16th April 2024
Our Model Bricklaying Apprentice
Last week marked the topping out of our new residential development in the London Borough of Hillingdon, where we are delivering 134 mixed-tenure dwellings for Network Homes.
Located at the former EMI pressing plant in Hayes, the aptly named Veneer Court reached a significant construction milestone and guests from Network Homes, John Rowan Partnership, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and our project partners were invited to mark the event.
ARJ Operations Director Shaun Sheldrake presented Network Homes’ CEO – Helen Evans and the GLA’s Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development – Tom Copley with the ceremonial trowel and invited them to lay the final cement finish at the top of the 11-storey concrete frame.
Addressing the occasion, Shaun said:
“It’s been fantastic to work alongside Network Homes and reach this special milestone in the construction of the new mixed-tenure Veneer Court building. Today’s topping out marks an exciting point in our journey with the client and we are extremely proud to be providing much-needed homes for the local residents of Hillingdon.
“Thanks go to John Rowan and Partners, and all our construction partners involved in the project, we are very much looking forward to delivering the completed scheme in the autumn of next year.”
Speaking on behalf of the client, Helen said:
“It’s exciting to see this development take shape on a site which has an amazing musical history and will provide great homes for people once complete. One of our strategic objectives is to increase the number of homes available for people in housing need, and through the GLA’s affordable homes programme, we plan to start on 1,000 homes in the capital by March 2026.”
Part of the wider Old Vinyl Factory regeneration scheme, Veneer Court stands in a prominent position on Blythe Road. The impressive building will deliver 57 properties for London Affordable Rent, 58 for Shared Ownership and 19 for London Living Rent (a Mayor of London scheme, where residents are offered a discounted rent in order to save for a deposit to buy shares in their own home).
