A contractor has been handed 100 hours community service and ten days Rehabilitation Activity after labourers disturbed asbestos and worked dangerously at height while refurbishing a disused park toilet block.

Southwark Crown Court heard how, in 2019, a charity hired a local contractor, Fahadh Rasheed, to convert a toilet block in Valentines Park, Ilford, into a community meeting centre. The work included replacing the weather-damaged roof.

Rasheed employed unskilled and untrained labourers to undertake this work. The labourers disturbed a significant amount of asbestos insulation board present in the structure, spreading asbestos debris around the site.

The construction work was brought to the attention of the HSE by a member of the public who observed the labourers working on the roof, without scaffolding or other control measures, to prevent them falling from height. The asbestos was later cleaned up by a licensed asbestos removal company.

An HSE investigation found that Rasheed had not carried out a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey before work began. Furthermore, he had not ensured the workers he’d engaged had the necessary skills, knowledge and experience, including asbestos awareness training, to undertake this work.

Previously a jury had found Rasheed guilty of breaching safety regulations. At the sentencing hearing last week he was given a Community Order including 100 hours unpaid work and a 10 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

After the hearing HSE inspector David King said: “This was a case of a contractor completely failing to grasp the importance of planning, managing and monitoring construction work to ensure the health and safety of construction workers.

“Companies and their Directors should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Developer London Square has struck a series of deals at the Nine Elms Park site in south west London which will see the construction of three new residential towers.

London Square has agreed to purchase the final three phases of the site in a deal worth £400m in gross development value – and struck a partnership deal with build-to-rent pioneer Moda Living on land for two buildings on the site.

The land deal sees London Square exchanging contracts on 3.04 acres for £111.23m to deliver 756 homes across three sites.

London Square will deliver 186 private for sale apartments in a 22-storey three-sided bronze panelled building by architects Allies and Morrison which is set to be the tallest building in Nine Elms Park.

The acquisition paves the way for the launch of the company’s new build-to-rent division London Square Living.

A new partnership has also been agreed with Moda Living who will develop 437 apartments across two blocks ranging from nine to 13 storeys with London Square overseeing construction.

The sale of the final parcels of land to London Square and Moda Living will be the final piece of the regeneration at the 14-acre site of the former Royal Mail delivery office.

Adam Lawrence, Chief Executive, London Square, said: “We are delighted to be working with Moda Living, with its excellent reputation for delivering high quality homes and lifestyles.

“Nine Elms Park is an outstanding opportunity for us, delivering an exceptional landmark 22-storey building with homes for private sale in a prime location and enabling us to showcase the breadth of our offering with the launch of our build-to-rent division, London Square Living.

“We are building a much-needed pipeline of homes for rent, as well as affordable homes, alongside our longstanding track record of delivering exceptional homes for sale in the capital.”

Johnny Caddick, Chief Executive, Moda Living said: “We are excited to bring our brand to London, and this is the perfect place for our flagship scheme.

“With our core brand proposition focussed on unparalleled customer service, resident wellbeing, technology, community and ESG we aim to attract a broad demographic of members from across the capital and beyond.

“Our structure is now set up to deliver and operate thousands of homes for rent per annum across the UK and naturally London forms a a key piece of the jigsaw for our portfolio weightings.”

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A contractor and its groundworks subbie have been fined £400,000 after unsafe excavation work left a worker with serious burns to his hand and arm.

High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court heard that, on the 2 August 2018, a groundworker was preparing the ground to install a post to carry an Automatic Number Plate Recognition Camera at Twyford near Reading, Berkshire.

Initially, the worker hand dug then started to use an 110V mechanical electric breaker when he struck a power cable supplying an adjacent British Telecommunications building.

The voltage of the cable was 415v causing the ground worker to receive an electric shock that caused burns to one hand and to his opposite arm.

An HSE investigation found that site plans for buried cables had not been consulted and a cable avoidance tool had not been used to locate buried services in advance of carrying out the work.

In addition, there was a lack of properly trained labour and supervision in place for the excavation works.

The principal contractor on site had failed to plan, manage and monitor the excavation works and also failed to provide adequate supervision for the project.

CLC Contractors Limited of Southampton pleaded guilty to breaching CDM regulations and were fined £400,000.00 and ordered to pay costs of £5,300.00.

Subcontractor Paul Gale, Company Director of PAG Building Services Ltd of Southampton also pleaded guilty to safety breaches

Due to the seriousness of the offence the case was referred to Aylesbury Crown Court where Gale was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months and 150 hour of community service. HSE was awarded costs of £7,200.

Speaking after the case, HSE inspector John Caboche said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working.

“In this instance, readily available buried service records were not consulted, and a cable avoidance tool was not provided to the groundworks team. Utilising these simple steps would have prevented this serious incident.”

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Hill Group and joint venture partner Marshall have secured planning for the 420-home second phase of the Marleigh development in East Cambridge.

This new phase will run in conjunction with the current phase to deliver 550 homes, a primary school, market square and community centre over the next five years.

Construction will start on site to build the homes in early 2022, when a mix of private and affordable apartments and homes will be delivered as part of the long term masterplan.

Every new home will feature a range of energy-saving and carbon reduction features, including fabric first designs, air-source heat pumps and photovoltaics.

Andy Hill of Hill Marshall JV said: “We are delighted to have secured planning for the delivery of more homes and community facilities in this exciting new neighbourhood in East Cambridge, which has attracted a broad mix of buyers already.

“We have an unwavering commitment to supporting the wider Cambridge local economy, and it has been excellent to see our efforts supported through this latest approval.”

Phase 2 has been underpinned by the vision and essential placemaking principles set out in the Design Code, created for the wider master plan.

