Balfour to start A40 upgrade after £35m funding deal

Vital upgrade work can now start on the A40 to ease congestion, boost local bus services and allow the construction of thousands of new homes in Oxfordshire, thanks to £35m in government funding confirmed today.

Balfour Beatty is lined-up as main contractor on the scheme which will see an 850-space park and ride facility, including cycle parking and electric car charge points, built to the north-west of Eynsham.

Balfour will start main construction work next year with completion due in mid-2024.

The A40 is currently one of the last-remaining main roads through Oxford that lacks a park and ride service.

Works will also see the creation of a three-metre wide separate path for cyclists and pedestrians along the route of the A40 from Witney to Oxford, replacing the existing narrower path.

This will include safe, signal-controlled crossings for cyclists and pedestrians at various junctions, making greener modes of travel more accessible to people in the area.

Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, said: “We are delighted the funding is confirmed to support transport, particularly regular swift buses and world-class cycle lanes, along this major route.

“For years residents in West Oxfordshire have had to endure congestion on the A40 and its impact on every aspect of their lives.

“This key project will not only deliver safer and more reliable travel options between Witney and Oxford, but support the growth of much-needed jobs and housing in the area. All while promoting vital sustainable transport.”

The total cost of the scheme comes to £49.3m, with the remaining funding coming from the Oxfordshire Growth Deal – Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and private developer contributions.

SMEs dominate £650m northern housing upkeep framework

December 7, 2021

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EN:Procure, the procurement arm of regional social housing consortium Efficiency North, has awarded spots on its new housing installation, servicing, maintenance and repairs framework to 37 contractors.

Nearly nine out of 10 firms winning places on over 50 lots are SMEs. An estimated £650m work pipeline will be shared among these firms over the four-year lifetime of the framework.

Efficiency North is growing its social housing landlord membership across the whole of the North of England and now counts over 30 social housing landlords among its members.

Firms picking up multiple lots across the North West and East Midlands regions are: Bell Decorating, A Connolly, P Casey, Engie Regneration, Jackson Jackson & Sons and J Tomlinson.

The lots for schemes under £1m provide opportunities for smaller and medium-sized local firms.

Around 86% of those appointed are SMEs with half locally based and have been given the chance to work on social housing construction projects in their neighbourhoods.

Installation, Servicing, Maintenance and Repair Works winners

EN Procure housing repair framework

The new framework is predominantly for social housing but may extend to other public buildings such as schools and offices and other areas of the UK.

The new framework will build on the success of EN:Procure’s previous installation, repairs and maintenance frameworks, which, between 2016-2021, helped members procure and deliver various elemental replacement works for local communities with an overall underlying contract value in excess of £200m.

Emma Mottram, EN:Procure Head of Operations, said: “With this diverse range of small and large contractors operating across Northern England, it will provide an intelligent procurement solution with maximum flexibility via the range of contract options and processes.”

York Cocoa West 300-home scheme approved

December 7, 2021

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The development arm of Clarion Housing Group has got the go-ahead for a £100m new homes scheme next to the former Rowntree factory in the centre of York.

Developer Latimer now aims to start work on the Cocoa West mixed-tenure housing scheme early next year.

Comprising 302 new homes, more than 35%, will be available through shared ownership and social rent.

Based on feedback gathered through the recent public consultation, the scheme will not only include a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, but also two, three and four-bedroom townhouses – providing a mix of much-needed affordable family homes.

The neighbouring Cocoa Works scheme is already underway, with Latimer’s plans for the eight hectare site, which has been derelict for more than a decade, ensuring that original features of the building are celebrated and incorporated into designs.

In 2020/21, Clarion Housing Group completed 2,126 new homes of which 90% were for affordable tenures.

Profits from Latimer schemes are reinvested into Clarion Housing Group to build more affordable homes, improve and maintain existing homes and support communities through the Group’s charitable foundation, Clarion Futures.

Richard Cook, Group Director of Development for Clarion Housing Group, said: “We’re excited to be taking the next step towards the creation of a thriving new neighbourhood that we hope will reignite and reflect the core values of Joseph Rowntree and our founder, William Sutton.”

Union officials face new probe into blacklist collusion

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Construction union Unite has launched a new search for evidence of collusion with blacklisting in the industry by officers of the union and its predecessors.

A panel of lay members with personal experience of blacklisting will now oversee the gathering of evidence to be fed into an independent QC-led inquiry.

