News in Brief: March 2023

Willmott Dixon has been selected as the preferred contractor by Thames Valley Police for a state-of-the-art forensics centre as part of a wider improvement programme. The purpose-built centre in Bicester will become the main forensics hub for the force, containing laboratories, new digital technologies and dedicated training facilities.

Main contractor Speller Metcalfe has been awarded an £18M project to build a combined police and fire services hub in Redditch. The building for West Mercia Police and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service has gained planning approval to allow work to get underway in the coming months.

Angus-based property developer DJ Laing, has started work on Victoria Green, a multi-million-pound project on the western gateway to Carnoustie, which will provide modern business and industrial units on the initial 14-acre site. The new business park will provide an opportunity for new and existing businesses to locate within the popular coastal town and is adjacent to the A92 road network close to Dundee.

A planning application has been proposed to Stoke-on-Trent council for its two-phase Etruscan Square development. The regeneration scheme would deliver nearly 300 homes, a hotel and a 3,600-capacity arena in the Hanley area of the city centre.

Vauxhall’s former aftersales warehouse in Luton, Bedfordshire, is to be transformed into a 111,500m² industrial and logistics park after developer Goodman secured outline planning permission for the scheme. The development is targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and A+ EPC, while planned sustainability features and investment in renewable energy technologies such as full rooftop solar photovoltaic panels (PV) will support customers in achieving their sustainability goals.