Construction works for a new housing development in Worksop, Nottinghamshire will soon be taking place. Leading midlands-based contractor, G F Tomlinson, has been appointed to construct and design 90 houses on the vacant site off Radford Street, which has been procured through the Pagabo Framework for Major Construction Works. The
Amtico has refreshed its popular Click Smart luxury vinyl tile (LVT) collection. Featuring five new Scandinavian-inspired Woods, two fresh Stones and a Parquet option, the designs reflect the increasing demand for cleaner, contemporary tones in the build-to-rent (BTR) and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sectors. The loose lay, rigid core LVT
The UK’s National Infrastructure Strategy sets out plans to transform UK infrastructure to support levelling up and help meet net-zero emissions by 2050. As part of this strategy, local councils were invited to bid for funding for infrastructure projects that would contribute towards meeting these objectives. One successful application was
Following an investigation carried out by Stockport Trading Standards and the HSE, UK Manager for Asbestos Boss Ltd, Daniel Cockcroft, has been brought to justice with the help of the CITB Quality & Standards Team. Stockport Trading Standards and the HSE were first alerted to the rogue traders back in
Citrus Durham has completed a deal with Adil Group who will develop a stand-alone drive-thru KFC at the £400m mixed-use Integra 61 development at J61 of the A1(M). Citrus Durham was advised by retained roadside agents Colliers and Avison Young with WSB acting for Adil Group. Detailed planning consent has
Global modular building specialist, Volumetric Building Companies, which has recently announced its expansion in the UK, has secured a contract worth more than £10m for the offsite construction of a 500-bed hotel for the Tropical Islands resort near Berlin, one of the world’s largest waterparks. Worldwide leisure park operator Parques
As an employment trends survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reveals three-quarters of UK businesses are experiencing difficulties filling vacancies, Kent-based drainage system company Polypipe Building Services is celebrating strong staff retention figures with several workers holding 40-years of service – or more. Among them is Keith Goodhew
The Building Safety Act 2022 established the new Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Ron Alalouff speaks with Mark Wilson, the Lead for Planning Gateway One, and Colin Blatchford-Brown, Gateways and Building Control Lead, on the prospects for the new regime. The new Building Safety Regulator’s
BUILD-TO-RENT Single Family Housing (BTR SFH) specialist, Wise Living, has reported a record Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +81 in 2022, according to its recent NPS survey data analysis. NPS can be anywhere between -100 and +100, and according to the creators of the NPS metric, Bain & Company, a
A new government hub in Peterborough has officially opened by Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart last week. The Hub is in Fletton Quays, an area undergoing a £120 million regeneration, and will house more than 1,000 government staff from a number of departments and agencies. Staff from the Department for
Construction works for a new housing development in Worksop, Nottinghamshire will soon be taking place. Leading midlands-based contractor, G F Tomlinson, has been appointed to construct and design 90 houses on the vacant site off Radford Street, which has been procured through the Pagabo Framework for Major Construction Works. The Manton Development will comprise of a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses, built over two and three-storeys, as well as two-bedroom bungalows. The site will also include green and open spaces, cycle routes and places for play and social interaction. All homes will benefit from energy efficient air source heat pumps, solar panels, highly insulated walls, floors, and roofs, and in addition – electrical vehicle charging points will be installed for residents, contributing to the reduction of fossil fuel usage. Planning permission was originally granted in spring 2019 for the site, with future plans for the project to seek further permission for a scheme of one and two-bedroom apartments – taking the final development up to approximately 120 homes. The first phase of the build will see the council deliver its very first low-carbon modular homes which form a key part of its vision to increase housing stock, contribute to net zero ambitions, and encourage growth and investment within the local economy. Chris Flint, Managing Director at G F Tomlinson, said: “It’s fantastic to be working with Bassetlaw District Council on this high-profile development and we look forward to starting on the low carbon modular housing scheme in Worksop, which will see 90 homes brought to the market town. “The scheme forms a key part of the council’s vision to significantly transform the local economy, by encouraging growth and investment in the area, allowing more people to live and work in the region. We look forward to seeing the development take shape over the next few months.” Councillor Steve Scotthorne, Cabinet Member for Housing at Bassetlaw District Council, said: “This project will deliver a modern, innovative and energy efficient housing scheme that improves neighbourhoods, supports local jobs, and continues our ambition to increase the amount of Council Housing in our District. “This is the Council’s first modular home development, which will provide future residents with well insulated and energy efficient homes that are powered by low carbon energy, and work on this exciting first phase is expected to begin in June. “I am looking forward to seeing how this project grows over the coming months and we are delighted to be working with G F Tomlinson who has a fantastic track record of delivering projects of this kind.” To find out more about G F Tomlinson, visit: https://gftomlinson.