The Resolute Group Ltd

If a 1.5 sqm temp repair costs £129 and lasts 6 months, over 4 years it will cost £1,032 to maintain. The same repair doubled in size to 3 sqm with a permanent waterproof layer of rubberised Elastomac over the top costs just £120 and lasts at least 4 years. This simple change in process is saving Local Authorities millions of pounds a year across the UK. It also lowers the carbon footprint of repairs by over 80%. The moral of the story. Don’t just patch it. Elastomac it. ♻️⚠️✅ #elastomac #potholes #roadmender #pavementpreservation #masticasphalt

Mace has secured the job to upgrade and expand the University of East Anglia’s celebrated brutalist grade II-listed Lasdun building at its Norwich campus worth £88m. The firm has secured the first phase of the prestigious revamp with an £88m bid, beating rival VINCI. Built in the 1960s, the teaching and science building, later called the ‘Lasdun Wall’, comprises four buildings constructed to appear as one – Building 3, Building 4, Building 5 and Building 6. Architect Shepheard Epstein Hunter’s developed the plan for UEA’s revamp and extension to the Lasdun Wall. The University plans to carry out a four-phase strip-back-to-frame refurbishment of the Lasdun Wall. Phase 1 will deliver new science facilities and teaching space in an extended Building 3, while existing science research facilities continue to operate within Buildings 4, 5 and 6. The existing science facilities are currently at risk due to potential condition failures of the buildings. The project also provides an 86% betterment in thermal performance of the fabric, aligning it with the UEA Net Zero Carbon targets. DSM Demolition Limited are delivering the soft strip while Mace should start work in the autumn.

South Asian Heritage Month is held annually from July 18th to August 17th to honor, recognize, and appreciate #SouthAsian history and #culture, as well as to comprehend the rich cultural legacy of countries and #SouthAsia. My parents were both born in Punjab, #India (my mum lived in #Singapore for 6+ years), before arriving in sunny, #Derby, in the UK. I spent many a summer in a place where my grandparents and parents spent a copious amount of time. I had the pleasure of getting to know the people who helped shape their lives, learn to read, wrote and speak the punjabi language, enjoy various parts of India (i.e., #Delhi, #Rajasthan, #Mumbai, #Chandigarh) and enjoy the fine cusine. So with my wife (British born #Chinese), and I (#British Born, #Sikh, #Indian), we share every opportunity to teach #Jasmine and #Emilio about their rich history and the #SouthAsianHeritageMonth is important to us as a family. Every opportunity to enrich ourselves should be embraced and shared.

Logistics developer Tritax Symmetry has been granted planning permission by Stroud District Council for Symmetry Park Gloucester on a 67-acre site at Junction 12 of the M5 motorway. The developer has gained approval for a hybrid planning application for 1.1million sq ft of development including detailed consent for two buildings of 163,500 sq ft and 241,000 sq ft and outline permission for a further 700,000 sq ft of build-to-suit opportunities. Jonathan Dawes, head of planning at Tritax Symmetry commented: “This decision undoubtedly paves the way for further growth and investment in the wider Gloucester area.” Joseph Skinner MRICS, development director at Tritax Symmetry added: “The site occupies a prominent position on the strategic motorway route (M5, J12) linking the Midlands to the south-west. The detailed consent enables us to deliver new logistics facilities quickly and give much-needed supply for high-quality units over 100,000 sq ft.” The project team includes Trinity Project Management, AJA Architects, Feasibility QS, Dunwoody M&E, Burrows Graham C&S, EDP Ecology & Landscaping & WSP Transport & Infrastructure.

