Agetur Newsletter October 2020

Built on reputation since 1985 NOTE FROM OUR CHAIRMAN First of all, I want to congratulate Agetur UK on achieving 35 years in business and moving ahead we are looking forward to a great future for the company. This is such an immense achievement that we should all be so very proud of.

I do not want to talk about Covid too much, but we have bounced back really strongly from 24th March; it is now over 6 months on and after an initial slow start we are recovering remarkably well. Our thanks go to our clients who have been extremely supportive, working with us; it is also great that house prices and the market have been so resilient. We must in addition thank the government for some of their incentives e.g. first time buyers pay no stamp duty if their property is worth up to £300,000 and if the property is worth up to £500,000, stamp duty is waived on the first £300,000, with five per cent paid on the remainder. We did as you all know make use of the government furlough scheme which has been invaluable to help get us all through the last few months.

We are very lucky as one of the industries able to recover so quickly and acknowledge that we are very fortunate while other industries are struggling.

This financial year is unquestionably going to be a tough one but talking to our key clients they have indicated several new developments that they are working on and we hope to be involved. That being said we must be very careful, work really hard and not be complacent. It will take time and effort to get to anywhere near where we were last year.

I can appreciate it has been trying times for everyone with lockdown/covid etc. but by working together and complying with government guidelines we will come out the other side.

Obviously celebrating our 35th anniversary will be very low key along with any other Christmas celebrations we would normally enjoy. We will however make sure that the 35th is noted in some small way and just hope that everyone stays safe and healthy and spends quality time with loved ones. Thank you as always for all your work and support.

ROB REXTON CHAIRMAN

Engineering our future, Celebrating 35 years of Agetur UK Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

COMMERCIAL TEAM Since writing our last Commercial update back in March of this year we have been in unprecedented times unknown to all. Having most of the sites lock their gates at the end of March we found ourselves in lock down waiting for our Clients to decide on how or if they were going to continue. However, this time was not wasted by commercial as we took advantage of the down time on site to concentrate on the financial recoveries of some current and historic contracts as well updating some of its commercial procedures.

We have two new additions to our Commercial Team, firstly Declan Batty (no relation to David Batty who missed that penalty against Argentina in 1998 World Cup) joins us as a Commercial Administrator and is showing promising signs. Secondly Dan Wade joins us a Senior Estimator/Quantity Surveyor and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with him in Groundworks and will help bolster up the Commercial Team going forward, welcome both.

The start back to site in May was slow with all of the workforce furloughed and with limited works available; it has been a very demanding time for the management team to the balance the labour required to give continuity for the work released. Over the last couple of months this has now changed and the instruction from the majority of our Clients is to build, build, build. Long may this continue.

With the initial uncertainty in the market in the second quarter the tenders have been somewhat sporadic.

However, that said we have secured another scheme with Dorchester Living consisting of both Roads & Sewers and Groundworks. Also secured during this difficult period was another Roads & sewers and Groundworks scheme with Taylor Wimpey Oxford worth over £6.5 million which has now started on site and is progressing nicely.

We are still busy tendering for all of our existing clients and some new and are confident in securing the necessary schemes in the near future to keep our order book topped up for 2021/2022.

The commercial team would like to thank both the Agetur and Clients teams for their assistance during these new times and remember communication is key to any successful partnership.

Mark, Richard W, Richard L, Dan, Keegan & Declan. Watch this space…….

Declan Batty

Dan Wade

Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

PLANT DEPARMENT With all that has been going on up and down the country over the last 6 months it really has been a busy (sounds daft) roller coaster of a ride for us in the Plant Dept.

As sites were closing due to Covid-19 from late March, we had to act quickly as we had Plant equipment (large and small) on hire that needed removing from sites not only to stop unnecessary hire costs but also to reduce damages and (dare I say it) theft with the uncertainty when we would return. With the prompt shut down of sites I would just like to thank all the lads for securing all containers and machinery on site; regarding ALL hired kit that wasn’t cost effective to remove from site, I can only thank (on behalf of AUK) all our suppliers for working with us during these strange times suspending hires until further notice.

April was a complete wash out due to the pandemic which gave us a chance to take stock of what kit we were going to need when we did finally return to sites.

We knew we wouldn’t be back to full strength for some time so we needed to shuffle the pack a bit with our own equipment to keep costs to a minimum in the short term. With this in mind we were able to look at getting some of the larger machinery through the workshop carrying out mechanical repairs and refurbing where necessary (See Pictures) as we started bringing the plant dept personnel back early May.

