August 25, 2017

Gas engineer fined for unsafe installation

A Gas Safe registered engineer from Middlesex has been fined for safety failings after he carried out an unsafe installation. In a one day trial at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court it was heard how Michael Efthymiou, a self- employed gas engineer, carried out an unsafe installation of a gas combination boiler and flue

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Arcadis calculates the huge cost of dithering politicians

Political indecision over infrastructure projects is costing the UK economy £70m a day, according to a study by Arcadis. Construction consultant Arcadis, together with the Centre for Economics & Business Research (CEBR), has explored the impact of continuing delays and cancellations on the UK’s infrastructure spending. The report compares the

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New units available at Bearscroft, Godmanchester

On behalf of Paragon Property Developments, Savills has been instructed to market new build retail units at the Bearscroft development in Godmanchester, Huntingdon. The scheme will comprise a terrace of five units and will be anchored by a new Co-operative food store. Due for completion in Spring 2017, four units

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Major District Heating Scheme to Connect £6bn Meridian Water Development

London’s latest £85m district heating infrastructure is taking shape in Enfield and will be delivered by Vital Energi on behalf of energetik, the energy company owned by Enfield Council. The new district heating network will accommodate up to 30,000 homes and businesses, including the £6bn Meridian Water development. energetik want

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Continued growth sees site expansion and investment for AVDanzer

AVDanzer has expanded its Manchester site at Windmill Lane, Denton to accommodate its rapidly growing site accommodation fleet and servicing facilities. Celebrating 30 years trading this year AVDanzer has leased a further 7,500 sq ft of land to provide extra storage, preparation and maintenance areas for its anti-vandal units. The

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REDWING ROOFING WINS REDROW HOMES CONTRACT

Redwing Roofing is delighted to announce it has been awarded the contract to undertake the roof tiling works at Redrow Homes new development at Penlands Farm, Haywards Heath. The first phase of the development consists of 118 new build dwellings. Redwing Roofing is owned and run by Jason McCarthy and

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Kier Awarded CCS Ultra for Welsh Development

The Considerate Constructors Scheme, otherwise known as CCS, has awarded the construction and engineering group Kier with their first Utra site award. This accolade has been given to the construction group for their project in Wales. The Kier Sports Park 2 development is located on Treforest Industrial Estate and has

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BAM Appointed Lead Contractor at Edinburgh Airport Expansion

Edinburgh Airport’s Terminal Expansion Project has taken another step forward, with the lead contractor for the construction work being appointed. BAM Construction has been announced as the lead contractor for the development project that will see an improvement and expansion to the facilities on offer. The construction work planned will

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Latest Issue
Issue 332 : Sept 2025

August 25, 2017

Gas engineer fined for unsafe installation

A Gas Safe registered engineer from Middlesex has been fined for safety failings after he carried out an unsafe installation. In a one day trial at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court it was heard how Michael Efthymiou, a self- employed gas engineer, carried out an unsafe installation of a gas combination boiler and flue at a domestic property in Crossfield Road, Clacton-on-Sea. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident found that on 7 February 2015 Michael Efthymiou left the boiler in place with significant failings that left the tenants at risk of exposure to dangerous products of combustion. Michael Efthymiou, of Nursery Gardens, Enfield, Middlesex was found guilty of breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and Regulation 27(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and was fined £2,460.00 and ordered to pay £6722.37 costs. For further information on Gas Safety visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/ Notes to Editors: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/ HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link

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Arcadis calculates the huge cost of dithering politicians

