The ‘end of
austerity’ should help sustain the healthy levels of spending on regeneration
projects across Britain’s towns and cities which are proving a good source of
new urban regeneration construction work.
Schemes to revive
urban areas with new residential projects, improved transport and
pedestrianised high streets are helping to buoy up public and private sector
construction workloads.
The various
government regeneration spending initiatives which featured in the last Budget
are translating into new construction work in many regions and the signs are
that more will follow.
Spending on the Transforming
Cities Fund is set to climb from £140 million in 2018/19 to £355 million in
this financial year and to £1,010 by 2021-22. Meanwhile, spending on the Future
High Streets Fund is set to grow from £5 million this financial year, to £75
million in 2020-20, to £240 million by 2022-23.
Glenigan
Construction Data highlights the extent of major city centre regeneration
projects which are in the construction pipeline nationally.
In Aberdeen (pictured), tenders
have recently been returned and work is set to start next summer on a £20
million city centre redevelopment at Queens Square. As well as 330 flats and a
new public space, it will involve the pedestrianisation of part of the city’s
historic thoroughfare, Union Street (Glenigan Glenigan Project ID: 10199112).
Meanwhile, Balfour
Beatty will start work this month on a £25.7 million regeneration of Aberdeen’s
Union Terrace Gardens under the council’s city centre masterplan (Glenigan
Project ID: 16334352).
In Leeds, John Sisk
has recently been appointed as the civils contractor on a £30 million city
council scheme of public road and transport improvements to create a series of
new gateways into the city centre. Work will start at the end of this year and
should run for 14 months (Glenigan Project ID: 18347626).
Elsewhere, Newcastle
City Council is set to embark on a £23 million town centre redevelopment. It
involves the construction of a new shopping area on Pilgrim Street and the
pedestrianisation of the city’s Blackett Street, as well as the creation of a
new events space. Work is set to start on the project - which is at the
pre-tender stage - next Spring and continue for two years (Glenigan Project ID:
17421569).
Further south in
Oxford, work is set to start later this year on the city council’s £8 million
pedestrianisation of the city’s Broad Street which will involve the creation of
a new university square. Work on the scheme, which is at the pre-tender stage, is
set to continue for 12 months (Glenigan Project ID: 98441283).
