£21m SEND school reaches construction milestone
The delivery of a new 230-place school in Tiffield, Northamptonshire, has reached a significant milestone. Following the demolition and clearance of the site, which took place this spring, the steelwork for the school is now complete.
Being built on St Johns Road, on the former St Johns Centre site, the construction project is being led by national contractor Willmott Dixon for West Northamptonshire Council, Greenwood Academies Trust and the Department for Education. The new school will provide additional special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) spaces in the local community.
Set to complete in Summer 2025, the specialist school will improve access to education and increase the support available to families. Pupils aged four to 18 years old will benefit from a variety of facilities including specialist teaching spaces, a soft playroom, a sensory room and a rebound therapy room.
A playground, outdoor soft and hard play areas, and staff and visitor car parking are also included within the plans. A drop-off area and additional queuing space will also be available, making drop-off and collection easier for pupils and parents. Due to the rural landscape surrounding the school, landscaping has been prioritised on the 20,217sqm site to ensure the school blends in with the surrounding area.
Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “Our record of delivering SEND schools within the East Midlands is something we take great pride in. We approach each project with the unique needs of the local community, students and staff in mind, and look forward to delivering a school that meets these requirements.
“We are embedding a range of sustainable elements in this project to help futureproof the school and make it energy efficient. The school will be powered by photovoltaics (PVs) and utilise air source heat pumps, aligning with our continual commitment to sustainability.”
Cllr Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Childrens, Families, Education and Skills at WNC, said: “It is great news that the main construction work has started to deliver a new special school for children and young people with SEND, and their families.
“We know there is a shortfall of placements in West Northants and that demand is continuing to increase, so this is very much needed. The new facility will offer high-quality education and learning facilities in a positive environment.
“Once the school opens it will help us to manage the demand we are seeing for placements as we continue on our improvement journey. The team involved will continue to work closely with all partners and stakeholders to ensure all are kept up to date and informed on progress.”
Joining Willmott Dixon on the project team are Associated Architects, Hexa Consulting, JEH Planning, Ares Landscape Architects and SVM Building Services Design.
Loughborough communications consultancy expands
1284 Communications has moved into larger office space in Loughborough as the PR consultancy continues to grow.
The team moved into a new building on the Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park campus in August.
After operating from the LUinc. workspace in the Holywell Building since launch, 1284 now has larger space at the nearby Advanced Technology and Innovation Centre (ATIC).
The move will provide a solid foundation for the ongoing expansion and investment in 1284.
Managing Director George Oliver said: “1284 had a good year of growth last year and maintained that momentum into 2024-25.
“It got us thinking about where we are going next – in July we celebrated four years of 1284 and the time felt right to make the move.
“We were keen to stay on the LUSEP site and ATIC is a great fit for us and the work we do in the innovation space.”
The office move coincides with the expansion of the 1284 team. Lauren Cropper started as 1284’s new Account Executive in the same week as the switch to ATIC.
Work starts on new Belper health centre
Contractor Henry Brothers Construction and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust have jointly held a turf-cutting ceremony to mark the start of work getting under way on site for a new Belper health centre.
The event marks a key stage in the development of the new £15m hub for community health services in the Derbyshire town.
It was attended by representatives from Henry Brothers and the Trust, including Trust chief executive Tracy Allen, who carried out the honours.
She said: “Back in 2017 we first started talking publicly about the need for new community health facilities for Belper and it’s been a long and eventful seven years to reach this point, involving several changes of plan and a pandemic which put everything on hold.
“So, to be able to put the first ceremonial spade in the ground to start construction is a really fantastic moment. It’s a tribute to the many people who have helped us reach this point.
“I can’t wait to see the architect’s plans come off the page as the building takes shape and becomes a purpose-designed environment for local people to receive a range of community health services for years to come.”
The modern facilities – designed to have high environmental credentials to ensure long-term sustainability – are being built on the site of the former Belper Clinic, as part of the Babington Hospital site on Derby Road, Belper.
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust recently commissioned Midlands-based contractor Henry Brothers to deliver the new building over a planned construction phase of 66 weeks. It is being delivered through the Pagabo Major Works Framework.
John Sowter, design and planning director at Henry Brothers Construction, said: “We are very pleased to have started work on site, marking a key milestone in the mission to provide new, state-of-the-art community health services in Belper.
“It was an honour to host members of the Trust who have been pivotal in developing this scheme to an official turf-cutting ceremony and we are looking forward to delivering these new NHS facilities for the community of Belper.”
