Wessex Water has teamed up with Bath and North East Somerset Council, the Canal and River Trust and the Environment Agency (EA) for a jointly funded Water Space Study that will identify projects to transform and revitalise the waterways around Bath. Historically, rivers and canals were heavily used for industry, business and trade, but are now used increasingly for leisure and wellbeing, sports and recreation. The study will gather new evidence about how the waterways are now being used, and look at the diverse range of opportunities along the River Avon between Bath and Keynsham and along the Kennet and Avon Canal between Deep Lock and Limpley Stoke Viaduct. The Water Space Study will also be informed by the continuing work of the council and the EA to investigate options for managing flood risk. The project is due to conclude its recommendations in March 2017. Councillor Martin Veal, cabinet member for community services and chair of the strategic river group, said: “All of the project partners are keen to engage with everyone who has an interest in the river and canal within our communities, including businesses, the construction industry, landowners, sports clubs, boaters and local groups. “This study initiates what we hope will be an exciting enhancement and transformation of how Bath uses its water spaces.” The study will look at all aspects impacting on the river and canal, including boat moorings, river navigation by boats, leisure and recreation opportunities and wider wildlife and habitat enhancements. The project partners will be working with local consultancy firm Atkins, which has been involved in many environmental-based river restoration work and marina developments, including the rejuvenation of the London 2012 Olympic Park canal network. Mark Evans, waterways manager for the Kennet and Avon Canal at the Canal and River Trust, said: “This study will really help us to understand what people want and need from Bath’s waterways, from the needs of boating communities to the tourist trade. “The canal and river are already key features of the city, but there is potentially much more we can do to make the most of them. “This is the first step in working out what those things could be, and it’s great to have partners on board who are as invested in Bath’s future as we are.” Jeremy Taylor, catchment co-ordinator at the EA, said: “This is a real team effort. As well as making full use of the water spaces in Bath, the Water Space Study will assist in the development of a sustainable approach to flood risk management within Bath. We are all pooling our knowledge and resources to identify both large and small projects that will benefit the community, local economy and the environment.” This article first appeared in Utility Week’s sister title WWTonline Source link

©Gazprom Gazprom, the Russian state-run gas group, reported a dip in quarterly profit of more than 5 per cent due to lower gas prices and higher capital expenditure. Net income fell to Rbs362bn in the first quarter, down from Rbs382bn a year earlier, the company said on Wednesday. Total sales increased by 5.4 per cent to Rbs1.74tn. More On this topic IN Oil & Gas The global oil slump has created uncertainty for Gazprom, which sells much of its gas to Europe at rates linked to the price of oil. Prices on the spot market in Europe, Gazprom’s key source of revenues, have more than halved in the past two years. Many analysts predict that slumping demand in Russia, Ukraine, and China, as well as a potential rise in exports of liquefied natural gas from the US, will push prices down further. The company said on Wednesday that it did not intend to cut its capital expenditure or turn to debt markets to head off the problem. Gazprom’s budget for 2016 is based on an average price of $199 per thousand cubic meters — which would already be the lowest in a decade — when expected prices are even lower at $167-$171 per thousand cubic meters. “We can see that the prices on the market today are lower than those we set out in our budget,” Alexander Ivannikov, Gazprom’s finance director, said on a conference call with investors. “But we have half the year still to come and the weather factor is more important.” Total sales of gas by volume to European countries increased by 49 per cent. But with prices at $187.5 per thousand cubic meters nearly $100 less than a year earlier, the rise only translated into a 22 per cent increase in sales revenues. Sales by volume went down by 16 per cent in the former Soviet Union, mostly driven by Ukraine’s attempt to wean itself off Russian gas since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and 6 per cent in Russia. Operating expenses rose 24 per cent, which the company mostly attributed to an asset swap agreed last October with German firm Wintershall. Gazprom’s falling revenues may affect its plans for several major new investment projects. The company said it still intended to finance Turkish Stream, a new gas pipeline that was put on hold last year after Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 fighter plane. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in St Petersburg to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, said that Ankara intended to finish the project, which entails a pipeline supplying gas to Europe through Greece that remains subject to EU approval. 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

CEG,  advised jointly by Savills and Lambert Smith Hampton, has let office space at Stuart House on City Road, Peterborough to Mortgages4Life Ltd. The innovative mortgage provider has agreed to a new 10-year lease for 3,534 sq ft (328 sq m) on part of the third floor of the building ahead of its launch in the autumn. This follows the recent letting to Savills, who relocated to the newly refurbished office building from Trinity Court at the beginning of the year, occupying 11,798 sq ft (1,096 sq m) also on the third floor. Currently 50,000 sq ft (4,645 sq m) remains available to let at a rent of £13 per sq ft (£140 per sq m). Paul Farrow, director of business space at Savills Peterborough, comments: “Stuart House is in the process of undergoing a comprehensive refurbishment and upon completion will offer some of the only available Grade A space in Peterborough city centre. We, along with Mortgages4Life, are very happy with our new home and due to the property’s strong credentials expect to receive considerable interest in the remaining available space.” Simon Little, Mortgages4Life’s chief executive officer, adds: “We needed very little convincing that Stuart House was the right premises for our new business. It is without a doubt the most prestigious office development in Peterborough city centre which offers excellent transportation links for both staff and key suppliers. It will be an integral part of the success of the business as we look to grow and expand.” Mortgages4Life was represented by Talkspace. Source link

