Legal and General’s foray into self-delivered modular housing development has seen it accumulate £137m in losses since being set up back in 2016.

Latest accounts for the business reveal that losses last year reached £30.2m, with still no revenue being booked for the venture in 2020, although work started on its first two sites this financial year.

Legal and General Capital Investments continues to support the business as it seeks to invest heavily in plans to revolutionise the housing market with factory-built modular housing.

L&G Modular Homes losses20202019201820172016Pre-tax loss-£30.2-£30.6m-£20.7m-£46.1m-£9.2m

From its factory in Sherburn-in-Elmet in Yorkshire, L&G Modular Homes has its sights on building 3,000 modular homes a year in 2024, bringing ‘rapid and disruptive change’ to house building.

In July this year, the business struck a deal with Peabody-owned Kent housing association to build 153 modular homes.

The deal to acquire a site in Broadstairs for affordable provider Town & Country Housing, brings L&G’s Modular Homes’ factory pipeline to 670 homes including other sites in Selby, Bristol and North Horsham.

L&G said it is aiming now to create up to 300 new jobs by the year-end at its production and logistics business near Leeds to meet the swelling housing pipeline.

The latest scheme, located on Poorhole Lane, will be funded by Homes England, and consists of a range of two, three and four bed houses.

L&G said its modular housing factory offered multi-skilled employment opportunities, including across design, finance, engineering, procurement, construction and production.

A new jetpack prototype has been launched in a bid to transform the way challenging maintenance and inspection work is carried-out on site.

Experts at Maverick Aviation believe their jetpack can replace costly helicopter operations and time-consuming traditional inspections on inaccessible sites.

The jetpack is the brainchild of Hollywood animatronics expert Matt Denton and Royal Navy Commander Antony Quinn.

It uses a unique Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) system and is designed to be operated hands-free, allowing people to make safer flights, and precision landings on structures that are difficult to access — from wind turbines to buildings and construction projects.

Advanced manufacturing techniques like 3D printing and materials including aluminium, titanium and carbon fibre make the jetpack very light allowing it to travel at between 10mph and 30mph depending on the task.

The control system is extremely intuitive and the operator can switch on an in-built autopilot so they can multi-task while in flight if necessary.

Early work on the control system software was funded by a £97,000 grant from Innovate UK, secured by Maverick’s grant partner Catax.

The first manned test flight is scheduled for next summer and the company is about to start seeking further investment to take the jetpack to market. 

Co-founder Matt Denton is well regarded for his work on animatronics and control systems, having worked on numerous Star Wars movies that saw him develop the BB-8 droid from 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Antony Quinn, CEO and co-founder of Maverick Aviation, added: “The jetpack uses the same sort of jet engines that you see on a passenger plane, only ours are the size of a rugby ball. 

“What is unique about what we’re doing is the computer-controlled autopilot system that makes flying effortless and easy to control with precision. That’s how we have changed jetpacks from exciting to useful. 

“It’s so intuitive to fly that the cost of training is going to be low, so you’re going to have all sorts of professionals suddenly able to work in the most inaccessible environments safely and quickly.

“I realised that the growing onshore and offshore wind industry really needed a solution like this. Their engineers climb up ladders inside these structures for hours each day and, in an emergency situation, it’s almost impossible to get down quickly. Drones can be useful for inspections, but in many circumstances you need to get an engineer up there. 

“During tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, the number of possible use cases just kept on mounting and I realised how big the opportunity was. The potential is almost endless.

“Before, people would have used a £30m helicopter to perform some simple tasks, we can offer a more tailored solution at a fraction of the cost.”

Residential-led mixed-use developer Regal London has acquired a site in Watford for a £150m new scheme.

The site at 37-39 Clarendon Road has planning permission for 168 homes and substantial grade A office space with ancillary café and gymnasium.

Enabling works have started on the site which will be transformed into a 25-storey resi towers and 150,000 sq ft of office space by the end of 2024.

Regal will also be acting as main contractor on the job.

Up to 380 full time jobs will be supported during the construction phase of the project including 120 training opportunities on-site through the Regal London Real Estate Academy in partnership with charity Building Heroes, which provides skilled training to military veterans and members of local disadvantaged groups.

Paul Eden, Co-Founder of Regal London, commented: “This acquisition comes during a particularly active period for Regal London, which has seen us secure new sites and planning permissions across the city that complement our strategic growth ambitions whilst creating substantial social and economic benefits to the surrounding area, including hundreds of jobs.

“We’re looking forward to bringing our mixed-use expertise to a fantastic part of Greater London with this project, supplying 168 new homes and grade A office space at a time when many businesses and workers are reassessing their office needs and increasingly looking to convenient, exciting areas beyond the city centre.”

