08 Dec 2009
Flybe, the UKs Number One domestic airline, has
today welcomed Aviation Minister Paul Clark MP to
The
The state-of-the art building is part-funded to
the tune of £4.3-million by the Learning and Skills Council’s new Capital
Specialisation Fund (CSF) with an additional £2.8-million contributed by the
South West Regional Development Agency (RDA).
Aviation Minister, Paul Clark, said: “Aviation is
vital to the
Rok’s construction leader in Exeter, Bruce
MacDonald said his team was extremely proud to be working on such a
prestigious and high profile project for the region, adding: “We have been
doing plenty of ground work with Flybe to ensure the building fulfils its
aspirations for a first class, environmentally sound facility for nurturing
the much needed skills of the future.”
The
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04 Dec 2009
An international consortium’s breaking of a
binding contract has led Corus to partially implement the proposal announced
in May 2009 of mothballing some of the facilities belonging to the Teesside
Cast Products (TCP) business in northeast
TCP’s Redcar Blast Furnace, Lackenby steelmaking
and the South Bank Coke Ovens will be mothballed at the end of January 2010.
Corus intends to keep open a number of operations, including the
The partial mothballing will result in the loss
of about 1,700 jobs, around 600 fewer than envisaged earlier this year.
Corus will continue to have a substantial
presence in the Teesside area, employing more than 2,000 people at
operations in
The decision to partially mothball TCP follows
strenuous efforts by Corus over the past eight months to secure a long-term
future for the plant after the failure of four international slab buyers(1)
to fulfil their obligations under a 10-year contract that they signed with
Corus in 2004. This contract committed the consortium to buying about
80% of the plant’s production for ten years.
Since the consortium broke this legally-binding
agreement, from which it made an estimated $800m profit, Corus has been
diverting internal orders to TCP. The company has also been securing
external orders on an ad hoc basis in a bid to keep the plant open while an
alternative future for the plant was sought. This has cost the company
about £130m. Operating a 3 million tonnes per year merchant slab plant
is not sustainable without a long-term strategic partner.
Chief executive Kirby Adams said: “We are acutely
aware that this will be devastating news for our employees, our contractors,
their families and the local community. We extend our sincere
gratitude to all of them, as well as to the management team and the trade
unions on Teesside, who have all worked night and day to try and avoid this
outcome.
“This is the last thing we wanted and we feel
deeply about what is happening. Sadly, it has become unavoidable,
through no fault of our people on Teesside.”
Corus will work with government agencies to do everything it can to ensure that the employees affected get access to the support and assistance available they need during this difficult time.
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Heatrae withstands double whammy
As if a recession is not hard enough for any
manufacturer to survive, Heatrae Sadia has had to cope with the additional
disruption caused by a fire breaking out at its factory site in
Despite the inconvenience caused, the water heating
manufacturer would like to reassure its customers that the incident has had
a minimal effect on the business, and nobody was hurt.
This is thanks mainly to the stringent contingency plan it had in place,
which meant the factory was closed for just one working day, with no
significant effects on manufacturing, service or deliveries.
David Ashworth, area manager at Norfolk Fire and
Rescue Service, said, “Heatrae Sadia alerted the fire brigade immediately
and evacuated nightshift employees swiftly and safely. Not only that,
but the business was able to keep operating immediately after the incident,
as it had a comprehensive, well-thought-out crisis response strategy in
place.”
Paul Rivett, Heatrae Sadia’s managing director,
said: “We would like to thank Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service for their
excellent work in controlling the fire and restricting it to the annexe.
“Our customers can rest assured that the
quality of our products, service levels, delivery times, dedication and
commitment are the same as they have always been – as should be expected
from the UK’s leading water heating manufacturer.”
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Over the next two decades
and beyond, nearly 200 hectares of derelict and under used land in the Nine
Elms area, stretching from Vauxhall to Battersea Power Station will be
regenerated into new communities, with green open spaces. New proposed
transport links include a pedestrian and cycle bridge linking Nine Elms to
Pimlico across the river and an extension to the Northern Line.
