The Irish Post - Building Britain 2016

Building 1

Britain Summer 2016 | www.irishpost.co.uk Sponsored by

INSPIRING IRISH Groundbreaking projects in 2016

GREEN LIGHT

60 years of The Lighthouse Club

Inside The Stage in Shoreditch

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REACHING NEW HEIGHTS IN 2016

B U I L D. E N H A N C E . M A I N TA I N.

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Building Britain | Issue 5

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Contents

Britain Summer 2016 | www.irishpost.co.uk

Sponsored by

Centre stage – Out and about with TLICN page 4

INSPIRING IRISH Groundbreaking projects in 2016

GREEN LIGHT

Cormac MacCrann on 60 years of The Lighthouse Club

Britain, Built by Ireland – The 2016 Edition pages 6-14

Inside The Stage in Shoreditch

CLASS ACT

A rub of the green Recycling gets the VIP treatment page 16

Cover image: The Stage, Shoreditch

Reaching for the sky – Cormac MacCrann and The Lighthouse Club pages 18-19

The Stage – Shoreditch’s newest addition pages 20-21 Brexit – Building trade walls pages 24-26 Viewpoint – The construction industry in 2016 page 29 What lies beneath – London’s hidden archaeological treasures page 30-31 Raising the bar - A new generation of entrepreneurs page 32 Trade in Chelsea – Out and about with BITA pages 36-37 Out of Office with… VGC’s Seán Fitzpatrick page 38

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

Leading the way in construction

F

DIG IN: VGC’s Robert Dixon at work on Crossrail, Anglia. Work on VGC’s £2.3million contract was completed in April. See page 38 for an interview with the company’s chairman Seán Fitzpatrick

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IVE years ago The Irish Post launched its construction magazine Building Britain.

Its aim was simple - to report on the impact the construction industry has on Britain and the Irish people who were leading the way with imaginative and far-reaching projects in towns and cities around the country.

Half a decade later and the Irish continue to play an essential role from site level to the boardrooms of some of Britain’s biggest building firms.

This can be seen throughout the pages of this year’s issue, with projects such as Crossrail (page 8), the Farnworth Tunnel (page 12) and The Stage in Shoreditch (pages 20-21) showcasing the incredible skill and work rate of the Irish.

We also meet Cavan man Seán Fitzpatrick (page 38), whose company VGC Group was this year one of a number of Irish-owned and founded companies taking pride of place in the London Stock Exchange’s 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain report.

And while we celebrate this success we also acknowledge those who play a supportive role to those in need in an industry, that’s according to British Government

figures, contributes £103billion to the economy and 2.1million jobs.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of The Lighthouse Club (pages 18-19), a charity that has donated over £15million to thousands of construction workers and their families suffering from illness or the effects of an accident.

We wish them, and all the hard-working Irish in the construction industry, much continued success for the rest of 2016 and the years to come.

Siobhán Breatnach Editor-in-Chief The Irish Post

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Developing connections Out and About Pictures by Paris Jefferson What: The Stage private view Where: Shoreditch, London Who: Members of The London Irish Construction Network (TLICN) were invited by the organisation’s sponsor Galliard Homes to view the developer’s latest development in London

- The Stage, Shoreditch. Hosted

by Galliard’s Managing Director, Don O’Sullivan, and Sales Director David Gallman, guests were given a look behind the scenes at the The Stage development with a discussion on the future of London’s residential development market.

ALL SMILES: Don O’Sullivan, MD of Galliard Homes and Norma Thomas of Rift UK

NETWORKING: Fiona Craughan, Clancy Docwra and Pat Butler, Butler Construction Circular BUILDING CONNECTIONS: Peter Maryszczak of Optimum Consultants

xxxxx xxx

TOP MAN: David Galman, Sales Director of Galliard Homes

CENTRE STAGE: Sean Daly from TLICN

FOR MORE ON E THE STAG S SEE PAGE 20-21

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SUITS YOU: Michael Boland, AB Distributors and John Hunt, Enterprise Ireland

ENJOYING THE EVENING: Luis Garcia, EDC and guests

NETWORKING: Mary Pottinger, TLICN with Katie Brown and Sarah Murphy from The Irish Post

CHEERS: Mark Kelly, Kelly & O’Callaghan and guests from Texo Construction

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Recruiting Now - see our website for details

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Building Britain 2016

BRITAIN, BUILT BY IRELAND THE 2016 EDITION

Continued over

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Building Britain 2016

Report by Pádraig Belton

P

ARTLY, when the building downturn struck Ireland, Irish building went to Britain.

Partly, it had been there already.

The Sisk Group, founded in Cork in 1859, set up its London office in 1984. (Three of founder John Sisk’s great-great grandchildren still serve on its board.)

The Murphy Group set up in London earlier, when founder John Murphy left school in Co. Kerry aged 15 and made his way in the 1930s to London.

He began as a subcontractor, seized his opportunities in building the wartime’s air fields, and at his death in 2009 left behind a construction empire worth £275million (€350million).

In his 90s, he would still breakfast with his workers - whom he hired mainly from Ireland - and tour building sites in person, dispensing tips.

For The Sisk Group, which now employs over 2,000 people and has operations across Europe and the Middle East, the downturn marked the beginning in earnest of its British operations.

“It was latter part of the 2000s when we really staked a claim in the UK – pretty much tied with the downturn and nonexistence of the Irish market at that stage,” says John Hayden, construction manager from Sisk.

When you pass engineers boring Crossrail’s tunnels east from central London to Docklands, you will be passing the work Mr Hayden is overseeing.

And it is only one of a handful of impressive construction projects across Britain being built this year

by Irish companies.

VISITOR: Prime Minister David Cameron visits the Crossrail worksite at Farringdon

Crossrail A number of Irish firms have worked on Crossrail, says Crossrail’s Nicholas Mann.

“On this contract, we had close to 1,100 people working - work going on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, three shifts a day,” says Hayden.

This involved, on the one hand, some spectacularly large machinery - four large tunnel boring machines, and cannons for spraying concrete lining in places where the two lines meet.

It also involved, on the other side, manual work and slightly oldfashioned mining skills.

Linking the two large tunnels, with cross passages for ventilation and emergency evacuation, was done largely by hand, with spades.

“Donegal is the home of miners certainly a very large number of ours hailed from Donegal,” says Hayden.

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“It’s just one of those traits of history,” he adds. “There are a large number of guys in the mining industry worldwide from there.”

Hayden’s tunnels, east towards Docklands, came across the foundations of an old manor house in Stepney.

“It’s hard to imagine that was in the country,” he says.

And whilst under much of the city lies London clay - easier to dig through, say, than the bedrock underneath Dublin - once you hit obstructions, you might need to

On Crossrail, we had close to 1,100 people working - work going on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, three shifts a day

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BUILDING UP: Clockwise: Murphy construction in action, Murphy Planning Manager Claire Nichols and the Twemlow Viaduct

come out into awkward neighbouring layers.

“Questions of gravels, problematic water bearing strata,” says Hayden.

With the digging now complete, the next stages involve track laying, providing overheard power, signaling and communications, and then quite a bit of testing of trains.