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Stockport NHS Trust has announced it will be bidding for Stockport to have one of the 40 new hospitals to be built as part of a £3.7 bn Government programme.

The New Hospitals Programme aims to build 40 new hospitals by 2030.  Thirty-two have already been announced and the Government is now looking for a further eight projects.,

Karen James, chief executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said Stockport would bid to be one of these last eight.

“Stepping Hill Hospital is an ageing hospital that was not designed to deliver modern acute services and we are also facing a £95m maintenance bill.

“But even if we had the funds available to carry out all the work needed, it still would not provide the modern hospital environment patients and staff deserve.”

While the final design will influence the cost of any new build, it is estimated the Government would need to invest around £500m in the creation of a new hospital for the people of Stockport and surrounding areas.

With no room on the existing site to build a new hospital, the Trust has been working with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council to identify possible alternative sites and is currently looking at an area of the town centre that incorporates the Heaton Lane multi-storey car park and former Debenhams store.

James said: “While a number of NHS organisations across the country will also be bidding to be part of the New Hospitals Programme, it is hoped that Stockport’s plan will stand out due to the town centre site which would tie into the Government’s levelling up agenda.”

James added: “Securing the funding and then designing and building a new hospital is not a quick process.

“It could take seven to eight years before we open a new state-of-the-art building, but a new hospital is very much part of our medium to long term strategy for the future of local health and care in Stockport and surrounding areas.”

Suppliers to civils contractor O’Keefe Construction (Greenwich) Ltd have overwhelmingly voted in favour of the proposed Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with 90% of creditors supporting the move.

CEO Patrick O’Keefe said: “We wish to wholeheartedly thank our creditors for this vote of confidence in the business.

“We have a robust underlying business supported by a strong order book. This CVA has rapidly restructured the business and ensures the business is well placed going forward.

“As shareholders we are committed to the business and we will be injecting £0.75m to support the restructuring. Again, could I reiterate my thanks to the company’s creditors for supporting us.

The well-known firm has been in business for more than 50 years on sites across London and the South East.

It ran into trouble after suffering a “significant loss” in the financial year to May 2021.

Damian Webb of RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP,said: “The approval of this CVA demonstrates the credibility of the proposal and the strong reputation built up by O’Keefe from over 50 years of trading.”

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National Highways will be live testing the use of wonder material graphene for road surfacing to see if it prolongs the lifespan of busy roads.

Engineers believe using the one atom thick product could see the operational life of key road features extended by several years, reducing the frequency of roadworks and making journeys for road users smoother and more reliable.

The revolutionary resurfacing will take place along three miles of the northbound carriageway between Newton on the Moor and West Cawledge, south of Alnwick, from Sunday 19 September to Monday 1 November.

National Highways Asset Needs Manager Graeme Watt said: “Laboratory trials have been a success and the on-site trials in Northumberland will be a world-first use of graphene in road production.

“Graphene’s benefits are industry-changing. It’s stronger than steel and adding it to other materials can turn them into super materials. From what we’ve seen so far, it could make some of our assets last significantly longer.”

National Highways is carrying out the trials with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at The University of Manchester and Pavement Testing Services (PTS).

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Homes England has selected a mix of 66 contractors, house builders and housing associations for its new Delivery Partner dynamic purchasing system.

This new system replaces the Delivery Partner Panel 3, transforming the way Homes England procures house builders and disposes of land.

Switching to a dynamic purchasing system means that house builders and contractors can now apply to join the agency’s list of preferred developers at any time, rather than having to wait until the list is renewed once every four years.

It marks the biggest DPS of its kind, and, valued at £20bn, and is Homes England’s largest procurement exercise to date.

Previous delivery panel partners including national contractors like Kier, Laing O’Rourke and Mace have dropped out, although they could now apply for inclusion at any time.

The new line-up includes 24 SMEs far more small firm’s than the previous delivery panel.

Homes England delivery partner DPSBDW  TradingJohn Graham ConstructionRowlinson ConstructionsBellway HomesKeepmoat HomesRP Tyson ConstructionBromford Housing GroupKingswood HomesSanctuary Housing AssociationBugler DevelopmentsLindum GroupSeddon ConstructionCastle Green HomesLioncourt HomesSigma HomesClaritas PSP ConsortiaLondon Square PartnersSt Modwen DevelopmentsCountryside PropertiesLonghurst GroupStewart Milne HomesCrest NicholsonLovell PartnershipsStonewood PartnershipsCrossfield LivingMcDermott HomesStory HomesDeeley GroupMcLaren ConstructionStrata HomesDevonshire HomesMercer Building SolutionsTaylor French DevelopmentsDurkanMidas ConstructionTaylor WimpeyEDAROTHMorris HomesTermrim ConstructionEG Carter & CoMulalley & CompanyThirteenENGIE RegenerationMulberry HomesTilia HomesEric Wright GroupMuse DevelopmentsTolent ConstructionEsh ConstructionNorthstone DevelopmentUnited Living (South)Feltham ConstructionOptivoVistry PartnershipsHighwood GroupPersimmon HomesWates ConstructionHill HoldingsPlaces for People GroupWestridge ConstructionJ. Harper & SonsPlatform Housing GroupWiggett ConstructionJessupRobert WoodheadWillmott Dixon Construction

