A multi-million contract to upgrade the power station, boiler house and district heating system at the Mount Pleasant complex on the Falkland Islands has been signed.

The announcement comes after Defence Secretary Michael Fallon visited the Falkland Islands in February, and forms part of his commitment of £180 million investment over the next decade to modernise the military infrastructure on the Islands.

The contract is for the upgrade of the main power station, main boiler house and district heating system, which have been in service for a number of years and will ensure that the facilities continue to provide a safe and reliable means of supplying electrical power and hot water for many years to come.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “The upgrading of these facilities is an important part of our major investment plan to deliver better infrastructure for our armed forces. Alongside our recent contract to improve Mare harbour, we are boosting our defensive capability and supporting the Islands.”

This latest contract is expected to be followed by investment to improve new services accommodation at the 3 Radar Heads.

Simon Trant, Managing Director International at Trant Engineering said: “It will be a privilege and honour to utilise our expertise to upgrade Mount Pleasant power station.”

Local authorities in Hampshire are starting the tender process for the first 3,400 homes of 8,000 planned for a 843-hectare residential site that will boost economic growth and create new construction jobs.

Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council and Hampshire County Council have issued a prior information notice (PIN) for the first 3,400 homes on the Manydown development.

The site could ultimately see the delivery of 8,000 homes over two local plan periods. The PIN outlines the first phase of the project of approximately 3,400 homes.

The authorities are inviting developers and investors to attend an event on 13 June to find out more. The OJEU notice will be served in July 2016.

Manydown project director Richard Bayley said: “Manydown offers one of the best residential development opportunities in England. We are looking for an organisation or a consortium of developers and investors who have a solid track record in placemaking and infrastructure to deliver this large-scale residential project.”

“Our plan is to enable the selected partner to facilitate the delivery of the first phase of 3,400 homes, but they will also be encouraged to fulfil the longer-term opportunity of the project which could comprise further development phases. The whole of the project could ultimately deliver 8,000 homes.”

Interested developers and investors will have the chance to discuss the project with the Manydown team at a partner engagement event on Monday 13 June to find out more about the opportunity. The OJEU notice will be served in July 2016.

Businesses can apply for funding to support a range of innovation projects that tackle commercial challenges in manufacturing and materials.

Innovate UK has up to £15 million to invest in projects that support innovation in manufacturing and materials and lead to improvements in productivity, competitiveness and growth.

We are seeking to support feasibility studies, industrial research and experimental development. Projects may span more than one category of research.

The competition is the first of Innovate UK’s new simplified competitions focused on the 4 key sectors of manufacturing and materials; emerging and enabling technologies; health and life sciences; and infrastructure systems.

Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “The UK is a global leader in many areas of specialist manufacturing, and we are committed to supporting industry to grow, develop innovative ideas and boost productivity.

“This £15m competition is a milestone in our approach to support large and small companies as well as researchers to get their ideas off the drawing board.”

British Land has today revealed details of the proposed Leisure Hall at Meadowhall, Yorkshire’s premier shopping destination, as the company begins a public consultation on the proposals.

The plans represent the single biggest investment in Meadowhall since it opened more than 25 years ago, paving the way for economic growth and creating new jobs.

At over £300 million, the proposals are also one of the largest investments in the Sheffield City Region for a decade and will create over 1,000 jobs.

Comprising 330,000 sq ft of space, the proposed Leisure Hall will add a range of dining and entertainment experiences not currently available at the centre.

These include a number of new restaurants, a state-of-the-art cinema to replace the existing cinema in the Oasis Dining Quarter, a new café court, gym, and other leisure space that could be used to offer everything from ten-pin bowling to indoor golf.

More than 1,000 jobs will be created by the Leisure Hall, in addition to the hundrends of temporary construction jobs in the building trades.

The jobs will be promoted via The Source, Meadowhall’s on-site recruitment and training facility founded by British Land with Sheffield City Council in 2003.

