Leading public service provider Amey has partnered with the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) in an effort to tackle the challenges facing disabled people in the workplace, a spokesperson announced today. The new partnership is the latest in a string of diversity and inclusion initiatives embarked on by Amey over
Hub South West, an infrastructure partnership, has delivered the new £44 million Largs Campus, one of the biggest projects it has undertaken. Built by Morrison Construction, the new facility aims to start a new era in education in the Ayrshire coastal town. Largs Primary and St Mary’s, the primary schools
The Institute of Chartered Foresters is pleased to announce the four recipients of the 2018 Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award. The Institute’s Student members Tom Haynes and Michael Wilson from the University of Cumbria were selected among talented competition as the United Kingdom applicants, while Daniel Root from the
Whitemountain Quarries won a £15 million contract to build a 1 kilometre road with two bridges in the Somerset town of Bridgwater. The construction work will begin on the 4th of April and it will include an access road to serve the Colley Lane Industrial Estate in the town and
Today, the Chancellor delivered his Spring Statement, which laid out scant initiatives impacting on commercial property. The reaction from Colliers International is: Economic – ‘Forecasts are there to be beaten’ said Phillip Hammond Oliver Kolodseike, Senior Property Economist said: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revised up its 2018
Construction work has started on a major business development in Nottinghamshire that includes three warehouses totalling 714,000 sq ft. Panattoni Park will be located just off junction 26 of the M1. First Panattoni development director Simon Jenkins and John Proctor of FHP Property Consultants were joined by Nottingham county councillor
BESA must help its members to face up to key challenges Published: 14 July, 2016 The overriding duty of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) to help its members to face up to present and future challenges has been highlighted by president Malcolm Thomson in his inaugural address. “We must
Workload forecasts remain strongly positive across all regions of the UK Evidence of practices struggling to recruit staff with the desired skills and experience The recovery in workloads is now clearly a UK wide phenomenon according to the latest results of the RIBA Future Trends survey. The RIBA
The ‘all under one roof’ approach was launched by the Leaders Romans Group, one of the UK’s largest property services companies made up of Leaders, Romans and Boyer, who employ over 2,100 people across 160 offices nationwide. “Since the merger of the three market-leading companies in 2016, we have developed
Specialist supplier of natural cladding products, Pura Facades, has seen its business grow by a remarkable 34% in the last 12 months, increasing its turnover to £6 million. Operating from West London and Birmingham, the fast-growing supplier works closely with architects and designers, helping them to source sustainable, safe and
Leading public service provider Amey has partnered with the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) in an effort to tackle the challenges facing disabled people in the workplace, a spokesperson announced today. The new partnership is the latest in a string of diversity and inclusion initiatives embarked on by Amey over the last 12 months, including achieving Leaders in Diversity accreditation and kickstarting a partnership with the disability charity Scope. Elsewhere, Amey has been awarded Investors in People Gold accreditation and signed the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport Charter for Diversity & Inclusion. Since 2011, RIDI has focused on breaking down the barriers disabled people face in the recruitment process through its work with recruiters and employers across the UK. Its annual awards celebrate progress and recognise the success of organisations that are making headway in increasing the inclusion of disabled professionals. Commenting on why Amey has chosen to be a ‘Silver Partner’ of RIDI, James Haluch, MD for Amey’s Highways business and Chair of the company’s inclusion steering group, said: “Our mission is to help to create better places for people to live, work and travel and we are constantly striving to ensure that our workforce truly reflects the diverse communities that we serve. “We believe that by bringing together different people with different perspectives, work experiences, backgrounds and abilities, we are able to become more connected, innovative and more effective. Ultimately, we can provide greater value to our customers through greater inclusion and diversity in our workforce and disabled talent is an area which must not be overlooked.” Kate Headley, spokeperson for RIDI, added: “There is a distinct appetite from companies and recruiters alike to become more inclusive and improve the prospects of disabled jobseekers. Amey is clearly one of the growing number of organisations that is leading the way in diversity inclusion, and it is a pleasure to work with the team as we approach the 2018 RIDI Awards.” This year’s RIDI Awards will be held on the 15th of March in central London. Further sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information contact: info@ridiawards.com
