Malaysian developer EcoWorld London and housing association Poplar HARCA have submitted revised plans for the next phase of the 20-year long Aberfeldy estate redevelopment in East London.

The next phase of the Tower Hamlets scheme, Aberfeldy West, will see 1,600 homes built, alongside up to 25,500 sq ft of new retail space and up to 29,100 sq ft of new offices.

The developers are seeking detailed permission for Phase A and outline permission for the rest of the masterplan site in Poplar.

Subject to planning consent, it is hoped that the next phase of works at Aberfeldy Street and Blairgowie House can start on site in late 2022/early 2023.

Phase A will deliver new homes on Aberfeldy Street, at Blairgowrie Court and on Lochnagar Street.

The following phases will be delivered in stages between 2026 and 2032.

At the heart of the plans to improve connectivity across Poplar are the proposals to transform the existing Abbott Road underpass into Highland Place.

The expanded development plan will also see new public realm, including a public park, Highland Park, and a new town square at the end of Aberfeldy Street.

Connections will be created across the A12 to improve links to Poplar and Newham.

The new masterplan is being designed by architects, Levitt Bernstein, working alongside a design team comprising of Morris+Company, LDA Design and ZCD Architects.

The new masterplan is an extension of the previously approved Aberfeldy Village Masterplan, which received outline planning consent in 2012.

Phases 1, 2 and 3a have been completed on site and are now occupied.

Phase 3b is currently on site and is due for completion within the next year, by which time the project will have delivered 901 homes of all tenures alongside a residents’ gym and lounge, a 75,350 sq ft public park, a new community centre and public art created in collaboration with the community.

Heng Leong Cheong, Chief Executive at EcoWorld London said: “We are proud of the positive change we have already delivered at Aberfeldy Village and this new masterplan will build on the success of our decade-long partnership with Poplar Harca.

“We are very grateful to have received such strong support from the community for our plans to deliver new homes, community facilities, a revitalised commercial centre and green spaces in Poplar.

“We look forward working together with them, Poplar Harca, LB Tower Hamlets, the GLA and TfL to make this exciting and ambitious masterplan a reality.”

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Developer Landsec has today announced plans to invest £135m on its existing estate of buildings to drive its transition to net zero.

The fund will be used to finance a series of initiatives over the coming nine years to reduce Landsec’s carbon footprint and drive innovation and best practice across the wider industry.

This will involve retrofitting more solar PV, and replacing boilers with air source heat pumps and upgrading building management systems.

Its investment equates to around 1% of portfolio value and will enable the developer to stay ahead of the future non-domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) which require an EPC ‘B’ certification by 2030 as well as other regulatory requirements. 

Alongside this investment, Landsec remains committed to designing and building net-zero buildings with The Forge, its first net zero building, on track to complete in October next year having achieved to date a 25% reduction in embodied carbon from the initial design stage.

It is expected Landsec’s overall programme will see 24,000 tonnes of carbon emissions removed from Landsec’s operations – equivalent to over 35,000 return flights from London to New York.

Landsec’s decarbonisation plan

Optimising building management systems, using innovative Artificial Intelligence technologiesEngaging customers on energy efficiency to drive down consumptionReplacing gas-fired boilers with electric systems such as Air Source Heat Pumps.Investing in renewable energy including adding onsite renewable capacity through more solar PV panels

Mark Allan, Landsec CEO said: “Our net zero transition investment plan is a significant commitment to ensure that Landsec delivers against its science-based target to reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2030.

“We’re investing across our entire estate because we want to remain at the forefront of everything the property sector is doing to respond to the climate crisis.

“Through these actions, we’ll be supporting the current and future needs of our customers, communities and stakeholders as we help them transition to a low carbon world.”

The built environment is estimated to represent 40% of total carbon emissions globally.

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Willmott Dixon has been selected by West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service to deliver a £21m fire service training centre and fire station.

It’s the latest in a series of ‘blue-light’ projects for Willmott Dixon and follows the handover last month of a new HQ for Merseyside Police in the centre of Liverpool.

The scheme in Horsham at a site off the A24 at Highwood Mill was procured using the SCF framework for on behalf of West Sussex County Council.

Russell Miller, director at Willmott Dixon’s Crawley office, said key features of the project included a combined training tower and breathing apparatus facility, and a realistic live-fire training area.