The plans are published in a new
planning framework for Nine Elms which also proposes:
- Permitting tall
buildings on the site where they are appropriate and do not compromise the
setting of the
- A new park for residents accommodating a range of uses
including allotments linking to the food economy at New Covent Garden
- New pedestrian
and cycle networks
- Better-designed
homes and communities bringing relief to an area suffering from multiple
levels of deprivation
- A de-centralised
energy network connecting to other existing and planned district heating
networks at Pimlico,
The framework acknowledges that both
the proposal to relocate the U.S. Embassy to Nine Elms, and the
redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and New Covent Garden Market are
key to successful regeneration of the area. However, it also underlines the
importance of a private sector-led extension of the Northern Line from
Kennington to Battersea via Nine Elms to provide the missing public
transport link to the site.
To support this, the Mayor has made
clear in revised supplementary guidance to the London Plan on Crossrail
contributions that office development in Vauxhall and Nine Elms will not be
covered by these policies and exempt from the levy. Instead, contributions
are likely to be sought from all new developments towards funding of the
Northern Line Extension. The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:
“This vision
represents the final piece of the jigsaw that completes the central area of
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The
government’s consultation on its 'Clean Energy Cash Back' scheme closed
today amid widespread anxiety that the current proposals will not attract
sufficient investment to achieve even the government's un-ambitious target
of 2% of electricity from local renewables by 2020. Advocates of
the scheme say it should deliver over 5% of UK electricity by 2020 but that
it will require a higher Tariff rate than currently proposed. The technical
potential for sub 5MW technologies, estimated in a study alongside the
consultation, is huge at around a third of UK electricity demand.
The Clean Energy Cash Back scheme is similar to 'Feed-In' Tariffs schemes
that are being used successfully in over 40 countries around the world to
increase renewable energy deployment and bring down the costs of the
technologies. The scheme will begin in the UK in April next year and will
apply to technologies from the smallest microgenerators up to 5MW community
schemes. The UK Tariffs will offer a premium payment for every
unit of renewable energy generated over the next 20 years – with a bonus for
surplus power exported to the grid.
Leonie Greene of the REA said; "from the industry’s perspective the scheme
is well designed, but the proposed Tariff levels are set too low and applied
inconsistently across technologies. It worries the industry that almost
every important potential investor we’ve spoken to, from the commercial
sector, to social housing providers and community scheme develops, all say
the proposed rates are too low.”
Energy Saving Trust research carried out over the summer has also confirmed
that the proposed payments levels are unlikely to attract sufficient
interest from the domestic sector to achieve the low 2% target set,
particularly once the cost of loan finance is factored in.
Friends of the Earth Climate Campaigner, Dave Timms said: “The
Government and campaigns such as 10:10 encourage us all to do our bit to
help tackle climate change. Many are keen, and generating their own green
energy is a great way to do this.
“The Clean Energy Cashback scheme has huge potential, but it will fail to
make an impact unless the government dramatically improves the amount that
will be paid to businesses, households and communities that generate
renewable electricity.”
The role of the commercial sector seems to have been particularly neglected
as supporting documents make clear the Tariff levels proposed will not work
for this sector. Yet the commercial sector has a vital role to play in
local renewables deployment, from building new green homes, offices and
supermarkets, to turning sector waste into green energy.
REA and Friends of the Earth, who led the campaign to secure the
scheme, are pressing for a return on investment of 10% for the first three
years of the scheme to ensure a successful start.
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WWN CBI
EMBARGOED: 00:01 hrs
Thursday 1st October, 2009
POSITIVE CHANGES TO PLANNING POLICY
The CBI* has welcomed the
launch of the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), which will be
responsible for ensuring major infrastructure planning applications are
passed more promptly in order to speed the delivery of much-needed new
housing and energy plants.