Hub South West, an infrastructure partnership, has delivered the new £44 million Largs Campus, one of the biggest projects it has undertaken. Built by Morrison Construction, the new facility aims to start a new era in education in the Ayrshire coastal town. Largs Primary and St Mary’s, the primary schools incorporated into the new campus, moved in yesterday together with Early Years nurseries. The relocated Largs Academy will also join them on the 18th of April. The new campus will accommodate more than 2,000 pupils and is part of North Ayrshire Council’s biggest ever investment that includes two theatres, a gym hall believed to be the biggest in the UK, and art classrooms with balconies that enable outdoor working with vires of the stunning Largs Coastline. “The facilities at Largs Campus are going to be the best in Scotland. We will have the best sport facilities in Scotland, if not the UK,” said Councillor John Bell, cabinet member for education and youth employment. “We have invested heavily in the nursery and have state-of-the-art facilities that incorporate parent rooms, family rooms and imaginative play and learning areas for our young people. I am so proud of this facility and know that the young people have a fantastic environment to attain and achieve.” Moreover, this project supported 25 work placements, 13 apprenticeships and created 73 jobs. “Students have been given exposure to the construction industry, small businesses have expanded and there has been a positive impact on the local economy,” added Allan Cunningham, operations director of Morrison Construction. “hub South West is delighted to handover this wonderful new learning environment to North Ayrshire Council,” said Michael McBrearty, chief executive of hub South West. “Largs Campus is an impressive and contemporary educational facility set in a fantastic location. It will provide an inspirational environment in which pupils can learn and thrive. It will be a real asset to the local community.”
The Institute of Chartered Foresters is pleased to announce the four recipients of the 2018 Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award. The Institute’s Student members Tom Haynes and Michael Wilson from the University of Cumbria were selected among talented competition as the United Kingdom applicants, while Daniel Root from the University of Toronto and Erin Pearson from College of the North Atlantic were selected among top Canadian recipients. Now in its fourth year, the Award program is fully endorsed by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The Award program is a UK-Canada partnership between The Prince of Wales’ Duchy of Cornwall, the Institute of Chartered Foresters in the UK, and CIF-IFC in Canada, sponsored by the The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation. “This unique and prestigious Award helps foster future forest leaders by recognising young professionals with a passion for forestry and natural resources management,” explains Dana Collins, Executive Director at CIF-IFC. “We’ve received an overwhelmingly positive response from previous Award recipients and employers, and are very excited to continue building on the success of this program again this year.” The UK and Canadian recipients will participate in an international work exchange in their respective partner countries during the summer of 2018. They will be placed in roles at some of the top forestry and natural resources management employers in Canada and the UK, in addition to receiving a bursary of £7,500 GBP to cover expenses. This year’s employers will be announced shortly. “I am delighted by the continued interest in this Award,” says Geraint Richards MVO MICFor, the Duchy of Cornwall’s Head Forester. “The Award will further strengthen our relationship with the Canadian Institute of Forestry. I wish Daniel, Erin, Tom and Michael, every success and I look forward to hearing about their experiences abroad.” “The Institute of Chartered Foresters congratulates all recipients of The Prince of Wales Forest Leadership Award. This is a fantastic opportunity for future forest leaders. We are looking forward to welcoming the Canadian winners to the UK, and hope that it is an invaluable learning experience in both countries,” added Andy Lederer, Development Director at the Institute of Chartered Foresters.
