Nearly half (47%) of construction firms surveyed are still on the journey to GDPR compliance, with only 3% fully compliant by the deadline, according to survey data shared today by Crimson, a UK IT solutions and recruitment company. The data emerges from the 20th annual CIO Survey, created by Crimson’s
Plans to turn every home, office and business into virtual power stations were announced today by Ecolution Group Britain’s fastest-growing supplier of renewable, energy solutions. The launch, supported by an invitation to everyone in the UK and Ireland to #JointheEcolution, will be part of a massive green energy initiative that
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has offered outline planning consent to Fraser Brown MacKenna (FBM) Architects for their design of the regeneration of the Gascoigne West Estate. The 850 home development project will have a significant transformational impact on Barking Town Centre. Moreover, FBM Architects have worked closely
Total Developments Ltd has acquired a 16-acre site with planning consent in place for 265,000 sq ft of mixed-employment development.The vacant site occupies a key location fronting the A63 in the Aire Valley area of Leeds and its development has the potential to provide up to 500 new jobs for
The new housing minister, Kit Malthouse, is faced with the challenge of addressing the current imbalance between housing supply and demand. The process of buying a home is becoming increasingly competitive due to a dwindling supply of properties currently available, which also made the average price of UK real estate
Nearly half (47%) of construction firms surveyed are still on the journey to GDPR compliance, with only 3% fully compliant by the deadline, according to survey data shared today by Crimson, a UK IT solutions and recruitment company. The data emerges from the 20th annual CIO Survey, created by Crimson’s parent company Harvey Nash in partnership with KPMG. The survey polled 3,958 IT leaders across 84 countries and a range of industries. Across all sectors, operational risk and compliance, and data security are the two biggest growth areas of concern for the board. Managing operational risk and compliance was named as a key priority by 38% of IT leaders, an increase of 12% from 2017. On 25 May 2018, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force, introducing severe penalties for any data breaches affecting EU citizens that result from non-compliance. Fines can be as high as EUR20 million, or 4% of global annual revenue for the previous financial year, whichever is higher. Yet, construction firms are lagging in their compliance. On average, 38% of firms across all sectors were on track to miss the deadline when the survey was conducted. In construction, 47% reported they would still be on the journey, and 50% expected to be mostly compliant. Only 3% expected to be fully compliant, the lowest of any sector studied, and significantly behind the leaders in telecommunications (29%), technology (27%) and oil and gas (27%). Construction firms are particularly exposed to the risk of data breaches, with 41% of them saying they have been subject to major IT security or cyber attacks in the last two years, considerably higher than the global average of 33%. Construction and engineering companies consider themselves slightly better prepared than average to identify and deal with cyber attacks. Only 11% of construction companies say they are not well prepared, compared to the global average of 14%, and figures of 22% for education, 20% for oil and gas, and 15% for manufacturing and automotive. Despite underperforming in GDPR compliance, 54% of IT leaders in the construction sector have seen salary increases, putting them in second place behind the leisure industry (56%), and significantly above the global average of 46%. Across all sectors, cloud investment continues to grow, with 70% of IT leaders characterising their investment as significant or moderate. By way of contrast, headline-grabbing technologies blockchain and virtual reality are only attracting a similar level of commitment in 10% of companies. Many organisations struggle to manage customer-focused capabilities. Only 27% said they were very effective at measuring profitability by customer, and just 26% were very effective at creating engaging customer experiences. Half said they were not at all or only slightly effective at achieving a single view of customer interactions across all service channels. “Having fragmented customer data makes it harder to create consistent and engaging customer experiences, and can make it difficult to meet GDPR compliance requirements,” said Mark Britton, Head of Marketing, Crimson. “Construction companies can see their compliance project as an opportunity to migrate to a single, consistent customer relationship management (CRM) solution. Having a single view of the customer helps to achieve actionable insights, and helps to ensure customers have the smoothest experience in their dealings with you.” To download the Harvey Nash / KPMG CIO Survey 2018, courtesy of Crimson, please visit https://www.hnkpmgciosurvey.com/
Plans to turn every home, office and business into virtual power stations were announced today by Ecolution Group Britain’s fastest-growing supplier of renewable, energy solutions. The launch, supported by an invitation to everyone in the UK and Ireland to #JointheEcolution, will be part of a massive green energy initiative that will link together photovoltaic panels, smart energy storage units and EV (electric vehicle) charging points. In short – it will give every home, office and business the opportunity to store, share and sell green energy, totally transforming the way we generate electricity and the way we use it in our houses, in our companies and on the road. Ecolution, supplier and installer of photovoltaic panels and EV charging points, has partnered with HYCUBE, the German manufacturer of smart energy storage units, to produce virtual power station solutions that can be adapted to fit the needs of every type of building – regardless of size. “What we are talking about is nothing short of an energy revolution,” said Andrew Knapp, Ecolution Chief Executive. “We call it #JointheEcolution because it is literally that – a revolution in green energy that makes it possible and affordable for the very first time to combine electricity generation with smart storage and distribution.” “We are literally putting the power into the hands of everyone as a first major step towards energy independence. It starts here and it starts today.” The