15 suppliers appointed to £1.4bn Southern Region minor works, buildings and civils partnership framework Region & Route: Southern: Kent | Southern: Wessex | Southern: Sussex New suppliers to provide planned and reactive maintenance across Network Rail's Southern Region. Southern Integrated Delivery (SID) has appointed 15 suppliers to an innovative new 10-year partnership framework to deliver Buildings & Civils works for its Works Delivery team across the Southern region in Control Period 7 (CP7) and Control Period 8 (CP8). As part of the Southern Renewals Enterprise, SID is responsible for planning, specifying, assembling and handing back the Southern region’s renewals portfolio for CP7 and CP8. The Minor Works, Building and Civils framework has been aligned to the Southern Renewals Enterprise model, in which profit is rewarded based on performance against the successful delivery of the Enterprise’s five outcomes. The primary focus of the framework will be planned and reactive maintenance. By rationalising seven current frameworks into one and by awarding work directly rather than via mini-tendering competitions, the new framework will provide regional consistency on how this work is managed, and will create long-term, value-driven relationships to enable sustainable growth and inward investment for local SMEs to help drive innovation and efficiency. The framework will see one single ‘Reactive Generalist’ delivery partner appointed for Buildings and one ‘Reactive Generalist’ delivery partner for Civils. These generalists will be responsible for all reactive works (including emergency earthworks) and elements of planned maintenance. Supplementing this, thirteen specialist SME delivery partners have been appointed across seven subdiscipline lots for the delivery of low complexity, planned activities. The lots for the framework have been awarded as follows*: **Buildings**          Lot 1 – Reactive Generalist (£170m): Octavius Infrastructure Lot 2 – Fabric (£75m): B & M McHugh Limited Ltd & Spence Ltd Lot 3 – Services (£65m): KH Engineering Services Ltd & VVB Engineering Ltd Lot 4 – Roofing (£30m): GS Moore Roofing Contractors Ltd **Civils** Lot 5 – Reactive Generalist (£160m): Dyer & Butler Ltd Lot 6 – Metallic Structures (£20m): CML (Construction Marine Ltd) Ltd Lot 7 – Masonry (£65m): CK Rail Solutions & Nationwide Engineering Group Ltd Lot 8 – Drainage & Earthworks (£30m): Suttle Projects Ltd & Van Elle Ltd Lot 9 – Off Track (£110m): Wessex Coombes Forestry Ltd, Kent Enable Infrastructure Ltd, Cleshar Contract Services *values are based on CP7 contracts only https://lnkd.in/dbxxDgdM

Balfour Beatty plc’s ‘mega tent’ gives industrial conditions at constrained Paddington bridge renewal job Erecting a “mega tent” over a constrained work site above Paddington station has enabled Balfour Beatty to carry out renewal on a 112-year-old bridge in industrial-like conditions, a senior engineer on the project has told NCE. The contractor was brought on board by Network Rail to renew the 1912 London Street overbridge, which sits above platforms 11 and 12 at Paddington station. The steel girders were last renewed in the 1950s and were in various stages of corrosion and renewal works were needed to bring the structure to full strength appropriate for modern vehicles. The project is hemmed in by numerous constraints including St. Mary’s Hospital on one side, Mace’s construction of the 18-storey ‘Cube’ building on the other side and the platforms below which had to remain in service during the works. “There are two essential traffic flows that are required [to be maintained],” explained Balfour Beatty engineering manager Robert Barker, who is overseeing the project. “One is to provide access to passengers coming from the taxi rank through the station to Praed Street and the other for vehicles accessing the hospital. “Access to the hospital was critical because you’ve got ambulances going there and you’ve got suppliers bringing goods and materials to the hospital.” Location of work site The works were designed by Arup under contract from Network Rail, but Balfour Beatty was brought in for early contractor involvement to help ensure constructability. “That’s why we were able to get to draft the requirements for the mega tent and the full road closure,” Barker said. “We had to be able to prove to them why we needed to close the road.” Negotiations on the design, temporary works and maintaining access commenced in 2020 and the contractor did not start on site until May 2023. A simple overview of the renewal is that it involves demolishing the road surface, extracting the century-old beams in the bridge deck, replacing them with new 9m steel beams and rebuilding the roadway. Explaining the need for the mega tent over the site, Barker said: “It was essential to keep the platform below dry, because the slip resistance of the Grade II listed tiles on the actual platform surface [is very low] – if it gets wet, it’s like an ice rink. So it was critical to maintain the safety of the passengers walking through. Barker said that Balfour Beatty is hoping to complete the works and restore the roadway to full operation by the middle of 2025. https://lnkd.in/e6atqP6n

We are pleased to announce that Shamit Weinberger Gaiger OBE has been appointed as Chair of Trustees at Campaign for Better Transport. Shamit has an extensive career in rail and was appointed Managing Director of the West Coast Partnership Development in 2022. Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “We are delighted that Shamit is taking over the reins as Chair of Trustees. As a trustee, her extensive experience, skills and knowledge of the transport sector have been an invaluable asset and as Chair, she will be able to continue her work supporting Campaign for Better Transport to deliver its aims to bring sustainable transport to all." Shamit is taking over from John Stewart who held the post for six years. Paul added: "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing Chair John Stewart for all his hard work, dedication and support. John will continue to champion sustainable transport through his role as a trustee of Campaign for Better Transport.”

