With the festive season upon us and the end of the year approaching, we wanted to wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. I do not think it is a big ask to have a better 2024 than the outgoing year! A short, but albeit welcome break over Christmas awaits us all, and look forward to making a positive start to 2024.
Our industry has seen unprecedented turmoil this year due to a perfect storm of economic, environmental, and social factors. Our businesses are being thrown about by a range of external factors which have been brewing over the last three years, at least. To summarise, our industry is witnessing significant challenges and change; not seen on this scale for many decades. One thing is for certain: our industry for many people and businesses will not look the same within the next couple of years.
We have completed several prestigious projects this year for a range of repeat and new customers. With special mention to a new 75-bedroom care home for Avery Healthcare, one of the country’s leading healthcare providers. We were pleased to hear from one of the industry’s most significant sector specific publications who visited site, interviewed us and produced an article for The Care Home Environment featuring the project.
I was proud to host Horizon Construction’s third consecutive annual Construction and Property Breakfast event, which was attended by over 70 local construction professionals with a talk by well-known planning consultant, Robert Pomery, who addressed several of the planning hurdles faced by developers, and an overview of further changes due to come into force in 2024. Listening to the presentation as a contractor, it provided a greater understanding of why it takes so long for a project to come to fruition and for building works to commence on site.
We are delighted to recently be awarded a £4.5m public sector project for the construction of a new creative & digital space including offices and a potential cafe, for Colchester City Council and Colchester Amphora Trading Limited in Queen Street. Whilst leads and opportunities of our core business of projects with a value of £3m-£10m remain busy, we have been mindful to seek opportunities for smaller faster turnaround projects and pleased to have recently been awarded a Corporate Identity upgrade project valued at £650,000 for Mercedes Benz, Ipswich, for a repeat client Jardine Motors Group.
In the true spirit of giving we are pleased with our efforts this year on being actively involved in addressing various social issues such as mental health, food insecurity, cancer research, healthcare needs, community engagement, and local arts and culture scene through the below listed sponsorships. Our principles and dedication to having a positive influence on the larger community are reflected in this comprehensive approach to corporate social responsibility. Our charity sponsors this year included: St Helena Hospice, Wear it Pink, The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, Colchester Foodbank and Limelight Partners for Mercury Theatre.
Horizon Construction’s growth and reputation has been built around its adaptability and flexibility to deliver a wide range of projects across all sectors and of varying value.
There is plenty for you to discover in this edition, but please contact me if you have any questions or want any specific information, and if Horizon Construction can support you in a current or future project.
Enjoy the Christmas Holidays and wish you all the best for the New Year.
Kind regards
Phil Holding
Automotive projects
LIVE: Automotive service centre in Norwich, Norfolk
Horizon Construction is delivering a new service centre for Group 1 Automotive’s Volkswagen dealership in Norwich. The £1.3m scheme will involve the creation of a two-storey facility on the client’s existing site.
We are now moving into the final stages of this build. We are completing the final decoration works and the installation of garage equipment. We have transformed an unused industrial unit into a service and repair area for Volkswagen and Mercedes.
We are delighted to be working with Group 1 Automotive and SDA Architects on another construction solution in the automotive sector.
NEW: Mercedes Benz, Ipswich
Horizon Construction is delivering Corporate Identity upgrades for Jardine Motors Group at Mercedes Benz in Ipswich, Suffolk. The £650k scheme will involve bringing the building in line with current company corporate requirements.
We are pleased to be working with Jardine Motors Group and SRA Architects on another construction solution in the automotive sector.
Commercial projects
LIVE: Mixed-use commercial unit at Haverhill Business Park, Suffolk
The construction of a £2.8m bespoke storage, office and production facility at Haverhill Business Park, Suffolk, for a new client.
Overall, the project is progressing well, and we are on track to meet our deadlines. An important milestone has been reached with the successful completion of the external groundworks, which included the installation of concrete movement joints and white lining. The finishing touches of external fencing and the upcoming landscaping phase will further enhance the project’s visual appeal and functionality. We are looking forward to sharing completion pictures in the next newsletter.
