Kier has been awarded a £34.5m contract with Royal London Asset Management for improvement works at Parnell House, a mixed-use development on Wilton Road in Victoria, London.

The works will take place as part of the large-scale regeneration projects currently being undertaken to develop and modernise Victoria as one of central London’s most desirable locations.

Kier Construction will undertake the redevelopment of Parnell House, which involves the infilling of the central atriums at the first six levels, to deliver additional office floor area, and the construction of an additional three floors, to provide space for 14 high-end residential units.

To enable the new residential units to be built, the existing post-tensioned roof slab will be replaced by a substantial reinforced concrete transfer structure to carry the residential column layout above.

Cliff Thomas, managing director of Kier Construction in London, said: “The redevelopment of Parnell House is a key phase in the overall redevelopment of Victoria. We will deliver a high-end mixed-use scheme while maintaining continuity of service for the existing tenant, J D Wetherspoon, who will occupy the ground floor of the building throughout the construction period.

“We are also mindful of party wall considerations with the Grade II listed Apollo Theatre and Neathouse Place office block, and will bring our wealth of redevelopment experience to ensure a high quality finish.”

Works have started on site and are expected to complete in spring 2017.

Kier has been awarded a £34.5m contract with Royal London Asset Management for improvement works at Parnell House, a mixed-use development on Wilton Road in Victoria, London.

The works will take place as part of the large-scale regeneration projects currently being undertaken to develop and modernise Victoria as one of central London’s most desirable locations.

Kier Construction will undertake the redevelopment of Parnell House, which involves the infilling of the central atriums at the first six levels, to deliver additional office floor area, and the construction of an additional three floors, to provide space for 14 high-end residential units.

To enable the new residential units to be built, the existing post-tensioned roof slab will be replaced by a substantial reinforced concrete transfer structure to carry the residential column layout above.

Cliff Thomas, managing director of Kier Construction in London, said: “The redevelopment of Parnell House is a key phase in the overall redevelopment of Victoria. We will deliver a high-end mixed-use scheme while maintaining continuity of service for the existing tenant, J D Wetherspoon, who will occupy the ground floor of the building throughout the construction period.

“We are also mindful of party wall considerations with the Grade II listed Apollo Theatre and Neathouse Place office block, and will bring our wealth of redevelopment experience to ensure a high quality finish.”

Works have started on site and are expected to complete in spring 2017.

Balfour Beatty and its joint venture with Morgan Sindall and BAM Nuttall has been awarded a £416 million contract to construct part of London’s new ‘super sewer’, the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Mobilisation work for the ‘West’ tunnel will begin in September this year, creating more than 9,000 direct and indirect jobs at the peak of construction.

The Thames Tideway Tunnel will ensure the capital’s sewerage system is fit to support its projected population for at least the next 100 years, and will tackle the issue of discharges of untreated sewage that currently enter the River Thames on a regular basis.

Balfour Beatty’s three-way equal joint venture is which is known as BMB is scheuled for completion in 2022.

BMB’s ‘West’ section will run from Acton in West London to Wandsworth in South West London and will incorporate seven separate work sites along the route.

Works will include design, construction, commissioning and maintenance for a two to five year period following construction completion.

Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive said: “Balfour Beatty’s expert teams have for many years helped to make the London landscape – both visible and invisible – what it is today, ensuring it can to continue to grow as one of the world’s leading capital cities.

“The award of this unique infrastructure project, which is part of the largest ever undertaken by the UK water industry, is another example of the part we are playing in 21^st Century engineering.

“At the same time, together with our joint venture partners, we are committed to delivering tangible benefits for our local communities and their economy – through sensitive construction, engaging local businesses and SMEs into our supply chain and providing local job opportunities, including 50 new apprenticeships.”

Kingston University has received the go-ahead for a new £55 million building and landscaping scheme at its Penrhyn Road campus that will boost local growth and create jobs.

Councillors on the Royal Borough of Kingston‘s development control committee unanimously approved the application at its meeting on 11 August and heard there was strong support for the plans from the local community.

Construction work is due to start in summer 2016, with the new building and landscaping scheduled to be complete in late 2018.

The project include a modern learning resources centre over several floors, a 300-seat multi-media auditorium and three new public landscaped areas.

