The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) welcomes the inclusion of the planning system within the a ‘Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill’. Planners can be an asset to the Bill, increasing living standards and home ownership, cultivating pride in place, improving transport infrastructure and population health and strengthening local leadership. Victoria
86% of UK builders don’t feel comfortable talking about their mental health The most common cause of stress is finances (34%) IronmongeryDirect is working with mental health charity, Basildon Mind, to raise awareness of the issue 89% of UK builders experience mental health problems due to work-related issues, a new
Following the Queen’s speech delivered today, leading energy trade association, the not-for-profit Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), has declared the time has come for the Government to deliver on the many promises made by Ministers around the hydrogen economy. Mike Foster, CEO of EUA, said: “We welcome an Energy Bill
Glasgow Queen Street Station and the University of Strathclyde Learning and Teaching Building, both designed by BDP’s Glasgow studio, have been shortlisted in separate categories of this year’s Scottish Design Awards. The transformation of Scotland’s third-busiest rail hub from a run-down collection of outdated extensions into a soaring contemporary concourse
AO Business has announced a new lead for its housebuilder team. Roger Giles, previously Business Development Manager, has been promoted to the leading position of UK Sales Manager, as the B2B division of online electricals retailer AO continues to transform the way appliances are purchased for new housing developments. Prior
With the help of funding from reward Finance, a Yorkshire property developer has created a new social hub in Castleford. The new Livelihub on Methley Road, close to the town centre, is the brainchild of entrepreneur Craig Mitchell, owner of Carter & Co Property Solutions. It features an artisan coffee
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) welcomes the inclusion of the planning system within the a ‘Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill’. Planners can be an asset to the Bill, increasing living standards and home ownership, cultivating pride in place, improving transport infrastructure and population health and strengthening local leadership. Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI said: “We welcome government recognition that a strong planning system will be essential to levelling up. We hope that such a system will help communities better shape the places they live, work and enjoy. “Our members stand ready to support the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to develop a system. But, if we’re going to achieve the overall ambitions of Levelling Up and regeneration, we need to ensure we’re building the right homes in the right places. “It is essential that any reform comes forward as soon as possible to help prevent further delays. It is also key that all local areas have an up to date local plan, are sufficiently resourced, and open to a dialogue with their local communities, including businesses and residents current and future.” The RTPI will continue to work with Government, officials and parliamentarians based on its member’s experiences, its expertise and timely research to help shape these planning reforms. The RTPI will follow up with further analysis on the role of planning within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill as news develops. Building Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction & Property News
86% of UK builders don’t feel comfortable talking about their mental health The most common cause of stress is finances (34%) IronmongeryDirect is working with mental health charity, Basildon Mind, to raise awareness of the issue 89% of UK builders experience mental health problems due to work-related issues, a new study has found. The research was commissioned for Mental Health Awareness Week (9th-15th May) by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, and the results have been published in its annual industry report. Unfortunately, 86% of builders say they don’t feel comfortable talking to others about their mental health, with finances (34%) being their main cause of anxiety. Across all trades, almost two-thirds (64%) experience some form of mental health problem, such as stress, anxiety or depression, every month, and sadly, one in eight (13%) feel symptoms every single day. Finances remain the number one cause of stress, with over a third (34%) saying that money worries play on their mind. In fact, the top five reasons are the same as last year, with customer tensions (24%) taking second spot once again. The most significant change from 2021 is the impact of customer abuse, with almost a fifth (18%) saying they struggle with insults or threats, which is treble the figure from the previous report (6%). The top 10 most common causes of stress for tradespeople are: Unfortunately, despite the benefits of doing so, more than four in five (85%) tradespeople don’t feel comfortable talking to others about their feelings. Just one in six (16%) have spoken to friends or family about their mental health, which is considerably fewer than last year (42%). Furthermore, one in six (16%) worry what their colleagues would think if they told them what they were going through, and more than a quarter (28%) feel they can’t take time off work for mental health reasons. Plumbers are the most likely tradespeople to feel stressed or anxious on a daily basis (27%), but overall, mental health problems are most common amongst plasterers. More than nine in ten (92%) say they experience issues at least once a year. The trades that are most and least likely to experience mental health issues are: As part of its campaign to raise awareness of mental health amongst tradespeople, IronmongeryDirect is partnering with Basildon Mind, the mental health charity, and is donating over £3,000 to support with its vital services. Emma Mamo, Head of Workspace Wellbeing at Mind, said: “In male-dominated industries such as construction, employees are often less willing and able to open up about their mental health and ask for support. This can be problematic because mental health problems often become worse if left untreated, and the consequences can be fatal. “We urge employers to create cultures where employees can speak openly and honestly about their mental health.” Dominick Sandford, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect, said: “It’s an unfortunate truth that mental health issues are common across our industry, and it’s awful to see that so many tradespeople experience problems on a regular basis. “It’s particularly worrying to see that the number of people talking to others about their mental health has dropped significantly from last year. As difficult as it can be to discuss your feelings, talking about them with someone else, whether that’s a colleague or family member, can really help to begin addressing the issues.” To read IronmongeryDirect’s Mental Health in the Trades: 2022 Report, visit: https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/research/mental-health-in-the-trades/ Building Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction & Property News
Following the Queen’s speech delivered today, leading energy trade association, the not-for-profit Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), has declared the time has come for the Government to deliver on the many promises made by Ministers around the hydrogen economy. Mike Foster, CEO of EUA, said: “We welcome an Energy Bill designed to promote Carbon Capture and Storage and help deliver large scale hydrogen heating trials. This puts consumers at the heart of decarbonising homes in the UK, giving people the choice between the relevant technologies – heat pumps, heat networks and hydrogen gas boilers. The latter will involve no additional upfront costs to the consumer and minimal levels of disruption and creates a secure energy supply free from the blood-stained hands of President Putin. “We need to hear details of the business model that will deliver UK domestic production of this zero-carbon wonder-fuel, and practical action to make sure every home that wants cheap, zero carbon gas for their boilers, cookers and fires gets it. “We need to urgently shift away from fossil fuel gas to hydrogen, using the world-class gas networks already underground to supply our homes and businesses. Now is not the time to consider re-wiring Britain; ripping out boilers to be replaced with £10 grand a time heat pumps would be a folly when clean gas is just around the corner. “From our recent research of 2000 UK consumers, the majority of Brits agree. Over three quarters (77.7%) of respondents saying they would support the UK generating and distributing alternative, low-carbon gas through the existing grid to replace the imports of natural gas from countries such as Qatar and Russia. An overwhelming 82% also believed the government should prioritise affordability in the development of renewable technologies for heating homes in the UK. There is a clear message that costly alternatives like heat pumps will not be favoured by households in this cost-of-living crisis. “Meanwhile, let’s also hear what the Government plan to do to keep bills down this winter. Massive investment in economically-viable energy efficiency schemes would be an entirely sensible step while the Energy Bill progresses through Parliament, creating the hydrogen future the Prime Minister and others have spoken about.”