John Cridland, CBI’s Deputy Director-General, said: “For too long infrastructure schemes of major national importance have ended up getting bogged down in planning delays. The launch of the Infrastructure Planning Commission should streamline the planning process and encourage investment in the country’s vital infrastructure.
“We urgently need new nuclear power
stations and wind farms to bolster our energy security and cut carbon
emissions. The new commission should help ensure that
decisions in the national interest will be made swiftly by independent
experts.”
WNN
feels this change has to be good news for the construction industry as it
will also speed up the planning applications for major housing developments,
for which the contractor often has to supply the supporting infrastructure.
Additionally, it could help reduce the exodus of companies abroad, as
John Cridland explains: “Some firms, frustrated by the UK’s planning regime,
have already taken their investments overseas, so the top priority for the
government must be to publish the National Policy Statements on
infrastructure development sooner rather than later. That
will allow firms to invest with confidence, and get on with building the new
transport and energy infrastructure needed to shift to a low-carbon
economy.”
As from the beginning of this month,
another change to the
Following recommendations made by
the British Property Federation (BPF), the Government will allow developers
with planning permissions granted up until 30 September 2009 to extend their
permissions. The move has been made to boost the industry
and to save costs for developers badly hit by the recession, as many of them
have put projects on hold over the last year because of difficulties
faced in raising the funds.
The original proposals by the
Government were restricted to ‘major’ applications in which development had
not already started, but following successful lobbying by the BPF, ‘minor’
applications are also now extendable.
The option of extending planning
permissions without having to re-apply through the usual lengthy and
expensive process, along with the launch of the IPC, must surely be a
positive step in the right direction that will help kick start stalled
development and regeneration projects across the
*The CBI speaks globally for some 240,000
businesses that together employ around a third of the private sector
workforce in the
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Whilst the recession has seriously impacted on the construction industry with literally thousands of companies ceasing to trade, we are at last seeing the beginnings of an upturn, but before the industry can draw breath to exhale a sigh of relief, it would appear that the Treasury may be set to level yet another blow with a document entitled “False self-employed in construction: taxation of workers”.
The effect of the issues covered by the consultative document will have a
widespread effect on the construction industry if they are implemented. Some
300,000 construction workers around the
The proposed changes to the construction industry
scheme regime, which governs the employment status and taxation of hundreds of
thousands of workers in the construction industry, is being fought by the
industry led by lobbying on its behalf by accountancy firm Francis Clark and
construction tax experts CIS Tax Advice Limited.
Seemingly set on collecting
more national insurance contributions from both workers and employers – and once
again following its European masters – the Government is proposing three new
‘tests’ of self employed status.
They question whether a person is supplying all the
plant and equipment to complete a job; the materials for it; and if they are
employing other people involved. Unlike other countries such as
Considering just the plant and tools test, it
demonstrates the total lack of any understanding of the building process
possessed by the document’s authors. Construction is heavily mechanised and
burdened by multiple layers of health and safety as well as environmental
legislation. Many sites now discourage tradesmen from using any of their own
equipment – except basic tools such as saws or trowels – so that site management
can abide by rules on electrical safety, white-finger, noise levels and
countless other criteria. And can you imagine a housing site where every
worker purchased their own bricks, timber, plasterboard and concrete?
In essence these changes are as ill judged as the
abolition of the 10 p tax band and the changes to taper relief. Gordon Brown’s
meddling, blundering finger prints are all over this document.
The consultation period on the changes ends on
12th October, Click below to download the full report from Francis Clark.
You can also add your voice to the lobby against change by clicking on the
appropriate link.
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The OFT has imposed fines
totalling £129.5 million on 103 construction firms in England which it has found
had colluded with competitors on building contracts.
The decision follows an OFT Statement of Objections
in April 2008 after one of its largest Competition Act investigations.
The OFT has concluded that the firms engaged in
illegal anti-competitive bid-rigging activities on 199 tenders from 2000 to
2006, mostly in the form of 'cover pricing'.
