Reports of incidents of worker deaths and dangerous lack of safety precautions on building work in the city. The Saudi crane collapse that killed more than 100 people in Mecca at the weekend has exposed a shoddy breakneck construction boom that some Saudis complain is ruining the holy city. For
The number of train journeys made each year has more than doubled since the late 1990s, according to a new report. About 1.65bn passenger rail journeys were made in the past 12 months, compared with 801m in 1997. The figures come from analysis by the Rail Delivery Group, which represents
There are two important changes to regulations in the lettings sector that members and the wider surveying community need to be aware of; the installation and testing of smoke/CO detectors and a landmark change to the service of section 21 notices. 1) Smoke and CO detectors Part 2, Regulation 4
From Les Pickford Freelance writer and former Editor of the RICS Construction Journal (RICS) I recently spoke with Kate Faulkner, independent Property Market Commentator, about the landscape of the social housing sector and the trend of providers moving into the private rented sector (PRS). Hear from Kate Faulkner The more
Facilities Show, the UK’s largest event for the facilities management industry, has commissioned a series of videos, articles and infographics to provide some unique insight into how the facilities are managed in some of the most prestigious buildings and projects in the country. The Protecting London series incorporates a behind-the-scenes
In just two days, 14 volunteers from the Travis Perkins plc Pace management team and local tradespeople provided a complete overhaul of Standen’s Barn Community Centre – in partnership with local charity Northampton Community Spaces. Travis Perkins plc ‘Pace’ management team and local tradespeople collaborated with charity Northampton Community Spaces
Reports of incidents of worker deaths and dangerous lack of safety precautions on building work in the city. The Saudi crane collapse that killed more than 100 people in Mecca at the weekend has exposed a shoddy breakneck construction boom that some Saudis complain is ruining the holy city. For years, Mecca’s residents have lived with rampant building and development work as Saudi leaders seek to expand not just a holy site that received more than 2 million visitors during hajj last year, but the surrounding metropolis too. “Every two years they have a new plan that is nothing to do with the previous plan,” said one activist, who like many Saudis was nervous of giving his name. “So they have to destroy a bit of the past. That is why the people of Mecca and hajjees have been suffering for the last 15 years.” Hajj pilgrimage to go ahead despite tragic crane collapse at Mecca’s Grand Mosque Read more Frenetic building work is evident everywhere in Mecca, above all at the Grand Mosque, the vast complex of religious buildings spread over 356,800 square metres at the heart of the city, where Friday’s accident took place. The country’s monarch, King Salman, has promised to find out what caused the construction crane to topple over during a thunderstorm. One Briton, Qasim Akram from Bolton, was confirmed to have been killed. The hajj is due to go ahead unaffected, but locals have been left with a bitter taste in their mouths. “There have been quite a few minor incidents, workers getting killed, but it never reaches the press,” said the activist. “This time they can’t hide it.” The 100bn riyal (£17.2bn) Mecca development project is overseen by one of the country’s leading developers, the Saudi Bin Laden Group, and has backing from the government. Supporters say that when the project is completed there will be new housing, a ring road, parking lots and a new metro system. Dr Irfan al-Alawi, the executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, said: “It is a tragedy what has happened, but it didn’t come as a surprise. There have been many accidents. Last year, the last few floors of a building being constructed right next to the clock tower caught fire and they had to call the fire engine from Taif, which is about 45 mins away, to help extinguish it. “There is no health and safety system in place. In London when you have construction work the public are kept away, but in Mecca machinery is deployed in areas accessible to the public,” Dr Alawi said. “There are not enough volunteers looking to check children do not go into the dangerous areas. Even some of the engineers don’t have safety gear, helmets or gloves to wear, because it is very hot, summer time temperatures 45C.” “We have 15 of the world’s tallest cranes overlooking the Grand Mosque,” he said. “These cranes have been standing there for the last three years. If this crane collapsed, what is stopping the other cranes collapsing God forbid? I urge the Saudi authorities to implement health and safety but this is something they have failed to do over the past few years.” “Next year they have the largest hotel in the world being constructed with 10,000 rooms. Where is the health and safety for those?” Dr al-Alawi is concerned that the city’s many skyscrapers are “making it look like Manhattan”. Chief among them is the 76-storey royal clock tower and the gargantuan Abraj al-Bait complex attached to it. One of the world’s largest buildings in terms of floor space, the six towers of the complex include luxury hotel rooms and a multi-storey shopping mall. Activists, however, say