The new health centre will include environmentally sustainable features such as photo-voltaic panels on the roof to harness the power of the sun, with pledges to use local and recycled material from demolished buildings in the build where possible, along with timber from certified sources. It is being built to BREEAM excellent standards to ensure long-term sustainability.
The health hub will feature 15 consulting rooms, six treatment rooms, a health education group room and other facilities, and will provide a range of services including community nursing, midwifery clinics, podiatry services, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, continence advisory service, wound care and phlebotomy.
Designed by architects Race Cottam Associates, it will accommodate all existing outpatient and clinical services provided at Babington Hospital. Other members of the construction team alongside Henry Brothers include project manager Capita, civil and structural engineer Eastwood Consulting Engineers, and mechanical and electrical engineers EP Consulting.
New Nottingham student accommodation scheme gets green light
Plans for a new Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) scheme in Nottingham, at 2 Queens Road, have been approved.
The application, by CMPG on behalf of Zen Nottingham, involves a building reaching up to six and nine storeys. The scheme would comprise 31 studios and 50 cluster beds. The cluster beds would be provided as 10 five bed cluster flats.
On the ground floor, communal space, a laundry room, plant rooms, and bin store are planned. To the eastern side of the building a service yard is proposed which would include
temporary parking spaces for loading and unloading, as well as a cycle store.
A patio area would be provided to the rear of the site and an outdoor roof terrace is also proposed.
Currently, the application site is partially occupied by a vacant, two-storey building which was originally a cinema auditorium.
Planning permission was previously granted for the erection of a nine and six storey building to provide 39 apartments and two ancillary commercial units at the site. The new PBSA scheme is largely the same, but now proposes student accommodation in place of apartments and removes the ground floor commercial units.
Superior Wellness expands sales team
Chesterfield-based Superior Wellness has appointed Magda Paradell as International Sales Manager. She joins them with over 15 years’ experience in the wellness sector.
Magda’s previous role was Export Area Manager at Aquavia Spa (one of Europe’s largest spa manufacturers) where she spent almost 16 years.
Magda spent 7 years as back office and customer service before moving in sales where she was Export Area Manager for 8 years. She specialised in B2B sales of hot tubs in a wide number of European markets including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and Italy. She holds a Tourism degree by the University of Manresa, and a Sales and Marketing Master by EAE Business School of Barcelona.
Gareth Ward, Global Sales Director, said: “Our sales team is growing rapidly to support the growth of the company. I am thrilled that Magda has joined the European Sales team.
“Her experience will be invaluable, she’s an outstanding addition to our existing team and I am looking forward to working closely with her.”
Magda Paradell said: “It is with great pleasure I join the Superior Wellness team. This is a global company in a state of continuous evolution, boasting significant production capacity and an extensive array of highly competitive products.
“In addition to its offerings in the spa sector, the company is diversifying into other related products within the wellness industry. I see this as a remarkable opportunity to pursue professional challenges and to contribute meaningfully to the growth of the organisation.”
New licensee leads £310,000 refurb of Dronfield Woodhouse pub
Dronfield Woodhouse pub The Miners Arms has closed for a £310,000 refurbishment.
It’s being carried out by Heineken-owned Star Pubs and new licensee Jon Church, who comes from Meadowhead and has worked in pubs around Derbyshire and South Yorkshire for the past 20 years.
The Miners Arms is Jon’s first pub of his own. He said: “I’ve searched for 18 months for the right pub, visiting around 40 in person and looking at many more online. It’s fantastic to have found the ideal place just a few miles from home. When I pulled up outside The Miners Arms, I knew it was ‘the one’. It’s in a bit of a state now but the investment will transform it. I want it to be a proper pub that serves the needs of the whole community.”
Jon wants to ensure The Miners Arms “has something for everyone” and, as well as great food and drink, a whole programme of activities is planned including a weekly quiz, music from local artists and events for special occasions like Halloween and Christmas. In the offing for next summer are barbecues, a cask ale festival and family fun days. The pub will also have Sky and TNT Sports and screen major sporting fixtures.
Says Chris Carratt, area manager for Star Pubs: “Jon has extensive experience in hospitality across the region and, having been brought up in the area, knows just what The Miners Arms needs to thrive for the long term. From great food to excellent beer and varied activities, there’ll be lots of reasons to visit for local residents and those from further afield alike.”
The Miners Arms – which has an old stable in the rear garden – is thought to be named after the miners who worked in the local lead mine. Unable to discover much about the pub’s history, Jon is keen to hear from anyone who knows about its past or has pictures of The Miners Arms in bygone days.
