INDUSTRY UPDATES

Each month, PSBJ rounds up the latest public sector construction updates, from new contracts to industry awards.

Art and design ideas that reflect the proud heritage, buildings and features to be enjoyed by children and families, and high ambitions for the future are at the heart of plans to revitalise St Helens town centre, according to the team behind the proposals. St Helens Borough Council and its project partner the English Cities Fund (ECF) are committed to transforming the town centre, with a genuine sense of place and pride restored. Jon Matthews Architects has created the masterplan and detailed design of the three central areas in proposals for the first phase of regeneration, which members of the public can view as part of a new community consultation. They are based around a stunning new market hall that will feature approximately 23 stalls, food and beverage outlets, a bar and performance area, along with a range of other amenities to encourage and cater for visitors through the daytime and evenings. Outside the market hall will be space for play and child-focused street furniture. The market hall will be flanked by a mixed-use area set around a 150-bedroom hotel, 64 homes and 10,915ft2 modern retail space, along with a new 49,670ft2 sustainable office building. The design of each of the new buildings has drawn inspiration from St Helens’ past, with architectural glass, for instance, a key feature within the market mall. Art installations that celebrate the town’s history, ingenuity and individuality will also feature in recessed sections of the ground-floor exterior wall of the hotel.

Tenants have been moving into new housing built by Renfrewshire Council as part of the ongoing community-led regeneration of Paisley’s Ferguslie Park area. The 101 modern new-build, energy-efficient homes are being built on the site of the former St Fergus Primary School in Ferguslie. Tenants have been moving in since January, with 64 homes now handed over, and work on the new development is due to be complete this month. Most of the new tenants have moved across from the nearby Tannahill area, next to St Mirren’s SMISA Stadium, where the outdated blocks are being demolished, allowing that area to be redeveloped over the next few years as part of a wider community-led masterplan. The majority of the new homes are council owned, with a small number being sold to owners within the Tannahill regeneration area through the Scottish Government’s New Supply Shared-Equity scheme. The main contractor on the building project is Glasgow-based housebuilder AS Homes. Kieran Sexton, Commercial Director at AS Homes Scotland, said: “It’s great to hear our new homes in Ferguslie Park have been so well received by tenants. Working in partnership with Renfrewshire Council, we’re thrilled to help fulfil this need within the local community by delivering a mix of house types and sizes to meet current and future housing needs within this area.”

National homebuilder Keepmoat has marked the start on site for 300 new homes at Northstowe, Cambridgeshire’s newest town. Following completion of a building lease with Homes England, construction is starting at Stirling Fields, with the housing stock consisting of one- and two-bedroom apartments, alongside a selection of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes. A full range of tenures are available on the 300 homes, 60% of which are affordable homes including affordable rent, discounted market sale and traditional market sale, to provide a balanced community. Graham Hyslop, Regional Director for Homes England, said: “This is another step forward for Northstowe as more homes are started across Homes England’s land on this flagship development. This current milestone contributes towards building the community of Northstowe, which in total will see more than 10,000 homes, eight schools, a new town centre with multiple facilities and open spaces provided. We are looking forward to seeing the community grow further and more people calling Northstowe, home.” The sustainable development supports a low-carbon community lifestyle and Keepmoat is building the homes using closed-panel timberframe construction, while the apartments will be constructed traditionally in a brick and block cavity walling.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has awarded a new Demand Management and Renewables Agreement (RM6314), which aims to accelerate the UK’s net-zero goals by helping improve the public sector’s energy consumption and efficiency. This new framework is one of two replacements for the current Heat Network and Electricity Generation Assets (HELGA) DPS Agreement. The other replacement is Demand Management and Renewables DPS Agreement (RM6313). The new Demand Management and Renewables Agreement (DMR) provides a route to market for all UK public sector organisations to support their decarbonisation strategies. It is the first traditional framework within CCS’ wider construction and decarbonisation offering. The new agreement builds on the progress in helping hundreds of public sector customers, putting energy efficiency and renewable power at its centre. The agreement will support customers within the following five energy efficiency areas, including: Lot 1 – solar photovoltaic projects; Lot 2 – battery energy storage; Lot 3 – heat pump projects (air source and ground source); Lot 4 – heat network (design and build) and Lot 5 – carbon net-zero/sustainability consultancy.

Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties business has held a topping-out ceremony at the Buntingford First School, marking an exciting milestone for Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and Scholars Education Trust in delivering one of the region’s and country’s first carbon-neutral schools. The event included speeches from Councillor Caroline Clapper and Councillor Duncan Wallace from Hertfordshire County Council before a guided site tour for all attendees and a reception at the Bury Clubhouse. Other guests on the day included Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties Area Director, David Rowsell, and Deputy CEO of Scholars’ Education Trust, Matt Gauthier. Scheduled to open in 2023, Buntingford First School was procured through the Pagabo framework and will be one of the first net-zero schools – in both embodied and operational carbon – in the UK. In line with Hertfordshire County Council’s sustainability strategy and ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030, it is set to achieve Passivhaus Plus, meaning it will improve the school’s air quality, reduce carbon emissions and lower its energy running costs. Aligned with Morgan Sindall’s Intelligent Solutions approach, the design also utilises a cross-laminated timber (CLT) frame, meaning for every metre cubed of it, two tonnes of carbon is saved. On completion, the frame is set to be responsible for saving 1160 tonnes of carbon, as well as reducing construction traffic by 90% and savings of 20%.

£120m Scottish framework appointments

Extending its multi-disciplinary services across Scotland, Pick Everard has successfully been appointed to two leading national frameworks at a combined value of £120m. The move sees the firm join one of the largest public sector consultancy framework contracts in the country, strengthening its capabilities within Scotland’s construction sector. Supporting regional economic growth, Pick Everard will operate across a four-year term on Scotland Excel’s Building Construction Consultancy Framework. With a total value of £100m, the framework directly serves local Government need via a platform funded by Scotland’s 32 local authorities. The move coincides with its appointment to six lots of the Scottish Police Authority’s Estates Professional Services Framework, which will last for two years, with the option to extend for a further two periods of up to 12 months in duration. Patricia Ward, Strategic Development Manager at Pick Everard, said: “These are both significant framework awards for our Scottish offices, which coincide with considerable pressures for local authorities and the public sector, amidst the cost-of-living crisis and tightening budgets. Our appointment is intended to help relieve some of that pressure, combining our pool of expertise via a streamlined method of distribution that makes procurement quick, simple and easy to move from appointment to delivery to completion.”

Fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor Willmott Dixon Interiors has been chosen to lead the refurbishment of the Grade II Listed Sanctuary Buildings in London. The Department for Education (DfE) has appointed the contractor to deliver the phased CAT B fit-out of 12,850m2 across floors of the property in Victoria. The project has been designed to create a more modern, sustainable and streamlined office environment, which reflects the department’s adoption of hybrid working practices. Willmott Dixon Interiors will deliver collaborative and open-plan workspaces, including hot-desking facilities and staff breakout areas, as well as new meeting rooms with state-of-the-art conferencing technology. The design is characterised by its focus on diversity and inclusion, with features that directly cater for those with sensory, cognitive, physical or developmental needs. They include the availability of sensory spaces, improved lighting and acoustic properties and a muted colour palette. Existing plant facilities will be upgraded as part of DfE’s decarbonisation agenda, while the infrastructure will be put in place to support the future use of photovoltaic solar panelling. Works will be carried out in a live environment, with staff decanted to alternative floors during separate phases of the project. The project is expected to be completed by autumn 2024.

Alliance Leisure has started work on a multi-million-pound development to improve leisure and learning opportunities for residents in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. To mark the occasion, a group of stakeholders, partners and the local community came together to officially break ground at the construction site. A new 3000m² leisure and learning hub, made possible by a £14m investment from Towns Funding, will replace the existing Station Sports Centre, adding a six-lane, 25m swimming pool and changing village, a gym and fitness studio as well as a TAGactive indoor adventure play area and outdoor play facilities. In addition, the site will incorporate a digital inclusion learning centre to enable people of all ages to upskill through access to information and distance learning courses. This will be supported by a series of dedicated meeting rooms and a large cafe area to encourage social interactions. The multi-functional community development, designed by lead architect firm, Pozzoni, will be managed by Alliance Leisure through the UK Leisure Framework, owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure, with ISG named as principle build contractor.