Cabinet lead for Development and Housing "very impressed" with Lovell's progress on landmark Liverpool scheme
Photo by David J Colbran...

LOVELL, a national housebuilder, has been pleased to welcome Councillor Sarah Doyle, Liverpool City Council cabinet member for Development and Housing, at its Denford Road site in Liverpool; where it is hard at work enabling regeneration in the Liverpool City Region with the build of 105 affordable and social housing properties.

During the visit, Cllr Doyle was taken on a guided tour of the development to learn how the project has progressed since starting on-site in March. They shared how Liverpool City Council (LCC), who developed the scheme in partnership with housing association Riverside, worked with Lovell to create valuable work experience opportunities with local colleges and create a bespoke social value programme.

Cllr Sarah Doyle said:- "I'm very impressed with the progress that's been made by Lovell at the Denford Road site, and I'm even more impressed with their approach to training and skills development for apprentices. This is a landmark scheme for the Council which sets out the vision of how we want to develop the City and rebalance our housing offer in the future. Its vitally important that the social value benefits are fixed in at the outset, from the construction jobs it supports and creates right through to the families who will lives in these homes and the community they develop."

The development, which is funded by Homes England, will offer a series of:- 2, 3 and4 bedroom homes, and is Liverpool City Council's 1st major housing scheme in 30 years. Currently on target for an early 2023 completion, the project will also see 74 Council homes built, comprising of 20 homes for social rent and 54 homes constructed for affordable rent. A number of 1 or 2 bed bungalows have also been designed for vulnerable tenants with mobility issues and support requirements. The 1st properties will be handed over to Riverside in January 2022.

Jack Cross, apprentice at Lovell also joined the group in their tour of the development, as they discussed their hopes for Denford Road. Jack was 1 of the initial 5 students from Liverpool City College selected to take part in Liverpool City Council and Lovell's bespoke pre-employment programme. Together with fellow student Marcin Galon, Jack has gone onto secure employment with a carpentry and joinery apprenticeship at Lovell. Jack said:- "Since joining the company in November, I have grown from strength to strength developing my skills, and have received great advice from my mentors. As a student, I've really benefited from this scheme; as with 1 day a week at college and the rest on site, I've really enjoyed the hands on experience and the opportunity to take my 1st steps in the construction industry."

Plans are underway to provide additional construction placements on the site next year, as part of the city Council's 'Routeway into Construction' short course that aims to provide students with 4 weeks of work experience placements across sites in Liverpool. In the new year, Evolve, a subsidiary of Riverside and maintenance and facilities management company, will also provide placements to support 3 students in completing their joinery qualifications.

Tahreen Shad, who is a Partnerships Sirector at Lovell, said:- "We are delighted that Sarah chose to visit us at the Denford Road site, which provided a fantastic opportunity to share our progress to-date. We share her passion for creating affordable housing and career opportunities to the people of Merseyside. We look forward to seeing Denford Road become home to a thriving community and are proud to have played our part in this development."

Lovell has also shared reading materials and resources with Blueberry Park Primary School and are building closer ties with secondary Schools to provide careers advice and industry activities into 2022 through a comprehensive social value programme.

For more information, please visit:- Corporate.Lovell.Co.UK.
 

Are young people are calling for a clean energy future?

YOUNG people across the UK want to see more clean energy powering the country and people taking personal responsibility to protect the planet. The call for a cleaner and greener future came from independent YouGov research commissioned by ScottishPower Renewables during the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference, held in Glasgow, back in November 2021.

YouGov asked over 1,000 British children, aged:- 6 to 15 years, for their thoughts on UK climate action and what was needed to tackle the climate crisis. The found that 81% of those responding called for more renewable energy to be used, while 58% said it was up to:- "everyone" to make sure the planet is protected.

Young people surveyed also said COP26 had inspired them to take action themselves to help the environment, with 53% committing to recycling more and 35% saying they would ditch the car in favour of active travel options like cycling and walking. And they called on Schools to take action too, with demands for the introduction of more wind turbines and solar panels to power their Schools (59%) and more lessons about climate change (42%).

The YouGov findings echo feedback from Secondary School pupils who took part in ScottishPower Renewables' COP26 'Let's Talk Energy' event, where green jobs and more investment to create clean energy were identified as what's needed to deliver a low-carbon future.

Lindsay McQuade, CEO of ScottishPower Renewables, said:- "As a Principal Partner for COP26 and lead for the conference's youth theme, ScottishPower recognises the importance of listening to young people. Every action taken today will impact their future and it's vital that they therefore have their say on what they want for a cleaner and greener future. This survey shows that children and young people understand the climate emergency and recognise that renewable energy has a crucial part to play as we move forward, electrify our lives and reduce our carbon footprint. We fully support the call for more renewable energy and we're doing everything we can to make it happen; investing almost ₤4 billion to double our current renewables capacity by 2025, with plans to treble it by 2030. Importantly, the survey also shows that young people know we all have the power to make a real difference to the environment by making changes in how we live our lives. Whether that's in how we travel around, the food we eat or the clothes we wear; it all matters; and it's great that COP is inspiring such positive action from young people. With human behaviour responsible for many of the changes to our planet, the only way we'll be successful in tackling the climate emergency is by everyone joining in and doing their bit. Young people understand that; it's something we can all learn from and something that can give us all hope for a clean energy future."

As part of its COP26 education programme, ScottishPower Renewables is also working with Glasgow Science Centre on a Renewables Challenge for 124 primary Schools and 10 Secondary Schools. Through the programme pupils learn about:- COP26, renewable energy, green jobs and going carbon neutral.

To find out more, visit:- ScottishPowerRenewables.Com.

Did you know? All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1046 GB children aged 6 to 15. Fieldwork was undertaken between:- 5 November to 11 November 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB children (aged 6 to 15).