The first operational trains will run in December 2018, he says.

For all the large modern scale of the work, even today a good bit of the labour was sourced through networks which might seem to belong to a past generation.

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John McNulty, from Donegal and himself a former tunnel specialist, runs a Cricklewood pub called Lucky 7.

If you found yourself in his pub and in need of work, you might very well soon find yourself helping to build Crossrail.

Twemlow Viaduct Cheshire’s Twemlow Viaduct is majestic enough, built in 1841 with its 23 arches, each a span of 18 metres.

This year it was in need of a facelift.

No fewer than 68,000 bricks needed replacing. Its walls were

waterstained. The 520-metre listed structure had no functioning drainage.

Adding to the excitement, Network Rail directed that the engineers would have precisely 11 days to carry out this work on the viaduct - which forms a portion of the Crewe to Manchester railway line.

The work took place in February this year.

Network Rail tasked Murphy with this project.

It required ‘ultimate efficiency’, said Claire Nichols, the company’s planning manager for rail.

Murphy’s engineers had to lay

six to eight concrete slabs every hour. As well as repairing cracks in the brickwork, using crack-stitching, re-casing, and pointing works.

And removing and replacing the railway track.

All whilst working through the night. You’d not expect this would endear Murphy to the neighbours.

You’d be wrong. Murphy’s engineers, it would seem, have a certain charm.

“They’ve sent lads round with letters, explained when they’re working and when they’re not working,” Councillor Terry Price, Continued over

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Building Britain 2016

who lives nearby, told the local Knutsford Guardian.

And Cheshire now has a viaduct, all dusted off and waterproofed for the next 125 years, to “enhance the local area and provide a vital service”, says Murphy’s Ms Nichols.

Bridge over the River Avon An £11.5million project, the Bristol Post called the city’s new bridge built by The Sisk Group, linking the city to a new Bristol Arena - is a landmark in the making.

The city surely is known for its bridges. The Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the Avon Gorge, opened in 1864 following Brunel’s designs and is the postcard image of the city - as well as the site of

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the first modern bungee jump, in 1979, and the last ever Concorde flight, in 2003.

This bridge was named, on March 17, for William Brock, a Victorian builder of railway stations who lived at a site overlooking the new bridge.

Sisk’s construction of Brock’s Bridge was the first step in what is being touted as Britain’s largest regeneration project.

The £92.5million arena is planned to open in 2018, on a former diesel depot site by Temple Meads railway station. It seats 12,000.

Bristol was the last city in Britain to lack a venue of this size, said the city’s mayor, George Ferguson.

But the bridge itself is a beauty. Pipes and cables run

Cheshire now has a viaduct to enhance the local area and provide a vital service across its underside bringing both ultrafast broadband, but also green energy, from Temple Street to the new Bristol Temple-Quarter Enterprise Zone.

Farnworth Tunnel Britain’s biggest tunnel boring machine, if you didn’t know it, is called Fillie. The machine used to dig Crossrail is 7.1meters in diameter. The Thames Tideway ‘super sewer’ was dug by an 8m big

bore. The Channel Tunnel’s tunneling machine was a smidge larger, at 8.8m.

Fillie the Farnworth Tunnel boring machine is queen of them all, at 8.83. And weighing 293 tonnes.

The Victorians built the original Farnworth Tunnel, between 1835 and 1838. In 1880, a southbound ‘Down Tunnel’ was bored.

One of the largest roads in Greater Manchester, the A666 linking the M61 to Bolton, runs as little as two metres above it.

Murphy was tasked with reconstructing the 270 metre long tunnel, to electrify it, with one extra challenge: the tunnel was going to remain open for passenger services through the works.

A half a million tonnes of

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material had to be cleared away from the tunnel.

And just for that little bit of extra drama, when they began, the up-tunnel turned out not strong enough to rebore.

“Exciting” is how project manager Mick Boyle summed it up.

So Murphy had to strengthen it first, by spraying a 7,500 cubic metres of foam concrete to line the tunnel. ‘Shotcrete’ it’s called.

As Fillie bored forward, an erector arm in her rear tail-skin laid concrete rings - 2,000 of them.

This process drove Fillie forward.

LAs each ring was completed, the entire machine was jacked forward against the previous set of rings.

When Fillie broke through to the daylight on a sunny Sunday, it was

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Building Britain 2016

very literally the light at the end of the tunnel.

Rebuilding Farnworth Tunnel was the key bit in Network Rail’s schemes to lay electrified railway between Manchester and Preston.

The rail authority is investing over £1billion to improve rail services in the north of England - electrifying key routes, creating new rail links, and improving stations.

“We just received a highly commended at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors award,” says Murphy’s Delyth Bowen, about her company and this project.

Hooking up Scotland and North Wales Scotland has wind. And 5328

megawatts of capacity in its wind farms.

And England’s energy supply, for the first time, dips into the red next winter, according to Government projections.

The Western Link, a £1billion project, is meant to connect wind farms in North Ayrshire in Scotland with Flintshire, and the National Grid in England and Wales.

It should all come online this year.

“We are busy with building the on-shore terminals,” says Sisk’s John Hayden.

Electricity is transmitted under the water by direct current cables.

So there are new converter stations, on land formerly part of Shotton Steelworks in Wales, and

Goldenberry Hill in Scotland.

The Scottish digging turned up a Bronze Age foundry, fragments of stone tools, and a piece of shale bracelet.

And other projects too…

As Crossrail, in its heavy digging stages, winds down after five years, HS2 beckons.

“We’ve pre-qualified with partners to tender for one of the projects there, so that’s likely to be going out to tender at the end of this month or June,” says Hayden.

Sisk is also busy with roadworks across England — from Kent in the south to Tyneside in the north.

One major project this year Continued over

TUNNEL VISION: Fillie, weighing in at 293 tonnes, at work at Farnworth

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IN GOOD COMPANY: Irish firms are taking the lead on some of the biggest projects across Britain this year

involved replacing a congested stretch of the A19 just south of Newcastle with a new interchange, involving three levels of dual carriageways.

With construction in Britain continuing to keep Irish firms busy with work, there are growing signs projects back home will pick up, too.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny, returned to power after 10 weeks of post-election wrangling, has promised an action plan for housing within the Government’s first hundred days.

Mr Kenny has said the need for new construction “is so great that

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Fillie the Farnworth Tunnel boring machine is queen of them all, at 8.83. And weighing 293 tonnes more Government intervention is required to kickstart housebuilding.”

It sounds as though after a fallow period dating back to the 2008 financial crisis, Ireland’s construction firms may have soon more than enough to keep them busy. On both sides of the Irish Sea. n

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SURPRISE! A guest gets an unexpected hug

The rub of the green Out and About What: O’Donovan Waste Disposal recycling facility launch Where: Alperton, West London Who: London construction and demolition waste management company, O’Donovan Waste Disposal has unveiled its new materials recycling facility in Alperton, West London.

Opened by Dan Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain, the new facility represents a £15million investment for O’Donovan that doubles the company’s waste processing capacity and importantly provides it with a further foothold in West

London – minimising the miles collection vehicles are travelling across the capital.