Regarding replacements and additions to Plant machinery and vehicles, we have always been very pro -active in these area’s but have taken a little breather on these over the last few months. We are always looking for a bargain and new kit too, and remain fully focused on what needs replacing/adding in the future to our fleets; keeping us very much at on the front foot.

Gary and the plant team Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

HEALTH & SAFETY + TRAINING I am sure that most of you are aware that the wonderful Wally Lishman who was our Health and Safety Manager for more than 15 years, retired at the end of August.

Wally will be sorely missed as he was just marvellous at keeping us all safe and healthy. Wally is enjoying retirement, sometimes on the golf course, sometime walking his rescue Patterdale Terrier Gypsy and lots of time with the boss aka Mrs Lishman.

John Clifford—Head of HSQE My CV says that I have been in the game my whole life and I have. My dad worked for George Wimpey as a Civil Engineer and I spent every school holiday on site. I could drive a dumper at 12 and use a dumpy level by the time I was 14 (different times) I got into H&S because I was really frustrated that people were telling me that I couldn’t do things because it wasn’t safe but not telling me how I could do them! People say that H&S is common sense, but unfortunately common sense is not that common. Health and safety is a team game with everyone pulling in the same direction together.

I play golf very badly, have been known to have the odd flutter on the gee-gees (came to the right place then) and will if forced have the odd pint or two. I am a great believer that if you treat everybody with respect then you will never go far wrong. I know I am the new boy here, but I am very excited to be joining the team. First impressions tell me that there is a really good H&S ethos throughout the company which I am sure is due in no small part to the hard work of Wally and Lee. Below is a poem that should strike a chord with all of us. It is about a guy who walked past something he knew was unsafe.

I Chose to Look the Other Way by Don Merrell I could have saved a life that day, But I chose to look the other way.

It wasn’t that I didn’t care, I had the time, and I was there.

But I didn’t want to seem a fool, Or argue over a safety rule.

I knew he’d done the job before, If I spoke up, he might get sore.

The chances didn’t seem that bad, I’d done the same, He knew I had.

So, I shook my head and walked on by, He knew the risks as well as I.

That guilt is something I must bear, But it isn’t something you need share.

If you see a risk that others take, That puts their health or life at stake.

The question asked, or thing you say, Could help them live another day.

If you see a risk and walk away, Then hope you never have to say, I could have saved a life that day, But I chose, to look the other way.

He took the chance, I closed an eye, And with that act, I let him die.

I could have saved a life that day, But I chose to look the other way.

Now every time I see his wife, I’ll know, I should have saved his life.

Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

HEALTH & SAFETY + TRAINING Cont’d Covid 19 Agetur UK sites started to return from furlough at the beginning of May but planning for that return started much, much earlier. Meetings were held with clients and a strategy was agreed as to how we were going to protect our workforce.

At the beginning of this crisis messages and advice from government and industry bodies was very convoluted, which led to mass confusion as to exactly what to do. Rob took the approach, that whatever we need, that is what we do.

Every Agetur employee returning from furlough is given a Covid protection kit (doubling as a sandwich bag) containing all sorts of anti Covid goodies. Your safety and wellbeing are important to us and providing these kits is a testament to that fact. Agetur UK have received numerous commendations from our clients for going above and beyond simply what was required.

This pandemic has however not gone away, and we need to be extra vigilant now as winter months approach. Keep your kits topped up with supplies.

Keep using the sanitiser, bio soap and disinfectant. The safer you keep yourself the better you protect your work colleagues and families.

We are in the process of introducing wipe down kits for all plant. These will be clear, see through bags attached to seats of dumpers / rollers / telehandlers and behind seats in excavators. They will contain disinfectant and towels for cleaning steering wheels and controls / cabs of plant before and after you use it.

Training initially after lockdown, training was only being carried out if absolutely necessary. The most important thing to us however is to make sure the guys are safe and have the tools to do the job correctly which does require training; we are also working hard at getting expired tickets renewed or extended.

Funding has become available from CITB which we are chasing, and this will be used for upskilling the men.

We have already signed up 16 Level 2 NVQs in the past month which is a mixture of Plant, Bricklaying and General Construction Operations. In addition, vital qualifications like First Aid courses are being checked and booked and we are also addressing where certain skills are needed on site. e.g.

Track-air, Temporary Work Coordinator etc.

If there are any vital qualifications that you feel are lacking, please contact the head office.

Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

AGETUR UK AT BAMPTON MEADOWS It seems a long time ago we were sat at home on furlough waiting for news on a start date for this development, we had visited the site a number of times to meet the ecologist. A lovely green flat field, apart from the badgers located on two boundaries, oh and the water table approximately 1.2m below ground level.