Whitemountain Quarries won a £15 million contract to build a 1 kilometre road with two bridges in the Somerset town of Bridgwater. The construction work will begin on the 4th of April and it will include an access road to serve the Colley Lane Industrial Estate in the town and two bridges: one an in-situ concrete arch structure over the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal and the second a 52m long single span steel composite bridge over the tidal River Parrett. “We are delighted to deliver the much anticipated Colley Lane Southern Access Road Project on behalf of Somerset County Council and fully understand the importance of the project to the local community. Whitemountain are committed to delivering a quality project that exceeds client expectations on time and within budget,” said Mark Kelly, MD of Whitemountain. “We look forward to engaging with and supporting Somerset County Council and are committed to providing social value and community welfare in the delivery of the project, fully aligned with Somerset County Council’s Sustainability Plan,” he added. The new link road will be crossing the site of a former brickworks, where the clay extraction pit has been filled with cellophane waste. The embankment of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal Bridge will need to be built over it. The new carriageway will give motorists the opportunity to access the Colley Lane Industrial Estate from the South, avoiding travelling on Taunton Road during rush hour traffic. It will also open up brownfield development sites between the River Parrett and the Taunton and Bridgwater Canal to support the delivery of planned housing and employment land. One of the contributors to the development is Hinkley Point nuclear power station who invested £2 million as part of a £100 million commitment to support community projects.
Today, the Chancellor delivered his Spring Statement, which laid out scant initiatives impacting on commercial property. The reaction from Colliers International is: Economic – ‘Forecasts are there to be beaten’ said Phillip Hammond Oliver Kolodseike, Senior Property Economist said: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revised up its 2018 growth forecast marginally from 1.4% in the Autumn Statement to 1.5% and now believes that positive real wage growth will return in the second quarter of 2018. This does not come as a surprise. However, it is indeed surprising that the OBR is now more pessimistic about the longer-term outlook for the UK economy beyond 2020. For both 2021 and 2022, it now predicts slower growth. This comes despite the strongest labour market in four decades, a predicted return of positive real wage growth, signs of rising productivity and improving public finances, which should provide the government with extra money to spend should they have to. The OBR believes that household consumption over the next five years will grow at rates weaker than seen in 2017, when inflation outstripped wage growth. Especially striking is the downward revision for 2019. It is now anticipated that household consumption will grow by only 0.9% next year, down from a previous estimate of 1.2% in the Autumn Statement. Expectations for business investment have also weakened, highlighting that the OBR is far from confident about the UK’s economic future. On a more positive note, the OBR now believes that positive real wage growth will return in the second quarter of 2018. This is in line with our forecasts. As a result, consumer confidence should improve and thereby support household spending over the short to medium term. We hope that the wider retail sector will benefit from increased spending after a very subdued start to the year. Public finances are looking better now and the debt to GDP ratio is forecast to fall to below 78% by 2021-22. Public sector net borrowing is now expected to come in at £45.2 billion in 2017-18 which is £4.7 billion less than predicted at the time of the Autumn Statement. Overall, the OBR forecasts are disappointing and, in our view, too cautious. OBR upward revision of GDP growth from 1.4% to 1.5% in 2018 – still cautious in our view Real wage growth from q1 2018/19 First fall in debt in 17 years – light at the end of the tunnel – rebuilding public finances Living wage rises to £7.83 next month Infrastructure investment – local authorities’ proposals for £840 million Mark Charlton, Head of UK Research at Colliers International commented: “Recognising the cost to the UK economy of congestion on British roads (c. £9bn per annum), £1.7bn was announced in the Autumn Budget for improving transport in English cities. Half of this has been allocated to Combined Authorities