Hogan Concrete has taken delivery of the UK’s first concrete-mixer based on a DAF 8×2 rear-steer chassis. The new Euro-6 DAF CF 400 FAX eight-wheeler is fitted with an 8m3 capacity Cifa SL8 body. Hogan, which also has DAF LF 7.5 tonne and XF tractor units in its fleet,
Civil engineering contractor FM Conway has invested £1.5m in the purchase of 38 JCB machines. The new arrivals include excavators ranging from one to 22 tonnes and several JCB 3CX backhoe loaders. The machines, supplied by dealer Greenshields JCB, will be working on highways and public realm projects across London.
YourPlace factoring services director Alison McDiarmid has been elected as President of the Property Managers Association Scotland (PMAS). PMAS represents 37 professional factoring firms in Scotland, promoting high standards and best practice across the industry and supporting members through research and training. Alison joined YourPlace Property Management, part of Wheatley
Scotland’s most impressive new and regenerated building projects will go head-to-head in the RICS Awards as the Scottish shortlist for 2016 is announced. The iconic Helix & The Kelpies in Falkirk, The Capitol Redevelopment in Aberdeen and the Borders Railway make up some of the projects competing from across the country. Eight category winners across Building
Civil engineering costs are forecast to rise by around a quarter in the next five years, and tender prices by around a third, according to new analysis. The latest report from RICS’ Building Cost Information Service shows civil engineering costs rose by 1.4% in the third quarter of 2015 compared
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is predicting that tender prices on infrastructure and civil engineering projects will rise by around a third over the next five years as the cost of oil bounces back from its current low value. According to the latest report from RICS’ Building Cost
The government would be have to invest £3.1bn a year alongside a private sector partner to fund the project Allowing disused commercial land and buildings in London to be redeveloped could provide up to 420,000 additional homes for the capital by 2036, according to a leading think tank. Figures compiled
To solve London’s housing crisis the government must arm the city’s mayor with tough new powers to seize under-used commercial property from its owners for a “reasonable, but not excessive” fee so homes can be built on the land, says a report by the Policy Exchange think tank. Doing this
New Savills survey shows confidence at lowest since April 2013 Confidence in the UK’s commercial property development market is at its lowest since April 2013, stoking fears that the European referendum is causing uncertainty among developers. Despite a bounce-back from a 35-month low of 4.5pc growth in December to 8.4pc
Hogan Concrete has taken delivery of the UK’s first concrete-mixer based on a DAF 8×2 rear-steer chassis. The new Euro-6 DAF CF 400 FAX eight-wheeler is fitted with an 8m3 capacity Cifa SL8 body. Hogan, which also has DAF LF 7.5 tonne and XF tractor units in its fleet, said that it selected the 32-tonne GVW 8×2 rear-steer chassis to provide additional payload benefits while retaining the handling and manoeuvrability characteristics generally associated with a 6×4 chassis. “DAF’s FAX rear-steer eight-wheeler is well-proven in the agricultural sector,” said managing director Kevin Hogan, “and I was confident that the chassis’ attributes would translate well into our line of work. “DAF’s standard CF 8×4 Construction model is a tough, durable truck, but it would not have been a suitable replacement for the 6×4 CF. The FAX 8×2 provides us with significantly more carrying capacity while retaining the manoeuvrability of a 6×4,” he said. “It’s critical for us to have a vehicle that can handle on-and-off-road operations, make light work of tight site access and one which enables our dispatch team to provide the service our customers require.” The CF 400 FAX is powered by a 10.8-litre, 400bhp Paccar MX-11 engine. Cifa’s 8m3 drum capacity SL8 Truckmixer body has an EKOS drum closing gate and pneumatically operated SL45 telescopic chutes – rather than a folding mechanism – resulting in less handling for the operator and so faster dispensing. The Italian-made body was supplied and fitted by Cifa’s UK agent, Spanners Mixer Hire in Market Deeping. “We’re a mixed fleet,” added Kevin Hogan, “but, over the years, the DAF marque has out-performed its competitors in all areas – product quality, reliability and aftersales, and that’s no mean feat considering the tough work our vehicles endure. “We use Holyhead Trucks in Mona, Anglesey for regular servicing and maintenance while the main DAF dealer, North West Trucks in Liverpool, supplies our vehicles – both are superb. The collaboration between DAF and Spanners, the Cifa agent, has been first-class, and has ensured the acquisition of a truck to our exacting specification.”
