Summers-Inman, the construction and project management consultancy with an office in Leeds and seven further offices located between Edinburgh and London, is celebrating new contract wins in the higher education sector. These latest appointments will enable Summers-Inman to bring its higher education experience gained across various university projects UK-wide, into Yorkshire. Recently won is a multidisciplinary consultancy framework agreement appointment for the University of Sheffield. Consultants have been appointed to deliver services for specific projects on a call-off basis as and when required. In addition, the firm has also won a place on the university’s framework agreement for Cost Management Services. The University of Sheffield has 30,000 students and more than 350 buildings across its multi-campus estate, which it is working towards making net-zero. Summers-Inman will have the opportunity to work on a range of projects with the university which aims to deliver around £200 – £300 million of projects over the course of the framework. Commenting on the win, Summers-Inman director, Alex Lodge said: “This is a truly exciting appointment for us and allows us to bring to the table our substantial experience gained on multi-million-pound award-winning projects, such as the £72 million Park View Student Village and the £27 million Dame Margaret Barbour Teaching and Learning Facility for Newcastle University. “In Tees Valley, the £21.4 million Cornell Quarter and £36.9 million BIOS Laboratory and Life Sciences Building are both multi-award-winning schemes which have seen us provide project management, cost consultancy and principal designer roles throughout, either working directly for the university or the main contractor. “These four examples are merely a snapshot of our overall experience, so we are delighted to be able to extend our reach within the higher education sector into Yorkshire with these recent appointments.” Mark Holden, Associate Director of EFM: Estates Development at the University of Sheffield, said: “University estates are continually evolving to meet the needs and expectations of the next generation of students and academics, as well as positively contributing to the local community. “Together with the requirement for improved facilities and accommodation there is also the need to achieve net-zero either by decarbonisation plans for existing buildings or building with a net-zero design from scratch. “I am confident our recently appointed multidisciplinary teams have the expertise to provide high-level professional support that will enable us to deliver our ambitious estate plans over the next few years.”

Major renovation works are scheduled on Port of Grimsby buidings owned by ABP as part of  work to reimagine the future of this unique area of the Port. The buildings are currently being surveyed to show the condition of the roofs and facades, before moving on to survey the interiors. Once all surveys are complete, a programme of work will be produced to ensure they are wind and watertight, with repairs made to roofs, windows, doors and brickwork as required. Andrew Dawes, Regional Director of the Humber ports said: “This work is a major undertaking to ensure these buildings remain sound. Our immediate priority is to keep everyone safe, so many of the buildings have been fenced off while the contractors are on site to allow them to carry out the job. “We are trying to minimise the disruption while the work is being carried out, but our priority is safety at every stage.” Greg Lacey, Head of Property (Humber) said: “This work now being carried out will halt and reverse the tide of decay after many years. We have been in discussion with North East Lincolnshire Council and Historic England on the steps being taken regarding the future of this part of the port. “We are reimagining the area in different zones to see what it could look like and how it would work for different industrial clusters. We have committed a substantive investment to do this as we look to ensure the future of the location. It is proving to be of interest to many in the film sector and this is something we think works very well in Grimsby.” ABP has been working alongside North East Lincolnshire Council and Historic England since 2017, and it was recently announced that a second round of funding for heritage regeneration on the port would commence. David Walsh, Principal Advisor Partnerships at Historic England said: “Historic England is pleased to be working closely with Associated British Ports and North East Lincolnshire Council in support of a long-term strategy to tackle buildings in poor repair on the historic docks. Recent preliminary works to a number of priority buildings are an important first step towards making them safe, bringing them back into good repair, and reusing them to support local businesses and port activities.” The Partnership Schemes in Conservation Areas grant scheme has seen more than £1 million help tenants restore and renovate buildings, including Alfred Enderbys, The Great Escape and others.

Nottinghamshire County Council has transferred more than 17 hectares of land to The White Hills Park Trust, enabling the development of a new school on the Bramcote College site. The council sold two plots for a nominal £1 fee, allowing the Trust to sell the land to a housing developer to fund the rebuild.

The new school will accommodate 950 students, including 750 secondary school places and 200 for sixth form, with potential for future expansion. The facility will be purpose-built to modern standards and meet the Department for Education’s low-carbon sustainability targets.

Morgan Sindall Construction will oversee the project, with Arc Partnership handling architectural design. Construction is set to begin this summer.