Ecolution/HyCube system gives the building owner total flexibility. The Sun supplies the green energy which charges up the storage unit with FREE electricity. This ingenious technology is encased within a smart, modular design, enabling this game-changing energy provider to become part of the furniture. When the unit is fully charged any additional power can be sold on to the national grid or shared with other Ecolution/HyCube users Thousands of similar systems have already been successfully installed across Europe and Ecolution believe that British householders and businesses will also wish to #JointheEcolution with prices for a full system in an average house from £8,000. Ecolution, with existing offices in Kent and Norfolk, is investing heavily in the business with plans to open a network of sites nationwide over the next two years. Ecolution and Hycube are re-energising the way we use power; leading the charge for a greener, cleaner tomorrow. They are ready to put the power in your hands – are you? #JointheEcolution Visit: www.ecolutiongroup.com
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has offered outline planning consent to Fraser Brown MacKenna (FBM) Architects for their design of the regeneration of the Gascoigne West Estate. The 850 home development project will have a significant transformational impact on Barking Town Centre. Moreover, FBM Architects have worked closely with Be First, the council’s regeneration company, to ensure their designs complement the neighbouring areas of Abbey Road and Gascoigne East, providing the optimum mix of housing and community services. “We aim to surpass the quality and design standards that we have set at Gascoigne East, offering hundreds of badly needed, new homes for local people at a range of rent levels and prices. This is a huge milestone for this exciting project, which will make much better use of the space, with more traditional street patterns and green spaces,” said Pat Hayes, Managing Director of Be First, the leaders of the project. The planners, who endorsed the £250 million project, agreed that the development would result in a much-needed regeneration of the 2.4ha low density area, providing significantly more and better quality housing in a mix of sizes, in a safer and healthier designed environment. “We have taken a very sensitive approach to the site’s historical context connecting and improving the existing townscape to create an attractive people-friendly scheme for the long-term benefit of local communities,” said Simon Fraser, Director at Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects. Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing, also commented on the news, saying: “It is fantastic to see good quality proposals being drawn up that capture a mixture of realistic renting and affordable buying opportunities for local residents.” A further planning application is expected in late 2018, with the work on site estimated to begin in 2019.
Total Developments Ltd has acquired a 16-acre site with planning consent in place for 265,000 sq ft of mixed-employment development.The vacant site occupies a key location fronting the A63 in the Aire Valley area of Leeds and its development has the potential to provide up to 500 new jobs for the area. The sale of the site was completed by Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water, following a market campaign by industrial property specialists Gent Visick. “We are delighted to announce the sale of this site, which is one of the most strategically linked development opportunities in the region,” said Ryan Unsworth, development manager at Keyland Developments Ltd. “The shortage of industrial accommodation across the wider Yorkshire area is well-known and bringing forward this development will significantly help to manage the lack of available, new industrial space.” The approved scheme will provide 265,000 sq ft of B1, B2, and B8 industrial and commercial space, creating a prosperous new employment hub that can be accessed directly off the A63 East Leeds Link Road Thornes Farm Roundabout. “The level of interest received through our marketing is indicative of the quality of this asset,” said Rupert Visick from Gent Visick.“Total Developments purchased the site on an unconditional basis against stiff competition which is testament to their faith in the location and belief in the strength of the market for mid-sized distribution boxes.” The site is located off Pontefract Lane between the existing Cross Green Industrial Estate and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone, giving easy access to the M62 motorway, as well as a direct link into central Leeds.
The new housing minister, Kit Malthouse, is faced with the challenge of addressing the current imbalance between housing supply and demand. The process of buying a home is becoming increasingly competitive due to a dwindling supply of properties currently available, which also made the average price of UK real estate rising across the country. For prospective homeowners is becoming harder and harder to make their first home purchase, while for current homeowners is harder to move up the property ladders. Therefore, it is important for the new housing minister to sustain the Government’s renewed approach to the housing market and build upon the reforms that were originally touted at the beginning of the year. Moreover, the new Housing Minister must demonstrate strength in his leadership and look to creative new measures that help alleviate market demand for property in both the short and long term. The Government’s target is to build 300,000 new build homes each year, but UK developers have questioned whether the UK has the resources and capability to deliver such a figure. According to a survey carried out earlier in the year, only 15% of respondents think the target is deliverable. In order to make it more attainable, part of the Government’s housing strategy must be dedicated to supporting SME developers, a segment that currently suffers from numerous obstacles. For example, the majority (57%) of small developers find it hard to get access to finance and funding, said another survey. Another issue is that more than 11,000 homes across the country have been empty for 10 year or more. To ensure more of these properties are listed on the market, the Government should encourage private investors or developers to renovate and refurbish derelict homes so that they can re-enter the rental and sales market. This approach could help with the housing crisis and end the imbalance between property demand and supply.
