Landlords warned they could face fines of £150k for poor EPC rating In less than two years from now, landlords could face fines of up to £150,000, if their rented property has an energy rating which falls below the required minimum standard. The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, or MEES regime,
Building services sector backs new health survey Published: 23 March, 2016 Organisations in the building engineering sector have offered their full support for the new ‘Occupational Health in Building Services Engineering Survey’. The survey, run by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) and the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), alongside Constructing
Defence contractor BAE Systems has handed Balfour Beatty an £82.5m contract to build engineering and training facilities at RAF Marham in Norfolk. Above: Inside the maintenance and finish Hangar, being developed at RAF Marham for the F-35 Lightning II jets Balfour Beatty’s work will help prepare the base for the
Cambridge is a global success story, but not embracing further growth is likely to impact on its competitiveness, according to new research by Savills. The city continues to face significant pressure on housing, workplaces and infrastructure. Bold decisions need to be made soon in order to enable one of the
Norwich & Peterborough Building Society has announced that it has launched a trio of the lowest three-year fixed rate mortgages currently available to borrowers at 65%, 75% and 85% loan-to-value. N&P is offering borrowers with a 35% deposit a three-year fixed rate mortgage at 1.73%. For those borrowing more, N&P
©Reuters Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase have delivered billions of dollars in financing for coal, oil and gas companies that is “deeply at odds” with the goals of the Paris climate change accord, a new study claims. The banks rank among the top North American and European private sector
My last few weeks in HSE have been even busier than usual. Not only have we completed the launch of our new strategy for the health and safety system in Great Britain, but I have been out on a number of visits where I’ve seen (mostly) good and (one or
In the first phase of improvements to Watford Woodside Leisure Centre in Hertfordshire, one of two state-of-the-art facilities in the town managed by Everyone Active, high performance weberfloor 4310 fibre flow by Saint-Gobain Weber has been specified by main contractor Bosun Design & Construction Limited (BDC), Chandlers Ford, Hampshire. Everyone
Small house builders predict that skills shortages in the building industry will hamper housing delivery and will eventually overtake access to finance as a bigger barrier to building new homes, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Key results from the FMB’s House Builders’ Survey 2018,
National building and maintenance contractor United Living has put forward more than half of its entire workforce – 350 members of staff – to each donate a day of their time towards community projects across the country. From Altrincham to Bristol, Swansea to Wolverhampton and West London, the employees of
Landlords warned they could face fines of £150k for poor EPC rating In less than two years from now, landlords could face fines of up to £150,000, if their rented property has an energy rating which falls below the required minimum standard. The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, or MEES regime, was set out by the government in March 2016 and seeks to improve the efficiency of both domestic and non-domestic buildings. The new regulations will be brought into effect from 1 April 2018 for all new lettings of commercial and residential properties in England and Wales. Under these regulations, it will be unlawful for landlords to grant a new lease of properties which have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating below ‘E’. From 1 April 2023 onwards, MEES will then apply to all lettings, both new and existing, and a landlord will be in breach of these regulations if they continue to let a property which falls below the minimum energy rating criteria. Poor energy performance is not restricted to old or obsolete buildings (subject to specific exceptions and exemptions), meaning the regulations raise significant issues for landlords. As such, careful planning and preparation will be required to mitigate the potential impact, so that landlords should take action now if they wish to avoid legal headaches in the near future. Practical points The terms of any leases, both new and existing, need to be reviewed to ensure landlords have the necessary tools to deal with MEES, as and when the regulations come into effect. Landlords will need to consider: 1. Who is going to pay for any necessary energy efficient works? 2. What access to provisions are there in your lease, both to inspect the property for MEES purposes and to carry out any necessary MEES works? 3. How will MEES impact upon rent reviews, service charges and dilapidations claims? 