Cover pricing is where one or more bidders in a
tender process obtains an artificially high price from a competitor. Such cover
bids are priced so as not to win the contract but are submitted as genuine bids,
which gives a misleading impression to clients as to the real extent of
competition. This distorts the tender process and makes it less likely that
other potentially cheaper firms are invited to tender.
In 11 tendering rounds, the lowest bidder faced no
genuine competition because all other bids were cover bids, leading to an even
greater risk that the client may have unknowingly paid a higher price.
The OFT also found six instances where successful
bidders had paid an agreed sum of money to the unsuccessful bidder (known as a
'compensation payment'). These payments of between £2,500 and £60,000 were
facilitated by the raising of false invoices.
The infringements affected building projects across
Eighty-six out of the 103 firms received reductions
in their penalties because they admitted their involvement in cover pricing
prior to today's decision.
The OFT has also informed nine companies originally
listed in its Statement of Objections that it will not pursue allegations of
bid-rigging against them as it considers it has insufficient evidence to proceed
to an infringement finding.
Related guidance issued today by the OFT in
conjunction with the Office of Government Commerce cautions procurers against
excluding the infringing firms from future tenders, as the practice of cover
pricing was widespread in the construction industry and those that have already
faced investigation can now be expected to be particularly aware of the
competition rules.
Simon Williams, the OFT's Senior Director for this
case, said:
WNN Comments
Undoubtedly to allow bid rigging to continue
is a misappropriation of the taxes that are levied on the wider community, taxes
that also funded the five-year investigation. WNN spoke to the OFT to ask
if the cost of this could be assessed but a spokeswoman explained the due to the
nature of the OFT, where all services were internalised rather than outsourced,
it made it impossible to quantify. It is fair to assume that the cost
would have been substantial.
Tax payers may
struggle to justify an investigation that concludes 103 companies are guilty as
charged, and then recommends that those companies are penalised with fines that
most likely fall far below the profits that their illegal conduct produced.
It could be argued that rather than preventing further bid rigging, many of
those found guilty could view the penalty as a small price to pay. Let us
hope that the ‘Strong Message’ the OFT claims it is sending out, that there will
be no leniency for future infringements, will insure that our taxes are spent
more frugally in future.
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‘Building Better Lives’ a new report from the audit commission on release today, finds that councils feel pressured into focusing on building brand new housing - 94 per cent of councils have prioritised new and/or affordable housing targets through their local area agreements, but fewer than a third prioritised targets relating to their existing housing stock. This is despite the financial savings, environmental improvements and social benefits of doing so.
If councils thought of housing more broadly, they
could do more to combat poverty, ill-health, educational under-achievement and
help strengthen their local communities. The recession makes a strategic view of
housing all the more important.
TO DOWN LOAD A PDF OF THE REPORT
CLICK HERE
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Birmingham City Council, public private
partnerships investor Catalyst Lend Lease and
Catalyst Lend Lease and its construction partner Bovis Lend Lease will
work with16 leading architectural practices to deliver the complex programme
requirements which are spread over six phases, completing in 2024. Facilities
manager Vita Lend Lease will maintain the completed schools on 25-year contracts
to ensure that standards of service and maintenance are consistently high
throughout the life of the partnership and beyond.
Sylvia McNamara, Director of Birmingham City Council’s Transforming
Education programme and the lead on the BSF project said: “The BSF programme is
more than just buildings. We’re making a bold commitment to transform the way
students learn and interact with each other; the spaces in which the curriculum
is delivered and ensuring schools are at the heart of our local communities.”
“This is a great day for us and for the people of
Construction of the first schools has already started at Broadway,
Look out for all the latest BSF news in
CLICK HERE or on the School Building Logo to receive your free hard copy
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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“Local Authorities and housing associations are driving the need to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency in domestic homes by using renewable energy solutions and, in particular, air source heat pumps to replace traditional fossil fuel fired heating and hot water systems. With fuel poverty at an unacceptably high level, improving energy efficiency can substantially reduce running costs to a much lower threshold.”