The panel is made up of Dave Smith, Chair of the Blacklist Support Group and the two Unite Executive Council Members for the construction sector, blacklisted electrician Frank Morris and Tony Seaman.

Unite General Secretary, Sharon Graham said: “It is very important that blacklisted workers and their families can have total confidence in this inquiry. I said we would do it and that no stone would be left unturned. I meant it.”

Smith said “The Blacklist Support Group applauds this announcement of a beefed up and more independent investigation. Any lingering doubts about the independence of the investigation have now been removed.”

Unite’s lawyers Thompsons have already begun gathering evidence from previous court cases and taking testimony from witnesses for the inquiry.

The deadline for submitting evidence has now been extended to 28 January 2022.

Anyone who has evidence of union officers from Unite or its predecessor unions colluding in the blacklisting of construction workers that has not yet been submitted to the inquiry is being asked to send it by email to BlacklistingInquiry@thompsons. law.co.uk.

The Enquirer first revealed claims eight years ago that construction union officials had colluded with contractors and the police over the blacklist which blighted the industry for decades.

The Blacklist Support Group said: “Blacklisted workers have campaigned for an independent investigation into union collusion for a long time: too long. We have known for over a decade that some blacklist files record the names of senior union officials as the source of information that led to us being denied employment.

“We know for a fact that some union officials emailed information about union activists to industrial relations consultants and managers working for major contractors up to their necks in blacklisting. This is totally unacceptable in a trade union movement that claims to be democratic and member led.

“Every union activist in construction already knows who these people are. We are not accusing every union official of being corrupt, there are many honest value driven officials. But neither is this about ‘one or two bad apples’.“Over many decades, the senior leadership of construction unions actively encouraged a business friendly model of trade unionism, where cultivating partnership arrangements with employers was often given priority over fighting for workers rights. Overly friendly relationships developed between union officials and managers, this is the context in which information detrimental to union members was being discussed.”

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University to offer courses in concrete road repairs

A new qualification in Concrete Pavement and Construction Maintenance has been launched by National Highways and the University of Derby.

The move is designed to plug the predicted skills gap in successfully delivering repairs and renewals of concrete roads.

National Highways is spending £400m in the next three years to improve the quality of existing concrete roads across the country – but 60% of the current specialist concrete workforce is set to retire within 10 years.

To fill this gap, the National Highways Concrete Roads Centre of Excellence has worked in partnership with the University of Derby to launch a BSc Honours in Concrete Pavements and Construction Maintenance.

The two-year part time course focuses on pavements and highways, and provides a pathway for those already studying related subjects to specialise or convert.

Mike Ambrose, Technical Lead at National Highways’ Concrete Roads Centre of Excellence, said: “The University of Derby and specifically the Centre for Mineral Products has a strong track record of delivering applied programmes for industry so are a natural partner for National Highways.

“As the current specialist concrete workforce begin to see out their careers we’re excited to begin upskilling and working with the next generation of engineers. This employer led programme, which is open to both National Highways and the supply chain staff, will help those people get on the pathway to becoming the future industry leaders.

Mark Osbaldeston, the Head of the Centre for Mineral Products at the University of Derby, said: “The concrete roads programme is fundamental in ensuring the future success of our road networks, and this BSc Honours provision will help provide a continued supply of highly skilled individuals to the profession.

“Our team of academics have extensive experience within the mineral products sector and are very much looking forward to sharing their knowledge and practical expertise with the next generation of industry leaders.”

The course begins in January and is aimed at a range of learners including those with foundation degrees, Level 5 apprenticeships and pavement engineering consultants and suppliers who want to extend their knowledge and understanding of the subject.

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Morgan Sindall starts £31m Leeds resi scheme

Leeds developer Citylife has finalised a contract with Morgan Sindall to deliver a luxury £31m residential apartment scheme in the city.

Following a four-month pre-construction service agreement, Morgan Sindall has now formally started the 16-storey Springwell Gardens project to deliver 223 one, two, and three-bedrooms.

The construction project is due to be finalised by 2023 and is on the doorstep of the Leeds Southbank Holbeck Regeneration Project – the largest city centre regeneration plan in Europe.

Gareth Morgan, Managing Director at Citylife, said: “For the last four months we have collaborated with Morgan Sindall under a pre-construction services agreement.

“The sector is experiencing some of the most challenging and volatile conditions in recent times, but the team at Morgan Sindall Construction have worked tirelessly to make our vision a reality. We look forward to working with them on this prestigious project and cementing the relationship for our future projects.”