Civil engineering contractor FM Conway has invested £1.5m in the purchase of 38 JCB machines. The new arrivals include excavators ranging from one to 22 tonnes and several JCB 3CX backhoe loaders. The machines, supplied by dealer Greenshields JCB, will be working on highways and public realm projects across London. FM Conway plant manager John Tobin said: “We chose JCB because of the close working relationship that has developed over many years and the strong support network from our dealer Greenshields JCB. They understand that downtime equals money to our business, and always react quickly. “A key feature of the JCB models is that they do not rely on the diesel particulate filter associated with other machines. We also benefit from the JCB LiveLink system which we use to monitor fuel consumption and idling times on the JCB JS excavators. LiveLink also provides an important security tool for us, as well as helping with maintenance. “We work with many boroughs across London carrying out vital highways and public realm works and these new machines will help us continue to provide these important services. The larger machines especially will prove very popular with our civil engineering division and with the teams at our recycling facilities.”
YourPlace factoring services director Alison McDiarmid has been elected as President of the Property Managers Association Scotland (PMAS). PMAS represents 37 professional factoring firms in Scotland, promoting high standards and best practice across the industry and supporting members through research and training. Alison joined YourPlace Property Management, part of Wheatley Group, in 2005 and took over as factoring services director in 2013. She said: “I am delighted to be elected as PMAS President and look forward to working with members on further driving up property management standards. In particular we will work closely this year with Scottish Government as they review parts of the Property Factors Act and with the Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland (RIAS) on a new website to help owners with practical issues.” Alison is also part of the Glasgow Factoring Commission and is a non-executive director with Quality Scotland, which helps Scottish companies improve business performance, deliver quality and achieve sustainable business excellence.
Scotland’s most impressive new and regenerated building projects will go head-to-head in the RICS Awards as the Scottish shortlist for 2016 is announced. The iconic Helix & The Kelpies in Falkirk, The Capitol Redevelopment in Aberdeen and the Borders Railway make up some of the projects competing from across the country. Eight category winners across Building Conservation, Commercial property, Community Benefit, Design through Innovation, Regeneration, Residential, Tourism & Leisure and Infrastructure will be selected from the 34 shortlisted entries to the awards. One shortlisted entry will also receive the coveted Project of the Year, Scotland award. The winners from all categories will then be invited to represent Scotland and compete against projects from across the UK at the overall RICS Awards in London, where last year’s Scottish Project of the Year winner, Advocate’s Close, took the UK national title. Sarah Speirs, director RICS Scotland, said: “There are some great projects of all sizes shortlisted for the RICS Awards 2016, which demonstrate the quality of new and regenerated developments across Scotland, and I am sure it will be a difficult judging process. “During the last few years Scottish winners have also seen great success at the Award finals in London, gaining UK-wide recognition for the quality of work taking place in the Scottish built environment.” Judging for the awards will take place in coming weeks, with the RICS Awards 2016, Scotland ceremony being held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa on 14 April 2016. The RICS Awards UK national ceremony will take place in London in October 2016. The awards showcase the most inspirational regional initiatives and developments in land, property, construction and the environment, celebrating the achievements of professionals working in both the built and natural environment. RICS Awards 2016, Scotland – Awards Shortlist Building Conservation Sponsored by Wise Property Care Hawkhead Village Lews Castle The Capitol Redevelopment The Surgeons’ Hall Museums Townhouses at 31-33 Court Street, Haddington Infrastructure Sponsored by Sika Liquid Plastics Borders Railway Seabraes Pedestrian & Clyde Bridge Commercial Sponsored by Colleys Aker Solutions HQ Aberdeen International Business Park St Andrews – Premier Inn and M&S Simply Food Regeneration Helensburgh Town Centre Public Realm Laurieston Phase 1A Panmure Street Pennywell (Urban Union) Sighthill Community Benefit Sponsored by British Gas Glasgow Womens Library, Bridgeton Johnstone Town Hall Pinkston Watersports Ronald McDonald House Scottish Opera’s Theatre Royal Residential Sponsored by NHBC Scotland 35-37 Queen Street 53-57 Queen Street Earls Green Lairds Gate, Stewarton Laurieston Transformational Regeneration Area, Phase 1A New build mainstream & supported accommodation & training facilities for veterans Polnoon Sunnymead West Burn Lane Design through Innovation Sponsored by Forbo Flooring Systems Dalmunach Distillery Panmure Street The City of Glasgow College – Riverside Campus Tourism & Leisure 35-37 Queen Street Scottish Opera’s Theatre Royal The Helix & The Kelpies