The University will also be working with the Council to see how its Mini-Holland cycling proposals can be accommodated into the design of the landscaping.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Julius Weinberg is delighted with the strength of support for the Town House project: “Many students, staff and local residents have been inspired about how the development will benefit both the University and the borough. It has something for everyone and will help to put the University firmly on the map.

“We can now be justly proud and excited about being able to deliver a sympathetically-designed, yet remarkable, landmark building that will transform the learning experience at the University.”

Kingston University’s Director of Estates Sean Woulfe said: “Local people and heritage groups have responded very warmly to this project. The design reflects the University’s intention to engage with the public and open up learning opportunities for everyone.

“The colonnade draws people in, and the lively landscaped terraces showcase the University’s learning activities to everyone passing by, on this key gateway to the town centre.”

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis today welcomed new figures showing a rise in the number of homes being delivered across the UK.

The latest housebuilding figures show that there were over 131,000 completions in the last 12 months, 15% higher than in the previous 12 months and at their highest annual total since June 2009.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “Our One Nation government has got the country building again with today’s figures showing that 131,060 extra homes have been built in the past year.

“This has provided a real boost to the UK’s construction industry and is delivering the homes that hard-working people rightly deserve.

“We’re also determined to support those who aspire to own their own home, which is why we’re making up to £10 million available to bring forward brownfield sites to build new Starter Homes which will be available to young first-time buyers at a 20% discount.”

Housebuilding is at the heart of the government’s long-term economic plan.

Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics have shown that output in the construction industry increased by 2.7% in June compared to the same month last year. Work on private new housing between April and June rose by nearly 3.9% on the previous quarter.

The government has also given local people the powers they need to drive forward housing development with the number of homes in locally led plans up by a quarter.

Before March 2012 the average number of homes planned for by local authorities stood at 573 per year. But radical reforms put Local Plans and housing delivery at the heart of the planning system.

This has helped expand the housing pipeline with those Local Plans published after the reforms containing on average 717 homes per year.

The government is also helping hard-working people achieve their dream of home ownership with more than 200,000 households helped to buy property through government-backed schemes since 2010.

Balfour Beatty announced that its joint venture with NG Bailey has been selected for the £460 million Hinkley Point C power station electrical package, for EDF Energy.

The 50:50 Balfour Beatty and NG Bailey joint venture – Balfour Beatty Bailey – will work across both proposed Hinkley Point C units to deliver the critical infrastructure that will power the station and its operations, creating 1,000 jobs including many specialist engineers.

Works will include design and installation of circa 76,000 cables totalling over 3,000km in length; over 180km of cable containment support systems; fire and environmental sealing; design and installation of earthing systems, and specialist packages associated with data acquisition and plant control.

Balfour Beatty Bailey will deliver a lasting local legacy with a significant proportion of the new workforce recruited locally, 60 local apprenticeships and training commitments and partnerships with local colleges.

Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive said:“This project enables Balfour Beatty to deploy its extensive experience and knowledge of the nuclear sector as the UK takes its next significant step forward in low-carbon energy.

“The new nuclear programme demands a scale of resources and expertise that only the most capable and trusted partners can deliver. Equally significant, the project requires us to draw on the local community and its people in building what will be a highly specialist workforce.

“I am particularly pleased to see Balfour Beatty combining its tradition of delivering essential infrastructure with the creation of new skills and employment in this country.”

Balfour Beatty Bailey’s six year project is expected to commence in 2016 with design work and the construction phase in 2017. The joint venture’s full contract award is scheduled for 2016, subject to the Hinkley Point C final investment decision.

Hinkley Point C, which will be located on the North Somerset coast, will be the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK for 20 years. The two new nuclear reactors that form the proposed Hinkley Point C will provide reliable, low carbon electricity to meet 7% of UK demand.

A multi-million pound expansion of London Waterloo has seen its planning application for by Network Rail submitted, with work on the £400 development set to start in October.

The first part of the project involves strengthening three bridges on the approach to the platforms as well as changing the layout of the track and platforms.

John Halsall, route infrastructure director for Network Rail, said: “The project to improve the railway and strengthen the bridges on the approach to Waterloo is an absolutely vital part of our plans to improve capacity at Britain’s busiest station.

