Award-winning Midlands contractor McPhillips (Wellington) Ltd has secured a major new contract to deliver a £20m retirement community in Shropshire.
McPhillips will develop land off the A41 in Newport into 61 apartments and 15 bungalows for retirement community specialist, Untold Living.
The project is being led by innovative developer Untold Living, which aims to provide flexible living for older residents, with Newport being one of three communities of its type across the UK.
McPhillips director Chris Walker said: “We are really looking forward to developing this scheme for Untold Living and for Newport.
“There’s a significant benefit for the local community through our directly employed workforce and our established local supply chain. And of course, for the environment too, given we’re only based a few miles up the road.
“This is an exciting new development for Newport, a growing town with a population which is needing more choice for those who are retired or approaching their retirement.
Russell Jewell (CEO) of Untold Living, added: “We’re delighted to award the contract for this build to McPhillips, a local firm with a 60 year history in the area. It’s important to us that Newport and the wider surrounding community sees the benefit of our investment here.
“The Untold Living ethos is about creating retirement communities for the modern retiree enabling people to downsize affordably and with ease.
“There is a real shortage of good quality, smaller housing across this part of the borough and this development will enable those living in Newport to stay in the town but in much more manageable accommodation with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year for those that need it.
“The project will naturally also help to free up larger homes for families looking to upsize or move to the area so it’s a real win on all fronts.”
Construction work is due to start this month on the site which is opposite Mere Park Garden Centre and off Palisade Close, off the A41.
Mr Walker added: “We are in the process of siting a unit near the entrance to the site and we would welcome anyone interested in the scheme to pop by and view the development plans and layout. We will also be able to update on timescales for the construction programme and answer any questions.”
Untold Living, which is backed by a London-based private equity firm, was granted full planning permission for the site earlier this year after it secured a £26.4m loan to support the development.
Untold currently have a 69-unit retirement community in Wiltshire and an in-house CQC registered care business.
McPhillips is one of the Midlands’ biggest construction companies and has delivered more than 140 projects as principal contractor with a value of £300million in the last five years. It recently completed the refurbishment of Telford Fire Station on Stafford Park and employs more than 240 people at its Hortonwood site in Telford.
In this month of October, whilst watching the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, my thoughts immediately turned to the potential risk and impacts on the projects currently being delivered at home in the Midlands. We should never underestimate how quickly international events can impact construction projects locally. Supply chain delivery delays or fuel increase could have a detrimental effect on project programmes and costs.
However, delivering construction projects have always been fraught with risk which is why its so important to ensure your project has a resilient robust project plan. During my years in construction (both private and public sector) I have witnessed projects being delivered efficiently and projects being delivered poorly.
At CEM we believe the key to success or failure of any construction project is the project’s people. The project team can be one of the biggest risks, with human dynamics, team culture and collaboration playing a key central part to success. Adding to the project resilience is the team’s competencies, experience and resource levels.
How often have you seen resource levels squeezed due to cost challenges, both client side, consultancy side and contractors side? Never underestimate the level of resource and the level of experience required in a construction project and the impact of getting this wrong.
This month, I thought I would share some of my key fundamentals for delivering a construction projects, whilst they may seem obvious project requirements, its good to reiterate the importance;
1. If you are undertaking a retrofit refurbishment project, ensure the full condition of the building is known before establishing budget cost and scope, ensure adequate time and budget is allocated to ensure all intrusive and non-intrusive surveys are completed.
2. Ensure the pre-construction consultants have the correct competencies and experience for building type, age and operational usage (e.g. Listed Building, Leisure Centres, Schools, Concert Halls, etc). Its also important to ensure the pre tender information is robust, consistent, comprehensive and articulate. Traditional full design contract verses contractor Design & Build requires different design team competencies.
3. Important to have an ‘Intelligent Client’ with the right resource competences and resource capacity, its easy to underestimate the level of sustained collaboration and commitment required from a client when delivering construction projects.
