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May 25, 2017

Accord announces new remortgage range

Accord Mortgages has announced this morning that it has launched a new range of fixed-rate products for borrowers looking to remortgage, with a choice of incentives. The intermediary-only lender, which is part of Yorkshire Building Society Group, has launched new remortgage options at 65%, 75%, 80%,85% and 90% loan-to-values (LTVs).

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Local company expands at 8 Commerce Road, Peterborough

Savills, on behalf of Balagan Group, has let further office space at 8 Commerce Road in Lynchwood, Peterborough to the Landlord Hub. The tenant referencing company has agreed to a new lease for a further 2,488 sq ft (231 sq m) on the first floor of the two storey building.

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Costain Announced That They Taken On Their 4,000 Trainee

Costain announced that they have taken on their 4,000th trainee. IPS Communications’ Kieran Campbell will be joining the Supply Chain Academy their 4,000th trainee. The massively successful training academy is thought of as the industry leading academy for the Supply Chain sector. As a demonstration of the training academy’s success,

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Contracts Awarded For the New Healthcare Construction Framework

Contracts have been awarded for the new healthcare construction framework. The successful parties who have been awarded for these contracts have been named. It is thought that the Framework Manager for the project will be Prime, who already specialises in healthcare and managed the procurement process of the project. Prime

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New Production Line Has Opened At Clivet Plant

New production line has been opened at the Clivet plant which is located in Feltre, Belluno. In order to make the launch of the new production line, there was an opening ceremony held at the plant by the President of Midea Commercial, Eric Tian.  It was also said that the

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The EAUC Has Chaired An Event That Was Held Last Week

The EAUC has chaired an event that was held last week. The event was focused on examining the different approaches that are taken towards capital project delivery. The event was organised by the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick and had around 100 people attend from across the

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AECOM and IBM Helped with the Development of the Global Platform

AECOM and IBM have revealed that they have helped with the development of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. The two companies were involved in developing the new platform for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Initially the Disaster Resilience Scorecard was introduced as a way to

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Prodata Weather Systems Announced the New Addition

The Camridgeshire-based company Prodata Weather Systems has announced the addition of the EnviroMonitor to their solutions. The company is one of the environment monitoring experts in the UK. The company has added the new Davis system to their collection of management solutions. The EnviroMonitor is a system that offers reliable

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Latest Issue

BDC 319 : Aug 2024

May 25, 2017

Accord announces new remortgage range

Accord Mortgages has announced this morning that it has launched a new range of fixed-rate products for borrowers looking to remortgage, with a choice of incentives. The intermediary-only lender, which is part of Yorkshire Building Society Group, has launched new remortgage options at 65%, 75%, 80%,85% and 90% loan-to-values (LTVs). Rates start at 1.49% for a two-year fixed rate at 65% LTV. Borrowers with a 25% deposit can take advantage of 1.59% two-year fix. On offer at 80% LTV is a 1.74% two-year fixed rate mortgage, and available at 85% LTV is a two-year fix at 1.88%. All of the above mortgages come with a £845 fee, free legal service and  free standard valuation incentives. David Robinson, National Intermediary Sales Manager, at Accord said: “It is proving to be a popular time for borrowers to remortgage at the moment, with many hoping to make the most of the competitive deals on offer during this period of economic uncertainty. We believe that our new remortgage options will prove popular amongst borrowers and the options across the different terms and LTV range, plus the added incentives, will allow brokers to choose the best loan to suit their clients’ requirements.” Source link

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Local company expands at 8 Commerce Road, Peterborough

Savills, on behalf of Balagan Group, has let further office space at 8 Commerce Road in Lynchwood, Peterborough to the Landlord Hub. The tenant referencing company has agreed to a new lease for a further 2,488 sq ft (231 sq m) on the first floor of the two storey building. The Landlord Hub already occupies 2,488 sq ft (231 sq m) on the ground floor of the building and is taking the additional space to facilitate the company’s rapid expansion. Edward Gee, associate in the business space agency team at Savills Peterborough, comments: “Situated in the well established Peterborough Business Park, Commerce Road offers good quality office accommodation in a well connected location. This is the ideal space for the Landlord Hub and we are pleased to have been able to accommodate its continued growth.” Heidi Shackell, CEO of The Landlord Hub and who recently won the Peterborough Telegraph Young Entrepreneur of the year, adds: “We are so proud of our journey so far and having a lovely building to expand and grow into is the icing on the cake for us. The deal was expedited quickly at our request and we pass on our thanks to both Savills and the landlord for making it happen on time and seamlessly.’’ The Landlord Hub was unrepresented. Source link