Located close to Hangar Lane - just off the A40, the site will receive and process a myriad of construction and demolition waste generated across London.

With an enclosed processing facility, all waste is segregated and baled on site while aggregates are processed at the Tottenham plant.

The new facility has created 50 jobs for the local area and the company is currently recruiting drivers to join its team at either Alperton or Tottenham. n To find out more, visit www.odonovan.co.uk

This is an important step in our development and enables us to meet the needs of our customers, who are not only focused on diverting waste from landfill, but also achieving wider sustainable goals.

Being able to demonstrate how we can reduce the miles waste travels and the associated carbon impact is as important as landfill diversion targets.

Jacqueline O’Donovan, O’Donovan Managing Director

A FAMILY COMPANY: Michael O’Donovan and Jacqueline O’Donovan are interviewed for Irish TV

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LAUNCH DAY: A great event was enjoyed by over a hundred guests

SPECIAL GUEST: The O’Donovan family with Ambassador Dan Mulhall

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Building Britain 2016

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Building Britain 2016

Reaching for t MAL ROGERS scales the heights of London with Cormac MacCrann, Managing Director of Canary Wharf Contractors Ltd and Chairman of The Lighthouse Club charity

“T

HE Walkie Talkie? We’re cool with the Carbuncle award for it,” says Dublin man Cormac MacCrann.

The Managing Director of Canary Wharf Contractors Ltd is talking about 20 Fenchurch Street, a commercial skyscraper for which his company was the main contractor.

Designed by his good friend Rafael Viñoly and costing over £200million, MacCrann oversaw every part of its development. As regards the controversy it has caused culminating in the Carbuncle Cup bestowed by the architectural magazine Building Design as Britain’s ugliest building MacCrann is good-humouredly unrepentant.

His only regret is that it wasn’t built higher.

“We’re in good company with the Walkie Talkie. The hero shot of London’s skyline is Norman Foster’s Gherkin - a former Carbuncle award winner,” he says.

Further, MacCrann reckons that any significant building must have form, functionality, legacy and context. The Wallkie Talkie has all that, and in spades, in his opinion.

“I’m very proud of what my team achieved at the Walkie Talkie, and business-wise it’s very popular; a huge success financially. As for the Sky Garden at the top - I love it. It’s one of the top 100 tourist attractions in London.”

Our more eagle-eyed readers will have twigged that the Walkie Talkie isn’t in Canary Wharf at all, but in the City of London. That’s because Canary Wharf Contractors Ltd are expanding - the Shell Centre Redevelopment on the South Bank in London is another of their projects, this time in conjunction with Qatari Diar.

Many other projects are in the pipeline - today, Cormac MacCrann’s main role as Managing Director of the company is project management.

But it is Canary Wharf that is MacCrann’s first love: “Looking back, if you wanted an ideal project you would single out Canary Wharf. It was a blank canvas ready to rise from basically what was waste ground.”

And rise it did.

Rivalling London’s traditional financial centre, The Square Mile, Canary Wharf contains Britain’s three tallest buildings: One Canada Square, 8 Canada MAIN MAN: Cormac MacCrann

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Square and the Citigroup Centre.

“My first tall building was the Citigroup tower and I always remember the day I was told by my CEO that he was giving me the project. That was special, alright. But you’re only as good as your last project, and all buildings have their unique challenges. But tall buildings are my speciality.”

It was a somewhat winding road to the skyscrapers of London for MacCrann.

Born and raised in Dublin, he was steeped in Irish culture from an early age.

Cormac MacCrann on…

THE EU Canary Wharf happened and continues to evolve because of globalisation, and Europe, dysfunctional as some of its institutions are, has been a huge part of that. Has to be in, and I’m pretty sure that’s what will happen in the referendum.

SUCCESS IN BUSINESS I think there are a number of attributes that anyone who has reached a senior management position has to have, perseverance would be top of the list, a positive attitude comes next, sense of humour is hugely important.

THE IRISH IN CONSTRUCTION The concrete part of the industry is still very much run by the Irish, although much of the labour which would previously have been from Ireland comes from Eastern Europe and India. The Irish tend to be more involved on the management side, although that ebbs and flows depending on how well the Celtic Tiger is faring. So I suppose it has changed in that respect. We are also seeing a strong representation from Irish Mechanical and Electrical engineering contractors and then, of course, you have to big guns such as Laing O’Rourke who remain very influential in both the industry and the Irish community.

“I’ve still got the Dublin accent when I want to turn it on,” he says. “I went to an as Gaeilge school so we were totally immersed in the ceol and the culture. I played the uilleann pipes and the tin whistle. My claim to fame was that Davy Spillane was in my music class - but he overtook his teacher very quickly!”

After college, in 1982 Cormac MacCrann left Ireland bound for Iran, just as the Iranis were gearing up for a vicious war with Iraq. The young quantity surveyor was bound for a Dutch construction site in the coastal town of Bandar

Abbass. The constant worry was that the construction site could easily become collateral damage in the war; from construction to destruction seemed a very easy step.

The site survived, but it was, nonetheless a formative experience for the young MacCrann.

It was during his spell on the war-torn shores of the Persian Gulf when he realised he had a real flair for construction - of all sorts. After a further spell in the Middle East, followed by various stints for British businesses, MacCrann joined Canary Wharf Contractors in 1989.

Today, after 27 years, he is the company’s Managing Director, with responsibility for project management and construction of Canary Wharf’s projects both on and off the Canary Wharf estate Needless to say, this is not a stress-free job.

“There have been too many nail-biting incidents to mention,” he says with a smile. “It’s our job to deal with the twists and turns.

“My first concern when I visit any of our sites is safety, and as a result of the culture we’ve built up - particularly over the last 15 years - our sites are industry exemplar. So if I bit my nails, which I don’t, it would be over someone getting hurt.”

Which brings us to one of MacCrann’s roles outside his 9-5 job (although you suspect it’s seldom 9-5).

He is chairman of The Lighthouse Club, a charity which offers aid and assistance to construction workers who have suffered accident or illness.

The organisation also provides initiatives aimed at avoiding accidents and improving safety on construction sites.

MacCrann speaks passionately about the charity: “It has the potential to be far more significant than it is right now, and the board’s brief is to grow the charity to reach the parts of the industry it hasn’t done so far. We really need the charity to punch at its weight, and it’s hard to believe that in an industry which employs three million people, we only give direct help to 300 a year.

“There must be a large number of needy people either in or ex the industry who we haven’t been able to reach, and our objective is to reach more and more of them.”

The construction industry has changed out of all recognition over the last few decades, and it is due to people like Cormac MacCrann - imaginative, resourceful, hard-working, but above all compassionate and caring for the people on the ground…as well those several hundreds of feet above it.

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Building Britain 2016

r the sky

How to sign up for Lighthouse Day: n Register at www.lighthouseclub.org n You will then receive a fundraising pack full of ideas and information n Choose a day that suits you for your fundraising activities n Tell everyone about it and let the fundraising begin!

