©PA Around 140 miners will lose their jobs at the UK’s only potash mine because of falling prices and dwindling reserves. The redundancies at the Boulby mine near Redcar are another blow to the area after its steelworks closed last year with almost 3,000 people laid off. More On this
200,000 homes is not enough says land broker Land brokers, Aston Mead, suggest that the new Government under Theresa May should set its sights on building 300,000 homes each year, rather than the 200,000 proposed under David Cameron’s leadership. The company’s comments come after the publication of a new report
Construction News understands that Interserve and McLaughlin & Harvey are bidding for the scheme in Ashton, which will improve transport routes within the town. Eric Wright Group was also originally on the tender list but told Construction News that it declined to bid for the project. Plans for the project were approved
Residential and commercial builder Redrow has pledged to build at least 350 new homes after it acquired 27 acres of land on the former Sittingbourne Industrial Park. The site was cleared of industrial buildings after it was earmarked as a possible new home for a new superstore in 2011 before
North Sea oil platforms are facing the first big strike in decades, as hundreds of workers protest against the cost cutting measures that have been introduced in response to reduced oil prices. This week, employees of Wood Group (an oilfield services company, across eight platforms operated by Shell) have planned
Contractor firm Morrison Utility Services is under new ownership having transferred from one group of financial investors to another. Private equity and infrastructure investment firm First Reserve, which is focused exclusively on energy and utilities, has secured a deal to take over the company from Bregal Capital and Motion Equity
New research has found that more home owners are moving out of London than ever before, primarily caused by rising house prices. Last year, 280,000 people moved away, which an increase of 3% on 2014, with most people was moving away in their 20s and 30s, according to the study
Skills Minister Nick Boles has outlined a series of new plans for vocational education after the age of 16, with 15 routes into technical education that will “harness talent” in the UK. Lord Sainsbury chaired a report into technical education and many of his recommendations have been incorporated into the
French firm Veolia has pledged a £750 million vote of confidence to the UK, with 600 jobs expected to be created in the country over the next five years. The deal comes as a welcome sign of business confidence in the UK in the wake of the country’s vote to
Like all things related to computers, building information modeling (BIM) has changed a lot since the technology first became commercially available in the mid-1980s. By that time BIM’s functional capabilities had grown from the original “Building Description System” introduced a decade earlier by Charles Eastman and his colleagues at Carnegie-Mellon
©PA Around 140 miners will lose their jobs at the UK’s only potash mine because of falling prices and dwindling reserves. The redundancies at the Boulby mine near Redcar are another blow to the area after its steelworks closed last year with almost 3,000 people laid off. More On this topic IN UK Business & Economy But ICL also said it would apply to extend the life of the mine for a further 40 years. Its current licence to operate in the North York Moors National Park expires in 2023. It employs around 700 people and announced 220 redundancies and the elimination of 140 contractor posts only last November. Israel’s ICL will slow the extraction of the remaining reserves of potash because world prices have dropped around 40 per cent since early 2015. The potassium in potash is a vital ingredient in fertiliser. ICL is switching its focus to polyhalite, another form of the mineral that contains other substances that help plant growth. It comprises sulphates, magnesium and calcium and can be crushed and spread on soil without further processing. ICL calls it polysulphate and says it will produce a range of products. Peter Smith, ICL’s executive vice-president for potash, said: “When we announced the restructuring of the business last November we made it clear that, given the very limited level of economically feasible potash reserves, we had to move our focus to polysulphate production.” He said it would remain a “significant employer”. Construction could begin on a new $2.9bn mine just south of Boulby to extract polyhalite within weeks. Sirius Minerals, a listed business, said in July it was close to raising the finance for the project near Whitby. Chris Fraser, chief executive, said it had targeted a start date of September. The mine shaft will be buried so as not to intrude too much on the protected landscape. Sirius also plans an underground tunnel with conveyors to take the polyhalite to Teesside where it will be crushed and exported. In July it received consent for the harbour facilities at Wilton. Sirius has said that the price drop does not affect the viability of its business because the price of premium sulphate-rich potash has held up. Mining remains a dangerous business. In June, a worker was killed in an underground explosion. In August, a contractor was airlifted to hospital after suffering burns in an incident at the site. Boulby is the UK’s deepest mine at more than 1.2km. David Walsh, deputy leader of Redcar and Cleveland council, said the job losses were “extremely sad news”. But he added: “Once at full production [Sirius] is expected to employ around 1,000 people with more in the supply chain. “The Sirius tunnelling and shaft sinking is complementary to the skill set at Boulby and I would hope this will be acted on by Sirius and its contractors.” Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link
