Manicured lawns? Flower beds? Maybe once, however the latest research has revealed traditional garden features have fallen out of favour, with more lavish features such as hot tubs, swimming pools and tennis courts taking prime position on garden bucket lists. According to a survey of 1,000 UK adults by garden and conservatory furniture etailer, Alfresia.co.uk, 74% of Brits dream of owning a swimming pool, whilst over half (53%) have hopes of a relaxing after a hard day in a hot tub.   Also high on the wish lists of would-be landscapers are water features (67%), followed by decking or patio areas (61%), vegetable patches (43%), and summer houses (24%).   Brits also have outdoor style aspirations, with oriental water garden (32%) topping the list of dream garden themes, followed by cottage garden (21%), contemporary modern (19%), Mediterranean terrace garden (16%), and low-maintenance garden (12%).   31% would use their dream garden for throwing parties, whilst an optimistic 16% plan to use their outdoor space for sunbathing.   1 in 10 (9%) sporty Brits dream of having their own tennis courts, and 5% fantasise about a putting green on their dream garden wish list, showing spaces for active leisure are also a high priority for British adults.   Built-in BBQ and outdoor cooking area topped the list for those aged 18-24, whilst 25-34 year-olds chose vegetable patches as their top pick, illustrating the rise in popularity of gardening among young homeowners.   Respondents admitted their aspirations were being inspired by television shows such as Big Brother, and celebrities such as the Kardashians, many of whom have lavish feature filled gardens. Craig Corbett, marketing manager at Alfresia.co.uk, said: “The findings are interesting, and show that most of us aspire to have some element of water in our gardens, whether it’s in the form of a bubbling hot tub, or tranquil and calming water feature. It’s great to see the fun and quirky features the British public’s choose when collating their garden bucket lists.   Dream landscapes don’t have to cost big money – improvements can be made on a conservative budget and scale. Beginning garden renovations with a single smaller size project, such as tidying existing patio areas, or planting some seasonal pots is recommended – sowing seeds and garden maintenance can be done in smaller manageable sessions.” Top 10 dream garden features 1.    Swimming pool – 74% 2.    Water feature – 67% 3.    Decking/ patio area – 61% 4.    Hot tub – 53% 5.    Vegetable patch – 43% 6.    Summer house – 24% 7.    BBQ and outdoor cooking area – 23% 8.    Tennis courts – 9% 9.    Putting green – 5% 10.   Topiary – 4% Source link

BP has shut one of its platforms near the Shetland Islands following an oil spill that will attract more unwelcome attention to the UK group’s environmental record. A “technical issue” was blamed for the spill of an estimated 95 tonnes, about 665 barrels, of oil at BP’s Clair platform on Sunday. While the leak was limited in scale — it was halted within an hour of the problem being spotted — the timing could hardly have been worse for BP. The release last week of Deepwater Horizon, a big-budget Hollywood dramatisation of BP’s 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has thrust the risks of offshore exploration and production back into the public spotlight. Sunday’s spill was nowhere near the 3m barrels released after the deadly blast on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. However, WWF, the environmental group, said it highlighted “the dangers posed on a daily basis by oil and gas operations off the coast of Scotland”. BP said the oil “was released to the sea from the Clair platform as a result of a technical issue with the system designed to separate the mixed production fluids of water, oil and gas”. It added: “We are investigating the cause of the technical issue and the field will remain offline for the time being.” Related article Account of oil spill highlights Hollywood’s ability to influence corporate reputations “At present, we believe the most appropriate response is to allow the oil to disperse naturally at sea, but contingencies for other action are being prepared. “Oil has been observed on the sea surface and we are monitoring its movement. Both direct observation and oil spill modelling indicate the oil to be moving in a northerly direction away from land.” The Clair platform, 75km west of the Shetlands, is on the frontier between the Atlantic and the North Sea. The area has some of the UK’s biggest remaining reserves of oil and gas but deeper water and hostile weather make it more difficult and expensive to extract compared with shallower parts of the North Sea. Simon Boxall, an oceanographer at the University of Southampton, said the “lumpy” seas off the Shetlands meant the oil should disperse fairly quickly. BP was “no better, no worse” than other companies in its safety and overall industry standards were improving, he added. “Technology has improved, companies are more aware of the risks, and the repercussions of spills have become more severe in terms of fines and prosecutions and also in terms of public image,” Mr Boxall said. Lang Banks, director of WWF Scotland, urged BP not to restart operations at Clair until it was fully understood how much oil had been released and what caused the leak. BP said it was working with Oil Spill Response Limited, an industry-funded co-operative which responds to oil spills around the world, and the UK government to assess the environmental impact and agree the best way to respond. Royal Dutch Shell, the other UK oil major, was fined £22,500 last year by a Scottish court for the leak of about 1,300 barrels of oil from its Gannet Alpha platform in 2011. This was on top of £45m of clean-up costs incurred by Shell and a further £100m spent replacing the ruptured pipeline. Sample the FT’s top stories for a week You select the topic, we deliver the news. Source link

