Seaside towns across the country will have a chance to bid for £90 million of government funding that will help them revitalise areas, create jobs, and boost local economic growth.

Ministers welcomed the extension in the Chancellor’s Budget to extend the Coastal Communities Fund to 2020 as part of the government’s economic plan to unlock their economic potential and create jobs.

Launched in 2012, the Coastal Communities Fund has already invested nearly £119 million on 211 projects local infrastructure and economic projects across the UK. This is helping to create almost 13,700 jobs and provide more than 10,280 training places and apprenticeships.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark said: “Britain has a proud seaside tradition which this ‘one nation government’ is determined to revive so they can be year-round success stories. Unlocking the economic potential of our seaside towns will create jobs, build infrastructure and boost local economic growth.

“We know our multi-million Coastal Communities Fund is already having a big impact on communities and local seaside economies, and the extension of the fund will mean other areas will have the chance to bid for funding.”

Coastal Communities Minister Mark Francois said: “I’m delighted our Coastal Communities Fund will continue. This government investment ensures areas can create skilled workers and year round jobs that will build stronger communities and stronger local economies.

“This fund, together with the creation of our Coastal Community Teams, will be an important catalyst for change and help secure the long-term future of our seaside towns so communities can drive forward their vision, unleash business opportunities and thrive.”

Coastal enterprise zones have delivered more than 5,300 jobs to date and helped to secure nearly £275 million of private sector investment to coastal areas.

Welsh Government funding is delivering new affordable homes in Rhyl, providing a boost to the local economy and the construction industry, Finance Minister Jane Hutt has said.

The £2.3 million Brickfields development on Cefndy Road is backed by the Welsh Government’s innovative Housing Finance Grant (HFG) scheme.

The investment is helping transform a former ITT factory site into 24 homes consisting of 16 houses and eight flats – which will be managed by Wales & West Housing.

The £120 million Housing Grant Scheme scheme will create 1,000 additional affordable homes throughout Wales by providing £4 million each year for 30 years to 19 Registered Social Landlords (RSLs).

Jane Hutt said: “The Welsh Government is committed to delivering quality, affordable homes and the Brickfields development in Rhyl will help make a real difference to the lives of people who live in them and the community as a whole.

“It is also playing an important role in providing a boost to the local economy through jobs and training opportunities.”

This innovative funding is used to assist with the repayment of private finance to fund the creation of new, affordable, housing developments.

Shayne Hembrow, Deputy Chief Executive and Commercial Director of Wales & West Housing, said: “We are delighted that the Minister has included a visit to Brickfields on her budget tour.

“We contracted Anwyl Construction to build 24 homes, 16 houses and eight flats, on the former ITT factory site on Cefndy Road.

“This has not only improved the area, but has provided an answer to the need for affordable housing in Rhyl as well as boosting the economy and giving the local community work and training opportunities.”

Croydon Council has launched a development company to take control over the Taberner House scheme that will see the building of new homes and boost the local construction industry.

This will be the development company’s first major scheme, which will provide 418 homes, with 30% affordable housing – double that under the previous plans.

The development company will work with a developer, which will build the scheme across four blocks instead of five, providing significantly more green space in The Queen’s Gardens.

It will function as a separate commercial body, while taking on the role of the council’s development partner.

This means it can ensure more homes of different tenures to suit different needs are built in Croydon and a variety of development opportunities are realised.

The revised plans for the Taberner House site are due to be submitted for planning permission later this year with construction work expected to begin on site early next year.

Councillor Alison Butler, deputy leader and cabinet member for homes, regeneration and planning said: “Delivering Taberner House through the development company gives the council direct control of the scheme, enabling us to provide more affordable homes.”

Croydon Council has launched a development company to take control over the Taberner House scheme that will see the building of new homes and boost the local construction industry.

This will be the development company’s first major scheme, which will provide 418 homes, with 30% affordable housing – double that under the previous plans.

The development company will work with a developer, which will build the scheme across four blocks instead of five, providing significantly more green space in The Queen’s Gardens.

It will function as a separate commercial body, while taking on the role of the council’s development partner.

This means it can ensure more homes of different tenures to suit different needs are built in Croydon and a variety of development opportunities are realised.

The revised plans for the Taberner House site are due to be submitted for planning permission later this year with construction work expected to begin on site early next year.