Political indecision over infrastructure projects is costing the UK economy £70m a day, according to a study by Arcadis. Construction consultant Arcadis, together with the Centre for Economics & Business Research (CEBR), has explored the impact of continuing delays and cancellations on the UK’s infrastructure spending. The report compares the Infrastructure & Projects Authority’s 2015 and 2016 national infrastructure pipelines, worth a total of £293bn across all sectors for the six years 2015/16 to 20/21. Over the next five years the cumulative impact of stalling on projects identified in the pipelines could see the UK economy miss out on as much as £35bn of investment-related GDP, says the report, The Spiralling Cost of Indecision. A one-month average delay in the transport infrastructure pipeline sees the UK economy miss out on around £2bn of investment-related GDP over five years, equivalent to £48,425 per minute of delay, or nearly £70m a day. In 2015/16 infrastructure spending delays and cancellations amounted to £4.6bn. Had the proposed spending taken place in 2015/16 UK GDP would have been £6bn higher. These infrastructure delays and cancellations will amount to a cumulative £35bn of either deferred or missed GDP by 2020. A one-month average delay in scheduled transport projects would lead to over £2bn in lost GDP over the coming five years, equivalent to £48,425 for every minute of delay. In addition, delay costs for transport projects worth £96 billion would rise by £241m over a period of five years. Chris Pike, Arcadis infrastructure client development director, writes in the report: “Since the referendum, government has been slow to recognise the importance of committing to infrastructure and when it comes to finally pressing the button and getting major schemes moving, the conviction appears to be lacking. One might argue that it is only fair to allow the new government time. However, with nervous financial markets and industry already suffering as a result of construction activity being at a seven year low, delaying existing projects or failing to commit to new ones is damaging.”       Further Images This article was published on 13 Oct 2016 (last updated on 13 Oct 2016). Source link

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New units available at Bearscroft, Godmanchester

On behalf of Paragon Property Developments, Savills has been instructed to market new build retail units at the Bearscroft development in Godmanchester, Huntingdon. The scheme will comprise a terrace of five units and will be anchored by a new Co-operative food store. Due for completion in Spring 2017, four units of 900 sq ft (83 sq m) remain available to pre-let at a starting quoting rent of £20,000 per annum. Permitted uses include A1, A2, A3 and A5 offering a wide range of potential options. Edward Gee, associate in the Business Space team at Savills Peterborough, comments: ”Located in a prominent position fronting the A1198, and close the A14 junction, the new Bearscroft Local Centre makes up part of a wider residential development, which will provide significant footfall to the parade. Due to the schemes strong credentials we expect to receive significant interest from potential occupiers.”  Source link

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Trump’s Border Wall Will Start Being Built Along Rio Grande Border

The US Customs and Border Protection is set to start constructing the very first segment of the Trump Border Wall in the month of November, going through a wildlife refuge with funding that was received from Congress. The news broke as an official from the US Fish and Wildlife Service discussed it with a NGO that is raising money for the support of 2 South Texas national wildlife refuges. It was reported that a 3 mile border barrier has been quietly planned in the past 6 months through Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, with soil testing and drilling also reportedly started in New Mexico and California. The construction of the wall was expected to start in January but the House did approve a $1.6 billion spending bill to build some pieces in California and Texas. CBP declared that although the Senate is not sure of this, it will shift own budgets in order to start the work on the segment. According to Carlos Diaz, Customs and Border Protection spokesman: “It would be premature to speak about specific locations.” He went on to say that the only projects that are now authorized are installing 35 gates that exist in the current border fence. The Santa Ana 2,088 acre refuge is one of the country’s most important bird watching sites housing over 400 species. Unfortunately, even if environmental damage would be substantial, the Department of Homeland Security is allowed to wave environmental regulations stopping construction in such sensitive wildlife areas. Democrats are expected to be unified in order to stop such a project. President Trump did make the border wall construction a signature promise and did make huge allegations about its construction, with costs being estimated as being a lot lower than what it would actually cost. While the wall was not mentioned much in recent months, the CBP did start a bidding contest in order to build models for the wall, with concrete and different alternative designs being allowed. Winners are expected to be announced in the month of November. According to The Luxury Team, building a border wall across the entire border with Mexico would be totally impossible and would cost so much more than what many expect, especially if concrete would be used. It seems that President Trump agrees with this and stated that the wall that should be built needs to be see-through, with parts of the border not having to be covered as it is protected by topography. Nothing is officially known about how President Trump will achieve the wall project, even at a lower scale version. Under President Obama administration the current fence, which is a really modest project, cost around $3.2 million per mile. The CBP announced that their entire yearly budget is $20 million. The Republican and Democratic lawmakers did not manage to come up with any feasible idea about how the wall would be paid. According to the Department Of Homeland Security, the entire cost would be $20 billion. The Mexican officials did vigorously reject all propositions about financing the construction.

