We are delighted to announce the successful completion of a modular build project at Hallam Fields Junior School in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

Collaborating with Ideal Building Systems Ltd on behalf of Derbyshire County Council, Concertus was previously responsible for an internal refurbishment of the primary school building that aimed to improve office facilities and enhance the safeguarding of the main entrance. However, this work led to the removal of two existing classroom spaces. Since the site had limited space available, the only option was to build on a sloping scrubland next to the existing two-story school building. This presented construction access challenges and required dealing with a sloping site and underlying rock.

The new building comprises two 56m2 classrooms, along with toilet and accessible toilet facilities. The design of the building incorporates large end-elevation windows and roof lights to provide natural daylight and ventilation to even the deepest parts of the building. The external cladding was chosen to match the school’s colours. We are thrilled to see the children enjoying their new classrooms!

Concertus Design and Property Consultants is pleased to announce some recent internal changes to improve our service delivery and operational efficiency.

We are delighted to announce that Andy Bates, previously an Associate Director, has been promoted to Commercial Director. In his new role, Andy will oversee commercial strategies and activities across all regions of our company, ensuring that our business objectives align with our commitment to providing exceptional services to our clients.

As part of further commercial improvements, we are also excited to announce that Jess Etienne has been promoted from Associate to Associate Director, with key responsibilities related to commercial matters. Jess will primarily focus on the Midlands region, but her work will also include wider Vertas Group requirements. Jess will report to Andy Bates.

Kelly Content has been promoted to Associate in the Architectural Team in the East of England. Kelly has been with Concertus since 2014. During her time she has developed and managed the interior design discipline within Concertus. Her new role will see her continue to lead the Interior Architectural Design and now Landscape Architecture functions of the business and look at future project and development opportunities.

These key promotions within our team will ensure that we continue to grow and excel in all areas of our operations. By strengthening our leadership team, we are setting the stage for a future of continued success and innovation in design and property consultancy services.

Planning permission has been granted for a new building in Chesterfield that will replace the Sheffield Road site currently housing the Outback Centre and Spire Lodge Children’s Home. The current site is no longer functional due to the deteriorating condition of some of its buildings, its vast layout, and the Spire Lodge building’s original design as an Old People’s Home, which poses safety issues for the site users.

Concertus Design and Property Consultants will design the new building on behalf of Derbyshire County Council. The new building will be ‘L’ shaped and divided into three areas: The Spire Lodge Children’s Home, The Outback Family Support Centre, and The Emergency Accommodation.

Tom Marshall, Operations Director, Concertus Design and Property Consultants, said: “This new building is an excellent step towards modernising the service provision of Derbyshire County Council. The central hub will integrate numerous services, making it much more cost-effective and beneficial to the community.”

To ensure adequate supervision, the administration areas have been placed along the front elevation, allowing passive supervision of the car park and visitors entering the site. The more private areas, such as bedrooms and lounge areas, have been positioned to provide them with views and direct access to the garden areas where suitable.

The Outback Family Support Centre, which will be the most publicly accessible part of the building on a day-to-day basis, has been positioned in the centre to increase its presence on the site.

The building has been designed according to the Care Inspectorate’s ‘Care Homes for Children and Young People’ design guide, considering the specific requirements of the end-users.

A new Centre for Dental Development at the University of Suffolk has been shortlisted for a Public Sector award by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The RICS regional awards recognise inspirational initiatives and developments in land, real estate, construction, and infrastructure.

The regional award winners, who will be announced throughout May and June, will then move forward to compete in the national awards which are held in October. The University of Suffolk has been shortlisted for the transformation of its James Hehir Building to become a home to a new Centre for Dental Development, which includes new state of the art teaching facilities for dental hygiene and dental therapy as well as the University of Suffolk Dental Community Interest Company (Dental CIC), which has secured an innovative NHS contract for an initial five-year term.

With a total investment of £4.7 million in the new hub, that will not only provide modern teaching facilities but will also offer fully equipped dental surgery units providing high-quality NHS dental services. The local community will benefit and see the impact from this new initiative.

