Projects worth £3 million have been approved by the UK Government as an initial allocation of City-Region Deal funding. The commitment was confirmed during a meeting in Inverness between David Mundell MP, Secretary of State for Scotland and Margaret Davidson, the leader of Highland Council. The business case for
BSRIA is pleased to announce the relaunch of its information topic guides with the first release of its ‘At a Glance’ series TG07/2015 At a Glance – Airtightness available to download from the BSRIA website now. The BSRIA Topic Guides are designed to be an ‘at a glance publication’ introducing
– 95% of buyers and 81% of renters would pay up to 25% more to live in close proximity to a school (Urban.co.uk) – 38% of buyers and 42% of renters would take a lesser property to be within desired catchment area (Urban.co.uk) – School catchment area top concern for
Construction union UCATT is warning construction workers to be extremely cautious before taking out a new short term loan product. The loans are being offered by the company SubMe and are primarily aimed at construction workers who are paid via the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) and are officially self-employed or
Nottingham City Council’s redevelopment of the historic Sneinton Market has brought with it a cash injection for the regional economy, with £1.5m worth of sub-contracts awarded to local firms. Nottingham-based Acorn Aluminium, Johns of Nottingham and DTE Demolition Ltd – awarded contracts valued at £130k, £130k and £80k respectively –
Projects worth £3 million have been approved by the UK Government as an initial allocation of City-Region Deal funding. The commitment was confirmed during a meeting in Inverness between David Mundell MP, Secretary of State for Scotland and Margaret Davidson, the leader of Highland Council. The business case for the first project, which was approved by the City of Inverness Area Committee on 2 June, 2015 relates to the upgrading of grounds and access to Inverness Castle to enhance the experience for visitors, which is linked to a separate project being undertaken by the Council to create a public viewing platform at the North Tower. The second project also approved by the Committee is to create a free public access Wi-Fi scheme for the City of Inverness to increase digital connectivity, progress the “smart cities” initiative and enhance the visitor economy. Speaking after his meeting with Cllr Davidson, David Mundell said: “This is good news for Inverness. It demonstrates our commitment to City Deals and the benefits they can bring for local areas. The initial tranche of funding will enable Inverness to capitalise on its heritage, while helping the city to enhance its digital connectivity, something which will be of huge benefit to both visitors and residents. “City Deals give more power to local areas and I believe they can benefit communities across Scotland. Instead of power being locked away in Edinburgh or London, City Deals pass power to local areas and allow them to take control to achieve great things. The UK Government has already delivered a City Deal for Glasgow and we are working hard on agreements for other cities, including Inverness and Aberdeen. “This is another good example of the UK, Scottish and local governments working tgether for the common good. That is the best way to improve local areas and to improve the lives of people in Scotland.” Leader of the Highland Council, Cllr Margaret Davidson, said: “We had a very useful and constructive meeting during which we discussed a number of key issues affecting the Highlands, which are priorities in our Council Programme, including welfare, broadband connectivity, Crown Estates, as well as the Scotland Bill. “We also discussed the Council’s ambition for a City/Region Deal and I am very encouraged by the support from the Secretary of State, as we work with both the Scottish and UK Government’s to progress this deal. “I am delighted that the Secretary of State has confirmed UK Government approval for these projects. They will make a significant contribution to enhancing the centre of Inverness and improving wifi connectivity for businesses, residents and tourists. It will also help us to start realising our ambition to make Inverness Castle a major tourist attraction.”
BSRIA is pleased to announce the relaunch of its information topic guides with the first release of its ‘At a Glance’ series TG07/2015 At a Glance – Airtightness available to download from the BSRIA website now. The BSRIA Topic Guides are designed to be an ‘at a glance publication’ introducing readers to key industry topics and suggesting further reading. BSRIA’s Information Centre is relaunching the guides with the aim of offering an introduction to key topics in the industry providing readers with an understanding of the area and how they can learn more. A new addition to the topic guides will be a feature by a BSRIA expert on the subject, offering a fresh insight. The airtightness topic guide features an insight into the legislation by BSRIA expert David Bleicher, Publications Manager. BSRIA’s Information and Knowledge Manager, Jayne Sunley, said: “The topic guides are a great way of providing members and non-members alike with good information that will hopefully clarify some of the questions they have about topics they are new to and offer a starting point for anyone looking to learn more. The addition of the expert insight is just a way of showing readers that there is more to the topic than they might have first thought.” TG07/2015 ‘At a Glance’ – Airtightness offers readers a view of why airtightness is important for building stock and how a building can be tested. It is now free to download from the BSRIA website for members and non-members alike. Future 2015 titles in the ‘At a Glance’ series will include: Legionella, Data Centres and Smart Technology.