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water picks Arup, AtkinsRéalis, Mott MacDonald's and Stantec for engineering Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) has appointed Arup, AtkinsRéalis, Mott MacDonald and Stantec to its £160M engineering consultancy services framework for the eighth asset management period (AMP8), between 2025 and 2030. The water company’s current capital delivery alliance arrangements conclude at the end of AMP7 and it brought this new framework to the market to enable it to implement a capable owner delivery model. This will see DCWW’s asset planning teams supported by the four engineering consultancy services partners to select optimal solutions to be taken forward for delivery by its design and build major framework partners. The consultancies’ work will include data gathering, root cause analysis, modelling, solution evaluation, environmental assessments, feasibility and optioneering. The four suppliers’ contracts are each worth up to £40M across the five years of AMP8. DCWW’s draft plan for the next regulatory period features a record £3.5bn of investment. It expects to deliver between £300M and £350M of project work annually across the five year period. DCWW director of asset planning Andy Taylor said: “Our proposed business plan for the next five year period, subject to approval from Ofwat, will see our largest ever investment into enhancing our environment and protecting the water we supply to our customers.” AtkinsRéalis framework director Jeremy Salisbury said: “As the water sector continues to invest in its assets and infrastructure in order to deliver improved services and create resilience against the challenge of climate change, we are extremely pleased to be working with DCWW to help deliver this record level of investment.” Mott MacDonald UK and Europe managing director Richard Risdon said: “We have created a specialist team to work closely with DCWW, offering the very best of our digital, environmental and technical capabilities with a clear focus on delivering social outcomes in all we do.” Stantec regional director, water Scott Jackson said: “This framework win is an incredibly exciting opportunity for our current and future colleagues in Wales who are always looking to use their expertise to create positive impacts within their own communities.” “From nature-based solutions and integrated wetlands to intelligent water networks and partnership working, there’s so much value, knowledge, and best practice we can bring to Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. We’re looking forward to working collaboratively alongside other partners on the framework to identify the most impactful and innovative solutions for the many communities our client serves.” https://lnkd.in/d6GhZZMa

Stonehenge tunnel joins Arundel bypass in the long grass Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves has suspended further work on the planned #Stonehengetunnel and confirmed the cancellation of the A27 Arundel bypass. Turns out she's a blocker, not a builder In a statement to the House of Commons today on the state of the UK finances, chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves said that the new government had inherited and undisclosed £22bn hole in public spending. The chancellor avoided saying that any roadbuilding projects had been cancelled – merely saying that they were either being reviewed or not moving forward. The hospital building programme is also being reviewed. She said that transport secretary Louise Haigh was conducting a review of transport projects and had agreed “not to move forward with projects that the previous government refused to publicly cancel despite knowing full well they were unaffordable. “That includes proposed works on the A303 and the A27.” Neither the #LowerThamesCrossing nor the A66 dually were specifically mentioned but by implication are also subject to the review. The Restoring Your Railway programme is also being scrapped, saving £85m next year, the chancellor said. “If we cannot afford it, we cannot do it,” she said. Of the previous government, Reeves said: “They continued to make unfunded commitment after unfunded commitment that they knew we could not afford.” In much the same vein, health secretary Wes Streeting is reviewing the hospital building programme as there is not the funding in place to deliver the former Conservative government's plans, the chancellor said. Cancellation of the £350m A27 Arundel bypass was an election manifesto commitment for the Labour Party, so its fate was already set. #BamNuttall is the contractor losing out there. The A303 upgrade includes a planned £1.7bn tunnel under the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. The MORE joint venture, comprising #FCCConstrucción, #WeBuild and #BeMoTunnelling, has been in line for that contract, hoping for a go-ahead before the end of the year. It looks like they will have to wait rather longer. https://lnkd.in/epybyxqp

The Viridis consortium of Equitix, GRAHAM Group and Derwent FM has been selected as preferred bidder and delivery partner for the next phase of the The University of Manchester’s Fallowfield Campus. The £400m deal will be developed under a Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) model. The University and Viridis will now work together to develop its DBFO delivery plans with the aim of reaching financial close by summer 2025. On completion, the wider Fallowfield campus will offer up to 5,400 student beds by replacing the existing older accommodation on-site and delivering 3,300 updated bedrooms to meet the growing demand across the popular campus. The redevelopment will be delivered in multiple phases. Demolition of Owens Park Tower and surrounding buildings, which have been closed for several years, is ongoing and due to complete early in 2025. Graham CEO, Andrew Bill said: “Graham is delighted to be working in partnership with the University of Manchester to deliver its vision for the Fallowfield Residences Redevelopment Programme. “Together, we will focus on creating an exemplar sustainable campus that will enhance the experience of the University’s next generation of students.”