NEWS
INDUSTRY UPDATES Each month PSBJ rounds up the latest public sector construction updates, from new contracts to industry awards.
Waltham Forest Town Hall regeneration to bring community benefits Waltham Forest Council’s development partner, Countryside, has secured planning permission to move forward with the transformation of the town hall campus to create a brand-new neighbourhood and cultural hub in the heart of the borough, completing the council’s vision of a distinct, welcoming civic space and a 365-day-a-year cultural venue. The development will continue to build on the success of the first phase of works that completed in July 2021 seeing the historic Grade II Listed town hall fully refurbished and the creation of Fellowship Square and state-of-theart water feature, which has been hugely popular with residents and visitors, hosting a series of free summer events and activities, and sees hundreds of visitors each day. The transformation will drive economic recovery in the borough and bring hundreds of new jobs to the area, including over 600 during construction and over 800 supply chain jobs, as well as nearly approximately 160 additional jobs from new commercial and community uses. There will also be a programme for schools and colleges to visit and learn about apprenticeships and training opportunities.
Darwin Group appointed to deliver net-zero modular teaching block Offsite construction specialist Darwin Group is due to start work on one of the UK’s first modular education buildings to achieve both Passivhaus and net-zero carbon certification. The new 631m2 teaching block for St Edward’s school, in Romsey, Southampton, will include six classrooms, group learning areas and a sensory room. As advocates of sustainability, Darwin Group presented the opportunity to support the school in its carbon reduction commitments by designing a net-zero building. The use of modern methods of construction techniques will also ensure minimal waste from the build. The Darwin Group team is working closely with the school to achieve the benefits of a passivhaus building. This is an energy-efficient design standard that provides an almostconstant temperature. This will ensure a comfortable and healthy learning environment, while minimising the energy demand of the building, significantly lowering the school’s operational costs. The 20-week programme will see Darwin Group design every element of the school block, including the completion of surveys and a planning application. The construction phase is then expected to be delivered within 18.5 weeks.
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Godwin Developments submits outline plans for new homes in Shepshed National residential and commercial developer Godwin Developments has submitted outline plans for the creation of up to 50 new family homes on land south of Ashby Road Central, in the Leicestershire town of Shepshed. The proposed scheme, which will be a mixture of house types, is situated on a vacant site next to the established community on Crowson Close and is allocated for housing in the emerging Charnwood Borough Council Local Plan. When built, the development will contribute towards the delivery of much-needed, good-quality family homes in the area, including affordable housing. It will provide parking for residents and cycle storage for every dwelling, as well as private gardens and attractive house frontages. The development is advantageously positioned along the main arterial route into Shepshed with a range of amenities – including local primary and secondary schools, shops, recreational facilities, a wide range of other services and local employment nearby. It lies just over half a mile from junction 23 of the M1 motorway and approximately three miles from Loughborough, the principal settlement in the borough of Charnwood.
SCAPE appoints R&D lead to boost innovation in public sector construction SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading public sector procurement authorities, has appointed Rachel Sudlow as its R&D lead in a newly-created role designed to increase digital innovation across public sector construction. Rachel joins SCAPE following more than 10 years at Balfour Beatty, where she started as a Quantity Surveyor but was most recently focused on innovation and research, working with bodies such as Innovate UK to drive improved digital standards in the construction industry. The new role will see Rachel work closely with SCAPE’s clients and delivery partners to develop, encourage and apply new technologies and building methods to create more innovative, sustainable buildings. Rachel will also collaborate with various private and public sector partners outside of the construction industry, including funding bodies, research institutions and academia, as it continues to help shape the public sector’s response to the climate emergency.
