Showing posts with label apprentices in housing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apprentices in housing. Show all posts

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

Article from Newydd - AWARD WON


Housing Association awarded for innovative chapel conversion development

Newydd Housing Association has won an award for their innovative and high-quality development that unusually included a chapel conversion.

Newydd won the Social Affordable Housing category at the Vale of Glamorgan Council Building Excellence Awards 2011, organised by the Vale of Glamorgan Council Building Control Group, with their Court Road development in Barry.

Newydd converted and extended the chapel at Court Road to offer eight substantial 2-bedroom flats over three storeys, with an undercroft to allow vehicle access to the communal parking area. The development also includes four 4-storey terraced properties adjacent to the chapel and was highly commended for its standard of work and energy efficiency levels.

During the design stage of this first chapel conversion for Newydd, the views of the local community were influential in ensuring that the features of the disused chapel were retained in the new homes at Court Road. The commended design emphasises the attractive features of the chapel and includes traditional masonry walls, beam flooring and a conventional cut roof.

Rob Thomas, Head of Planning and Transportation at the Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: “It’s extremely pleasing to see quality schemes being constructed at what is a difficult time for developers. The quality of submissions, including Newydd’s scheme for the conversion of the chapel at Court Road, demonstrates a commitment to quality construction which is excellent news for the Vale of Glamorgan and for future tenants of the scheme. Conversions often pose challenges to contractors but this scheme has been carried out to a high standard and in a sensitive manner.”

As the winner of the Social Affordable Housing category, Newydd will now go forward to the LABC South Wales Building Awards in April.

Paul Roberts, Chief Executive of Newydd said, “We are very proud to be accepting this award from the Vale of Glamorgan Council for Court Road, now recognised as an award-winning affordable housing development. The attractive chapel conversion and adjacent terraced properties are testament to the hard work of our employees, the contractor; Tremlett and Griffiths and the rest of the design team. We hope that the local community are proud of the finished article and that our tenants will enjoy living in Court Road for many years to come.”
NB
Shane Jones our apprentice was on site for the period of the build adding even more value to the community by sustaining his apprenticeship.

Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Renovating property & Generating jobs with Cadwyn

Integrate member Cadwyn have just secured three new apprenticeships through their WHQS works at Princes and James Howel Court. On visiting the site very recently I found a hive of activity throughout.


In one flat were Hanif Yagoob and Lewis Dite(pictured) two of Cadwyns new carpentry apprentices who have been employed in partnership with Willis Construction. They've been thrown in at the deep end, starting college in Dumballs Road on Monday and then their first on site experience on Thursday. Thankfully both still show the same great enthusiasm which made them the successful candidates at interview. Hanif has ambitions to be MD of his own property development firm very soon...watch this space.


I also caught up with Jonothan Pahl, the electrical apprentice employed in partnership with A Payne Electrical and Data Services. He was so keen to get on with the job I barely got him to stand still long enough to take his picture. I keep using the word but it's such a buzz to see such enthusiasm from all the partners involved as well as the apprentices. Marc Payne(not surprisingly from A Payne Electrical) said, "We already encourage the employment of apprentices and are glad to be able to create new opportunities for people within Cadwyns communities."


Integrates aim to maximise the opportunities for jobs and training through its procurement is going full steam ahead. You can see from the apprentices that this is an initiative that's a Win Win all the way. Either that or Glyn from Willis Construction is hiding in the background telling a good joke.
Clare Watkins
Integrate Targeted Recruitment and Training