SEI Topping Out Ceremony

A fantastic Topping Out ceremony hosted by Kier Construction for the new Sunderland Eye Infirmary.

As part of the City’s ambitious Riverside masterplan to build a £36m state-of-the-art facility, we arrived on site 11 months ago and it’s been a journey of progress ever since!

We deployed the UK’s first clear crane ‘WOLFF 6523’ on this project to enhance efficiency with its 54m tower height and 50m jib and it’s high-speed positioning assistance system.

Total concrete poured = 6425 cubic metres
Total rebar installed = 870 tonnes

After a 47 week programme for the main works, the event highlighted a pivotal moment as the last concrete was added into the structure’s frame.

Our works have included:

–  4 storey commercial RC frame
–  Drainage
–  Foundations
–  Retaining walls including capping beam and king post system

A big thanks to all the teams involved – An excellent collaboration working with Kier and their team.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Sunderland City Council
Riverside Sunderland

Hat Trick Win for MoJ Projects

We are delighted to announce that we have secured three additional MoJ contracts, that collectively amount to £5m. To find out more, read on.

HMP New Hall – Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Contractor: Wates
Value: Circa £500k

Summary of works

Foundations, hard landscaping, drainage and services to facilitate installation of a new prison VCC building.

A West Yorkshire women’s jail is planning an upgrade of its prison to court video link systems. HMP New Hall intends to knock down its digital courtroom and replace it with new facilities. New Hall’s current prison to court video link (PCVL) system is based in temporary buildings within the grounds of the jail.

 

HMP Holme House – Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside.

Contractor – Galliford Try
Value: Circa £1.3m

Summary of works

Groundworks, foundations, hard landscaping, drainage and services to facilitate installation of prefabricated prison cell blocks.

Part of the Governments Rapid Cell Deployment Scheme – The government has installed 1,000 Rapid Deployment Cells across the prison estate. The Accelerated Houseblock Development Programme forms part of the Government’s £4bn prison estate investment plan. This includes building four new prisons while refurbishing existing sites to bring out of date prison places back online.

 

HMP Haverigg – Millom, South Cumbria.

Contractor: Wates Smartspace
Value: Circa £3.2m

Summary of works

Groundworks, foundations, hard landscaping, drainage and services to facilitate installation of prefabricated prison cell blocks. Part of the Governments Rapid Cell Deployment Scheme.

 

Images courtesy of Google Maps.

Black Hat Training

Over the last few months, we have focussed on Behavioural Training with all Supervisors and Managers across our site teams. Behaviour-based safety involves managing the changeable behaviours workers have on site to help create a physically and mentally safer working environment. The wrong kind of behaviour on a construction site can be dangerous and lead to accidents and potentially fatal injuries. Behaviour will change when we motivate safe behaviour.

Expectations:

• Lead by example
• Don’t walk by
• Plan
• Communicate

Key Objectives:

• Review your incident record
• Know your ABCs
• Learn positive and negative reinforcement to increase behaviour
• Trickle down behaviour – all members of management are fully compliant with health and safety conduct and use positive and negative reinforcement to correct behaviour here first.

So far, we have conducted our Black Hat Training sessions at several sites up and down the country, including:

• HMP Millsike (East Yorks),
• HMP Bullingdon (Oxfordshire),
• Waste Transfer Station (Hertfordshire),
• North Lindsey College (Lincolnshire)
• Southgate University of Huddersfield (West Yorks.)

We’ll be continuing to roll this out to other sites reaching a total of over 80 people in our workforce.

As part of our commitment with USAG, we strive to ensure that best practice and procedures are upheld across our site teams with a clear understanding and vision of the standards expected. This is achieved through regular training that we invest our time in.

Who are USAG?

They provide a “forum for employers, including asset owners, contractors, and industry partners to influence and promote improved health and safety standards” within the utility sector, and are the leading provider of industry knowledge for safe excavation around utilities.

 

Post Apprenticeship Progress

The apprenticeship format works well for our business and for the students we take on. Real life work scenarios partnered with a wealth of experience from our teams help nurture and support their learning. The site working environment facilitates the acquisition of knowledge that a classroom is unable to offer.

We caught up with Cameron and Jack to hear how the last 12 months have rolled out since finishing their engineer apprenticeships.

