News: Rotherham builders to complete work at Clifton Park

Rotherham construction firm, George Hurst and Sons Ltd has been appointed to complete the Garden Building and associated Walled Garden and Courtyard at Clifton Park in Rotherham.

Work on site came to a halt towards the end of last year when the previous contractors, UCS Civils, went into administration.

The completion of the Garden Building follows the successful opening of the new water play area, refurbished bandstand, memorial garden and rock garden, and numerous other enhancements to Rotherham's premier park.

The Garden Building will contain a new bowls pavilion, space for rangers and gardeners, toilets, and a multi-purpose room for events and activities, school groups and public hire. The walled garden will be an 'oasis of calm' where volunteers and apprentices can work to recreate the colours and smells of a traditional kitchen and flower garden.

The building is designed to be environmentally-friendly, with a green roof, solar panels and a biomass boiler. It combines a contemporary design with traditional materials, including bricks and natural stone, that fit in well with the historic Museum a short distance away.

The development is part of the park restoration project that has been made possible thanks to a £4.5 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund.

Phil Gill, green spaces manager at Rotherham Council, said: "Everyone involved in the project is really looking forward to the opening of this excellent new facility.

"The park already has a lot to offer, but the Garden Building and Walled Garden will open up important new opportunities to involve local people and to run new activities."

The work is expected to be completed by end of November.

Clifton Park website
George Hurst & Sons Limited website

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News: Construction starts on new Rotherham council houses

Work is progressing on the six new council housing build sites in Rotherham, the first for over 25 years.

In total there will be 127 units developed for the authority on six sites across the Borough after the £8.5m of grant funding the council secured from the Homes and Communities Agency escaped the cuts.

29 houses and apartments are set to be built by Wates Living Space at the Rother View Road, Canklow.

Wildgoose Construction are building 29 houses, apartments and bungalows on Albert Road, West Melton and 21 houses on Albany Road, Kilnhurst.

Eight houses and bungalows are to be built at Newland Avenue, Maltby, by Bramalls, while four apartments are to be built at Stone Park Close in Maltby by TH Michaels.

George Hurst and Sons Ltd began work last month on 36 houses and apartments at Wood Street, Thrybergh.

Work on all the sites will start before September with all properties being built to Lifetime Homes and Building for Life silver standards in addition to achieving Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

These standards are above and beyond the typical open-market house building standards and will ensure a high-quality build, a safe environment and incorporate high energy efficiency measures, making them affordable for council tenants to live in.

The Council has also ensured that its commitment to local labour has resulted in apprentices and work experience students working on the sites. As part of the YORbuild framework - under which the contractors have been appointed - two apprentices and three placements from Thrybergh Comprehensive School will be working on Wood Street site.

Cllr Jahangir Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Housing and Neighbourhoods for the Council, said: "After waiting for so many years to be able to build new council housing, to see these developments physically taking shape is fantastic.

"It's also great to see local labour being used on the constructions and the future of the borough being supported with both apprentices student placements getting the sort of training and expertise that will help to set them up for life."

Joanne Jamieson, Business Unit Director for Wates Living Space in Yorkshire , said: "We're really pleased to be involved in delivering these long-awaited new homes for Rotherham.

"We look forward to working in partnership with the Council not only to build houses but to bring community benefits and investment for local people and businesses."

Rotherham Council website

Images: wates.co.uk

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News: YORbuild Framework Agreements awarded

A mix of regional and national contractors have been awarded framework agreements for the YORbuild Contractors Framework aimed at the £1.2bn per year construction spend of local authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region.


Rotherham companies, Bramall Construction and George Hurst & Sons have been named in various parts of the framework, allowing them to tender more easily for projects.

Over 400 expressions of interest were received for the framework which has been finally whittled down to 45 contractors across four sub-regional frameworks each with six value banded lots.

The sub-regional frameworks will cover minor and major new build and refurbishment works across the region.

The Governments Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (RIEP) has funded the procurement process for the framework, with procurement and asset management officers from Rotherham Council leading the delivery of the South Area framework.

During the procurement process key regional initiatives dealing with employment and economic regeneration have been embedded within the framework supported by Construction Skills and Yorkshire Forward.

Nigel Leighton director of Environment and Neighbourhood Services for the East Riding of Yorkshire Council and chair of the project team said: "The procurement of the YORbuild Framework is an excellent example of cross regional collaborative working and provides the basis for efficiency and an integrated client approach to the management of a key area regional local authorities construction works spend.

"As the framework moves into implementation we are receiving a high level of interest from regional local authorities, public sector bodies and third sector organisations and we look forward to working collaboratively with our contractor partners in the delivery of their varied requirements."

YORBuild website

Rotherham

Images: yorbuild.com

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