Our team is working with the project management team at Real8 Group on another impressive industrial and commercial solution.
NEW: Industrial Unit Extension, Colchester Essex
We are excited to share the latest development at Chaplane’s Accident Repair Centre. We have recently started construction with the first phase including the breaking out of existing concrete slab and excavating the foundations. Following this we poured the concrete to enable brickwork commencement. After laying the foundation, the project moved swiftly on to the next phase, which is the start of the substructure brickwork, which is prepared to receive the structural steel. With the installation of the steel structural frame scheduled to start in mid-December, anticipation is growing. This marks a pivotal moment in the construction process, shaping the facility’s framework.
NEW: Creative and Digital Grow Space, Colchester
We are delighted to recently be awarded a £4.5m public sector project for the construction of a new creative & digital space including offices and a potential cafe, for Colchester City Council and Colchester Amphora Trading Limited in Queen Street.
Progress is underway on site with enabling works starting in the lead up to Christmas. Our site accommodation has arrived for our Site Manager James, where he will be until early 2025.
With breaking ground commencing in the new year, we are also proud to be collaborating with ‘Our Colchester’ & Colchester City Council to assist Beth Chatto with their current community garden project. We are pleased to have collaborated with Target Plant on this community project. We have also been meeting with Colchester Institute to discuss the possibility of educational talks and site visits to our project to help support the new generation coming into the construction industry.
COMPLETED: Industrial Unit in Tendering, Essex
The project involved the construction of a versatile £2.3m industrial unit, which will be the first premises in the UK for a leading global manufacturer of diesel.
COMPLETED: Mixed-use business centre in Great Dunmow, Essex
The construction of a new main office facility for our client and six industrial units for rental. Each unit comprises of up-and-over sectional doors, office facilities and associated WCs. Each unit has dedicated parking.
Education projects
LIVE: RAAC - The Palmer Catholic Academy, Essex
Horizon Construction is pleased to be awarded a £630k contract at The Palmer Catholic Academy in Ilford, Essex, to carry out remedial works to RAAC roof planks. Our team has completed phase one of this scheme allowing students to return for the new academic year in September. We are in the final stages of phase two, ready to hand over all areas of the school.
We are delighted to be working again in the education sector with the team at PCH Associates and looking forward to sharing the completion photographs in the next edition.
Healthcare projects
COMPLETED : 75-Bed care home in Braintree, Essex
The project involved the construction of a 75-bedroom care facility for Avery Healthcare in Braintree, Essex. Facilities include a cinema, a library, private dining areas, hairdressers, spa room and activity rooms.
Braintree Mews Care Home Timelapse
Residential projects
LIVE: 122 new homes in Wickford, Essex
The construction of a 122-home scheme in Wickford, Essex, for Sanctuary.
The £18m project for Sanctuary, a leading social housing and care provider, will create a range of affordable and energy-efficient housing. The new development will contain a mixture of one and two bedroom properties, across two apartment blocks, for rent and shared ownership. All works are expected to be completed in 2025. (Read more >>)
The project is currently progressing well. Block “B” is up to level five concrete slab with walls due to level six starting at the beginning of December; with roof cassettes to follow. Brickwork has started on the ground floor with roof coverings starting in January. In Block “A” brickwork has already begun and at the beginning of December Block “A” walls will be built on the first floor. In addition Block “A” parking area now has tarmac installed.
Horizon Construction is collaborating with many leading local partners in the construction process, including Wincer Kievenaar Architects, Superstructures, JSH and Ingent.
LIVE: Six New Houses in Stanton, Suffolk
The Co-op on this development is live and now we are completing work on the six houses, with internal decoration and fit out well underway. We are looking forward to completion early 2024.
The combined £2.8m residential and commercial scheme in Stanton, Suffolk, will deliver six houses for our new client, Foundation Property & Capital Group.
