Laing O’Rourke has reached financial close on the Yorkshire Batch of the Government’s Priority Schools Building Programme that will pave the way for construction works.

With a value of £120 million the project involves the building of seven secondary schools in the West and North Yorkshire areas.

The school buildings are designed around double and triple height spaces for communal areas such as the halls and dining areas, giving the students an abundance of natural daylighting.

Each school will also have its own standalone sports centre with integral changing facilities.The project will be financed under the PF2 model, by a consortium of lenders secured through an Aggregator Vehicle.

The first three schools will move into the new buildings in the early part of 2017, a further three schools following in September 2017, with the largest school becoming available in the Spring of 2018.

The DfMA approach will also offer benefits in the delivery of quality and compliance, with factory standards of quality control being applied to major components such as external wall panels.

This will achieve a consistently high standard of installation which has resulted in the FM service charges, being some of the lowest seen in comparison to similar projects.

ISG is set to deliver the British Antarctic Survey‘s £3.4 million Aurora Cambridge Innovation Centre at the organisation’s headquarters in Cambridge.

ISG will create a 150-seat lecture theatre, two 40-seat seminar rooms and four meeting rooms on the first floor of the glass-fronted extension, with a new library and reception area at ground floor level.

The centre will also offer a 32-desk, open plan collaboration area, providing work and study space for those with an interest in the organisation’s environmental research.

The company will upgrade the building’s mechanical and electrical services infrastructure, as well as existing welfare amenities and improve circulation areas, including the construction of a new staircase.

Liam Duffy, ISG’s regional director – East, said: “Climate change and environmental challenges are amongst the most urgent issues facing the scientific community, and the work we are carrying out for NERC at the BAS headquarters in Cambridge will make a significant contribution to research and collaboration.

“The scheme has been designed to offer flexible and multi-functional spaces that foster close working and knowledge sharing and we are delighted to add this win to our growing portfolio of leading-edge scientific and research projects across the UK.”

Kier is set to start a unique £1 billion housing delivery scheme that will help the public sector build 10,000 new homes across the UK.

The New Communities Partnership will provide local authorities and housing associations with an innovative delivery model for building new homes on their own land, giving them the option to choose between sale and/or rental developments, and offers significant scope for affordable development.

It will also provide public sector clients with potential scope to derive a revenue income from their land, whilst developing in a socially responsible way that will offer local apprenticeships, wider employment and sustainable, economic benefits for communities.

The collective expertise of the partners spans the lifecycle of home building, offering an end-to-end development solution that includes procurement, funding, site assembly, construction, sales, management and maintenance, tailored to be as comprehensive or as focussed as each public sector client needs.

With traditional developments only having delivered an average of 11% of affordable housing over the past 3 years , the partnership will provide a differentiated model that will increase significantly the amount of affordable homes built, with scope for up to 50% of each site to offer affordable development opportunities.

Haydn Mursell, chief executive of Kier, said: “We believe this Partnership creates an excellent and capital efficient opportunity for the private and public sectors to work together to help address the UK’s housing shortage.

“Kier Living’s contribution to the Partnership will be its extensive experience of building and maintaining private and mixed-tenure residential developments across the country.

“We believe that the private sector has a significant role to play if we are to meet the government’s house building targets.”

Willmott Dixon is to create ‘new model for student accommodation’ at Royal Holloway, University of London, after being awarded a contract to provide rooms for 621 students on its North Campus.

The project involves construction of 56 three and four storey townhouses that will provide housing and student accommodation.

Michael Berry, Director of Estates at Royal Holloway, said: “This provides an exciting new model for student accommodation to serve Royal Holloway for years to come.

“Townhouses encourage communal living, with shared facilities and common areas, and our development among mature trees will include green spaces and sheltered paths connecting residences to the main campus.”

The project forms part of a masterplan which will develop Royal Holloway’s historic estate into a 21st-century campus that meets the needs of people studying and working at the university.

The project underlines Willmott Dixon’s role as a leader in the housing sector, with it building over 2,000 new homes each year, as well as developing a further 500 homes through its private sale brand Prime Place and PRS company Be:here.

Charlie Scherer, Chief Operating Officer of Willmott Dixon Housing said: “This is an excellent template for providing student accommodation and plays well into our housebuilding skill-sets. We look forward to providing future students of the Royal Holloway University with first-class places to live while they study.”

Kier has been selected for a new £750 million highways framework in the East of England that will save millions of pounds over the next four years.

It is one of six contractors appointed to the major works Lot of the Eastern Highways Framework 2 which will provide an efficient way to procure investment in highways.

The project is set to reduce the time and costs involved in delivering highway maintenance and improvement schemes.

The lot Kier has been appointed to will focus on the delivery of larger capital-funded schemes and improvements such as link roads, bypasses, public transport investment and new structures, and may also include larger-scale maintenance works.

Jag Paddam, Kier Infrastructure managing director with responsibility for this work, said: “We’re extremely pleased to have won a place on the Eastern Highways Framework.

“We have extensive experience of providing highways services throughout the country and this award further reinforces our position as the UK’s leading highways construction, management and maintenance provider.

“It’s great to have our comprehensive health & safety processes, regional presence and experience, collaborative style and positive approach – all of which were given as reasons for the award – recognised.”

Gloucestershire County Council has appointed Buckingham Group Contracting to build phase one of the spine road for the Cinderford Northern Quarter scheme.

Phase one of the £400 million project will see construction begin this spring and pave the way for a new Northern Quarter spine road.

