We recently completed our £3.5 million upgrade to Hornsea’s South Promenade boat compound and visitor facilities.

The work included dedicated parking for users, improved security, and boat servicing and wash down facilities.

Visitors can now benefit from a free visitor car park and picnic area, with improved access to the boathouse and the rest of the promenade.

The scheme was funded by the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the Westermost Rough Fisheries Community Fund and East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

The increased size of the yard, and its new concrete surface, together with the provision of a new maintenance unit, will safeguard the current nine jobs on the site.

It also provides an opportunity for further job creation, as the redeveloped compound allows the current tenants to store and repair more pots and associated equipment on site. Extra storage also allows the use of bigger and newer boats for the fishermen, helping them to process their catch more effectively and operate their business more efficiently.

The maintenance shed is a major benefit for the commercial fishermen and the other users of the site, as on site repairs can now be carried out by the users themselves. In addition, the facility means that repair companies can visit and maintain boats on site, rather than the boats having to be transported to the repair company’s facilities.

Visitors will benefit from the parking and hook up facilities in the public car park for mobile catering facilities and other attractions such as markets, fairs, and concerts which will be a boost to the local economy and employment in the summer months, in more normal times.

Improvements to public safety on the site have been made, thanks to the redeveloped roadways and entrance, and the alteration of what was previously informal parking to the west of the site into a formal parking area.

In addition, Hornsea Day Launch, operated by Hornsea Inshore Rescue, are now able to house and launch a far greater number of pleasure boats, jet skis and other craft  to increase income and safeguard and create job opportunities.

During the upgrade, we delivered the equivalent of 76 construction jobs and recruited two higher skill level individuals.

Councillor Shaun Horton, portfolio holder for Coastal Regeneration and Tourism, said :

“I am delighted to see the completion of this hugely important facility for Hornsea, which will offer considerable benefits to the local economy, both for residents and visitors. I am grateful for the excellent efforts of our contractors, and for the funding from various sources, as well as from the council itself.

“I look forward to seeing the Boat Compound develop and flourish in the future, and maximise its great potential.

“I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that they should avoid swimming in the area of the Boat Compound, as there is now considerably more activity there since its completion.”

Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, Luke Hall MP, said:

“The regeneration of Hornsea Boat Compound will secure the long-term future of Hornsea’s fishing industry, supporting local livelihoods for years to come.

“I am pleased we were able to support this project with a £3.7m Costal Communities Fund investment.

“Improving visitor facilities at the site will also allow Hornsea to showcase its maritime heritage, boosting tourism in the region.”

We’re very excited to announce we have made the shortlist for several Constructing Excellence Yorkshire and Humber (CEYH) 2020 awards.

We have been shortlisted in the People Development category for our annual Foundations initiative, a programme of activity aimed at creating a sustainable workforce for the construction industry – educating, developing and upskilling the next generation.

We’ve also been shortlisted in the Project of the Year (Buildings) and Value awards alongside our client East Riding Council, for our work at the new East Riding Leisure Hornsea development.

We have enjoyed past success at the CEYH Awards, with our work for East Riding Council to transform the energy efficiency of 130 homes in Bridlington earning us the Sustainability Award at 2019’s Awards.

The project also went on to receive a prestigious national award at the Constructing Excellence National Awards, beating off nationwide competition to win the national Sustainability Award.

This year’s CEYH Awards ceremony will be held virtually, taking place on Thursday 22^nd October at 4pm.

Constructing Excellence in Yorkshire and Humber (CEYH) is the regional partner to Constructing Excellence, the single organisation charged with driving the change agenda in construction, housing and regeneration.

It is run by the School of Built Environment and Engineering at Leeds Beckett University.

For more information on the awards visit http://ckegroup.org/cexcellenceyh/ceyh-awards-2020/

The new East Riding Leisure Centre has been shortlisted for Project of the Year (Buildings) and Value awards

We have been shortlisted in the ‘People Development’ category for our Foundations initiative

The foundations have been laid for 13 new bungalows on the former Eleanor Scott site, in Southcoates Lane, east Hull.