4. Ensure a fully completed design before starting construction. Its an obvious statement but how often is something missed pre-tender or simply left to resolve once on site? Remember, its difficult to make up lost time once in construction phase.
5. Ensure all the project Risks are fully costed, ensure there are timelines for the Risks together with a detailed mitigation plan.
6. Ensure a robust clear project Governance Structure is in place, with a decision-making process and sign off structure, evidence and monitored.
7. Manage expectations and collaborate with non-construction stakeholders, both internal client structure and externally stakeholders.
Whilst all the above can never guarantee a success project, it will ensure a level of project risk resilience that would enable a stronger team to help better weather any project storms.
The publication of the second and final report into the fire at Grenfell Tower had to be the subject of Martyn Jones’ thought for this month and asking if will we take the insights on board provided by Sir Martin Moore-Bicks searing 1, 694-page report and change? Or as in the case of many previous reports, we read it, feel aghast and then conveniently consign it to the back of our minds?
There are no real surprises in the report, with little that we didn’t already know. Systemic failure from government by undermining regulation and reducing “red tape”; the systematic dishonesty of component and material manufacturers; years of missed opportunities to prevent the disaster by local and central government; the incompetence on display and some cases of downright dishonesty, and blatant corporate greed. All suggesting a moral vacuum at the heart of the long stream of events leading up to the tragedy.
Statements made by two of the Inquiry Panel Members at the launch of the report on the 4th September were particularly insightful and set out some fundamental lessons for us.
First, Thouria Istephan, who spent nearly 30 years as an architect before joining the Grenfell inquiry in 2020, said at the launch of the report, “Our recommendations place new burdens and responsibilities on people and organisations”. She went on, “I make no apologies for that: Put simply, if you work in the construction industry and you do not feel the weight of the responsibility you have for keeping people safe – you are in the wrong job”.
And then, Ali Akbor OBE, who also joined the Inquiry as a Panel Member in 2020, said: “I hope our report acts as a reminder to the clients of future building projects – including social housing providers – that they have a responsibility to the users of their buildings to ensure safety is not sacrificed to the demands of speed and cost”.
Our journey to keeping our building users safer has of course already started with the passing of the Building Safety Act (BSA) and the setting up of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to regulate (HRBs), raise the safety standards of all buildings, and help construction professionals improve their competence.
The BSR is now the Building Control Authority for all higher-risk buildings to strengthen regulatory oversight with building work on HRBs having to pass through a rigorous review process consisting of three gateways.
How is it going?
Well, the BSR is finding it challenging to deal with the number of submissions and there are significant delays to projects as gateway application approvals cannot move to the next stage without passing the previous gateway. Clearly the BSR needs significantly more resource to deal with the volume of applications, especially given the government’s ambitious plans for more building.
There appears to be some inconsistencies too in the delays, with some applications reported as taking months while some being approved more quickly than others. This is a problem as it adds additional uncertainty to construction projects.
The BSR counter this by saying delays in part are down to a significant number of applications not being completed properly with applicants failing to follow their guidance. Dame Judith Hackitt, admits there are capacity issues at the BSR, but maintains that much of the delay is down to poor applications.
She says the BSR has been “surprised by some of the things that they’ve seen, some of the things they’ve been asked to do, and quite frankly, the absolutely appalling quality of some of the applications that they’ve received, which is taking them [the BSR] far longer [to process] than they thought it would”.
Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that of the 808 applications received, as of the middle of September, 40% were invalidated or rejected “as they were either incomplete or failed to demonstrate full compliance with building regulations”.
No wonder the BSR is asking those making submissions to ensure they read and follow the guidance already issued, and to take professional advice where necessary to ensure their applications are of sufficient quality. Clearly two of the objectives of the BSR: to raise the safety standards of all buildings, and help construction professionals improve their competence clearly remain work in progress.
But ensuring safety is not just about regulation. It’s about having a different culture and a set of behaviours, with greater emphasis on thoughtfulness, meticulousness, and working collaboratively within a well-defined process.
