NEWS

Luxury living

British luxury property developer, Caudwell, has sold 50 per cent of its apartments at South of France development, Les Oliviers, for just under €5m in total.

Centrally located in Cap d’Antibes, Les Oliviers is an Art Deco influenced building that has been carefully revitalised into six exclusive residences. Three apartments have been purchased by international buyers from the UK, CIS and Germany. These include a four-bedroom, four-bathroom Duplex (spread across two floors) with its own private pool, and two apartments both with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

All apartments at Les Oliviers are equipped with high tech features including programmable ‘Lutron Homeworks system’ controls for mood lighting and security shutters. In addition to glorious apartment views from floor-to-ceiling windows, the interiors are contemporary yet classically inspired, including open plan French country kitchens and Carrara marble mosaic walled bathrooms. Residents also benefit from 24-hour security and private underground parking.

Remaining residences at Les Oliviers include a three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse; a three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment with private garden; and a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a private garden. Prices start from €1,590,000.

Beneficial acquisition

The P&M Group Limited, which includes Gloucester composite panel experts ISD Solutions, has acquired the business of coldstore installation specialist Tysoe Holdings. Through its subsidiary S Tysoe Installations (STI), the Leicester company, has provided subcontract labour to ISD Solutions for over 25 years.

As ISD Solutions continues to grow, with ever more challenging projects from a design and technical perspective, its board felt that being able to source direct labour from inhouse would manage a key area of risk. The acquisition will also give ISD Solutions’ clients, who range from large food retailers to major construction firms, a reassurance that it can offer consistent quality.

Commenting on the deal, Andy Moon, Chairman of The P&M Group, added: “As well as supplying specialist labour, STI is involved in areas which complement our existing business, including national service and maintenance coverage for the retail, commercial and industrial coldstore markets and expertise in specialist fire protection. Our businesses know each other well and we have a mutual high level or respect for our achievements and business ethos.” Surveyor invitation

The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme has launched a procurement drive to invite expressions of interest from specialist surveyors, including SMEs across the UK, to carry out dozens of on-site surveys in the Palace of Westminster.

More than 100 surveys are being carried out during the first stage of the restoration project to develop the most detailed record of the Palace of Westminster ever created. The survey analysis will map out the condition of all the complex mechanical and engineering systems including the Victorian heating and cooling system.

Expert surveyors will also look at the miles of gas and electric pipes that often run directly alongside one another in the basement, and in thousands of spaces in floors, walls and risers that were originally designed as part of the Victorian ventilation system.

Other surveys will focus on archaeology and the structure of the building and investigators will also look at fire safety, the condition of windows, walls, floors and stonework, and heat loss from the building.

Restoring the building will create thousands of jobs across the UK, including through an industry-leading apprentice loan scheme.

The in-depth surveys are a key part of developing a detailed and costed restoration plan that will for the first time give an accurate sense of the costs and timescales for restoring the Palace, as well as designs for a restored Parliament.

Mega tunnel project

Market-leading system scaffold from temporary access and system scaffold provider HAKI will be used on the landmark Femern belt link project. Set to be the world’s longest road and rail tunnel, the Femern belt tunnel will provide a direct link between Denmark and Germany and will be a major connector for central Europe and Scandinavia at large.

The immersed 18km-long tunnel is currently being constructed to connect the Danish island of Lolland with the German island, Femern, and will cross the Femern Belt in the Baltic Sea. As well as shortening the travel time between Lolland and Femern from 45 minutes by ferry to 10 minutes by car and seven minutes by train, the electrified high-speed rail will be capable of reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h. A huge €7.4bn infrastructure project, it will no doubt improve both business and personal travel between these two areas and further fortify the countries’ socio-economic relationship.

Femern, the company that was set-up to build the tunnel, announced that construction work would begin in January 2021. A projected completion year is set at roughly 2029. The Femern belt link project is being constructed by a consortium comprising Vinci and Bam, with German engineers Wayss & Freytag and Max Bögl, Danish engineers Per Aarsleff and COWI and Solétance-Bachy of France.

Picture house restoration

Triton Construction has been appointed as main contractor to preserve and redevelop the historic, Grade 2 listed Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds. The £2.8 million contract follows news that the venue has secured a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant with match funding from Leeds City Council to secure its future.

Renowned for its history and architectural prominence, Hyde Park Picture house opened at the beginning of World War One. It survived the advent of sound in the movies and remains an iconic independent cinema, screening the best films from around the world.

The major revamp is to include conservation works to the external façade, expansion of the foyer and the creation of a second cinema room in the basement, underneath the main auditorium. Whilst modern facilities will be installed, much of the heritage features will be retained and restored, including the gas lamps thought to be the only lights still in operation in a cinema anywhere in the world. New hotel underway

Construction work on a new 80-room Travelodge at Cobalt Business Park in North Tyneside has commenced. The £3.6m development of the former Cobalt 3.3 site, which housed office accommodation in Silver Fox Way, is being delivered by Esh Construction on behalf of Union Property Development Ltd

The two-storey office accommodation will be re-modelled into 68 rooms while an adjoining lightweight steel frame extension will provide an additional 12 rooms. A bar café and reception will feature on the ground floor.

“We are delighted to be working with Union Property and Esh on a further Travelodge hotel development which is located in the UK’s biggest business park, Cobalt Business Park,” said Travelodge spokeswoman Shakila Ahmed. “This is our seventh hotel in Newcastle, and it will also be the first budget hotel to be located at the business park; providing much needed, great value accommodation to visiting business and leisure travellers.”