‘Frogpool Manor’, located in the greenbelt, has been designed to preserve the character, appearance and openness of the surroundings, as well as enhance the setting of the adjacent, Grade II listed manor house. The new scheme replaces under-utilised commercial and storage buildings on the site and will provide much needed repairs to the listed house. In addition, the existing listed cottage will be extended and upgraded, and the existing gatehouse replaced. Accessed through the historic courtyard to the north, the new community, with its central frog pool and curving lines, is envisaged as a contrasting, contemporary interpretation of the local vernacular. The new houses have been designed in such a way as to allow modern methods of construction to be best utilised. Whole life carbon emissions have been considered in the design to ensure the scheme reflects Lipton Plant’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon. “In keeping with the inherent character of Kent farmsteads, the new homes are designed around a courtyard with a ‘frog pool’ at its centre. The courtyard adopts a circular plan, allowing the houses and layers of landscaping to ripple out from the centre. The vistas of greenery and surrounding greenbelt land are carefully drawn in between the boundaries of each home and into the heart of the development,” said Jonathan Plant, Managing Director at Lipton Plant Architects. Subject to approvals, work on the new scheme is expected to start on site in the summer.

Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson has been recognised as a leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR), having recently achieved a Gold standard CSR Accreditation. CSR Accreditation is a nationally recognised body that awards Bronze, Silver and Gold accreditations to businesses that can demonstrate a positive impact on society through areas such as social, environmental, ethical, human rights and consumer concerns. Recognised as being on the highest end of the scale, G F Tomlinson was awarded the Gold standard in the CSR Accreditation’s judging criteria, and since 2013, the company has followed a refined social value policy, ensuring its activities are in accordance with the Social Value Act 2012. In the last three years, G F Tomlinson has generated £22.5 million worth of social value through its CSR efforts across the Midlands region and beyond. Notable CSR initiatives include its ongoing relationship with Ashbourne Road District Allotment Association (ARDAA), which began in 2017 after the contractor helped to create an accessible centenary garden for people with disabilities or recovering from illness. Since then, it has supported ARDAA through the creation of community starter plots and a growing academy, and it is currently helping with the conversion of one of their smaller plots, to turn it into an accessible plot for a long-standing plot holder and volunteer member who has recently become physically disabled. The company has also generated £9,973 in social value through the delivery of a new environmental learning hub in 2019 at Turner Farm in Derbyshire, which is designed to teach young people how to protect and enhance biodiversity. Since 2018, the contractor has also invested 22,118 hours in employment, training and skills initiatives, and has engaged with 10,486 students – showing its commitment to supporting young people and preparing them for the world of work. With dedicated in-house careers advisors working with schools in five counties, GF Tomlinson continues to invest in young people as a cornerstone employer, addressing the industry skills shortage through training and employment of young talent. “CSR is of the upmost importance to G F Tomlinson and it’s embedded in everything we do, so it means so much to be recognised by an official body for our efforts. Our processes provide a focused approach to delivering economic, social and environmental benefits, leaving positive legacies relevant to the communities we’re working in,” said Chris Flint, director at G F Tomlinson. “Achieving the Gold CSR Accreditation status highlights our successful integration of CSR initiatives throughout the business and shows our commitment towards building a better world for future generations by improving the environment and helping to provide a cohesive community to live and work in. We’d like to say thank you to our staff who share and convey our values, and to our supply chain who continue to offer their support as part of our CSR efforts.” As a result of the accreditation, G F Tomlinson has been added to the CSR Accredited members directory and will be automatically entered into the International CSR Excellence Awards.

The construction industry’s gender equality is slowly but surely making progress. Data from a study that was conducted in 2018 shows the overall percentage of women on boards was around 22%. Although a small percentage, this number is higher than it was in 2013 where a similar report highlighted that only 13% of board members were women. Over the past few years, a focus has been on rebalancing the industry’s gender disparity, by looking at potential career progressions and targeting pay gaps. But another factor which is rarely spoken of is the way language can negatively impact the representation of women in the sector. With this in mind, what can be done to raise awareness on the unconscious biases in the industry in order to achieve a more equal world for all? Whilst industries across the world are step-by-step moving towards greater equality, it is important to remember that change does not come overnight. Combatting problematic, systematic gender inequalities is a long and complex process, and it will take time for us to reach the ideal. Furthermore, we are quite early on in the movement which means that much of the research hasn’t been completed yet. In this sense it is quite a dynamic time – we are seeing positive change happen before our very eyes! This gap in the research led me to conduct a study which looked at the systematic gendering in the language that is used within the construction industry. Part of my leadership and professional development degree, this small-scale three-month research project was designed to gain a better understanding of the unconscious biases that are perpetuated by both men and women in the construction industry. Half of my participants were men, the other women. There were variations in personnel, hierarchy and sectors within the construction industry. This was important to me as I wanted the study to be as representational as possible. My findings presented interesting results. Whilst on the whole men believed that there wasn’t a problem per se in the construction industry, many felt that better training schemes could be implemented to change the language that is used to address women in constructional sectors. My study also showed that the majority of the time, men were simply unaware of the impact of their words on women. This is as a result of the unconscious biases in the sector that are perpetuated by people of all trades and levels. Female participants also highlighted that they were often the only woman in a meeting room. Whilst this isn’t a bias, it does impact the way women are seen and understood in the sector, and reinforces the idea that construction is still very much dominated by men. What are the recommendations going forward? Gender inequality is a deep-rooted issue which will take time to undo. To create the change that is needed and bring everyone on the same page, we must all be aware of the problematic unconscious biases that afflict the industry. Many women like me are very happy to participate in what’s considered harmless ‘banter’ between colleagues, once a relationship has been formed. Language is heavily situational and rooted in context, and that can often be the distinction between a ‘joke’ and a more serious comment. My recommendations going forward is that there needs to be more training and education. Having female industry champions would be of a great help, and seeing more women in leadership roles would inspire those entering the sector. Whether it is through HR or equality practitioners reviewing policies, or taking training schemes to networking events, the possibilities are endless. Change can be on all manner of scale. Yet a very simple approach would be for senior staff members to make men and women aware of the language that can and cannot be used to address a female. A short seminar or meeting in which conversations can be had would make a huge difference. Circulating findings such as mine would be of benefit from an educational perspective; publishing to large organisations within the construction industry, key players and influencers will drive the industry-wide change that is urgently needed. Lendlease is an example of a construction company that was one of the first in the industry to be awarded the ‘National Equality Standard’ in 2017. The rest of the industry at every level should be aiming for this too. Gender equality advisors could be a further option in cases where women and men feel they cannot speak-up about their experiences. The reason why many females shy away from calling-out prejudiced language is because they fear negative repercussions. This situation is a disadvantage to everyone; women do not get the chance to address the issue, which means that the language causing the harm will still be perpetuated by men who are none the wiser. Here, it is again the responsibility of senior members to set a precedence for others to follow, creating inclusive rather than divisive working environments for everyone’s benefit. More importantly, to really get a hold of the gender inequalities we have to start taking a more integrated approach. The industry already knows the problem with siloed thinking – it doesn’t pay to be separationist – and at the moment women are presented in simply a different category to men, even though the jobs they do and the way they work are the same. By eliminating this barrier, the equality which the industry desires might become a little closer.