The Delivery Partner DPS will also be available to Homes England’s public sector partners to help them procure a developer or contractor to build homes on sites they own.

Stephen Kinsella, Chief Land and Development Officer at Homes England, said: “This marks a significant step forward in the way we work with developers to build homes.

“We’ve also simplified the application process, so whether you’re a large, nationwide housebuilder, or a small local developer, it will be easier for you to access land you want to build on.

We encourage all housebuilders interested in working with us to monitor our recently updated Land Hub, and apply to join the DPS when they see a site of interest.”

The application process is proportionate, and depends on the size of the sites that a developer wishes to bid for, making it more accessible for smaller developers.

In addition, during the application process house builders can express interest in the locations and types of sites they want to develop.

Homes England has a number of sites that it is planning to issue expressions of interest for via the DPS in the coming months.

This includes a 14-acre site on Homes England’s Northern Arc scheme in Burgess Hill, which will support around 350 homes, 30% of which will be affordable homes. The site will be divided into two or three sub plots, making it particularly suited to SME developers.

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Another site soon to be marketed via the DPS is in Cradley Heath, Dudley. Over the last couple of years Homes England has cleared disused industrial buildings from the site, and it now has outline planning permission for 89 homes.

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Farrans Construction has started work on a 20-storey student accommodation block in Leeds city centre for client Infinity Construction Enterprises.

The development, which will be known as Live Oasis: Strato, will provide 210 studio apartments and is expected to complete in September 2023.

New tower, designed by Rio Architects, is being built on the site of Commerce House on Wade Lane

Cathal Montague, regional director for Farrans Construction, said: “This is an exciting project for Farrans, in one of the most ambitious and energetic cities in the UK at the moment, and it further cements our portfolio in the midlands and north of England.

“We are about to complete a similar multi-storey project in Coventry called Elliott’s Yard, and our client was able to see that we are experienced in delivering technically challenging projects of this nature, in a central location, with a small site footprint and using Modern Methods of Construction.”

Omar Al-Najafi from Infinity Construction Enterprises, said: “We have been operating in Leeds for many years and we know that this part of the city has been evolving from a typically office- based environment to one of high residential demand, particularly from the growing student population.

The development will push the boundaries in terms of the experience students can expect in Leeds.”

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Building services contractor NG Bailey has hired former SES building services director Matthew Towner as regional director for London.

Towner has worked as operations director for the London region of SES Engineering Services for the past three and a half years.

He has also previously held senior operational roles at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services and Lorne Stuart.

Towner said: “I’m excited to be joining the team in London after admiring the work they’ve done on projects such as Wood Wharf and London Bridge Station.”

NG Bailey also appointed Andrew French as director of ICT. He joins after three years as technology and IT director at MWH Treatment.

His role will see him overseeing the continued development and modernisation of the company’s ICT systems and infrastructure to maintain its position as an industry leader.

Hull-based multi-engineering contractor C Spencer Engineering Group has recorded a loss for the fourth year running after revenue plunged 30% to £46m.

The business suffered a £1.7m loss in the year to April 2021 as a result of the pandemic.

But a post year-end contract dispute settlement for £3.8m for unpaid works gave the business a major boost in funds enhancing working capital.

The successful outcome of the legal case believed to be with MW High Tech Projects UK over the Energy Works (Hull) incinerator plant should also release a further £1.25 of cash held as security for bonds on ongoing contracts.

The group entered the new financial year with secured work of £53m and a pipeline of £188m.

Chairman and founder Charlie Spencer said: “While there has been a short term, sharp disruption in activity in 2020 as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, general market activity is expected to remain positive in all sectors with Government’s committed spending in transportation, particularly the rail sector and the enhancement of existing provision of new rail infrastructure and maintenance providing significant future construction opportunities for the group.

“The structural repair, refurbishment and maintenance of bridges also provides a strong future pipeline of opportunities in a sector where the group has earned an excellent reputation for providing innovative access solutions that provide a competitive advantage.”

He added that the group’s subsidiary Slipform Engineering was undertaking concrete core construction for several high-rise projects throughout the UK with the board expecting significant growth as its market presence develops.