23 September 2016 | Jamie Harris Julius Rutherfoord has been appointed to a cleaning contract at Freemasons’ Hall, headquarters of United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE). Freemasons’ Hall is the principal meeting place for Masonic Lodges in London. Grand Lodge has been in Great Queen Street since 1775, the present
The iconic Marble Hall building in Derby, which has recently undergone a £4m restoration to transform it into a managed workspace scheme and community hub, has received a prestigious regional award. The iconic Marble Hall building in Derby, which has recently undergone a £4m restoration to transform it into a
Four leading young people from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland recognised Source link
As reported by Lloyds Bank, new data suggested that almost half of those individuals looking to relocate home within the upcoming three years are actually planning to downsize. In fact, beyond being a coincidental factor, downsizing has actually been dubbed the most popular reason for people to choose to move
Town centre redevelopment sits at the fore of most regional councils’ key strategies for development, with the addition of new public spaces, amenities and high street stores to bring in consumer traffic. As such, those works set out for the development of Barnsley’s town centre are regarded as a great
Recommending that the Crossrail 2 project should move forward to the construction phase as soon as is possible, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has urged for funding to be made accessible as soon as is possible to support the planned development. In line with this, it is also hoped that
According the latest figured released in the national index, it has been reported that the property market has seen a surge in both asking prices and sales across the UK as a whole. With asking prices rising slightly across all areas of the UK, there is the notion that the
A worrying statistic; it has been reported that aggregate reserves are being used up at a notably faster rate than permission is being granted for the development of new quarrying capacity – a warning by the Mineral Products Association (MPA) of a tip in the scales of supply and demand
Good news for those looking to pursue apprenticeships in the construction industry. Despite already being heralded the “way forward” for construction companies looking to overcome skill shortages within the industry, new figures released by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) highlight how the opportunity truly does go both ways. The
23 September 2016 | Jamie Harris Julius Rutherfoord has been appointed to a cleaning contract at Freemasons’ Hall, headquarters of United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE). Freemasons’ Hall is the principal meeting place for Masonic Lodges in London. Grand Lodge has been in Great Queen Street since 1775, the present hall being the third building on the site, having been built between 1927 and 1932. The fully restructured routine and janitorial management team also involved the transfer of all staff from the National Living Wage to the higher London Living Wage. Julius Rutherfoord said the extra costs of pay rises are to be mitigated through contract efficiencies, smarter operating practices, and the improved retention and commitment of operatives who are “fairly remunerated for their work”. Marcus Heap, Julius Rutherfoord sales and marketing director, said: “We believe that treating people well is the start of a virtuous circle; operatives have a better quality of life, we see higher rates of retention (reducing recruitment and training costs) and better attendance rates. This in turn means that UGLE get a better cleaning service from a fully committed worker.” In July, the cleaning business was appointed to a contract at Queen’s Club in West Kensington, London. Source link
The iconic Marble Hall building in Derby, which has recently undergone a £4m restoration to transform it into a managed workspace scheme and community hub, has received a prestigious regional award. The iconic Marble Hall building in Derby, which has recently undergone a £4m restoration to transform it into a managed workspace scheme and community hub, has received a prestigious regional award. The former Rolls-Royce building on Nightingale Road, which is now part of Derby City Council’s Connect Derby scheme, was named Regeneration and Restoration Project of the Year at the East Midlands Property Dinner 2016. The event, which was held at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel and hosted by Mark Durden-Smith, celebrated the strength of the region’s property sector and showcased the best in real estate, design and construction. The Regeneration and Restoration Project of the Year award recognises those private and public sector organisations that have driven schemes transforming the physical, social and economic health of an area and have brought sustainable benefits. The award, which was sponsored by The Land Trust, was presented to Derby City Council and Connect Derby in recognition of the sympathetic restoration of the grade-two listed Marble Hall and its transformation into a community hub, with a vibrant managed workspace facility and community hub. The building opened its doors to tenants just over four months ago and has already achieved 55% occupancy – with a diverse array of clients ranging from new start-ups to established and developing businesses. Also shortlisted for the award were ‘Building 17’ at Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mills and Hazelton Homes for The Maltings in Sileby. Speaking about receiving the award, Councillor Martin Rawson, deputy leader of Derby City Council and cabinet member for planning, environment and regeneration said: “Everybody associated with Connect Derby should be really proud of the hard work they’ve put in to make Marble Hall the thriving business and community hub it is today. “To win this prestigious award is a fantastic achievement and testament to the vision shown by the regeneration team at Derby City Council to create this much-needed community facility, the fantastic refurbishment work carried out by Robert Woodhead and Bauman Lyons and the dedication show by Connect Derby manager Ann Bhatti and her team. “We were up against some stiff competition in the category and must congratulate the Arkwright Society for their fabulous work on regenerating one of the former mill buildings at Cromford Mills and Hazelton Homes for their work on The Maltings in Sileby.” Marble Hall is the first venture for Connect in the Community, a new initiative which aims to attract and support social enterprises, voluntary community groups, and charities to the area, along with new start-ups and growing businesses. Accommodation includes 42 offices, ranging in size from 100 ft2 to 800 ft2. YMCA Derbyshire recently launched ‘Claude’s’, a new on-site kitchen and training provision. A day nursery with for 16 two – three year olds and 26 three – four year olds is also set to open later in the year. Marble Hall is building on the success of the hugely influential Connect Derby scheme, which has created a strong market for serviced offices in the city and forms part of Derby City Council’s commitment to work with the city’s disadvantaged communities. Connect Derby brings together Derby City Council’s workspaces – Friar Gate Studios, Kings Chambers, Sadler Bridge Studios, Shot Tower, Riverside Chambers (former Magistrates’ Court building on Full Street), and the exciting new iHub innovation centre, under one banner to create jobs for local people. The scheme provides micro businesses, entrepreneurs and SMEs with the high specification working environment, IT infrastructure and business support they need to improve business survival rates and act as a catalyst for expansion and growth. It is also hoped that the project will create further jobs by increasing inward investment to the city. Source link
