Build August PDF

Build Magazine 7 Milton-Keynes based Storey Homes has appointed Mark Plowman, formerly of Crest Nicholson, as its new Construction Manager to oversee all its residential developments. Mark will also help identify new land investment opportunities, oversee all sub-contractors, materials and on-site Health & Safety, and work to recruit construction site staff in line with the company’s growing business model. Mark who started his career as a bricklayer, has been in the construction industry for over 34 years. He has worked on numerous developments over his career, working with developers such as McClean Homes East Anglia, George Wimpey, Miller Homes and Crest Nicholson where he progressed from site manager up to build manager, eventually heading up the construction department of the Chiltern region. Mark comments: “One opportunity I am most keen to work on is to further develop our strategic partnerships with subcontractors, building our portfolio of partners and the relationships we have. I am also keen to recruit new, quality staff who can help grow our construction team.” Storey Homes is currently constructing two developments, a 14-home gated development in the sought after town of Ampthill, Bedfordshire and a 152 multi- phased development in Bedford on the former De Montfort University site. Further planning applications are also in the pipeline across Milton Keynes and Storey Homes’ surrounding heartland. To date Mark’s largest managed site consists of 1,200 homes and apartments over several phases in 2006 and the biggest phase including 165 homes, in 2010. He also won the NHBC Eastern Regional award for Pride in the Job in 2006 while working as a site manager. Mark continues: “I am really excited to be heading up the construction department for a smaller company like Storey Homes so that I can help it grow into something different to the mainstream. Storey Homes is renowned for producing quality homes with a different design edge and I am keen to be a part of moulding the Storey Homes teams to do just that. Reporting to managing director Katy Jordan, Mark will manage a team of site managers and a 75-strong construction team. Speaking about the opportunity Katy comments: “Mark’s expertise and pride in his work is second to none. We are glad to have him on board to take Storey Homes to the next level and grow our residential portfolio of luxury homes. We have ambitious growth targets which focus on quality builds and customer service. Mark will be a crucial member of the team in developing further opportunities for our residential investments and strategic partnerships.” For press information, please contact Vicki O’Hare at Oracle Group. Tel: 020 8394 2821 or Email [email protected] Storey Homes Selects Mark Plowman as New Head of Construction Job Cuts Would Be ‘First Nail in the Coffin’ for Construction Cutting thousands of construction and housebuilding jobs would be the ‘first nail in the coffin’ for the industry, according to One Way. An analysis by the construction and rail recruitment specialist outlined that a further loss of jobs would prove critical for the construction sector. This comes at a time when the National Housing Federation has said any slowdown in housebuilding would result in the loss of nearly 120,000 construction jobs over the next decade. The UK’s construction sector has also slipped into recession for the first time in four years, with many commentators suggesting the industry is in turmoil and that the government must do more to support housebuilding. Paul Payne, Managing Director of One Way, agrees. “The news that the construction industry has slipped back into recession after four years isn’t particularly optimistic and a loss of jobs on the scale that has been suggested would almost certainly be the first nail in the coffin for the sector. We simply can’t afford to lose any more professionals from both construction and housebuilding and the government needs to do considerably more to support these industries before it’s too late. “We all saw the potential impact of job losses in the steel industry and the scale of this for construction would be far greater. We need more professionals operating in the sector if we want it to recover, not less, and the potential impact of these cuts could be devastating if something isn’t done soon. We’ve been very vocal about how the government, employers and trade bodies need to do more to engage with youngsters and promote greater interest in construction, because at the current rate there will barely be an industry left in a few years’ time. “Confidence is the only way to get through this difficult period and we need more investment and more projects to be given the green light. If we take a step back and allow programmes to be put on hold and jobs to be cut it could have a hugely damaging effect on the economy and on thousands of peoples’ lives. As Winston Churchill once said, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going’.”