4. What obligations are contained within your leases to prevent your tenants from obtaining an EPC certificate, which will result in triggering MEES, or alternatively, carrying out alterations which negatively impact on the EPC rating of a property? In cases where properties have an EPC rating less than ‘E’, landlords will need to put an energy efficiency plan in place to bring the property up to the required standard. Failure to do so will result in civil penalties, and could incur that fine of up to £150,000, unless one of the exceptions or exemption criteria applies. Exceptions and exemptions: Various exceptions and exemptions apply to the new regulations which landlords will need to consider. Broadly speaking, properties with short leases of less than six months, or those with long leases of 99 years or more will be exempt, as will listed buildings and temporary or religious properties. More specifically, there are three exemption criteria which allow landlords to let, or continue to let, properties which do not meet the relevant EPC rating: Cost-effectiveness Where a landlord can demonstrate they have carried out all of the recommended improvements to the property and if these are not cost-effective within a seven-year payback. Third party consent Where a landlord is unable to obtain the necessary consent of a third party to carry out the required energy efficiency improvements. Devaluation Where compliance with MEES would devalue a landlord’s property by five per cent or more. Strict rules apply to anyone seeking to claim the benefit of these exemptions and landlords will likely need to seek input from a specialist surveyor and solicitor to confirm whether they can claim. Any exemption that is sought will last for five years and must be recorded on a central periodically reviewed register. Source link
Building services sector backs new health survey Published: 23 March, 2016 Organisations in the building engineering sector have offered their full support for the new ‘Occupational Health in Building Services Engineering Survey’. The survey, run by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) and the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), alongside Constructing Better Health, has six additional industry supporters, as follows: The Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group, The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s Construction Group, SELECT (Scotland’s electrical trade association), The Fire and Security Association, The Joint Industry Board and Voltimum. ECA director of business services Paul Reeve said: “We are very pleased that these bodies are supporting our sector-wide occupational health survey. The survey is open to everyone in the sector, and we are particularly inviting responses from senior and operational managers and professionals. The results will provide the information needed to develop a more cost-effective approach to occupational health management.” The overall survey findings will be shared with key stakeholders across the industry in the second quarter of this year. The occupational health survey, which typically takes five to ten minutes to complete, can be viewed here, and is open until 13 April. Source link
Defence contractor BAE Systems has handed Balfour Beatty an £82.5m contract to build engineering and training facilities at RAF Marham in Norfolk. Above: Inside the maintenance and finish Hangar, being developed at RAF Marham for the F-35 Lightning II jets Balfour Beatty’s work will help prepare the base for the arrival of the RAF’s first F-35 Lightning II aircraft in 2018. It will construct three new facilities totalling 25,000 m2: an integrated training centre (pictured below); a logistics operations centre; and a maintenance and finishing facility. The Ministry of Defence confirmed in March 2013 that RAF Marham, near Swaffham, would become the main operating station for the UK’s fleet of F-35 Lightning II jets, supplied by US firm Lockheed Martin. Balfour Beatty has worked with BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, the MoD’s Lightning Project Team and RAF Marham over the past six months as a preferred supplier to prepare for construction. The project will see 300 construction workers employed at peak Work is now starting on site this month and completion is scheduled for summer 2018. Dean Banks, Balfour Beatty managing director UK construction services, said: “We are committed to making this exciting development a success and extending the excellent track record BAE Systems and Balfour Beatty have for delivering defence projects in the UK. “Our proven expertise in defence and aviation means that we have developed technically advanced delivery solutions that will help to ensure that RAF Marham’s operational capability is maintained throughout our construction activities on base.” Further Images This article was published on 7 Apr 2016 (last updated on 7 Apr 2016). Source link
Cambridge is a global success story, but not embracing further growth is likely to impact on its competitiveness, according to new research by Savills. The city continues to face significant pressure on housing, workplaces and infrastructure. Bold decisions need to be made soon in order to enable one of the UK’s fastest growing economies to continue to compete with other innovative cities both internationally and in the UK. Traditionally characterised by the technology and bioscience sectors and currently home to more than 4,300 knowledge intensive firms employing over 58,000 people, this influx of workers has meant a strong and continual demand for commercial space, which is not being matched by supply. Savills analysis shows that availability of office and R&D space is likely to bottom out next year, having fallen by 90% in the five years to 2017. Strong employment growth has underpinned