On Wednesday August 18 at 10am, the Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Rose McNeely, will be making the first ceremonial cut on at the Rother View Road, Canklow site, on which 29 houses and apartments are set to be built by Wates Living Space.

Following that, on Tuesday August 24 at 10am, the Mayor will once again be helping the start of a new construction, this time on Albert Road, West Melton, where 29 houses, apartments and bungalows are to be built by Wildgoose Construction.

Work on a third site, which will see foundations laid for 21 houses on Albany Road, Kilnhurst, will begin on Thursday August 26 at 10.00 am with the work once again being carried out by Wildgoose Construction.

In total there will be 127 units developed for the authority on six sites across the Borough after the Council was successful in £8.5 million bids for grant funding specifically for building new council homes from the previous Government’s Homes and Communities Agency.

Two sites are to be developed in Maltby. Eight houses and bungalows are to be built at Newland Avenue, Maltby, by Bramalls, while four apartments are to be built at Stone Park Close by TH Michaels.

Work on all the sites will start before September with all properties being built to Lifetime Homes and Building for Life silver standards in addition to achieving Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

These standards are above and beyond the typical open-market house building standards and will ensure a high-quality build, a safe environment and incorporate high energy efficiency measures, making them affordable for council tenants to live in.

The Council has also ensured that its commitment to local labour has resulted in apprentices and work experience students working on the sites. As part of the YORbuild framework – under which the contractors have been appointed – two apprentices and three placements from Thrybergh Comprehensive School will be working on Wood Street site.

Cllr Jahangir Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Housing and Neighbourhoods for the Council, said the ongoing construction was great news for the borough.

He added: “After waiting for so many years to be able to build new council housing, to see these developments physically taking shape is fantastic.

“We are still on course to be able to offer families and individuals excellent brand-new council-owned properties in just 12 months time.

“It’s also great to see local labour being used on the constructions and the future of the borough being supported with both apprentices student placements getting the sort of training and expertise that will help to set them up for life.”

Kate Reid, area manager for the Homes and Communities Agency added: “We are very pleased that our investment has enabled Rotherham to create 127 new homes where people not only want to live but also can afford. “

“Because these homes are being built to Code for Sustainable Homes level 4 it will mean reduced heating bills for the tenants and the use of local contractors will mean job security for local people.”

Lee Parkinson Development and Performance Manager for the YORbuild Framework commented “The YORbuild Framework is playing an increasingly larger role in the delivery of new build social housing provision across the region and demonstrates the capacity and flexibility that the framework can offer users. Again, the integrated employment and skills planning model developed by the Framework Management Team is set to deliver excellent outcomes which is complimentary to the value add by YORbuild’s approach to efficiency, supply chain management, economic regeneration and waste / carbon reduction.”

On the 18^th June 2010 the project reached the second key Gateway, i.e. completion of SCALA Stage D. This comprised developing the brief and confirming proposals, including planning, arrangement, appearance, construction methods, outline specification and cost estimates.  On the 22^nd June 2010 Humberside Police granted the design team permission to progress to the next stage, development of the detailed design.

Jacobs has been commissioned by Humberside Police Authority (HPA) to provide multi-disciplinary design, cost consultancy and project management services for a new Custody Suite and Divisional Headquarters (DHQ) in the centre of Hull as part of delivering its Estates Strategy.

Prior to the engagement of Jacobs, HPA collated site data, purchased the eight-acre site and, in October 2009, obtained Outline Planning Permission for the proposed development.

Jacobs was formally appointed in October 2009 following a mini-tender process and has since established very good client relationship which continues to thrive. HPA has been very prescriptive of how the 40-Cell Custody Suite should be constructed and operated and have entrusted the Jacobs multi-disciplinary team to encapsulate and realise their design aspirations.  The scheme will deliver a high quality, four storey, naturally ventilated, open plan DHQ around a central, full height atrium. The scheme will also provide a new centralised property storage facility and on-site car parking.

One clear aspiration for Humberside Police is to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating, delivering in excess of 15% renewable technology. The project is on course to deliver this.

The project is scheduled to invite competitive tenders by the end of 2010 and construction is due to commence on site in April 2011.

Lee Parkinson Development and Performance Manager for the YORbuild Framework commented “YORbuild are delighted to be working with Humberside Police and Jacobs in the procurement of this innovative and challenging scheme. In addition to the speed of procurement and efficiency that the YORbuild Framework offers, Humberside Police can also be sure that key value added aspects of the framework including our integrated employment and skills planning model will bring about excellent outcomes as a result of their investment in the scheme.”