Glasgow Queen Street Station and the University of Strathclyde Learning and Teaching Building, both designed by BDP’s Glasgow studio, have been shortlisted in separate categories of this year’s Scottish Design Awards. The transformation of Scotland’s third-busiest rail hub from a run-down collection of outdated extensions into a soaring contemporary concourse that celebrates the station’s Victorian heritage, has been nominated in the ‘Public Building’ category, while the refurbishment of two existing buildings to form new teaching spaces, lecture theatre, Student union and support services, has been shortlisted in the ‘Retrofit’ category. And Ed Dymock, Architect Associate, BDP, said: “Since 1878, James Carswell’s original train shed has been hidden away at the heart of Queen Street, but the southern extension of the platforms gave us the opportunity to open up the views, work with volume and scale and allow the station to play a civic role within the city. Martin Jarvie, Architect Associate, BDP, said: “We are delighted to be nominated for these awards. At Strathclyde University the decision to transform the existing buildings rather than a new-build project has substantial sustainable benefits. Our Sustainability Team compared the embodied carbon of the adaptive re-use of the existing building structure to a notional new build equivalent and demonstrated that the project saved around 67% of CO2e.” The winners of the Scottish Design Awards will be announced on 29 June. Building Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction & Property News
AO Business has announced a new lead for its housebuilder team. Roger Giles, previously Business Development Manager, has been promoted to the leading position of UK Sales Manager, as the B2B division of online electricals retailer AO continues to transform the way appliances are purchased for new housing developments. Prior to joining AO Business, Roger Giles has worked in the contract kitchen market for over 25 years, supplying premium products to both national and regional housebuilders. Most recently, he worked as a Contract Sales Manager at Omega PLC before joining AO Business in March last year. Wayne Paskin, Business Development Manager on the housebuilders team, has also been promoted to a senior position. Being part of a large retail group with its own logistics network has meant that AO Business can provide a solution to the everyday challenges facing housebuilders and offer a fantastic next day delivery and installation proposition. Talking about his new position, Roger said: “I’m excited by the opportunity to grow the housebuilder business at AO and move forward with some of the positive changes we’ve been making in the industry. Throughout my time with AO Business so far, I’ve seen housebuilders really waking up to the benefits of our proposition and I look forward to stepping up to this new role.” With renowned customer service and over 20 years’ experience of selling electricals to the public, AO Business offer a unique proposition for time-pressed housebuilders. Building Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction & Property News
With the help of funding from reward Finance, a Yorkshire property developer has created a new social hub in Castleford. The new Livelihub on Methley Road, close to the town centre, is the brainchild of entrepreneur Craig Mitchell, owner of Carter & Co Property Solutions. It features an artisan coffee shop and sandwich bar, as well as a hair and beauty salon. The new venture, which has created four new jobs, was brought to fruition through funding of £100,000 arranged by Reward Finance Group. Reward Finance Group, which was introduced to Carter & Co by Brian Snape, owner of Mighty Oak Business and Property Finance, enabled Mitchell to bring his development plans to fruition with a short-term bridging loan. Craig Mitchell, director at Carter & Co Property Solutions, who will manage the Livelihub business as part his business portfolio, said: “It is fantastic to be able to realise our ambitions for this prominent site in Castleford and create a social hub unlike anything else in the town. The new salon is an exciting venture too, offering a high specification space in a superb location that immediately attracted hairdressing professionals who loved the concept of working within Livelihub. “Being able to access £100,000 on a short-term basis through Reward has been really beneficial to the project. Their approach is refreshing and one that I haven’t previously experienced from the major banks, with a great dedication to getting to know my business and understand what we need to grow and thrive.” The funding allowed the conversion of the former workshop and storage space to be completed in as short a timeframe as possible, preventing any delays in the opening of Livelihub. “Craig has identified an excellent business opportunity here with Livelihub given the growth in café culture and the demand for high quality commercial premises in smaller town communities like Castleford. We are delighted to be able to support the business through our Business Finance product, which is ideal for clients like Carter & Co who require a short-term working capital facility to be able to progress with their growth plans whatever they may be,” added Karen Paige, Reward Finance Group associate director. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