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Costain Announced That They Taken On Their 4,000 Trainee

Costain announced that they have taken on their 4,000th trainee. IPS Communications’ Kieran Campbell will be joining the Supply Chain Academy their 4,000th trainee. The massively successful training academy is thought of as the industry leading academy for the Supply Chain sector. As a demonstration of the training academy’s success, it has been used by 127 different Small and Medium sized businesses from the industry. The Supply Chain Academy is a training course that is operated by Costain staff. The training facility also enjoys the support of a number of Costain’s more strategic partners that prove exceedingly beneficial to the Small and Medium sized suppliers that are interested in the training process. The Supply Chain Academy has been structured in order to allow the Small and Medium sized suppliers learn the necessary skills to expand in order to successfully deliver more projects. The Training courses are free and module based and cover a wide range of topics. The subjects looked at as part of the Supply Chain Academy includes BIM, insurance, equality and diversity in the company. In order to deliver projects successfully in is imperative that the supply chain meets the desired standard. Therefore, the academy is vital to develop the supply chain and supply organisations with the skills required. The Supply Chain Academy allows Costain to share their knowledge of best practice within the industry it also means that the industry will have knowledgeably suppliers who are trained to a high standard. The Supply Chain Academy shows how Costain is managing to meet goals from the corporate world as well as making their strategy more efficient. The Academy was first started in 2011 and it is a reflection of how important the training is that the training centre has already taught 4,000 people. The Academy is available to SMEs all around the UK in order to make sure that all different regions have access to the training.

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International Delegation Has Met With Officials From the Irish Government

It has been revealed that an international delegation has met with officials from the Irish Government and other industry bodies in order to discuss plans to introduce a more sustainable building global standard. The delegation was led by Scott Foster, who is the Director for Sustainable Energy from the UN Economic Commission for Europe, or UNECE. The Irish officials involved at the meeting included Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Joining Scott Foster as part of the international delegation was Dr. David Riley, Dr. Somayeh Asadi and Lisa Shulock from Penn State University and Robert Cavey who is a Partner of Praxis which is Washington D.C. The delegation has carried out a two-day visit to Ireland and the fist appointment for the group was to meet with Taoiseach Enda Kenny. During this meeting the different details of the Global High Performance Buildings Framework were looked at. This Building Frameworks is in the process of being provided by the UNECE and it is thought that it will be published at some point in the next few months. At these discussions were a number of vital Irish stakeholders including the representatives from Quinn Building Products, SOLAS, nZEBRA, and Wexford County Council. Throughout the meeting the Taoiseach was informed about other development plans that are being created in Wexford. This Wexford site will see the delivery of an international centre for excellence and a training facility. After the meeting with the Irish Government representatives, the International delegation then went to a dinner and networking function that was hosted by Quinn Building Products. At this event the guests could then discuss other plans for the Framework and for the international training centre. It is advantageous for Ireland to support the development of the sustainable building standards as tit will keep the country at the forefront of high performance buildings. The delegation will also be attending the site of Ireland’s first passive house and the social housing project that has been completed by Michael Bennett & Sons as well as the proposed Wexford location of the international training centre.

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Contracts Awarded For the New Healthcare Construction Framework

Contracts have been awarded for the new healthcare construction framework. The successful parties who have been awarded for these contracts have been named. It is thought that the Framework Manager for the project will be Prime, who already specialises in healthcare and managed the procurement process of the project. Prime announced that Interserve, Kier, VINCI Construction UK, Willmott Dixon and Speller Metcalfe will be working on The Private Investment Construction Framework. The Investment Framework that has been announced will be supported by Yeovil District Hospital Foundation Trust will create privately-funded projects on behalf of the NHS and other private healthcare operators. These projects that form a part of the framework will be divided in to two different Lots. Lot One will be working on delivering projects that have a value that is in excess of £10 million, and will work to offer national coverage with projects for this lot spread out over England and Wales. Lot two of the Framework will aim to establish a number of different projects that have a value lower than the first lot and will be mainly focused in the South and Central areas of the country. The contractors that have been named to work on the project that work nationwide: Kier, Vinci Construction UK and Wilmott Dixon, will be working on the projects from bot of the Framework lots. Speller Metcalfe on the other hand, will focus their attentions ion to the projects that will be taking place in Lot 2 and will work on the project by delivering more access to other contractors that have experience working in the healthcare sector. The Private Investment Construction Framework is expected to last for four years. It is thought that this Framework will allow for a range of new build and refurbishment works to take place in a range of different healthcare areas like acute, primary care, community care and the elderly care sectors. As stated previously the work in these areas will be across both NHS and private Healthcare facilities.