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Major District Heating Scheme to Connect £6bn Meridian Water Development

London’s latest £85m district heating infrastructure is taking shape in Enfield and will be delivered by Vital Energi on behalf of energetik, the energy company owned by Enfield Council. The new district heating network will accommodate up to 30,000 homes and businesses, including the £6bn Meridian Water development. energetik want to revolutionise the local energy market and improve the reputation of district heating, in a currently unregulated market, to ensure customers receive a quality service. Vital Energi will design, build, operate and maintain the main energy centre for Meridian Water and install the district heating network over the next 12 years, under a contract worth £15m. This heat network is part of an integrated energy and regeneration strategy in Enfield that will interconnect with energetik’s other networks at Arnos Grove and Ponders End. Enfield Council is committed to cutting carbon emissions in the borough by 40% by 2020, and the carbon footprint of homes connected to the energetik network will be up to 80% less than homes with conventional heating. The scheme underpins Enfield’s regeneration ambitions for the future and will provide £225m of economic, environmental and social benefits to local residents and businesses whilst creating new jobs in the area. Rob Callaghan, Regional Director (London & South) for Vital Energi commented, “We are very excited to be working on a project of this magnitude in London. With energetik’s ambitious vision, we look forward to changing the perception of district heating and showcasing the benefits that energy networks can bring to a local community.” Jayne Clare, energetik’s Managing Director added, “The work that Vital Energi will undertake on behalf of energetik delivers the strategic infrastructure that will help to secure Enfield’s energy needs for decades to come. Implementing our specification to the standard we expect challenges the norm of district heating practices. So we are very happy to have such experienced partners in Vital Energi, helping us raise the bar for our customers and the wider industry.” Vital Energi and energetik will work together to provide low-cost, low-carbon, reliable heating for the residents of Enfield and look forward to connecting the first customers to the scheme later in 2017.   https://www.vitalenergi.co.uk

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Continued growth sees site expansion and investment for AVDanzer

AVDanzer has expanded its Manchester site at Windmill Lane, Denton to accommodate its rapidly growing site accommodation fleet and servicing facilities. Celebrating 30 years trading this year AVDanzer has leased a further 7,500 sq ft of land to provide extra storage, preparation and maintenance areas for its anti-vandal units. The units are hired and sold to some of the UK’s leading construction firms and provide state of the art welfare facilities, storage and office space. At its production facility at Langley Mill, Nottingham the company has also invested £200,000 in new office facilities to support the growth of the modular side of the business. AVDanzer’s units can been seen at many of Manchester’s leading developments including Allied London’s No1 Spinningfields, Circle Square and at Ancoats with Graham Construction and Eric Wright Construction on the transformation of the historic Murray Mills. Across the UK AVDanzer is also supporting some of the country’s leading capital investment projects including the £100m National Grid Humber Tunnel gas pipeline project. Commenting on the expansion, Director Helen Scott said: “The cabin rental side of the business has boomed as UK construction projects continue to grow and the extra space was needed to prepare and refurbish the thousands of units we have in the fleet. We now have over 4000 units and we invest over £1.5m each year in expanding, maintaining and refurbishing them to the highest standard so we needed more space to accommodate those that are being worked on before they go back out on hire.” The company started out in 1987 with a small office and shared yard and moved to the Denton site in 1991. It has continued to evolve over the last 30 years and in 2016 it rebranded as AVDanzer to incorporate its manufacturing business which is based in Nottingham. Today AVDanzer employs a total of 100 people across its sites in Denton, Nottingham and London and has a turnover in excess of £14m. The company has also this month manufactured and installed its own new modular offices for the Langley Mill site in a further investment worth £200,000. For more information visit www.avdanzer.co.uk

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REDWING ROOFING WINS REDROW HOMES CONTRACT

Redwing Roofing is delighted to announce it has been awarded the contract to undertake the roof tiling works at Redrow Homes new development at Penlands Farm, Haywards Heath. The first phase of the development consists of 118 new build dwellings. Redwing Roofing is owned and run by Jason McCarthy and Daniel Burgan. With over 30 years experience combined, Redwing Roofing provides both private customers and building contractors with an exemplary roofing service. Following selection as a finalist in the UK Roofing Awards this year, a new website was developed in conjunction with web developers Super Digital. The aim was to better highlight the wealth of services on offer and showcase high profile case studies such as the forthcoming Redrow Homes project and previous projects with developers such as Taylor Wimpey and Riverdale Developments. The new, fully responsive website has been designed to provide the ultimate user-friendly experience, whether viewed on a mobile device or desktop computer. With improved navigation and functionality throughout, the site allows visitors to access detailed information on all of Redwing’s services. From large commercial projects to individual domestic repairs, the site now provides case studies of previous work to demonstrate Redwing’s capabilities across a wide range of projects. For more information on Redwing Roofing visit www.redwingroofing.co.uk