Excitement spread around campus recently as the University officially welcomed the first cohort of BSc Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy students, while the new NHS dental practice will start treating patients referred by NHS 111 later this spring.

Nigel Lucker, Director of Estates at the University of Suffolk, said: “This has been a significant project, not only for the University but also for the wider community. We are delighted that the first cohort of students for our BSc Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy course are already benefiting from the new state of the art facilities. The new Dental CIC is now equipped with the latest dental surgery units ready for the first referred patients in the coming months.”

Not only will the new units provide thousands of additional NHS-only dental appointments a year, but it will also be a training hub for future dental health professionals. The training services, located across the first floor, will provide a modern teaching environment for student dental hygienists and therapists at the University and the CIC will offer placements for local dental nurses, dental therapists, and hygienists who have recently qualified or are currently in training.

Steven Ryles, Associate for Architecture at Concertus, said: “While working closely with the clients, contractor and project team, we were able to overcome the challenges of converting existing layouts of the building quickly, ensuring the scheme was delivered on time and within budget. The open-armed approach and skillset, led to an execution with efficiency and effectiveness.”

Local companies Concertus, Barnes Construction, JSH and KLH Architects, all worked together to deliver and create the expert facilities that will help provide new dental provision across Suffolk and Northeast Essex. Through extensive stakeholder engagement and proactive communication and co-ordination, the appointed specialist providers were seamlessly integrated into the project, ensuring effective delivery of core university equipment and specialist dental apparatus and systems for both the First Floor Teaching Facility and the Second Floor Dental Practice. This process and coordination allowed costs to be reduced and the programme to be as succinct as possible on this live building.

Mark Bailey, Divisional Director, from Barnes Construction said: “We were delighted to be back working with the UoS and the project team, to repurpose two floors of the James Heir building for this exciting scheme and hope that this helps to alleviate the local and national pressures on dental care.”

This unique collaborative project provides clinical simulation and treatment facilities supporting the education and training of students in dental therapy and hygiene, whilst developing a dental social enterprise offering NHS dental treatment.

Construction has officially begun at Sybil Andrews Academy in Bury St Edmunds to create a new SEND unit for 18 pupils.

Representatives from the school, Suffolk County Council, Unity Schools Partnership, Concertus and Barnes Construction gathered on-site to celebrate the start of work of ‘The Abbey’ – which is part of the county council’s £55million investment into creating more than 1,000 new SEND placements across the county.

Andrew Reid, Cabinet member for Education and SEND at Suffolk County Council, said: “It is always an exciting milestone for any school when the first spade goes into the ground. This unit will make a significant difference to SEND families in the community and will be a great asset to the school. We set out in 2019 to provide more than a thousand new specialist placements for SEND pupils across the county, with around 741 new places already created and another 84 to be ready by September. This investment of £55million continues to make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Joe Pointon, head of school at Sybil Andrews Academy, added: “We are delighted that building work has started on The Abbey, which is a cognition and learning Unit for pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4. The plans show that the unit will have bright and airy classrooms, an outdoor learning area and break-out spaces. Once it is completed, the unit will provide a broad curriculum which will prepare the pupils for life beyond school.
“We can’t wait to see the new building develop over the next few months and we look forward to welcoming our first pupils in September.”

The final phase of Sybil Andrews Academy was completed back in Summer 2020 and now the original design and property consultants and main contractor who delivered these works four years ago, have returned to create a new single-storey SEND unit.

New grass and asphalt areas will be created with external canopies, helping to elevate the learning environment for the children by encouraging outdoor learning. The unit location allows for new vehicular and pedestrian access to be created. Although separate access to the dedicated and discrete learning area will be provided, careful consideration went into the location of the unit to enable students to be included in mainstream school life when needed.

Steven Ryles, Associate for Concertus, said: “We are passionate about supporting Suffolk County Council in creating calming and inspiring environments to allow pupils to develop independence and self-confidence. A highly valued relationship has been created between the project team and the school over the past nine years so we are confident that the needs of the children will be met with the creation of the new unit. We are thrilled that the project has hit this fantastic milestone”.