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Amtico has refreshed its popular Click Smart luxury vinyl tile (LVT) collection. Featuring five new Scandinavian-inspired Woods, two fresh Stones and a Parquet option, the designs reflect the increasing demand for cleaner, contemporary tones in the build-to-rent (BTR) and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sectors. The loose lay, rigid core LVT features a robust locking mechanism that allows individual planks and tiles to be easily clicked together without the need for adhesive. The new Parquet option provides specifiers with even more design flexibility. Parquet is available in six colourways – including Hushed Oak, Scandi Oak, and Nordic Oak – making it easy to achieve a classic aesthetic that is quick and easy to install. Made with up to 20% recycled pre-consumer content, Click Smart’s rigid core technology ensures it is stronger and more resistant to expansion or contraction than other click LVT products. In addition, the flooring is less susceptible to indentation and movement, perfect for catering to the unique demands of the build-to-rent (BTR) and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sectors. The integrated underlay and robust locking mechanism also assist with quick and easy installation, while the 20dB impact sound reduction meets building regulations and is ideal for high-density living spaces where noise reduction is crucial. Click Smart is also suitable for underfloor heating systems that are embedded in screed or beneath a floating timber base. The new range of Click Smart products benefits from the same performance features as Amtico’s core LVT collections, including a 0.55mm wear layer and urethane coating. They are also 100% waterproof to ensure the planks and tiles won’t absorb water or swell/expand. Click Smart is supplied with a 10-year warranty and meets global accreditations including ‘Eurofins Indoor Air Comfort Gold’ and emission class M1 for building materials. For more information about Amtico and its LVT collections, please visit www.amtico.com/commercial. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The UK’s National Infrastructure Strategy sets out plans to transform UK infrastructure to support levelling up and help meet net-zero emissions by 2050. As part of this strategy, local councils were invited to bid for funding for infrastructure projects that would contribute towards meeting these objectives. One successful application was from Buckinghamshire Council, who secured funding from the UK Government under the ADEPT program to install new Victorian-style lamp posts in a selected area of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. When the council needed help in designing and manufacturing new innovative lamp posts for the project, it called on specialist composites manufacturer, Exel Composites to help. Victorian-style lamp posts are strongly associated with the area of Aylesbury and the council wanted any new infrastructure to retain this aesthetic to help preserve the area’s heritage. At the same time, the council wanted to ensure that next generation, lightweight, and low maintenance materials were installed to ensure the longevity of the infrastructure. The requirement for the lamp posts was that they had to be Victorian-style in aesthetics and comply with ISO EN40 – Lighting Columns, which is the European design standard. The system also had to be modular, with a design that could vary in size, which is not possible with traditional steel lamp posts that are made in specific heights. It must also be lightweight, facilitating rapid installation times and minimizing road closures. It was desirable for the system to come equipped with electric vehicle (EV) charging capabilities. Upon successfully winning funding for its project, Buckinghamshire council discovered that its intended manufacturing partner could not deliver the desired Victorian-style lamp posts as it was a fabrication company that does not produce original products. This meant that it had to find a new manufacturing partner to move forward with. This is where Exel Composites came in, who proposed using composites to construct the main body of the lamp posts. Exel Composites’ UK Project Manager John Hartley explained, “When we began speaking to Buckinghamshire Council’s team about helping it deliver its new lamp post system, we started by conceptualising how the component parts would be designed. We opted for composite tubes manufactured using pull-winding. This manufacturing process allows us to align fibers at angles against the longitudinal direction to meet the desired overall mechanical properties. The tubes could then be joined together to make lamp posts of varying heights. “The composite tubes were manufactured at our factory in Finland and shipped to our facility in Runcorn, UK where the machining, fabrication and assembly took place. The majority of the ancillary items, which made up roughly six per cent of the final lamp post structure, were moulded, however, a number of these were 