London First, which speaks for businesses in the capital, said Mr Khan’s proposed Homes for Londoners (HfL) body should be interventionist rather than merely strategic. It would both buy land and use its compulsory purchase powers to assemble sites for housebuilding. In a report published with law firm Dentons, London First said HfL’s primary role should be getting public land ready for development. Where practical, it would set acceptable density levels and clear requirements about the mix of tenures and affordable homes sought for sites it owns or has assembled. HfL would try to increase the value of sites it owned by buying adjacent privately-owned land where this would enable it to create scale for development. Securing a pipeline of developable land in this way would give Mr Khan direct influence over housebuilding and increase the speed of delivery, the report argued. Achiveing a significnat increase in housebuilding output would need ”a muscular approach to delivery and strong political will”, the report noted. It pointed to the urgency of building more homes in a city where the average price is now some £530,000 and where only 27,819 homes were built in 2014-15 – against a target of 49,000 a year – with demand set to increase with London’s population projected to hit 10m in the 2030s. London First housing director Jonathan Seager said: “London must double its rate of housebuilding if it is to adequately house a growing population and keep the city competitive. “The mayor has both the convening legitimacy and a set of powers and resources, which complement those of the boroughs, to help get more homes built.” In his election campaign, Mr Khan said he would “deliver more affordable homes, ‘first dibs’ on those homes for Londoners, and action on rents”, with HfL created to fast-track the building of affordable homes to rent and buy. He also set a target for 50% of all new homes in London to be affordable, but has since said this would be only a long term goal. London’s deputy mayor for housing James Murray, said: “The Mayor has been clear that fixing London’s housing crisis and getting to grips with the mess that has been left behind by his predecessor will be a marathon, not a sprint. “We have started to work with local authorities, developers, housing associations and others to get building the new homes that Londoners so desperately need – including those on public land within the Mayor’s control. He added: “We are working closely with London First, and very much welcome the suggestions in their report about setting up ‘Homes for Londoners’. ”Many of the ideas in the report are in line with plans we have been taking forward since the election, and we will continue to work with London First as we take our proposals forward.”   Source link

The Ucatt, Unite and GMB unions agreed a two-year settlement with a pay increase of 2.5 per cent from 25 July and a further 2.75 per cent in June 2017. Sick pay and subsistence allowance will increase at least in line with these rises. Travel allowances will be paid in miles rather than kilometres. Workers will also receive an extra day’s holiday from 1 January 2017, which the unions said was equivalent to an additional 0.4 per cent, with more flexible arrangements for taking holidays. Some skilled operative rates including slinger/signaller, banksman, and fork lift truck and telehandler drivers will receive additional pay increases. Despite the settlement, the unions said they had told employers the agreement was “not fit for purpose”. Their concerns included pay rates, lack of recognition of the London living wage, and the absence of a mechanism to apply the agreement to company supply chains. Ucatt acting general secretary Brian Rye said: “This deal ensures that workers will enjoy above-inflation increase for the next two years. “However, employers need to understand that the CIJC agreement does not meet the needs of the workforce and unless it is radically reformed it will soon cease to be relevant to the industry.” Unite’s national officer for construction John Allott said: “The employers need to recognise that the deal is not an end in itself, but the beginning of the journey to address many of the problems that currently face our members in construction.” GMB national officer for construction Phil Whitehurst said the CIJC was “still by no means the agreement of choice by the whole construction industry being well behind the terms and conditions of other construction agreements”, such as the National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry and the electrical contracting industry’s Joint Industry Board. Ucatt is expected to merge with Unite after its members last month voted in favour of the move, which would mark the end of Ucatt as an independent union. Source link

23 June 2016 | Jamie Harris Maintenance firm EIC Limited of Alcester in Warwickshire has gone into administration, following poor trading performance. Last week, business advisory firm AlixPartners LLP appointed joint administrators over the company, which previously reported £80 million in turnover and has a workforce of 400 people. In a statement, the administrators said the company’s financial distress was down to ”increasing pressure from its creditors as a result of a poor recent trading performance, underpinned by an ever-increasing competitive market”. “After exploring all options available, management concluded that the cash pressures were too great and there was no alternative but to place the company into administration. As a result the business will cease to trade with immediate effect.” The news comes despite the company having won a sub-contract last year to deliver all planned and reactive maintenance work at 42 of the Ministry of Defence’s estates in south-east England. Source link

The 6th Duke of Westminster and former Grosvenor chairman had become ill and died on Tuesday afternoon at Preston Royal Infirmary. One of Britain’s wealthiest landowners, Forbes estimated his net worth at $10.8bn (£8.3bn), making him the 68th wealthiest person in the world.  Land owned by the Grosvenor chairman and former army general included more than 70 ha in Belgravia and dozens of hectares of land across the UK and in Spain, Forbes said. A statement posted on Grosvenor’s website read: “It is with the greatest sadness that we can confirm that the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor (64) died this afternoon at Preston Royal Infirmary.  He was taken there from the Abbeystead Estate in Lancashire where he had suddenly been taken ill. “His family are all aware and they ask for privacy and understanding at this very difficult time.” Grosvenor said further information would follow in due course. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman was reported as saying: “I can confirm that Her Majesty the Queen is aware of the news about the Duke of Westminster. A message of condolence is being sent by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.” He is survived by his wife Natalia and four children. Source link