Damien Kerry, Associate Divisional Director at Barnes Construction, said: “We are delighted to be back at Sybil Andrews Academy helping Suffolk County Council and Concertus to release this exciting new SEND facility.”

Having recently completed the expansion and reconfiguration of the former Harbour Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) school into the new Horizon PRU in Lowestoft, Concertus and Barnes Construction continue to work alongside the Council and its partners to support all children and young people with SEND to meet their potential and live active, healthy, and fulfilling lives as part of their local community.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Lottie Sawford and Harry Morris to Concertus, where they will form a new in-house CDM team. They have worked together for nearly two years in previous roles and with their combined expertise and experience, we are excited to see what new ideas and perspectives they will bring to the table.

Lottie brings over a decade of experience working within health and safety and in civil engineering to her role of Associate (Health & Safety), having worked her way up from an apprentice to a manager. Her experience in highway engineering, coupled with her Level 3 certification in civil engineering and NEBOSH certification, make her an invaluable asset to our team.

Harry’s journey began as an admin apprentice, but his interest in property regeneration led him working as part of a property department, where he completed a L3 Surveying Technician Diploma before progressing into a Fire Safety and Health & Safety compliance role. We are thrilled to have him join the business as a CDM Advisor.

Both Lottie and Harry will be based out of our Matlock office, working closely with the team in Ipswich also, and will now be taking the time to understand how our business operates. They will be reviewing existing policies and procedures, and sharing their insights on how we can improve. We are confident that they will help us continue to deliver the high-quality service our clients have come to expect from Concertus.

We are proud to have Lottie and Harry join us from Nottingham City Council, and we look forward to seeing all that they will achieve as part of the team.

Charles Mackesy OBE, a British illustrator and author visited children on site to officially open the new 30-place standalone nursery at Holton St Peter Primary School in the village of Holton, Halesworth. Suffolk County Council and East Suffolk Council worked together to use Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), to expand the school offering to include children aged two and three years old.

Now formally known as ‘Sparkles Nursery’, named after the Headteacher Christine Starkl, the new nursery will also be run by the ASSET Education Trust, whose vision is to ‘seek to equip and empower the next generation of children and create a more compassionate, equitable and sustainable world where they personally and collectively thrive’.

Christine Starkl, Headteacher at Holton St Peter Primary School, said: “I am over the moon to be able to offer a high standard facility that will give the young children of Holton and Halesworth community a fantastic start to life. I started working as Headteacher in September 2017, starting a very small nursery at Holton in September 2018 when my vision began. It was my dream and vision to have a purpose-built nursery. My dream has now come true! We have opened the doors to an amazing environment dedicated to young children. The current children are excited to be housed in a new building just for them. Our local children deserve the best that our small school and village can offer so I am pleased that our new nursery is now able to offer a high-quality education that they deserve. I am so proud to be the Headteacher at Holton St Peter and now Sparkles Nursery.”

Built with the children and sustainability in mind, the new nursery features PV panels and air source heat pumps reducing the running costs and carbon footprint of the school. The design includes both timber cladding and brickwork, complementing the existing school building.

A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council said: “The new purpose-built nursery at Holton St Peter enables children to access their funded early years education within their local community at the village school. This facility provides additional nursery places in the local area. Suffolk County Council are pleased to have been able to work with East Suffolk District Council to secure funding from local housing development to fund this nursery.”

Councillor Kay Yule, East Suffolk Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Coastal Management said: “East Suffolk is delighted to have supported and funded the delivery of this new Nursery School, which has been 100% funded through the allocation up to £1,030,042 of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). For all housing growth planned for Halesworth and Holton, East Suffolk has now funded pre-school, primary and secondary education expansion through CIL to serve all of the pupils which will be generated by those homes. All of those projects have now been delivered, well in advance of most of the homes being built, ensuring sustainable housing growth and wider community benefits. We hope this is the first of many such facilities which we will be helping to deliver with the County Council, funded by CIL.”

The main contractor for the scheme, Brooks and Wood, has worked with Concertus Design and Property Consultants to provide the new facilities. This includes an office, a quiet room, a kitchen, and a classroom, leading to additional outdoor learning space with planting beds and climbing plants that soften the overall feel of the build.