the population of the city and its surrounds, which has risen by 11.8% in the 10 years to 2015, compared with the UK average of just under 8%. As a result, Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire has seen employment grow by more than 31% in the same time frame. This has had a major impact on both commercial space and residential values. Employment growth has pushed up the cost of housing, which is now 49% above the 2007/08 peak (on par with London levels), as it deals with a shortfall of more than a 1,000 homes a year. Susan Emmett, director of research at Savills, comments: “Competing on a global stage, Cambridge could lose out to competitors such as Boston in the US or even UK tech clusters such as Reading due to the acute lack of commercial space and the rising affordability pressures surrounding local housing.” Savills research shows that the link between salaries and residential prices is vital for Cambridge. When comparing the salaries of scientists employed by three global bioscience companies in Cambridge and Boston, it shows that UK based employees are paid 40% less than their US counterparts. However the cost of housing is broadly similar in both cities. Therefore, the attraction of Cambridge to global companies could potentially recede if housing costs continue to grow. To keep its competitive edge and meet demand for workplaces and homes, Cambridge needs to make significant changes, says Savills. The options for further growth include increasing densities in existing locations and using space more efficiently, expanding the urban area of the city by altering the inside edge of the Green Belt boundary and utilising existing satellite towns and villages along with creating new ones. The proposed infrastructure changes, such as the guided busway, improvements to the A14, a new Cambridge North station and the planned reconstruction of rail links to Bedford are all steps in the right direction for increasing capacity and opening up new sites for development. Rob Sadler, head of office for Savills Cambridge, comments: “There is no doubt that Cambridge needs to evolve in order for it to continue to grow. There is a risk that failure to tackle these pressures could constrain growth of existing companies, impacting on the city’s attractiveness to future employers, ultimately resulting in a skills shortage as jobs and talent go elsewhere. Solving the problem requires a joined up approach between Cambridge and the local authorities, setting out the challenges and exploring ways in which we can work together to future-proof our city.” Read the full Cambridge cross sector report here Source link
Norwich & Peterborough Building Society has announced that it has launched a trio of the lowest three-year fixed rate mortgages currently available to borrowers at 65%, 75% and 85% loan-to-value. N&P is offering borrowers with a 35% deposit a three-year fixed rate mortgage at 1.73%. For those borrowing more, N&P also offers a 1.92% three-year fixed rate mortgage at 75% LTV, or a 2.08% three-year fixed rate mortgage at 85% LTV. All of the mortgages are available to those buying a home or remortgaging and have a £1,475 product fee. Richard Barker, Mortgage Product Manager for N&P, had this to say: “We always try to offer borrowers a range of options and good, long-term value for money. Our new three-year fix range will give borrowers looking for security during a time of uncertainty the reassurance of fixing their mortgage repayments at a competitive rate for the next 36 months.” Source link
©Reuters Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase have delivered billions of dollars in financing for coal, oil and gas companies that is “deeply at odds” with the goals of the Paris climate change accord, a new study claims. The banks rank among the top North American and European private sector backers of coal mines, coal power plants and costly oil and gas ventures over the past three years, according to the report by environmental campaign groups, the US Sierra Club, the Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack and Oil Change International. More On this topic IN Financials Deutsche Bank was the top financer of big coal miners, delivering nearly $7bn between 2013 and 2015, according to the study’s assessment of publicly available financial filings. Citigroup was calculated to have supplied $24bn for large coal power plant operators, making it the largest supporter in this category. JPMorgan Chase was ranked the largest financer of so-called “extreme oil”, financing an estimated $38bn for the biggest owners of untapped reserves in ultra-deep offshore fields, the Arctic or tar sands. Dozens of other large banks named in the study have also “engaged in fossil fuel financing practices that are deeply at odds with the global climate agreement” that nearly 200 countries reached at the December COP21 meeting in Paris, the report says. The Paris accord aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions enough to keep global temperature rises well below 2C from pre-industrial times. Burning fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — is one of the largest drivers of emissions. Several banks publicly committed to reducing their support for some coal ventures before and after the Paris meeting. Deutsche Bank said in March it would phase out credit and the underwriting of debt and equity for mining companies that use contentious mountaintop removal methods to extract coal. JPMorgan Chase said in the same month it would stop directly financing new coal mines and coal power stations in wealthy countries. These decisions were welcome, said a co-author of the study, Amanda Starbuck of the Rainforest Action Network. But large banks had to do more to ensure the Paris accord’s goals were met, she said. “This report is saying ‘wake up, you need to look across the board here’.” Some scientists say time is running out to address the problem. A March study by Oxford university academics said in order to have a 50 per cent chance of holding warming to 2C, no new coal or gas power plants can be built after 2017, unless they are fitted with expensive equipment to capture emissions. Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the report’s findings but said the group had changed its approach to coal financing and supported “a well-balanced energy mix that takes account of economic and environmental considerations”. “In addition, we more than doubled our clean energy financing to €4.3bn between 2013 and 2015 and have over €7bn in assets under management in sustainable finance funds,” it said. JPMorgan Chase said it could not comment on the environmental groups’ report before reviewing it. But the bank pointed to its March coal financing decision and past company statements about the need for governments to implement “sensible policies” balancing the need to cut emissions with the importance of economic development. Citigroup said it would “continue to actively support a transition to a low-carbon economy. Citi has made significant progress toward reducing our credit exposure to the coal mining sector since 2011, and those efforts will continue. “Power generation in the US and globally is an industry in transition. Electricity produced from coal-fired plants has declined materially and we expect this to continue. We remain committed to working with our clients as they transition to a lower-carbon resource profile.” Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link
My last few weeks in HSE have been even busier than usual. Not only have we completed the launch of our new strategy for the health and safety system in Great Britain, but I have been out on a number of visits where I’ve seen (mostly) good and (one or two) not so good practices for myself. My travels included a return to Crossrail where I saw the remarkable progress that has taken place since I last visited three years ago. It was another reminder to me of how integral a strong health and safety culture is to major construction sites in the UK. I saw the same in-built culture at the site of our formal strategy launch event in London, which took place at the Battersea Power station site. It was really encouraging on both visits to note how health now receives the same level of attention as safety – excellent examples of the new strategy being lived out in practice. I’ve also visited a large bakery firm where I saw real management commitment to tackling priority issues in their business – one of which is associated with distribution and delivery to hundreds to retail outlets every single day of the year. I saw an impressive level of innovation put into redesign of vehicles, addition of cameras to vehicles, intensive driver training and a clear message to drivers to report any safety concerns. What also impressed me was the company has seen real, hard financial benefits from the investment they’ve made in improving safety. The company features in the Sunday Times List of best companies to work for. Another great example of the strategy in action. I was invited to Cambridge Regional Further Education College where I saw people being trained in practical skills ranging from bricklaying, carpentry and car repair to catering, hairdressing and beauty. What a great place to spend a day, seeing young people acquiring skills in preparation for their chosen field of work and also acquiring self-confidence as they go. I spoke to several students and their enthusiasm was clear – as was their commitment to learning the right way to do the job – understanding the need to manage risks was integral to the learning process. I then went to West Rise Junior School in Eastbourne. What a magnificent and inspiring place which demonstrates just what is possible in terms of providing children as young as 9 and10 years old with experiences that expose them to risks, and which they learn how to manage those risks for themselves in a proportionate manner while learning all kinds of new skills http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35819366 I have always enjoyed going out on visits with HSE’s inspectors and my last such visit to construction sites in Manchester was no exception. These were not major construction projects on the scale of Crossrail or Battersea, but smallish refurbishment and conversion projects in the heart of the city. At one of the sites we visited, it was not the basic safety procedures which concerned me – they were by and large in good shape, it was the welfare facilities that caught my attention.The facilities were actually better than many I’ve seen but what surprised me was the lack of cleanliness and the amount of litter and detritus around the place. The site manager told us he personally cleans the toilets and kitchen on a regular basis because no one else does it. An admirable gesture on his part, but there has to be a better