Winder Power, a UK manufacturer of power and distribution transformers, has been shortlisted by the Living Wage Foundation for the Living Wage Champion Awards 2016 in the Yorkshire & Humber region.   The awards recognise Living Wage Foundation employers that have made great contributions to communities and industries by implementing and celebrating the Living Wage, an hourly rate set independently by the Foundation and updated annually, calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; a social consensus about what people need to make ends meet, and Winder Power has been a proud supporter of the initiative since 2014. There are currently over 2,700 accredited Living Wage Foundation employers across the UK, all who have signed up voluntarily, who recognise that adhering to the Government’s national living minimum wage is not good for business. As a living wage employer, this commitment means that every employee at Winder Power, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors; receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.25 – significantly higher than the Government’s national living wage of £7.20. Speaking following the shortlist announcement, Laurence MacKenzie, group chief executive of Winder Power, said, “We’re absolutely delighted to have been recognised by the Living Wage Foundation and to have been shortlisted for their Living Wage Champion Awards. Making a public commitment to be a responsible employer is important for Winder Power as many Winder Power staff are from the local community and we are a proud British manufacturer producing all of our products in Yorkshire. We are committed to ensuring that we provide this community, and the UK, with sustainable employment and maintain, and indeed create, jobs in this country; and we believe the Living Wage Foundation accreditation aids us in this objective.” Living Wage foundation director, Katherine Chapman said, “I would like to offer huge congratulations to Winder Power on being shortlisted for the Living Wage Champion Awards. The commitment of Living Wage employers like Winder Power to responsible pay makes a life changing difference to families and communities across the UK. We look forward to celebrating this even more when announcing the winners of the regional awards during Living Wage Week which will begin on October 31st.” The award winners will be announced during Living Wage Week, with one winner announced for each region of the UK: Scotland; Wales; Northern Ireland; the East Midlands; the West Midlands; the East of England; Yorkshire and the Humber; North East England; North West England; South East England; South West England; and London. The awards are judged by an independent panel of community leaders from Citizens UK; national community organising charity and home of the Living Wage campaign. Source link

ClickGreen 19th October 2015 Developers of the shelved Navitus Bay windfarm have confirmed they will not challenge the decision by Energy Ministers to reject planning permission for the £3.5 billion project. The Department of Energy and Climate Change confirmed in September that planning permission had been refused for up to 194 turbines on the site off the south coast of England that would have generated 970 megawatt (MW) of green energy. A proposal for smaller alternative project of 105 turbines was also turned down. Today’s announcement marks the end of a five-year-battle and defeat for the Navitus Bay scheme, which was a 50-50 joint venture between Eneco Wind UK Ltd and EDF Energy Renewables, and would have been located off the Dorset and Hampshire coasts, to the west of the Isle of Wight. In a statement released today, Stuart Grant, Project Director at Navitus Bay, said: “After careful consideration, Navitus Bay has chosen not to challenge the decision by the Secretary of State to refuse consent for the proposed wind park. We would like to thank the communities on the South Coast and all our stakeholders for their engagement throughout the project. We would also like to extend a thank you to the potential suppliers, who worked incredibly hard to inform our proposal. “Over the course of the project we have gathered data from a wide range of offshore surveys and studies. This wealth of information includes environmental material such as bird and mammal surveys, human activity evaluations including shipping, navigation and archaeological data, and physical environmental detail like geotechnical data and sediment sampling. “We recognise that this marine data is valuable and can provide a legacy by helping to stimulate research, support academia and contribute towards the sustainable management of the seabed. We will therefore by making this data available in 2016 via The Crown Estate’s Marine Data Exchange. Like this story? Please subscribe to our free weekly e-newsletter at the top of the page for more content like this. Source link

Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Fri, Apr 8th 2016 Underwoods motor group is the largest independent dealership in Essex and Suffolk. The group is celebrating the opening of its impressive Peugeot new car showroom in Sudbury, which has been fitted with ROCKFON® acoustic ceiling tiles to help create a stylish interior design to show the cars to best effect whilst also creating a comfortable, welcoming environment for customers. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Managing Director of Underwoods, Gerry Wiggins specified ROCKFON® Color-all® ceilings tiles in a Concrete colour for the showroom and is delighted with the results. “I was looking for an alternative to a white ceiling and I like the dark grey of the ROCKFON tiles; I knew they would fit the modern design we were looking for. The team at ROCKFON were very helpful, providing advice on installation and the tiles arrived on time. I was very impressed.”Underwoods wanted an interior design that would achieve superior functionality and outstanding customer experience. The showroom is fitted with full-height glazing so the ability for the ceiling to contribute toward controlling solar glare was an important requirement.Mike Strain, MD of motor trade architectural consultants Scaramanga Design, emphasised the importance of colour and durability within the specification. “Having worked with ROCKFON before, I had confidence their products would deliver. We worked with their team and chose ROCKFON Color-all in the ‘Concrete’ surface colour as this dark tone helped control light reflecting off the polished cars, enabling customers to view the vehicles in their best light whilst creating the right mood.”As well as fulfilling the aesthetic requirements, ROCKFON Color-all delivered the required Class A sound absorption needed to control noise levels in this large open-plan space. For added peace of mind, the tiles provide the highest fire safety (A1) and up to 100% relative humidity, guaranteeing longevity. ROCKFON Color-all is a range of ceiling tiles and wall panels that have a stone wool core with a smooth, matt fleece offering long-lasting colour. The range is available in a choice of 34 inspirational colours making it easier to create your individual interior design.The ceilings in Underwood’s showroom are fitted with an exposed Chicago Metallic® T24 Click 2890 grid in a matching Concrete colour to create an almost continuous appearance. Color-all ceiling tiles are available in exposed, semi-concealed or concealed edges in a large variety of dimensions giving architects and interior designers total design freedom.The offices in the dealership are fitted with ROCKFON® Artic™ to give a light, spacious feel to these rooms. ROCKFON Artic is an affordable range of 15mm thick, smooth, white tiles in semi-concealed and visible grid options. The smooth white surface is ideal for reflecting light back into the room, helping to reduce energy bills. The tiles are cost-effective and offer good functionality for a variety of areas requiring minimum Class C sound absorption.CCF Basildon supplied all the ceiling tiles and suspension grids for the showroom. ROCKFON works closely with CCF to ensure their products are widely available in all branches across the country.If you’re looking to create an imaginative interior and want a ceiling that will enhance your interior design scheme, visit www.rockfon.co.uk for more information on ROCKFON Color-all and the wider ROCKFON range. Source link