Nominate the region’s Most Active Estate Agents for the prestigious East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024
Property and construction leaders from across the region will descend on Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on Thursday 3rd October for East Midlands Business Link’s Bricks Awards.
The prestigious annual event recognises development projects and people in commercial and public building across the East Midlands – from office, industrial and residential schemes, through to community projects such as leisure schemes and schools. We also showcase the work of architects, agencies and those behind large schemes.
With nominations open until Thursday 5th September, and 10 categories available to enter, ensure to take this opportunity to shine a light on your projects and team, reward their hard work, and boost morale.
One of this year’s categories is Most Active Estate Agent, sponsored by Roy Geddes Bricks (RGB), which can be entered here.
The winner of this category will be the Estate Agents who has had the biggest impact on the commercial property sector over the last 12 months, whether that be in deals done, quality of any given deal, or excellent customer service.
Last year the award was won by FHP, with BB&J Commercial and Mather Jamie runners up.
Upon winning, Amy Howard, surveyor at FHP, said: “It’s certainly a more difficult market we are facing now so it’s great to continue the activeness in Nottingham, Leicester and East Midlands and continue to push take-up.”
Winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 3rd October, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground (4:30pm – 7:30pm) – an evening also offering an opportunity to establish new connections with property and construction professionals from across the region, and hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby.
Other award categories open for entry include: Commercial Development of the Year, Contractor of the Year, Responsible Business of the Year, Residential Development of the Year, Developer of the Year, Deal of the Year, Architects of the Year, Excellence in Design, and Sustainable Development of the Year. All entry forms can be accessed here.
The Overall Winner award will also be presented at the event. This award cannot be entered, with the winner selected from those nominated for the event’s other awards. The Overall Winner of the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 will also receive a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000.
Submit your nominations for Most Active Estate Agent here before entries close on Thursday 5th September.
Winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 3rd October, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground (4:30pm – 7:30pm) – an evening also offering an opportunity to establish new connections with property and construction professionals from across the region, and hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby.
Other award categories open for entry include: Commercial Development of the Year, Contractor of the Year, Responsible Business of the Year, Residential Development of the Year, Developer of the Year, Deal of the Year, Architects of the Year, Excellence in Design, and Sustainable Development of the Year. All entry forms can be accessed here.
The Overall Winner award will also be presented at the event. This award cannot be entered, with the winner selected from those nominated for the event’s other awards. The Overall Winner of the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 will also receive a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000.
Book your tickets now
Tickets can now be booked for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 – click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on Thursday 3rd October 2024 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.
Connect with local decision makers over nibbles and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region, and hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby, partner at Geldards LLP, chair of the Advisory Board to Nottingham Business School, chair of Broadway independent cinema, trustee of Clean Rivers Trust, chair of Nottingham Partners, board member of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, and former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
Dress code is standard business attire.
Thanks to our sponsors:
To be held at:
MTMS hits the gold standard as it goes beyond the call of duty to support the UK’s armed forces
Specialist rail depot maintenance firm MTMS has been recognised for going beyond the call of duty to support the country’s armed forces by being awarded the highest accolade in a national employers’ scheme.
The company, based in Moira, Leicestershire, is one of nearly 200 that have been given the gold award in the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme this year.
The announcement is the culmination of a years-long initiative at MTMS to support former and serving personnel, as well as supporting local army, sea and air cadets.
It specifically targets former service personnel when recruiting and currently gives 15 days’ paid leave for any reservists working at the firm, six days’ paid leave for cadet force adult volunteers and two days’ leave for any spouses of serving personnel.
Its group chairman, Malcolm Prentice, has also become a familiar face at local cadet corps, including the local 1211 Squadron RAF Cadets in Swadlincote, to hand over hundreds of pounds a time to support its activities.
He has also helped Derbyshire Army Cadet Force and Chesterfield Sea Cadets, as well as the TS Osborne sea cadets, in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, where he has other community commitments.
MTMS picked up its silver award three years ago and has made the step up to gold following the recruitment of its strategic lead, Bruce Spencer, who is himself ex-military.
Bruce spent most of his working career in the Army, having served with the Worcester and Sherwood Foresters in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia.
He joined the Adjutant General’s Corps in the 90s, where one of his roles was that of military attaché in Kathmandu, Nepal.
During his time at MTMS he has organised various events and activities related to its work with former and ex-military personnel and says the firm’s receipt of a gold award, which followed having previously earned the silver and bronze awards, was long overdue.