Four leading young people from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland recognised Source link
As reported by Lloyds Bank, new data suggested that almost half of those individuals looking to relocate home within the upcoming three years are actually planning to downsize. In fact, beyond being a coincidental factor, downsizing has actually been dubbed the most popular reason for people to choose to move house as of present. Encouraged by the anticipated returns of moving to a smaller property, there has been a considerable surge in interest for such moves over the past few years. This, primarily can be attributed to the average windfall which individuals may be in receipt of should they relocate from a detached to semi-detached home. The average age cited for those looking to downsize sits at around the age of 53, where many of the homeowners had previously lived in their property for an extended period of 11-20 years. Of course, with people around this age beginning to consider their future and plans for upcoming retirement in many cases, relocation to a smaller, more cost-efficient property serves as one way for them to prepare as such. Moving to better suit changing circumstances was reported to be the number one reason for moving, followed by a want to reduce bills, free up equity and, as aforementioned, provide extra funds for retirement. This, of course, is further enhanced when considering the traditionally lower costs of heating and powering a smaller property in contrast to a larger, more spacious one. Of those downsizing, some 20% of people stated that they are moving far earlier than they had originally planned, with key reasons such as health, changing relationship status and the provision of amenities in certain geographic areas being key factors of concern. Additionally, geographic affordability also contributed, especially when taking into account the concept of requirement, where relative location for employment opportunities is no longer of prime concern. With almost three quarters of people expecting to make a profit from downsizing, the question begs as to whether property downsizing in the later stages of life will now become the norm for those looking to prepare for retirement, or invest in key financial products – a popular product naturally proving to be pensions.
Town centre redevelopment sits at the fore of most regional councils’ key strategies for development, with the addition of new public spaces, amenities and high street stores to bring in consumer traffic. As such, those works set out for the development of Barnsley’s town centre are regarded as a great step forward in both expanding and redeveloping the centre for further commerce and prosperity. Serving as part of the construction programme set out for phase one of the Barnsley town centre redevelopment, it has been announced that Henry Boot will see the construction of a brand new central library, as well as the refurbishment of town centre retail establishments and the re-modelling and extension of Barnsley’s market buildings at the Metropolitan Centre. The works are also set to incorporate a brand new town square and further works for the public realm; however much of the works are pending the demolition of already existing structures. For management of the project, Turner & Townsend have been chosen alongside Queensberry Real Estate. The consultant will be seen to work alongside the council and will be providing private sector funding from either a property organisation or alternatively, an institutional investor to lay the foundations for phase two of the regeneration project. Phase two is expected to see the effective development of some 200,000 square feet of brand new retail and leisure space. Of course, Henry Boot’s appointment is great news for the company, where it will be playing a central role in the redevelopment of the local town centre. The project will also give Henry Boot an opportunity to showcase the standard of its work to the people of Barnsley, who will no doubt be in anticipation of the development. Tony Shaw, Operations Director of Henry Boot Construction commented: “As a local contractor, we are delighted to have been appointed to construct the Better Barnsley town centre development.”
Recommending that the Crossrail 2 project should move forward to the construction phase as soon as is possible, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has urged for funding to be made accessible as soon as is possible to support the planned development. In line with this, it is also hoped that the submission of a hybrid bill can then be placed in 2019, with the scheme then reaching the completion of construction by 2033. As a stated ambition, Crossrail 2, expected to cost some £32bn, is hoped to offer the city of London a brand new rail artery to effectively to provide a link between the south west and north east network lines. This will see the line operating through a new tunnel between Wimbledon and Tottenham Hale, which will expand the capacity for people to access London city centre by approximately 270,000 in morning peak times. This will effectively take a great deal of the strain presently on the London rail networks off, as well as facilitating extra capacity as a whole. When asked for its opinion on the scheme last year, the National Infrastructure Commission also suggested for the Department for Transport to property identify key proposals in a bid to maximise both the benefits and deliverability of the scheme. As part of this, a number of suggestions were made to reduce the costs of the scheme and improve affordability of it, as well as developing funding strategies and the placement of homes along the route to develop usage of the line itself. Lord Adonis, Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission commented that: “By the 2030s London will be a megacity of more than 10 million people.” He then highlighted the importance for planning ahead for Crossrail 2 as early as possible as, even when considering planned investment and the addition of the east-west Crossrail line, the impact of reduced infrastructure in comparison to population density and commerce would be undeniable in holding the capital back.