answer. What happened to leadership and getting people to take responsibility? This may seem like a trivial example but it is as much a part of the strategy as tackling ill health and making health and safety integral with business success. This is what we mean by wider ownership – making it part of everyone’s job to keep things in good order – not allowing people to make a mess and expecting someone else to clean it up. This visit was a salutary reminder that improvements are still to be made in many places, and hearts and minds to win over. We’ve made a lot of progress but there’s no end to the journey. It’s been a hectic few weeks at the end of a most enjoyable and challenging eight and a half years as Chair of HSE. I’ve enjoyed writing this blog and I hope you’ve found some of it thought provoking. I will be continuing to #HelpGBWorkWell as I move on to pastures new. My thanks and best wishes go to you all – keep up the good work! Source link
In the first phase of improvements to Watford Woodside Leisure Centre in Hertfordshire, one of two state-of-the-art facilities in the town managed by Everyone Active, high performance weberfloor 4310 fibre flow by Saint-Gobain Weber has been specified by main contractor Bosun Design & Construction Limited (BDC), Chandlers Ford, Hampshire. Everyone Active is the trading name for Sports & Leisure Management Limited (SLM), the UK’s longest-established leisure contractor. It manages more than 170 leisure and cultural facilities around the country in partnership with 49 different local authorities and trusts, and is currently carrying out a £1.8million improvement project across its Watford Woodside and Watford Central leisure centres. “Working alongside Watford Borough Council, we are supporting local people of all ages and abilities to improve their health by offering them access to top-class leisure services and facilities,” said Gary Foley, Everyone Active’s contract manger in Watford. “This project to update both locations will make a huge difference to our members, providing them with a new fitness studio to cater for the growing demand in group exercise, refurbished changing facilities and a significantly improved fitness suite that will offer the latest state-of-the-art equipment.” “We undertake contracts for Everyone Active at numerous sites in the south east,” comments James May, director at BDC, which is carrying out the work in Watford. “Multiple contracts are on-going at any one time. The process of selection is via tender direct to Everyone Active, which then works with the local authority. It is at this stage a preferred contractor is proposed.” Included in the current phase of the works is the creation of a new mezzanine floor. It has been installed in the space above a former dance studio and adjacent squash court, and has enabled a brand new fitness studio to be created. The current studio has also been extended. The second phase of development is due to begin at both Watford sites shortly, for completion in early 2019. BDC is actively involved in both projects. Subcontractor C E C Plastering, of Southampton, undertook the application of weberfloor 4310 fibre flow screed. Director Chris Crosby says: “Together with Bosun Design & Construction we specified this fibre reinforced self-smoothing compound which we pump-applied at various thicknesses from 35-50mm. It was quick and easy to install, very versatile, and has produced an excellent finish. We’re fans of this product and have used it before but, even so, we benefited from Weber’s technical support.” weberfloor 4310 fibre flow screed was applied to a steel framed block and beam floor construction which overcame the concerns around loading issues that might have arisen with the application of a traditional concrete screed. The new floor was initially primed with weberfloor 4716, a water-based primer designed for use with all cementitious and hemi-hydrate floor screeds. It regulates the porosity of the substrate, improves the adhesion of flooring products while reducing the formation of pinholes in the levelling layer. It should be diluted with clean water and can be spray applied on large areas. weberfloor 4310 fibre flow screed is designed for application at thicknesses between 5 – 50mm and formulated from special cements, aggregates, supplementary binders and chemical admixtures. It is supplied as a blended dry powder and designed specifically for renovation of existing floors and floating floor construction in domestic and commercial applications. weberfloor 4310 fibre flow can receive foot traffic after just 2 – 4 hours and can be tiled after 12 – 24 hours, dependent on ambient temperature following installation. The fibre reinforcement aids durability and allows it to be used in conjunction with under floor heating systems and floating floors. weberfloor 4310 fibre flow has excellent spreading and smoothing characteristics. It has low alkalinity and low emissions during drying and is casein free. Almost 500 bags of weberfloor 4310 fibre flow were required to finish the 190m² mezzanine floor in preparation for a final wood sprung floor suitable for dance and other physical education where shock absorption is essential to enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury. weberfloor 4310 fibre flow is featured in Weber’s one hour long RIBA-Assessed ‘Introduction into Flowing Floor Screeds’ CPD which can be presented by Weber’s Specification Team at your