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Lighthouse Club charity marks 60 years with One Day campaign ONE evening in 1956 a group of men who had attended a Ministry of Public Buildings and Works Exhibition on Tyneside found themselves on the seafront at Whitley Bay. Under the light of St Mary’s Lighthouse they vowed to extend the goodwill they encountered at the show by forming a club to offer aid to construction workers who had suffered an accident or illness.

And with that The Lighthouse Club was born.

With humble beginnings of distributing Christmas hampers to those in need, the charity has now given over £15million to more than 14,500 construction workers and their families.

This year the charity celebrates its 60th anniversary and to mark the occasion has launched a nationwide campaign - One Day…to help our own.

“If we can reach the 360,000 companies in construction and just one per cent register for a National Lighthouse Day, and raise just £500 each, then we could see the charity raise £1.5m,” said Lighthouse Club CEO Bill Hill.

“Health and Safety statistics reflect an industry that is incredibly dangerous. Every year there are over 40 fatalities, over 2,000 major accidents that incapacitate the worker in such a way they cannot return to work and over 69,000 cases of work related illness.”

He added: “Furthermore, over 45 per cent of all occupational cancer cases in the UK are directly related to working in construction and over 1.7million man days are lost through injury or illness.

“We want to make our 60th year a definitive one in our ongoing evolution.”

The Lighthouse Club is challenging everyone in the construction industry to register for Lighthouse Day and raise money whether through sponsored walks, tough mudder events or bike rides.

As well as helping those who have been affected by illness, injury or bereavement and promoting health initiatives on-site, the charity supports education and training initiatives such as Building Lives and helps get unemployed and socially disadvantaged labourers back to work.

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, The Lighthouse Club is hosting a number of events and challenges this year.

The highlight is the Summer Ball on July 9 at the Honourable Artillery Company in London. Guests will enjoy a champagne reception, gourmet food, live entertainment and a fun fair. Tickets on sale now.

The charity also holds a number of golf days with the British and Irish Trade Alliance Masters next on the calendar on July 1 at the London Golf Club. n Book your place at www.lighthouseclub.org/events or call 0845 609 1956 for more information.

CEO:Bill Hill

The Irish Post is the official media partner to The Lighthouse Club construction industry charity in its 60th anniversary year page 18-19.indd 19

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ALL THE WORL

SIOBHÁN BREATNACH discovers the his that’s promising to bring the magnetism

T

HE STAGE has been set for a new development project that will transform the site of a Shakespearean theatre into one of London’s most unique places to live - all with a touch of New York style.

Construction began in April on The Stage in Shoreditch – a project being led by Galliard Homes, in partnership with Cain Hoy, McCourt, Vanke and The Estate Office Shoreditch.

The £750million transformation is taking place on the site of William Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre, where Romeo & Juliet and Henry V were first performed.

Located off Curtain Road in the heart of Shoreditch, architects Perkins + Will have joined forces with Argent Design to create a Manhattan vibe in the capital.

“The regeneration of this Shakespearean site will elevate the status of Shoreditch to that of the über-cool Meatpacking district in downtown New York City,” said David Galman, Sales Director of Galliard Homes.

“There are lots of links with Manhattan, the Brooklyn-based Mast Brothers have opened London’s first bean-to-bar chocolate factory a stone’s throw from The Stage.

“The Gansevoort Hotel Group, responsible for the celebrated Meatpacking and Park Avenue hotels,

are delivering a brand new establishmen Curtain Road, whilst Chef Nobu Matsuhis to open a hotel and restaurant on Willow The Stage is being designed around a public square that will showcase the sun remains of Shakespeare’s Tudor theatre The square, one of the largest to be c in the capital, will be bordered by cafes, restaurants and shops with four building The Stage’s 37-storey residential towe provide 412 apartments and penthouses as two office buildings. There will also be performing arts pavilion - complete with existing 19th century railway viaduct loca one side of the new square.

The viaduct’s historic brick arches wi restored and will house shops and bars.

“The Stage will provide a world class n destination for London,” said Stephen Co Chief Executive of Galliard Homes.

The historic remains of the Elizabethan Curtain Theatre, dating back to 1577, wer discovered three metres below the surfac the development and objects found durin

History in

STANDING TALL: How The Stage will look when completed, inset an artist’s impression of one of the apartment bedrooms

page 20-21.indd 20

LONDON’S oldest Shakespe playhouse, the Curtain Thea opened in 1577 and was hom Shakespeare’s Theatre Com It is believed to be where S plays Romeo and Juliet and first performed and where B Every Man in His Humour wa with ha espeare hims een li a eth wo ld

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Building Britain 2016

RLD’S A STAGE

the history behind an exciting new development netism of Manhattan to London’s Shoreditch

establishment on Nobu Matsuhisa is set rant on Willow Street.” gned around a new owcase the sunken Tudor theatre. argest to be created ered by cafes, h four buildings. esidential tower will nd penthouses as well ere will also be a complete with an ay viaduct located on e. rick arches will be hops and bars. a world class new aid Stephen Conway, Homes. the Elizabethan ck to 1577, were elow the surface of cts found during the

dig are now being preserved to form a centerpiece within the development.

Under current plans there will be a heritage centre where visitors can walk on a glass platform just above the theatre remains, view objects from the dig and watch scenes from Shakespeare plays from a 200-seat sunken amphitheatre.

The Stage’s residential tower, rising 413ft, will feature 412 studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments as well as four-bedroom duplex penthouses.

Jonathan Goldstein, Cain Hoy Enterprises CEO, said: “The development is adjacent to the new Amazon Headquarters which is set to accommodate up to 5,000 employees, and the location is on the doorstep of three major economic hubs, The City of London, the Old Street Tech City Enterprise Zone and Hoxton.”

Inside, Argent Design have been inspired by the vibrant unpolished street-scene charm and café culture style of Shoreditch, with West End and Manhattan style finishes creating a refined and fashionable look.

All apartments, with prices starting from

£695,000, will have floor to ceiling windows and natural oak flooring with the living areas opening onto private balconies.

The open plan kitchens will feature textured tabacco wood and matt grey units, quartz stone worktops and Miele appliances.

The bedrooms have deep and cosy wool mix carpets, floor to ceiling fitted wardrobes and mood lighting, while bathroom features include large walk-in showers, stained oak vanity units and heated towel rails.

The Stage will also come with a range of lifestyle benefits, including 24 hour concierge service, a business centre and a private 20 seat screening room, while residents will get complimentary three year fitness club membership.

Situated adjacent, within the Hewett building, will be a luxurious health club - the perfect spot to indulge in a cardio workout or one-to-one training.

Or for those who prefer a more relaxed pace, there will be a juice bar and spa inspired by the famous Cistern Basilica in Istanbul to include treatments, steam rooms and saunas.

