A record £1m fine for Thames Water for polluting a canal has been handed down as a signal that big companies must improve their environmental performance, the judge said. Above: Sludge around a moored boat [Environment Agency photo] Thames Water Utilities was prosecuted by the Environment Agency for repeatedly polluting
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Fri, Apr 29th 2016 Dudley’s Aluminium will start work later this year on a redevelopment project for Ashford College, supporting the construction of a new general teaching block. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday
The RIBA has today, 15 April 2015, responded to the launch of the Liberal Democrat Party’s 2015 General Election Manifesto. Discussing the issues of Housing, Planning, Schools Building, Flooding and Energy Efficiency – all key components of the RIBA’s #BuildaBetterBritain Campaign – the RIBA Executive Director of Communication & Outreach,
Couch Perry Wilkes (CPW), the national M&E consultancy, has made a number of senior appointments across its UK offices. Promoted to director were Gareth Moad, who heads up the engineering team in Leeds, and Nilesh Mistry, who has worked in the firm’s Nottingham office for more than a decade. Public
Barbara Res, the project manager behind Trump Tower on New York’s Fifth Avenue, will be speaking with journalist and broadcaster, Steph McGovern, at the UK Construction Week (UKCW) Stage on the 10th of October about her experience as a female engineer, the successes and challenges of working with Donald Trump,
A further 700 new homes are being planned for the 170-acre Skelton Gate site within the Leeds Aire Valley, taking the total number of homes being built to 1,800. Templegate Developments Limited, the joint venture partnership of Evans Property Group and Keyland Developments, has submitted this planning application to Leeds
A record £1m fine for Thames Water for polluting a canal has been handed down as a signal that big companies must improve their environmental performance, the judge said. Above: Sludge around a moored boat [Environment Agency photo] Thames Water Utilities was prosecuted by the Environment Agency for repeatedly polluting a canal in Hertfordshire. Thames Water allowed repeated discharges of polluting matter from Tring sewage treatment works (STW) to enter the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal in Hertfordshire between July 2012 and April 2013. On Monday 4th January, at St Albans Crown Court the company was ordered to pay a fine of £1m, costs of £18,113.08 and a victim surcharge of £120. This is the highest ever fine for a water company in a pollution prosecution. Explaining why the fine was so large, His Honour Judge Andrew Bright QC said: “The time has now come for the courts to make clear that very large organisations such as [Thames Water] really must bring about the reforms and improvements for which they say they are striving because if they do not the sentences passed upon them for environmental offences will be sufficiently severe to have a significant impact on their finances.” Thames Water has a permit to discharge treated effluent from Tring STW into the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. The conditions of the permit set by the Environment Agency aim to prevent any negative impact upon the canal itself and activities such as boating and fishing which take place on or in it. The court heard that poorly performing inlet screens caused equipment at the works to block, leading to sewage sludge and debris – including panty liners and ear buds – being discharged into the canal. The inlet screens should take out the majority of sewage debris referred to as ‘rag’ from the process, but the screens had repeatedly failed in this case. This article was published on 6 Jan 2016 (last updated on 6 Jan 2016). Source link
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Fri, Apr 29th 2016 Dudley’s Aluminium will start work later this year on a redevelopment project for Ashford College, supporting the construction of a new general teaching block. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday WELSH aluminium fabricators Dudley’s Aluminium will start work later this year on a redevelopment project for Ashford College, supporting the construction of a new general teaching block. Dudley’s Aluminium has secured a contract to create and install essential architectural aluminium fixtures at the site, including curtain walling, doors and windows. The new £11m college will replace the existing facilities located a mile from the town centre, and provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for over 700 students. The campus will also be more accessible than its predecessor, being located closer to the town centre and within a shorter walking distance from the main railway station and bus stops. Colin Shorney, managing director at Dudley’s, said: “We are delighted to be working at Ashford College. We have worked extensively within the education sector over the last 24 months, and we are delighted to be lending our expertise once again. The project is an exciting one for the local area, and we look forward to its opening.” The new facilities will include a refectory, laboratories, salon, and an art and media studio, and there are also future plans to extend the general teaching block with a future ‘construction and technology block’. Work is currently underway at the site and the project is expected to be completed before the start of the 2017 academic year. The new teaching block will ensure Ashford College continues to support students looking to begin their careers in the manufacturing, construction and service sectors, with a mix of further education and higher education courses, apprenticeships and skill-based courses. Source link
The RIBA has today, 15 April 2015, responded to the launch of the Liberal Democrat Party’s 2015 General Election Manifesto. Discussing the issues of Housing, Planning, Schools Building, Flooding and Energy Efficiency – all key components of the RIBA’s #BuildaBetterBritain Campaign – the RIBA Executive Director of Communication & Outreach, Gill Webber, said: On Housing: ‘It is vital that the target of building 300,000 new homes doesn’t just become a focus on numbers. Good quality houses and effective infrastructure are vital to support new developments – whether we’re talking about garden cities or small sites in rural communities.’ On Planning: ‘The desire to empower Local Authorities to collaboratively drive developments is welcomed, but the next Government should review the National Planning Policy Framework to ensure that it balances policies that support development with a need to build strong, sustainable communities.’ On Schools Building: ‘We face a growing shortage of school places, and 80% of our school buildings are in poor condition, failing the students and teachers trying to learn and teach in them. Well-designed buildings improve well-being and cut maintenance costs – vital to the long-term future of the UK’s education system. We hope that any future Government will maintain a focus on capital school funding.’ On Flooding: ‘We welcome the commitment to develop a fit for purpose approach which takes into account the importance of high construction and planning standards for water resilient building design – a key element of the RIBA’s Build a Better Britain campaign. The next Government should introduce legislation that identifies flooding resilience as a strategic priority for successive parliaments.’ On Energy Efficiency: ‘We welcome the party’s ambitious energy efficiency plans for the built environment. The RIBA believes that this will be best achieved through a national retrofit strategy for all building types that aligns existing retrofit policies and other related Government initiatives.’ ENDS Notes to editors: 1. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com 2. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA 3. For more information or interview requests, members of the press should contact: Gagandeep Bedi, Press Officer, RIBA: gagandeep.bedi@riba.org 020 7307 3814 Posted on Wednesday 15th April 2015 Source link
Couch Perry Wilkes (CPW), the national M&E consultancy, has made a number of senior appointments across its UK offices. Promoted to director were Gareth Moad, who heads up the engineering team in Leeds, and Nilesh Mistry, who has worked in the firm’s Nottingham office for more than a decade. Public health specialist, Jim Buckley, and Oliver Cozens, who leads the firm’s power team, have also made the step up to associate. “Recognising and rewarding our talented and hard-working team is something that is really important to us as a business, especially those who have been with us for a number of years, so we are delighted to be able to announce this string of promotions across the firm,” said Mark Morris, director at CPW. “All four of them have made significant contributions to the business and their promotions are testament to the ongoing hard work and their dedication to the firm. We are very pleased to welcome them to the senior team and look forward to their involvement in driving the business forwards as we progress our plans for growth across the UK,” he continued. With more than 200 staff based across its ten regional offices across the country, CPW works on high profile schemes, including the newly-opened Lincoln Transport Hub and Project Greengrass – British Sugar’s state of the art office space in Peterborough, which is due for completion later this year. “It goes without saying that I’m very pleased to be stepping into this new role. I have a huge amount of respect for the senior team at CPW and I look forward to being involved in the company’s further progression and growth,” said Nilesh about his promotion. “I am delighted to be taking on the role of director and am excited to be a part of helping to drive the business forwards as part of the senior team,” added Gareth. Celebrating 40 years in business in 2018, CPW specialises in designing and integrating the full range of energy solutions into existing and new building by using innovative and contemporary engineering techniques.
Barbara Res, the project manager behind Trump Tower on New York’s Fifth Avenue, will be speaking with journalist and broadcaster, Steph McGovern, at the UK Construction Week (UKCW) Stage on the 10th of October about her experience as a female engineer, the successes and challenges of working with Donald Trump, and sexual harassment in construction. Despite encountering decades of sexual discrimination, harassment and intimidation, she became the first woman to take charge of a major skyscraper in New York, and was hired to be the vice-president of the Trump Organisation, working for Trump for nearly 18 years, from 1978 to 1996. Initially supportive of Trump, she now speaks freely about how his attitude towards women has changed, She continues to voice strong views about women in construction and her philosophy on feminism, as well as speaking extensively to women’s groups and industry groups about construction and women’s role in it. Barbara published her memoir, ‘All Alone on the 68th Floor: How One Woman Changed the Face of Construction’, in 2013 and she is now coming to the UK to deliver a keynote presentation at the construction industry’s largest event, UK Construction Week, which returns to the NEC between the 9th and the 11th of October 2018. Reserve a free place at this major interview of a true pioneer in construction by registering online at: www.ukconstructionweek.com. Barbara Res’s views on why female engineers and tradeswomen are leaving construction in their thousands in North America can also be read at: www.ukconstructionweek.com/news/blog/barbara-res.
A further 700 new homes are being planned for the 170-acre Skelton Gate site within the Leeds Aire Valley, taking the total number of homes being built to 1,800. Templegate Developments Limited, the joint venture partnership of Evans Property Group and Keyland Developments, has submitted this planning application to Leeds City Council. The project first received permission in November 2017 for the creation of a new mixed-use sustainable community that included up to 1,100 new homes, a primary and secondary school, public open space, a local centre and a convenience store, as well as associated infrastructure. Following Leeds City Council’s Full Council approving the adoption of the Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan (AVLAAP), land at Skelton Gate was allocated for a further 700 dwellings. “The provision of 1,801 dwellings, rather than 1,100 dwellings, on the site would make a real difference to securing the long-term provision of the necessary physical and social infrastructure to support the development of the site,” said the AVLAAP Final Inspector’s Report. For example, the more homes in the area, the more people would live there; therefore the provision of a viable bus link to the city centre becomes far more likely to be sustainable in the long run. Additional people living on the site also means the support of education facilities, including a through-school, and a local centre incorporating a retail element, as well as other types of social and green infrastructure. Moreover, Templegate Developments Limited will be transferring its interests in those parts of Skelton Lake within the site to Leeds City Council, in order for the Council to create a new nature reserve. “The recent allocations under the AAP and this subsequent application for additional homes at Skelton Gate is the culmination of this collaborative working and will further the major investment proposals by Templegate Developments in this significant regeneration scheme,” concluded James Pitt, development director at Evans Property Group.
