New sites for 25,000 homes around west London’s Old Oak Common HS2 station are being proposed following the collapse of negotiations over the Cargiant site. The Mayor’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, OPDC, has submitted a revised draft local plan after a planning inspector told them in 2019 their housing estimates were too large. London’s mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I look forward to seeing this plan adopted and a healthy and inclusive new district emerge in this important part of west London.” He said the corporation’s plan complemented the recently published London plan. The OPDC has moved its focus to around the station, where a lot of the land is public sector owned, to accelerate creating a new urban centre. The corporation points out the site is unique for being the only spot in London where HS2, the Elizabeth Line and Great Western Rail services meet. String of lively neighbourhoods in the pipeline OPDC chief executive David Lunts said: “Our aim though, is not just new homes and jobs; we are creating a desirable, exceptionally well connected and bustling series of districts for London where live, work, play is more than just a slogan.”  He said the corporation would be consulting the local community while preparing a bid for government infrastructure funding. Mr Lunts said he expected the new local plan to be adopted by the end of the year pointing out that 6,000 homes were already being constructed. “Our aim though, is not just new homes and jobs; we are creating a desirable, exceptionally well connected and bustling series of districts for London where live, work, play is more than just a slogan,” said Mr Lunts. Hank Zarihs Associates said development finance lenders were looking to back projects in spots with excellent transport links such as those at Old Oak.  Existing businesses in Old Oak North will be protected by designating key sites for long-term employment. It is expected to deliver a quarter of a million square metres of additional industrial space over the next 20 years, encouraging new businesses and helping existing ones to grow. OPDC has been working with local landowners to prepare the plans and will continue to work closely with Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Brent councils, High Speed Two, the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the local community.

British Science Week, which in 2021 takes place from March 8 to 13, celebrates the broad range of jobs and careers available in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) industries and promotes STEM to younger generations by providing activity packs and school projects. While children learn the core sciences, like biology, chemistry and physics as part of the curriculum, many are yet to understand how to apply the knowledge to real life situations. To support British Science Week, Harjinder Randhawa, Laboratory Supervisor at Finning UK & Ireland, discusses his lesser known, but important, role in fluid analysis. While the typical picture of the construction industry is of operators in hard-hats at work on the job site, a lot of science and engineering goes on behind the scenes. Similarly, the traditional picture of a laboratory — white lab coats, goggles and test tubes — is not always the reality, a large amount of research and data analysis will take place outside of the lab environment. My role ties together the two — monitoring the condition of construction equipment using laboratory techniques. The aim is to reduce wear and tear on equipment and avoid unexpected repair costs. Condition monitoring facilities, like Finning’s fluid analysis lab in Leeds, test oil and other fluids from vehicles ranging from excavators and buses, to lifeboats and racing cars. These laboratories carry out techniques including particle count, particle quantification, gas chromatography (GC) and analysis of trace metals, to monitor the condition of the fluid and the equipment it was taken from and report back to the customer, while suggesting proactive steps to take to optimise the life of both. Though condition monitoring labs usually only test the oil and report the data to customers, employing lab technicians and diagnosticians who have science and engineering backgrounds can give a more comprehensive picture to the customer. Diagnosticians can point out specific issues with the equipment, such as a faulty bearing, and explain the different levels of severity to the customer, rather than making them decipher the data themselves. Equipped with a strong understanding of fluid and equipment condition, construction businesses can plan in proactive maintenance to prevent costly breakdowns. Consider this example. An excavator in a quarry has not had its oil regularly checked and a buildup of residue has caused the engine to fail 70 metres underground. The breakdown causes unexpected downtime and reduces the productivity of the workforce, as additional workers and equipment are needed to help pull it to the surface and take it off site to be fixed. Regular oil sampling will help identify any faults that need addressing and allow the site manager to fix them proactively, saving time and money. Lab technicians and diagnosticians who carry out fluid analysis have a varied and vital role in keeping the construction industry running. British Science Week is a great event for busting the stereotypes of STEM careers, sharing the behind the scenes of different industries and encouraging young people to consider STEM in the future. Chemistry skills learnt in school can easily be transferred into a lab technician role, and I hope future generations will consider it as a possible career choice. If you or someone close to you might enjoy a career in fluid analysis, apply for our newly launched Laboratory Technician Degree Apprenticeship programme here.

Often stereotyped as an all-male industry, getting ahead in the construction industry was something Charlotte Goode, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat Homes aspired to achieve. Having started her career in accounting, she soon realised the building industry opened many doors for her and since joining Keepmoat Homes in 2016, she was able to achieve her goal of Managing Director within two years. Here she shares how her passion for numbers was the perfect foundation for a fulfilling career within the construction sector. Charlotte commented: “I must admit, a career in construction was not the most obvious choice when I initially started my career. Having qualified as an accountant with Deloitte, I was first introduced into the construction industry during my 10 years with SIG plc, a specialist distributor of building materials. Whilst maintaining the position of Head of Due Diligence, I was transferred into the Corporate Development department to lead a team of financial and commercial specialists and oversee a number of acquisition projects. It was through heading up the integration of an offsite manufacturer recently acquired that I realised I wanted to pursue a career in construction. With the construction industry slowly becoming more diverse over the years, in particular in managerial roles, Charlotte added: “I joined Keepmoat Homes as a Finance Director with a personal aim of becoming Regional Managing Director within five years. After a lot of hard work, late nights and dedication, I was offered the role within two years. As Regional Managing Director for the West Midlands I find every day brings such a variety of work and challenges – whether it be driving land acquisitions, building relationships with our partners, managing operational issues out on site, developing the team or liaising with customers. For me, being operationally minded, continually changing and adapting to new challenges and developing a great team around myself, has helped progress my career quickly – being good with numbers is of course an added bonus.” During Charlotte’s time with Keepmoat Homes, she has established the West Midlands region and grown the area including from last September, managing the South West geography. The region currently has 9 sites in development across the West Midlands and South West, with a further 7 sites due to commence development within the next few months. With an aim to open more doors to women at Keepmoat Homes, Charlotte added: “There is no doubt we need to encourage more women to select and remain in construction careers. “Many doors are already open to women, there are so many different areas that all contribute towards the project from conception to delivery including site management, quantity surveying and marketing, and all these roles play a key part. If you’re starting out, an apprenticeship is a great option as it enables you to gain first-hand experience, whilst also an insight into other areas of the business. “My advice to young women who are interested in the industry would be that you have to be flexible in your role and take up opportunities as and when they arrive, even if it’s not exactly the path you originally planned to take. “With the industry starting to bring in flexible / agile working, I feel this is key for attracting more women into the industry – from working from home to job sharing, there’s now a variety of ways we’ve been able to incorporate flexible working into our region at Keepmoat Homes to attract and retain female talent. As a mother to two young girls, who both swim competitively, the flexibility at Keepmoat Homes has allowed me to support my girls driving them to galas and meets, and more recently becoming a committee member at their swimming club. “It’s about finding the perfect balance and I’m an advocate that if you put your mind to it, along with the added work, you can achieve anything.” Andy Mason, Divisional Chairman at Keepmoat Homes, said: “We have achieved great things in the West Midlands over the last four years. It’s great that Charlotte, who has helped set up the region and has excelled in her previous roles, is being recognised for her achievements. “At Keepmoat Homes, our vision goes far beyond bricks and mortar and we aim to be at the forefront of the industry and transform lives, not only with new neighbourhoods and supporting the local community which we serve, but for our employees as well. Charlotte is an inspiration to other women, and it clearly demonstrates the important role women play in the construction sector. I hope this inspires future generations to consider this industry for their careers.”