“One key area of focus for many housing managers in the public sector is to provide heating and hot water to properties where natural gas is not available. Oil and solid fuel systems are very expensive to install, and because of their poor efficiency, running costs are much higher than gas. Heating and hot water account for approximately 70% of a typical household energy spend. In properties where natural gas is not available, this cost can be even higher. The installation cost for air source heat pump systems compares favourably against oil fired systems. In addition, the Government offers reduced VAT and grant funding through the Low Carbon Building Programme. Other advantages of installing air source heat pumps include cleaner and safer systems with lower maintenance costs.”
“We are seeing increasing amounts of money available to
build up the stock of affordable rented properties in the UK.
The Government recently announced Building Britain’s Future Strategy which will
provide up to £1.5 billion to enable another 20,000 affordable properties to be
built over the next two years in both the public and private rented homes
market. Under the Code for Sustainable Homes, public sector
housing providers will need to achieve Level four for all newly built houses and
apartments by 2010. This is easily attainable using air
source heat pumps, solar hot water systems and other initiatives such as the
reuse of water, low energy lighting and the use of sustainable building
materials.”
“We are very proud of our Daikin Altherma air source heat pump product range which leads the market in flexibility and performance with increasing interest and new opportunities. The Daikin Altherma split system is one of a very small number of MCS accredited air source heat pump systems. We anticipate that within the next five years, air source heat pumps will become the first choice solution, not only for the social housing market but also in the private sector.”
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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POSITIVE IMPACT
Second Environment
Audit Puts Ductwork Experts in Leading Position
Renewing its ISO 14001:2004 accreditation
with Lloyds Quality Assurance for a second year, ductwork manufacturer and
contractor, Senior Hargreaves, is reporting that its environmental management
system (
The accreditation is a blueprint for companies to
reduce their environmental impact and involves looking at all material and
energy inputs to the business, all waste streams and all internal processes. The
simple aim is to reduce material inputs and waste outputs so that carbon dioxide
emissions, energy use and materials going to landfill are all continuously
reduced.
“The programme has positive benefits for the
company,” explained Hargreaves director Dave Lutkevitch. “Far from being a
burden and a cost, it contributes to greater competitiveness, gives all our
people something positive to focus on and is a great morale booster.
Externally, it conveys positive messages to our clients and partners – that we
are a forward thinking and environmentally responsible company.”
There have also been tangible reductions in energy
use, carbon footprint and waste. To take the reduction in waste as a just one
example, the company has reduced material going to landfill by 30 tonnes in the
last year. This has required 15 fewer collections, giving a direct monetary
saving of £2430. The reduced waste handling, transport and disposal is equal to
saving of 13.4 tonnes of carbon emissions. The programme so far has saved at
total equivalent of 48.2 tonnes of CO2 to atmosphere.
Hargreaves separates out distinct waste streams so
that metal, plastics and so on go to specialised re-processors for recovery. The
general commercial waste that remains is taken away by specialist waste
processors Wheeldon Brothers who hand sort the waste to recover around 80
percent of the material so that only the irreducible minimum goes into landfill.
“In the construction industry there is an increasing
expectation by clients that we will have an environmental policy. We are ahead
of many competitors by having accreditation for our
http://www.hargreaves-ductwork.co.uk/
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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Jade Communications Launches Mobility as a
Service for Construction
Mobile technology package available from as little as £20 per user
per month
Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, UK, 20 August 2009 – Jade Communications, one of the UK’s leading providers of mobile voice and data communications technologies for business, has launched Mobility as a Service, a highly affordable package enabling organisations in the construction sector to improve productivity and customer service, reduce costs and enhance profitability with the latest mobile communications technology.