Fortunately for us the high water level and the fact the surrounding water course were full meant the badgers moved on of their own accord.

Nice Flat Green Field

By the time we started on site on the 9th June Skylarks had taken up residency, two nests were identified by the ecologist and these areas had to be cordoned off until the young had fledged the nests. The ecologist visited numerous times in the coming weeks and we were happy to proceed once we were given the all clear.

We had to have a slow and cautious start due to Covid 19 restrictions with only minimal workforce and one machine for the first week to start the access road into site followed by the compound, roads and drainage and the sales area foundations. As soon as the drainage started the water level meant we had multiple pumps set up in various locations, mainly pumping on to the ground at first as the water would soak away through the sandy/gravelly layers. As the drainage progressed we needed to get the water off site, so we had permission to use a ditch to the north east corner of the site but the water leaving the site had to be cleansed. To achieve this we dug a swale from the ditch and 30m into the site where we set up four sediment tanks, all the pumps pumped the water to the tanks and from the tanks to a holding area, then flowed down the swale to the ditch. The water quality had to be tested and logged and if it failed the test the pumping to the tanks had to stop.

Sediment Tank

Swale to a Ditch

Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985 Bampton, cont’d

We have two pump stations to construct one for foul drainage and one for the storm drainage, the storm pump station will eventually pump the water to the swale in the previous photo. The foul pump station is being started as I write. Due to the depth being 7m and taking into account the ground conditions and water levels, we are sheet piling with interlocking sheets to make this a safer operation and will also be using a crane to install the weighty apparatus.

Laying of Concrete Binding

The next step is the piling rig weighting in at 20 tons navigating from pad to pad to drill the piles and pump the concrete in place. You can see the stumps in the foreground these are the finished pile, the sleeves are added to obtain the correct height so the piles tie into the concrete slab that is to be formed above. Once the piles have cured, we attend and cut out the concrete blinding to lay all internal drainage and services and hand the plots back to Abbey Pynford. They then shutter around the plots and fabricate their steel work and concrete the slab/raft.

Piling Rig

A number of foundations at Bampton are piled with a raft system. We must prepare the ground on the footprint of each plot to a given level and achieve a certain level of compaction.

Then Abbey Pynford our piling contractor mark out the location of each pile, lay 50mm of concrete blinding over each plot. Abbey Pynford are a new system for us to use, check out their website www.abbeypynford.co.uk The picture below shows the guys levelling the concrete blinding over the plot, the circles you can see is the location of the pile.

Sheet Piles going in

Once the slabs have cured, Abbey Pynford hand them back to Agetur to construct brickwork and final finished floor with the necessary depth of insulation.

A lot has been achieved in the 17 weeks that we have been on site. The site teams have worked hard in difficult ground conditions, and will continue to do so.

Mick Legge—Contracts Manager

Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

TAYLOR WIMPEY MAJOR INVESTMENT IN THE VILLAGE OF BAMPTON Taylor Wimpey is set to splurge £1.4 million in and around its Bampton Meadows housing estate in West Oxfordshire.

to go on the market by the end of the year.

The estate, off Mount Owen Road, was originally refused by district councillors.

Last September, West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) refused Taylor Wimpey's application due to the 'height of the flat block and the lack of ameliorative landscaping'.

The refusal further said that the proposed estate was 'considered to represent an overly dominant form of development that would adversely affect the character and appearance of the area'.

Roughly half the cash will go towards school facilities. Bampton CE Primary School is set to benefit from about £770,000 for its expansion, with a further £80,000 set aside to increase the capacity of the school's nursery.

Six-figure sums will be spent on sport and recreation facilities (£185,000) and increasing the frequency of buses between Carterton and Witney (£160,000).

About £130,000 will be spent making improvements to children's play areas in the village, while another £48,000 is to be used to improve the village library.

The council had received 28 letters of objection prior to a planning committee meeting last August, with criticisms including the impact on tourism and an increase in traffic and parking.

At the meeting, committee members derided numerous aspects of the site, including the design and flood risk.

With reserved matters planning permission granted by WODC in December, Taylor Wimpey is now pressing ahead with the new one and two-bedroom apartments, and two-to-fivebedroom homes.

Meanwhile, more than £20,000 is going to be put towards 'artist-led enhancements' of public areas in Bampton.

