RPP ROUND UP: AUTUMN 2025

It’s time for our quarterly Round Up of news, views and activity from across the RPP Group. 

In this edition:

• We look at the proposed reforms to the Landfill Tax and what it means for your projects.
• You’ll find updates on some of our latest projects, including the highly anticipated and ambitious Bradford City Village scheme, Schneider Electric’s new advanced manufacturing facility, and our latest PBSA scheme in York, Raffles Hall.
• We provide the latest news from across the Group, including awards, updates on our colleagues, and how we’re supporting our local communities.      

But first we must mark a special moment in the history of Rex Procter and Partners, as we say a huge thank you and farewell to two stalwarts of the business…

After a combined 60 years with RPP – and more than 80 years in the industry – Andrew and Mark Cooper are finally hanging up their scale rulers and retiring.

Both brothers joined the company as apprentices in the Bradford office in the early 80’s.

Mark, after completing his apprenticeship, broadened his experience on both the contractor and consultancy side before returning to RPP as an Executive Director.

Andrew, meanwhile, progressed through the business, becoming Managing Director in 2010, steering the company into an exciting new chapter – overseeing the successful merger with Rex Procter & Partners in Marlow (that’s another story!) and driving the opening of our London office. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping the company into what it is today.

Beyond the business milestones, what defines both Andrew and Mark is the impact they’ve had on the people around them. Throughout their careers, they have mentored countless colleagues, sharing their knowledge, encouraging professional growth, and supporting the next generation of construction professionals.

They have also had the privilege of working with some truly great clients and consultants over the years – many of whom have become trusted partners and good friends. Their ability to forge long-lasting relationships has been a cornerstone of RPP’s success and a reflection of their genuine approach to business.

As Marks sets sail into retirement (for those who know!), Andrew will still be around from time to time as he continues as a Consultant for the business.

On behalf of the Executive Team and all your colleagues and friends, thank you Andrew and Mark for everything you have given to the business. We wish you both a long, happy, and well-earned retirement!

REFORM OF THE LANDFILL TAX IN ENGLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR PROJECTS

The UK government is reforming Landfill Tax in England and Northern Ireland and the changes will have a direct impact on construction and development project costs.

For clients commissioning new buildings, infrastructure, or major refurbishments, these reforms could mean higher waste disposal charges, stricter compliance requirements, and a greater emphasis on recycling.

Read more 

Project Updates

We’re thrilled to have been appointed by Muse Places to the highly anticipated and ambitious Bradford City Village scheme.

This major regeneration project intends to transform the former commercial centre of the city into a new, green, and community-focused neighbourhood with nearly 1,000 modern, energy-efficient homes, public spaces, and new commercial areas.

Services: Contract Administrator 

Works are progressing well on Swanley Distribution Park, one of six live schemes currently being delivered for Goya Developments. A particularly interesting project, involving Section 278 works, the creation of a development plateau on a sloping site through extensive cut-and-fill and retaining structures, as well as works to existing units. All of this will enable the delivery of four new units totalling 162,000 sq ft, benefitting from excellent connectivity to the M25.

Alongside Swanley, five further schemes are on site: Focal Point in Billingshurst, Amplify Distribution Park in Guildford, Central Prime in Park Royal, Hurricane Urban Hub in Reading, and Valhalla Distribution Park in Tottenham — with many more projects set to go to tender in the coming months.

Services: Cost Consultant

We recently celebrated a key milestone in our long-standing collaboration with Gridserve, as we delivered the 1000^th EV charging bay as part of the new charging hub at Ferrybridge Services.

The EV Charging Hubs span a wide variety of locations, including; Motorway services, Retail parks, Garden centres and Drive-thru sites

In addition to the Charging Hubs, we continue to work with Gridserve on the roll out of their entire EV Charging Network, including the award winning Electric Forecourts® and the newly launched Electric Freightway for eHGV’s.

Services: Cost Management and Contract Administration

Last month saw the completion of Caddick Construction’s new £42m advanced manufacturing facility at Scarborough Business Park for Schneider Electric.

With a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, which we helped to achieve through Life Cycle Costing (LCC), the 180,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility features; solar panels covering 50% of the roof, smart building management system for heating, cooling and lighting sensors, 30 EV charging stations, cycling infrastructure & new public transport links and significant biodiversity improvements.

Services: Employer’s Agent, Project Manager, Cost Consultant, Building Regulations Principal Designer and CDM Client Advisor

In summer we completed our latest purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme in York for S Harrison Developments Ltd, in readiness for the new student intake.

Raffles Hall on James Street, York is a 303 bedroom development consisting of 195 cluster apartments, with shared living and dining areas, and 108 individual studio rooms, across a three to five storey building. The first-class amenities include: communal study spaces, gym, cinema and games rooms, laundry facilities and external communal landscaped space.

Services: Project Manager, Cost Consultant, Employer’s Agent, CDM Principal Designer and Party Wall services

Latest news

Rising Star!

We’re thrilled to share that Joe Higgins was named a winner of the Rising Star Award at the Interact Northern Region Awards, standing out among nominees from across Yorkshire and the North West.

Joe was nominated by Interact Leeds member and RPP Executive Director, Richard Owen, and was recognized for his outstanding contributions and potential.

This month Joe travels to London to represent the northern region at the Interact National Awards and we’ll be keeping everything crossed for him to bring home the national title!

People Updates

Over the summer we’ve been celebrating three colleagues who have reached major milestones in their RPP careers.

Celebrating 10 years are Carol Wilkinson, Director of Health & Safety (South) and Joe Higgins, Associate Director.

A special milestone belongs to Dan Thornton, who is celebrating an incredible 25 years with the business!

Congratulations and thank you for your dedication and continued hard work!

supporting our communities

Works are progressing well on our latest charity project which see’s members of the Yorkshire Construction Community come together to deliver a £3 million transformation of Hilltop School in Rotherham.

Spearheaded by Yorkshire Children’s Charity’s the ‘Great Yorkshire Build’ initiative will ensure 180 children with complex needs have the facilities they deserve to learn, play, and thrive – creating a lasting legacy for future generations of pupils.

Led by Gina Mouser, Hilltop School is the third SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) school re-build programme we have supported with pro-bono Cost Consultancy services and we can’t wait to see the positive impact of these changes on the pupils and their families.

If you would like to sign up to receive future editions of ROUND UP, please email info@rpp.co.uk with your name, company name and email address.