there is a worrying lack of oversight and accidents usually go unreported. Amateur videos of demolition work in Mecca posted online show a dangerous lack of security precautions. A building is demolished in Mecca, with traffic close by. A leading concern among local residents is that the Bin Laden Group has earmarked large slum areas for demolition and they fear they may not receive proper compensation or a new place to live. The problem is made worse by the fact that Mecca’s immigrant communities have traded property among themselves for years, but the state does not recognise the paperwork they use to do so. “The development project is primarily a means for the regime to distribute oil wealth and patronage among a limited circle of princes and their entourage. No one is expecting it to bring any tangible benefits,” said another Mecca resident. Property around the Grand Mosque is among the most expensive in the world, but there are squalid districts not far from the centre. Mansour Street is a slum neighbourhood located just over a mile from the Grand Mosque and populated mainly by migrants from three Nigerian tribes. Al Nakasah is a densely populated Burmese slum built on steep, unpaved mountainsides. Many streets in these neighbourhoods are too narrow and steep for cars to pass. Inside the tangled maze of alleyways, sewage runs in the streets and rubbish lies uncollected. Few houses have mains gas, water or electricity. Women and children forage in skips for food. There is little evidence of the estimated $110bn (£71bn) in social programmes and subsidies the king has announced since uprisings began sweeping the region four years ago. Activists say it is Mecca’s unique social mosaic that makes it a particularly easy city for the government to control. Given its historic role as the centre of Islamic pilgrimage, it is a collection of immigrant communities coming mainly from countries where Muslims face persecution and discrimination at home. “Al Saud are experts at playing one off one side against the other,” said another local. “If one community makes problems they are passed over for what they want most – jobs. This keeps the people loyal”. Visas and residency permits are also a powerful means of social control. The government can easily silence immigrant communities with
The number of train journeys made each year has more than doubled since the late 1990s, according to a new report. About 1.65bn passenger rail journeys were made in the past 12 months, compared with 801m in 1997. The figures come from analysis by the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, and is based on data from the auditors KPMG. The study found that people make an average of 24.7 train journeys each a year, a 60% increase from 1998, when private operators took over running UK train services from British Rail. The growth in journeys is faster than in France at 25%, Germany at 23% and the Netherlands at 10% over the same period. Union leaders point out, however, that many journeys are made on overcrowded services that users are unhappy with and at considerable expense to the taxpayer for government-funded maintenance and expansion of infrastructure. The Rail Delivery Group found that fares income covers the £9.5bn annual cost of train services, with government support being used to fund infrastructure. The average price paid per passenger mile has increased by 6.7%, adjusted for inflation since the mid-1990s, and the profit made by operators has fallen from 3.6% of revenue in 1997 to 2.3% last year. The country’s busiest rail terminals, London’s Waterloo and Victoria stations, have more arrivals per platform at morning peak times than European stations such as Zurich, Frankfurt and the Gare du Nord in Paris. Edward Welsh, a spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, said the rail network was better able to serve passengers and businesses because of its transformation over the past two decades into what he called a great British success story. He said: “Crucial to this success has been the partnership between the private and public sectors, working together to deliver better value to passengers, freight customers and the nation. “There is much more we need to do to improve services for our customers. Our greatest challenge is to plan and build for the ever growing demand for rail by increasing capacity cost effectively and generating revenue to support investment in more and better services.” The demand for better services has been growing, with rail passengers consistently complaining about annual price rises and overcrowding. Earlier this month, official government figures revealed that the 4.22am Glasgow Central to Manchester airport train, which topped the list of most overcrowded train journeys, counted 355 standard-class passengers on a four-coach train, 86% above its official capacity of 191. In London’s morning peak time, 139,000 people or 22% of passengers stood during the busiest legs of their journeys. A total of 563,000 passengers arrived in the city, more than a quarter of trains were over capacity and nearly three-fifths had standing passengers . Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said: “The railways cost the public purse about £1bn a year under British Rail. That figure has since soared to £4bn a year. That’s the real cost to the taxpayer of privatisation. “When John Major privatised the railway, he promised three things – competition, innovation and investment. He said competition would drive innovation and investment, but there is no competition. “With the model we’ve got, the privatised train operating companies all have protected routes, private monopolies. There is precious little innovation. The privatised train companies were against the introduction of Oyster cards and all the investment in the industry comes from central government. “Fares have gone up, not down. We now have the highest rail fares in Europe, while trains have got more and more crowded to the point where passengers, even those commuters in the south-east of England who usually vote Conservative, are calling for a return of the railways to public ownership.” Whelan said millions of pounds was “leaking every day from the industry and the country”, money that could be used to bring down fares, ploughed back in investment, or returned – like the £1bn in five years from the east coast mainline – to the Treasury to pay for schools or hospitals or housing. “There is an enormous public appetite for public ownership in Britain now because we have seen, with the east coast, just how successful a publicly-owned, publicly-run and publicly-accountable railway can be,” he said. The report comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has committed to renationalising the UK’s railways if he becomes the prime minister. “Like a majority of the population and a majority of even Tory voters, I want the railways back in public ownership,” Corbyn has said. “But public control should mean just that, so we should have passengers, rail workers and government too cooperatively running the railways … in our interests and not for private profit.”
There are two important changes to regulations in the lettings sector that members and the wider surveying community need to be aware of; the installation and testing of smoke/CO detectors and a landmark change to the service of section 21 notices. 1) Smoke and CO detectors Part 2, Regulation 4 of The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 comes into effect on 1 October. This is a draft item of legislation which has not yet been made as a UK statutory instrument but a debate in the House of Lords, which started last week, has caused the item to be reconsidered by the House of Commons. By 1 October, premises occupied under an assured shorthold tenancy (within the meaning of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the Housing Act 1988) must have: A smoke alarm on each storey of the premises on which there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation. A carbon monoxide alarm in any room of the premises which is used wholly or partly as living accommodation and contains a solid fuel burning combustion appliance. The regulations are very clear that the detectors are checked by or on behalf of the landlord to ensure that each prescribed alarm is in proper working order on the day the tenancy begins if it is a new tenancy. A tenancy renewal is not a new tenancy. A room that is a bathroom or lavatory is considered to be a living room – for the avoidance of risk it would seem sensible to take the view that any room with a solid fuel burning appliance should have a CO detector fitted. We recommend that the tenant is clearly told to check the detectors on a regular basis during their tenancy; inserting a clause in the tenancy agreement would seem a sensible precaution. However, this does not alter the requirement for the detectors to be checked by or on behalf of the landlord on the day the tenancy begins. 2) Changes to section 21 Notices for England New regulations require the use of a new s21 prescribed form and the provision of some key documents to tenants, without which the s21 notice cannot be validly served. This introduces a new prescribed s21 form, with effect from the 1 October, for a notice under section 21 (1) or (4) of the Housing Act 1988 (‘the Act’) informing a tenant that the landlord intends to seek recovery of possession of a property let on an assured shorthold tenancy (‘a section 21 notice’). To date landlords and agents have had to draft their own. As at 14 September, the new form is not yet available but we are informed by DCLG that it will become available on the 1 October. Members will need to act swiftly to integrate the new form into their systems as soon as it is avaiable. Documents for tenants Where landlords have not provided required information to the tenant they will not be permitted to use the section 21 eviction procedure. Basically, if a landlord still wishes to use the ‘no-fault’ s21 Notice to terminate a tenancy, the tenant must have been given copies of the following documents: an energy performance certificate a gas safety certificate a copy of the DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) booklet entitled ‘How to rent: the checklist for renting in England‘. RICS recommend the booklet is given to the tenant at the earliest opportunity, in accordance with the PRS Code of Practice. The Explanatory Memorandum To The Assured Shorthold Tenancy Notices And Prescribed Requirements (England) Regulations 2015 (PDF) implies the ‘How to Rent’ booklet be given in hard copy but the regulations themselves say that where “the tenant has notified the landlord, or a person acting on behalf of the landlord, of an e-mail address at which the tenant is content to accept service of notices and other documents given under or in connection with the tenancy”, then service of these documents by e-mail is acceptable. Critically, agents or landlords must be able to prove that they have delivered all this paperwork to tenants, or they will not be able to use the no-fault Section 21 procedure. Carefully thought through procedures with clear paper/evidence trails will be essential and we recommend that tenants are asked to sign for all the documents. Update: DCLG have provided RICS with a copy of the draft new s21 Notice (below). We are told that the official version to be published will be an editable PDF so developers can grab the text from there. Also that Crown Copyright is waived in these instances. Download the new s21 regulations (which include a guidance draft of the new Section 21 form) (PDF)
From Les Pickford Freelance writer and former Editor of the RICS Construction Journal (RICS) I recently spoke with Kate Faulkner, independent Property Market Commentator, about the landscape of the social housing sector and the trend of providers moving into the private rented sector (PRS). Hear from Kate Faulkner The more organisations that are creating new homes the better, as we are desperate for stock from all sources. Obtaining additional finance from the private sector means housing associations can build in bulk – most current provision is people buying existing stock, which may not then be let legally. Many housing associations are reviewing their business plans because merely sitting on their stock means a safe business plan but little growth. Ambitious associations are moving into the PRS so they can fund the social services and new/renovated housing they need to provide. A good example is Thames Valley Housing, which launched Fizzy Living for the PRS in 2012. It understands that the PRS is different and created a new business model and brand to work in the sector. However, some associations think they know how the PRS works, but actually don’t, e.g. by borrowing money to grow they risk the vagaries of a private sector market and so risk the social part of their business. But some feel they must act because of slashed budgets and the requirement to offer Right to Buy (although they’re mounting a legal challenge). One crazy example of the scheme is to allow a social tenant £100,000+ to buy a property but the association will only receive a £25,000 grant to build a new home. Ideally, one new home should be built before selling one off but since the scheme was introduced 25 years ago only one new home has been built for every ten sold. It has removed social stock and worsened the housing crisis for the socially vulnerable and families on a low income. Right to Buy forces associations to sell their assets, and discourages them expanding their businesses. So moves into the PRS could be a fantastic solution to supply. Diversification issues Some associations moving into the PRS have major skills gaps, e.g. they don’t understand private investment funders or how to handle private tenants. Some private tenants of housing associations are seen as cash cows, not customers. These associations aren’t entering the PRS to provide a better service but to raise funds and only meet minimum legal requirements. An example is Wandle Housing Association that took shared ownership reservations for flats in November 2013 but in May 2014 it increased the cost of these homes by 25-50% just weeks before customers were due to move in. It said its funding rules forced it to sell at the market price, and the market had moved upwards. Legally, they were correct; but from a customer perspective it hit the headlines. Doing the minimum is not good enough, associations should be the very best providers in their area. Ultimately, a minimum approach to the PRS will mean tenants will avoid these associations, which will then get lower funding. This domino effect will affect the reputation of the whole social housing sector. Some associations have a poor perception of ‘everyone’ in the PRS – from tenants to developers. But there is a good side to the residential property market they should aim to be part of. They don’t like private letting agents so they’re starting their own, yet these aren’t members of RICS, ARLA or NALS. But membership would ensure the highest standards of professional service. Dispute resolution procedures are also often lacking in social housing. A social tenant can complain to the Homes and Communities Agency but a private tenant, or someone in shared ownership, has no third party to help resolve issues apart from the Housing Ombudsman (I’ve known simple complaints to take 9-12 months to resolve). These systems aren’t good enough for the PRS. If associations were members of RICS, ARLA or NALS they could access very professional complaint handling procedures. Calls to action My biggest frustration with housing is that all parties – government, housing associations, buy-to-let investors, letting agents, local authorities, funders, etc – all moan about each other. But they have lots in common and could work well together. An example of this is buy-to-let investors who plough lots of cash into property, which is a poor way of investing. Whereas if they invested in a fund that allowed an association to build new homes in bulk and deliver its income targets then buy-to-let investors wouldn’t have any hassle sorting out individual properties. Working together would help create more new homes. And instead of associations establishing their own letting agents, they should work with the best local, professionally accredited agents so tenants get a great service and the association doesn’t commit money to premises, etc. Boosting the good guys would also help force the unregulated rogue agents and landlords out of business. Our view: Andrew Bulmer, RICS Residential Director Kate has raised an interesting point. While there are as many opinions as there are housing associations, I have certainly heard some within the sector describe the traditional buy-to-let landlord in derogatory terms. Although there are a minority of rogue landlords, many small landlords are utterly well-meaning but don’t get everything right due to a lack of knowledge. But ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law and RICS is driving the agenda for raising standards in the sector. Better enforcement of the things that matter would help. But the notion that the PRS is all about so-called “profiteering lizard” landlords, wilfully ripping off victim tenants with dangerous homes, is simply untrue. It’s also unhelpful and a multiple threat. First, existing small landlords are now spoken of in the same terms as politicians and bankers. Unlike either, the rewards of buy-to-let investment are not as lucrative as the casual complainer may assume and the risk-reward balance is marginal. With ever-tighter regulation and penalties for failure, some landlords are deciding
Facilities Show, the UK’s largest event for the facilities management industry, has commissioned a series of videos, articles and infographics to provide some unique insight into how the facilities are managed in some of the most prestigious buildings and projects in the country. The Protecting London series incorporates a behind-the-scenes exploration of how the capital’s most famous buildings operate. The series of exclusive videos and interviews explore how facilities, fire, security and safety functions operate within London’s most iconic and fascinating buildings; celebrating the teams who keep them running on a daily basis and revealing the unique challenges they face. The British Museum, Royal Albert Hall, Crossrail and London’s premium event space ExCeL London are all featured in the Protecting London series. Charlotte Wright, Senior Content Manager, UBM EMEA said: “This specially commissioned series of videos and interviews gave us a great opportunity to really find out some of the unique challenges to these specific projects and buildings. London is home to world class venues, infrastructure and attractions and we wanted to showcase how our industries are vital in maintaining this. We are really excited to bring to the forefront some of those unsung heroes that really do help to keep these buildings and our capital running.” The Protecting London Series offers insight into: how six million visitors are kept safe at The British Museum each year; facilities management challenges within the 19th century Grade 1 listed venue, the Royal Albert Hall; along with how the CrossRail team protect the 10,000 workers in Europe’s largest construction site; and the unique security challenges presented by the ExCeL London’s 100 acre estate. www.facilitiesshow.com
In just two days, 14 volunteers from the Travis Perkins plc Pace management team and local tradespeople provided a complete overhaul of Standen’s Barn Community Centre – in partnership with local charity Northampton Community Spaces. Travis Perkins plc ‘Pace’ management team and local tradespeople collaborated with charity Northampton Community Spaces to refurbish one of their Community Centres, Standen’s Barn, into a warm, welcoming and safe place for groups to meet and socialise together – the entire project was completed in only 48 hours. Standen’s Barn was known to the local area as a target for external vandalism, and was in need of a fresh, new look. In just two days, the team completed: ● A complete refit and installation of the kitchen for staff and visitors ● Redecoration of the larger communal areas including the meeting room and games room ● Renovation of the disabled toilets Travis Perkins plc supplied all internal building and decorating materials for the project including sourcing products from companies across the group including Tile Giant, CCF, Keyline and Wickes. 15 tubs of Dulux paint was also donated from Beverley Cockbain at AkzoNobel. The 14 volunteers from the company’s management team concentrated on the redecoration tasks, including the painting of all communal areas. The kitchen, featured in solid oak, was provided by Wickes employees Tony Jones and Steven Ferry and the refit was carried out by local tradespeople, including local kitchen fitters Enzo Menna and Tom Moriarty, along with electrician Shane Lothian. The charity Northampton Community Spaces, which runs and manages eight community centres in total, is very popular and host around 77 groups, seven days a week. Standen’s Barn welcomes members of the local community from all walks of life, from tiny-tots to the elderly, and hosts a variety of events and activities across the week. Richard Turner, Management Team, Travis Perkins plc, said: “It has been brilliant to get involved with this project, not only by supplying materials but also helping with the redecorating work. It was all hands on deck to get everything completed in just 48 hours, but we did it! As a Northampton-based company, it’s fantastic to be able to help with local projects and we hope that residents enjoy the use of the newly refurbished Standen’s Barn community centre.”
