Where are the top 100 universities by property price? Oxford may have knocked the California Institute of Technology off of the top spot in the latest world university rankings, but despite having the label of the UK’s most unaffordable city to live, the historic university town isn’t home to the most expensive property around the world. Online estate agent, eMoov.co.uk, has highlighted where in the latest top 100 university world rankings is home to the most expensive property price. eMoov looked at the average property price per square meter across all 100 universities and found that a property in cities home to the world’s most prestigious academic institutions will set you back, on average, £5,245 a square meter, climbing to £7,496 across those in the UK.   Despite its tendency to fuel the UK market and being home to four top 100 universities, London is not top of the pile for property price. However, the top three is dominated by a former British Colony and at £17,646 per a square meter, Hong Kong is home to the most expensive property price in the top 100 university rankings with the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong all making the list. At £16,331, London is the second most expensive city in the top 100, with the Imperial College London, University College London, the London School of Economics and Political Science and King’s College London all ranking highly. The University of Tokyo is the eight most expensive at £14,221 per square foot with the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University also in Singapore, completing the top 10 at £13,664. The 10 cheapest university cities are dominated by the United States, with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the cheapest of the lot at just £783 per a square meter. Of the other UK universities in the list Oxford came 39th (£4,410), Cambridge came 45th (£4,061), Bristol was 56th (£3,502), Warwick 62nd (£3,000), Edinburgh was 63rd (£2,879), Manchester placed 71st (£2,467), Durham 75th (£2,300) and Glasgow finished 78th (£1,995). Russell Quirk, founder and CEO, of eMoov, commented: “The latest results are certainly testament to the quality of higher education available in the United Kingdom with more than 10% of the entrants located her, and for that we should count ourselves very lucky. That said, the escalating cost of fees when attending university has seen it slip out of reach for many and even the cheapest on the list, Durham, would cost well over £1,000 per a square meter to purchase a property in the area. One silver lining that this research does highlight, however, is that at least London isn’t the most expensive where the average property price is concerned.” Source link

A range of ‘accelerated’ degrees linked to the built environment sector are due to be offered by a North West university from this autumn. The University of Salford said the new degrees will represent a first in the UK’s construction and property industries, with students able to access them from September. According to the institution, the degrees will aim to provide greater levels of flexibility to employers, while enabling students to achieve their academic ambitions at an earlier stage. The accelerated degrees will be available in the subjects of architectural design and technology, building surveying, construction project management, and quantity surveying, along with property and real estate. CITB’s latest Construction Skills Network reports predicts 330 more construction project managers will be needed each year over the next five years as the industry expands. The accelerated courses mean full-time students will be able to achieve degrees in two years, with three trimesters featuring in each calendar year. They will also be open to those already in work, who will be able to learn on a part-time or a day release basis. The university said it will take these students 36 months to complete the accelerated degrees, rather than the traditional time of 57 months taken by undergraduates studying part-time. Professor Hisham Elkadi, dean of the university’s School of the Built Environment, said the new courses are designed to suit the requirements of both employers and learners themselves. He said: “We will still offer the traditional degree format but are truly delighted to be offering an alternative for those who are keen to progress more rapidly into the profession.” Commenting on the availability of the courses to part-time students as well, he added: “Those in work, who cannot commit to full-time study, can still access our high-quality undergraduate programmes and progress more quickly in their career.” Industry experts have welcomed the plans for the accelerated degree courses. John Williamson of Redrow Homes said the university appears to be responding to the changing learning practices which are required in the building sector. The university said that one benefit of the full-time accelerated degrees is that students will only have to pay fees for two years, potentially saving them £9,000. Source link

Four planning applications have been submitted for a £500m scheme to create 1,500 new homes in South Thamesmead in London. Peabody’s scheme involves building homes and creation of a high street along Harrow Manor Way, which connects South Thamesmead and Abbey Wood station. The schemes submitted to the London Borough of Bexley include a detailed planning application for Southmere Village, which would see more than 500 new homes, a new library, cafes and shops, a new lakeside square and space for outdoor activities. Also submitted are three outline planning applications for Binsey Walk, Coralline Walk and Sedgemere Road. Together these include around 1,000 homes, landscaped areas, a central square, a public plaza, community gardens, cafes and a new pedestrian route. There will also be offices and community and creative spaces which would create a number of new jobs. Subject to planning permission the first developments will begin in early 2017, with the final phase completing in 2024. The plans form part of Bexley’s Abbey Wood and South Thamesmead Housing Zone. It is one of two Housing Zones to be delivered in Thamesmead, the other is being led by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Both will be developed by Peabody with £47.5 million investment from the Greater London Authority. Peabody’s chief executive Stephen Howlett said: “Thamesmead is a special part of London with huge potential for the future. The creation of 1,500 new homes and a new high street as part of the Abbey Wood and South Thamesmead Housing Zone, together with the arrival of Crossrail means we also have the opportunity to create hundreds of new jobs and attract new business.”     This article was published on 17 May 2016 (last updated on 17 May 2016). Source link

The makers of Star Wars: The Force Awakens have been sentenced after failing to protect the actors and workers while on set during filming at Pinewood Studio, Slough, Buckinghamshire. Harrison Ford suffered a broken leg and deep lacerations when he was knocked off his feet and pinned to the floor of the Millennium Falcon set, as a prop door closed on him. HSE’s investigation found that there was no automatic emergency cut off, to protect those on set, instead relying on the reactions of the prop operator(s) to bring the door to a stop. Aylesbury Crown Court heard how a combination of preventable events, starting with how the door was designed, led to the incident. During dress rehearsals on the 12 June 2014 Harrison Ford walked back towards the entrance ramp of the Millennium Falcon and pressed the prop door button to ‘close’ the door. As the cameras were not rolling he did not expect it to close. The production crew member who was operating the prop believed they were in full rehearsal and closed the door. The door’s steel frame was overlaid with sheets of metal and had a tapered edge. It’s operation moved from ceiling to floor in a sharp downward motion. It did not have any automated safety mechanisms to cut out if a person was unexpectedly under the door. The risk of the door causing a serious injury or death had been highlighted by one of the health and safety officers for the production company. Foodles Production (UK) Ltd should have put a system in place to ensure the actors and production workers were protected. A different design with inbuilt safety features or using a different material could have guarded against any possible miscommunication on a busy film set. Foodles Production (UK) Ltd, who had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to Section 2 and Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, were today fined £1.6 million and ordered to pay costs of £20,861.22 at Aylesbury Crown Court. HSE’s Divisional Director Tim Galloway said: “This incident was foreseeable and preventable and could have resulted in more serious injury or even death. “The power and speed of the door was such that, had Mr Ford or anyone else had been struck on the head by the door as it closed, they might easily have been killed. “It was only the almost instantaneous actions of the prop operator in hitting the emergency stop that prevented the door from continuing to press down on Mr Ford as he lay on the floor. “I think everyone would accept that all the people who work in the film industry have a right to know that the risks they take to entertain us, including when making action movies, are properly managed and controlled.” Specialist Report HSL Report HSE Investigation report Notes to Editors  In Great Britain there is a duty on employers to protect their workers and those who may be affected by their work under health and safety law. If companies are found to have breached that duty they can face criminal prosecution. If found guilty there are a number of sanctions and penalties and this are determined by the British Court of law rather than HSE. https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-justice-system/jurisdictions/criminal-jurisdiction/ 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. hse.gov.uk The two breaches are: Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which states: “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.” Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, which states: “It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety. The Code for Crown Prosecutors sets out the principles for prosecutors to follow when they make enforcement decisions. Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link