Gary Needham, land and planning director for Taylor Wimpey Oxfordshire, said: "Supporting the communities in which we build is a key priority for Taylor Wimpey; so I am delighted that we will be funding a wide range of projects in Bampton through our planning contributions, from helping the village primary school to take on more pupils to improving public transport links, "Our work does not end here, and we will continue to support local groups and organisations in the village, to ensure that our: Bampton Meadows development leaves a lasting positive impact in the village."

The housebuilder said that the site team is operating inline with the latest Government guidance regarding coronavirus, and under a robust set of health safety practices and protocols.

Bampton parish councillors chose the name of the new estate before construction began.

Construction work began at the estate at the end of June, with the first homes potentially due Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION

We have received the following poster from Taylor Wimpey Oxfordshire. At Agetur UK we wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment and add our support to stamping out Discrimination of any form. There is NO place for discrimination.

REMINDER FOR EU NATIONALS WORKING IN THE UK EU settlement scheme: As valued member of staff we would like to remind you that the UK Government has put in place a system for EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members to secure their right of residence in the UK. The system is called the "EU settlement scheme" and is now fully open for applications.

As you are based in the UK, you will still be able to live and work here. However, the UK Government has put this scheme in place to allow you to demonstrate your continued right to be here.

Who should apply? The scheme is open to nationals from the EEA and Switzerland and their family members.

This means that you can apply if you are a national of any of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

For more information check www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families for the latest information Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

YOUTH WORK CHANGES LIVES On the week beginning 19th October Agetur UK finally managed to host 2 work experience 6th form students. Both were due to join us earlier in the year but then covid stopped their placements. James Coleman who is studying at Magdalen College School Brackley and wants to study engineering at University, he was looking to get an insight into what a civil engineer does on a day to day basis and how a civil engineering firm is operated. Harry Critchfield is at Sibford School and wants to do some form of engineering, he has already had a taste of mechanical and electrical engineering but is most interested in civil. We were delighted to be able to give the boys the experience.

Apprentice Update Ethan Brooke who has been with us since July 2019 finally started his course and completed a two-week block at Bircham Newton Construction College near Kings Lynn. He loved it and says he cannot wait till his next block in February.

Ethan’s course is for 2 years and is for general construction operative. Ethan has told me he aspires to be a site manager – we like ambition.

Luke Lowen one of our apprentice Bricklayers who started in February 2020 (pictured with Kevin Fermor doing some on the job training) also started his course on 7th October at Coventry College. Luke is doing a 3-year Level 2 in Bricklaying.

Just this month we have in addition taken on 2 new apprentices; Bevan Millis who will be an apprentice bricklayer with Dan and Alan Mold and Louis Rayner who will be doing general construction overseen by Dan Kidwell. Louis’s Grampa, John Brazier, used to work for Agetur until he retired a few years ago.

Last but not least, Louis Taylor who has been with us as a trainee bricklayer since October having already completed his Level 2 bricklaying is continuing his on the job training with Alan and is now also doing a level 2 NVQ diploma in trowel occupations. From all reports he is doing great.

Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

We cannot actually have a party to celebrate our 35 years but above is a collage of some of our people.

Unfortunately, not as many as we would like (nobody took photos more than 15/20 years ago!) but lots of familiar faces that are still working with us.

CHARITIES AND SPONSORSHIP We are still supporting worthy causes and local sporting venues.

Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk

Built on reputation since 1985

This was meant to be a year of running, among I now in addition to the aforementioned have been other things…. Flying Angel was meant to run in given my place in the October 2021 London the Grand National and I was meant to run the Marathon.

London Marathon. Neither actually managed to happen.

Hopefully, Flying Angel’s time will come and fortunately for me I was given a second chance to do a marathon distance after almost a year of training in the form of the VIRTUAL LONDON MARATHON. On the 4th October (in the pouring rain and wind, may I add) I set off with my friend Emma and we did a route starting in Brackley that went up to Evenley, on to Mixbury, Hethe, Hardwick, Stoke Lynne, Bainton, Bucknell, Ardley, Fritwell, Souldern, by the Tusmore Estate, Cottisford and finally back to Mixbury. I loved it (I think Covid must have made me a bit mad!)

The good news is I have done extremely well with my fundraising for Helen and Douglas House as I have so far reached the grand total of £6,614.

Thank you to all that sponsored me, although there is always room for a few more pennies. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/maggiehdixte I have included a route that one of my HDH team Sally did; her son Skye sadly died of a Brain Tumour and they stayed at HDH.

Engineering our future, Celebrating 35 years of Agetur UK Unit 4, St David’s Court, Top Station Road, Brackley, Northants, NN13 7UG Tel: 01280 702121 Fax: 01280 703088 www.agetur.co.uk