– 95% of buyers and 81% of renters would pay up to 25% more to live in close proximity to a school (Urban.co.uk) – 38% of buyers and 42% of renters would take a lesser property to be within desired catchment area (Urban.co.uk) – School catchment area top concern for tenants when choosing rental area (Urban.co.uk) With the new academic year fast approaching, parents’ minds will be filled with thoughts of uniforms, shopping for stationary and the school run, yet how many will be thinking of moving house? It is a well established fact that living in close vicinity to a good school can boost house prices but just how much of an effect does being in a certain school catchment area have on house hunters? New data released by the UK’s original online estate agent,Urban.co.uk, reveals some enlightening truths. Surveying both those looking for property to purchase as well as those looking for a rental home, Urban.co.uk found that an incredible 81% of renters would pay up to 25% more to live in a certain school catchment area. This figure is topped further still by buyers, with 95% of those looking to purchase property rating a school catchment area so highly that they would pay up to a quarter more for the privilege. The huge draw of living close to a school is further highlighted by the fact that 42% of renters and 38% of buyers would even go as far as to take a lesser property in order to be within their desired catchment area. Whether this is a smaller property, one in a lesser condition or one that perhaps requires more work and in turn a greater amount of money spending on it, this is a prime example of the power of a property near a place of education. Urban.co.uk also asked those looking to let a property what their key concern would be when choosing a rental location. Interestingly double the number of prospective tenants would put school catchment area (30%) over being in close proximity to a town (15%), with this also ranking significantly higher than the desire to be near to a station (17%). These results reveal that parents’ needs are widely put on the backburner when compared to those of their children, with people often taking on a far longer commute to be able to ensure that their child has the very best education and shortest journey to school. With residing close to a school the prominent concern for many, the survey also asked those that were buying a property, whether they would consider renting if they cannot sell their own property. A huge 52% said that they would do so. Founder of Urban.co.uk, Adam Male, explains why these new findings are significant, “Quantifying the influence that being in close proximity to a school has on house hunters has been truly eye-opening. The results of the Urban.co.uk survey show that most people would stretch their budget quite considerably, whilst many would also downgrade their property choice, for the sake of a school. “The results make for particularly interesting reading for those selling a property within a school catchment area. When marketing the property, these findings show that real focus should be given to the location of the property in relation to the nearest school, highlighting the benefits provided as part of the enrolment process and the ease of school run, for example.”
Construction union UCATT is warning construction workers to be extremely cautious before taking out a new short term loan product. The loans are being offered by the company SubMe and are primarily aimed at construction workers who are paid via the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) and are officially self-employed or who are paid via umbrella companies. Workers can borrow up to £5,000 and loans are due to be paid back within three months. However the APR interest rate is a staggering 383%. Brian Rye, National Secretary of UCATT, said: “Construction workers need to be very cautious before taking out these loans. They might look like a quick and easy way to get credit but you will end up paying back far more than you borrow.” SubMe is part of the OBK Group which also includes payroll/umbrella company Sprite, Boss projects and OBK tax. UCATT members have previously expressed concerns about the flat rate VAT scheme the company operates which has resulted in them being chased for VAT payments and facing fines for non-compliance. Mr Rye, added: “When taking out loans or being introduced to new financial schemes, workers should think that if something seems too good to be true there may well be a catch and to always read the small print first.” – See more at: http://www.ucatt.org.uk/ucatt-urges-caution-over-short-term-loans-aimed-construction-workers#sthash.H2iZo8pV.dpuf
Nottingham City Council’s redevelopment of the historic Sneinton Market has brought with it a cash injection for the regional economy, with £1.5m worth of sub-contracts awarded to local firms. Nottingham-based Acorn Aluminium, Johns of Nottingham and DTE Demolition Ltd – awarded contracts valued at £130k, £130k and £80k respectively – are amongst those that have joined Wates Construction, to facilitate the building refurbishment. Wates began construction work at Sneinton Market in October 2014 and full completion is expected by the end of this year. The redevelopment of the building will transform the units on-site into fully functional workshops and studios for the use of creative enterprises. The much-anticipated project will enable Nottingham City Council (NCC) to revitalise an important part of the city’s heritage, whilst providing a central hub for aspiring businesses and individuals looking to tap into the city’s emerging creative sector. Wates’ appointment of local supply chain partners at Sneinton Market forms part of its commitment to create positive local impact, a pledge shared with the East Midlands Property Alliance (empa), through which the project was procured. The empa framework, managed by Scape, was established in 2008 by local authorities to improve the cost-efficiency of property services for local communities. The Sneinton Market project has also created a host of opportunities for employment and training, with local people undertaking work experience at the site. These include three jobseekers from the NCC Employment Hub and a student from the University of Lincoln. Alan Coole, Head of empa said: “Bringing real savings to help boost commerce and regenerate local communities is at the heart of what we do at empa. “Collaboration and intelligent design on this project has enabled more to be delivered within the project budget – a key driver behind why more public sector bodies are choosing empa to deliver their construction projects.” Councillor Nick McDonald, Portfolio Holder for Jobs, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, commented: “The redevelopment of the Sneinton Market site is a really important scheme. It will create jobs, support businesses, help students and graduates, and regenerate an historically important area of the city. As a key location in our flagship Creative Quarter and part of the gateway into the city, the development is very much part of a far-sighted commitment to the city’s future prosperity. We’re really pleased to see development well underway and we look forward to our citizens getting to know the revamped area.” Forming a central part of the council’s growth plan for the city, the work to renovate Sneinton Market has been part-funded by a £2.4m European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant, with £1.45m additional funding from NCC.