3D printed, as we wanted to evaluate this technology for future use. Currently the cost for manufacturing via this route in prohibitively expensive for mass production. However, as the technology evolves, it could potentially become a viable alternative. The Victorian-style lanterns used in the lamp post system were modified by lighting infrastructure specialist, enLIGHT to be fully remote controlled using a cloud-based system. Furthermore, each lamp post has its own unique GPS reference, so they can be remote controlled on an individual basis. Hartley continued, “As existing software available commercially was too inflexible to meet our needs, we developed our own spreadsheet calculations for evaluating the performance and to validate that the proposed design would meet the ISO EN40 requirements. Furthermore, finite element analysis was undertaken, this allowed us to validate our computerizations worked and highlight any local stress markers that might occur on the lamp post. Finally, we had the Lamp posts tested and certified at Lloyds British Testing. “We modelled all our designs using 3D CAD modelling, with all amends reviewed and approved by the council’s team. With an agreed design that was validated using our spreadsheet and FEA analysis, we could develop a prototype lamp post, which we presented to the council’s team. We then went through a review process, which involved a few minor amends to the design, such as making it slimmer to match more closely the existing steel lamppost at the finally selected designated installation location, before producing a final lamp post that met all the council’s requirements, including the desired add-on of built-in EV charging capabilities. “While the composite solution we provided does not compete with traditional steel lamp posts in terms of cost on a like-for-like basis, there are advantages in terms of total cost of ownership. Despite the higher upfront costs, the modular composites lamp posts are faster and easier to install and require less ongoing maintenance, which means ongoing costs are significantly reduced. “Exel Composites has now overseen the installation of all of the 170 agreed lamp posts in the area and have entered the monitoring and evaluation period, which will finish in 2023” concluded Hartley. Ian Frazer Fox, Street Lighting Manager at Buckinghamshire council, added, “Exel Composites was able to create an innovative composite lamp post system that met all our requirements while preserving the Victorian aesthetic that the area is known for. “Working through COVID-19 lockdowns limited in-person meetings, but Exel’s team kept us updated on a weekly basis, with regular review meetings taking place using Microsoft Teams and Monday.com for saving and sharing all relevant files and documentation. While there is nothing planned for the immediate future, we would be more than happy to engage Exel’s services again on any future infrastructure projects that may arise,” concluded Fox. To find out more about Exel Composites’ expertise in infrastructure applications, visit https://exelcomposites.com/composite-solutions/composites-in-infrastructure-applications/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Following an investigation carried out by Stockport Trading Standards and the HSE, UK Manager for Asbestos Boss Ltd, Daniel Cockcroft, has been brought to justice with the help of the CITB Quality & Standards Team. Stockport Trading Standards and the HSE were first alerted to the rogue traders back in September 2021, when the company removed the asbestos insulating board from a domestic garage, with little to no control measures in place. The investigation later revealed several similar cases, with one case deemed such poor quality that the site owners received quotes up to £64,000 to put it right. As part of the investigation, Stockport Trading Standards contacted CITB in December 2021 to run checks against documentation Mr Cockcroft produced, claiming to hold a CITB Site Safety Plus qualification. Ian Sidney, CITB’s Fraud Manager, investigated and confirmed that Mr Cockcroft did not hold any form of CSCS card or Site Safety Plus qualification. Asbestos Boss Ltd were not only producing counterfeit documents but also using an unauthorised CITB logo on their website to reel customers into thinking they had achieved accreditation. In Manchester Magistrates Court, Judge Begley remarked that the nature and gravity of Mr Cockcroft’s offending was plain to see and that he was central to the offences. He then stated that he considered Mr Cockcroft’s actions to be “rogue trading at its worst.” He made it clear that he considered the implications for serious health issues in the future from exposures caused by Mr Cockcroft to be an aggravating feature in the case. CITB provided a witness statement to the case, producing evidence of the findings and details of the trademarks held by CITB. Following this, Stockport Trading Standards brought a charge of fraud by false representation contrary to section 1(2)(a) of the Fraud Act 2006 against the company and directors in relation to the falsifying of documents with the intent to deceive, as well as unauthorised use of trade and accreditation logos, designed to give an impression of competence. Judge Begley said that the quality and weight of evidence against Asbestos Boss Ltd was overwhelming, and he found them guilty of all charges. Mr Cockcroft was sentenced to six months imprisonment for the HSE charges and a further four months for the Trading Standards offence relating to