The development work has seen the former almshouse cottages – which were built in the early 1900s, no longer fit-for-purpose and beyond economical repair – demolished to make way for new PFH homes.

Four of the former cottages were built in 1907 and formed part of a legacy of another charity created some two hundred years earlier by Eleanor Scott who, in her will, left a property and 37 acres of farm land in the old parish of Southcoates to be leased for a reduced rent under what was then known as “poor relief”. Her will also established a charity school in the area in 1865 and a fund for the sick and poor.

Hull-based contractor Hobson and Porter is developing the new-builds for PFH, which will see the previous cottages replaced with modern, two bedroomed bungalows and ample parking space.

Martin Sherman, Property Services Director at PFH, said: “This development has been made possible with a Homes England affordable housing grant, which was secured to subsidise the building costs and we expect work to be complete in March 2021.

“This site has been particularly challenging as the ground conditions were very poor, we have therefore had to use very long piles 20 metres underground before laying the foundations for the new properties.

“We are pleased to be working with Hobson and Porter, a local firm providing jobs for people within our region. These bungalows will provide modern, affordable homes for the residents they are allocated to once complete next year.”

Wayne Cropp, Contracts Manager at Hobson and Porter, said: “Affordable housing schemes are very rewarding projects for us and we are particularly happy to be working once again with PFH on the
Eleanor Scott development in our home city of Hull, providing much-needed high-quality bungalows which will be enjoyed by new residents in the years to come.

“We continue to work on the Southcoates Lane site in accordance with the Covid-19 sector-specific government guidance for the construction industry. Thankfully, our programme of works hasn’t been too heavily disrupted in recent weeks as much of our work to-date has involved demolition and external works, both of which we are able to complete whilst upholding social distancing. We look forward to seeing the scheme take further shape in the coming weeks and months.”

While foreign travel continues to face disruption and holiday makers face uncertainty, our project teams have spent the summer holidays supporting facilities to help people enjoy staycation holidays in the region as a fun-filled alternative.

We are currently undertaking multiple projects at popular recreation and leisure facilities situated across the Yorkshire region.

We are performing works at Skidby Mill, the home of the Museum of East Riding Rural Life, performing repairs to the Grade II listed building’s roof, windows and tower.

We are also currently building the UK’s first Tree Health Centre, the Yorkshire Arboretum, located near Castle Howard in North Yorkshire.

When complete, the Yorkshire Arboretum will be the UK’s first purpose-built facility created to expand public awareness about the threats posed to trees by pests and diseases, and ways to keep them as healthy. The new visitor centre has now been constructed and is currently being fitted out.

A refurbishment of Hull’s Beverley Road Baths and a redevelopment and extension of East Riding Leisure Hornsea are also ongoing, which will provide refurbished swimming baths, squash courts and fitness studios. Beverley Road Baths is scheduled for completion next Spring while East Riding Leisure Hornsea is set for handover next week.

Also at Hornsea, a new boat compound has been delivered, with visitors benefitting from the creation of a new pay and display car park and picnic area, with improved access to the boathouse and the rest of the promenade.

Following the reopening of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and its heritage train services, we recently reached a milestone in the construction of a new stabling and maintenance facility that will house trains close to Pickering Station.

We are also due to handover a refurbished Driffield Methodist Church in the coming weeks, with building works complete and new fencing being erected.

Earlier this year, we completed a roofing upgrade at Beningbrough Hall, a historic country house with evolving gardens and art exhibitions. The project team performed a careful removal and replacement of the original Westmorland slate roof on a number of Grade II listed outbuildings at the National Trust’s estate based near York.

Hobson & Porter’s director Jon Craven says the firm’s works are taking place at a time when demand for recreation and leisure facilities in the region is increasing and the importance of tourism for the region’s economy is growing:

“With foreign travel currently facing uncertain restrictions due to the impact of COVID-19, many people are abandoning plans to holiday overseas and are choosing a staycation in the UK instead.

