Campaigners have written to North Yorkshire County Council threatening to take legal action over its decision to approve Third Energy’s plans for fracking near the village of Kirby Misperton. Friends of the Earth and local residents group Frack Free Ryedale said the decision was “unlawful” on the grounds that the impact on climate change was “not properly considered”. Last month, the council’s planning committee voted 7 to 4 to approve Third Energy’s plans to trial hydraulic fracturing at an existing exploratory well. Energy and Utilities Alliance chief executive Mike Foster told Utility Week the decision was “massive in terms of the future of the shale industry”. However campaigners have said the committee failed to consider the impact on climate change of gas extracted at the well via the fracking process being burnt at Third Energy’s nearby power station. They said they may seek a judicial review if they do not get a satisfactory response from the council. Friends of the Earth’s Yorkshire campaigner Simon Bowens said: “A mere six months after the Paris climate change agreement, North Yorkshire County Council decided to support a dirty, dangerous, fossil fuel industry. “They side-stepped the wishes of the people they represent, the powerful testimonies presented to them over two days, and their legal duties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This was undemocratic, reckless and Friends of the Earth believes it could be unlawful as well.” North Yorkshire Council has yet to comment on the letter. Last week the chief operating officer of IGas John Blaymires told Utility Week he believes UK shale gas should be commercially viable, if British wells can achieve the same flow rates as those in the US. Source link

The contractor has merged its sustainability, environment and energy division with its health and safety department. Balfour Beatty health and safety director Heather Bryant will head up the merged team in the newly created role of health, safety, environment & sustainability director. Mr Toyne exited the business at the end of May as a result of the changes. In a statement emailed to staff last month, Balfour Beatty group HR director Paul Raby said: “This move recognises the clear links between what we do to ensure the health and safety of our colleagues, customers and members of the public, and the activities we undertake to support and protect the communities and environments in which we work. “It provides a great opportunity for the teams to collaborate relentlessly and take forward the strong work we’ve already seen in both areas – and clearly supports our Build to Last goals of lean, expert, trusted and safe.” He added: “As a result of this change, Paul Toyne, director of sustainability, will leave the business at the end of May, following a handover with Heather. “Paul leaves with our thanks for his valued contribution to this business and with our best wishes for the future.” My Toyne had been with the company for three years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He sat on a number of industry groups including the green Construction Board’s Carbon Infrastructure Working Group. He also chaired the Constructing Excellence Sustainability Group. Source link

Mr Perkins was appointed as SES Engineering Services MD following Wates’ acquisition of Shepherd Group in October 2015. The former CEO of Shepherd’s built environment division had been leading on the integration of the SES business into the wider Wates Group. He will step down from his role at the end of May. Wates completed the acquisition of Shepherd Group’s FM and Engineering Services arms last October. The deal is expected to bring in between £250m and £300m of revenue for the Wates Group in 2016. Wates chief executive Andrew Davies said: “Having played a key role throughout the Shepherd acquisition process, Mark Perkins has decided to pursue the next stage of his career outside the Wates Group. “Consequently Mark will step down from his role as managing director of SES Engineering Services with effect from the end of May 2016. “Mark has made a substantial contribution to the growth of SES since he joined the Shepherd Group in 2002. “On behalf of the board and senior management team, I would like to thank Mark for his dedication and professionalism and wish him well in his future endeavours.” Mr Perkins has more than 30 years’ experience in the built environment sector and has worked on projects including the conversion of Drax Power Station to biomass. A source speaking to Construction News praised Mr Perkin’s “clarity of thought and an ability to cut through the crap”, while thanking him for his leadership. Wates is currently working on a succession plan, which will be announced soon. Source link

Six leading organisations in the fire and security industry have confirmed their support for this year’s Fire & Security Association (FSA) Awards, which are open for nominations until 21 September. The industry bodies backing the awards are as follows: Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) SELECT – The Scottish electrical trade body National Security Inspectorate (NSI); Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB); The Fire Protection Association (FPA); and British Approvals for Fire Equipment (BAFE) Following a partnership deal, the two FSA Awards will be presented for the first time at this year’s industry-leading IFSEC ‘Security and Fire Excellence Awards’, being held on 23 November in London. Attendees on the evening will include business leaders, clients and other key stakeholders. Representatives from the FSA, SELECT, NSI and SSAIB will be among the judges assessing the nominations for the two individual FSA Awards, which are as follows: –          The Peter Greenwood Security Award – recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the security systems industry. Last year’s winner was Simon Banks of CSL Dualcom. –          The Ian Marsh Fire Award – recognises individuals who demonstrate enthusiasm and selfless concern for the fire and emergency systems industry. Last year’s winner was Geoff Teader of Amalgamated Ltd. Head of the FSA Steve Martin commented: “The FSA is delighted to confirm that the fire and security sector is getting behind the FSA Awards, highlighting the industry-wide recognition that the winners will receive. “We urge the entire industry to nominate deserving individuals for these awards, and look forward to recognising the achievements of the winners later this year.” NSI Business Development Director Graeme Hazlewood added: “NSI strongly supports the FSA in its recognition of extraordinary people in the Security and Fire systems’ industries. These prestigious awards champion those that are passionate about the sector and who strive to make it successful. We wish all of the nominees the best of luck!” SSAIB Chief Executive Alex Carmichael stated: “SSAIB is pleased to be partnering with the ECA as an Official 2016 FSA Awards Supporter, as part of SSAIB’s longstanding role in promoting high standards of service within the community of security and fire industry providers, in the interests of end users. “From a practical perspective, our involvement in this year’s FSA Fire and Security Awards will include helping to judge the Peter Greenwood Security Award and Ian Marsh Fire Award. We’ll also be actively encouraging our 1700 SSAIB Registered Firms to get involved in the nominations process by putting forward deserving candidates for these two awards, which recognise those individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to these industry sectors.” BAFE Chief Executive Stephen Adams commented: “BAFE are pleased to be supporting the FSA Awards. These two sectors are becoming closer than ever and we support the ECA as one of the important trade associations supporting contractors who have gained third party certification for their competence in these areas.” The winners of both FSA Awards (plus one guest each) will be given free places on the FSA’s table at the Security and Fire Excellence Awards, which is being hosted by top comedian Jimmy Carr. The deadline for FSA Award nominations is Wednesday 21 September at midday. For more details, or to nominate an individual for either award, please click here. Source link