Galliard Home’s David Galman added: “The Stage will turn Shoreditch into the new Notting Hill - a highly desirable neighbourhood to live, enjoy leisure and work.” n The Stage sales and marketing suite, located in the Victorian viaduct arches, is open now and features a dressed studio and one bedroom apartment, reception and lounge areas. It also showcases a collection of pop art by famous Shoreditch street artist D-Face, whose work is popular with celebrities including Christina Aguilera and Beyonce. The suite is open daily from 10am to 5pm at The Viaduct, Fairchild Place, Shoreditch EC2A 3EN. Buyers wanting to register an interest should call +44 (0)20 3770 2154 or visit www.thestageshoreditch.com

ry in the making…

est Shakespearean Curtain Theatre was 7 and was home to William Theatre Company. to be where Shakespeare’s nd Juliet and Henry V were d and where Ben Jonson’s is Humour was performed in kespeare himself in the cast. beth I would on occasion

page 20-21.indd 21

visit the theatre and after her death in 1603 the new King, James I, became the theatre’s Royal patron.

In 1622 the theatre closed because of an economic downturn and almost 400 years later in 2011 excavators from the Museum of London Archaeology rediscovered the remains of the theatre buried beneath a disused Victorian goods yard.

Now the remains of the theatre will be

preserved and form part of The Stage.

The new centre at The Stage is the most important Shakespeare heritage project in Britain for almost 20 years.

Previous Shakespeare heritage projects have included the Globe Theatre reconstruction in 1997, the restoration of Shakespeare’s birthplace house in 18571864 and the opening of the Shakespeare centre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1964.

The Stage in numbers n The Stage is a £750million project.

Construction began in April with building scheduled for completion in early 2019 n It is being built on a 2.3acre site that was home to William Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre, which dates back to 1577 and is where Romeo & Juliet and Henry V were first performed n The Stage is a 37 storey residential tower n It houses 412 apartments and penthouses ranging from 416sqft to 2,434sqft in size n The tower is 413ft (126m) in height n The Stage is being designed around a new 1.28acre public square that will showcase the sunken remains of Shakespeare’s Tudor theatre n It will be bordered by 400,000 sqft of space including cafes, restaurants and shops n A drinks terrace and The Sky Bar are on level 32, located over 320ft above ground with views of the city n To date over 1,000 people have officially registered an interest in buying an apartment at The Stage

19/05/2016 16:23

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Building Britain 2016

BREXIT

Building trade walls

British and Irish construction companies fear a vote to leave, reports PĂ DRAIG BELTON page 24-28.indd 24

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C

unskilled roles, an end to free ONSTRUCTION movement between Britain and companies based both in the remainder of the EU will Ireland and Britain are encourage non-British skilled fretting about what labour to move to Brexit might do to build France, Germany, or an economic wall Spain — where free between Britain movement would and what remains remain intact. of the European Given the Union, after the sector currently vote on June experiences a 23. critical shortage Jacqueline of drivers, O’Donovan, non-British drivers right, who in Jacqueline moving back to March won Britain’s O’Donovan their countries of Outstanding Woman origin would worsen in Construction award, things, says O’Donovan. says that if Britain leaves the And construction companies European Union, “there will be a fear an exit from the world’s huge amount of uncertainty largest trading union would within the construction sector as reduce investment in their we try to figure out what the businesses. decision means for our industry.”

Faced with less Businesses in building are investment, businesses concerned particularly about the would then scrimp on supply of labour and investment, technology and training. in a British exit.

“There is also worry that the Construction labour and exit will see Brexit firms slashing their prices For a construction industry in the and cutting midst of a skills shortage which corners as the relies heavily upon migrant work reduces labourers for both skilled and Brian Hayes MEP

Building Britain 2016

and companies are fighting to get any work that is available,” adds O’Donovan.

“A lack of investment will also be evident in the housing market, which will have a detrimental effect on house prices and the construction sector by default,” she says.

London building pushed back during uncertainty In terms of construction, John McGrane, director general of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, says the morning after Brexit would see sterling fall, and inflation, interest rates and costs all rise in Britain.

“London property transactions are already being pushed out pending removal of uncertainty,” he says.

“This will be worse after a Leave vote and protracted uncertainty.

A less flexible labour supply would impact key skills and costs.

And capital, for its part, would become more risk averse.

25

There will be a huge amount of uncertainty within the construction sector as we try to figure out what the decision means for our industry “Big occupiers in The City will move to Dublin and Frankfurt”, which will feed building in Ireland, but be to the detriment of construction companies based in London.

Construction standards would be in change, together with health and safety regulations. Though these may be to the benefit of construction companies, they may not, adds Mr McGrane.

Uncertainty for business in a prolonged exit negotiation Former Irish finance minister and current MEP Brian Hayes says for Irish companies active in the British market, the prolonged uncertainty following a vote to leave would pose problems for Irish businesses which are still in recovery after “a very difficult crash” in 2008.

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Building Britain 2016

Under the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam, any country which votes to leave the European Union has two years to negotiate its trade dealings with the EU after.

“No one believes the British could conclude the deal within two years,” says Brian Hayes.

“Effectively, it would mean that thing would drag on, six or seven years,” he adds, and “in that scenario we are very badly affected by an ongoing negotiation.”

Ireland would need two new deals, one with Britain and one with the EU about access to the British market.

And Dublin has “very few levers, quite frankly” he adds.

France giving Britain a kicking - and Ireland getting kicked Dan O’Brien, chief economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs and former economics editor of the Irish Times, observes “a lot of people say we’ll work something out, there’ll be a deal - Ireland and Britain cannot do a trade deal. That is prohibited as long as Ireland remains within the EU.” The trading context for Irish companies in Britain after a British withdrawal will be negotiated between London and Brussels.

“And Ireland will be at the table, but as one of 27 remaining member states,” says O’Brien. “And we’re not the key player there,” he adds.

Here, France will be a key opponent of continued close trade ties between Britain and the remainder of the European Union.

One reason is French protectionism. “When there’s an opportunity to increase barriers to trade, there is a instinct to do so within French political life,” observes O’Brien.

A second is that if Britain were to be given the best of both worlds, Eurosceptic nations such as Poland and Sweden may follow.

The possible death of the Common Travel Agreement Together with trade policy, there is also the question of what under Brexit becomes the Common Travel Agreement, which currently permits free movement between Britain and Ireland for citizens of both

page 24-28.indd 26

A lot of people say we’ll work something out, there’ll be a deal - Ireland and Britain cannot do a trade deal countries. (This agreement also includes the Isle of Man and Channel Islands.)

Included in this movement is a great amount of business travel across the land border.

Though security checkpoints were removed in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement between 1999 and 2005, customs checkpoints came down on January 1, 1993, when both countries joined the Common Market.

The Common Travel Agreement similarly includes frequent commuters who spend their weekends in Ireland, and working weeks in Britain. The London Irish Construction Network began in 2009 with a group of commuters of this nature in the building trade.

Though Britain and Ireland have a web of national and bilateral immigration agreements which precede the entry of either country into the EU - such as Britain’s Ireland Act 1949, which states ‘the Republic of Ireland is not a foreign country for the purposes of any law in force in any part of the United Kingdom’ - after Brexit, the decision no longer remains uniquely in Dublin’s hands of how that portion of the EU’s external borders is to be policed.

With the border between North and South then an external EU border, other member states gain a say in how it is to be policed.

