14 October 2016 | Jamie Harris The Cabinet Office says 159 councils are joining the next phase of the government’s One Public Estate programme.  Half of all councils in England are now part of the programme, run by the Cabinet Office Government Property Unit and the Local Government Association (LGA), which brings together local and central government departments to make the use of the public sector estate more efficient. It was launched in 2013 to encourage public sector partners to share buildings, reduce running costs and transform the services they provide, support joint working across central and local government to release surplus land and property, and integrate public services. Over five years, One Public Estate is expected to save £56 million in running costs, raise £138 million in land and property sales, and create 36,000 jobs. The news follows the programme’s extension last year, announced in the 2015 Autumn Statement, in which a further £31 million in funding was provided from government. The scheme’s expansion sees a total of £7.5 million in funding awarded to 37 partnerships, comprised of the participating councils and public sector bodies, to support property efficiency initiatives. Ben Gummer, minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, said: “This funding will create important initiatives that integrate public services, boost local economies and deliver cost savings for local councils and taxpayers.” Lord Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “The extra money being made available for even more councils to join the programme will bring us closer to achieving our ambition to have all councils signed up by 2018, driving growth in their areas through the strong local leadership that we’ve already seen in the early phases of the programme.” A full list of the local authorities currently taking part in the scheme, as well as a breakdown of the 2016/17 funding allocated to the partnerships, can be found here. Source link

Architecture practices in the North the most confident about future workloads Practices now employing 5% more students than 12 months ago The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index was virtually unchanged in May 2015 (at +37, up from +36 in April). Practices in the north of England (balance figure +50), Wales and the West (+44) and London (+40) are the most optimistic about future workloads. Medium-sized practices (11–50 staff), with a balance figure of +54, continue to be the most optimistic about future growth; small practices (1–10 staff) and large practices (51+ staff) also remain positive about the outlook for future workloads (balance figures +35 and +33 respectively). The private housing sector forecast fell slightly in May (to +34 from +38 in April). This month also saw the public sector forecast move into negative territory for the first time since July 2014 (down to -1 in May 2015, from +3 in April). Our respondents anticipate public sector spending on building projects to be flat at best over the coming quarter. More positively, the commercial sector forecast increased to +21 (from +15 in April), while the community sector forecast made a recovery from its recent decline (rising to +4 in May from -3 in April). The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index fell slightly to +16 (from +18 in April 2015), with medium-sized practices the most confident about increasing their staff over the next quarter (+55). For large practices, the balance figure for May was a healthy +50; small practices remain significantly more cautious at +8. Overall, 17% of participating practices expect to see an increase in temporary staff over the next quarter whilst only 2% anticipate employing fewer permanent staff over the same period. Just 12% of respondents said that they had personally been under-employed in the last month. Practices also reported that they currently employ 5% more students (year out or post-Part 2) compared with the equivalent period last year. RIBA Director of Practice Adrian Dobson said: “Our employment index has been in very positive territory for some time and there is every indication that the employment market for salaried architects will remain strong over the coming quarter. “Our practices expect the commercial sector to perform well during 2015, led by the office and leisure markets. Despite a slight dip in the private housing sector forecast, possibly associated with decreased house building around the recent General Election, it remains the best performing of our sector forecasts. “We continue to receive reports that clients remain resistant to increases in fee levels, leading to tight profit margins on many projects. However, as the employment market becomes more competitive, we would expect to see greater salary expectations along with more general economic growth bringing some upward momentum to fee levels.” ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For further press information contact Callum Reilly in the RIBA Press Office: 020 7307 3757 callum.reilly@riba.org 2. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. www.architecture.com 3. Completed by a mix of small, medium and large firms based on a geographically representative sample, the RIBA Future Trends Survey was launched in January 2009 to monitor business and employment trends affecting the architects’ profession. 4. The RIBA Future Trends Survey is carried out by the RIBA in partnership with the Fees Bureau. Results of the survey, including a full graphical analysis, are published each month at: http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Professionalsupport/FutureTrendsSurvey.aspx 5. To participate in the RIBA Future Trends Survey, please contact the RIBA Practice Department on 020 7307 3749 or email practice@riba.org. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete each month, and all returns are independently processed in strict confidence 6. The definition for the workload balance figure is the difference between those expecting more work and those expecting less. A negative figure means more respondents expect less work than those expecting more work. This figure is used to represent the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index, which for May 2015 was +37 7. The definition for the staffing balance figure is the difference between those expecting to employ more permanent staff in the next three months and those expecting to employ fewer. A negative figure means more respondents expect to employ fewer permanent staff. This figure is used to represent the RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index, which for May 2015 was +16   Posted on Wednesday 24th June 2015 Source link