©Getty Royal Dutch Shell wants to leave behind steel and concrete structures as large as the Empire State Building when it abandons one of the biggest oil and gas fields in the North Sea. The decommissioning plan for the Brent field, 115 miles north-east of the Shetland Islands, will require exemptions from international regulations, which demand that all traces of oil and gas production are removed after offshore operations end. More On this topic IN Energy Shell said on Monday it had concluded that the safety and environmental risks involved in removing much of the Brent infrastructure would far outweigh the benefits. It plans to submit its proposals for approval from the UK’s Department for Energy and Climate Change by the end of this year. The case marks an important test of rules on what should happen to abandoned oil and gas fields in the North Sea as energy groups decommission operations in the coming decades as reserves run down. Countries in the north-east Atlantic are bound by the Ospar regulations, agreed after the furore in the 1990s over Shell’s abortive plan to dump its Brent Spar oil storage facility in deep waters off the Scottish coast. However, exemptions from the “leave no trace” rules are allowed if companies can demonstrate that full removal of infrastructure would be too difficult or risky. Shell said this was the case for hundreds of thousands of tonnes of concrete and steel subsea structures beneath its four Brent platforms. North Sea decommissioning has climbed the industry agenda as the sharp fall in oil prices of the past two years has weakened the viability of a declining basin that was already among the most expensive places in the world to drill offshore. But companies are looking for ways to lower the cost of closing their North Sea facilities — forecast to reach £30bn-£60bn by the 2050s — as lower prices curb profits. Shell said it had consulted widely, including with environmental groups and the fishing industry, while drawing up its Brent plans and that a 60-day consultation would start once they were formally submitted. The decommissioning project is being headed for Shell by Duncan Manning, a former Royal Marine who was involved in security planning for the 2012 London Olympics. He acknowledged there would be some risks to shipping and fisheries from leaving the structures in place. But these could be reduced by navigation beacons and other measures to warn vessels away from the area. Environmental groups have also raised concerns over multiple “cells”, each the size of Nelson’s column, which surround the base of the main subsea structures and contain sediment, water and oil. Mr Manning said these would also be left in place but the oil would be siphoned off. The “topside” of the oil and gas rigs would be removed and transported by the world’s biggest ship — 382m long and 124m wide — to be dismantled at a yard in Teesside. Shell is aiming for 97 per cent of the material to be recycled. Three of its four Brent platforms have already ceased production and Shell has been working on capping the 154 wells in the field for the past 10 years. It expects the project to take another decade to complete. At its peak in the 1990s, Brent accounted for 13 per cent of the UK’s oil and gas needs and Shell said the field had produced £20bn of revenues for the Treasury since it started producing in the 1970s. More recently-installed platforms were designed with decommissioning in mind but Mr Manning said Brent was part of the first generation of North Sea facilities which were never intended for removal. 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

North East based sales and lettings company KIS has published its latest analysis that shows average rents in the region have risen above £600 for the first time ever, taking the average rental yield to a record 4.6%. The results also showed that a summer slump for North East values dropped by an average of 2.3% a month throughout July and August. The fall all-but wipes out the post-Brexit surge of 4.8% recorded in June with the average North East house now valued at £157,438. House values fell in every single one of the twenty areas surveyed, with the exception of Whitburn, which saw prices rise by 0.05%. The areas that suffered the sharpest decline were Durham City (4.2%), Houghton-le-Spring (3.7%) and Darlington (3.5%). The regional house prices fall contrasts the 5.2% rise recorded in the same period last year, when prices increased by 3.8% in July and 1.8% in August. In the North East, the average price of a property is currently 3.8% lower than the rate recorded at the conclusion of August last year. Durham’s 8.3% price fall over the course of the summer saw the city named as this month’s “Best to Buy,” as properties in the city had previously boasted an 11.5% capital appreciation over the last two years. Over the course of the summer, the average rental cost in the North East continued to increase by £10 per calendar month, reaching £610 pcm. This is the first time it has exceeded £600, while rents have increased by 7.4% from the £565 recorded last month, which is a £45 rise a month. Blyth (£397) remains the cheapest place to rent in the North East out of the areas surveyed, with Tynemouth (£1125) continuing to be the most expensive. Peterlee continues to be the region’s Buy to Let capital, offering rental yields of 6.1% to investors. Other strong performers continue to be Gateshead and Killingworth (5.9%) and Sunderland (5.3%).