The plans will be on display at Meadowhall on 3 June (11am to 6pm) and 4 June (10am to 4pm). More details on the proposed scheme can be found at: www.FutureMeadowhall.co.uk.

Charles Maudsley, Head of Retail and Leisure for British Land, said: “This significant step change in the scheme’s leisure provision will contribute to Sheffield’s continuation as a driving force behind the Northern Powerhouse. This is a very exciting time and we look forward to working with Sheffield City Council to help ensure Sheffield’s future success.”

Kier has been named as preferred bidder to deliver a new £53.5m student accommodation scheme for the University of Northampton.

Forming part of the University’s new £330 million Waterside campus, the development will provide 1,166 student bedrooms through a mix of four-storey townhouses and five-storey cluster flats. It will also house a 32-bed teaching hotel, commercial and ancillary space.

Construction on the scheme is due to begin later this year with completion scheduled for 2017. The first students are expected to move into the houses and flats at the start of the academic year in September.

This contract is the latest in a number of projects Kier has delivered in the area recently, and extends its excellent relationship with the University of Northampton.

Kier also recently completed the ‘Lincoln Gateway’ scheme for the University of Lincoln which provides accommodation for 519 students.

Mark Dady, managing director at Kier, said: “Being awarded this scheme is testament to the relationship we’ve built with the University over the past few years and we’re pleased to see this continue.

“We have a strong presence in Northampton and we’re looking forward to delivering another important scheme in the area. Kier has extensive experience in providing student accommodation across the country and this project gives us the opportunity to further enhance that.”

University of Northampton Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford, said: “The University are delighted to announce the appointment of Kier to build the residential area at the Waterside Campus.

“Kier understands the local area and the way in which this will be a catalyst for regeneration in Northampton. The University, Kier and the other contractors developing the campus, are determined to create the maximum positive social impact for communities across the town and county.”

Morgan Sindall has reached topping out at its landmark Oastler Building for the University of Huddersfield in Huddersfield town centre.

The 7,500 sq m, six-storey building is being developed in a prime campus location opposite the Shorehead roundabout between Queensgate and Wakefield Road in the town.

The £27.5 million building will provide a new home for the university’s Law School and the School of Music, Humanities and Media. It will also link into the university’s Student Central Building which was completed in January 2014, at a cost of £22.5 million.

The building has been designed to complement existing buildings within the university including both Student Central and the adjacent Creative Arts Building.

Pat Boyle, managing director of Construction at Morgan Sindall, said: “It is fantastic to see the building reach this stage and be here to celebrate the milestone with the university and other stakeholders.

“We have put the local community at the heart of our activity here with both our site team and procurement team taking every opportunity to ensure there’s a lasting local legacy from the build programme.

“We are sure the people of the town, the university’s students and staff will thoroughly enjoy this building once it is open and operating. It makes a real statement and we are privileged to be delivering it.”

Upon completion, by the beginning of 2017, the building will provide new teaching space including large tiered lecture theatres.

The eye-catching building, which will provide a new gateway building to both the university and the town centre was granted planning consent by Kirklees Council in April 2015.

Birmingham City University‘s transformation of the city’s Millennium Quarter is taking another huge step forward with Willmott Dixon appointed for a £31 million building project.

Curzon B is designed by Birmingham-based firm Associated Architects and follows Willmott Dixon’s completion of the £63 million Curzon Building in September last year, which is now a major landmark for hundreds of thousands of people arriving at Birmingham New Street by train.

The new Curzon B extension will house over 3,000 students and members of staff and feature more than 650-rooms, a Student Hub, lecture theatre and mock courtrooms.

It brings the value of work Willmott Dixon has completed for Birmingham City University (BCU) at its new Eastside campus to nearly £150 million, with the company also behind the Parkside Building, adjacent to Curzon.

It’s transformed this part of Birmingham into a thriving part of the city that’s home to thousands of students after the university transferred much of its campus to Eastside from Perry Bar.