British investors are one of the largest group of investors in Dubai’s property markets but the decision by the UK to leave the European Union is unlikely to have much of an impact, according to experts. As the most open real estate market in the Middle East, Dubai has always found itself more susceptible to external factors. But, despite the interim uncertainty brought about as a result of Brexit the emirate unlikely to feel any long term effects, says a report from international real estate firm JLL. British citizens are the third largest investors into Dubai’s real estate market, potentially leaving them more susceptible to any negative impacts from Brexit, however, JLL’s Craig Plumb, head of research for The Middle East and North Africa, believes that any negative ramifications will only be temporary. ‘Even though it is too early to predict the long-term implications, overall there is a slight probability of British investors being negatively impacted by the devaluation of the British Pound following Britain’s decision to exit the European Union,’ he said. ‘However, we believe the effect of the decision will only have temporary repercussions as a substantial number of British investors who work and reside in the UAE avoid sourcing their income in sterling,’ he explained. ‘If we dissect the market further, particularly for residential, we notice that expatriates in Dubai are most likely to continue renting their homes instead of switching to ownership, resulting in sales being more negatively affected than the rental sector. If external factors stabilize over the rest of the year, we expect the Dubai residential market to easily recover in early 2017,’ he pointed out. During the second quarter of the year, office vacancy rates throughout Dubai showed a general downward trend. However, Plumb attributes this to a lack of supply, confirming that Dubai remains the largest and most active office market in MENA with many businesses still preferring to use the Emirate as their regional hub. Meanwhile, the retail and hotel sectors have fared less well in the immediate aftermath of the decision given the devaluation of the British pound. ‘Dubai and the MENA region as a whole has become an increasingly expensive destination for European visitors,’ Plumb added. Source link

With environmentally friendly, recycle and green energy becoming a priority across the entire world, it’s no wonder that more and more architects and construction specialists are focusing on introducing eco-friendly building designs. Buildings are getting designed in a manner that considers their environmental impact from the start, and even the way they’re constructed places a distinct focus on eco-friendliness and sustainability. The way in which these buildings deal with their waste during their construction is hugely important, and that is why more and more buildings are utilising skip hire in Northampton and the rest of the UK which focuses on ethical and environmentally-friendly waste removal. The secrets behind Eco-Friendly Building Construction Green Waste Removal – Even though all your efforts to reduce as much waste as possible during a construction project is great for helping the environment and reduce costs, there will always be waste created from the process. When it comes to removing the waste from your building project in anywhere across the UK, you need to ensure that you are using ethical waste removal and disposal service. That is why you need to find a skip hire company that does its best to recycle as much of the waste it receives as possible and can offer extremely high rates of recycling success. Alternative Energy Solutions – Modern buildings today, tend to have solar panels directly included into their design as a clean and renewable energy source. They utilise the natural energy provided by the sun and can not only work to reduce the environmental impact of a building’s design but can even provide decreased energy bills over the building’s lifetime. There are several government grants, incentives and tax breaks which a huge bonus to those buildings can also be which include solar power in their designs. Using Sustainable Buildings Materials – If you’re aiming to construct a green building, then it’s a no-brainer to use environmental construction materials. Each and every part of your building needs to use responsibly made and eco-friendly components, from the roofing material to the insulation you choose, the materials chosen can have a major effect on the overall sustainability of your building. Popular eco-friendly building materials include reclaimed timber, recycled plastics, recycled glass and other natural building products such as bamboo, cork and linoleum made of renewable materials. Energy Efficient Windows – Double-glazed windows can be extremely effective when to comes to a building’s insulation properties and drastically reduce costs from heating over the building’s lifetime. This also makes complete financial sense, as any additional costs incurred by installing double-glazed windows is overturned by the savings that these windows will provide in the long run. In summary, these points suggest that Britain is going in the right direction and when considering an environmentally friendly construction project, then you need to plan the most effective strategy to manage your waste, with the help of an expert.