Councillor Alison Butler, deputy leader and cabinet member for homes, regeneration and planning said: “Delivering Taberner House through the development company gives the council direct control of the scheme, enabling us to provide more affordable homes.”

Balfour Beatty has been selected as one of six construction companies to deliver works to support a £250 million ten year building programme at the University of Reading.

Balfour Beatty will work on two of the University’s framework lots, those projects between £2 million and £5 million as well as above that threashold as part of the estate’s upgrade that will focus academic activities onto the Whiteknights campus site in Reading.

Construction on a number of projects is due to begin in January 2017 with the University planning to remodel a 1970s landmark building as the future home of its new School of Architecture.

Meanwhile, the old library at London Road is being converted in workshop and studio space for architecture students starting in September 2016.

Balfour Beatty has a long-standing relationship with the University of Reading, having being part of its construction frameworks for the last 20 years helping deliver, among many achievements, a 10% saving in its carbon emissions with the installation of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Energy Centre.

Jonathan Winter, Balfour Beatty Delivery Unit Managing Director, said: “The £250m framework will provide a state-of-the-art and improved learning experience for the University of Reading’s 17,000 students.”

Willmott Dixon has been appointed by Shropshire Council, under the Scape framework, for a £3.4 million contract to revive one of Shrewsbury’s most prominent town centre buildings.

The construction company will convert the six storey Mardol House into a modern facility providing homes for 85 students attending the new university.

The work by Willmott Dixon’s housing arm gives a new lease of life to the 50 year old Mardol House, and will see studio apartments with kitchenettes and en-suite facilities added, along with an apartment for a university tutor.

The quick-track project is due for completion in September 2015, coinciding with the opening of the new University Centre Shrewsbury.

Willmott Dixon’s managing director for residential construction in the Midlands, Simon Leadbeater, said: “This project enables us to bring back to life a building that will play a key role in the on-going economic prosperity of the town.

“It also plays to our skills of working in tight, constrained urban sites to deliver high-quality conversions of buildings for new uses.”

The renovation also includes the installation of a new lift and a ground-floor marketing suite, all accessed by a new entranceway into Mardol House.

“Mardol house is a fine example of sustainable design and regeneration and our first project within Shrewsbury town centre,” said Lyndon Glancy, of Birmingham-based Glancy Nicholls Architects.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has this week marked the official start of construction work on the Guardbridge £25 million green energy centre.

The green energy centre which is being delivered by St Andrews University will help to regenerate north east Fife by creating more than 225 jobs in the construction phase.

Visiting the site, Mr Swinney said: “I am delighted to be in Guardbridge today as work begins on this innovative and ambitious project.

“The Scottish Government is using all the levers at its disposal, including through European Funding initiatives, to help regenerate areas and maximise employment opportunities that help achieve sustainable economic growth.”

A state-of-the-art biomass facility will be built on the site of a former paper mill at Guardbridge and will pump hot water from the plant four miles underground to heat and cool laboratories and student residences in St Andrews.

The University has developed the Guardbridge Guarantee as part of the project. This ensures that the project supports apprenticeship and graduate training, creating and sustaining jobs while working with the local community to promote environment and energy projects and local business.

University of St Andrews Chief Operating Officer Derek Watson said: “This is an exciting day for the green energy centre, for the University and for the local community. After years of planning and consultation we are now seeing this project get under way.”

ISG has been awarded three regional leisure projects by Alliance Leisure in Selby, Wigan and Prestatyn, with a combined value of circa £10 million.

The Selby Leisure Village project sees ISG construct a circa 13,000 sq ft steel frame building next to the recently opened Selby Leisure Centre. Facilities include ten pin bowling, adventure play area, indoor aerial trekking, adventure climbing and an indoor skate and BMX park.

The new structure also incorporates a double-height area to accommodate an indoor ski simulator and the Leisure Village also includes a café/restaurant.

ISG will deliver the new facility while the existing leisure centre remains fully operational, managing shared access as an integral part of project planning.

The Selby contract runs alongside work at Howe Bridge Leisure Centre in Atherton, Wigan, as part of an operational refurbishment scheme for Alliance Leisure, which is due for completion in late summer.

ISG is also on site at Prestatyn’s Nova Centre carrying out a refurbishment project that will deliver improvements to the building’s energy and thermal performance, reducing running costs and the facility’s carbon footprint.

