COLLABORATING TO MAXIMISE THE USE OF MMC

Housebuilder and for-profit provider will collaborate to maximise use of MMC and explore growing markets

Developer Lovell Partnerships and for-profit housing association L&G Affordable Homes (LGAH) have announced plans to build 3,000 homes over five years through a ‘partnership’

Under a loose agreement to collaborate, LGAH will deliver homes of affordable tenures while Lovell, the housebuilding arm of giant construction firm Morgan Sindall, will bring its ‘open market and build expertise across all tenures’, a spokesperson said. The financing arrangements will differ on a scheme-by-scheme basis.

The pair are looking at opportunities to build suburban build to rent units, as well as later living accommodation and want to maximise the use of modern methods of construction.

Mary Parsons, regeneration & partnerships director for Lovell Partnerships, said: “Our work with Legal & General will mean sites are identified quickly with a combined pool of knowledge to then offer the optimum mix of tenures to drive both commercial and social value. Our aim is to invest for the long term and create not just the highest quality homes, but great places to live.”

The first scheme delivered will be a 234-home project in Oldbury, west Midlands called ‘the junction’ on the site of a former foundry.

Source: Housing Today

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new appointment for CoreHaus

Senior appointment for County Durham modular housebuilder

 

Steel-framed modular housebuilder CoreHaus has appointed a new commercial manager as it presses ahead with its ambitious growth plans.

CoreHaus, based from a state-of-art manufacturing facility on Jade Business Park, Murton, near Seaham in County Durham, has appointed Shane Murray to spearhead its commercial team as it continues to expand.

With over 25 years of experience in the construction sector, Shane has extensive practice and knowledge in leading large scale projects, from public buildings and commercial complexes to residential and social housing developments. He has specialist skills in leadership and change management and has delivered a wide range of projects on time and to budget.

At CoreHaus, his main role will be focused on driving the company’s business development pipeline, identifying new business opportunities, negotiating new contracts and onboarding new clients. Shane will also be involved in the development of marketing and growth strategy campaigns.

Scott Bibby, managing director of CoreHaus, said: “We’re about to face a period of rapid growth and now is the right time to create a specific role and bring in a senior manager with the experience and expertise we need to push on with our growth plan.

“Shane is a perfect fit for us, his values align perfectly to the business and he is extremely driven and talented. I am confident that he will quickly become an asset to CoreHaus.”

 

Shane Murray said: “Working across a varied range of housing development projects has enabled me to acquire a diverse set of skills in leadership, commercial contract management and client excellence. These skills complement the CoreHaus team perfectly and strengthens our position as a fast-growing, innovative modular housebuilder.

“Our ambitious five-year strategy and company values were the driving force behind me joining the team and I am excited and privileged to be part of the journey.”

CoreHaus is a modular housebuilder which differs from traditional construction. By adopting modern methods of construction (MMC), CoreHaus homes are built faster, to high quality and are more sustainable and energy-efficient. As part of a five-year plan, the business will focus on building 1,000 modular homes per year, resulting in a 300 + strong workforce across the UK.

CoreHaus is a joint-venture company between Carlton & Co Group, the parent company behind North East based Homes by Carlton, and national social enterprise Fusion21, specialists in public procurement for the built environment.

 

To find out more about CoreHaus, visit: www.corehaus.co.uk

 

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PLANNING APPROVAL FOR UK SPACEPORT CRITICAL

Construction of the UK’s first vertical spaceport is scheduled to begin later this month after it received planning approval from the local authority, Shetland Islands Council in Scotland.

The approval provides Scottish Ministers with a 28-day window to review the application by SaxaVord UK Spaceport. Should Scottish Ministers choose not to call the application in for review, or call it in and agree that the project should proceed, construction of the £43m spaceport can begin.

The privately-funded spaceport will consist of three launchpads at the Lamba Ness peninsula in Unst, allowing for the launch of small satellites into either polar or sun-synchronous, low-earth orbits.

With the ambition of achieving 30 launch events per year, the site will support launches by a range of launch service providers (LSPs) supporting industries and services including telecommunications, media, weather and defence.

Timelines are tight with the target of delivering the first orbital launch from UK soil after the third quarter of this year.

Longer-term, the spaceport is projected to be the catalyst to significant social and economic benefits to Unst in particular, and more widely across Shetland in terms of inward investment and job creation.

Planning approval is the critical first step not only in constructing the UK’s first commercial spaceport. It is also monumental in supporting the UK’s ambitions of becoming a global science superpower and establishing the UK as the European hub for commercial spaceflight.

SaxaVord Spaceport CEO Frank Strang said, “We have been working on bringing the space economy to Shetland for five years, so it is fantastic that the economic benefits are already being felt. We will spend upwards of £43 million [US$57 million] over the next 18 months, rising to £100 million [US$133 million] in the next five years.

“We have already started blasting and crushing stone. Our team will collectively do everything in its power to ensure we can deliver this historic mission for Shetland, Scotland, and the UK.”

“Only the other week, with the Under Secretary of State for Scotland, we hosted several engineers from Edinburgh-based launch company Skyrora, who are committed to launching from our site on Shetland in the next few years.”

 

Source: Aerospace Testing International

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Contractors wanted for modular role on H3AT fusion facility

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has opened up an engagement process for suppliers to create modular skid mounted assemblies for its Hydrogen-3 Advanced Technology (H3AT) fusion energy facility.

The UKAEA’s notice says it is looking to engage with contractors, SMEs, fabricators and assemblers for the fabrication, assembly and testing of five to 10 modular skid mounted assemblies. These assemblies will make up a number of sub-systems that will form the Tritium Plant at the UKAEA’s under-construction H3AT facility at its Culham site.

The contract is valued at £8.75M. The scope and quantity is to be confirmed at the invitation to tender and is subject to preliminary and detailed engineering design phases.

The units will comprise equipment, valves, instrumentation and interconnecting pipework mounted into containment skids. These skids will be required to accommodate equipment and piping in various sizes, approximate footprints of 0.5×0.5m up to 2.8×1.5m and heights 0.5-2.1m (to be confirmed).

Through this process the UKAEA is looking to open engagement with suppliers with the aim of ensuring there is sufficient production capability and capacity to meet the project’s timeline and design requirements. Following the engagement exercise, the UKAEA will issue tenders to procure services for design and provision of equipment through competitively tendered contracts.

UKAEA head of H3AT Damian Brennan said: “The skid manufacturer will bring all components of the H3AT sub system together.  It is a really significant step in the delivery of the H3AT plant.”

The H3AT facility will provide access to scientists and researchers to inform tritium processes for future fusion programmes.

In April last year, Atkins was appointed by the UKAEA to help design the centre, which will contribute to the ITER, DEMO power plant and Step facility.

It will also allow academic and industrial users to research how to process, store and recycle tritium.

Atkins – supported by supply chain partners including Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Ansaldo Nuclear, and FlexProcess – will deliver the preliminary and detailed design of the H3AT tritium recycling loop, comprising storage beds, a distribution system, impurity processing system, and systems to detritiate water and air.

Designed to facilitate the handling, testing and validation of tritium, the loop will allow a range of tests and experiments to be carried out safely and efficiently.

Source: New Civil Engineer

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