premises or at a Saint-Gobain facility or Training Academy anywhere in the UK. It is free of charge and available on request. This comprehensive CPD presentation covers many subjects from why and where to use floor systems; the attributes of commercial floors; design considerations; the demands of the finished floor that will have an influence on specification, through to renovation, fast-track construction and drying times. The CPD includes an application video showing the attributes of weberfloor 4310 fibre flow smoothing compound which is of specific interest to both designers and applicators. Weber’s floor screeds and tile fixing products are manufactured in sustainable, modern manufacturing facilities in Bedfordshire, Shropshire and Ireland, ensuring product quality, conformity and availability, with reduced transportation costs and CO₂ emissions. Weber has a team of experienced technical advisors who are available to provide advice both at the specification stage and during application. Detailed specifications can be provided for specific projects while site visits and on-site support can be arranged. For more information about the Flooring CPD, to make a booking, or for technical support including award winning training courses, please contact Saint-Gobain Weber on 08703 330 070, or visit www.uk.weber . CPD bookings can be made by email: mail@netweber.co.uk. A free download of the Weber App for iPhone and iPad users is also available from the App Store and from Google Play for Android smartphones and tablet users. Follow Saint-Gobain Weber on Twitter @SGWeberUK for the latest company news and updates.
Small house builders predict that skills shortages in the building industry will hamper housing delivery and will eventually overtake access to finance as a bigger barrier to building new homes, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Key results from the FMB’s House Builders’ Survey 2018, the only annual assessment of small and medium sized (SME) house builders in England, include: • The percentage of SME house builders saying that a shortage of skilled workers is a major barrier to their ability to build more new homes rose to 44% (up from 42% in 2017); • A lack of available and viable land tops the list as the most commonly cited barrier (59%) to increasing housing delivery and almost two-thirds of SME house builders (62%) believe that the number of opportunities for small site development are actually decreasing (up from 54% in 2017); • Nearly half of small house builders (46%) say access to finance is a major barrier to their ability to build more new homes; • More than half (51%) of SME house builders view the planning system as a major constraint on their ability to grow and ‘inadequate resourcing of planning departments’ was again rated as the most significant cause of delay in the planning application process for the third year in a row; • When asked to look ahead over the next three years, more firms cited skills shortages as a likely barrier to growth than access to finance. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Nearly half of builders believe the skills shortage is a major barrier to their ability to build new homes. The construction sector is heavily reliant on EU workers with just under one in ten workers in the sector born in the EU. Brexit, coupled with the end of free movement, threatens to further intensify the skills shortages we already face. Given that the UK will leave the EU in less than six months, house builders are understandably concerned that skills shortages could worsen and choke housing delivery. In order to combat this skills crisis, the construction industry needs to encourage more entrants into the industry and develop higher quality qualifications. It is critical therefore that the Government doesn’t pull the rug out from under the sector by introducing an inflexible and unresponsive immigration system.” Berry continued: “Our research also shows that the Government must continue to address the issue of access to finance for SME house builders. Although concerns over access to finance have eased slightly in recent years, in part thanks to the Government’s funding schemes such as the Home Building Fund, there is more that can be done. Our research suggests that it is the low percentages of project cost that builders are able to borrow that remain the greatest financial barrier to increasing their levels of house building. This latest research suggests that if firms were able to borrow 80 per cent, rather than the current 60 to 65 per cent of project cost, SME builders would be able to bring forward on average 40 per cent more new homes. Given the ambitious house building targets the Government is working towards, we cannot afford to ignore such a chance to significantly increase housing delivery.” Berry concluded: “A lack of available and viable small sites tops the list of frustrations for SME house builders for the fourth year in a row. Worse still, nearly two-thirds of these small builders believe that the number of opportunities for small site development are decreasing. However, the recent reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, which specify that 10 per cent of a local authority’s housing delivery must be on sites no larger than one hectare, will help to address this problem. This will help to speed up the delivery of homes and lead to a more diverse and resilient housing supply.”
