University Scarborough Campus.

It’s the latest major campus project for Willmott Dixon in the higher education sector, following similar facilities for universities that include Warwick, Kent, Cambridge, Bournemouth, Birmingham City, West London and Brighton with a combined value of over £250 million.

Willmott Dixon’s team of higher education construction specialists will create a purpose built campus that includes a library, IT suites, café, mock law court, engineering and science labs, plus a careers team.

The creation of Coventry University Scarborough Campus also brings a new era of higher education to the region. Professor John Latham, vice-chancellor of Coventry University said: “This is a massively important project for Coventry University, Scarborough and the regional economy.”

Coventry University Scarborough Campus will be a key part of the £45 million sports and education facility on the town’s old Weaponness Park and Ride site.

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in Yorkshire, said: “We have a proud track record in Yorkshire, which is evident in nearby Beverley where our mixed-use development in the town centre is creating jobs and encouraging inward investment.

“We are delighted to be continuing this in Scarborough by creating the new Coventry University Scarborough Campus and like all our projects, the focus will be on how we support the local economy by using companies from around Scarborough as much as possible to carry out work packages.”

Morgan Sindall has been appointed to design and build a £9.7 million care home in North East Enfield.

The project for Enfield Council is already underway and will provide a new home at Old Road for 70 older people living in residential care.

The Enfield Care Home development will include 70 bedrooms, 17 community rooms, a landscaped garden, hairdressing salon and a modern kitchen and will be equipped to the highest regulation standards with hoists, various aids, lifts and safe storage for medication.

The ambitious new development will replace Coppice Wood Lodge and Bridge House, and residents from these two neighbouring care homes will be the first to be welcomed into the new building in October 2016.

Councillor Alev Cazimoglu, Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care said: “Our decision to build a new care home in the borough allows us to respond to the shortages of nursing care capacity in Enfield.

“Our building contractor, Morgan Sindall, started on site in August and work on the construction of the new care home is making good progress.

“Residents will begin to move in to the new premises at the end of 2016. However, I do want to reassure families that until the new home is ready and fully operational Coppice Wood Lodge and Bridge House will continue to provide excellent services for as long as necessary.”

Neil Franklin, area director for Morgan Sindall said: “We are delighted to be starting work on this development which is going to provide 70 older people with a brand new, bright and modern home.”

A planning framework which will deliver more than 25,500 new homes and create up to 65,000 jobs at Old Oak and Park Royal has been approved by the Mayor of London.

Old Oak in West London is set to become a new home to a world-class High Speed 2 (HS2) and Crossrail Station by 2026, handling 250,000 passengers a day and acting as a super hub between London and the rest of the UK, Europe and the world.

Mayor Boris Johnson believes this presents the opportunity to create tens of thousands of new homes and could provide almost 14 per cent of Greater London’s employment needs up to 2031, with early estimates of a £7 billion annual contribution to the UK economy.

The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation was launched by the Mayor in April and will drive the planning and regeneration of the site that straddles the London boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Ealing.

Earlier this year, the Mayor published an Opportunity Area Planning Framework for consultation, which sets out his long-term vision for the area. Following the conclusion of that consultation, the Mayor has now approved the document which sets the strategic planning direction for the area.

Sir Edward Lister, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Chairman of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, said: “London urgently needs new homes and commercial space to meet its ever growing population and there can be no doubt that the regeneration of Old Oak represents a real opportunity to meet those needs.

“This strategy will mean we can plan for the future of this vast site as we work to create a new, thriving and sustainable part of the capital, where people will love to live, work, play and visit.”

Wates Construction and the Education Funding Agency (EFA) have reached contract close on the £16.7 million Eastbury School in Barking.

This is the second school in the Barking, Dagenham and Newham batch of the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP).

The project will comprise a new 420 capacity primary school with 26 nursery places and a 1,800-place secondary school that will replace the ageing accommodation.

Designed by CPMG, the new buildings will feature state-of-the art classrooms, with the secondary school also including modern science laboratories. Following completion, some of the former school buildings will be demolished and replaced with landscaped grounds and new sports facilities.

Hand over and occupation of the primary school is due for September 2016 and for the secondary school early 2017.

The schools have been designed utilising Wates’ Adapt Schools Solutions model, a standardised solution that facilitates the time and cost efficient delivery of new school buildings.

The Eastbury contract forms part of the EFA’s Barking, Dagenham and Newham batch being delivered through the PSBP, which also includes Little Ilford School in Newham and Eastbrook School in Dagenham.

Ian Vickers, Regional Managing Director for Wates Construction, Home Counties & the East, said: “We’re delighted to once again be utilising our experience to deliver a further school in partnership with the EFA.