Jade’s Mobility as a Service package allows architects, surveyors, engineers, projects managers, installation engineers and other mobile construction professionals to outsource their mobile data communications, removing the headache of deploying and managing a mobile computer estate. The Mobility as a Service package includes rugged mobile devices, specially-designed software, accessories and service desk support. Typical functionality available with the package includes mobile office and email, project management and scheduling, asset management and inspection, time in attendance, navigation and route optimisation.
“We have launched Mobility as a Service to give construction and other field service organisations highly affordable, hassle-free, quick and easy to implement mobile technology that genuinely transforms their operations,” says Mark Brackley, Managing Director of Jade Communications. “Creating an IT infrastructure in construction settings isn’t often easy, but from as little as £20 per user per month, with no capital outlay, Jade’s Mobility as a Service will enable organisations to raise productivity and efficiency, cut out paperwork, and reduce cost.”
For more information visit:
http://www.mobilityasaservice.co.uk/industry/construction.html
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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One of the largest suppliers of
products and systems to the roofing industry has launched a new website intended
to make its range more accessible to the needs of specifiers involved with
regeneration and urban renewal.
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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Millennium Point in
The one day event will take place on September 17th
with representatives of the 10 member companies which established the
association giving presentations both projects and different aspects about
the panels’ performance to what is expected to be a packed audience.
Attendees will include industry specifiers and
potential associate members including producers of insulation, adhesives and
board products all used in manufacturing the various structurally insulated
panels.
Web address -
www.uksips.org
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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INTERIM
REPORT INTO
An interim report into
last month’s fire at the Lakanal House tower block in London makes a number of
wide-ranging recommendations on active and passive fire safety provisions in
similar types of building, while stopping short of making any findings as to why
the fire spread and developed so quickly.
Emphasising the need not to prejudice the ongoing
formal investigation into the fire, the chief fire and rescue adviser, Sir Ken
Knight, has identified emerging findings and areas for consideration by the
government. While stating that the initial investigations have not yet been able
to identify the mechanisms that caused the fire to develop and spread, the
report recommends:
• Reminding specifiers, main contractors and
installers and those responsible for building safety management of the need to
use industry standards and information when removing, altering or replacing
passive fire protection
• Reviewing the fire safety advice and education
given to residents of high rise blocks
• A variety of suggestions on active measures such as
the installation or upgrading of detection and alarms and emergency
lighting/signage
Other recommendations include how to ensure that a
risk assessment is ‘suitable and sufficient’ with, if appropriate, amendments to
the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and, subject to further
investigation, clarification of some aspects of fire and rescue service national
operational guidance.
Courtesy of FSE The magazine for the Fire Safety Community
Click
here to see Sir Kens report in full
http://www.fseonline.co.uk/articles.asp?article_id=9128&viewcomment=1
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has pledged
to step in and plug a funding gap after the Government reneged on promises to
fund homes in the capital.
The Mayor believes the government is ignoring
In a letter to John Healey, Minister of State for
Communities and Local Government, the Mayor expressed concern that the funding
being diverted to other regions is largely being paid for by raiding budgets set
aside to upgrade over 100,000 of London’s poorest quality social homes.
The Government is reneging on promises to around a quarter of a million of
The Mayor is committed to making good these broken
promises and has instructed the London Homes and Communities Agency to ensure
funding is made available, over the next year, so that these properties can be
improved to meet national minimum standards.
The Mayor said:
“As Mayor, it is my job to defend the capital's
budgets and the city's poorest. I am looking at how I can use my powers to
win back
“If the Government will not live up to commitments made to
council tenants, then I will guarantee Londoners that I will make up for these
broken promises by reversing the Government's decision and ensuring this funding
gap is filled."
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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At first glance, a humpback whale and a wind turbine
don't have a lot in common. For that matter, neither do a shellfish and a sheet
of plywood. But both sea creatures are the inspiration behind products designed
using biomimicry, or looking to nature's designs and processes
to solve human problems.