Istephan and Akbor’s comments at the launch of the Grenfell report suggest we don’t always place people, and particularly the safety and wellbeing of the end users of our buildings, at the heart of the design and construction process. This despite buildings being built for people.
And here’s another thing, have we lost focus on our real purpose? Yes, of course, we need a profitable industry but have we paid enough attention to doing the right thing first time? Have we sacrificed safety to the demands of speed and cost? Do we spend enough time defining and explaining the purpose behind our decisions, pushing for excellence, and raising the bar?
Then there’s procurement. Selecting the people to work with who are most likely to deliver on the purpose, setting up an operating system where everyone understands how they fit into the bigger
picture, and nurturing a strong sense of belonging and integrity and a shared purpose in doing the right thing.
How Shropshire businesses can win a share of construction work on county projects totalling billions of pounds is the focus of a new event being held next month.
The Meet the Buyer event on October 29 will also explore how companies can increase their chances of winning work through improving the social value they contribute to construction schemes.
Hosted by Shropshire Constructing Excellence, the Constructing Excellence Midlands Shropshire Club, the event is being held at Telford College in Wellington, from 8.30am to 11am.
It will provide opportunities for sub-contractors and supply-chain businesses to meet some of the leading contractors and public sector procurement teams involved in projects such as the regeneration of Shrewsbury’s Riverside area and the flagship Station Quarter development in Telford.
Mark Barrow, chair of Shropshire Constructing Excellence and executive director of place for Shropshire Council, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for construction sector businesses to learn how they can get involved in a pipeline of projects across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
“There will be an expo-style Meet the Buyer event happening throughout the event so attendees can gain a better understanding of timescales, opportunities and the process for bidding for work.
“There will also be talks on the importance of Environmental, Social Governance (ESG) in the construction sector and how businesses can demonstrate good practice and social value, as well as an update on the Building Safety Act.
“This event follows on from the success of the Spring Project Pipeline event and we look forward to welcoming local businesses.”
Key buyers attending the event, which will be free to attend, include Shropshire Council, Telford & Wrekin Council and McPhillips, with more to be announced in the coming days.
Andrew Carpenter, from Constructing Excellence Midlands, will welcome delegates to the event and there will be a chance for those attending to network with other construction professionals.
Telford is the fastest-growing town in the West Midlands, and the Station Quarter is just one of the major infrastructure projects planned for the next decade. Made up of commercial, residential and education space – including a new sixth form for Telford College.
Shropshire Council has a range of projects in the pipeline or already being delivered – these include the transformation of the Riverside area of Shrewsbury, a new roundabout and railway bridge on the A49 at Craven Arms, and town centre improvements and a new skate park for Oswestry.
The Meet the Buyer event is aimed at businesses involved in construction including sub-contractors, residential and commercial property development, retrofit, supply chain, built environment and master planning, low carbon and sustainability, construction skills and training, civil engineering and infrastructure, building and facilities management, material and building design and sector support specialists.
To register for the event, visit https://www.cemidlands.org/event/meet-the-buyer-for-projects-in-shropshire-telford-wrekin/
The Acivico Group are proud to be the lead sponsor at the upcoming Construction Excellence Midlands Construction Summit 2024 on Tuesday 15th October.
Established in 2012, the Birmingham based multi-discipline property consultancy, provide design, project management, FM, and building safety consultancy across the UK.
The Acivico Group has been involved in a number of iconic construction projects in the West Midlands, including the redevelopments of schools, public buildings, listed buildings and key public spaces. Examples include the refurbishment of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the redevelopment of Centenary Square.
Marina Robertson, Group Managing Director at Acivico Group, said:
“We are delighted to be the main sponsors of the CE Midlands Summit this year to enable us to continue the discussion on how the changes to legislation affects our industry. We must continue to work collaboratively to do everything we can to deliver safe, secure and sustainable buildings.