“The recreation and leisure projects we are currently involved in show the variety of excellent facilities we have here in Yorkshire and we’re really proud to be delivering work at sites that will provide great fun and interesting activities for tourists and residents in the region and hopefully kickstart our economy after a challenging period.

“It’s important for our region to see a continued investment in leisure and recreation facilities at this difficult time, as we look to stimulate the UK economy through attracting tourism. It’s great for the construction sector to play our part in this.”

Jon added: “With the majority of the UK spending the summer holidays at home this year, Hobson & Porter is proud to be flying the flag for the region and showing that you can holiday in our home county and discover countless activities, facilities and great things to do here.”

Driffield Methodist Church

Yorkshire Arboretum CGI

Beningbrough Hall Reroofing

Skidby Mill

Picture Credit Charlotte Graham
Pictures Shows: NYMR Pickering Carriage Stabling Facility

We are currently on site at Skidby Mill, which is undergoing a programme of refurbishment works, including repairs to the roof, windows and tower. The works are scheduled to take about 12 weeks and we are now midway through the 12-week programme. To preserve the grade II listed mill, which was built in 1821 we are repairing its sails externally. These are aimed to be returned to the mill in early 2021.

Skidby Mill is home to the Museum of East Riding Rural Life and this has also recently reopened. The Rural Life museum collects objects relating to rural and agricultural heritage of the East Riding and has a new display about milling and food production in the base of the tower.

During our works, all parts of the site remain open, including the independently run Sails café, which has also recently been refurbished.

East Riding Councillor Shaun Horton, portfolio holder for tourism, culture and leisure, said : “Our museums service staff look forward to welcoming visitors both old and new to this much loved historic building over the coming months. Visitors might be particularly interested in the refurbishment work taking place as a result of the major council investment in the facility”.

To find out more about Skidby Mill and its visitor attraction opening times go to: https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/museum-eat-ridings-skidby-mill-reopens-new-exhibition-2927072

Our project to build a new railway carriage maintenance facility in Pickering for North Yorkshire Moors Railway has reached a major milestone following the announcement of the reopening of the heritage rail service.

We are now well underway with the steel erection at the new stabling facility, located near to Pickering Station in North Yorkshire, as part of a National Lottery Heritage Fund and European Union Rural Development Programme for England funded project for the NYMR’s wider Magnificent Journey scheme.

The steel erection gives the first visual impression of the scale of the facility and follows the recent construction of a new road access bridge to the site to enable the main construction works to commence.

When complete, the five track single-storey carriage shed featuring a cantilevered roof, will accommodate up to 40 of the railway’s heritage carriages and for the first time enable servicing and cleaning tasks to be completed undercover.

Platform access to most tracks will be provided for servicing and cleaning, and one track will have a pit along its whole length to facilitate fitness to run inspections and brake block changing.

Works at the facility began in January this year with the new access bridge being completed just prior to the UK-wide lockdown due to COVID-19. Construction work at the site halted for a few weeks during April to allow us to implement new safe working practices across their sites. Work at the site resumed in late April, enabling the project team to advance their line-side works due to the railway being closed as a visitor attraction. The project is due to complete early in 2021.

Patrick Horton, Contracts Manager for the scheme, said: “This first erection of steelwork is an exciting milestone for the new carriage stabling facility at Pickering, for the first time people are able to really appreciate the scale of the project.

“Following the fantastic news that the railway will soon reopen to passengers at the beginning of August we are delighted to be back working onsite and progressing works, it will be great for passengers to see the work we have completed so-far as they pass the site on the trains.

Patrick added: “I would like to thank our project team and all the stakeholders at NYMR for their hard work and determination as we continue to deliver the scheme in accordance with government guidelines.”

Chris Price, NYMR General Manager, said: “After a delayed start to 2020, it’s great to be able to see works of this project well underway ahead of our season opening this Yorkshire day. It’s a real symbol of progress for us, of moving forwards, and is a real significant step in the development of our highly-anticipated new stabling facility.

Thanks are due to the people of Pickering for their patience during this major construction project, which will help ensure that the railway continues to bring jobs and economic benefit to the town.”