Due for completion towards the end of the year, the scheme sees ISG create a new entrance and fitness suite with windows overlooking the sea, as well as two studio areas with flexible partitioning to allow its use as a single function room.

ISG will retain the existing four-lane 25m pool and splash pool, upgrading facilities with a new changing area and renovating the roof structure. The project also includes construction of a new café with sea views and two promenade-side retail units.

Danny Murray, ISG’s Northern regional managing director, commented: “These three schemes continue our long-standing relationship with Alliance Leisure as a primary delivery partner for the company’s extensive programme of improvements to municipal leisure services.

“Creating facilities that appeal to a broad range of users is essential in driving up participation in leisure activities, bringing major health benefits and fostering strong community bonds.”

Mace has been appointed by Exemplar, who are working in partnership with AshbyCapital, to deliver the £33m scheme at One Bedford Avenue in London’s West End.

One Bedford Avenue is scheduled for completion in early 2017 and has been designed by Stirling-nominated architects Bennetts Associates, with the project replacing two outdated office blocks with 115,000 sq ft of high-end retail and office accommodation.

There will be an art installation on the south-west corner of the building, acting as a marker to signify the entrance to Tottenham Court Road.

The new mixed-use development close to Tottenham Court Road will kick-start the redevelopment of the surrounding area in anticipation of Crossail’s completion in 2018.

Sustainability is central to Exemplar and AshbyCapital’s vision and at the heart of the scheme’s design, which is targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating for the commercial space and Very Good in the retail units.

Sustainable measures incorporated into the design include green roofs, photovoltaics and CHP.

Mace is already working with Exemplar on Regent Street at 1 New Burlington Place and 10 New Burlington Street, and this new appointment complements Exemplar’s projects in the area.

Mace’s Chief Operating Officer for Construction, Gareth Lewis, said, “This is a fantastic project for Mace and we’re delighted to be working with Exemplar on another high quality, high profile development in London’s West End. With Crossrail due for completion shortly after One Bedford Avenue, the scheme will be a major new addition to the Tottenham Court Road area.”

Small builders will benefit from a £100 million cash boost to recognise and support their important role in keeping the country building, Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said today.

The Housing Growth Partnership will act as a dedicated initiative that will invest alongside smaller builders in new developments, providing money to support their businesses, helping get workers onto sites and increasing housing supply.

The Partnership will also establish a network of builders, including experienced developers, who will act as mentors and advisers to those looking to expand and grow their businesses.

Supporting small builders

In the last 25 years, the number of firms building between 1 and 100 units a year has fallen from over 12,000 to fewer than 3,000.

That’s why the government has placed housebuilding at the heart of its long-term economic plan, to get homes communities want built and create jobs in construction and related industries.

The latest housebuilding figures show starts have more than doubled since those seen during the same period in 2009 – with both starts and completions rising in the past year and the number of homes granted planning permission are at the highest annual total for 8 years.

The government has matched a £50 million investment from Lloyds Banking Group to create the £100 million Housing Growth Partnership, which will be used to help smaller builders to invest in new projects and develop their businesses, allowing them to recruit and train skilled workers and become more competitive in their local area.

The partnership expects to make around 50 investments, with the aim to provide an additional 2,000 homes.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “The 2008 economic crash devastated our army of small builders, with delivery falling from 44,000 homes to just 18,000 – 7 years on, companies are getting back on their feet but we’re determined to give them all the help they need.

“Access to finance is one of the biggest challenges they face – so that’s why today I’m launching this £100 million commitment which will help our smaller builders fund new projects, expand their businesses, create more jobs and build more homes.

“With housing starts at a 7-year high and climbing and homes granted planning permission at 261,000 – the highest since 2007, this work will ensure we maintain this momentum and keep the country building.”

Andrew Bester, Group Director and Chief Executive, Commercial Banking, Lloyds Banking Group said: “The challenge of housing supply and affordability is one of the biggest issues facing Britain today, so we at Lloyds Banking Group welcome the government’s announcement of support for the Housing Growth Partnership, which will double the capability to support SME house builders.

“It will provide SME house builders with much needed equity to support residential development projects, to stimulate growth in their businesses and facilitate access to conventional property development finance.”