    

Cameron – Level 4 Construction and Built Environment at York College: July 2021-23

Since starting my apprenticeship with Moortown, I have worked on two large scale sites in the York area. Over the last 12 months, I have been based at a high security prison site called HMP Millsike where there is currently a huge extension being constructed. This project is set to be the UK’s first all-electric prison, and witnessing the scale of resources has been mind-blowing. With so much daily activity moving at a rapid pace, there’s never been a dull moment. Post apprenticeship, my continuation of learning and knowledge has grown so much more by remaining on a site which I first arrived on as an apprentice. Being surrounded by a collaborative hub of teams and a mixture of several sub-contractors and trades, has been incredibly insightful.

My role as an engineer has steadily expanded. Doing things such as setting out for bases, ducting and drainage around site and delegating work for others. I’ve become much more familiar with recording quality assurance and making sure things are done correctly to a high specification. These are just some examples that have helped me increase my confidence levels over the past year and gain a stronger sense of professional acumen.

It’s a personal highlight to see the progression of this project. When I first arrived at HMP Millsike, the site was a large empty space, and now, as I move onto my next site at Huddersfield University, it gives me much pride to see it move nearer to completion and to have been part of this project.

    

Jack – Level 3 Civil Engineer technician at Leeds College of Building: July 2021-23

I started my apprenticeship back in 2021 for a duration of two years, where I was initially based at a big Next Distribution Centre in South Elmsall for 18 months. Following this, I have been working on a mixture of sites and locations for varying lengths of time. This includes the HMP Millsike prison, Halifax Bus Station, Montagu Hospital in Mexborough, Parkgate Park & Ride in Rotherham and I’m now currently at the North Lindsey College in Scunthorpe.

All these projects have presented me with endless learning opportunities, working amongst different site teams and contractors. It has expanded my learning very quickly, and I have felt the benefit of increasing my responsibilities in the last 12 months, as it’s shaped and boosted my confidence levels.

On a daily basis, I am tasked with setting out on site, surveying the work done and sourcing the correct and latest drawings to ensure that everything is done to a high standard. A key moment for me which stands out is embracing more responsibility at the Mexborough hospital project, as this meant I was working independently for some of the time but also acquiring new skills and knowledge from others when setting out. Overall, this has really helped me to advance my engineering capabilities.

We are extremely proud to see our apprentices develop and thrive as they pave out their own route into their chosen career journey and establish a well-earned, qualified role. We invest a significant amount of our time and resources to finding students who have lots of potential and are passionate about a future in engineering in the construction industry.

New Appointment Finance Director

We are delighted to share Greg Akroyd has been welcomed onto the board of directors as Group Finance Director on the retirement of Graham Hunt.

Greg joined in May 2023, and in the short time that Greg has been with the business has demonstrated the same values and ethics upon which the business relies. Whilst the appointment is new, Greg has essentially performed the function of the role since earlier this year and has been instrumental in modernising the accounting processes of the business. He has also overseen the successful introduction of new auditors for the group which cannot be underestimated.

Greg commented,

Having been welcomed into the business last year I’m delighted to have joined the Board of Directors and excited by the opportunity to provide support to assist with the continued success of the Group.

Congratulations Greg, onwards and upwards!

3 Years of Transformation at Aire Park

After three years of continuous work in the South Bank area, we thought we’d take a moment to reflect on this city centre regeneration project, by taking a closer look at the visible transformation that has risen out of the ground at the former Tetley Brewery site.

Appointed as the Principal Contractor for Vastint UK, the developer behind the scheme, we first arrived on site back in July 2021. Since then, the project has progressed substantially, and we’re delighted so see the recent completion of 1 and 3 South Brook Street, the first phase of this project. To emphasise the large scale of this development (when it reaches full completion), there will be over one million sq ft of mixed-use office, retail, leisure and commercial space with an eight-acre public park.

As part of our PC role, we’ve kept a critical eye over the plan, control and management of the logistics, health and safety elements of the project, ensuring the site runs smoothly and efficiently at a peak of 300 workers.

