NEWS
HENRY BROTHERS RECOGNISED WITH KING’S AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Construction activity in Northern Ireland increased for the first time in two years, albeit at a modest rate, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors construction monitor for Q1 2024. A net balance of 4% of NI respondents to the survey reported that overall construction workloads rose through the first quarter of 2024. Surveyors reported that all private works saw increases, with a net balance of 21% reporting a rise in private housing activity, 4% in private commercial and 19% in private industrials. Surveyors were not as upbeat about public sector activity, with a net balance of -6% noting a fall in infrastructure workloads, -32% in public works and public housing is said to have fallen flat. A net balance of 28% of NI respondents anticipate that overall workloads will rise over the next year; the highest this figure has been since pre-pandemic. Anecdotal evidence from respondents points to the restoration of NI’s political institutions as a factor in the improved outlook. www.rics.org OPTIMISM RISES IN NI CONSTRUCTION SECTOR AS HOUSEBUILDING PICKS UP
Contractor Henry Brothers has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development. One of only two Northern Irish businesses to be recognised in the Sustainable Development category in 2024, Henry Brothers
was praised for the significant benefits it has generated for the business, the environment and the wider construction sector. Ian Henry MBE, CR Director at Henry Brothers, said, “This achievement underscores our ongoing commitment to responsible business, something which is instilled deep within the culture of our organisation and is very much part of who we are as a company. “Sustainable practices have been at the heart of Henry Brothers’ operations since its inception, and we make a conscious effort to minimise our environmental
L-R: David Henry, Ian Henry, Jim Henry and Julie McKeown, Henry Brothers.
impact while maximising positive social and business outcomes. “In addition to our ambitious Net-Zero Strategy, our approach to sustainable development encompasses a number of initiatives designed to encourage positive health and wellbeing amongst our staff and enhance community engagement.” Henry Brothers was acknowledged by judges for its innovation, which has led to the formation of a 27-acre nature reserve at its headquarters in Magherafelt. www.henrybrothers.co.uk
London-based Matthew Lloyd Architects has developed plans for the Mackies site in Belfast in what is said to be the first time plans have been submitted to a council anywhere in Ireland or the UK by a community group with no ownership over the site. The plans have been developed for Take Back the City, a community group which has submitted a Proposal of Application Notice to Belfast City Council, triggering a community consultation process for the site off Belfast’s Springfield Road. Matthew Lloyd said: “The plans now include a varied neighbourhood of 750 mixed-type NOVEL MASTERPLAN CREATED FOR COMMUNITY PROPOSAL IN BELFAST
and tenure homes, to be constructed in several phases, with 18,000sqm of employment floorspace, 3,000sqm of community floorspace, 2,000sqm of local shopping, a city farm, allotments to grow food and low-cost, low- carbon energy supply.” The site, which has been largely vacant for over 20 years, is controlled by multiple owners including Invest NI, Belfast City Council, Braidwater Homes and the Department for Communities, which has overall responsibility for housing policy. www.takebackthecity.ie
An artist’s impression of the proposed development on the Mackies site in Belfast.
Jim Sammon, RICS NI Construction Spokesman.
www.nibuilder.co.uk
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