with mayors. The government is now accepting bids from English cities for the remaining £840m. The resulting infrastructure spend could result in new relief roads and the subsequent release of land parcels ripe for development. This could provide opportunities for the development community – both residential and commercial (retail and logistics).” Business Rates Revaluation brought forward to 2021 John Webber, Head of Rating, said: “The Chancellor’s proposal to bring the next Business Rates Revaluation forward to 2021 and that revaluations would then be every three years rather five, enabling a fairer reflection of rental values, is all very good says John Webber Head of Business Rates at Colliers International, but it does nothing to help those businesses, particularly the retailers, who are struggling with the system today. And ” the change from a seven year to a five year, then a four year and finally a three-year revaluation system, only underlines how the Government has finally realised how disastrous the seven year 2017 Revaluation really was.” He continued. Webber believes the Chancellor has missed a trick in his Spring Budget by failing to properly tackle the issue of business rate reform, leaving many businesses and retailers out to dry, particularly as the 2018/9 rate bills for 1st April start to hit home.” Planning – £1.67 billion to start building a further 27,000 affordable homes by the end of 2021-22 Director of Planning, Jonathan Manns, said: “The announcement that London will receive £1.67 billion to start building a further 27,000 affordable homes by the end of 2021-22 is another small step in the right direction. However, the fact that the Chancellor felt the need to stress this would include Social Rented homes again underlines the difficult balance which must be struck between the total volume of new properties built and extent to which they are genuinely affordable.” Residential – 60,000 first-time-buyers have already benefited from stamp duty relief Ben Morris, Director, New Homes, at Colliers International commented: “Phillip Hammond mentioned in his spring statement today that around 60,000 first time house buyers have already benefited from stamp duty relief announced at the autumn budget. Without knowing the number of first time buyers for the same period the year before, I presume that this is a number to be celebrated. The issue, in my opinion, is that this is not an area of the market which needs additional support right now. Large scale project starts are being put on hold due to lack of investor demand who would typically commit to buying 3-4 off plan which kick starts projects to deliver more homes for first time buyers. The government need to focus on simplifying the planning system and supporting buy-to-let investors. Initiatives that actually deliver homes rather than prevent the construction is the only way we can solve the housing crisis.”
Construction work has started on a major business development in Nottinghamshire that includes three warehouses totalling 714,000 sq ft. Panattoni Park will be located just off junction 26 of the M1. First Panattoni development director Simon Jenkins and John Proctor of FHP Property Consultants were joined by Nottingham county councillor and chairman of Broxtowe Borough Council’s jobs and economy committee Tony Harper, as well as the borough’s mayor Hallmah Khaled, at the groundbreaking. “Panattoni Park Nottingham will bring a much-welcomed economy boost to Broxtowe Borough Council and this site is ideally situated on the main A610 trunk road with easy access to Nottingham and Derby and the M1,” said Councillor Tony Harper. Director Jenkins also commented, saying: “We have been involved with this site for some time and are extremely pleased to have secured it as one of the First Panattoni developments to come forward. Broxtowe have always been very supportive of our plans for Panattoni Park Nottingham and the hundreds of job opportunities it will create for the local area.” “This scheme is highly significant both within a local, regional and national context,” said Director John Proctor. This park ticks all the boxes of a highly accessible location with available labour at cost-effective rates for occupiers. “It’s great to see new high-quality employment space being built in Nottinghamshire and Panattoni Park Nottingham further enhances our offer to businesses looking to expand and relocate into the area,” said Lorraine Baggs, head of investment at Invest in Nottingham. “Logistics is an important sector and with increasing exports and e-commerce driving demand for space, it’s fantastic to see First Panattoni building speculative space to meet that demand.”