Our works to date have included an array of groundworks, drainage, services, and external hard landscaping to three buildings. In addition, there has also been the construction of a new 260m long road including new foul and surface water drainage, incoming gas, HV, LV, data and comms, ducting ready for feeding future buildings, tarmac, kerbing and paving ready for public use.

   

Overview:

Substructure to 1 & 3 South Brook Street

• Approx. 2,150m³ of foundation concrete including the formwork and reinforcement, 3x core bases constructed and fully tanked with Cetco products,
• Approx. 1,000m³ in ground floor slabs, including 2 large retail units with raised access floors,
• 320m³ of reinforced concrete upstands and columns formed and cast with 650 starter bars accurately placed ready for the precast construction method to fix to,
• Over 5,000m² of Kingspan insulation and over 8,000m² of Cetco waterproofing systems to foundations, slabs and slab perimeter,
• 1,550m of drainage for the building connected into the main S104 drainage system, 40+ manholes, 30 of which were rectangular shaped to allow space for services to fit under the hard landscaping footprint,
• Full hard landscaping package to plot area or circa 2,200m², including the supply and install of a 5-colour mix granite and a 3-colour mix Kellen all laid and grouted with Ultrascape products, Breedon Self binding gravel to nature areas and street furniture from Evans PCC Benches and walls down to Marshalls Cycle stands – all tied into the main infrastructure layout.

Installation of the New City Park areas

• Working in close proximity to the Tetley building, AQL and Bupa and maintaining their ability to stay open during the course of the works,
• In total over 7,000m² of paving split over several zones including 1,850m or kerbing and edgings, all bedded and jointed with Ultrascape products,
• Paving included a 5-colour mix granite and a 3-colour mix Kellen. Edgings including granite kerbs, granite edgings, AluExcel edgings and timber edgings,
• The entire park has a complex HVM strategy all supplied and installed by Moortown. This included 34 high spec ATG Bollards (SP40, SP400, SP1000), including hydraulicly operated bollards linked to the LCC system for operation and management. System also included 220m of gabion baskets coupled with HVM boulders to maintain both the defensive line to the park and the nature-based theme of the park,
• Installed circa 700m of ACO slot drains, 600m main drainage runs and 1,100m of land drainage with 9 soakaway tanks for dissipation,
• Prepare the main soft landscaped areas installing a clean stone layer to support drainage to circa 7,000m² and working closely with key trades such as Palmer Landscapes.

Site Wide Infrastructure

• Install foundations, services and tarmac to site welfare area with car park for 100 cars,
• Install foundations to substation to feed the current part of the project,
• 900m of S104 drainage up to 750mm dia pipes connected into the existing Yorkshire Water sewers system with a circa 950m³ adoptable attenuation tank with flow control device,
• 9000m of ducting installed under the South Brook Street, while also excavating trenches for gas and water utilities to be installed by others,
• Construction build-up of the road including kerbs and tarmac laid to falls,
• 8,000m of ducting under the park area with associated draw pits and chambers.

The project has seen a significant amount of ongoing activity and a substantial influx of resources that have seamlessly contributed to this stage of the project. The the next phase of offices (Mu4) is well underway, with more transformations soon to follow.

 

 

Meet More Apprentices

With the recent release of GCSE and A Level results last month, the spotlight is back on future career paths and employment opportunities for young individuals. UCAS data revealed a significant interest in apprenticeship programmes, with 430,000 students exploring these options in 2023. However, the limited availability of apprenticeships (as indicated by the Government website’s publication) shows only 189,430 opportunities in England last year. This highlights a persistent lack of openings, and despite efforts to promote apprenticeships, the current number of apprentices in England remains below figures from a decade ago, emphasising the need for more opportunities to bridge the skills gap in various industries.

An apprenticeship with Moortown Group is a good way into the industry. Apprenticeships are open to anyone over the age of 16. As an apprentice, you will be fully employed and expected to work a minimum of 30 hours a week. We look for people who love a bit of adventure in their work and enjoy working outside getting their hands dirty. It is important they are fascinated by learning new systems and tools and work well as part of a team. There’s no barrier to becoming an apprentice other than their enthusiasm for the job, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

It is evident that the apprentices we have value the guidance and support they receive, feeling a sense of belonging and recognition within our organisation. We are excited to introduce some of our new apprentices who have recently joined our team. Here’s a summary of some of the faces we caught up with:

John-Joe Fahy (Aire Park)

I have chosen civil engineering to learn as much as I can about the built environment. Working mainly outdoors with lots of skilled people will help me develop both personally and professionally. Being part of creating something that is long lasting and useable is an exiting prospect.

