Betteridge and Milsom

Media Lightbox

Friday, August 27th, 2010

We are curently trialling a new online file sharing system.  This can be found at https://betteridge.medialightbox.com

If you have any feedback we would be happy to hear from you.

University of Kent at Canterbury

Friday, August 27th, 2010

An article taken from the Kentish Gazette. 

The article is talking about the School of Drama, Film & Visual Arts building at the University of Kent,Canterbury, which Betteridge & Milsom provided Employer’s Agent services for,  has been awarded a national architecture award for excellence…. Please click on the picture to read about it.

CATS College Scheme

Friday, August 27th, 2010

An article from the Kentish Gazette regarding the project  Betteridge & Milsom are involved with at New Dover Road, Canterbury…. Please click on the picture to read about it.

650 Student Bedsits Scheme

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

An article from the Kentish Gazette regarding the project  Betteridge & Milsom are involved with at St George’s Place Canterbury…. Please click on the picture to read about it.

On Site – Thanet Off Shore Wind Farm for Vattenfall

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Betteridge & Milsom are providing Quantity Surveying and CDM Services on the operations and maintenance building for the wind farm project.

The 100th foundation, or monopile, of the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm was driven into the seabed off the Kent coast at 2.00 pm on Saturday, 23 January. The first monopile was driven into the seabed in March 2009.

Each monopile is a steel cylinder, 4.1 to 4.9 metres in diameter and 50 to 60 metres long. Monopiles on the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm have been sunk between 25 and 30 metres into the English Channel’s seabed and typically weigh 350 to 485 tonnes.
Ole Bigum Nielsen, Head of Offshore Wind with Vattenfall Wind Power in the UK, said: “We are on track to build what will be, when built, the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The foundations work has been an engineering challenge requiring large ocean-going vessels, enormous cranes and more than 40,000 tonnes of steel.”
“We have needed 1.25 million hours of work, much of it from local people, to get to this stage and I would like to thank all of the contractors for their sterling efforts since we started foundations work less than 12 months ago.”
The construction of the 300 megawatt (MW) Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, 12 kilometres off Foreness Point, started in early 2009. Currently, 19 Vestas 3MW V90 wind turbines have been erected and 86 transition pieces, which allow the wind turbine to slot into the monopile, have been put in place.
Construction is being co-ordinated from the new operations centre at Ramsgate.
Vattenfall plans to generate electricity for the first time from Thanet Offshore Wind Farm later this year.

Facts about Thanet Offshore Wind Farm

• The connection of Thanet Offshore Wind Farm’s 300MW of capacity in 2010 will boost UK offshore wind capacity by more than 30% and will produce on average enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 240,000 UK homes with clean electricity annually

• The wind farm will be located in water depths of 20-25m and cover an area of 35km2.

• There will be 100 wind turbines

• The nearest turbine will be located approx 12km north east of Foreness Point.

• Each turbine would be up to 115m tall at its highest point, with a minimum clearance above sea level of 22m.

• The distance between turbines would be approximately 500m along rows and 800m between rows.

Historic Tower House, Canterbury

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Betteridge & Milsom are carrying out Quantity Surveying services for the works at Tower House.

A clip from the Kentish Gazette…..

The property is the official office and entertaining venue of the Lord Mayor but the council wants it to have a much wider community role and create an income by hosting events such as wedding receptions.

It is defending the expenditure at a time of sweeping budget cuts by saying the cost is being met by the sale of other nearby properties.

Opportunity

Spokesman Rob Davies said “Tower House is one of Canterbury’s special buildings, gifted to the city by the Williamson family, which is under-used and we believe there is an opportunity for it to have a wide community role and even some commercial use.”

The Council previously decided that creating a multi-purpose space and other improvements like a lift and new toilets should be funded by the sale of 1 Westgate Grove, the Serco depot at Westgate Court flats and the gardener’s hut in St Peter’s Place.  These properties were also bequeathed to the city by the Williamson family.  We have spoken to the heirs and they have told us they are happy with the proposals to sell these nearby properties, provided that the income is used for improvements to Tower House.  Although that view is not contractually binding, the council has always considered it has a moral duty to use any receipts from the estate to make improvements to the estate alone.

The plans are expected to go before the development control committee on March 2 and if approved, a report would go to the Executive in due course to confirm the go-ahead.

Musical Performance Centre at the University of Kent

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Betteridge & Milsom are carrying out quantity surveying services for the proposed music building. Below is some interesting background information taken from the Kentish Gazette.

The building, which will go next to the present Gulbenkian Theatre and cinema on the Canterbury campus, will give an extremely flexible space, with the main hall able to be used in 13 different ways.

The university intends to apply for planning permission towards the end of February 2010 and, if all goes well, will start digging the foundations in Autumn. It is expected to take about a year to 14 months to build.

Although it will be a two storey building, the main hall, which will be 416 square metres, will be of double height, along with the foyer.  A balcony will go around the first floor, with offices, practice rooms, an instrument store and a band room on the other levels.

All the seating will be retractable so that the main hall can be use for a variety of musical events, such as choral or orchestral concerts or dances.