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Kier Awarded CCS Ultra for Welsh Development

The Considerate Constructors Scheme, otherwise known as CCS, has awarded the construction and engineering group Kier with their first Utra site award. This accolade has been given to the construction group for their project in Wales. The Kier Sports Park 2 development is located on Treforest Industrial Estate and has managed to become the only site in the whole of Wales to be given the title. For a site to be considered to the Ultra award, the main contractor must get all of the subcontractors, designers and suppliers for the construction work to sign up to the scheme. This means that everyone working on a project are then able to all work together in order to make sure that they achieve the highest score possible. Kier managed this by putting a number of measures in place and also worked in collaboration with the supply chain for the Sports Park 2 in order to ensure everyone is working together to achieve the best score they can. As part of the work towards the Ultra award, Kier installed on the site an interactive hoarding to be used by the public. This feature allowed people near to the site to be able to see what the scheme will look like when construction work is completed. On the hoarding there was a painted silhouette of a sea telescope that acted as a viewing hole, encouraging people to look into the box weatherproof box that contained a digital picture frame loaded with computer generated images of the finished site. Since the scheme began Kier have been focused on looking at a number of different ways in which the sirte operations can be improved as well as improving public engagement. Being able to achieve the CCS Ultra scheme is great news for the company and the site as it reflects the hard work put in by subcontractors and workers on the site as well as the opportunity to meet their own business targets.

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Cheshire West and Chester Council Seek Contractor for £300 million Development

Cheshire West and Cheshire Council are looking for a construction partner in order to carry out planned work as part of the £300 million Chester Northgate scheme. The council has paced an advertisement into the Official Journal of the European Union which looks for a contractor to work alongside the council in order to develop a design, test the buildability of the design and manage out any risk associated with the construction project. In preparation for the scheme, Cheshire West and Chester Council have made a number of compulsory purchase orders on a selection of properties in order to secure the land for the development. The historic city will be carrying out one of the largest city centre development schemes in the country. The advertisement has been placed for the contractor, who will be required to demonstrate their experience and ability of working on large city centre developments. It is important, with the strong heritage seen throughout Chester City centre that the contractor chosen for the work is experienced in dealing with a historical environment and archeology. Contractors will have until the end of September to apply for the work, with construction planned by the end of 2018. It is thought that the advertisement that has been placed by the local council will generate a lot of interest due to the size and unique nature of the development. The work will see the library in the city centre turned into the entrance of the new retail complex and a restaurant hub, with the nearby Forum shopping centre also being demolished and used as part of the new construction work. The contractor for the work is expected to be announced at the start of next year and, when completed, the retail development will offer a new selection of retail and hospitality choices for locals and visitors to the vibrant and historical city.

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BAM Appointed Lead Contractor at Edinburgh Airport Expansion

Edinburgh Airport’s Terminal Expansion Project has taken another step forward, with the lead contractor for the construction work being appointed. BAM Construction has been announced as the lead contractor for the development project that will see an improvement and expansion to the facilities on offer. The construction work planned will add more domestic and international arrival facilities to Edinburgh Airport. The new facilities will include a new larger baggage reclaim and a range of new border control facilities. Also to be added to the airport are more shops and cafes as well as a new lounge space and office accommodation. These new facilities will have new link bridges and stairs to connect them to the rest of the airport and out to the aircraft. The construction work will also add another south east pier and allow for larger aircraft stands. Work is already underway at the site in order to deliver this new three storey terminal expansion. The total development has been valued at around £80 million and represents a significant investment into preparing the airport for the future. Edinburgh Airport is the fastest growing airport in the UK and the busiest airport in Scotland. The expansion work is required in order to manage the demand and increase of passengers using the airport going forward. The new extension will be built on a formerly disused service yard, which is situated between the existing airport and Gogar Burn. It is thought that this construction work is a part of the capital programme that is due to take place over the course of the next five years. This capital programme is meant to see around £220 million invested into the city. BAM Construction has been appointed as the lead contractor for the Terminal Expansion Project which will see an extra 14,350 sq. m. of accommodation at the airport. The work is expected to be completed by Autumn 2018.

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