Housing Project To Train Apprentices And Ex-offenders. Parliament’s Northern Estate Project In Motion

• Content
• Education & Training
• Housing Project To Train Apprentices And Ex-offenders. Parliament’s Northern Estate Project In Motion

25 May 2018

Wates Appointed Constructor To New £23.4m Contract With Brent Council

National developer, Wates Residential, has been appointed constructor to a new £23.4 million project by the London Borough of Brent, which will see 149 new homes built within the borough by December 2021.

The Knowles House redevelopment in Harlesden will include the construction of two new buildings, providing 92 homes for temporary accommodation and 57 for independent living to support some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents.

The housing is being provided as part of the council’s Temporary Accommodation Reform Plan, which will result in £130 milion spent on up to 600 new homes over a 3-year period and improve housing for vulnerable residents in the borough. Work is set to commence later this year.

As part of the project, Wates Residential and Brent Council have also made a joint pledge to provide employment and training opportunities for local residents. Commitments could include the creation of apprenticeships in trade and management roles and a Wates managed ‘Building Futures’ programme for long-term unemployed adults.

Ex-offenders

Ex-offenders could also be helped into employment through the project as part of their rehabilitation, while partnerships could be made with Brent schools to provide pupils with insight to the construction sector, career talks and curriculum support.

Everybody working on the project and in the supply chain will be paid at least the London Living Wage.

The Wates Group has also been appointed framework contractor for the renovation of a number of buildings on Parliament’s Northern Estate.

The essential refurbishment will help restore and protect listed heritage buildings in Westminster including Norman Shaw North and South, 1 Parliament Street and 1 Derby Gate, ensuring they are safe, accessible and efficient for future generations. It will also help ensure suitable spaces and facilities for the House of Commons to temporarily move out of the Palace of Westminster while it undergoes a multi-year programme of restoration and renewal in the mid-2020s.

The buildings, built between 1864 and 1906, currently provide office accommodation to over 950 people, but many have had no significant investment for more than 30 years. Buildings are in varying states of disrepair; systems and services regularly fail and they are uneconomical to run.

The work on site – which is expected to start in 2019 – will also increase the amount and standard of office space, delivering an estate with reduced running costs, increased environmental performance and improved safety and accessibility.

Apprentices

As part of the programme, hundreds of jobs will be created. Wates has also made specific pledges to ensure the benefits of the scheme are felt across the country. These include the creation of more than 160 apprenticeships, along with support for schools and colleges; a new nationwide programme to train a new generation of heritage craftspeople such as stonemasons, traditional plasterers and joiners, who will be essential to delivering the programme successfully; commitment to invest £1 million in Social Enterprises, giving them access to the project and providing a significant long-term boost for the sector

Meet the buyer events are to be held all over the country giving potential suppliers an opportunity to meet with Wates and be involved in the Northern Estate Programme.

Picture: 1 Derby Gate, Northern Estate, The Parliamentary Estate London. Photo -  David Levene.

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 25 May 2018

Share

Related Articles