“If Britain departs from the EU and does not get a good deal in terms of single market access, there is a possibility that we’re oblige to police the external EU border,” says Mr O’Brien.

And even if it is not Dublin’s Dan O’Brien wish.

Éirexit The day after a British vote for Brexit, the question will inevitably be posed whether Ireland - which entered the European Economic Community in 1973, when Britain joined - should leave as well. Or, alternatively, whether Irish interests are still better served by remaining in the EU and Eurozone.

“If we only joined in 1973 when the British chose to join, given they left, should we not leave with them,” as Hayes puts it.

“I’m convinced the arguments are for us to remain in the EU and the Eurozone,” he says, “but it’s inevitable that question will be put, and we will need to answer why we need to remain inside, and the benefits that will remain.”

A period of nail-biting It is the uncertainty surrounding the possibility of a leave vote - and after such a vote, unpredictability over what relationship between Britain and the EU, including Ireland, will replace it, which hangs over the construction sector in both countries.

If against the machinations of the French, Ireland is able to retain favourable access to the British market, Brexit could indeed work to the benefit of Irish construction business, which along with continued access to projects within Britain, would also have new offices to build in Dublin, for banks and multinational companies wishing to retain an English-speaking base within the European Union.

It is the anxiety of knowing - and its effect both on investment, and on projects moving forward - which for now, hangs over the building trade.

For all this, Paddy Power has put the odds for Brexit as unlikely, at 2/9 against.

So Irish and British building companies may not need to get started building trade walls quite yet. n

19/05/2016 14:45

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Building Britain 2016

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Building Britain 2016

29

A good year to build RICHARD THRELFALL, KPMG’s Head of Infrastructure, Building and Construction, is positive about the outlook for the construction industry in 2016 and believes all businesses in the sector should continue to invest The most significant additions to the Government pipeline have been seen in the transport, education and energy sectors. £32bn of the increase can be attributed to the additional funding for HS2 Phase 2, consistent with the 2015 Spending Review, and an additional £15bn has been assigned to the upgrading and construction of school facilities as a part of the Government’s Investing in Britain’s Future programme.

A further £10bn is further anticipated spend on the nuclear decommissioning programme.

If we look at the pipeline geographically, projects that benefit the whole of Britain including HS2 - represent the largest share at £63bn, with the second highest spend in the South at £22.8bn, closely followed by the North at £20.7bn.

VOICE OF EXPERIENCE: Richard Threlfall These figures show a great spread of opportunities for construction firms based in every corner of Britain.

Such a healthy pipeline means that construction demand will remain high for many years and it is now up to businesses to invest in their own capacity and capability to take full advantage of such a strong market.

The biggest drag on output remains the shortage of skilled labour and I believe the industry should start to address that itself, rather than wait to be forced by the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.

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HIS has been a good year for the construction industry so far and I am confident it will remain so.

Order books have swelled and optimism among industry leaders remains high.

We have seen businesses across the sector refocus, stability has largely returned, notwithstanding one or two high profile restructurings still underway, and investment is now very much back on the table.

After a slow start at the turn of the year, the housing market has become encouragingly buoyant, with a number of major projects underway across Britain.

The development of the area around the Curzon HS2 Terminal in Birmingham is a great example of this, with 4,000 new homes and 600,000m.sq of new

business space in the pipeline.

London development remains very hot, with new office starts at a 20 year record high in the six months to March. Normally one would worry that that this rate of expansion of supply is unsustainable, but housing demand in London remains the number one political issue in the capital and prices are continuing to rise.

The civils market is being strongly driven by government investment, particularly the Highways England Road Investment Strategy and spend on rail.

KPMG’s latest report on the subject, The UK Government Construction Pipeline, revealed a £62.6billion jump in the value of the British Government construction pipeline since August 2015. This represents a substantial increase from £119bn to £181bn.

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Building Britain 2016

What lies beneath NEMESHA BALASUNDARAM discovers the City of London’s hidden history

W

ITH its tall skyscrapers and iconic architecture, it’s easy to forget the rich history that lies beneath London’s cityscape.

As the life cycle of the city’s buildings continues, with hundreds being torn down and erected each year, there’s scope to discover the hidden gems of London’s past.

Helping to uncover London’s ancient history are three Irishmen working just a stone’s throw away from The Irish Post’s office in the east of the city, in Aldgate.

Stephen McLeod, Fergal Nevin and Jeremiah O’Connor are among the

30-strong team from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), helping to unearth remnants of a Roman ruin on Fenchurch Street.

Kerry native, McLeod – who lives in Queensway, west London, has been working on the site since the team arrived in January.

“I never thought I’d see myself in London to be honest, I was kind of terrified when I arrived first but it’s grown on me,” he says.

“The projects themselves tie in to the large amount of construction that’s going on in central London at the moment, so the archaeological potential is huge, and the

archaeology that you encounter here is second to none.

“A lot of the material is once in a lifetime to work on.”

The archaeological team have just completed the second of a two-phase dig, which means that demolition crews – led by site manager Mike Weller - can now begin to tear down the remainder of the site.

Until January, four of five small buildings stood in the spot, which dates back to Roman London, according to the archaeologists.

McLeod adds that investigating the Continued over

DIGGING DEEP: Stephen McLeod, Jeremiah O’Connor and Fergal Nevin Pictures by Malcolm McNally

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biological footprints left behind from past societies is meticulous work.

“We’d start off trying to identify any archaeological features that are present on the ground; once they’re identified they’ll be a series of excavation work,” he says.

“A big part of the whole project is taking a written record of the archaeology. We’re trying to find out more about the material culture of the societies that we’re investigating.”

In the 13 weeks that the team – under MOLA Project Officer, Lesley Dunwoodie – have been conducting their investigative work, they’ve uncovered Roman timber frame buildings that are estimated to date back to first century AD. “The bulk of the archaeology on site is of Roman date, but we have found medieval remains as well. In places, they have truncated the earlier Roman deposits,” she says.

“With the buildings we’ve found, we think some of the buildings had commercial or industrial function, but dating is hard to pinpoint until we get the information back from the specialists.”

Once the items are found they are sent to an archive where they are studied. The idea is that they will be open to the public to view on request in the future, with some high value items possibly being displayed in museums.

Jeremiah O’Connor, from Cork, made an interesting discovery on his first day on the site.

“In one day of working here I had a bag of Roman pottery, and I was thinking ‘you just put it in a bag?’ It’s really exciting; it’s thick with archaeology,” the 33-year-old says.

Based in Lewisham, southwest London,

page 30-31.indd 31

Building Britain 2016

31

Park, north London, having previously spent four years working in the south of France.

The 30-year-old only arrived in London last November, where work is “more stable” and his brother and sister reside here.

He shares a similar view that there’s no draw to return to Ireland, where there is little prospect for archaeologists.

“When I first finished my studies in 2011 I O’Connor has lived in the English capital for was hoping to get employment in Ireland, but almost nine years. because of the recession… archaeology took a He studied archaeology in Ireland, but found massive hit and there was little employment,” the landscape challenging. he says.

