Our site teams are moving around in style, thanks to a new vehicle fleet investment of more than £400,000.

We have invested in a new 26 vehicle fleet, consisting of a mix of Peugeot Boxer tipper and Vauxhall Vivero vans, that have been supplied by Beerhouse Self Drive as a result of an ongoing partnership.

We’ve enjoyed a strong working partnership with Beerhouse Self Drive for a number of years.

The new vans feature livery designs showing the face of the Humber’s iconic skyline. Hobson & Porter has had a presence in the region for almost 50 years, contributing positively to the built environment and delivering projects which help it to grow and prosper.

Mike Gibbin, financial director for Hobson & Porter, said: “We have chosen to invest in this new fleet to provide our teams with vehicles that are more fuel efficient and lower in emissions. The tipper trucks are also class-leading in payload, saving fuel and improving productivity.

“This new fleet investment will improve our presence in the region and help reinforce the Hobson & Porter brand, which is building on success and delivering social value and lasting legacy on all of our projects.”

Work on the redevelopment of East Riding Leisure Centre Hornsea is now officially underway, following a press and media event held on Thursday 14th March.

Hobson & Porter and East Riding of Yorkshire Council welcomed local representatives, primary and secondary school students to the construction site, where they posed for photos with Hobson & Porter’s giant spade and learned more about the new centre for leisure and learning.

Bertie Field, aged two-years old and a regular visitor of the site, was invited to see the scheme’s diggers in action.

The £7.5 million project will bring a complete refurbishment and extension of the leisure centre with new facilities including an extended Tone Zone with 60 stations on the first floor overlooking the promenade; a new extended café area; new changing rooms; two new squash courts; and a dedicated Spin and Exercise Studio. The pool area and changing rooms will be extensively refurbished.

The redevelopment will also see the town’s library, customer service centre and resource centre relocating to the new facility, as well as the Children’s Centre.

The design incorporates a stunning two-storey extension and high-quality landscaping, the new centre for leisure and learning will provide a major new focal point for the central promenade.

Part-funded from the £3.77m Coastal Communities Fund awarded to Hornsea, the project is part of a wider regeneration programme for the sea front. With a dedicated education room, beach-side access to the café and toilets and stunning sea views from the outdoor seating area, the development is designed to attract more visitors to Hornsea, as well as catering for residents.

As part of the project, we are excited by the prospect of working with ERYC on several community engagement initiatives, including a site hoarding competition for both primary and secondary students.

Keep in touch with the progress of the redevelopment at www.eastridingleisure.co.uk/hornsea or via the new Facebook page : www.facebook.com/eastridingleisurehornsea

Work has started at our project at Marjorie Waite Court in Clifton, York where are delivering 33 new homes on behalf of York City Council.

The project, which is part of the council’s Older Person’s Accommodation Programme, will see us add four new bungalows and 29 apartments to the existing independent living scheme. We are also constructing a new community hall as part of the extension, which is set for completion and opening in winter 2020.

The new apartments we are building at Marjorie Waite Court will be wheelchair accessible and residents will benefit from extra care services. This includes providing 24-hour care for residents and those living with dementia. The four bungalows will be built with their own parking space. They will also be wheelchair-accessible and will be connected to a warden call system for added security.

Residents of both the new and existing apartments will be able to use refurbished and extended communal facilities. These will include a dining facility, a laundry, lounges on all floors with balconies, a hair salon and treatment room, and extra offices to deliver a wider range of services. To support residents’ mobility, an electric buggy store and charging area will be built.

Local community groups can also, through a booking scheme, use the new community hall which will provide space for community and leisure activities.

David Blades, business development director for Hobson & Porter, said: “We’re very excited to be underway with this project at Marjorie Waite Court. The additional housing and multi-use facilities will be of great benefit to residents at the site and we’re proud have been chosen by City of York Council to deliver a scheme of such lasting social value.

“As proud partners of the Considerate Constructors Scheme we are committed to demonstrating best practice in all aspects of our work, and we will be working closely with the council and the local community to provide regular communications on the project, while also minimising disruption to the surrounding area and that ensuring the highest site safety and environmental standards are adhered to.”

York City Council’s Older Person’s Accommodation programme aims to deliver over 900 extra new units of accommodation with care for older people by 2020 and will see over £100m new investment to deliver it.

We are delighted to have recently worked with The Deep to support its conservation work in protecting endangered marine species.

As part of our commitment to site sustainability we have been encouraging our employees to switch from single use plastic to reusable drinks bottles, with the proceeds from these sales being donated to conservation projects organised by The Deep.

Our donation contributed to aquarist Shoshana Levine’s recent trip to the New England Aquarium Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, Boston, to assist in the care and rehabilitation of stranded sea turtles.

415 cold stunned sea turtles were rescued, suffering from life-threatening hypothermia, emaciation, dehydration and other injuries. The majority of the turtles rescued were Kemp’s Ridley Sea turtles, one of the most endangered species, they were cared for at the rescue centre and will be released back into the wild once when they are strong and healthy.

David Blades, business development director for Hobson & Porter, said: “We’re pleased to be supporting The Deep’s fantastic conservation work which will help protect these rare and precious sea turtles.

“As a building contractor we have a responsibility to protect and preserve the environment and our commitment to switching to reusable drinks bottles is helping us combat the impact of plastic waste on our sites. It has been a great initiative and we’re proud to be putting the proceeds towards a worthy cause on behalf of The Deep.”

The Deep is continuing to work on and support vital research and conservation work around the world, something made possible through donations such as those raised by Hobson & Porter and other charitable donations.

We are continuing with our rollout of reusable drinks bottles which will eventually become available at all of our sites for staff to stay hydrated while helping to reduce single use plastics.

Our construction of the new Preston Road Women’s Centre- the first purpose-built women’s centre in the UK for 20 years – has gained the highest award given by Secured by Design (SBD), the national police crime prevention initiative, for incorporating crime prevention techniques into the layout, landscaping and physical security of the development.

Preston Road Women’s Centre – known locally as Purple House – offers women and girls from across Hull access to domestic violence and abuse services, sexual health services, outreach support, nursery provision, accredited courses, a housing service, legal services, a volunteer programme and a young women’s participation project.

Established in 2000, it has directly helped more than 4000 women, and engaged with many thousands more from its current building on Preston Road. As its services have grown, the organisation outgrew its space.

During the scheme, our project team worked closely with an SBD trained Designing Out Crime Officer worked and the architects, LNS Partnership, from the planning stages through to construction to incorporate SBD crime prevention techniques and security in the build.

The measures included the built environment, are lighting, fencing, CCTV, alarms and the installation of SBD accredited windows and doors.

The new building, which is more environmentally friendly and will allow more services to be offered to local women and children, has:

• A bigger nursery, with room for 18 children
• Four one to one rooms where support can be offered to women in private
• More room for volunteers to look after women visiting the centre
• Clinical space for women to see medical practitioners when needed
• Two training rooms
• A large meeting space for groups, including their Girlz Only group
• A laundrette so local women don’t have to travel to do their laundry
• A pram park
• A bigger charity shop
• More office space for growing number of staff

Ann Clarkson, Centre Coordinator for Preston Road Women’s Centre, said: “We are delighted to have this new facility which will help us extend the services we have provided to women and children in the area for over 18 years.

“Safety is such an essential part of our services and it was important for us to know that the new building is fit for purpose and built for visitors to feel secure and protected in their surroundings. The additional SBD security features are very reassuring for both staff and visitors alike and we’re really grateful for the support of this scheme.”

Marc Dias, Designing Out Crime Officer for Humberside Police, said: “This is an excellent new addition to Preston Road that will provide an important service for years to come. The incorporation of SBD standards helps ensure that the development provides a safe, secure and sustainable setting in to the future”.

Dave Blades, Business Development Director from Hobson & Porter Construction, said: “The security of any public-use building and the safety of its users are always important considerations for us as a contractor. It was a valuable experience for our project team at Preston Road Women’s Centre to work alongside the Designing Out Crime Officer and learn more about SBD crime prevention techniques, and we will look to utilise this knowledge to help provide further protection on future schemes.”