fraud and deception. Chris Simpson, CITB Head of Quality and Standards, said: “Falsifying health and safety qualifications means that the holder has not demonstrated the professional competence and awareness of health and safety legislation that is required for them to work safely in the construction industry. We are committed to identifying and stamping out any kind of cheating or deception to ensure that members of the public are kept safe, with an industry that they can rely on. “CITB welcomes the sentencing which sends a clear message to individuals and companies flouting health and safety regulations that we will not in any way tolerate this, and that we will work with local authorities, Trading Standards and the HSE to counter rogue traders.” Anyone who has information can report their concerns confidentially to Trading Standards, HSE or CITB via report.it@citb.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Citrus Durham has completed a deal with Adil Group who will develop a stand-alone drive-thru KFC at the £400m mixed-use Integra 61 development at J61 of the A1(M). Citrus Durham was advised by retained roadside agents Colliers and Avison Young with WSB acting for Adil Group. Detailed planning consent has been granted by Durham County Council for the development of the KFC unit and work is expected to start in the summer which would enable KFC to open for business by the end of the year. The new KFC drive-thru will sit alongside the existing Greggs and Costa Coffee drive thru’s and will form part of the growing roadside element at the ground-breaking North East development. Integra 61 is the largest logistics- led mixed use scheme seen in the North East in a generation and is home to Amazon’s new 2 million sq ft Fulfilment Centre which is fully operational with over 1,000 employees on site. Construction of a further 640,000 sq ft of speculative logistics space in 5 units, known as Connect at Integra 61, is well advanced with completion due this summer. Serviced plots are available on the remainder of the site to accommodate a wide range of unit sizes to suit occupier’s specific requirements. The 205 acre site, which has the potential to create over 3,000 jobs and add £2 billion to the regional economy over the next 10 years, has consent to deliver some 260 new homes, a new hotel, nursery, family pub/restaurant, vehicle dealerships and trade counter/retail units. David Cullingford, Project Lead for Integra 61 and Citrus Durham, said: “Adding another high profile occupier to the roadside element of Integra 61 is fantastic news and further strengthens the diversity of uses at the site. We are having a very busy 12 months on site with lots of development works underway and we are looking forward to welcoming KFC to the scheme.” John Roberts, Head of Automotive and Roadside for Colliers and joint agent on Integra 61 with Avison Young, said: “We are talking to a range of roadside occupiers regarding the remaining plots at Integra 61. The sector remains buoyant and we are able to accommodate a wide variety of roadside users from vehicle dealerships to self-storage and a range of retail and hospitality uses.” For enquiries, please contact Avison Young or Colliers Robert Rae 07860 398 744robert.rae@avisonyoung.com /Danny Cramman 07796 993 750 danny.cramman@avisonyoung.com Robert Whatmuff07703 393 145robert.whatmuff@colliers.com / Simon Hill 07736 480 041simon.hill@colliers.com Roadside enquiries to john.roberts@colliers.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Global modular building specialist, Volumetric Building Companies, which has recently announced its expansion in the UK, has secured a contract worth more than £10m for the offsite construction of a 500-bed hotel for the Tropical Islands resort near Berlin, one of the world’s largest waterparks. Worldwide leisure park operator Parques Reunidos is investing £22m in the new hotel, which will expand the resort’s facilities by 500 beds and create its largest hotel on the Tropical Islands site. VBC’s contract is for the modular manufacture, furniture production, offsite fitting out and installation of five storeys of guest room accommodation. There will be a range of guest room types, including two- and four-bedroom family suites; double, accessible, and 36sqm deluxe rooms. These will be installed by VBC on to a concrete podium which accommodates the public areas and guest amenities. The new hotel will be clad in grey composite cladding and will be linked to the indoor water attractions. In addition to the manufacture of 155 steel-framed hotel modules, VBC’s contract includes production of a full range of bespoke, contemporary furniture for the guest rooms at its factory in Poland – from beds and sofa beds to shelving, bathroom vanity units, and wood and glass partitions between the main bedrooms and bathrooms. The guest room modules will arrive on site in Summer this year and will be installed in just two months. The hotel is due to open early 2024. Commenting on the project, Wouter Dekkers, Corporate Development Director at Parques Reunidos, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with VBC on this scheme. Their longstanding, specialist experience in hotel construction will help us to create a really fantastic facility for Tropical Islands. The use of an offsite manufacturing solution for the guest rooms will significantly reduce disruption to our existing operations and guests during the build phase. The hotel’s modular construction will also have much less environmental impact – fewer vehicle