“I was only an archaeologist in Ireland for “In London, if you work hard you get a year before I left, and it was just a rewarded.” whole year of digs with no finds,” he Despite the uncertainty of contract said. work and the need to be “It’s always different, it’s a “geographically flexible”, Mr Nevin has puzzle. Some days you’re moving a real passion for his job. small amounts of mud around then He may not have made any major others you’re there with shovels discoveries in his months working in digging out ditches, and it’s nice Aldgate, but his stint in France to be able to work outside.” proved successful.

O’Connor – who acts in his “Generally what we’re dealing spare time and has with is the rubbish of the past, appeared on BBC’s Call it’s rare to find objects of value, The Midwife – believes, that would be valuable in like the other Irish modern day society,” he said. archaeologists on site, “The most interesting that they’re future is thing I’ve found is in the here in London, not south of France on a Ireland.

Neolithic site, which could Galway man, date 4000 years BC, I HISTORY BUFF: Leslie Fergal Nevin, found four stone little Dunwoodie, project lives in axes, used for ritualistic officer, Museum of Finsbury purposes.”

London Archaeology Archaeologists

The projects themselves tie in to the large amount of construction that’s going on in central London at the moment, so the archaeological potential is huge

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Building Britain 2016

RAISING THE BAR SIOBHÁN BREATNACH meets Aaron Gaughan, part of a new generation of entrepreneurs taking a different approach to Irish construction in Britain

W

HEN it comes to business Aaron Gaughan believes there is no time like the

present.

As Managing Director of Gaughan Services, a building and property services company he founded when he was just 21 years old, the Belmullet man has paved his own unique path within the Irish construction industry.

Coming from a west of Ireland family who decided to seek out the opportunities Britain might afford them, his back story will ring true to many.

Aged just 11, he left Mayo with his parents, bound for London where his father would undertake work with a Galway firm in the English capital.

The move from Ballina for a young Aaron, an only child, was a difficult one – leaving friends and familiarity behind wasn’t easy for the soon-to-be teenager.

But he also credits it with giving him the strength of character and skills he’s needed to be successful in life – the ability to build new relationships and deal with the unknown.

“It was hard, it was at a hard age,” he admits. “I had all my friends established in Ireland and was gearing up for secondary school before the move. But my parents saw an opportunity in London. But it was enjoyable at the same time, I think the buzz of London is enjoyable. I took to it, even though it was hard.”

Having finished his GCSEs at St Ignatius’ Catholic college in Enfield, a teenage Gaughan hit the sites working with Galway firm Knight Build in Brentwood – the same firm as his father.

But before a full-time career in construction beckoned there was another challenge he wanted to conquer - running his own pub, which he did aged 19 at the Kelko Bar & Lounge in Crouch End, North London.

“The first thing was to get some experience,” he says of those early years working in construction.

“Then the bar was in my head.”

“It’s a strange one,” he jokes of the switch to hospitality – though

page 32-35.indd 32

perhaps it was not as far removed from his passion as one might first think.

“I refitted the bar all out,” he adds. “Because that was my main interest. I ran it for a year and then managed to sell it.”

Next on the agenda for the fearless twenty-something was setting up his own enterprise.

But rather than focusing on the more traditional Irish construction trades such as haulage, groundworks and concrete frames, he decided to make his mark in commercial and residential refurbishment and interiors.

“We’re a different aspect,” the Winchmore Hill man says. “I started by myself, doing small jobs, maintenance etc, where I got the opportunity and it grew from there.

“We started in the North London region, now it’s across the south east and in all parts of London, with lots of different clients. You start small but then the team grew and grew from there.”

Now with a full time staff of 45 based at the company’s headquarters in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, Gaughan is already looking at how to expand the business further to include more specialist divisions.

“We’ve got great opportunities,” he says. “We cover internal work and the commercial aspect but there are plans to set up a damp division. Damp is a huge problem in central London - basement flats, tenanted properties, no one would stand for it. We’re making things more specialist.”

Gaughan Services is looking forward to a busy summer – with a number of school projects and work on Charlton Athletic FC’s training grounds due to start.

“They are renewing the whole training ground, but we’re kicking off there in some of the older sections to freshen it up in the preseason and make the old HQ fresh and usable until the new stadium is ready.”

There’s also a £400,000 structural and internal alteration project at Heartlands High School

VISION: Aaron Gaughan is striving for high standards with his building and property services company in Haringey, which despite involving tight deadlines is something Gaughan is looking forward to.

“We only have a limited time to do it, we basically have the summer holidays,” he says. “You know your back is against the wall.

You’ve got six weeks and you’ve got to squeeze 10 weeks’ work into it…but it’s an achievement when we get it done. And we have been able to get it done.”

Other clients and projects include Foxtons Estates Agents and Fitness First gyms as well as large-scale internal refurbishments in some of London’s most desirable postcodes.

“It’s always very, very busy,” says the 26-year-old.

“The main company work is residential and commercial works, and there’s a lot of high end refurbishment works, that’s our day to day.

“We use a lot of direct trades, because we do a mixture of internal refurbishments. We know we’re always going to need electricians, plumbers, carpenters,

tilers. We then use some specialist contractors in some specialist works. The things that have stood out are the awe-inspiring areas of central London, where there are real valuable projects that are a bit more bespoke,” he adds.

With a keen eye for detail and a high quality finish, Gaughan - a two-time finalist in the Landlord & Letting Supplier Awards - ensures those same high standards are adhered to by his team. Although finding those who can deliver that isn’t always easy.

“Finding decent tradesmen, you have all the normal challenges,” he says. “When you’re at a bigger stage, you’ve got to find the men, add good quality tradesmen. I like keeping standards high – and that’s why we’ve done well, as you can imagine in London - it has to be of a high standard.”

And on the subject of high standards, what does Aaron Gaughan feel his dad – himself a fellow construction man – thinks of his ventures to date?

“He’s proud. He’s working with me…but I suppose I’m the boss now,” he jokes.

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AWA R D S 2 0 1 6 Friday 25th November 2016 Showcasing the strength and depth of the Irish community In Britain “Europe’s largest and most iconic Ballroom” The Great Room, The Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London

Contact Sarah Murphy on 0044 (0) 208 900 4159 or sarah.murphy@irishpost.co.uk

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Irish Post THE

Building Britain 2016

35

Ireland’s leading security solutions provider - now in the UK

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Together We Achieve The Extraordinary r 7UDGHV /DERXU r 6DIHW\ &ULWLFDO 6WDƪ IRU 5DLO r 3URIHVVLRQDO 7HFKQLFDO 6WDƪ r 6HFXULW\ The Danny Sullivan Group is a dynamic building and civil engineering company providing skilled labour to both the public and private sector of the construction industry.

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22 Barretts Green Road, Park Royal, London NW10 7AE Tel: 020 8961 1900 Fax: 020 8961 1965

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Irish Post THE

Building Britain 2016

Trade in Chelsea w Out and About Pictures by Malcolm McNally What: British Irish Trade Alliance construction network lunch Where: Bluebird restaurant, Chelsea, London Who: BITA’s lunch was sponsored by Create Design, Ardent Tide, OCB Site Services and BKD Financial.

