Well done to our Cromwell Gardens team who won Engie’s contractor of the month for the second time in a row in July!

Our team, lead by project manager Steve Dakin, were awarded for their proactive attitudes, the cleanliness of their working areas, and their commitment to good health and safety practices on site.

Cromwell Gardens is a 267-home development for Yorkshire Housing in Rastrick, Brighouse. Howard Civil Engineering are currently delivering a £4m groundworks and infrastructure package for this topographically challenging 26-acre site.

Our team are currently installing foundations, drainage and Stepoc retaining walls to plots, and undertaking road and sewer works to the main access roads.

Read more on this project here.

Howard Civil Engineering were thrilled to demonstrate our support for Rotherham Skills Academy’s Women in Construction event last week!

Pre-construction coordinator Sophie Henderson and marketing manager Abbie Harrop spoke to a room full of women about the various roles available in the industry and discussed their personal experiences so far.

The event, organised by Skills People Group, was attended by women who are out of work and unsure of the next step to take in their career. Howard Civil Engineering were invited to join the panel following our recent partnership with Skills People Group.

Sophie and Abbie spoke alongside spokespeople for Engie and Wates, and Labour’s Shadow Minister for Further Education and Skills, Tony Perkins MP, and encouraged members of the audience to consider a career in construction.

“As a young woman who started her career in the construction industry, I am honoured to share my experiences with other women and encourage them to consider the industry in their next job move,” said Sophie. “I have grown so much in my career and I believe construction is a very rewarding industry to be a part of.”

Holly Ramsden, marketing manager at Rotherham Skills Academy, commented on the success of the event: “Our Women in Construction event was extremely successful in engaging an under-represented group within the construction industry. Eight of the attendees to the event have since made the decision to start their construction training journey with Rotherham Skills Academy!”

Abbie, Sophie, and marketing apprentice Chloe-Leigh Preston also spoke to trainees who are currently enrolled with the academy and informed them of the various roles available within Howard Civil Engineering.

“It was great to meet with several of Rotherham Skills Academy’s trainees and speak with them about their futures in the construction industry,” explained Abbie. “Following our recent hire of an RSA trainee, Sean Buckley, we are hoping to further our partnership with the Skills People group and attract more learners who have benefitted from the scheme.”

Earlier this month, we took to the skies to capture a bird’s eye view of our Gateway 36 scheme for Harworth Group in Barnsley – and the results look fantastic! 

Gateway 36 is a new, high quality mixed-use development residing on the former site of Rockingham Colliery, just off Junction 36 of the M1. Totalling 127 acres, the new development will boast 198,000² ft of commercial space and 65,323² ft of unit space, with over 2,000 jobs estimated to be created.

Howard Civil Engineering are assisting towards the delivery of the second phase of this scheme with the construction of offsite highway works, onsite roads, and infrastructure, and the provision of major cut and fill earthworks, drainage, new utilities, and existing utility diversions. This site is situated adjacent to Dearne Valley Parkway and there are a number of residential areas in close proximity to the site and the site entrance. These works must be conducted with the utmost sympathy towards our local community.

Take a look below: 

Howard Civil Engineering are pleased to announce a new partnership with Rotherham Skills Academy (RSA), a training provider for jobseekers in Yorkshire.

Part of the Skills People Group and Construction Skills People, RSA offers fully funded courses in construction and is one of the UK’s largest private training providers.

We partnered with RSA with a view to provide learners with an opportunity for a fresh start in the construction industry, and we are thrilled to have hired our first recruit merely days after confirming our partnership!

Learner Sean Buckley (pictured above) joined RSA in March on the Introduction to Construction programme, and quickly progressed onto the Multi-Trade course where he discovered his talent for brickwork.

The team at RSA recommended Sean for a position at Howard Civil Engineering and Sean blew us away in his interview! We offered Sean a kerb laying job on the spot and are pleased to say he is now a member of the team.

Michael Howard, managing director at Howard Civil Engineering, said: ‘I am proud to say that Howard Civil Engineering have always demonstrated a commitment to diversifying the backgrounds from which our employees come from, and we have always endeavoured to create a company culture that is accepting of people from all walks of life.

“We certainly intend to provide further support to clients of Construction Skills People who possess the relevant skills and ambition to work in the construction industry, whether that be on-site or in our offices, and are optimistic about the future possibilities as a result of our partnership with Construction Skills People.’

Best of luck, Sean!

Howard Civil Engineering have been a long-term supporter of Cleckheaton-based social enterprise The Howarth Foundation, and we are very proud to have supported them with the recent launch of Hidden Owls, their new community-based project in Leeds!