Sue Wanless, the university’s director of music, said “At the press of a few buttons the whole hall can be changed around to accommodate all kinds of concerts, as well as workshop space and dances with no seating.”m

“The brief was that the acoustics should be flexible as well and that the hall should be able to cater for big band and rock concerts, as well as choral performances and chamber groups such as the Brodsky.”

Among the facilities are four practice rooms and a band room, all hermetically sealed.

The main hall will be 14 metres high.

The new building will link to the Gulbenkian Theatre and cinema to form one seamless arts hub with a shared box office, and will extend slightly on to the present Gulbenkian car park.

Ms Wanless said “We will still carry on using the cathedral for concerts as we do now but the new performance space will provide superb rehearsal areas and the aim is that there will be some kind of spontaneous music going on most days.  Because of the difficulties of booking rooms in the university at the moment this kind of spontaneous event is not possible.  I want to see it buzzing all the time, both with our students and the community who will be able to hire it for performances out of term time.  We get lots of talented musicians here at Kent who do not want to study music as a career.  This new space will be a perfect way for them to take part in the university’s vibrant musical programme while studying other subjects.  It is very exciting”.

Olympic Big Screen, Dover

Friday, March 26th, 2010

The Project

The screen was secured for Kent by the county council’s Sport, Leisure and Olympics Service, working with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG).  Their aim is to display LED screens in high-profile public spaces across the country and provide 2012 Olympic and Paralympic coverage, encouraging participation and sense of involvement for residents and visitors.

Planning approval was granted on Thursday 2nd April for the erection of a screen measuring 7.62m width and 3.7m height.  Depth of the screen 1.75m.

Proposal

The screens will revitalise and regenerate communities and represent a high tech showcase for local education and community activities.  Key events will be screened in a “festival” type atmosphere, including major sporting and cultural events such as screenings from the Royal Opera House as well as locally made films.

The BBC will offer content, editorial and operational management of the screen.  The Police will be involved with Dover District Council’s Events Group.

B&M Bike Ride 2009

Friday, March 26th, 2010

We started from B&M office leaving Canterbury by a cycle route across the water meadows to Fordwich.   We went to Stodmarsh and on to Grove Ferry, through to Wickhambreaux arriving at Ickham where we stoped for sunday roast at the Duke.

Betteridge & Milsom Golf Afternoon

Friday, March 26th, 2010

B&M Golf afternoon

Gravesend Grammar School for Boys

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Opening of the new two storey sports facility with changing facilities and amenities for the school’s rugby team.

St Stephen’s School, Canterbury

Friday, March 26th, 2010

The extension of the existing school hall and function room with associated external works

Reculver Visitor Centre

Friday, March 26th, 2010

The centre is owned by Canterbury City Council, managed by Kent Wildlife Trust and is visited by thousands of people a year to explore natural history and fossils of the shoreline along the Kent coast at Reculver Country Park. The extension will provide Kent Wildlife Trust with classroom space for the students it teaches each year and room for more information about the area for visitors.

Renewable energy has been the focus of the project. The log burner will be fuelled with logs from the Blean woodland, while the photovoltaic panels will convert sunlight to electricity to power the centre and the solar panels will use sunlight to heat water.

The centre has been constructed in sustainably-sourced local chestnut and features two skylights that maximise natural light levels in the building. Three large windows provide views to the Reculver Towers, cliff top grassland and the turbines of the Kentish Flats Windfarm that are located 8.5km off the Reculver coastline.

Funding for the extension has come from the Windfarm Project with a contribution from Kent Wildlife Trust. It was built by WW Martin.

The council’s Senior Countryside Officer, Anna Palmer, said: “The new centre is one of the most environmentally-friendly buildings in the district and will provide visitors to Reculver and students with a wonderful place to learn more about the area and the local environment. We are really pleased with the end result and look forward to welcoming our first guests in July.”

Chief Executive of Kent Wildlife Trust, John Bennett, said: “Reculver is a great place to tell the story of our changing coastline and the effect that has on our wildlife and history. Now, there is a new story – how we can use technology to help protect our environment. Kent Wildlife Trust is really pleased to be working alongside Canterbury City Council at the great new centre – come and visit us!”

Oaks Hamlet, Kings Hill

Friday, March 26th, 2010

The construction of 61 residential dwellings situated in the newly developed Kings Hill.

The properties were built for private sale, boasting a unique design and offering spacious living areas in 3, 4 and 5 bed properties.

University of Kent, Canterbury

Friday, March 26th, 2010

This building provides accommodation for the School of Drama, Film and Visual Arts at the University of Kent, Canterbury.The School comprises the departments of Drama, Film Studies and History and Philosophy of Art. The building comprises of: Rehearsal StudiosArt and Design StudiosFilm Suite (including studios, edit suites and control rooms)General teaching spacesPost Graduate CentreAcademic OfficesAdministrative / reception facilities The School’s existing accommodation is split over various buildings on the campus and the proposed development encourages good integration and communication throughout the School. The concept for the building is to provide a robust shell within which the departments can adapt over the years.