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New Production Line Has Opened At Clivet Plant

New production line has been opened at the Clivet plant which is located in Feltre, Belluno. In order to make the launch of the new production line, there was an opening ceremony held at the plant by the President of Midea Commercial, Eric Tian.  It was also said that the major of Feltre Paolo Perenzin was in attendance, as was Luca Barbini, the president of Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti. There were also a number of trade union representatives as well as members of the sales network and the Clivet production staff and management at the opening ceremony of the new production line. This new line has been created in order to focus on the production of AQUA, which is a heat pump that can be used in domestic hot water production. The production was officially opened by the president of Midea Commercial Air Conditioning, Eric Tian. The Production line that is now dedicated to creating the AQUA products has been the result of extensive cooperation between the Italian and the Chinese team. The hard work of the two groups has meant that the high efficiency domestic heat pump will now the latest product to add to the company’s range. The new production line situated in Belluno has the ability to generate 12,000 units a year for each work shift. This high capacity of production will be able to deliver what is being called a “just in time” service to all of the company’s customers that are located in Europe or those who are Group members. Clivet was announced in October as a Midea pole of excellence and it is thought that the new production line and the employment and development opportunities that will stem from it will create even more opportunities in the region. Other development projects that have taken place in Midea for their employees include the free Chinese and English classes that began in April this year.

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The EAUC Has Chaired An Event That Was Held Last Week

The EAUC has chaired an event that was held last week. The event was focused on examining the different approaches that are taken towards capital project delivery. The event was organised by the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick and had around 100 people attend from across the post-16 education sector as well as the construction industry. A debate took place that was facilitated by the CEO of the EAUC, Iain Patton which created the opportunity to consider the number of different possibilities and challenges that are created when operational energy performance as part of the construction process is addressed. It is thought that both colleges and Universities are stand alone in their ability to influence their operational energy performance because each of the universities and colleges around the UK are owners and managers of large, complex and ever growing estates. It is thought that making sure the post 16 educational sector is prepared for a sustainable and long lasting construction phase that future developments can avoid a pile of costs related to energy performance that could have been addressed before in the earlier stage of the construction. Other things that were looked at the chaired meeting was it is important that the basic metrics, skills procedures and other contractual arrangements are known and understood in order to allow for the proper delivery of the project. Also considered at the event as whether the sharing of best practice procedures that have come out of previous projects carried out in higher education can help with capital project delivery. The other topic that was discussed as part of the event was the risks, gaps or different opportunities that are available for the client or their supply chain partnerships in order to deliver a project that has both value and quality. By working together, the higher education sector and the supply chain can create more and more successful projects which is positive for both industries.

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Sustainability team at Focus Consultants appointed on one of Nottingham’s ‘greenest’ projects