For those who know where to look, biomimetically inspired products can be
found in almost every corner of the marketplace, from medicine to
transportation. But where the emerging field has the potential for the
greatest impacts, according to advocates and practitioners, is in changing
the way we think about our built environment-not only in designing
individual building products, but in conceiving of entire communities as
biomimetic systems, not to mention businesses, government bodies and other
"systems."SSS.. to read the full article
click here
Courtesy of Sustainable Industries
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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Housing minister John Healey will announce 270
development projects in line for a share of a £1 billion cash injection. The
public money will be directed towards developers and housing associations that
are able to get stalled projects back under way by the end of the year. Some
20,000 jobs are expected to be created in the process and up to 22,400 new
homes, more than a third of which will be "affordable", could be built.
But the minister will stress that the Government is not awarding developers a
"handout".
"There are tough terms to this deal including repayment of loans Within five
years," he will say.
"And only builders who accept a realistic current market price for their homes
are eligible.”
"I want to see builders back on these sites within weeks. So I will be
calling on successful developers to pull out all the stops so construction can
restart as quickly as possible."
He will add: "We've pledged to use the power of Government investment to help
Best Wishes from
WNN (
CAMBERWELL FIRE
FIRE TRAGEDY RAISES TOWER BLOCK SAFETY FEARS
The weekend’s fire tragedy, which claimed six
lives, has raised concerns across the housing sector regarding the inherent
safety of such high rise structures: especially as Lakanal House – one of eight
similar blocks on Camberwell’s Sceaux Gardens Estate in
Early reports suggested that the victims had been
trapped on the 11th floor of the 12 storey building as fire crews
battled to contain the blaze, while some survivors described scenes of panic and
confusion as people tried to exit the building after the alarm was raised.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, described the
fire as a “horrendous incident” and confirmed that a full investigation would
begin immediately. The speed at which the fire and smoke spread through the
flats will be of as much interest to investigators as the original cause, when
Building Regulations call for doors, dividing walls and floors between each
level to achieve extended periods of fire resistance or ‘compartmentation’.
Reports on past fires in occupied buildings – as
opposed to the Hendon blaze where the block was under construction – have
pointed the finger at inoperative alarms, poor detailing, the creation of
service penetrations between floors, and the specification of non-fire resistant
materials in areas such as soffits, spandrels and for the fitting out of
communal areas as being to blame for fires failing to be contained.
Answers and possibly remedial action will be needed
swiftly if Lakanal’s residents are to return to their homes, or for those living
in other buildings dating from the post war era, to feel safe.
Best Wishes from
WNN (
Comments by:
Mr Mike Ingram
Chief Building Control Officer,
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council,
www.tmbc.gov.uk
"It seems to me that you are correct in saying that modern Building Regulations would require protective measures for these flats, but surely the point is that they were built before Building Regulations came into force in 1965. Prior to that they would have been built to the old LCC bylaws."
Editors Note:
We would like to thank Mr Mike Ingram for bringing a point on historical accuracy to our attention regarding the likely design guidelines for the property's original construction
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Comments by:
Mr Christopher James
Engineer,
www.puresilica.com
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Building Schools for the Future will continue as planned despite the pressure on public finances, according to the children’s secretary.
Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, Ed Balls insisted that spending on schools will continue to rise and can be paid for from savings within the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ budget.
“I can guarantee – and will announce in the next few weeks – our Building Schools for the Future plans will carry on in future years,” he said.
Balls’ comments have been criticised by the Conservatives,
who have accused the government of “deceit, dishonesty and deception” by
announcing a programme of spending commitments while postponing any decision on
cuts until after the election.
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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In his latest desperate attempt to stay in power, Gordon Brown has churned out
yet another initiative that appears rather like a party manifesto, this one
being Building Britain’s Future. According to the Government’s website, it
“is a radical
vision for a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society” and will
ensure better education, shorter NHS waiting lists and provide new measures to
drive economic growth, as well as create jobs and new homes.