200,000 homes is not enough says land broker Land brokers, Aston Mead, suggest that the new Government under Theresa May should set its sights on building 300,000 homes each year, rather than the 200,000 proposed under David Cameron’s leadership. The company’s comments come after the publication of a new report from the cross-party House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, entitled ‘Building More Homes’, which indicates that the current 200,000 target is not high enough. Aston Mead Land & Planning Director Charles Hesse said: “I’m not sure where the figure of 200,000 homes came from, but even then it was evidently too low. However, even this target failed to be met; last year only a total of 160,000 were completed. The last time the UK built more than 200,000 homes a year it was post-war, and there was a massive council housing programme under way. So we need radical changes in the way that we approach house-building, to enable construction to take place at a much faster rate.” Charles Hesse suggests a three point plan that would help to fund construction and free-up available land, so that companies can start building with the minimum of delay. He explained: “Firstly, Mrs May should establish a National Housebuilding Fund to finance public sector commissioning. Borrowing costs are at rock-bottom, and something in the region of £20 billion would cover the cost of constructing 100,000 homes, which could be sold direct into owner-occupation. Secondly, we should be braver about building on the less desirable areas of greenbelt. Whilst some of it should be preserved at all costs, other areas would actually be improved by being built on. There are 514,000 hectares of green belt surrounding London. You only need a tiny fraction of that to more than satisfy housing supply. Finally, local authorities should be encouraged to release land they themselves own. In London alone there is enough public-sector land to build at least 130,000 homes. A lot of authorities are not planning for enough houses, and they are not getting enough challenges from the planning inspectors about how to do it. And if that means an intervention from central Government, then so be it. Ultimately, we need to double the current rate of construction. Tinkering at the edges – providing a dozen homes here and there – is no longer enough. Housebuilding needs a radical overhaul, and without it we will never get close to the target of 300,000 new homes a year that this country so desperately needs.” Source link
Construction News understands that Interserve and McLaughlin & Harvey are bidding for the scheme in Ashton, which will improve transport routes within the town. Eric Wright Group was also originally on the tender list but told Construction News that it declined to bid for the project. Plans for the project were approved in February this year, with prequalification documents sent out in May. The new interchange will be built on the site of an existing bus station in Ashton and will link with existing Metrolink tram services. Plans are currently at detailed design stage, following five separate public consultations. Transport for Greater Manchester said the new interchange design will free up a “large area of land” that had previously been restricted. Work on the interchange is due to start in 2017 and will be fully operational within 18 months. Funding for the project is supported by TfGM and central government through Greater Manchester’s local growth deal programme. It is the latest project in TfGM’s interchanges programme, with previous overhauls taking place at Bolton, Altrincham and Wythenshawe. Kier was chosen as the main contractor for the £24.3m scheme at Bolton, due to be completed in December this year, while Laing O’Rourke was picked as main contractor for Altrincham’s £19m interchange, completed in December 2014. The works do not fall within Greater Manchester’s new £200m civil engineering framework, which was released earlier this week. McLaughlin & Harvey has been contacted for comment, while Interserve declined to comment. Source link
Residential and commercial builder Redrow has pledged to build at least 350 new homes after it acquired 27 acres of land on the former Sittingbourne Industrial Park. The site was cleared of industrial buildings after it was earmarked as a possible new home for a new superstore in 2011 before these plans stalled, leaving the site vacant. Redrow has now announced plans to redevelop the land to provide “a shot in the arm for the local economy” by delivering “much-needed new homes.” Land Director for Redrow Homes (South East), Glen Wells, explained that in its draft Local Plan, Swale Council has pinpointed increased housing provision, including provision at Sittingbourne Industrial Park. Wells commented: “We know from the success of Archers Park that there’s a high demand for new homes in Sittingbourne and with this latest acquisition we’ll be helping address the housing shortage while regenerating a prominent brownfield town centre site that has lain vacant for a number of years.” He also said that he believes the proposals will mean that the land will be used in a good way once again and will boost the local economy by providing investment for the area and new jobs, along with new homes. The new plans include the construction of 650 homes on land either side of Crown Quay Lane, a number of which have been identified to be built on the land which has been acquired by Redrow. Wells added: “For our part we’ll be proposing to build at least 350 homes, possibly more on the former industrial park site.” Despite still being in their early stages, it is expected that the plans will offer a range of properties from apartments to four bedroom homes. Details of the community contributions concerning the proposed Sittingbourne Industrial Park redevelopment are to be agreed in consultation with Kent County Council and Swale Council during the planning process.
