UK Housing Regeneration with Rio Ferdinand, Mark Noble, and Bobby Zamora

It may already be known to some of you, but for those that don’t know, football stars Rio Ferdinand, Mark Noble and Bobby Zamora are getting amongst the housing construction and regeneration industry. No – they are not undergoing career changes to become Quantity Surveyors or Construction Project Managers, though their involvement is sure to create more jobs in these specialisms with the schemes that they are planning.

What's Their Aim and How?

Their legacies are not limited to the football pitch – quite literally in fact. Their regeneration company, “Legacy”, is being backed by a central government and funding partner, and a Main Building Contractor to regenerate and build new homes across the UK for less privileged and run down areas. This will give smaller local economies a boost with construction work being awarded by councils in the coming years.

Scheme One

The first location to be tackled will be in Kingsland, an area in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, with a future plan to roll the scheme across other areas in the UK that need assessing and regenerating due to being run down. Houghton Regis in particular will benefit from new housing, a large sports academy, community facilities and education. The new housing in Kingsland in particular will be purpose built, desirable, modern living spaces.

The scheme will maintain sport at its heart, with the idea to help engage younger people to better their lives and career prospects by linking sports, leisure and education, with new homes. Ferdinand, as the chairman of Legacy, has said that he has seen the effect that football can have on younger people in a positive way. I myself as a much lower calibre sportsman have seen the positive effect sport can have on individuals from less privileged backgrounds, so I think it is great to see construction and compassion unite.

Facts and Figures

The development named the “Kingsland Project” in Houghton Regis, will consist of 1,000 new homes and go to site in early 2017, with a further aim to be delivering these new homes to a new generation of home makers within a year of the start date on site. Kingsland will help further regenerate Houghton Regis, within which there is already 2 planned major extensions which will benefit construction. A quote from Central Bedfordshire government reads: “Kingsland will help further regenerate Houghton Regis, an important town in which we are already committed to two planned major extensions. These will provide up to 7,000 new homes, 40-hectares of employment land, and a range of retail, leisure and other facilities, plus community infrastructure, including education, sports and green spaces. These will be complemented by excellent access to the new junction 11a on the M1 via strategic link roads from the A5 and Woodside.”

Summary

Although differing from my usual hype about mega projects for Quantity Surveyors or Claims and Expert Witness staff in the UK (that I still need!), it is great to talk about potentially lesser known schemes such as this that are equally as important from a moral standpoint, as they will help less privileged areas and their economies. Maxim Recruitment is involved in lesser known schemes such as this around the UK as well as the prestigious projects, and can help Quantity Surveyors and Project Managers with the routes into these lesser known projects and schemes should your experience, desire and location suit this type of work with great project and community exposure.

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Adam Cadwaladr
Recruitment Consultant – UK