According the latest figured released in the national index, it has been reported that the property market has seen a surge in both asking prices and sales across the UK as a whole. With asking prices rising slightly across all areas of the UK, there is the notion that the housing market is continuing to maintain a positive outlook, yet, at the same time it is worthwhile to note that the average yearly increase in price across both England and Wales actually saw a reduced rate of growth, sitting at some 7%. The largest increase in average property prices was observed in the West Midlands, where a month-on-month rise has been observed of approximately 1.5% – this being attributed primarily to the imbalance of demand and supply in the West Midlands, with a 4% year on year decrease in supply. Yet, with demand maintaining continued growth due to population expansion, concerns may be raised as to the comparative affordability of West Midlands properties in the years to come. On a more positive note however, it has been reported that homes are selling at an increased pace, with the average time that a property is on the market reducing by approximately 17 days from this time last year (now presently clocking in at some 102 days on average). This has been highlighted most aptly in the East of England, London and the South East, where buyers have been reportedly “snapping up” properties at a speed most recognisable with that of the housing boon. Within the North and across Wales however, prices have reportedly risen, yet the marketing times associated with the average property remain as the longest witnessed in the UK. Yet, growth in both pricing and sales is portrayed to be far more sustainable in these areas, with relatively modest increases as the supply and demand balance remains relatively in check; sometimes, smaller, more steady change can be far easier to handle.
A worrying statistic; it has been reported that aggregate reserves are being used up at a notably faster rate than permission is being granted for the development of new quarrying capacity – a warning by the Mineral Products Association (MPA) of a tip in the scales of supply and demand for key construction materials. The warning of the supply and demand situation was showcased in the MPA’s Annual Mineral Planning Survey, which covers the period up to the close of 2014, incorporating data submitted by the association’s members from around the UK. As the construction industry as a whole recovers, with increasing workloads and developments coming to the fore, so too has the demand for aggregates. Yet, whilst this would seem like a very positive result for key aggregate suppliers, dwindling reserves and the inability to develop further capacity quickly enough may prevent suppliers from truly taking advantage of the surge in demand. As such, the MPA has urged local authorities to reassess mineral plans and hasten the planning process for new capacity. Other key areas aside from aggregates in a similar situation include the supply of sand and gravel. Shockingly, it was actually reported that reserves are being used at a rate two times as high as the new capacity is being facilitated. And while crushed rock is a material being superficially restocked, it has been argued that this simply acts as a shroud over the lack of replenishment seen across other key construction materials. Yet, it has been argued that it isn’t a case of an actual lack in the availability of raw materials, but simply ineffectiveness in the arrangement of mineral plans. Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive of the MPA commented: “With over half of new permissions being for sites that have not yet been allocated in mineral plans, it is clear that the plan led system is not providing the certainty that it should.”
Good news for those looking to pursue apprenticeships in the construction industry. Despite already being heralded the “way forward” for construction companies looking to overcome skill shortages within the industry, new figures released by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) highlight how the opportunity truly does go both ways. The figures, which form part of research undertaken by the federation for National Apprenticeship Week, showcase that almost 60% of small and medium enterprise owners actually started their career as an apprentice. Even more startling, it was also shown that over 50% of such owners actually managed to break off and start up their construction firm within a mere seven years of completing their apprenticeship; a true builder to business-owner transformation. Not only does this highlight the opportunities available to would-be apprentices should they give it their all, but also provides a welcomed spotlight on how success within the construction industry can be achieved by just about anyone, should they have the willpower and know-how. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of FMB even went as far as to say: “The construction industry is ideally suited to a young person with heaps of ambition and an entrepreneurial spirit.” Nodding to the way in which apprenticeships aren’t necessarily how often perceived, as low entry level into the industry, but actually serve as a springboard for those with the determination to succeed, effectively removing key boundaries to enter into a construction career and allowing such individuals to show their talents. And even for those not specifically looking to become their own boss, Brian Berry explains that, even for those staying in the industry the opportunities are grand, with a bricklayer of just five years’ experience traditionally earning up to £31,000 in many areas of the country, and up to £52,000 in the London area. Perhaps now, both organisation and individual may slowly begin to recognise the opportunities available through apprenticeships in comparison to those from university studies.