North Sea oil platforms are facing the first big strike in decades, as hundreds of workers protest against the cost cutting measures that have been introduced in response to reduced oil prices. This week, employees of Wood Group (an oilfield services company, across eight platforms operated by Shell) have planned a 24 hour stoppage. The dispute is being viewed keenly as a test of whether companies will be able to force through further cuts in labour costs in the face of resistance from unions as part of the wider task of keeping oil and gas in the North Sea competitive. Since oil prices fell from more than $100 a barrel two years ago to a 12 year low of $28 in January this year, leaders of unions say that workers have already made significant sacrifices in this period. Since January, prices have rebounded back to about $47 a barrel, although this has not been sufficient to lift the darkness that surrounds the North Sea basins. John Boland, Regional Officer of Unite, which called the strike along with the RMT union, said: “Strike action by our members is not a decision they take lightly but they have been pushed to the limit.” Industry group Oil & Gas UK believed that by the end of 2016, the number of oil and gas jobs in the UK will fall by 8,000 from its 41,700 peak two years ago. Furthermore, when support jobs are included in this figure, it is expected to have fallen to 330,400 from 453,800, which is a loss of more than 120,000. The majority of losses have been suffered in the capital of the UK oil industry, Aberdeen, where the amount of people who claim unemployment benefit has more than doubled in the last two years. Meanwhile, figures also show that the average pay for an offshore worker has decreased to £62,000 from £80,000 in 2014.
Contractor firm Morrison Utility Services is under new ownership having transferred from one group of financial investors to another. Private equity and infrastructure investment firm First Reserve, which is focused exclusively on energy and utilities, has secured a deal to take over the company from Bregal Capital and Motion Equity Partners. The deal is expected to be sealed by November this year, although the transaction is subject to approval from the European Commission antitrust. In March 2008, MUS was acquired by Motion Equity Partners and Bregal Capital from Anglian Water Group, investing alongside company management. MUS directly employs almost 4,000 people and is one of the UK’s biggest infrastructure service providers to utilities, operating in the telecommunications, water, gas and electricity sectors. Charles Morrison, Chief Executive, said that MUS has provided high quality services for almost 30 years, developing successful and long term relationships with their clients in the process. Morrison commented: “As an organisation we pride ourselves on the ability to deliver safety, innovation and a quality service placing our clients’ customers at the heart of our business. “The growth opportunities in our markets are significant on the back of continued long term investment in the UK’s infrastructure.” Morrison added thanks to Motion Equity Partners and Bregal Capital for the excellent support they have provided to the company for the last eight year and that they are now looking forward to a strong working relationship with First Reserve as the firm continues to grow. Managing Partner of Motion Equity Partners, Patrick Eisenchteter, and Managing Partner of Bregal Capital, Edmund Lazarus, commented: “It has been a pleasure supporting Charles and the team at MUS. Since our investment in the company, the team has achieved a huge amount, established the business as a utility market leader in all its key sectors and successfully grown revenues to over £600 million.”
New research has found that more home owners are moving out of London than ever before, primarily caused by rising house prices. Last year, 280,000 people moved away, which an increase of 3% on 2014, with most people was moving away in their 20s and 30s, according to the study carried out by multi-disciplinary property firm Humberts. Analysing newly released data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the report by ResiAnalytics for Humberts shows that just over a quarter were aged 20-29, although this was less than the 30% recorded the year before, whereas 23% were aged 30-39, a slight increased from the 22% recorded in 2014. Jeremy Campbell-Harris, of Humberts’ London County House Department, said: “The average cost of a London house today is almost double the English average at £470,000 compared to £224,000 and consequently we are seeing more and more people cashing in and moving out.” Campbell-Harris believes that those in their 20s are most likely struggling to afford to purchase a home in the capital, while those in their 30s who may have children are seeking bigger properties in a more tranquil environment. The UK’s second city, Birmingham, has an average house price of less than half those in London and is top of the list for popular destinations for London leavers. Meanwhile, another popular choice is Brighton and Hove, where house prices are similar to those found in London but its coastal setting makes it more appealing. Third on the list is Thurrock, while the other top 20 destinations include: Coventry, Spelthorne, Nottingham, Sevenoaks, Leeds, Welwyn Hatfield, Canterbury, Slough, Reigate and Banstead, Luton, Hertsmere, Dartford, Manchester, Medway, Bristol, Elmbridge and Epping Forest. The study also examined regions which have become more popular over the last five years, with the East of England leading the way with a 4% increase in people moving from London last year compared with five years ago.
Skills Minister Nick Boles has outlined a series of new plans for vocational education after the age of 16, with 15 routes into technical education that will “harness talent” in the UK. Lord Sainsbury chaired a report into technical education and many of his recommendations have been incorporated into the new Post-16 Skills Plan as 16 year olds will be able to choose from 15 high quality routes into the industry of their choice, as opposed to the 20,000 they are faced with at present. Although 160 different organisations offer a large amount of courses, the Sainsbury report suggest that young people are not clear on which course will provide them with the best chance of landing a job after study. Employers will set the standards for the new courses, which will now offer both technical and academic options that will be aimed at a set of skilled occupations, with each course being offered by a single course provider – the winner of an exclusive licence from a competitive selection process. The report led by Sainsbury found that the existing system is confusing for young people and fails to deliver the skills required by the employers of the UK, which has impacted negatively on the country’s competitiveness, economy and productivity. It has also been announced that 2019 will be the year when these routes are made available, although critics have claimed that this is “wildly optimistic.” Boles said that Britain possesses all the requirements needed to compete with other skilled countries; however we must harness talent through an improved technical education system. He added: “This cannot be the government’s job alone; we must work with employers and post-16 providers to unlock the potential in this country. “The skills plan is the next step towards that goal, building on the progress we have already made by investing in apprenticeships, and creating a skilled workforce that is the envy of every other nation.”