movements through the park, less material waste, and the reduced carbon footprint of the steel structure.” Wojciech Chyrek, European Commercial Director at Volumetric Building Companies, said, “We are thrilled to be awarded our first modular project in Germany. Our offsite solutions have been widely used in the UK and globally, and the advantages of our approach to hotel construction are clear. We work to stringent and consistent factory quality standards and can help hotel operators achieve earlier occupation and a faster return on investment with our reduced programme times compared to in-situ construction. We are looking forward to developing a long-term strategic partnership with Parques Reunidos.” The attractions at the Tropical Islands Resort include an indoor rainforest which is home to 50,000 plants and 600 species, a beach and 1,200sqm swimming lagoon, spa and saunas spanning 10,000sqm, and the world’s longest double water slide. The park welcomes around 1.2m visitors each year, making it one of the most popular leisure destinations in Germany. Parques Reunidos is one of the fastest growing leisure park operators in the world. It owns and operates over 50 leisure parks across Europe, North America, and Australia – including theme parks, aquaria, zoos, and water parks. VBC has delivered modular projects in the UK, Europe and around the world for a host of global hotel brands, including for Marriott, Hilton, Intercontinental Hotels, Whitbread, and citizenM. For further information, visit www.vbc.co/uk or email enquiries@vbc.co. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
As an employment trends survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reveals three-quarters of UK businesses are experiencing difficulties filling vacancies, Kent-based drainage system company Polypipe Building Services is celebrating strong staff retention figures with several workers holding 40-years of service – or more. Among them is Keith Goodhew who began at Polypipe Building Services as an engineering apprentice 37 years ago and has worked in several parts of the business from production to technical as a CAD operator, before taking up his current post as an engineer and health and safety representative within fabrication. “I’d wanted to become an engineer since I left school in the 80s and decided to do an apprenticeship scheme, and I’ve made a lot of friends. “There are lots of people here I’ve known since I started so they’re like family to me, and we’ve always had social things going on and it’s things like that and the fact my role has kept changing which is why I really enjoy working here.” Rashmihant Desai has just taken retirement having worked at Polypipe Building Services for 47 years where he was an assembly team leader. Originally from Tanzania, he joined after family members already working at the company alerted him to a vacancy. “I came for interview, and they asked if he could start right away,” he says, “and I joined as a machine operator before going to work in mixing then in injection moulding where I worked as a cell leader overseeing seven machines. “While I was there a manager asked if I could help in assembly, and they were so impressed by my work that when that manager left, I was asked to stay and run the whole department. “I’m 67 now and I stayed because they treat people well, like if your health isn’t good the team are 100% behind you and if people are treating you well then why would you leave? I also do a lot of charity work helping supply food to children in places like Thailand and India and the company always supported me with that.” Clare Hawkes, Head of Human Resources at Polypipe Building Services, said more than 10 per cent of their workforce have been with the company for 10 years or more, and believes this high rate of retention is due to the investment in people’s continuous learning and development which allows staff to progress throughout the business, together with a workplace culture of teamwork embedded in a series of staff social events. She said: “We work very hard to make sure people here feel valued and supported in their roles, and that there is a clear structure of development and training opportunities so people can develop into new roles if they want to. “Our managers and leaders take time to develop relationships with their teams, and these elements combined with ensuring we have things like Mental Health First Aiders present in all areas of the business, charity days and family social events, all help to create a workplace where people want to work and to stay.” For more information about careers at Polypipe Building Services go to https://www.polypipe.com/careers-hub Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Building Safety Act 2022 established the new Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Ron Alalouff speaks with Mark Wilson, the Lead for Planning Gateway One, and Colin Blatchford-Brown, Gateways and Building Control Lead, on the prospects for the new regime. The new Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) remit is a threefold one: to deliver the new regulatory regime for high-rise residential buildings, to promote competence across the built environment, and oversight of the entire built environment. Planning Gateway One is part of the BSR and is a new statutory consultee on fire safety matters for planning applications that include high-rise residential buildings. It began operation in August 2021, and from October 2023, the BSR will effectively be the building control