National building and maintenance contractor United Living has put forward more than half of its entire workforce – 350 members of staff – to each donate a day of their time towards community projects across the country. From Altrincham to Bristol, Swansea to Wolverhampton and West London, the employees of United Living, whose company headquarters are based in Swanley, Kent, were involved in everything from laying concrete slabs to painting fences, gardening, helping with foodbanks and supporting homelessness charities over the course of a typical 9-5 working shift on Friday 7 September. With support from 20 sub-contractors, United Living employees worked together to donate more than 2,800 hours – equivalent to a full year’s worth of work for one person (including weekends). The projects included: Improvement works to the outdoor areas of a Dementia inpatient ward at Grenoside Grange Hospital in Sheffield. With the support of 11 volunteers including United Living staff and members of the Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, work was undertaken to install an outdoor tap and an electrical point, and to paint outdoor fences and planters and install a new working shed. Upgrading the Venture Community Association’s site in Wornington Green. To save the management team from applying for additional funding, United Living employees refurbished and redecorated a dilapidated stage area at the community arts centre, as well as building new storage units, removing unwanted items and making improvements to the interior décor. At Rhodes Moorhouse Court – military charity Haig Housing’s biggest new build development in the UK since the 1950s – the site team extended a patio paving area for a shared apartments block. The extension of the space was much-needed for the elderly, ex-military residents who live in the 12 surrounding properties and had previously made use of a relatively small outdoor area. Supporting Swansea City Council with the refurbishment of Brynmelyn Community Centre, which is run by a voluntary management committee and provides a range of services for local disadvantaged people in the community. United Living staff painted and decorated the external building and doors, and railings leading to the single storey property. Improving facilities at a Nursery in Retford with the support of ten members of staff. This included tidying up the garden and play areas, painting fencing and putting up outdoor screening. One of United Living’s joiners built a wooden container to store children’s toys and has built a small kitchen area. Another joiner made some planters and a new game was created by the team to fit to an outdoor wall. Working with Merlin Housing to help re-instate a local children’s reflective garden at a Primary School in Pucklechurch, Bristol. United Living staff weeded the entire site, painted the surrounding fencing, and repaired benches and planters to bring the garden back to life. Supporting Manchester Central Foodbank, with United Living staff volunteering for the day to help with sorting and delivering food parcels, arranging new donations, and meeting and assisting with the foodbank clients. Revamping a large section of grounds within The Kingswood Trust’s outdoor learning centre in Wolverhampton, which is used by local schools and charities. Supporting Kent homelessness charity Porchlight by laying decking and painting at a community garden in Northfleet. The team of United Living staff spent the day cutting, painting and laying decking and also painting garden fencing to create a space for the community to use. Refurbishing a scout hall in Crockenhill. A team of 65 people spent the day painting walls, ceilings and the outside of the building, as well as hanging noticeboards, tiling the bathrooms and giving the garden area a makeover. Ian Burnett, chief executive of United Living, said: “People and communities are at the heart of everything we do as a construction and maintenance business. That’s why every year, we ensure that one day in September is dedicated exclusively to supporting projects and initiatives which are making a real difference in the areas where we work. Our community day is a way of celebrating our core values and bringing our team together to dedicate extra time towards some of the many projects that we strive to support as a business throughout the year. These are projects in which all of our staff can contribute in some shape or form; whether that’s by making donations, volunteering time, proactively transforming residential and community spaces, or providing work opportunities through training and apprentices.” United Living’s Community Day took place on Friday 7 September.