“The past six months has seen a major overhaul of the Building Control system, with significant changes in respect to Building Regulation compliance and Building safety for all of those involved in the design and construction process. Acivico Building Consultancy is proud that we have a high level of expertise with complex and commercial projects and an unusually high number of Registered Building Inspectors capable of dealing with these buildings.
“To complement our existing Building Control service, and the work we are doing alongside the Building Safety Regulator, we are now able to assist those designers and contractors undertaking high risk and complex projects by offering consultancy services in respect of Building Safety at the design stage to assist in demonstrating compliance.
“As Clients, Designers and Contractors have to certify their designs and construction both before commencement and upon completion, engaging with Acivico can greatly benefit the success of your project.”
More information on the Acivico Group can be found at https://acivicogroup.co.uk
The new Government have ambitious plans for housing, infrastructure, and planning reform with construction playing a key role in unlocking growth, solving the housing crisis, improving life and health outcomes, and raising productivity.
Despite our size and importance, we are already struggling to find the new talent and skills we need. And that’s before we factor in the Government’s ambitious plans for growth.
According to the CITB Experian Labour Market Intelligence Report UK for 2024 – 28, around 225,000 new construction workers are needed to fill the demand. While the industry clearly attracts workers, there is much more to do if we are to have the talented workforce we need now and in the future.
Not only are we struggling to recruit people for traditional skills, like bricklaying and carpentry, but also the newer ones such as those relating to AI, building information modelling (BIM), modern methods of construction (MMC), the incorporated use of drones, and other technologies.
This month, Martyn Jones explores some of the reasons for the current skills shortage, how we might attract fresh talent and make better use of the talent we already have.
Recruiting talented people is a competitive business. We are not the only sector fighting to find and retain staff, which is not unusual given almost full employment and over 9 million being economically inactive. However, in construction the problem is particularly acute as labour and skill shortages are far from a new phenomenon.
Why is this? Well, several factors contribute to this perfect storm and have been well rehearsed. Here are some. Older workers retire and are not replaced at the same rate by younger employees. The pandemic led many workers to reassess their personal situations and pursue different careers or retire early because of health issues. And the cost and complexity of employing migrant workers having skyrocketed post-Brexit.
There are also widely-held misperceptions about working in construction, such as it involves only dirty and dangerous manual labour, has limited career opportunities, and lacks diversity, with research finding, for example, only 9% of women would consider a job in construction.
So, what are the solutions? Here are a few strategies construction companies could adopt to navigate this challenging labour market and recruit and retain employees.
At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, we need to improve recruitment methods so that we enlist enough people to replace those leaving each year as well as meeting future growth demand. For this we need a joined-up approach by the various stakeholders – Government, industry, and education.
A collaborative effort is needed to smash the current stereotypes and persuade young people to consider the positive aspects of a career in the built environment.
We need to collaborate and work on developing the skill sets needed not for just now but for the future – including BIM, MMC, robotics, materials innovation, green technology, retrofitting, data expertise, smart cities and more.
But overarching these practical steps we need to convey the exciting challenges that lie ahead in construction, the social and economic value we add such as providing good quality homes for everyone and achieving net zero.
We need to expand our recruitment campaigns to reach a wider demographic – only 13% of the current workforce is female (and only 1% of those are working in operational roles) and follow through with a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination.
Then there’s tapping into the talent and diversity of our existing workforce. Training and retraining people in the skills needed for current jobs but also those to take advantage of future opportunities through productivity improvements and meeting net zero targets.
How about restructuring our traditional operating system, adopting procurement strategies to facilitate creativity, and integrating and streamlining the design, manufacturing, and construction process to make better use of the talent we already have?
We need to confront our unenviable long-hours culture with the often-pervading view: “it’s what you sign up for”, and anyone working less than full-time is less committed. This means shifting away from a culture of working longer to working smarter. The pilots on flexible working, trialled in 2021, included a range of adjustments to working practices, and received hugely positive qualitative feedback from workers and supervisors.