The high-tech premises will also include accommodation for new recruit training, an incident command training facility, realistic road traffic collision training area and rooms for digital simulations.

New facility will use renewable energy sources such as solar panels and air source heat pumps to provide heating, as well as electric vehicle charging points

Chief Fire Officer, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, said: “This is a fantastic commitment from the county council to the training and development of all of our staff, and one which is going to have an incredible impact upon our service. I cannot wait for work to begin to turn these plans into a fully functional fire station and training centre.”

Levelling up and housing secretary Michael Gove has thrown out plans to build the Tulip tower in the city of London.

The surprise decision ends a long-running saga of contradictory decisions on the fate of the planned tourist attraction which was backed by the City of London Corporation two years ago.

Gove dismissed an appeal lodged by developer Bury Street Properties against the mayor of London’s decision to refuse planning for the Foster-designed tower.

Nicknamed the Tulip because of its distinctive design, the 305m tall tower would have been the second-tallest skyscraper in western Europe.

A bud-like viewing platform with rotating pods, a restaurant and a sky bar were planned at its top. There was also to be an entire floor dedicated to education facilities during school hours.

The planning inspector’s report published on Thursday, determined the design would cause considerable harm to views of the Tower of London and various surrounding churches.

The inspector also argued that the extensive measures that would be taken to minimise carbon emissions during construction would not outweigh the highly unsustainable concept of using vast quantities of reinforced concrete for the foundations and lift shaft to transport visitors to as high a level as possible to enjoy a view.

The report states: “The Secretary of State has carefully considered the inspector’s assessment.

“He has concluded that the heritage balance is firmly against the proposal.

“Overall, the Secretary of State considers that the material considerations in this case indicate a decision in line with the development plan – i.e. a refusal of permission.”

The scheme’s backers now have six weeks to consider a challenge to the decison in the High Court.

Developer Torus has won planning permission to build 185 apartments and 10 townhouses adjacent to Liverpool’s historic Stanley Dock complex.

Torus will now choose a builder from its contractor framework for the £30m Lightbody Street redevelopment where construction is due to start next Spring.

The contractors in the running for the scheme are Seddon, Anwyl Construction, Lovell Partnerships, Caddick Construction, Eric Wright and Vistry Partnerships North West.

Work will completely transform the vacant former industrial site on Lightbody Street and bring a mix of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments, townhouses and commercial space to the iconic location, at the start of the Leeds to Liverpool canal.

Managing Director of Torus Developments, Chris Bowen said: “We’re incredibly excited to receive planning for the Lightbody Street scheme and create homes that will further add to the unique history and landscape of the city.

“This development will completely transform the area and help create a thriving community everyone can enjoy – from residents to local businesses and even tourists – Lightbody will have an incredibly positive impact on the city at large.”

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Piling contractor Cementation Skanska is switching all its plant fleet, including piling rigs, to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in the New Year.

The decision follows a successful trial using the green bio-fuel on a Liebherr LB36 piling rig with an 390kW engine, the largest engine to ever trial the use of HVO.

The trial, carried out in collaboration with HS2 and the Skanska Costain Strabag JV, collected data measurements with the engine running on diesel and then the engine running on HVO fuel alone.

The data, verified by Brighton University, revealed that CO was reduced by 57%, NOx was reduced by 38% and PM reduced by 36% during the normal operations.

Terry Muckian, Cementation Skanska Managing Director, said: “The use of HVO on a piling rig of this size had not been tried in the UK before due to concerns over potential damage to the engine.

“Following this successful trial, we can confidently take this next step forward and demonstrate our credentials in green leadership to significantly reduce emissions associated with our plant.

“This move comes after Skanska mandated the use of HVO fuel to power all site plant and equipment and to act on our pledge to become Net-Zero Carbon by 2045.”

Use of Green D+ will lead to significant carbon savings compared to red diesel. Supplied by Green Biofuels, it is certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Scheme and exclusively generated from waste or secondary renewable sources.

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BAM has become the first contractor to take up a fledgling pallet reuse scheme aiming for dramatic cuts to industry timber waste.

The Pallet Loop scheme involves using more robust distinctive green pallets that its operators recover, repair and reuse.

Widespread adoption of The Pallet LOOP across construction could achieve 40% less CO2 emissions and a 75% reduction in timber usage, compared to current pallet use.