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Builder jailed after demolishing wall on colleague

A builder has been jailed for three years and three months following an investigation into the death of a labourer on a site in Hampshire in 2019.

Paramjit Singh, 48, of Southampton, was found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter following a two-week trial at Winchester Crown Court.

On Friday he was sentenced to three years and three months for the gross negligence manslaughter charge.

Singh was also sentenced to 20 months for safety breaches which he had admitted previously. Both sentences will run concurrently.

He was charged following a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive into the death of 64-year-old Kulwant Singh Athwal from Southampton.

The court heard how officers were called to the site on 16 July, 2019, following the discovery of the body of a man in his 60s.

Kulwant Singh Athwal had been working for Singh, who was previously the owner and manager of SAB Builders, as an ‘odd job man’ on the demolition of a house in Chilworth. They had been hired by the owners to clear the garden and garage to make way for an extension.

The day before the incident Singh had demolished all but one side of the garage on the grounds. On leaving at the end of the day, no signs or boarding had been put up around the site to indicate it was unsafe.

On 16 July, 2019, Singh returned to the site just before 9am to demolish the final wall of the garage. No exclusion zones were identified around the wall, and Singh was not aware of where the members of his team were when he started up the digger and moved toward the wall.

Kulwant Singh Athwal was on the other side of the wall when it collapsed onto him.

Post mortem examinations were conducted by Home Office Pathologist Dr Basil Purdue, and concluded that Athwal died as a result from his injuries, which were consistent with being crushed by a heavy object.

The court also heard how Singh’s public liability and skills card were expired after SAB Builders went bankrupt in 2015 and the company ceased trading.

Hampshire Constabulary’s investigation was led by Detective Chief Inspector Kate Gunson.

Speaking after today’s verdict, she said: “This was an extremely tragic case resulting in the completely avoidable death of Kulwant Singh Athwal.

“It is a tragedy for all involved. We hope that lessons will be learned that prevent this from ever happening again.”

HSE inspector James Lucas said: “All demolition work, however large or small, has the potential of serious risk if it is not properly planned and controlled.

“Paramjit Singh failed to prepare a written plan for the demolition of the building or any site-specific risk assessments. In this case, simple control measures and safe working practices, such as excluding people on site from danger zones with physical barriers, could have saved a life.

“There are no winners here. The victim, Kulwant Singh Atwal, so sadly lost his life because of the absence of basic safety measures. The perpetrator, Paramjit Singh, will spend time in prison and will always carry the heavy burden of having caused another person’s death.

“HSE would like to encourage all small builders to ensure they know how to properly plan, manage and monitor all construction work they undertake. The HSE website provides a wealth of information, some of it translated into other languages.

“In addition, HSE wants to stress to all workers from minority communities or anyone from any background who may feel vulnerable, that health and safety law is there for their protection, just as much as any other workers. HSE always focuses on making workplaces safer and healthier, whoever is at risk.”

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Trio shortlisted for third £115m A9 dualling project

December 4, 2021

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Transport for Scotland has shortlisted three firms for the third upgrade contract on the £3bn A9 dualling project.

Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, John Graham Construction and Wills Bros Civil Engineering project will now fight it out to upgrade the 9.6 km stretch of the A9 between Tomatin and Moy.

Transport Scotland anticipates that the construction contract will be awarded in the second half of 2022.

The shortlist was announced as critical enabling works were completed involving the demolition of a 1884 masonry arch rail bridge at Lynebeg, near Inverness, followed by the successful installation of the new structure during a 78 hour possession of the Highland Mainline.

The completion of the bridge replacement at Lynebeg rail bridge marks a significant milestone in the progress of the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project and has been the culmination of years of meticulous planning and preparation with Network Rail, its contractor BAM Nuttall, Atkins Mouchel Joint Venture and Transport Scotland.

In addition to the new rail bridge, further advance works for the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project are expected to commence in early 2022 and will see the creation of a new non-motorised user route (NMU) which will initially facilitate local access to a new bus layby and shelter on the B1954.

Billy McKay, Network Rail’s Programme Manager for the Lynebeg bridge replacement works, said:“The installation was complex due to requirement to remove the existing railway infrastructure including cabling, track and the embankment, before the concrete bridge could be pushed into its final position. And all against the clock due to the need to reinstate and re-open the line to traffic at the end of the possession.”

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Plan for £2bn Edinburgh West Town

December 4, 2021