What does this mean for the construction
industry? Not much, according to the Tory Party, which raised
doubts about the £1.5 billion planned for social housing to create 110,000 new
homes over just two years.
Apparently, half of the funding will
come from the Communities and Local Government department budget, while the rest
will be raised from 'under spends' from other departments.
Amongst a number of announcements the
Government has made before are plans to introduce a Floods Bill to protect
vulnerable communities – this was first promised last May, so whether anything
will come of this is debatable.
Additionally, there will be powers for
local authorities to give priority on council house waiting lists to local
people over migrants – this is significant, because, for the first time, it is a
clear admission from the Government that immigration is having a huge impact on
housing. Having admitted there is a shortage, it will now
have to tackle the issue as to how the supply of social housing has fallen far
behind the demand for it - waiting lists have grown by over 60 per cent in just
six years.
The Government predicts that 252,000
households will need to be formed every year until 2031 but, without
immigration, this figure would see the number of extra dwellings required
reduced to 153,000.
In response to the launch of 'Building
Britain's Future', Richard Parker, partner and head of housing at
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, said: “The use of past, present and future tenses in
statements on housing resources make it difficult to disentangle previous
spending commitments from spending that is being brought forward and truly new
spending.
“But it does appear that £1.5bn of new money has been
found and if it really is available to spend in the next two years, the Housing
Minister will have no difficulty putting it to good use.
Although beyond London and the South East, its ability to unlock stalled housing
sites with large amounts of housing for sale might be limited.”
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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Last
week’s CIH Conference in
“Managing Voids, Letting Homes” is the latest
Practice Brief from the Chartered Institute of Housing and has been produced in
association with void services specialist, SitexOrbis.
For the first time, this A4, full colour guide, sets
out a structured approach for landlords on dealing with properties that come
vacant, improving them where necessary, and getting them let again speedily.
Steve Benson, President of the CIH, commented: “As
well as championing innovative and new practice, the Chartered Institute of
Housing recognises that getting core practice right is fundamental to delivering
good quality services that are valued by tenants and residents.
David Walker, The Chief Executive for SitexOrbis,
added: “Any home that stands empty for more than a few hours represents a waste
to the sector – to the housing providers and their funders as well as those
people who are in housing need. Up until now there has not been a single voice
on the subject. What we have through the involvement of the Chartered Institute
of Housing is an ‘end to end’ approach to the problem. It has taken the CIH to
make this happen.”
Priced at £15, the Managing Voids practice brief sets
out an easy to implement regime for any RSL, divided into checklists,
explanatory text, and case studies on examples of good practice. The guide
explains how such principles as ‘systems thinking’ and ‘lean management’ can be
borrowed from the manufacturing industry.
Last week’s CIH Conference in
“Managing Voids, Letting Homes” is the latest
Practice Brief from the Chartered Institute of Housing and has been produced in
association with void services specialist, SitexOrbis.
For the first time, this A4, full colour guide, sets
out a structured approach for landlords on dealing with properties that come
vacant, improving them where necessary, and getting them let again speedily.
Steve Benson, President of the CIH, commented: “As
well as championing innovative and new practice, the Chartered Institute of
Housing recognises that getting core practice right is fundamental to delivering
good quality services that are valued by tenants and residents.
David Walker, The Chief Executive for SitexOrbis,
added: “Any home that stands empty for more than a few hours represents a waste
to the sector – to the housing providers and their funders as well as those
people who are in housing need. Up until now there has not been a single voice
on the subject. What we have through the involvement of the Chartered Institute
of Housing is an ‘end to end’ approach to the problem. It has taken the CIH to
make this happen.”
Priced at £15, the Managing Voids practice brief sets out
an easy to implement regime for any RSL, divided into checklists, explanatory
text, and case studies on examples of good practice. The guide explains how such
principles as ‘systems thinking’ and ‘lean management’ can be borrowed from the
manufacturing industry.
Best Wishes from
WNN (
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