He said: “MTMS’s commitment to helping the military community has been gold standard for years, whether that’s employing former military personnel, giving them time for military duties or helping to fund activities for the servicemen and women of the future.
“As someone who served with the Army, I understand what a difference that level of commitment makes, especially to someone who has just left the forces and needs to take a job in civilian life, which can feel like very unfamiliar territory.
“There are a host of advantages to employing former military personnel and MTMS has benefitted from that over the years, while also actively encouraging other companies to sign up for the covenant and support the armed forces as well.”
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme was launched in 2013 and 1,000 firms across the country have previously joined the ranks of its gold award winners, including Marks & Spencer Plc, Motorola Solutions UK Ltd and Toyota Manufacturing UK.
This year’s recipients include construction equipment manufacturers Caterpillar BCP and the East Midlands Ambulance Service, Google and B&Q.
Malcolm Prentice, group chairman of MTMS, said: “We’re incredibly proud to achieve our gold award, which means we now stand in line with some of the country’s biggest and best-known companies to ensure our cadets, reservists and veterans are embraced for the future, present and past.
“It is a huge endorsement of the work we put in, both at our HQ and out in the community, to support our armed forces, whether they are currently with the forces or used to serve – or will even serve their country in the future.
“Whichever of this applies to them, as a British company we feel that it’s important to support them. They’re willing to put themselves in positions we would find unthinkable in order to keep us safe, so it’s only right that we show our gratitude in return.”
Business wins food waste recycling tender with Lincolnshire County Council
BioteCH4 has secured a new contract with Lincolnshire County Council to recycle food waste from all districts within Lincolnshire.
BioteCH4, the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) operator, handled over 600,000 tonnes of food waste in 2023, producing power equivalent to the electricity used by over 30,000 homes for an entire year.
When food waste is disposed via Energy from Waste, the energy and nutrient benefits are not fully harnessed. By separately collecting food waste and recycling it through AD, these greenhouse gases are captured and converted into biogas and renewable energy, which is then injected into the national grid and the digestate by-product is recycled to land to help grow more food.
Following confirmation that all Councils must provide a weekly food waste collection from March 2026, Lincolnshire County Council has moved quickly, securing an in-county solution with BioteCH4 which will see up to 50,000 tonnes of food waste captured annually from homes and businesses across the county.
Starting in Autumn 2025, BioteCH4 will collect the food waste daily from a network of six transfer stations throughout the county for up to 9 years. BioteCH4 will use its experience to collaborate closely with the councils as they implement these food waste collections for the first time, ensuring a smooth rollout of services and maximising the amount of food waste recycled across the county.
Pamela Woolcock, Group Public Sector Lead for BioteCH4, said: “Although the Simpler Recycling journey has been long, we are nearing the finish line. We are thrilled to now be partnered with Lincolnshire County Council with a year to work on perfecting the implementation plans before we kick-off in September 2025.
“We’re delighted Lincolnshire have taken the step of introducing their food waste collections so soon and we’d urge other local authorities currently looking at their procurement to speak to operators and get the ball rolling as soon as is feasible. We’d welcome any questions, and our sites are open for visits to meet our team of experts.”
Chris Yorston, acting head of waste at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Having secured our treatment solution, we can now focus – with our district council partners and BioteCH4 – on designing, procuring, and implementing the other elements of our food waste collection service. We are looking forward to bringing all our knowledge and experience together to bring food waste recycling to households across the county.”
Chesterfield asbestos expert to deliver lecture in Colombia
The United Kingdom Asbestos Training Association is to take the message about the dangers of asbestos to a conference in the Colombian city of Bogotá next week.
UKATA Director Adam Harding will deliver a presentation on “Asbestos Identification in the Workplace and in the Home” aimed at raising awareness of the risks associated with asbestos, he will share his knowledge and lessons learnt from the asbestos ban in the UK .
The conference will give Colombians the opportunity to learn from other countries on how to implement asbestos awareness campaigns among the general population, after the implementation of the Ana Cecilia Niño Law, named after a campaigner whose work led to the banning of asbestos in the country.
Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, and the legislation that banned all forms of asbestos in the UK is a model of how comprehensive and enforceable laws are crucial to effectively manage and mitigate asbestos risks. Dealing with the legacy of asbestos, in older buildings requires ongoing awareness and training.
The Events & Marketing Manager of Markham Vale-based UKATA Victoria Castelluccio said: “we look forward to contributing to this international event, working with key stakeholders to highlight the dangers of asbestos and continuing our efforts to forge relationships with likeminded organisations worldwide.”
