The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national Scheme to improve the image of the construction industry – has reached a major milestone in UK construction history by registering its 100,000^th site.

The Infrastructure and Project Authority’s Head of Construction, Dr David Hancock, welcomed this achievement and the Scheme’s role in helping to improve the image of the industry.

The site registration was made by one of the leading UK’s contractors – Mulalley – for the Chauncey Residential Development in Ware, Hertfordshire.

Mulalley are working with housing association Network Homes – a Client Partner of the Considerate Constructors Scheme – to deliver this £8.6m project of 18 semi-detached houses and 29 apartments, with associated car parking and amenity space, delivering much needed affordable homes in Ware.

In addition to this site being the Scheme’s 100,000^th registration, it has also been recognised as an Ultra Site – the highest level of attainment with the Considerate Constructors Scheme.

Registering its first site in 1997, the Scheme has firmly established itself as the major force for good in helping to improve the image of the construction industry – for the benefit of the community, workforce and environment.

It is highly regarded throughout the UK construction industry as the ‘go to’ organisation to support construction sites, companies, suppliers and clients in raising their standards and best practice above and beyond statutory requirements.

One of the very few organisations to monitor the industry’s progress and share best practice on the ground, the Scheme undertakes around 14,000 visits to sites, companies and suppliers per year.

Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy said: “We are delighted to celebrate the registration of the Scheme’s 100,000^th site with Mulalley, who have been registering sites for nearly 20 years and are a founding Scheme Partner. This is a truly momentous milestone for the Considerate Constructors Scheme and the industry, and is made even more special with this being the 20^th year of the Scheme.

“It is with huge thanks to the continuous hard work, commitment and dedication from an increasingly growing proportion of the UK, and more recently the Irish construction industry, that the Scheme has gone from strength to strength since it registered its first site in 1997. At the very centre of this success has been true collaboration across our industry.

“As a Scheme, we continue to grow and engage with an ever-increasing number of contractors, suppliers, companies, clients and other construction industry-related organisations to continue to promote the benefits to the industry in looking after our workforce, site neighbours and the environment.

“Whilst it is important that we celebrate this phenomenal achievement, it is also important to remember that much more still needs to be done to continue to improve the image of our sector and to encourage the industry to continually raise its standards and share best practice throughout the supply chain. It is only through an ever-improving image that our industry can continue to attract the very best to work in our fantastic sector.

“As one of the few people who have been involved with the Scheme from its earliest days, I am incredibly proud of what the Scheme has achieved. I am also hugely grateful to the construction industry for the way in which it has embraced the concept of considerate construction, and how it continues to challenge itself to attain even higher standards.”

Considerate Constructors Scheme Executive Chairman Isabel Martinson commented: “This is a huge achievement for the industry. By reaching such a significant milestone, the Scheme is clearly demonstrating its ongoing importance in driving higher standards to improve the image and reputation of construction.”

Mulalley Director Vince O’Malley said: “Mulalley are extremely pleased for our Chauncy Residential Development project to be the Scheme’s 100,000^th registered site. As a Founder Partner of the Scheme, this is a significant milestone and testament to the Scheme’s commitment to improving the construction industry’s image and creating a legacy of continued improvement.”

Network Homes’ Executive Director of Development Vicky Savage added: “It’s really important that we provide high quality affordable homes for the communities we work in. This is a positive statement to local people, letting them know we take construction standards seriously. We look forward to continuing our work with the Considerate Constructors Scheme and providing fantastic new homes with Mulalley at the Chauncy Residential Development.”

The Infrastructure and Project Authority’s Head of Construction, Dr David Hancock added his congratulations to the Considerate Constructors Scheme in reaching this milestone: “It was a pleasure to present at the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s National Site Awards earlier in the year, and it is great to hear that the 100,000th site has registered with the Scheme.  It reflects well on the efforts that have been made by the industry.  We are seeing much cleaner and tidier sites, efforts being made to minimise noise and having safety systems in place.  This has had a positive effect on the environment and surrounding communities, and also on working conditions.  We are seeing constructors providing a more supportive and caring environment for their workforce.

“This is great progress and I hope it will continue and help attract more people into the industry at a time when we are seeing much change and challenge around how the industry operates.”

The Considerate Constructors Scheme is now international, having launched its first registered site in Ireland.

The Scheme welcomed its first contractor to register projects in Ireland – family owned John Sisk & Son – a member of the international construction company, SISK Group.

The first registered Irish site is located at The Exchange, which forms part of the International Financial Services Centre at the heart of Dublin’s financial district. This project involves the construction of a six-storey office block with a basement car park and two retail units at street level.

 

Sisk led the pilot of site registration to help ensure that this model of registration within the Irish construction industry was appropriate and fully tried and tested, before making it available to all construction activity in Ireland.

Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy said: “The opportunity for contractors to now register sites in Ireland is a huge step forward for the Considerate Constructors Scheme. With over 18,000 monitoring visits to UK-based sites, companies, and suppliers every year, the Scheme is highly regarded across the construction industry as a central part of instigating positive long-lasting change, for the benefit of the workforce, local communities and the environment.

“We are delighted to now be able to provide monitoring and support services to Irish-based construction sites to help raise their standards beyond statutory requirements – pushing the bar of considerate construction to a new level in Ireland.”

Brian Handcock, Head of Sustainability at Sisk commented: “We are proud to have worked with the Considerate Constructors Scheme to deliver the first project registered in Ireland. Indeed, Sisk was one of the early supporters of the Scheme, and has attained the highest standards possible on its projects on numerous occasions.

“As a business that is over 158 years old and with over 1300 staff employed, it is important to all of us to be recognised for the good work our industry does for the communities, workforce and environment that we live in, are a part of and care for. Being part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme gives us an objective viewpoint of our performance, helping us and the wider industry to improve our image and reputation. We look forward to seeing the Scheme being taken up by our peers across Ireland so that the whole industry benefits.”