Charles Coulson, Associate Director from Concertus, said:“We are pleased to have been involved in the latest addition at Holton St Peter Primary School. With a small site on an existing school, we were keen to provide a compact design that provides the required areas for learning without disrupting the primary school. The new nursery building is a fantastic asset and a space that will benefit the whole school and the local area.”

Stuart Boardley, Director at Brooks and Wood said: “Brooks and Wood were once again delighted to deliver this important scheme in partnership with Concertus and Suffolk County Council. The delivery of this project was so important to both the school and Holton’s community, so we are delighted to have played our part in its success story.”

The governors, staff, and children are so excited about their new nursery, that during the official opening a ‘Time Capsule’ was buried to mark this special milestone.

School places for children aged two and three years old are still available. Visit the school’s website to find out more.

Construction works to regenerate a vacant industrial zone and attract businesses in Lowestoft is underway.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held by SEH French on February 1 to mark the start of works on Newcombe Road, on the site known locally as the Power Park.

The development, named The Nexus, will include 16 contemporary business units with car parking, cycle storage and necessary infrastructure works.

Councillor Paul Ashton, East Suffolk Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Services – Digital, Customer Services, HR, and Assets, said: “We are delighted that construction at the Nexus is underway at a location which we hope will become a natural hub for clean energy companies, appealing to both start-up and more established businesses.

“East Suffolk Council wants to welcome companies who are committed to a low carbon future and the many high-quality jobs that will offer. This is a landmark moment for Lowestoft and underlines our commitment to a sustainable, thriving economy for the town.”

The site is being constructed by SEH French and has been designed by Concertus Design & Property Consultants Limited.

It aims to attract businesses of various sizes to Lowestoft as part the authority’s plans to revitalise the area.

Simon Hubert, Contracts Manager at SEH French, said: “This a fantastic project for the town and will undoubtedly attract businesses to the area.
“Lowestoft has lots of potential and we are delighted to be involved in the construction of The Nexus.

“We look forward to seeing the development progress.”

James Bailey, Principal Architectural Designer at Concertus Design & Property Consultants Limited, said: “This project will be seen as a flagship project for the area and one we are thrilled to be a part of.

“A lot of effort and hard work has gone into the design and delivery of the project so far with all the members of the design team and client team working extremely well together to get the project to this stage, so we are excited to celebrate this milestone today.”

The development is due for completion in Autumn 2024, with businesses interested in the units asked to contact Bycroft Commercial on 01493 844489.

To find out more about SEH French and projects they have been involved in, visit www.sehfrench.co.uk.

A ceremony has been held to officially mark the start and progress with work on a new £8.5m primary school – the largest project of its kind Derbyshire County Council has been involved in.

The current 1930s Bramley Vale Primary School building had come to the end of its life and required replacement as the ongoing repair bill was no longer cost effective compared to the cost of a complete rebuild.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Councillor Alex Dale attended the ceremony on Friday (January 19) with school Headteacher Rob Rumsby, representatives from the council’s school development team and its design and build consultancy partner Concertus, developer Morgan Sindall and Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher.

The building, off York Avenue in Bramley Vale near Chesterfield, will accommodate up to 175 pupils aged up to 11.

Councillor Dale said: “This is one of the biggest primary school building projects we have ever been involved in and we’re very pleased to be working in partnership on this exciting multi-million-pound project making the best use of our resources to provide a high-quality modern school for local children and for use by the wider community.

The works have been phased to allow pupils to be taught in temporary classroom accommodation on the lower school field site to limit disruption to their learning while the original school building is demolished and the new one built on the original building footprint.

“I would very much like to thank and praise Headteacher Rob Rumsby, his staff and all the parents and pupils for the way they are carrying on as usual with school life and learning and as positively as possible while extensive building work is going on around them,” added Councillor Dale.

“I’m confident they will be delighted with the end result which will be a huge asset to them and Bramley Vale and as a valued community base for the surrounding communities.”