authority for high-rise residential buildings in England, so will oversee the design and construction of these buildings, as well as managing the safe occupation of existing buildings. The BSR will give advice to local regulators, landlords and building owners, the building design and construction industry, and to residents. It aims to be evidence-led and enforce its powers proportionately and on the principle that it is the responsibility of those who create risk to manage and control it. The new building safety regime will come into effect in stages. The registration of high-rise residential buildings will start in April 2023, and the new safety management requirements will apply from October 2023. That month will also see the introduction of the more rigorous building control rules for new high-rise buildings and building work carried out on existing buildings. There will be a duty to register high-rise residential buildings between April and September 2023, with all other duties starting from October 2023. The BSR then intends to assess the estimated 13,500 existing buildings in scope over a five-year period from April 2024, with rolling reassessments. From this autumn, it will be publishing various pieces of guidance around the new regime, including the requirements around registering high-rise residential buildings. How will the BSR act to improve the design safety of buildings? Mark Wilson: Planning Gateway One is part of the Building Safety Regulator, but was established under legislation separate to the Building Safety Act. It was launched in August 2021 to enable the BSR to comment on planning applications for developments of high-rise residential buildings (those over 18m or seven storeys high and that have two or more residential units). The planning stage includes consideration of the whole development, so the area around a building and access to it are also included. As a statutory consultee in the planning process, we provide information and advice to local planning authorities. While local authorities are free to take or leave any advice we give, they are generally reluctant to grant planning permission with outstanding HSE concerns about fire safety. What was the situation prior to the implementation of Planning Gateway One? MW: As a former local authority town planner, I know that fire safety was not a consideration at the planning stage. As planning officers don’t generally have the fire safety expertise, the previous situation meant that it was difficult to get traction on fire safety matters later on in the process, once the design had gained planning permission. Since joining the BSR, I have been taken aback about how much fire safety has an impact on the design, layout, and appearance of a building – it can’t just be added on later as a veneer of fire safety. What aspects of fire safety are considered at Planning Gateway One? MW: It’s the big-ticket items such as the number of firefighting stairs and how they interact with the layout of a building. It’s often the case that there is just a single firefighting stair, so that needs a high level of protection, as it’s the only means of escape and access for firefighters. One of the big achievements of Planning Gateway One has been to cast a spotlight on single stairs and how well protected they may be. What will be the role of Gateways Two and Three? Colin Blatchford-Brown: The new Gateway Two takes place before building work starts, and involves detailed compliance with building regulations, with approval coming from the BSR acting as the building control authority. Gateway Two is a stop/go stage and building work cannot start before it is completed. This contrasts with the current situation where there is a requirement to submit an application at this stage, but no requirement to obtain approval before work starts. Gateway Three will require submission of sufficient evidence that you have complied with the building regulations and have built what you said you were going to build. At this point, you will receive a completion certificate which will allow you to register your building. Building registration must be completed with the BSR before people can move into it. Currently, there is no method of preventing occupation of a building before approval is obtained. What has been your experience of the quality of fire safety provisions in planning applications under Gateway One? MW: Over half our responses to applications have raised concerns or significant concerns about fire safety provision at the planning stage. Often, applicants respond to our concerns by preparing a detailed defence of their scheme, rather than addressing our concerns in design terms. However, if after, say, three responses there have not been any substantive amendments to address our concerns, we would suggest to the Local Planning Authority that they refuse the application. Usually, the prospect of potential refusal is enough to produce design changes. What incentive is there for developers to consider fire safety at the planning stage? MW: The spotlight on fire safety is perhaps more on Planning Gateway One than it is later, when building regulations are considered. There’s an incentive for developers to sort out fire safety issues at the outset, as the open process of planning applications means that HSE’s comments are published on the planning register of the local authority. Therefore, there is potential