Read more in the newsletter (PDF, 1.7MB)

A successful bid for funding was awarded in September by the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency which, together with a further grant from the HCA, has allowed an overall £42 million development project to proceed for affordable housing throughout the East Riding.  Construction on site started in March 2010 with all homes being designed to a high level of sustainability and energy efficiency.

Most of the new homes will be two-bedded properties suitable for the elderly and small young families and they will go a long way to meet the acknowledged shortage of affordable homes in the East Riding and help make real inroads into the council house waiting list.

More than two thirds of the developments will have fewer than ten dwellings. Planning permission has been secured for 230 of the 275 homes, with applications for the remaining 45 going before the area planning committees for approval.

The house building project will have a significant beneficial impact in providing local employment and giving a much needed boost to the local economy. Contracts are in place on all sites with full planning permission and everything is ready to appoint contractors for the remaining sites as soon as planning consent is obtained. The flexibility of the YORbuild Framework has played a major part of the quick mobilisation process and demonstrates how collaborative frameworks can provide an excellent platform for early contractor involvement in an efficient and controlled manner.

All contracts are to be delivered by companies within a 50 mile radius of Beverley, with around two thirds of the schemes awarded to East Riding/Hull based contractors. The building programme will provide direct work for 650-750 trade operatives and 45-50 construction professionals with more supporting jobs in the supplies industry.  In addition, a minimum of 15 apprenticeship posts will be created.

Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of the council, said: “Bringing this major house building project to the starting line against such a tight timescale has been a mammoth task and I would like to thank everyone involved for working so well together to get to this stage. “The project is excellent news for the East Riding and a wonderful stimulus for the local economy. “The new homes will provide more affordable housing in the East Riding and go a long way to meet this acknowledged need.”

David Curtis, regional director of the Homes and Communities Agency for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “By providing these homes throughout the area, we are pleased that our funding will allow people to continue to live in their local community in new homes that they can afford. The fact that these building projects will create and safeguard local jobs is a boost for the local economy, and I am particularly pleased that 15 apprentices will receive their training.”

More good news is that the East Riding was again successful in the second round of the scheme earlier this year, receiving a further grant from the Homes and Communities Agency which will allow a further 56 affordable houses.  Work on planning consents for these homes is well advanced and all have a scheduled start on site date by the end of June.

Since the framework’s launch in December 2009 close to £150m of projects have been signed up on behalf of public sector clients.

Contractors including  BAM Construction, Bardsley Construction, Bramall Construction, ISG Regions Ltd, Morgan Ashurst, and The Casey Group, plus a number of others who have been appointed on the YORbuild framework, were all present at the event and were keen to hear from local companies who could potentially form part of their future supply chain.

Scott Corey, Framework Manager of Wilmott Dixon said of the event: ‘it provided an excellent opportunity to meet and discuss the current issues facing existing and potential supply chain partners from within the Yorkshire region and beyond. It gave Willmott Dixon the opportunity to discuss our commitments to members using the YORbuild framework and how they could engage with ourselves and other framework partners. It also gave us the chance to explain the social and sustainable working commitments required by Willmott Dixon and YORbuild which allowed visitors to understand how they can play their part in raising the standards throughout the region for the life of framework.’

Presentations aimed at increasing the awareness of what is going on in the Yorkshire & Humber region to support the sector and how local SME’s can become involved were given on the day and can be accessed by clicking the links below.

YORbuild – Expectations of the Supply Chain

This briefing explains some of the key expectations of the supply chain working on YORbuild projects and also gives useful pointers for improvement in prospects of winning work.

Construction Sector Network – Network, Connect, Collaborate

A short presentation that explains what the new Construction Sector Network (CSN) is and what plans the network has for the future in relation to the construction sector in the Yorkshire & Humber region.

Construction Target – Building Business for the Region

This briefing set out to explain what Construction Target is, what it aims to achieve and what it has planned for the future in relation to helping construction and construction related businesses in the Yorkshire & Humber region

Construction Skills

How to develop effective employment & training plans in response to contractor and framework requirements.

While training individuals in your workplace is essential, it’s important to bear in mind how you can improve your business as a whole. This briefing highlighted the principles and the importance of employment and skills planning and how Construction Skills can offer help & assistance to businesses in the region.

Download the Press Release (pdf, 80KB)

Open the YORbuild Overview (PDF document, 2.6MB)

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