David Owen Chief Executive of GFirst LEP said: “The funding received in the Gloucestershire Growth Deal that was allocated to the Cinderford Northern Quarter is crucial to the development of the road infrastructure, the development will sustain the Forest of Dean’s economy opening up this area of the county to a boost in jobs creation locally.”

This new road for Cinderford will start near the junction of Newton Road and Broadmoor Road, and head off towards the Northern United Industrial Estate and through to the A4136.

The first phase of the road will create access for the new college once it is built.

Cllr Nigel Moor, cabinet member for fire, planning and infrastructure said: “I’m delighted to announce that work will start to build the new spine road this spring.

The Cinderford Northern Quarter scheme will unlock more than £100 million in investment for Cinderford and the Forest of Dean, and this brand new road is a key part of the overall project.”

Ian McSeveney, Managing Director, Civil Engineering at Buckingham Group Contracting said, “We’re delighted to have secured this high-profile, important, project that will contribute significantly towards future investment and job creation for the area.”

Latest quarterly statistics show faster average decision times for major and local housing developments compared to the equivalent quarter last year.

Local developments include applications for household extensions and loft conversions etc, smaller housing and retail developments, as well as various other types of local developments.

Major developments include applications for developments of 50 or more homes, as well as certain waste, water, transport and energy-related developments, larger retail developments, and other types of major developments.

The overall rate of approvals for all types of application was 94.0% in the period October to December 2015, the same as the previous quarter (94.0%) but an increase compared to the equivalent quarter three in 2014/15 (93.1%).

For the 1,432 decisions made on local housing developments the average decision time of 13.6 weeks was almost 4 days slower than the previous quarter (13.1 weeks) but 2 days quicker than the equivalent quarter in 2014/15 (13.9 weeks).

There were a further nine major housing applications concluded that were subject to separate processing agreements, of which eight (89%) met the agreed timescale that had been set between the developer and the local authority.

There were also a further 39 local housing applications concluded that were subject to separate processing agreements, of which 23 (59%) met the agreed timescale.

The figures released were produced by independent statistical staff free from any political interference, in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

The developers of Milburngate in Durham City have exchanged contracts for building a new cinema that will form a significant element of its major riverside regeneration scheme.

The development consortium includes Carillion, Arlington Real Estate and Richardsons Capital LLP that will pave the way for economic growth and boost the construction trades.

They are in advanced discussions with a number of premium restaurant and bar operators, who like Everyman are keen to secure space within high-quality schemes such as Milburngate.

Neil McMillan, development director at Carillion, said: “This agreement confirms our vision for Milburngate meets the aspirations of premium leisure operators. Everyman Cinema’s high-quality boutique offering will attract visitors to Durham from across the North East and enhance the city’s position as a key destination in the region.”

Alongside the leisure offering will be 400 high-specification apartments, the majority of which will be available for long-term rental with the remainder available for private sale thereafter.

Milburngate will be complemented by up to 150,000 sq. ft. of high-quality office space, incorporating sustainable and energy efficient design in keeping with its sister development at Freemans Reach.

Allan Cook, managing director of Arlington Real Estate, said: “Durham City is undoubtedly a jewel in the North East crown and Milburngate will further reinforce its position as a premier destination.

“As a County Durham-based developer we are committed to driving regeneration in our region. Milburngate is one of a number of large-scale projects we are delivering through our successful joint venture with Carillon, which includes sister development Freemans Reach and the 60-acre mixed use scheme, DurhamGate.”

NG Bailey has won a three-year maintenance contract with Land Securities for eight shopping centres in the company’s retail portfolio that will boost economic growth.

The £20 million contract is a retention of five shopping centres that had been managed by NG Bailey for five years and, an extension of a further three centres, which went live on the 1st April 2016.

As part of the remit, NG Bailey will provide mechanical, electrical and building fabric maintenance, including HVAC, security, fire detection and protection, drainage and energy consumption management.

Seven of the shopping centres will be maintained by resident NG Bailey staff, including skilled engineers, apprentices and contract management support staff. Whilst a smaller centre in West London will be serviced and supported by the firm’s fleet of mobile engineers.

Stuart Linington, managing director of NG Bailey’s Facilities Services division said of the contract win: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this significant contract, which builds on the strength of our existing relationship with Land Securities.

“As part of the new contract, we proposed an innovative energy saving solution that will introduce significant savings and further improve Land Securities’ impressive sustainability record.”

Tony Hemmings, Head of Engineering at Land Securities, added: “NG Bailey has proven that they can exceed our expectations, while being cost-effective and delivering measurable results.

“We are pleased to be working with the company for another three years, potentially six and, to have added three more centres to its remit.”

Willmott Dixon has signalled its expansion plans for the South West by opening an office in Exeter as a platform for growth and new jobs in the region.

It follows a series of major projects recently secured in the region, including building a new home for the Met Office’s multi-million pound ‘super computer’ at Exeter Science Park that will ensure it remains the world’s foremost meteorological forecaster.

The company’s presence in the region started less than three years ago and in that time Willmott Dixon has delivered four schools in Plymouth and a free school in Exeter.

With more work opportunities in the pipeline it underlines the growth opportunities in the South West.

The move will create a number of local jobs over the next 12 months, with nearly ten people based full time in the office and a further nine using the office when working on local sites.

Willmott Dixon’s managing director for the region, Neal Stephens: “With many projects already delivered and more in the pipeline, we feel now is the right time to establish an Exeter base to serve our customers and work with our local supply chain.

“We’re making a strong commitment to local spend, with over 65% of project budgets designated to companies within 35 mile radius of a scheme, ensuring investment stays local to sustain jobs and support regional prosperity.”