Based in Armley town centre, Hidden Owls is a clothing and homeware store selling pre-loved and new items, as well as a training centre and head office for The Howarth Foundation. The centre also offers a programme of reintegration referred to as ‘The Street2Feet Project’ to those recovering from chaotic lifestyles who are looking to re-enter mainstream society.

This training facility was in dire need of refurbishing when The Howarth Foundation took the units at the back end of last year, and Howard Civil Engineering were only too happy to help bring this centre to life!

Along with our sister company Erris Homes, we worked with The Howarth Foundation to revamp the interior of the outlet and transform it into a welcoming and homey space for The Howarth Foundation’s clients and visitors.

In addition to providing advice and guidance in the early stages of the renovation, Howard Civil Engineering engaged a number of our preferred local subcontractors and suppliers to cover pipework, undertake remedial work to the floors, and provide floor coverings across the units.

We are pleased to say the shop opened its doors last week and has been well received within the local community!

“We have been working alongside The Howarth Foundation for almost two years now, so there was no question of us assisting them with their latest project,” commented Howard Civil Engineering and Erris Homes’ managing director Michael Howard. “The work they do in communities across West Yorkshire is truly unparalleled.”

“Overall, we have donated a considerable amount of labour and several thousand pounds worth of materials to help get Hidden Owls off the ground and I cannot think of an organisation more deserving of this investment,” he continued. “I am thrilled to see the centre is now open and wish The Howarth Foundation the best of luck in this endeavour.”

Andy Howarth, managing director at The Howarth Foundation, was equally as complimentary about us: “I would like to offer a massive thanks to the lads at Howard Civil Engineering and Erris Homes, and especially Michael Howard who has given so much of his time to The Howarth Foundation and its clients. He is an unsung hero!”

The staff at Hidden Owls are recruited from those who have been homeless, recently re-housed, sofa surfing, fleeing domestic violence, subject to harassment, in unsafe or unsuitable accommodation and, wherever possible, the team will also be enlisted from those who are in recovery from mind-altering substances, refugees, and those who have been subject to harassment, human trafficking, manipulation and/or control by a third party.

“With Hidden Owls, we are determined to take the words ‘second hand’ into a new dimension whilst providing training and support for our recovering homeless clients,” continued Andy. “This is not just a second-hand shop, it’s a re-integration and recovery programme for those less fortunate but ready to take ‘The Next Step’.”

Hidden Owls is open from 10am – 4pm, Monday – Saturday at Units 11-13 Gelder Road, Armley, LS12 3UF.

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Howard Civil Engineering are pleased to have delivered a £5m package at a prestigious new mixed-use development in the heart of York.

Hudson Quarter is a contemporary 162,000² site comprising three residential buildings with reinforced concrete frames and one steel-framed commercial block set around a landscaped central courtyard.

Howard Civil Engineering were awarded the groundworks and concrete frames package in March 2019 by our longstanding client, Caddick Construction. Having supported Caddick Construction on many previous projects, the three apartment blocks and the concrete core in the commercial block at Hudson Quarter were our first reinforced concrete frames for this client.

Replacing a prominent 1960s office building in the centre of York, this site had a constrained city-centre footprint.

“The Hudson Quarter scheme was a great project to be involved with,” said Howard Civil Engineering contracts manager James Page. “It was very challenging in terms of co-ordination and logistics due to the constraints of the site and in most instances, it was one way in and one way out. We had to opt for smaller plant than we would usually use on such schemes, but that was the nature of the works and had to be planned for accordingly.”

In addition to the concrete frames, Howard Civil Engineering also delivered hard landscaping around the central courtyard.

“We had a fast-paced external landscaping package to deliver post-Christmas 2020, and I believe the weekly progress and coordination meetings we held were an integral part of our team’s successful product delivery,” James continued. “We had to reconsider and amend our plans on some occasions to suit other trades on site, all of which was done collaboratively with our client, Caddick Construction.”

“We have a great relationship with Caddick, and this has definitely been beneficial both to the quality of the final product and the time frame in which we were able to deliver it. Long hours and weekend works were required at times, but the Howard Civil Engineering team pulled out all the stops and the end result is something I am very proud of.”

Jason Simms, project manager at Caddick Construction, said: “Howard Civil Engineering have worked safely and tirelessly to deliver a superb end product on time despite the challenges of the pandemic. We look forward to working with Howard Civil Engineering again.”

Read more on the full scope of works for this project here.

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