23 August 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal ISS has been selected by Hitachi Rail Europe to provide integrated facility services to its maintenance centres in London, Swansea, Bristol, and Doncaster.  The agreement is for three years, with an option of an additional two years.  The new contract will see ISS deliver a variety of services including security, building maintenance, waste management, janitorial, landscaping, and winterisation, pest control, help-desk support and cleaning. The relationship between ISS and Hitachi Rail Europe began with the provision of security services at the North Pole site in London during its construction phase. After a competitive tender process, ISS has extended the service delivery to Hitachi Rail Europe’s four UK maintenance centres delivering a diverse range of integrated services. The rollout will begin at the North Pole and Swansea train maintenance centres, followed by additional facilities in Bristol and Doncaster once construction has been completed.   Source link

The owner of the Galleries, InfraRed Capital Partners, working in partnership with asset managers Hark Group and advised by Savills, is pleased to announce the letting of the former ‘Almshouse’ space to Jack Wills. The British clothing brand will take occupation of the unit for fitting out, by the end of July. This new deal follows a number of recent lettings over the past year at The Galleries. The Galleries, part of the Bristol Shopping Quarter, is located in the centre of Broadmead and has 335,000 sq ft (31,122 sq m) of retail space with brands including Argos, Boots, Peacocks, WHSmith and TKMaxx. In 2015 footfall at the Galleries reached 10.2 million, and the year-on-year figures outperformed the national average by 2.5% . Chris O’Mahony, retail director at Savills in Bristol, comments: “We’re delighted and very excited about the fact that Jack Wills has chosen The Galleries for its first store in the centre of the city. This deal further expands the retail offer and highlights the re-establishment of the centre as a key shopping destination in Bristol.” Jack Wills was advised by Montagu Evans. Source link

The latest sector index has revealed that the value of farmland in Scotland has largely remained static for the first half of this year, down by just 0.2% to £4,357 per acre. The data from the Knight Frank Scottish Farmland Index states that year on year values have fallen by 1.7% but are still 26% up over the last five years, while over the last 10 years they have increased by 169% and over the last 20 years they have risen by 174%. The figures also illustrated that high quality arable land has stayed at £9,046 per acre, while there was a fractional fall in the price of permanent pasture to £2,719 per acre and overall there has been a relatively small amount of market activity so far this year despite a hold up in prices. Head of Scottish Farm Sales at Knight Frank, Tom Stewart-Moore, said that this year has seen a small number of farms sold, with less than normal launched around the time of the Royal Highland Show, which is traditionally the point when the market kicks into action. Stewart-Moore added: “Combined with the continued slump in commodity values, many people were expecting a rush of farms to the market in 2016 and a subsequent drop in prices,’ he pointed out, adding that low interest rates mean there have been very few forced sales so far.” He also stated that demand for livestock and good quality arable is outstripping supply, while demand has stayed strong for amenity and supporting estates. Recently, Knight Frank sold the 6,500 acre Kinnaird Estate in Perthshire for more than its guide price of £9.6 million along with an 8,000 acre stalking estate in Sutherland, which will be launched soon and will provide another good test of the market. Stewart-Moore also said he is expecting more interest from buyers from overseas.