“We’ve worked closely with the EFA to create a cost efficient and inspiring learning environment for staff and pupils to utilise as a platform for success for many years to come.”

Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund (SHOF) has taken a major step forward with its £20 million redevelopment of Cathedral Square shopping centre in Worcester.

SHOF has appointed Speller Metcalfe as main contractor to the scheme, with work commencing in November and completion scheduled for Spring 2017.

Des O’Neill, Managing Director at Speller Metcalfe said: “This is a fantastic scheme for Worcester, which will regenerate the existing Cathedral Plaza shopping centre and draw visitors into the local area.

“Speller Metcalfe is delighted to be a part of such an important scheme, and as a local contractor it is important to us that the project will provide opportunities for local employment.”

The work focuses on redeveloping the southern end of the shopping centre, creating a new terrace level overlooking the Cathedral with eight new restaurants, a reconfigured Travelodge hotel, additional retail space, gym, coffee shop and new public square.

The public square is being jointly funded with Worcestershire County Council and Worcester City Council.

It will provide a new space for public events and for residents, visitors and shoppers to dine and relax, overlooking Worcester Cathedral.

Nick Webb of Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund said: “We have been consulting and working on these plans for some time and are delighted to have appointed local contractor Speller Metcalfe.”

The Unite Group has been given the go-ahead for a one acre site in central Liverpool that will see the building of new student accommodation.

The development will provide 772 beds for the city’s students and is expected to be completed in 2017.

The building on the site was having previously been used as a car park is in close proximity to the city centre’s amenities and transport links, and will complement Unite’s existing properties in the city.

The scheme will have a total development cost of around £46 million and is expected to deliver returns in line with Unite’s targets for regional development.

The plans, which were approved by Liverpool City Council Planning Committee last month, will see four blocks, made up of 106 cluster flats and 58 studios and totalling 772-bedrooms.

The development would range in height up to 11-storeys and will include ground floor retail units.

Unite Students currently operate 10 properties in Liverpool providing a home for nearly 4000 students in the city.

Richard Simpson, Managing Director of Property for Unite, said: “Liverpool is a thriving university city attracting students from across the UK and internationally.

“Students continue to be important contributors to the local economy and this new development will ease pressure on private residential housing in the area.”

Improvements on the A12 and A14 have moved a step closer today with the appointment of a contractor for the scheme that will start work this year.

Tarmac working on behalf of Highways England will be carrying out a package of works on the A12 and A14 through Marylands interchange, Copdock Mill and Seven Hills interchange.

The work will involve resurfacing, replacing and installing new signs, replacing road markings, barrier renewal, drainage and embankment work.

The £3 million contract is part of our commitment in the region to improve safety and increase the capacity of roads to help ease congestion and ensure better journey experiences across the East region’s busiest roads.

All of the work will be carried out overnight and during the week, to keep disruption to a minimum. More details about the work will be announced shortly once we have a programme from the contractor.

Aran Nugent, Service Delivery Team Leader at Highways England, said: “The appointment of the contractor is a vital part of the delivery of improvements to some of our major roads in Essex and Suffolk.

“We expect the work to start in the winter and be completed in the spring next year. We will work with the contractor on how the works will affect people, but I’d like to assure drivers, where possible, disruption will be kept to a minimum and to bear with us while the works take place as there will be a small amount of pain for a large amount of gain.”

Morgan Sindall has started work on two schools for Birmingham City Council, won under the Constructing West Midlands (CWM) framework.

Paganel Primary School on Swinford Road, Selly Oak, and Cherry Oak Special Needs School on Frederick Road are the first of eight schools that Morgan Sindall will be working on in the region under the framework.

The Paganel Primary School project comprises the construction of a £1.5 million extension which is due to complete in early 2016.

The work will allow the school to increase its existing 294 places and will give the pupils, teachers and school users a new and modernised learning environment.

Linda Waldron, placement officer at South and City College Birmingham, said: “We are very happy to be working with Morgan Sindall on the school contracts.

“The opportunities provide excellent work experience and employment for our construction students across a variety of trades, ranging from bricklaying and plumbing to quantity surveying, which provides a great start to their careers.”

Richard Fielding, area director at Morgan Sindall, said: “Both schools are undergoing transformations to enhance the learning environment for pupils under the CWM framework.

“The extensions on each school will allow for a higher pupil intake and give the teachers more space. Cherry Oak is a special school and the new space will also allow for parents to have a specific room to meet in and to liaise with teachers which is extremely important to them.

“At Morgan Sindall, we are determined to deliver social and economic benefits alongside our projects, so we recruit and employ local subcontractors and suppliers.

“We are also working with South and City College Birmingham to provide recruitment and training programmes for local people across all eight schools, which will provide fantastic hands-on experience for them.”