   

Oliver Barton-Gray (Millsike)

I chose engineering as I enjoyed looking into the built environment and wanted to be a part of it.

   

Leon Barrett (Millsike)

I want a career as a site engineer to that I can combine technical skills with hands-on work.

   

Big thanks to our site teams and mentors for their continuous efforts in training and supporting these young individuals.

HMP Millsike Awards Sweep

We are delighted to share with you our success as winners in 5 out of 7 categories! A fantastic result for the Moortown team at this year’s Annual 2024 Project Award Presentation with Kier Group over at HMP Millsike in East Yorkshire.

We would like to thank Kier for taking the time to access and acknowledge our team’s relentless hard work, who have consistently gone the extra mile whenever possible and excelled in several areas of specialism.

Being part of a collaborative environment has helped ensure efficiency and drive positive outcomes. Congratulations is also in order to all the other subcontractors on this innovative project.

🏅 Contractor of the Year

🏅 Health & Safety – Contractor of the Year

🏅 Sustainability – Contractor of the Year (second year running)

🏅 Social Value – Contractor of the Year (second year running)

🏅 Contractor of the Month

We look forward to the following months ahead and seeing the project progress even further.

Up and running at Halifax Bus Station

Drone image courtesy of Calderdale Council

Last month marked the completion of the £20 million project in Halifax town centre – the redevelopment of the Bus Station for West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and Calderdale Council.

We arrived on site in September 2021 and have been working alongside Willmott Dixon to help deliver this transformative project. We’re thrilled to see it is now in full operational use.

This new modern facility was constructed with a strong focus on increasing accessibility, safety and connectivity in order to improve the existing passenger experience.

With an addition of 40 trees being planted around the station, it further features several other environmentally friendly components such as electric bus charging points, bike parking, solar panels and a green roof of living plants.

As part of this multi-million-pound project, our works package included:

• Drainage and attenuation tank installation
• External services
• Construction of foundations and slab
• External works to the Bus Station but also extending to Northgate, Winding Road and Wade Street
• Supply and install of 19x DIRO bus barriers
• In-situ concrete walls
• 100m gabion retaining wall
• Various elements of contribution towards the refurbishment of the Sion Chapel

Due to the phased construction, temporary works were put in place where required in order to keep the bus station operational whilst works were commencing on site.

It has been a pleasure to be part of this latest milestone in the major regeneration work and transport improvements happening across Calderdale.

North East Project Recap

The start of the year saw several North East projects reach their full completion. Working predominantly in the Defence and Health sectors, we deployed a handful of various teams and kit to begin works on these sites.

Sunderland Magistrates Court

At three locations within the existing Magistrates Court building, we undertook basement infill concrete works. This meant there was restricted working room, and extra considerations were required when working in a live building environment.

• Value: £100k
• Duration: 6 weeks
• Client: Galliford Try

HMP Northumberland

As part of the Government’s ongoing Rapid Cell Deployment Scheme, our works package included the foundations, drainage and services works to facilitate new modular prison cell units. Working in a prison environment with restricted access and shorter working days, was a logistical and time keeping challenge for the programme. Extensive works installing the drainage and services around already existing services were achieved using through specialist kit, our Vac Ex machine. Not only did this save on man hours and accessibility, but also enhanced safety measures.

• Works value: £2m
• Duration: 40 weeks
• Client: Galliford Try

   

Sunderland Eye Infirmary

As part of the City’s ambitious Riverside masterplan, we are currently on site at the Sunderland Eye Infirmary with Kier Group. This is a four-storey concrete frame construction; inclusive of all new concrete foundations, ground floor slabs, upper floor slabs, columns, walls and lift / stair cores, including all associated below ground drainage and services works; plus a new associated Energy Centre compound including foundations, ground floor slabs, eternal yard slabs and associated below ground drainage & services works.

• Value: £9.7m
• Duration: 50 weeks
• Client: Kier Group

    

More updates to follow over the coming months.