On 23 November, the British Coatings Federation (BCF) picked up a third major award this year, winning the Industry Leadership award at the fourth British Standards Institution’s (BSI) Awards. As described in the BSI’s citation, ‘This award recognizes exceptional support for standards-making by a trade association or professional body or an individual company. The recipient will have demonstrated how they have supported and enabled committee members to actively participate in standards-making and how, as an organization, they have constructively engaged in standards-making and supported the benefits of using standards’. BCF members have actively been involved with standards development for many years, and most recently contributed to BS EN 16623:2015, BS 8001:2017, the recent revision of BS EN ISO 12944  and the current work on BS 6150. BCF members are also taking the lead in reviving a key committee associated with aerospace coatings standards development, in particular in order to meet the key challenges arising from the REACH authorisation of chromate pigments. This latest achievement is the third high-profile Award win for the BCF in 2017, with the Federation presented with a double win at the Trade Association Forum earlier in the year for ‘Marketing Initiative of the Year’ and for their top honour as ‘Trade Association of the Year’. Commenting on the BSI award, BCF’s Regulatory Affairs Manager Trevor Fielding said “We are extremely pleased to have received this Award on behalf of all our members involved with standards work. We are delighted to see that BCF member participation in standards-making has been recognised by the BSI and we look forward to continuing to lead the way in standards development for the paint, coatings, inks and wallcoverings sectors in the coming years, at both national and international level.”

Outstanding building and structural projects that contribute to the design quality of Aylesbury Vale have been celebrated at the annual Aylesbury Vale District Council Design Awards, supported by Durkan UK. The Plaque for Outstanding Design 2017 was presented to Francis Jackson Homes and MSquare Architects for The View, Dadford. Overlooking the Grade 1 listed Stowe House and gardens, The View was designed to replace four dilapidated cottages with housing that respects the local context and enhances the site. During the awards ceremony the development was described as “a scheme which truly delivers a contemporary take on the vernacular”. Councillor Carole Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Growth Strategy, commented: “Aylesbury Vale is one of the fastest growing areas in the UK, however, it’s important that we continue to encourage high-quality developments showing innovation and good design, and which complement our environment and heritage. These awards demonstrate the diversity of developments across the Vale and our commitment to securing a high level of design along with sustainable growth.” Now in their 24th year, the Design Awards brings together designers, architects, builders and contractors to showcase their excellence. Entries are welcomed from developers across Aylesbury Vale and nominations can also be submitted by residents. Each of the shortlisted projects are then judged against six key criteria: quality of design/construction, fitness for purpose, sustainability, accessibility, attractiveness and innovation. The shortlisted projects for the 2017 Design Awards were: 4 Great Western Street, Aylesbury Pochard Fishing Lodge, Great Brickhill The View, Dadford Upper Hayne Farm, Shabbington Stoney Furlong, Chearsley The Dove House, Haddenham White Hart Barn, Haddenham Walton Court, Aylesbury Goldswain End, Aylesbury  

Following the Nationwide House Price Index figures released yesterday (30 November 2017), Murray Smith, Managing Director of SiteSales Property Group, believes the market is in a state of limbo and unlikely to change in the coming months “It will be a long time until these statistics come with eye-catching headlines as the market is in a state of limbo. An over-emphasis on newbuild apartments in major cities will do little to move values one way or another but at least (for the good of buyers) we are now entering the price levelling era that I have been predicting. With market inertia these statistics tell us little other than the people that are buying are buying at prices that are little or no different from what they were a month or three ago with transaction numbers tumbling. In the ‘Acacia Avenues’ of the suburbs you cannot get a small builder for months in advance because every other house is having an attic conversion instead of the owners moving – deterred by the clunky SDLT system in place and the lack of availability. “Nationwide is quite right to point out that the stamp duty easing of a week ago will do little to prices, although it is a very south-east-centric move on the government’s part.  The stamp duty cash collection (although the sum has increased of late) should be derived from a fairer and more regional policy.  Simply receiving more isn’t the biggest challenge and the sums are small compared to the harm that inertia does to the housing  market and the services that are heavily reliant upon it being active. To Nationwide the next few months will provide an opportunity to cut and paste copy from the previous month’s comment as this picture is unlikely to change.”