Other firms looking at the scheme include Careys, Morgan Sindall and Willmott Dixon.

Founded by some of the biggest names in the pallet industry, The Pallet LOOP could transform the way building materials move throughout the industry supply chain as they are returned to manufacturers and distributors to complete the loop.

BAM’s Head of Procurement, Dan Billinge, said the firm has been trialling the green pallet scheme at some of its sites.

“The critical success factor here is the collaboration of the whole supply chain. Over 95% of the pallets coming onto our sites are for materials purchased by a subcontractor and we need them to be on board as well as the suppliers and manufacturers so it’s ‘call of action’ from us to them.”

How scheme works

The green Loop pallets are stronger than existing designs. They are distributed to manufacturers, who transport products on them to construction sites after paying a deposit per pallet.

As pallets move through the supply chain, the deposit passes from manufacturer to merchant to end-user. After being stacked and stored The Pallet LOOP collects them, reducing site clutter and returns deposits. It then repairs and recirculates them.

Some 18 million pallets are manufactured for the UK construction industry and estimates suggest less than 10% are currently reused; yet pallets form up to 10% of construction waste.

Creating industry pallets requires an estimated 6,000 acres of forestry to be harvested every year, with a further 236,000 acres grown to cater for future demand.

Paul Lewis, Founder of The Pallet LOOP, said: “We aim to sustainably manage and reduce the cost of pallets for our customers – making palletised logistics greener and leaner.

“At present, the vast majority of pallets circulating in the sector are designed for single use.

“The current industry specification for pallets works on the assumption that they will be scrapped or skipped once they reach their final destination.

“We’re turning this outdated, inefficient and linear practice on its head. In a step-change for the sector, we’ve developed a range of standardised pallets, engineered to last and to be used again and again.”

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Graham has signed a £38m deal with Manchester developer Panacea Property Development for a built to rent tower block that will form the final phase of the Well Meadow regeneration project in Sheffield.

Funded by rental homes specialist Grainger, the scheme will provide 284 studio, one, and two-bedroom apartments across two residential buildings designed for the build to rent market in the Well Meadow Conservation Area in Sheffield City Centre.

Peter Reavey, Regional Director at Graham said: “We’re proud to be working again with Panacea Property Development following our successful development of the Copper House – Liverpool in February 2021.

“We are also excited to be working with Grainger, which is delivering hundreds of homes for rent in one of the UK’s most thriving cities.

“Sheffield is undergoing a period of regeneration and the provision of high quality housing remains a priority.”

The project is expected to complete by summer 2023.

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Inland Homes has agreed to sell the final phase of its Carters Quay development in Poole to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

The deal will see Inland Partnerships build the new homes on the council’s behalf. The site is ready for construction and piling works are set to start in April 2022 with work set to be completed by the end of 2024.

Inland Homes acquired the brownfield site – formerly a Pilkington Tile Factory – and worked with the local council on a long-term basis to regenerate the area. Inland Homes has alreasy completed three phases of the development which have provided 165 homes.

The last phase will contain 161 new homes and 8,000 square feet of commercial space.

Inland Chief Executive Stephen Wicks said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with BCP Council to deliver the final 161 homes at Carters Quay. We have already built a collaborative and productive relationship with BCP, who shared our vision for the regeneration of Carters Quay from the outset.

“The Group’s partnership housing division is growing from strength to strength with a forward order book now in excess of £200m. Our partners recognise the Group’s ability to add value across all stages of the project and this latest contract is testament to that.”

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Bowmer & Kirkland has bagged the job to build Nottingham Trent University’s School of Art and Design with a £20.4m bid.

Work will start early next year on the nine-storey block to be located on Shakespear Street in the city centre.

The planned building designed by architect Hawkins Brown, will provide a variety of workspaces for designing and making, collaboration areas, specialist studios and labs.

The building has been designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and DEC ‘A’ rating.

Design decisions, such as the use of post-tensioned concrete slabs and ceramic cladding, have helped to reduce their carbon impact using Hawkins\Brown’s self-developed, open-source H\B:ERT software.

Nottingham School of Art and Design project team

Architect: Hawkins Brown

Structural & Civil Engineer: Mott Macdonald

MEP engineer: Waterman

Carbon consultant: Hawkins Brown

Project Manager: Turner & Townsend

Cost consultant: Turner & Townsend

Fire Engineer: Arup

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