A gas engineer has been sentenced to 120 hours of community service for putting tenants at risk in rented homes in Chelmsford. Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that James Wilkinson was Gas Safe- registered for some types of gas appliances, but had been carrying out work for which he was not competent. Wilkinson was contracted to work on gas warm air units at five rented homes, including a house in Bouchers Mead, Chelmsford. He did not hold the required qualification to undertake the work. Wilkinson twice left the gas installation at Bouchers Mead in an immediately dangerous condition. He left a gas leak following a repair and then failed to service the warm air unit correctly, leaving the tenants exposed to carbon monoxide. They were only alerted to the danger by their carbon monoxide alarm. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless and toxic gas that can cause unconsciousness and death at high concentrations. About seven people die each year as a result of exposure to carbon monoxide from poorly maintained gas appliances. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Wilkinson worked on warm air units when he was not competent to do so and not Gas Safe-registered to do the work. HSE inspector Susan Matthews said: “It is essential for public safety that gas appliances are only maintained by gas engineers who are competent to work on them and registered with Gas Safe Register for that work.” James Douglas Wilkinson, of Falmouth Road, Chelmsford, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaches of Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and Regulation 3(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to 120 hours community service and ordered to pay costs of £2,527 and a victim surcharge of £60. For more information about gas safety visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/ Notes to Editors: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link

Family’s bikes, BBQs or even a few bottles of booze – what do you use yours for? Space counts and sellers are being urged not to overlook the garage when selling their home, in light of a new report about just what Brits hoard behind that heavy doo Gone are the days it seems of using the garage to protect your car from the elements, as 42 per cent of UK homeowners say they never park their vehicle in the garage. A new report reveals that more than half of us (56%) don’t use the garage for the purpose it was originally intended for – using it as a storage place from everything for our decorating to gardening equipment. Others plan to convert the garage to make space for an office / workshop, creating a bigger kitchen, adding an extra bedroom or providing a larger garden. But however sellers use theirs, estate agents Harrison Murray are urging them not to overlook the garage when it comes to putting their home on the market. The house may be clutter free, freshly painted, sparkling clean and ready for potential buyers to walk in the door – but while most sellers will happily spruce up their home and even their garden ready for a sale – many forget about the garage. Su Snaith, Head of Estate Agency for Harrison Murray said: “In this day and age, it is fair to say that the garage is used less and less for its intended purpose of storing a car. The modern family has a range of uses for the garage. While the car stays parked on the drive, the garage offers the chance to use that extra space as a play area, an additional domestic area for tumble dryer or chest freezer or just a secure place to store garden tools or cycles. An integral garage could provide future extra living space, as the family’s requirements alter, subject to local planning regulations. At some point, the prospective buyer will want to look in the garage, so don’t be tempted to use it as a place to store unwanted items from the house! Show it off to its true potential – it’s a valuable space.” Top tips to prepare your garage for sale: – De-clutter. This serves as a good exercise for getting rid of unwanted items before you move to a new house, and saves the expense and time of taking it with you. – Try to make your garage look bigger by moving everything off the floor and onto shelves or hooks. – Make sure that all flammable items, tools and chemicals are stored away and out of reach of children. – Dust everything – as you would another other room in your house – and remove those spider webs. – Make sure floors are clean, removing any oil stains. – If possible, apply a new coat of paint – preferably a neutral, light colour to make the space look bigger. – Ensure the garage door is working properly – and that it looks as good as the rest of your house, giving it a fresh coat of paint if necessary. – If you don’t already have one – install a smoke detector in your garage. According to the survey these items are among the most common to be found in garages: Paint or other decorating items  – 71% Tools – 67% Gardening equipment – 53% Lawnmower – 45% Cycles – 38% A freezer – 30% Old household furniture – 30% Wellies – 30% BBQ – 26% Alcohol – 18% Source link

The Government has published additional and revised ‘permitted development rights’ to allow change of use of property without planning permission, coming into force on 6 April 2016*. Offices to Residential Existing permitted development rights, allowing the change of use from offices to residential (which were to expire in May 2016), are to be made permanent. This has been anticipated for some time, reflecting the positive take- up of these rights to date. These rights currently apply to the majority of England, with certain exceptions given to key employment areas. They will apply to all planning authorities from 31 May 2019, to give local those planning authorities time to withdraw these rights by issuing Article 4 directions. This permitted development is subject to a process of prior approval from the planning authority and a further criterion, related to noise, has been introduced. Development will need to be completed within a period of 3 years starting with the prior approval date. Light Industrial to Residential A new permitted development right has been introduced to allow the change of use of a building and any land within its curtilage from Class B1(c) (light industrial) to Class C3 (dwellinghouses). These rights will be for a temporary period of three years, starting from 1 October 2017, to enable local authorities to potentially withdraw these rights, by using Article 4 directions. The change of use itself will be permanent. The change of use will be subject to a process of prior approval from the relevant local authority, with conditions and limitations, including that the gross floorspace of the existing building cannot exceed 500sqm. The prior approval process includes considerations of highways, contamination and flooding impacts, together with the sustainability of the provision of industrial services. The light industrial to residential change of use relates only to the change of use and not to external alterations. How many such buildings will be appropriate for residential use is perhaps questionable. However, it is a significant new opportunity that landowners should be made aware of, as it may present development prospects to add value from existing premises. The change of use from light industrial to residential process includes a criteria on whether the site is in an area ‘important for providing industrial services’ and whether development have an adverse impact on the ‘sustainability’ of the provision of those services in the area of the local authority. This will be subject to interpretation and will require an informed approach to addressing and presenting proposals to maximise the chances of success. Whilst it had been suggested, in 2015 by DCLG’s Brandon Lewis, that permitted development rights would ‘in future allow the demolition of office buildings and new building for residential use’ this has not been included in these latest changes. Further advice can be provided by the network of Planning teams across the country. * The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2016 Source link