BESA must help its members to face up to key challenges Published: 14 July, 2016 The overriding duty of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) to help its members to face up to present and future challenges has been highlighted by president Malcolm Thomson in his inaugural address. “We must emphasise to clients the high levels of technical competence, commercial capability and adherence to safety best practice that members are required to maintain – and we must address the skills shortages that threaten to limit the extent to which members can take advantage of commercial opportunities,” said Mr Thomson at the annual general meeting of the association. He told the audience that one of the key reasons why small firms joined the association was to gain an understanding of the practices adopted by larger members, so that they could become more professional, more innovative and more efficient in all aspects of their business. “We must protect and enhance the reputation of the BESA badge as one of quality and reliability – and we must ensure that membership remains healthy in number and representative of the sector,” said Mr Thomson. “I believe that, by fostering lasting relationships between the large guys and the small guys, much advantage can be gained by both parties.” Source link
Workload forecasts remain strongly positive across all regions of the UK Evidence of practices struggling to recruit staff with the desired skills and experience The recovery in workloads is now clearly a UK wide phenomenon according to the latest results of the RIBA Future Trends survey. The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index was unchanged this month (remaining at +29 in January 2015). Workload forecast balance figures were positive in all nations and regions of the UK, with the highest balance figures again in Scotland (+57) and Northern Ireland (+67). Small practices (1–10 staff) remain positive about the outlook for future work (balance figure +23); medium-sized practices (11–50 staff) and large-sized practices (51+ staff) are anticipating more growth in workloads over the next quarter (with balance figures of +61 and +80 respectively). The private housing sector workload forecast remains the most positive (increasing to +33 in January 2015, up from +25 in December 2014). The crucial commercial sector workload forecast fell back a little further from its recent highs (down to +13 in January 2015 from +17 in December 2014). Overall, practices continue to be very positive about future prospects for private housing and commercial work. Our correspondents reported strong growth in one-off housing, housing for private rental, office and hotel sectors. The retail element of the commercial sector remains more subdued. Both the public sector workload forecast (+6) and the community sector workload forecast (+3) saw little change this month. The outlook for public and third-sector work currently appears to be for stable workloads but without any dramatic increase in levels of activity in the medium term. This month, RIBA also releases quarterly results tracking the value of actual work in progress compared with 12 months ago. In January 2015, our practices reported workloads 6% higher than in the corresponding quarter of 2014. For the past 18 months aggregate workloads for our practices have been growing at an annualised rate of 6–8%. However, we estimate the total value of work in progress remains some 25% below its pre-recessionary peak. This illustrates that there remains significant potential for further growth in the demand for architectural services – if the economic recovery maintains momentum. The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index stands at +14 in January 2015 (down from +17 in December 2014), but remains strongly in positive territory: only 4% of practices predicted a decrease in overall permanent staffing levels over the next quarter. Reflecting the workload forecast figures, medium-sized practices (11–50 staff, with a balance figure of +43) and large practices (51+ staff, with a balance figure of +40) continue to be more confident about their ability to sustain higher staffing levels in the medium term. Small practices (1–10 staff, with a balance figure of +9) are significantly more cautious about taking on additional new staff at the present time. This month, RIBA releases quarterly results tracking overall permanent staffing levels. In January 2015 our practices reported that aggregate staffing numbers had increased by a modest 2%, compared to the same period 12 months ago so there continues to be a lag between the growth in workloads and an increase in the numbers of staff being employed. RIBA Director of Practice Adrian Dobson said:‘This month’s results present a slightly mixed picture; however, uncertainty around the imminent General Election is probably contributing to practices being more circumspect about future workload levels in the public and third-sector work. ‘We have seen a steady decrease in the number of our respondents reporting that they had personally been under-employed in the last month, and this suggests that most of the spare capacity retained within the profession during the recession is now being productively employed. We therefore anticipate more substantial growth in overall employment levels in 2015. ‘Anecdotal commentary received continues to suggest a continuing strengthening of the market for architects’ services. Although we are not yet recording a dramatic increase in overall staffing levels, we are seeing evidence of some practices encountering difficulties in attracting new staff with the right mix of skills and experience.’ ENDS Notes to editors 1. For further press information contact the RIBA Press Office: 020 7307 3757 pressoffice@riba.org 2. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. 3. Completed by a mix of small, medium and large firms based on a geographically representative sample, the RIBA Future Trends Survey was launched in January 2009 to monitor business and employment trends affecting the architects’ profession. 4. The Future Trends Survey is carried out by the RIBA in partnership with the Fees Bureau. Results of the survey, including a full graphical analysis, are published each month at: http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Professionalsupport/FutureTrendsSurvey.aspx 5. To participate in the RIBA Future Trends Survey, please contact the RIBA Practice Department on 020 7307 3749 or email practice@riba.org. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete each month, and all returns are independently processed in strict confidence 6. The definition for the workload balance figure is the difference between those expecting more work and those expecting less. A negative figure means more respondents expect less work than those expecting more work. This figure is used to represent the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index, which for January 2015 was +29 7. The definition for the staffing balance figure is the difference between those expecting to employ more permanent staff in the next three months and those expecting to employ fewer. A negative figure means more respondents expect to employ fewer permanent staff. This figure is used to represent the RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index, which for January 2015 was +14 Posted on Friday 27th February 2015 Source link
The ‘all under one roof’ approach was launched by the Leaders Romans Group, one of the UK’s largest property services companies made up of Leaders, Romans and Boyer, who employ over 2,100 people across 160 offices nationwide. “Since the merger of the three market-leading companies in 2016, we have developed a unique offering of property services, ‘all under one roof’ for corporate clients and property investors. From lettings and sales, through to planning and architecture, our expertise spans across a variety of disciplines enabling us to help you throughout every step of your property journey,” explained Peter Kavanagh, Group Managing Director. Hodson Developments used the ‘all under one roof’ approach to meet their objectives at the Viridium development in Camberley. The development site consisted of an old pub, The Duke of York, with 29 two-bedroom apartments. After the purchase, the Surveying team at Leaders Roman Group was instructed to carry out a viability assessment, followed by the submission of two planning applications and an appeal to create an additional 90 homes. The proposal proved successful and the New Homes team started working on site to sell the homes. They worked closely with mortgage services to help buyers secure the right mortgage for their circumstances, many of whom used the services at the residential sales offices to sell their existing homes. Several of these new properties were sold to investors through Romans, while the lettings and property management team further continued to work with the investors to ensure their let remains successful. By keeping this project ‘all under one roof’, Hodson Development had a dedicated point of contact throughout and had the peace of mind that everyone involved was working towards the same goal. To find more information about how this approach could benefit you, a new website offers detailed information about the company’s ethos, board of directors and the services they offer at https://www.lrg.co.uk/.
Specialist supplier of natural cladding products, Pura Facades, has seen its business grow by a remarkable 34% in the last 12 months, increasing its turnover to £6 million. Operating from West London and Birmingham, the fast-growing supplier works closely with architects and designers, helping them to source sustainable, safe and stylish external claddings for commercial and residential projects. Focusing mainly on the provision of glass fibre reinforced concrete (GRC), terracotta and brick slip façade cladding panels, Pura has recently supplied several flagship projects in London, including Hallsville Quarter, a mixed use development in Canning Town and St Mark’s Square, a major residential, retail and cinema complex in Bromley. Pura has also supplied bespoke cladding to high street outlets such as COS, Burberry and Stella McCartney. The business attributes much of its success to the increasing appreciation of natural facades, typically using concrete, terracotta or wood, which can be eventually recycled within the construction supply chain. Pura’s director, James Butler, explains: “We founded the business four years ago to satisfy the growing demand for truly sustainable construction materials from architects and specifiers alike. The use of natural materials on new buildings has been growing over the last five years and this is a trend that looks set to feed into other areas such as social housing, especially as the bulk of our product range is certified as A1 non-combustible.” Moreover, the company’s focus on customer service is another reason for Pura’s continued success. Butler continued: “Contractors are faced with increasingly tight delivery programmes during the construction phase and need suppliers that can help them overcome these logistical challenges. Accordingly, Pura offers contractors off-site fabrication services and timed deliveries, two methodologies that can reduce errors and improve construction site efficiencies. “We also work hard to help contractors achieve practical completion (PC), by providing toolbox training to site workers, giving them practical support to enable them to fill out their O&M manuals and even assisting in final snagging work. It’s these added value activities that help contractors to achieve project completion.” Pura Facades provides a fully made to order service to architects, specifiers and contractors, supplying natural cladding products from respected brands including Rieder, Faveton. Lauder Parea and VetaBric.