BUILD-TO-RENT Single Family Housing (BTR SFH) specialist, Wise Living, has reported a record Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +81 in 2022, according to its recent NPS survey data analysis. NPS can be anywhere between -100 and +100, and according to the creators of the NPS metric, Bain & Company, a score greater than 0 is considered good, greater than 25 is favourable, more than 50 is excellent and above 80 is world class. Wise Living’s exceptional NPS score was calculated in response to the following question asked to its BTR SFH tenants, seven days after their move in date: ‘How likely are you to recommend Wise Living to family, a friend, or colleague?’. In 2021, an overall NPS of +47 was achieved to this question and this figure has since increased to an impressive NPS of +81 in 2022. The excellent score and significant uplift achieved by Wise Living is testament to its ongoing and ever improving customer experience ethos, according to Anne Malone, head of customer experience at Wise Living. Anne said: “To achieve such a high NPS score is rare, and we know it means that our tenants are very happy. To put this into perspective, retailer John Lewis reported its highest ever NPS as +70. As a full service BTR SFH specialist, we understand the importance of quality at every stage and strive to prioritise the tenant experience throughout. It all starts with identifying the best sites and from there we ensure that the homes are developed to meet renter requirements by partnering with the right property investors and developers. Once we have homes that we know tenants will love, the work doesn’t stop there. “Wise Living takes great pride in making the move-in experience seamless and we are on-hand throughout the process, which makes a big difference. We not only then go on to maintain and manage all properties, ensuring all tenants have a great place to live, but also place strong emphasis on creating communities. From our regular communal events, to being a pet-friendly landlord and supporting tenants quickly if they experience any issues – this all adds up to the bigger picture of how people feel about their home and living experience. “Over the past year, we have worked hard to keep improving standards and this is reflected in the scoring. The NPS survey data also shows a strong uplift in responses reporting satisfaction to the same question when asked nine-months post move-in, which we are incredibly proud of.” To find out more about Wise Living, visit www.wiselivinghomes.co.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A new government hub in Peterborough has officially opened by Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart last week. The Hub is in Fletton Quays, an area undergoing a £120 million regeneration, and will house more than 1,000 government staff from a number of departments and agencies. Staff from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Home Office’s Passport Office will be based there permanently, with room for more roles which may relocate to the city from London. Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart said: “It’s fantastic to be in Peterborough to open our brand new Government Hub. This is a very important day for the city.” “As today shows, this Government is investing in Peterborough and the East of England to create jobs and opportunities for the long-term.” The project is part of the government hubs programme, which has also seen the announcement of new hubs across the country including Glasgow, Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol. These hubs will support the government’s drive to move 22,000 government roles out of London by 2030, moving them into communities across the United Kingdom. Lord Murray, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office, said: “Being part of this new Government hub continues to reinforce HM Passport Office’s long-term commitment to the city of Peterborough. “Quay House offers brand new, purpose built, facilities that will help us to deliver increasingly high standards of service for our customers in the East and Midlands for many years to come.” To date, more than 900 roles have been relocated out of the capital and into the East Midlands and East of England, with departments including the Ministry of Justice expanding their presence there. The government will also launch a civil service recruitment campaign in the region in April as part of the drive to offer roles previously located in Whitehall to people in the East of England and East Midlands, ensuring the government is maximising use of the area’s vast talent pool. The new Hub is part of a £120m regeneration of the Fletton Quays site led by the Peterborough Investment Partnership and the site’s developer, Bride Hall, which is expected to generate over £340 million of private sector revenue for the area. Clive Anderson, Director of Capital Projects at the Government Property Agency, said: “Quay House in Peterborough is the Government Property Agency’s first new build Hub. It will provide inclusive, flexible, digitally-connected workspaces to support greater productivity, create cost efficiencies and enhance carbon reduction. This has been achieved by consolidating four remote sites into one new city centre building, with 1,000 civil servants now supporting local businesses. We are all extremely proud to deliver this new Hub in Peterborough, and to be delivering the Government Hubs Programme in support of key government initiatives such as Levelling Up, Civil Service Reform and Net Zero. I welcome our clients and customers to their new place of work.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals