U+I has exchanged contracts with landowner, Parkdale Investments, to bring forward a new mixed-use regeneration project for the Forest Works site on Blackhorse Road, North East London.

The 3-acre industrial site has the potential to deliver 300 new homes and 5,500 sq. ft. of commercial space for the area, with a GDV of £95 million.

Less than 150 metres from Blackhorse Road Station, Forest Works sits within an area that has already been earmarked for significant wider regeneration.

The site has been identified as a hub within the London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Blackhorse Lane Area Action Plan and is located within the new Blackhorse Lane housing zone, which is aiming to deliver over 2,500 new homes and 1,000 new jobs in the next ten years.

Councillor Clare Coghill, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and High Streets has described Blackhorse Lane as the area with “the greatest potential for improvement of any part of the borough.”

As well as £200 million of private investment, it is benefiting from support from the Mayor of London’s Outer London Fund for improvements to its high street and public amenity spaces.

In January 2016 it was also announced that Blackhorse Road Station would receive £2.2 million investment from TfL for improvements to the station and surrounding area.

Simon Hesketh, Director of Regeneration, U+I said: “We are delighted to be working with Parkdale Investments on a mixed-use regeneration project that will deliver significant benefits to the local area.

“Forest Works demonstrates U+I’s ability to uncover regeneration opportunities within emerging parts of the London City Region. We are focussed on creating long-term social and economic change for the places in which we develop and we look forward to working with Waltham Forest council and the local community to progress our redevelopment plans for the site.”

UCLH has appointed Mace to deliver a new state-of-the-art centre for its internationally renowned services, further enhancing its status as world leading hospital and university campus in central London.

The new centre, which will be located on Huntley Street, has been co-designed with patients and staff and will bring together services currently provided at the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital (RNTNEH) and Eastman Dental Hospital (EDH), in addition to other UCLH services.

The building navigation has been planned so that the zones that reflect how patients are treated and there will be a floor specifically for the care and treatment of children.

Mace has worked on a number of complex healthcare projects in the capital including the East Wing cladding project and the Positron Emission Tomography Centre for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, the refurbishment of Chelsea & Westminster Hospital as well as managing the redesign of UCLH’s A&E department.

Terry Spraggett, Director for Public Sector Construction at Mace, said: “I’m delighted that Mace has been appointed by UCLH as main contractor on this significant and complex hospital project, which is challenging both in terms of the construction and logistics of the site.

“Mace has a strong track record of delivering complex healthcare projects across the UK to an exceptionally high quality.

“We look forward to bringing our experience to this project and helping UCLH realise its vision to deliver better treatment and care for patients.”

Plans for building a £47 million Woodford Grange housing development in Winsford have been given the go-ahead by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Chosen developer, Keepmoat, will deliver 401 new homes on the 30 acre brownfield site off Woodford Lane West, where home hunters and first-time buyers will now have access to a collection of two, three and four bedroom properties under the government-backed Help to Buy scheme.

There will be 130 affordable properties built on behalf of the Council within the development; these are understood to be the first local authority houses built within the Borough for nearly 40 years.

A green corridor and a small central village garden will be created at the heart of the development. In addition significant investment will be made in outdoor play facilities at Hebden Green and Oakland schools and a state of the art 3G pitch at Winsford Academy.

Prior to submitting plans, Keepmoat hosted a public consultation event at Hebden Green Community School to hear any concerns and include local input.

Gareth Roberts, regional managing director for Keepmoat in the North West, said: “Working in partnership with the Council, we have identified key ways to regenerate a surplus piece of land and really invest in Winsford while creating housing solutions – particularly for first-time buyers.

“This major new scheme will also create new job opportunities, which supports the Council’s aspirations for Winsford. We’re delighted that this shared vision for Woodford Grange has been given the go ahead and we look forward to getting on site.”

Councillor Angela Claydon, Cheshire West and Chester Council Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “This is really good news for Winsford. The partnership will provide a true mix of properties including 130 homes built for the Council which will give people a real choice from a range of new build homes”

Wates Construction has signed a £20.2 million contract to build Regal Ltd’s brand new Left Bank residential tower, broadening the contractor’s Birmingham-based project pipeline.

Work is expected to commence this month and will see Wates create a new 22-storey building, which will comprise 189 high-quality apartments, as well as ground floor retail space and public realm.

The appointment closely follows Wates’ selection to deliver Ardstone Capital’s new speculative Grade A office development at Phoenix House on Newhall Street where building work is expected to complete by the end of the year.

Designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects, the new 11,905 sq m Left Bank development on Broad Street is expected to reach completion by summer 2018.

The scheme adds to Wates’ portfolio of projects across Birmingham, which has recently included the development of Eastside City Park and the fit out of Gowling WLG’s new premises at Two Snowhill.

Phil Harrison, Managing Director, Wates Construction Midlands and North said: “The scale of investment that Birmingham is currently experiencing is an indicator of ever-growing developer confidence and it demonstrates the city’s integral contributions to the strength of both the regional and national economies.”

Morgan Sindall has been appointed by Perth & Kinross Council to design and build a new road bridge over the Black Water with work expected to be completed before the end of this year.

The new £1 million bridge will be constructed using a single-span galvanised steel structure and has been designed to allow all road traffic to cross, with no weight restrictions.

The site team will be working around a four metre vertical face on the east embankment to construct new abutments, pouring 100 cubic metres of concrete.

The design also includes improvements to drainage to defend the bridge from severe weather damage in the future.

As with all of its projects, Morgan Sindall has taken steps to ensure that no damage is caused to the surrounding environment. Measures have been taken to ensure debris from the construction process does not fall into the Black Water and dry stone walling, due to be dismantled during the build, will be salvaged and reconstructed once the bridge is in place.

Morgan Sindall’s area director for infrastructure, Robert Ogg, said: “The C446 road provides a vital link between Alyth and the A93 to Glenshee and the local communities come to depend on the infrastructure network so heavily, often without noticing how vulnerable it can be.

“We are acutely aware of this reliance and are proud to be designing and building a new bridge to restore this critical access; our message to the many people who would usually use this route is that the end is in sight.”

Developer St George has bought Land Securities‘ £100 million Ealing scheme in West London underlining its commitment to upmarket housing in mixed-use developments in the capital.

Land Securities announced the sale of the Ealing Filmworks site in the heart of Ealing town centre to St George that will build 161 new homes and a landscaped public square.

The development will have a mix of restaurants, cafes, shops and bars, including affordable homes.

St George has a proven track record in creating high quality mixed-use developments across London and is already successfully delivering the Dickens Yard development in Ealing Broadway.

Riccardo Mai, Head of Development Management at Land Securities, said: “Land Securities is proud of the work we have done to facilitate development of the Filmworks project and bring a cinema back to Ealing. We are delighted to have now secured an agreement with St George, a company with unquestionable track record of delivering major developments”

Michael Bryn-Jones, Managing Director of St George PLC said: “We are delighted to continue our investment in Ealing with the acquisition of Ealing Filmworks. It will complement the success of Dickens Yard delivering a much wanted cinema, fantastic new shops and restaurants in the heart of Ealing town centre, as well as high quality homes.”

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of

A former Barr’s soft drink factory site in Wigan will now be transformed into a £35.5 new housing development with building work on the new homes expected to start this month.

Housing regeneration specialist, Keepmoat, has bought the land and will deliver 194 two, three and four bedroom properties for sale. The new development will also deliver brand new public open space and two children’s play areas.

This is Keepmoat’s first new housing scheme in Wigan and the developer has confirmed plans to continue working closely with Wigan Council to look at ways to regenerate more areas in the region.

Gareth Roberts, regional managing director for Keepmoat in the North West, said: “We very much specialise in providing homes for the first time buyer market and so we’re excited to be bringing our offer to Wigan.

“More importantly – this major regeneration project will create employment and training opportunities throughout the build process so we can put back into the local economy.”

As part of the new housing development – which has been named Cottonfields – Keepmoat will also work with the Council, to ask local schools and colleges to help develop some public art which will be displayed on site.

A £60 million project to refurbish and upgrade the kilometre-long Glasgow Queen Street tunnel was completed last week, nearly three days ahead of schedule.

Since the high-level station closed on Sunday 20 March, 3,000 engineers have been working around-the-clock for five months to renew 1,800 metres of concrete slab track and install more than 4,000 metres of new rails through the structure.

Station platforms and track layouts within Queen Street have also been extended and altered as part of the project, and both the tunnel and station have been prepared for the electrification of the main Glasgow-Edinburgh line next year.

Electrification will allow the introduction of faster, longer and greener trains on the line – delivering thousands of extra seats, shorter journey times and improved accessibility for customers.

Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf helped tighten the final bolt on the new slab track inside the tunnel and met with customer service staff.

Mr Yousaf said: “I am pleased to see the work on the Queen Street tunnel completed ahead of schedule and on budget. This has been an unprecedented project, both in engineering terms and in the scale of the operation required to keep people moving and services diverted via the underground platforms during the works.

“This is a key milestone in our programme of investment for Scotland’s railways and literally paves the way for the introduction of a new generation of electric trains.

“I would like to congratulate the ScotRail-Network Rail Alliance on a successful job, and the hundreds of men and women who have worked day and night to deliver the hugely ambitious project.”

Willmott Residential‘s expansion in London continues with Barnet Council giving its residential brand Prime Place the go-ahead to build 188 new homes in Mill Hill.

The company secured approval on a reserved matters application for its development called Prime Place, Millbrook Park, which will create 159 homes for private sale, together with 29 homes for affordable rent.

The wider 2.7 acre scheme at Millbrook Park, a popular new community, will provide 2,174 high-quality homes in a superb landscaped parkland setting, together with shops, offices and a new primary school.

Designed by renowned architects Broadway Malyan, Prime Place, Millbrook Park will be in a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments and penthouses, together with a small number of three and four-bedroom houses.

Maximising the use of the naturally sloping terrain, the design includes a large terraced parkland garden at the heart of the scheme for all residents to enjoy.

Residents also benefit from underground parking and a low carbon district heating system. The homes are a short walk from Mill Hill East underground station and less than nine miles from central London.

Brian Brady, managing director Prime Place: “Millbrook Park is an ideal fit for Prime Place’s strategy of providing outstanding homes in popular locations and close to excellent transport links. We are delighted to achieve approval from Barnet Council and anticipate starting work on site very soon.”

Prime Place, Millbrook Park underlines further Willmott Residential’s growing presence, developing homes for sale through Prime Place and for private rent through be:here, with 5,000 units on site or in planning.

In addition, Willmott Partnership Homes builds 2,000 homes a year with an expanding geographic presence and strong client base that includes housing associations, developers and local authorities.

A £9.7 million construction contract for the final phase of development at Baker Barracks has been signed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and Kier Graham Defence Ltd.

The scheme, which will cover the building of a new training centre, armoury and office extensions at the West Sussex site, will see the latest construction work commence in October 2016.

These works are part of a wider upgrade of Baker Barracks with enabling works, a new perimeter fence and additional office space now complete and the delivery of new Single Living Accommodation due to be completed in September 2016, bringing the overall investment in the site to circa £27 million.

The infrastructure investment is part of the Army Basing Programme (ABP) which is providing the facilities the British Army needs to live, work and train in the UK as it returns from Germany, rebases across the UK and restructures to its future Army 2020 formations.

Mark Duddy, ABP Programme Director said: “This is a brilliant example of how we are investing in infrastructure across the UK. The developments at Thorney Island will provide modern, suitable facilities and accommodation for service personnel working and living on site.”

Trevor White, operations director for Kier Construction Southern said: “We’re extremely proud to have been appointed to deliver this project which will supplement the existing facilities at Baker Barracks.

“It’s an important project for DIO so they can provide improved facilities for our armed forces and we look forward to working with them to deliver this exciting opportunity.”