The facility at Pickering forms part of a larger scheme to transform the railway and secure its future as part of its £10million-pound Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey (YMJ) Appeal.

It will help sustain the NYMR and is funded by the European Union, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the supporters of the NYMR. To find out more about the YMJ Appeal visit: https://www.nymr.co.uk/north-yorkshire-moors-railway-secures-national-lottery-support-ymj-news

Picture Credit: Charlotte Graham

Patients undergoing fertility treatment in our region will soon be receiving their care in a brand new, state-of-the-art, clinic located near the Humber Bridge, within the Hesslewood Business Park. This will allow the Hull IVF Unit to enhance the already excellent patient experience they provide, in an unrivalled setting.

The Hull IVF Unit is one of the most successful fertility treatment centres in the country. The clinic provides over 400 treatment cycles for patients every year and continues to attract a growing number of patients seeking both NHS-funded and private treatment.

We are delighted to have been appointed as lead contractor to build the clinic.  Initial groundworks have recently commenced and construction is expected to take around 12 months.

The new facility will provide much needed extra clinical and laboratory space, enabling the clinic to meet the rising demand from both NHS and private patients across our region and beyond.

Denise Holland, the clinic’s Consultant Nurse says “We have been working very hard over the past 2 years to develop the plans for the new IVF unit. We all work together as a very close-knit team and hope that the new facility will significantly improve patients’ experience, at what can be a very emotional and stressful time in their lives.”

Russ Pask, Contracts Manager for Hobson & Porter, said “We’re pleased to be on site and commencing works at Hesslewood Business Park. The new Hull IVF Unit will be the latest in a long line of high-quality healthcare facilities we have delivered in the region over many years and we are proud to be creating a unit that will provide fertility treatment for hundreds of patients in the local area.”

This new location means the clinic will be more readily accessed from Hull, North and East Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire and will provide dedicated, free parking adjacent to the clinic for exclusive use of patients and staff.

Not only will the new clinic be able to accommodate the additional workload but will also be able to integrate new technologies into treatments, as they become available.

The Hull IVF Unit has had a close working relationship with the local NHS Trust for more than 25 years, and this relationship will continue. NHS patients will continue to access seamless care during and after their referral into the clinic.

It is anticipated that the clinic will open its doors to patients at the new facility by summer 2021.

As a responsible employer, it is essential we protect our hardworking staff, supply chain partners, visitors, and their respective families from the potential transmission of COVID-19.

Due to the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 and the restrictions and safeguarding concerns this presented, on Tuesday 24^th March we commenced a process of construction site closures which concluded in all of our active sites ceasing operations by the end of March, pending further instruction and evaluation as to how we could proceed in a safe manner.

On 31^st March 2020 The RT Hon Alok Sharma MP, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy wrote an open letter to the construction sector acknowledging that construction workers cannot work from home. He also announced COVID-19-specific Site Operating Procedures (SOP’s) published by the construction leadership council. He closed the letter by praising the critical contribution the construction sector makes to the UK economy.

Having reviewed and evaluated this information in recent weeks, we recommenced reduced works on a select number of sites during week commencing Monday 27^th April, working in strict accordance with the new SOP’s. The working practices follow the ELIMINATE, REDUCE, ISOLATE and CONTROL framework to mitigate and control the spread of the virus on construction sites. Our standard site welfare, risk assessments and method statements have all been heavily modified to accommodate these SOP’s. Our operations will be closely monitored to evaluate how these new SOP’s work in practice across our sites and offices.

Our SHEQ (safety, health, environment and quality) team and board of directors are closely reviewing the ongoing situation, relevant government guidance and the implementation of the new SOP’s to ensure the safeguarding of our valued workforce. Pending successful implementation across these initial sites, we hope to remobilise further construction sites and support functions during May 2020

Can I please ask that you continue to respect and support our hardworking teams in the coming weeks. Our offsite and support operations are been managed via a skeleton staff at our head office and remote working to ensure our construction sites are supported during these demanding and unprecedented times.