Eaton Road, Margate

Friday, March 26th, 2010

The initial works comprise the construction of two blocks of apartments, totalling 78 units. The blocks A & B are six storeys in height, timber frame construction formed off an in-situ concrete transfer slab above the basement car park. Betteridge & Milsom’s role within the project is Employer’s Agent and Quality Control Manager. The project also requires the undertaking of external works in the vicinity of the buildings, including the construction of an access road with planted areas, landscaping features, external walls, refuse store and car parking together with associated drainage and mains services.

On Site – Thanet Off Shore Wind Farm for Vattenfall

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Betteridge & Milsom are providing Quantity Surveying and CDM Services on the operations and maintenance building for the wind farm project.

The 100th foundation, or monopile, of the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm was driven into the seabed off the Kent coast at 2.00 pm on Saturday, 23 January. The first monopile was driven into the seabed in March 2009.

Each monopile is a steel cylinder, 4.1 to 4.9 metres in diameter and 50 to 60 metres long. Monopiles on the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm have been sunk between 25 and 30 metres into the English Channel’s seabed and typically weigh 350 to 485 tonnes.
Ole Bigum Nielsen, Head of Offshore Wind with Vattenfall Wind Power in the UK, said: “We are on track to build what will be, when built, the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The foundations work has been an engineering challenge requiring large ocean-going vessels, enormous cranes and more than 40,000 tonnes of steel.”
“We have needed 1.25 million hours of work, much of it from local people, to get to this stage and I would like to thank all of the contractors for their sterling efforts since we started foundations work less than 12 months ago.”
The construction of the 300 megawatt (MW) Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, 12 kilometres off Foreness Point, started in early 2009. Currently, 19 Vestas 3MW V90 wind turbines have been erected and 86 transition pieces, which allow the wind turbine to slot into the monopile, have been put in place.
Construction is being co-ordinated from the new operations centre at Ramsgate.
Vattenfall plans to generate electricity for the first time from Thanet Offshore Wind Farm later this year.

Facts about Thanet Offshore Wind Farm

• The connection of Thanet Offshore Wind Farm’s 300MW of capacity in 2010 will boost UK offshore wind capacity by more than 30% and will produce on average enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 240,000 UK homes with clean electricity annually

• The wind farm will be located in water depths of 20-25m and cover an area of 35km2.

• There will be 100 wind turbines

• The nearest turbine will be located approx 12km north east of Foreness Point.

• Each turbine would be up to 115m tall at its highest point, with a minimum clearance above sea level of 22m.

• The distance between turbines would be approximately 500m along rows and 800m between rows.

Changes to Betteridge & Milsom

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Having been with Betteridge & Milsom for eight years we are very pleased to inform you that Andrew Walker has accepted the position of Associate Director.  With his developed experience in both Employer’s Agent and Quantity Surveying roles Andrew will be a key member in helping to take our business forward.  He will also be insuring that our quality of service is maintained in his role of Quality Assurance Manager.

We have also been seeking to develop our Quality Control / Clerk of Work services currently being offered and we are pleased to announce that John Twycross has recently joined our team.  John has many years of experience as a Technical Coordinator for a national house builder and has a keen eye for technical detail, having spent a lot of time preparing working drawings on a wide range of projects.

B&M Bike Ride 2008

Friday, March 26th, 2010

A few of us ventured out on our bikes one Saturday morning. We started off at Merton Farm in Canterbury and went through Bishopsbourne to Pett Bottom where we stopped off for lunch at the Duck Inn.

Elizabeth Court

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Canterbury City Council have comissioned Betteridge & Milsom to carry out the Project Management of Phase 1 Works at Elizabeth Court. This is part of the ongoing improvement plans for existing Canterbury City Councl housing stock.

B&M Photo Competition 2008

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Every year Betteridge and Milsom hold an anual photo competition in aim of winning the “Ben Anker” cup for the best picture in the competition.

In addition the competition is split into three categories and this year the categories were:

A Little Bit of Red: Ray Milsom won first prize
Signs: Janet Henley won first prize
Music: Paul Gannaway won first prize

The winner of the “Ben Anker” cup for the overall “Best Picture” was Becky Radford.

The person who wins the overall competition and is awarded the “Ben Anker” cup is responsible for choosing the judges and arranging the categories and the evening for the following year.

The judges this year were:
Giles Taylor from Lee Evans
Phil Edbrooke from East Coast PCT
Rachel Tipple (A previous Employee)
Ben Anker

The judges and staff were then treated to a lovely meal at the Italian Restaurant, Pinocchios in Canterbury.

Investor In People Certification

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Investor In People Certification was achieved on the 11th June 2008.

Sod Turning Event at Smeeth

Friday, March 26th, 2010

The Sod Turning Event was to celebrate the start of works for the construction of eleven new houses for English Rural. Representatives from Ashford Borough Council, English Rural and Jenner Contractors attended the day.

Chiddingfold Open Day

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Opening of Queens Mead, Chiddingfold, Surrey On Thursday 24th April 2008 By Councillor Maurice Byham, Mayor of Waverley.

B&M Christmas Party 2007

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Held at the Abbots Barton Hotel in Canterbury

ISO 9001

Friday, March 26th, 2010

ISO 9001 was approved on the 14th December 2006.