Peter Owen, managing director for Willmott Dixon’s Midlands business: “We are delighted to be back working with BCU given our close relationship with the university since 2011 where we’ve helped give them a new central city campus that provides some of the best learning facilities in the country. This latest project really does make Birmingham the university capital of England.”

Morgan Sindall has been appointed to a new civil engineering framework set to account for as much as £1.5 billion of infrastructure development in the north east of England.

The four-year framework aims to achieve significant cost savings on Local Authority infrastructure and civil engineering projects across the region through the appointment of 23 contractors.

Morgan Sindall was the highest scoring contractor across the three categories to which it’s been appointed on the framework.

These include Infrastructure (a broad range of works such as highway maintenance, drainage and public realm jobs), Highways (involving construction of new highways) and Highways Structures (such as culverts, over bridges, underpasses and demolitions).

The company has won two value ranges in each category and is eligible to bid for contracts ranging from £1 million to over £5 million.

Bill Gifford, Morgan Sindall’s Managing Director of Transport, said: “We’re thrilled at achieving such widespread wins across this important framework.

“We have a proud history of delivering infrastructure upgrades for the travelling public across the UK and are excited at the prospect of employing our expertise here in the north east.”

Manchester Life Development Company and GRAHAM Construction have marked the start of development works in East Manchester that will see the building of 124 one, two and three bedroom homes.

The guiding principle for the development has been to preserve many of the Mills’ 19th-century features and create a unique living experience.

The historic canal basin will form the centre of a landscaped courtyard, with every apartment individually designed to make the most of the building’s features, along with interior layouts, finishes and on-site facilities to create attractive homes in the heart of Ancoats.

GRAHAM Construction is the main contractor for Murrays’ Mills and, with a proven track record of working on high-profile developments of historical importance, is continuing the extensive restoration work already undertaken to protect its character.

Gary Hughes, Regional Director at GRAHAM Construction, said: “As a leader in heritage and restoration projects, we understand the need for balance between creating modern, aspirational homes and keeping the character and history of the building alive.”

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The transformation of Murrays’ Mills is a significant milestone in Ancoats’ emergence as a desirable and vibrant neighbourhood, it is a brilliant way to address the demand for central accommodation in way that preserves and carefully evolves our former industrial areas.”

As part of Phase One, Manchester Life has developed an Advanced Apprenticeship scheme in partnership with The Manchester College – the Murrays’ Mills construction team will include a number of local apprentices, enabling them to gain substantial industry experience.

Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP) has chosen Sterling Property Ventures as its preferred development partner for a major new scheme in Central Milton Keynes that will boost the construction trades.

Following a competitive tender process, Sterling was chosen to develop an exceptional office led, mixed-use scheme – including the city’s tallest building – on a 1.5 acre site on Midsummer Boulevard.

In addition to Grade A office space, the development will boast a skyline restaurant, apartments for rent and ground level public realm and amenities.

The developer’s proposals support MKDP’s desire to stimulate a step change in the quality, height and viability of office provision in Central Milton Keynes.

The scheme is designed to attract large corporates and local occupiers seeking a more vibrant place to live and work.

Sterling Property Ventures specialises in commercial property development, finance and investment. The company has delivered projects in London and Birmingham.

Live projects include a 200,000 sq ft speculative office development and a private rental scheme comprising more than 350 homes, both in Birmingham.

James Howarth, Sterling Property Ventures’ managing director, said: “We are very excited to be working with MKDP to deliver a scheme which will help Milton Keynes continue to expand as a key employment location, making the most of its communication links and status as the fastest growing city in the UK.”

London-based architectural practice Doone Silver Architects has been appointed lead architect on the scheme.

John Silver, director at Doone Silver Architects, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to create a publicly accessible landmark building – which will make the genius of the Milton Keynes master plan visible and enjoyable for all. As a distinctive addition to the skyline it will signal a new era of development for the city”.