The new school will feature:
Five full-size classrooms with improved workspace area – each with low-energy efficient lighting and with natural ventilation and heat recovery ventilation systems to reduce energy use, plus carbon dioxide and temperature control to provide adequate fresh air, manage air quality and reduce over-heating
A general teaching room which will also be used as an after-school space
Library
New toilets
A new catering kitchen facility
Staff room
New office space
Reinstatement of the school field to Sports England standard
Installation of new wall-mounted PE equipment
Eco-friendly heating and ventilation with heat recovery system throughout for optimised energy efficiency and comfort
The extensive school grounds will also be landscaped for wider use including for Forest School lessons as part of the ambitious rebuild project expected to complete later this year.

Headteacher Rob Rumsby said: “The whole school community, in the widest sense, is looking forward to seeing the completion of the partial school rebuild. Bramley Vale Primary School had been ear-marked for needing a total or partial rebuild many years ago. I was pleased when joining the school in January 2021 that the governing body and I were given the opportunity by Derbyshire County Council and Concertus to review and discuss the designs.”

During the consultation period a working kitchen was added to the design along with additional classroom capacity.

“It has been vitally important to all the school stakeholders that we get the best possible outcome for residents of Bramley Vale, Doe Lea, Glapwell and the wider community we serve and we are fully committed to ensure we have the best possible outcome,” added Mr Rumsby. Operations Director at Concertus Design and Property Consultants Tom Marshall said it was ‘fantastic’ to see work progressing well at Bramley Vale.

“The development of a new learning facility here for students is exciting and will see the creation of a modern and innovative learning environment for children in the area. The new facility will provide a range of benefits for students and the community alike, and it’s sure to make a positive impact for many years to come.”

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this exciting project, and we look forward to working collaboratively with Morgan Sindall and Derbyshire County Council to deliver this project for Bramley Vale and the surrounding area.”

Midlands Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction Richard Fielding said: “As a live, operational learning environment the key consideration throughout the Bramley Vale Primary School project has been to provide an outstanding new facility whilst keeping disruption to a minimum.

“Through the provision of a Temporary Learning Village students will be able to continue their learning journey while we push on to complete their new school. From the conversations we’ve had with the school, we understand the importance of the rebuild and the excitement at its delivery. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Derbyshire County Council, Concertus, the school and the wider community in what will be a fantastic facility once completed.”

The newly rebuilt Bramley Vale Primary School will be situated opposite a new £1.2m purpose-built foundation block for its younger pupils which opened in 2015 featuring two classrooms and an outside play area for nursery and reception classes as well as toilets, an office and lobby area.

The recent renovation projects at Belper School & Sixth Form Centre, Anthony Gell School, and Wirksworth Junior School, which were undertaken on behalf of Derbyshire County Council, have generated over £550,000 in social value for the local community. These projects have also provided a boost to the local economy, with over £210,000 being spent with local MSMEs.

The works carried out at these schools include re-wiring, installation of new roofs, and relaying of floors, which not only enhance the physical infrastructure of the schools but also generate much-needed economic activity in the area.

The project teams of Concertus Design & Property Consultants and Stepnell have also contributed to the local community through various initiatives. They have secured nearly 6 weeks of apprenticeships and over 60 hours of support for local schools, colleges, and individuals needing employability skills. The teams have engaged with over 200 students in five Derbyshire schools and colleges through careers fairs, mock interviews, and STEM workshops. These initiatives provide valuable opportunities for young people to develop their skills and explore future career paths.

The renovation projects at these schools have not only improved the physical infrastructure but have also provided significant social value to the local community. The engagement of local supply chain partners and support for local unemployed people have helped to strengthen the local economy and provide valuable opportunities for young people in the area.

What is social value?

Social value refers to the positive impact that a business, organisation, or project has on society beyond its financial or economic benefits. It is the measure of how much a business or program contributes to improving the wellbeing of the community in which it operates.

To create social value, businesses and organisations need to work collaboratively with their communities and other stakeholders to identify and address societal needs. This can involve investing in social programs, adopting sustainable business practices, and promoting diversity and inclusion.