We hope everyone stays safe and we again thank those working tirelessly to provide critical frontline services.

Richard Hunter
Managing Director
Hobson & Porter Ltd.

What we ask of our Clients, Sub-Contractors and Suppliers.

**ATTENTION CLIENTS, SUB-CONTRACTORS AND SUPPLIERS**: IF ANY OF YOUR EMPLOYEES HAVE VISITED A HOBSON & PORTER SITE OR OFFICE LOCATION IN THE PAST 14 DAYS AND HAVE SINCE HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19, OR ARE CURRENTLY SELF-ISOLATING WITH SYMPTOMS, PLEASE INFORM OUR COVID-19 COORDINATOR IMMEDIATELY BY EMAILING covid@hobsonporter.com.

A new Hull College Centre for Construction Trade Apprenticeships has been opened by BBC DIY SOS’s Mark Millar with the help of Hobson & Porter.

The new centre, at Portobello Street in Hull, was opened on Thursday 28th November and will act as a skills facility for construction apprentices, covering trades such as Carpentry and Joinery, Bricklaying, Maintenance Operations.

We were proud to sponsor the opening of the event alongside 11 other organisations which work in partnership to provide materials, tools and advice. Other firms in attendance included suppliers Dulux, Ibstock and Portwest.

Mark Millar was given a tour of the site by Hull College and Hobson & Porter and spoke to apprentices, teachers and employers at the event.

He revealed a commemorative plaque as part of the official opening ceremony, dedicated to former Hull College tutor Shaun Clarke, who worked at the college for 17 years and developed many learners to be industry ready.

Discussing the new Centre for Construction Trade Apprenticeships, Mark said: “I think it’s incredible, to see it go from something where there was nothing nine weeks ago to be turned around into a real educational environment is fantastic.

“It’s great that Hobson & Porter have got behind this and so many people who have come on board with supplies; Jewsons, Saint Gobain, DeWalt, Ibstock and many more. it’s amazing to see there are still people out there prepared to invest in the youth coming through the industry.”

Mark has been an ambassador for Hobson & Porter’s Foundations Initiative since 2018. He said:

“The more we produce here the better skills we can put out into the marketplace and people can see what they’ve invested in. It’s so important to keep facilities like this supported and funded.

He added: “We need to invest in the future and that is why Hobson & Porter has launched the Foundations Initiative and I’m very proud to be behind it.”

DIY SOS’s Mark Millar with Hull College Bricklaying apprentice Beth Skinner

Hobson & Porter is one of only 29 firms selected by regional procurement body Efficiency North for its £340m social housing new-build framework.

It’s the second time we’ve been selected by Efficiency North to deliver work for affordable schemes for social housing landlords in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Hobson & Porter has been selected for schemes of between 30 and 85 units with the arrangement running until November 2023. The scope covers site preparation, site remediation, associated civil engineering and infrastructure works, design, new build construction.

Managing Director Richard Hunter: “It is excellent news to be included in Efficiency North’s framework for the second time. It will demonstrate our expertise in delivering a range of high-quality projects and benefitting communities in various parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

“It shows our capabilities and a real confidence in our skills and sits firmly within our impressive family of construction frameworks adding to our reputation of positively contributing to the built environment in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire through collaboration, innovation and our dedication to building projects.”

We were also selected to Efficiency North’s last framework – which delivered up to 1,394 new homes with an overall contract value of £177m.

Among our work with Efficiency North in the past has included the construction of 12 new affordable homes at Monument House in Pontefract for Wakefield District Housing.

In addition to this and aside from the main new-build framework we also extended our relationship with Efficiency North and were successful in securing the first project under the EN:Able build programme; An early contractor involvement land-led model for delivering social housing. In December 2019 we successfully handed over 24 two and three bedroom social units to Together Housing at Harworth near Doncaster.

Mr Hunter added: “Working with EN:Able Build and Together Housing on the Harworth project was truly collaborative as we were involved in all the key decisions from day one and that allowed us to contribute fully to the process of value engineering.”

Visit www.efficiencynorth.org for more details.