Civil engineering costs are forecast to rise by around a quarter in the next five years, and tender prices by around a third, according to new analysis. The latest report from RICS’ Building Cost Information Service shows civil engineering costs rose by 1.4% in the third quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter, but remained unchanged compared with the same period last year. They are expected to fall over the year to Q3 2016, mainly as a result of falling oil prices. However, costs could rise sharply thereafter as oil bounces back, climbing by as much as 25 per cent over the next five years. New work infrastructure output is expected to remain virtually flat this year. By 2017, output is predicted to fall, with the cycle of some major projects having passed peak as opposed to a downturn in the market. Moderate growth returns in 2018, and will slow slightly in 2019, before rising quite sharply in 2020 due to increased investment in major road schemes and a build-up of HS2 construction, assuming the project goes ahead. Peter Rumble, head of forecasting for RICS’ BCIS division, said: “With civil engineering costs set to fall over the next year, a moderate increase in annual tender prices is expected in the year to the third quarter 2016. “Over the next three years, input cost increases are likely to be the key driver of tender prices but, over 2020, the final year of the forecast period, stronger output growth, in addition to upward pressure from input costs, is expected to lead to a greater gap between costs and tender prices. “Despite new infrastructure work output predicted to stall for the duration of 2016, the five-year forecast period remains significantly stronger than pre-2010 levels, which bodes well for the economy.”
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is predicting that tender prices on infrastructure and civil engineering projects will rise by around a third over the next five years as the cost of oil bounces back from its current low value. According to the latest report from RICS’ Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), oil prices will have a key impact in both the short and medium term for the infrastructure sector. In the short-term, it is forecasting that costs, which rose by 1.4% in the third quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter, will fall “principally as a result of falling oil prices”. However, the report says that after the third quarter 2016 costs are expected to rise quite sharply as oil prices bounce back, albeit from a low base. This recovery in oil prices will result in civil engineering costs rising by around a quarter in the next five years. This increase will be the key driver of increased tender prices for the industry. Brent oil prices 1987-2016 Peter Rumble, head of forecasting, RICS’ BCIS division, commented: “With civil engineering costs set to fall over the next year, a moderate increase in annual tender prices is expected in the year to the third quarter 2016. “Over the next three years input cost increases are likely to be the key driver of tender prices, but, over 2020, the final year of the forecast period, stronger output growth, in addition to upward pressure from input costs, is expected to lead to a greater gap between costs and tender prices.” Infrastructure output is expected to remain fairly flat throughout 2016 and by 2017 it is predicted to fall, due to the cycle of some major projects having passed peak as opposed to a downturn in the market The RICS believes that moderate growth will return in 2018, and will slow slightly in 2019, before rising quite sharply in 2020 due to increased investment in major road schemes and a build-up of HS2 construction, assuming this goes ahead. Rumble continued: “Despite new infrastructure work output predicted to stall for the duration of 2016, the five-year forecast period remains significantly stronger than pre-2010 levels, which bodes well for the economy.”
The government would be have to invest £3.1bn a year alongside a private sector partner to fund the project Allowing disused commercial land and buildings in London to be redeveloped could provide up to 420,000 additional homes for the capital by 2036, according to a leading think tank. Figures compiled by Policy Exchange found there are more than 500 hectares of empty or under-utilised industrial land across London alone – the equivalent to 750 football pitches – as well as a significant amount of vacant retail space in outer London. If the government were to commit £3.1bn a year to finance the purchase of this land alongside a private sector partner, such as an institutional investor, around 21,000 homes could be built each year, the think tank’s report said. It suggested the homes should be designed for the burgeoning private rented and shared ownership sectors, using pre-fabricating techniques to overcome skill shortages in the construction industry and other factors, such as adverse weather conditions, that slow up house building. Rental income from the homes and the sale of equity stakes could allow the government to recoup its money within 20 years. The scheme would be the largest government investment and delivery on housing since the 1970s. The report also said that the process of buying non-residential land could be sped up by giving extra powers to the Mayor of London to fast-track the purchase of business premises and land which have been empty or disused for two years more. There are currently around 27,000 homes being built in London each year – significantly less than the estimated 50,000 homes a year the capital needs to keep up with demand. Chris Walker, head of housing at Policy Exchange, said: “The government urgently needs to make bold reforms to the laws surrounding compulsory purchase of empty or under-utilised commercial properties to create a significant supply of land for new housing. “It should seriously consider making the largest investment in housing since the 1970s to pay for land acquisition, land redevelopment and large scale house building.”