As a result, the material palette has been carefully chosen to comply with the Design Code and features a diverse range of high-quality brickwork in a range of colours and textures. These materials establish an exciting street scene and integrate with the emerging character that has been developed in Phase 1.

Extensive cycle parking provisions have been incorporated for all residents, including the apartment buildings, each with a dedicated secure bike store close to the entrance.

The project team for Marleigh phase 2 includes Terence O’Rourke, JTP LLP, Bradley Murphy Design and WSP.

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The Government has agreed to fund the £93m strengthening and repair programme to a key viaduct on northern section of the Aston Expressway between the city centre and the M6 motorway.

The Tame Valley Viaduct, which carried about 80,000 vehicles a day, was starting to show signs of deterioration.

Without government funding, the viaduct would need weight and width restrictions within a few years and, over time, the link could potentially face full closure.

The Government is putting £72m into the project which is expected to cost £93.5m with the remaining funding coming from Birmingham City Council and the Local Growth Fund.

Work is due to start on an extensive strengthening programme next year with structure remaining open to traffic throughout. The vast project is expected to take nearly five years to complete.

Proposals involve major strengthening and refurbishment works on the viaduct, ensuring it can continue to carry heavy vehicles. It will remain open to traffic throughout the duration of works.

There are also plans to apply a protective anti-corrosion paint system to the structure alongside other general refurbishments, preserving the longevity of the viaduct and minimising the need for future work.

Keltbray has secured a £12m extension to its current C1 Shaft contract for the HS2 Align joint venture.

The deal builds on awards for the first two ventilation shafts on the project in August at Chalfont St Peter and Chalfont St Giles.

Taken together the two double sets of shaft excavation jobs are worth over £26m.

The next two ventilation shafts along HS2’s 10 mile tunnel drives through the Chiltern Hills are located at Amersham and Little Missenden.

Excavation of the shaft in Amersham will be to a depth of 55m.

Keltbray’s works include internal shaft construction works to build slip-formed concrete cores and lining walls, reinforced concrete works at the base of the shafts, to create a collar structure to enable the TBMs to pass through the base of the shaft.

JRL-owned main contractor Midgard has scooped the job to construct the world’s tallest pure octagonal residential building at the Paradise site in Birmingham.

Under a 44-month contract Hertfordshire-based Midgard will now demolish the existing 77 Paradise Circus Queensway office building ahead of starting work on the 49-storey building.

Singaporean real estate developer City Developments Limited (CDL) has just bought the scheme, which will cost £110m to develop including land cost.

The team leading Paradise Birmingham, MEPC, will remain as the development manager of the 155m building.

Construction will involve installing a 179m tower crane on site in the first half of 2022 – the tallest tower crane ever used in the city and the same height as the Gherkin in London.

Designed by Birmingham-based Glenn Howells Architects, the 155m tall tower will provide up to 370 new build to rent homes and marks the latest phase of the £700m Paradise scheme, so far delivered by BAM and Sir Robert McAlpine.

Prefabricated elements including the facade and modern methods of construction will contribute to a lower embodied design for the Octagon

Neil McGinty, UK development director at CDL, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with MEPC to develop the visionary Octagon residential tower, which will transform Birmingham’s skyline.

“Since we made our foray into the UK BTR segment in 2019 with the acquisition of The Junction in Leeds, we have been looking for opportunities to grow our portfolio strategically through the development of iconic BTR residential landmarks.

“Our investment in the Paradise project allows us the unique opportunity to actively participate in the rejuvenation of the Birmingham city region.”

Under the Glen Howells design eight flats on each floor will boast uninterrupted views

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Staffordshire-based specialist Industrial Coating Services has fallen into administration with the loss of 52 jobs.

ICS, which specialised in the surface preparation and application of protective coatings, suffered from critical cash flow issues arising from a sustained period of working on loss-making contracted work.

Since last year ICS was working on the major Wandsworth Bridge refurbishment in London which is now due to be completed next summer after further additional critical works were identified on the structure.

The original contract with VolkerLaser is understood to have been secured for around £3m.

The business, which operated from an industrial paint shop building in Rugeley, was marketed for sale prior to the administrators’ appointment, but a buyer could not be found.

Ben Jones from administrators FRP Advisory , said: “Without significant investment or the prospect of new ownership, ICS was unable to trade through its difficulties and continue as a going concern.

“All trading and operations have ceased. Regrettably, all of the 52 employees have been made redundant, although a small number will continue to support the administrators with their statutory duties. ”

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Construction of the UK’s longest railway bridge has taken a major step forward with completion of the first of 56 giant concrete piers to support the Colne Valley Viaduct as it crosses a series of lakes on the outskirts of London.

Stretching for 3.4km, the viaduct near  Hillingdon was cast by concrete specialist Kilnbridge working in partnership with engineers from HS2’s main works contractor Align JV.

Weighing in at around 370 tonnes, the 6m tall reinforced concrete pier was cast on site using a specially-designed formwork. This was then removed after four days to reveal the final product.

Each pier is designed to support the full weight of the deck above and rests on a set of concrete piles going up to 55m into the ground.

This foundation work began earlier this year and will require the construction of 292 piles and 56 pile caps across the whole length of the viaduct.

The construction team have also now completed the first of four jetties across the lakes to get equipment into position to support the construction thereby taking construction vehicles off local roads. Where the viaduct crosses the lake, the piles will be bored directly into the lakebed, using a cofferdam to hold back the water while the pier is constructed.

Align’s project director, Daniel Altier, said: “I have no doubt that the viaduct will become one, if not the most striking element of HS2 phase 1 once complete.”

The main deck of the viaduct – which supports the railway line – will be built in 1000 separate unique segments at a temporary factory nearby before being assembled from north to south, starting next year.

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