The Spring Budget was announced last week by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Phillip Hammond. Released on the 8th March, the Spring Budget doesn’t appear to be very beneficial for the self-employed or for Small or Medium Enterprises. Rob May, the Director for the international qualifications board YMCA Awards, has issued a statement noting a few oversights in the Chancellor’s budget. May suggests that half of the UK’s occupations have been left out in the cold when it comes to funding for training. In the budget it has been announced that £500-million has been pledged for “T-Levels”. These qualifications are an equivalent and alternative to A Levels, providing technical as opposed to more traditional qualifications. The result of the funding means that more than half of UK occupations that use a classroom-based vocational education route are not given a part of this funding. The recipients have been decided by a five-member panel review of vocational education. The panel, led by Lord Sainsbury; the Labour peer and Cambridge University Chancellor, have chosen 15 technical educational routes for the investment. However, Rob May suggests that the definition of “technical” routes was never properly explained. May has also pointed out that even though the budget has a number of pledges to improve the nation’s health, yet the fitness sector has missed out on this funding. The reason for this omission was apparently the physical education sector is not technical enough to warrant the funding. This undermining move is made to look more ridiculous when industries such as tailoring and hairdressing have been given the funding. Although those sectors are surely very deserving of the funding in their own way; a pledge to improve the health of the residence of the UK has been supported by not funding those sectors and instead providing money for sectors that focus on appearance. This lack of funding could lead to fewer courses for the fitness and health sectors in favor of courses that will offer funding, which will lead to a deficit of trained professionals and even more problems for later generation.

A scheme has been announced to renovate the George’s Dock Ventilation and the Control Station in Liverpool. SPIE UK has been awarded the £750,000 contract as part of the Merseytravel framework of upgrades that is expected to cover 4 years of updates and renovations. The George’s Dock Ventilation and Control Station aspect of the 4-year plan is expected to take place over 6 months. This scheme of works will cover the delivery of the proposed design as well as the supply and installation of 7 brand new high voltage transformers. The design of the Grade II listed building is under way at the minute, and installation works for the new transformers is about to commence. SPIE will have full responsibility of the site in order to deliver the scheme to replace the 7 HV Vacuum Circuit Breakers and their respective switchgear as well as associated control cables that will link Scottish Power and Merseytravel’s HV switches. SPIE will also be responsible for the safe removal and disposal of the old and now redundant transformers. The George’s Dock Ventilation and Control Station is one of a number of ventilation buildings that are used for the Queensway Tunnel, running beneath the River Mersey between Liverpool ad Birkenhead. The site is behind the Port of Liverpool Building and has Art Deco and early 1930s architectural features. The Grade II listed building contains large fans that have a blade diameter of 3m in order to ventilate the tunnel by way of the building’s central square section shaft. SPIE have worked for Merseytravel before and are currently completing relighting works on the Kingsway Tunnel. The George’s Dock project is a testimony to SPIE’s continued high performance as well as Merseytravel’s trust in the company to complete the scheme successfully.  It will allow SPIE to demonstrate their abilities as part of the development of a landmark and listed building.

The Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design has revealed the winner for its Asia classification. The Ceremony was held at The Capital Theatre in Singapore. These awards are a continuation of the success of the Asian Hotel Design Awards. The AHEAD awards intend to celebrate design in all its many forms as well as how designs can change the guest experience within the hospitality industry. The Awards looks at these designs from all over the world and the judges for the AHEAD are renowned hoteliers, architects and interior designers. The entrants are assessed on their guest experience and commercial viability as well as their aesthetic excellence. The winner of the AHEAD Award was a luxury hotel named Hoshinoya. The winning hotel is located in Tokyo and took home three awards on the night. The Hoshinoya won awards for The Asia Hotel of the Year, The New Concept of the Year and the Urban Hotel category, which made the luxury hotel AHEAD’s Asia’s Hotel of the Year. With competition for the awards being tough, the judges chose winners whose design really contributed to the guest experience. Also worthy of note are the winners of the other thirteen categories. Amongst them Kerry Hill was awarded the Outstanding Contribution award for his 40 year career which contributed to Asian resort design. The winner of the Bar, Club and Lounge category was the Akademi which is in Seminyak, Bali; praised for its ingenuity in their lobby design. The Guestrooms category were won by the Thai Akyra Manor  Hotel in Chiang Mai; said to have clean lines and use of combining the indoors and outdoors as part of their guest experience. The Hotel Renovation & Restoration category was won by The Edison George Town in Penang; a hotel that has been renovated to maintain the classic building characteristics with added flair. The Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces category was won by Keemala in Phuket Thailand; with the landscaping naturally enveloping the hotel in its surroundings and integrates the rooms with the jungle environment.