French firm Veolia has pledged a £750 million vote of confidence to the UK, with 600 jobs expected to be created in the country over the next five years. The deal comes as a welcome sign of business confidence in the UK in the wake of the country’s vote to leave the European Union. The water and waste management company said that it is still seeking reassurance from the government about its commitment to green energy after the Brexit vote as part of the group’s investment plans include schemes to produce heat and low carbon electricity from waste material. Head of Veolia in the UK, Estelle Brachlianoff, said that she is anxious for energy policy clarity from the UK government, although the EU referendum result has not made the British market any less appealing. Brachlianoff added: “Everything was thrown up in the air [by the Brexit vote] so I’m looking for reassurance that the government is going to keep the same direction of travel on green energy.” New Prime Minister Theresa May has made the decision to merge the Department of Energy and Climate Change into a bigger business ministry to be led by Greg Clark, which has caused uncertainty in business circles. However, the decision from Veolia to continue with its investment drive in the UK despite political uncertainty is to be seen as a confidence boost for the country after mixed signals about the referendum result’s economic impact. On Friday, the closely watched Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ survey of activity in the manufacturing and services sectors showed its sharpest drop for seven years. Meanwhile, a Bank of England regional agent’s survey had early reported that there were “no clear signs” of a slowdown. Included in Veolia’s plans are a new agreement with Hertfordshire Council to construct a 33MW waste-fired power station in Rye House, north of London, which is set to cost around £270 million.
Like all things related to computers, building information modeling (BIM) has changed a lot since the technology first became commercially available in the mid-1980s. By that time BIM’s functional capabilities had grown from the original “Building Description System” introduced a decade earlier by Charles Eastman and his colleagues at Carnegie-Mellon University, already enabling designers to use a computer instead of a drawing board or building a physical architectural model. But the best was yet to come – and it still may be. Over the years, BIM’s evolution has continued along the lines of Eastman’s early vision: “The goal is to develop a computer database capable of describing buildings at construction detail and to develop a powerful set of operations for that database,” he wrote in a 1974 paper. “Of course, the system outlined here could be equally used for the preliminary stages of design. It would also be useful for the design of many artifacts besides buildings.” Far from the early models that focused almost entirely on structure, today’s building models include far more information than can conveniently be shown on discrete drawings. Although the ability to call up or print details (graphic or otherwise) is a huge benefit, it’s the database nature of today’s building model that makes it such a valuable tool all the way from the earliest planning stages through the entire life of the building (or other artifact, as Eastman pointed out). The modern building model also has come a long way from its humble origins of being simply a computerized version of two-dimensional drawings, which is to say CAD. According to Victor Silva, who began using CAD, CAM and CNC in Lisbon, Portugal, in the 1980s just as ArchiCAD and AutoCAD were being unveiled, BIM now comprises a seven-dimensional process. Beyond the first dimension, which is the virtual building model itself, they include documentation, space, time (i.e., scheduling and sequencing), cost estimation, facility management (e.g., computer-aided facility management, CAFM), and procurement solutions (e.g., contracts, purchasing, suppliers, and environmental standards). As a long-time user of the technology throughout its evolution, Silva explained in this paper that the depth of information Eastman envisioned 40 years ago is now entirely possible. The sixth and seventh dimensions – facility management and procurement solutions – are where opportunities lie for progressive electrical contractors. The value of the building model can be greatly enhanced by thinking of it as an owner’s manual for the completed project. But beyond the assembly instructions, so to speak, where does the extra information come from? With input from the electrical contractor, for example, the building model suddenly becomes far more than just a very useful and effective construction tool. The building model becomes the ongoing repository of all the critical information the operations and maintenance personnel would otherwise have to go digging for every time there was a problem. Fortunately, BIM tools that started out as entirely different systems have to some extent converged over time. Many of the major players still excel in one type of construction or another – for example, steel framing versus concrete – but through broad-based efforts like the development of industry foundation classes (IFCs) and a push toward interoperability and an open protocol for BIM, the exchange of information today can be accomplished both easily and accurately. That has allowed subcontractors – mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and others – to offer data for inclusion in the building model without each having to develop a multitude of different interfaces. Now contractors from all fields who want to propose adding value to the building model by providing additional information can do so without overextending themselves.