To solve London’s housing crisis the government must arm the city’s mayor with tough new powers to seize under-used commercial property from its owners for a “reasonable, but not excessive” fee so homes can be built on the land, says a report by the Policy Exchange think tank. Doing this would free up enough commercial land for residential development to see 420,000 new homes built in London over two decades, most of which should be for private rent or shared ownership, said the report, called The Homes London Needs. There are 196,000 hectares of land in London used for non-residential purposes, said the report, and if just 1% was freed up for development it would be enough for 250,000 homes. House prices and rents in London have grown rapidly in recent years because of intense demand and a serious shortage of supply. The ONS said the average London house price had reached £536,000 in December 2015, a 90% rise over a decade. As a result, many would-be first-time buyers are shut out of the property market, creating more pressure in the private rented sector. Social housing waiting lists in the city are overflowing with people struggling to afford private rents, a problem worsened by the government’s benefit cuts. House building in the city is running at around half the 50,000 new homes it is estimated to need every year to meet demand. “Central government should support the next Mayor of London to take a more proactive role in housing delivery, providing the essential ingredients to build new homes — land for housing and upfront ‘pump-primed’ investment funding,” said the report, authored by Jamie Ratcliff, assistant director for housing and land at the Greater London Authority, who wrote it in a personal capacity. “The Mayor should be given a new power to quickly requisition disused or under-utilised commercial land and property for the purpose of building new housing, with reasonable (but not excessive) compensation. Government would then work in partnership with long-term investors, such as private pension funds, and/or local authority pension funds and insurance companies, and contribute to a joint equity funding venture. This would pay for (i) the land acquisition and the preparation of the sites for redevelopment, possibly even providing ‘readymade’ land for housing and (ii) the rapid delivery on these sites of new homes – a mixture of build for rent and ‘part buy part rent’ (shared ownership), using off-site manufacture techniques.” It would cost the government £62bn spread over 20 years, but it stands to make most of that back, Ratcliff said: “Assuming that the government share in the homes is sold to the private equity fund investors four years after they have been built (on average), the ongoing returns from sales of homes would mean that the peak cumulative funding requirement would not be the £62bn mentioned, but closer to £15bn, which is significantly less than the current Help to Buy scheme. Depending on market conditions, the government’s investment could be run-down so that it recouped all of its investment within the 20-year period.” London will hold a mayoral election in May 2016. Both leading candidates, the Conservatives’ Zac Goldsmith and Labour’s Sadiq Khan, have made housing a policy priority. Goldsmith pledged to double house building in London and give Londoners priority over foreign investors when buying new-build homes on old public land. Khan would introduce a target of 50% affordable housing for all new developments on London’s brownfield publicly owned land. He also said he would get house building up to 80,000 a year.
New Savills survey shows confidence at lowest since April 2013 Confidence in the UK’s commercial property development market is at its lowest since April 2013, stoking fears that the European referendum is causing uncertainty among developers. Despite a bounce-back from a 35-month low of 4.5pc growth in December to 8.4pc in January, pointing to a faster rate of expansion in activity, confidence among commercial developers waned. Figures released by Savills showed a lack of new planning consents were being granted, pointing to developer hesitance amid wider geopolitical turmoil. Savills researcher Kevin Mofid said: “This could be that investors and developers are delaying capital expenditure decisions until after the European referendum and London mayoral elections.” However, where commercial activity is anticipated to increase in the coming three months, developers reported higher enquiries from potential clients. Private new build housing was the sector with the quickest rise in activity last month, although its rate of expansion slowed to a 32-month low. January data also pointed to a renewed slowdown in output growth across the UK construction sector, signalling the weakest rate of expansion since April 2015.