We need to be less hesitant in overcoming the barriers to the new technologies such as digital tools, simulation, AI, and 3D Printing that make the job of construction professionals not only easier and more rewarding but much more exciting for the more tech-savvy and digitally empowered Generation Z.
Then there’s reaching out beyond Z to Generation Alpha. Their aspirations are difficult to describe because they are still being born! But they are projected to look for these features in their careers – a strong emphasis on purpose-driven work and social impact. Roles that that align with their values and allow them to make a positive difference in the world. Collaborative working that fosters creativity, innovation, and cross-cultural communication.
Last, but by no means least, there is the role that enlightened clients can play. Refraining from setting often unrealistic programmes and budgets. Resisting immediate operational imperatives (time and cost) overpowering more innovative approaches to improving working practices and wellbeing, however good leaders’ intentions may be down the supply chain.
Biochar is a sustainable form of charcoal which offers a wide range of commercial and environmental applications and benefits to the construction industry.
Constructing Excellence member, the Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University has, in conjunction with its industrial partners, developed a range of innovative technology that thermally transforms a wide range of organic residues and waste, such as tree prunings, agricultural straw, food production wastes and even dried chicken manure into valuable products including biochar, liquids, heat and gases.
Carbon-rich biochar offers a wide variety of benefits and uses in both rural and urban environments. With its porous structure, it adsorbs and holds gases, odours, organic nutrients, and environmental contaminants. It offers many applications to the construction industry including:
· Asphalt and soil stabilisation for roads.
· Building materials including composites, concrete, plaster, ceramics, and insulation materials.
· Landscaping including soil improvement, tree health, green roofs and walls.
· Water treatment, filtration and air purification
· Carbon credits
EBRI is interested in hearing from organisations in the construction industry that produce large amounts of organic waste and residues e.g. wood chippings and sawdust, or from companies requiring industrial heat to transform material into useful products. Similarly, if you are a large producer of composites, ceramics of 3D printed products they would love to talk to you. The EBRI team can be reached by emailing biochar@aston.ac.uk, calling 0121 204 3383 or visiting www.bioenergy-for-business.org
Webinar
EBRI will be hosting a webinar in conjunction with Constructing Excellence about biochar and how it can benefit the construction industry.
Biochar – A Sustainable, Multi-Purpose Material For The Construction Industry
13 September 2024, 12pm-1pm
Register here https://hub.leadersmeets.com/cws-13-Sep-24
Exciting Times for CE East Midlands Club!
The past couple of weeks have been truly remarkable for the CE East Midlands Club. We hosted our first-ever CEEM Summer Party and Presentation Afternoon, which was a resounding success.
We were privileged to hear insightful presentations from Lee Barnes, who emphasized the crucial role of collaboration in business, and Marc Preite, who shared his experiences with the Confetti development in Nottingham, including the nerve-wracking challenges it presented.
Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re in the process of establishing a Derby Team, with a launch event on the horizon—stay tuned for more details!
We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Glenn Slater, who has recently stepped down as Vice Chair of CE East Midlands. Glenn, your tireless dedication to the club has been invaluable.
If you’re interested in joining the committee or stepping into the role of Vice Chair, we’d love to hear from you!
Excitement filled the air as the G4C Constructing Women Committee proudly donned their pink hi-vis vests a few weeks ago at The Canalhouse for the inaugural G4C Constructing Women event in Nottingham. This dynamic group is dedicated to empowering young women who started their careers in construction and built environment industries and those who are considering a career in the construction industry, whether they’re from college or university.
The first event was a resounding success, drawing a diverse crowd of women from various sectors across the industry. With plenty of discussions and interest in future events from the attendees there is plenty of ideas for the future that would combine social and informative sessions with the hope to grow the group and offer a wider support within the industry!
It’s also our hope to open discussions about women in construction and their experiences to the wider group to further bring attention and awareness to some of the current struggles still experienced by women in the industry and brainstorm possible ideas on what can be done to support and change the industry for the better!