A cheque for £500 was also presented

by BITA to the Aisling Return to Ireland Project. John Glynn from the charity spoke of the work they do reaching out to Irish people who are vulnerable, isolated and alone and how Aisling provides supported holidays in Ireland for long-term emigrants.

Many of those at the lunch were moved by his words and an impromptu auction of nine Ardent Tide chocolate bars raised a further £750.

TABLE TALK: Julian Glasspole from Vehicle Weighing Solutions Ltd and Mark Weller from Toureen Group

GOOD CAUSES: Rhonda Dorrall is pictured with John Glynn from the Aisling Return to Ireland Project

LINE-OUT: BITA President Paul Whitnell is pictured third left with Gerard Reynolds, Peter Reynolds from Quinn Building Products and John Murray from ADI Supply

WORKING LUNCH: Johnny Walsh from Bohemian Holdings and Ches Moulton

SUPPORTERS: BITA President Paul Whitnell is pictured right with sponsors John Brennan from OCB Site Services, Dermot O’Grady from Ardent Tide, Pierre Saunal from Create Design and Brendan Dixon from BKD Financial

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MAKING CONNECTIONS: Dave Downey from City of Westminster and Colin Murphy from Murphy Surveys UK Ltd

NETWORKING: Lyndsey Gallagher from the Gallagher Group and Danni Jones from Mind Manoeuvres

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Irish Post THE

Building Britain 2016

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a with BITA On the menu Salmon with fennel & cucumber Confit lamb with byaldi, black olive & cous cous ALL FOR CHARITY: John Glynn from the Aisling Return to Ireland Project is pictured accepting a cheque for £500 from John-Paul Eaton from Level 123 Ltd and BITA President Paul Whitnell

ALL SMILES: Among those at Bluebird were Diane Birch and Laura Watkins from BITA

Salted caramel tart, cherry jam & sorbet CHEERS IN CHELSEA: Simon Burchnall from Oakley Bromont, interior design consultant Claudia Riga de Spinoza and Vince Dignam, Chair of BITA

TRADING IDEAS: Stephen Donoghue from Neva Consultants and Kate Broad from O’Rourke Contracting

CATCHING UP: Mary Daly from AIB and Stuart Mackenzie from GDC Group

INDUSTRY FOLK: Jim Moore from J Coffey Rail, Vince Dignam, Chair of BITA, Noel Byrne and Eamonn McGurk from Keyway Group

ENJOYING THE DAY: There was plenty of networking over lunch

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Irish Post THE

Building Britain 2016

Out of office with…

Seán Fitzpatrick Chairman, VGC Group Led by Cavan man Sean Fitzpatrick, VGC Group Ltd was listed in this year’s London Stock Exchange 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain report. Described

by British Chancellor George Osborne as one of the companies “leading the charge in rebuilding the economy”, VGC has bases in Glasgow, Manchester, Bridgwater, Newcastle, Essex, Heathrow and London and works across Britain’s rail and construction industries, with revenues estimated at between £50-75million.

DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL DAY I’ll have breakfast with my wife, then come into the office in Ruislip for meetings with our MD and various senior staff to discuss and agree business strategies. I play golf occasionally.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? Working on a successful business where all parts deliver efficiently, keeping people in satisfying continual employment and meeting our clients’ needs.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE GROWING UP? Nothing specific. I had various aspirations, from working on the dairy in Cavan to becoming a pilot.

FIRST JOB? Packing sausages in a factory while I was a student.

WHAT PERSON HAS INFLUENCED YOU MOST? My father was a great influence – he inculcated a work ethic in me from a very early age. Later on, I think the person who influenced me most was my first head teacher when I first qualified as a teacher (in maths and physics).

Maurice O’Riordan had a huge capacity to motivate. I really admired the way he always wanted things to improve: he was never content just to let things tick along, and always looked for what might be made better.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE AND WHAT ARE THE BEST AND WORST THINGS ABOUT THAT PLACE? I live in Hillingdon, West London.

It suits me – it’s close to the family, convenient for work, and not far from a golf course. I can

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also get to the coast to enjoy sailing on the Solent.

FAVOURITE PLACE IN IRELAND? Visiting family and friends back in Cavan, where I was born. I also enjoy touring around the west coast and the Wild Atlantic Way. FAVOURITE BUILDING? I visited Russia recently, and I loved seeing the czarist summer and winter palaces. I also really like the historic buildings in London, huge imposing edifices like the Royal Courts of Justice and Buckingham Palace.

WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY? I get very disappointed when I hear about people behaving in an unsafe manner, and taking unnecessary risks. Nothing is more important than having everyone able to go home safely at the end of the working day.

BEST LESSON LIFE HAS TAUGHT YOU? Never give up. If things don’t go right, don’t be disillusioned: see if you can approach them from a different angle. So often you can come up with a solution if you think something through. When I came into the construction and engineering business, I didn’t have engineering or accountancy qualifications, so I would look at every issue that came up and ask myself “what would a reasonable person do under these circumstances?” That’s been a very good rule, really, and if you behave reasonably to your clients and employees, they respect that.

IS IT OK TO LIE? It isn’t. It is always best to be

FAVOURITE FILM… The Quiet Man and Dr Zhivago. I also remember clearly the first time I saw The Jungle Book, I think it’s probably because of the music. Music has always been an important part of my life – I used to play the guitar and sing in a band. I still play but not very often.

SPORTS TEAM… I follow a lot of sports – I like Gaelic football, hurling, rugby and soccer. For a sports team I’d have to say London Irish.

GUILTY PLEASURES… I enjoy cars and dining out. I am very lucky to be able to play golf, although not a great deal, and I get a great pleasure from Pedham Place golf course in Kent. I also enjoy my continued involvement in running the facility, which was built by the VGC Group.

truthful. Say nothing rather than lie. If people cannot trust what you say, you lose all your integrity – I like to think that I can act on any answer someone gives me as truthful.

ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL? It used to be night-time, but as I get older I’m more of a morning person now.

WHAT’S BEEN THE BEST DECADE OF YOUR LIFE SO FAR AND WHY? I have enjoyed everything for its own reasons – and solving whatever problems have come up.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING IN YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I wouldn’t. I’ve enjoyed every part of it. I’ve had many experiences and a huge variety of jobs, and I’ve enjoyed them all at their own times for their own reasons. I’ve been very lucky with the success I’ve had in my life, so I try to give something back to the community.

I support London GAA and London Irish Rugby Club, and I’m a trustee of charities AP Taylor Trust and Harlington Hospice. I’m also chairman of the London St Patrick’s Festival Ball committee.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON TO TEXT YOU? Laurence McKidd, our Managing Director, sent me a progress update on the works we are doing on the Crossrail project.

WHO IS THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE? My wife, of course. My four daughters and my grandchildren.

BIGGEST GOAL FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS? Grow the VGC business, with further development into Scotland and the nuclear sector. And bring my golf handicap down!

BARE NECESSITIES: The Jungle Book is one of Seán’s favourite films

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