“The submission of the planning application to carry out this work is an important step forward and, if approved, we expect to start work before the end of the year.”

The planning application for the proposed work has been submitted to the London Borough of Lambeth.

If permission is granted preparation work would be expected to start in October 2015, with construction taking place between November 2015 and the end of 2016. Associated track and signalling work will then continue until mid-2017.

Tim Shoveller, managing director of South West Trains, added: “We operate one of the busiest railways in Europe, with over half a million passenger journeys every day.

“The biggest investment for decades on our network is well underway but the work to expand London Waterloo is absolutely vital to make sure we can provide much needed extra space, both for our customers now and in the future.”

Yorkshire Water has awarded its new £113 million waste water network repair and maintenance contract to Amey.

The deal is set to start in September and will run until 2020 with Amey covering the whole of the Yorkshire region.

It will also support Yorkshire Water in protecting homes from sewer flooding and pollution incidents, which equates to over 100,000 jobs per year.

Yorkshire Water has around 55,000 kilometres of sewerage pipes across the county shifting used water and sewage from nearly 2.5 million properties to over 600 waste water treatment works.

Amey will undertake all of Yorkshire Water’s contracted repair and maintenance services on its extensive waste water network.

Charlie Haysom, Yorkshire Water’s Director of Service Delivery, said: “This major contract has been designed to deliver the best possible service for our customers at the best price with the highest levels of safety.”

Mel Ewell, CEO, Amey, said: “The awarding of this contract to Amey is testament to the strength of our relationship with Yorkshire Water and their trust in our ability to deliver services to the highest possible standards as well as our considerable experience in the waste water industry.

“We are delighted to expand the scope of our work with Yorkshire Water. Both our organisations will work together to improve essential services and provide an outstanding customer experience across the region.”

Detailed plans for the first phase of a new Devon town have been approved, paving the way for economic growth and new constitution jobs in the trades.

Building work on the multi-billion pound Sherford development near Plymouth will start soon, seeing the construction of 580 new houses.

The town will have four schools, a library, GP surgery, town hall, community centres and parks.
Some local people have raised concerns the development does not contain an ambulance station and that local hospitals will struggle to cope.

The developers, the Sherford Consortium, forecast the new community will inject £2 billion into the local economy.

South Hams District Council and Plymouth City Council granted their permission for the first phase of this major development scheme that will boost the buiding industry and help growth.

Leader of South Hams District Council John Tucker said: “This advanced step in planning approval is a milestone which marks the real beginning of Sherford as a town, bringing much needed housing and jobs to the area.”

New home planning permissions have passed the 200,000 mark for the first time since early 2008, paving the way for new jobs in the building construction trades.

Figures released by the Home Builders Foundation (HBF) and Glenigan’s latest Housing Pipeline report show that planning permissions for 52,167 homes were granted in England during the first quarter of this year.

This is a 19% increase on the 43,926 permissions in the corresponding quarter last year. Figures in the latest report show that 203,810 permissions were granted in the 12 months to April.

As the country looks to increase housing supply from the very low levels of recent years the increased number of homes being planned is extremely welcome.

However, many of the homes identified in the report still have to navigate the remainder of the planning system, a process that continues to take far too long, delaying work starting on many of the sites.

Since the introduction of the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme in 2013, housing output has increased significantly. The planning process, however, remains a significant constraint on the industry’s ability to meet the higher levels of demand and deliver further increases in supply.

Speaking today, Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman of the HBF, said: “Since the Help to Buy scheme was introduced in 2013 house building activity has increased strongly. Private housing starts in 2014 were up nearly 40% on their pre-Help to Buy level in 2012. However we are still only building around half the number of new homes the country needs, and far fewer than in previous decades.

“One of the biggest constraints on the industry’s ability to meet the new level of demand and deliver further sustained increases in build rates is the planning process. How quickly we get more sites to the point where we can actually start to lay bricks will be a major influence on future house building levels.

“The headline announcements made in the Productivity Plan sound very positive. What is key is that the detail is now developed and the proposals implemented as soon as is possible.

“Increasing housing delivery will provide the high quality homes our next generation needs, support thousands of companies up and down the land and create tens of thousands of jobs.”