Sustainability experts at Focus Consultants have been appointed to help Nottingham’s new Digital Media Hub become one of the top three environmentally sustainable sites in the city. The £9.1 million Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies is scheduled to be the flagship part of Nottingham Trent University’s Creative Quarter Campus and the main site of the Confetti Institute. Work has just got underway on site on the six-storey building, which will connect the existing Confetti college centre on Convent Street and the Higher Education Centre on Parliament Street. Designed by award-winning architects Allan Joyce, the striking building is hoping to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating, with the expectation that it will be one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings in Nottingham. Focus, which has its headquarters at Nottingham’s Phoenix Business Park, has been appointed as the BREEAM Assessor and the BREEAM Accredited Professional, providing the design team with expert advice on built environment sustainability, environmental design and environmental assessment. Senior sustainability surveyor Jessica Bullers said: “The Energy and Sustainability team at Focus Consultants has had a long-standing, close relationship with Nottingham Trent University, providing sustainability support on a number of the university’s building projects. “Working as the sustainability champion and simultaneously as the BREEAM assessor, we have established a good assessment process – leading to this latest project being potentially one of the most highly rated BREEAM buildings at the university, which is well recognised for being the UK’s ‘greenest’ university. For the past three years, NTU has been awarded first place in the People & Planet University League, which ranks all 145 UK universities on their commitment to and management of sustainability. “Focus is proud to have been appointed to the team developing the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, which is not only a flagship part of NTU’s Creative Quarter Campus but likely to become one of Nottingham’s most environmentally friendly buildings too – an honour for a Nottingham-based company like Focus, which has been supporting the city in its development for more than 21 years.” The new hub, due to be completed by summer 2018, will feature spacious contemporary classrooms and studios, a large Learning Resource Centre with private study facilities, creative social spaces and a rooftop garden. In addition to acting as Confetti’s headquarters and main reception, it will deliver all digital media games and interactive activity. Work began before Christmas demolishing part of the existing Confetti site on Parliament Street to make way for the new build.  The demolition unearthed some key archaeological findings including Medieval artefacts, caves and a 700-year old well that have helped rewrite the history of Medieval Nottingham and provide information about the way the area was used over 700 years ago. Contractor Stepnells has now begun work on site. Focus Consultants, which also has branches in Leicester, London and Boston in Lincolnshire, offers a range of support on all aspects of sustainable development, as well as services in funding and economic development, project management and building surveying.

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AECOM and IBM Helped with the Development of the Global Platform

AECOM and IBM have revealed that they have helped with the development of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. The two companies were involved in developing the new platform for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Initially the Disaster Resilience Scorecard was introduced as a way to improve how prepared cities and governments were to reduce the risks of disasters. Now, with the help of the United States Agency for International Development and the European Commission, AECOM and IBM have developed the scorecard so that is has more information and tools that will help to reduce the risks from the after effects of any natural hazards or climate change. The new Platform and Scorecard is part of the Unite Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction campaign called Making Cities Resilient. It is thought that at the moment the scheme has 3,500 signatures from cities. It has been estimated that losses originating from disasters stemming from natural and man-made hazards are increasing. It is thought that events such as floods, storms and any impacts of climate change is costing governments on average more than US$300 billion globally every year. It is thought that the Scorecard will offer a list of different assessments that can be carried that cover a range of different aspects including policy, planning, organisation, financial, social and environments. The assessments look at these different areas in order to determine their resilience. The assessments have been designed and then led by a number of local authorities and it is thought that the Scorecard will deliver a way of monitoring and reviewing progress. The monitoring of resilience in cities is also a part of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It is thought that the introduction of the new Scorecard is a significant step towards making cities more resilient and the infrastructure can be reinforced before an incident happened and then the impact could be reduced.

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Prodata Weather Systems Announced the New Addition

The Camridgeshire-based company Prodata Weather Systems has announced the addition of the EnviroMonitor to their solutions. The company is one of the environment monitoring experts in the UK. The company has added the new Davis system to their collection of management solutions. The EnviroMonitor is a system that offers reliable readings from a powerful and convenient system. The EnviroMonitor is also very affordable which will make the system a viable solution for a range of different companies. It is described as the user’s eyes and ears on the ground and will provide the required data to allow for recording or managing the environmental aspects of a construction site. These systems can be used on bigger or unique developments and are said to be easy to set up. The EnviroMonitor consists of a net network that has a number of different nodes. The network is self-optimizing and the gateway aspect of the equipment works to support a number of different sensors that can be increased or decreased. The Davis instruments can be connected to other third party sensors and the equipment can be used to measure water level, flow rate, water pressure, wind speed & direction as well as soil moisture, UV exposure and soil salinity. All of these different measurements can be used on a construction site in order to make sure the construction plans coincide with the environmental conditions. This EnviroMonitor can be connected to the user’s computer or smartphone in order to deliver information in real time. It is thought that the new equipment is a valuable addition to the range of Davis environmental monitoring systems used at Prodata Weather Systems. The management equipment allows for construction decisions to be more informed with the provision of environmental data. Prodata Weather Systems have also revealed that they were the only dealer that was based in the UK to be involved in the beta-testing of the EnviroMonitor.

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