Protecting.co.uk, a health & safety and employment law expert, has undertaken a survey that shows a staggering 76% of tradespeople admit to doing at least one ‘Friday job’ which they are ‘ashamed of’. From slapdash plastering to lackadaisical joinery, it seems that the British public are suffering when it comes
The proposed £112.1 million phase two of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is due to be completed with the help of a two-step solution. Phase one of the scheme is already in place, offering protection for the city centre and Woodlesford. Meanwhile, phase two offers a range of complementary measures
Wates Residential is to deliver a new £27 million housing development at Shuttleworth Road in Wandsworth. The project includes 71 affordable new homes in the borough, supporting Wandsworth Council’s target to build 1,000 homes for local residents. At the ground breaking ceremony Paul Nicholls, Managing Director of Wates Residential, said:
Housing needs in the UK are changing amid declining levels of home ownership and lifestyle shifts. Rather than the traditional ‘buy-and-hold’ model, residential housing needs are shifting towards developments that are built for rent and aimed towards a specific demographic who are at a particular life stage. As such, funding
Senior business executives see greater opportunity in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) than in Artificial Intelligence (AI), as UK businesses look to adopt next-generation connectivity in the next five years. In fact, nearly 9 in 10 UK organisations (88%) believe AR and VR will have a significant business
Energy Assets Utilities is playing a key role in ensuring that the 2,200 new homes planned for a major development in Wallyford, Scotland, will be at the leading edge of the digital revolution sweeping across the residential new build sector. With people’s increasing reliance on digital connectivity to support devices
Miller Homes has recruited two new senior planning experts to support its ambitious growth plans. Mark Jackson has joined the award-winning house builder as Strategic Planning Director – Midlands & South, while Ben Hatt is now on board as Strategic Planning Manager – South, both based at the company’s Basingstoke
The A6 Manchester Airport Relief Road, a £290 million dual carriageway that links the A6 at Hazel Grove to the M56, has officially opened. It aims to improve connections from the city to its airport, as well as provide better connections to the £1 billion Airport City business park and
The Power of BIM & Revit The terms BIM and Revit have been in common usage in the construction industry for several years now and Tricon Foodservice Consultants have been a leading player in bringing about the adoption of BIM in the industry. After years of investment, Tricon are delighted
The people of Oxfordshire are being invited to take part in the search for the best painter and decorator in the region. Organised by the Oxford Kidlington, Cowley, Abingdon and Banbury Dulux Decorator Centres, along with Jack FM, the region-wide competition aims to find the superstar of decorating – whether
Protecting.co.uk, a health & safety and employment law expert, has undertaken a survey that shows a staggering 76% of tradespeople admit to doing at least one ‘Friday job’ which they are ‘ashamed of’. From slapdash plastering to lackadaisical joinery, it seems that the British public are suffering when it comes to pre-weekend work. The study, which surveyed 500 workers across various trades, showed that a majority of tradespeople – like workers in many other professions – lose concentration as the end of the week edges closer. However, many of them were seemingly very relaxed about this dip in productivity, despite the potentially expensive consequences for their customers. One worker, who asked not to be named, confessed: “It was Friday afternoon – I knew that light switch was upside down, and shame on me, but it was time to go to the pub.” Another, who confessed to rushing interior decorating jobs in the run-up to the weekend, said: “It’s almost traditional now – Friday afternoon jobs get done quickly so you can have an early finish for the weekend. Everybody does it!” JR a web designer from Leeds said: “I should have spent more time making that website perfect so google could find it, but it still works.” Sam, a decorator from London, also said: “I didn’t use masking tape and lets just say I hope that customer is blind as those lines are not straight.” “Not only do these ‘Friday jobs’ tend to result in problems which can cost consumers dearly further down the line, they also open up a can of worms when it comes to health and safety. If the correct precautions aren’t taken due to workers being preoccupied, trade businesses could be liable for much more than just complaints and money spent fixing botched jobs,” said Chris Hall, spokesperson for Protecting.co.uk. “Failing to follow correct protocol such as protective clothing regulations or correctly storing hazardous substances on-site because workers are eager to get the job finished could have very grave consequences. It is up to businesses to ensure their employees are correctly trained and aware of the requirements for their role – and, of course, to protect themselves against complaints or expensive remedial work for customers,” he added. There are steps businesses can take to reduce dangerous errors as a result of ‘Friday jobs’, Hall noted. Properly assessing health and safety requirements for each job and then training employees accordingly will increase overall caution taken, but he added that it was also key to tackle the causes of the drop in productivity.
The proposed £112.1 million phase two of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is due to be completed with the help of a two-step solution. Phase one of the scheme is already in place, offering protection for the city centre and Woodlesford. Meanwhile, phase two offers a range of complementary measures to protect the Kirkstall Corridor which was badly hit by Storm Eva in 2015. It includes further measures up to and including the upper catchment of the River Aire. The government confirmed its contribution figure of £65 million, with Leeds City Council planning to proceed with a planning application and tenders to be presented shortly to deliver the scheme in full. It will be carried out in two parts, and will get underway shortly. Works to deliver an initial one-in-100-year level of protection will begin next year, which will then be upgraded to the full one-in-200-year level with a further phase of work after the remainder of the funding has been secured. “The Environment Agency wants to deliver the best possible flood scheme for Leeds and is working closely with Leeds City Council to make the most effective use of the funding available to us whilst exploring further options. We worked closely with the council on the first phase of the city’s Flood Alleviation Scheme, which cost £50 million and protects 3,000 homes, 500 business and 300 acres of development land,” commented Adrian Gill, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency. “Our officers have been working hard within the joint team alongside colleagues from Leeds City Council since Boxing Day 2015 and we support the two-step solution outlined by Councillor Blake. This will enable the level of protection provided to the city centre to be extended at pace to the Kirkstall Road area, whilst we continue to strive towards our ambition of providing a 1-in-200-year level of protection from the River Aire for the whole city,” Adrian concluded.
Wates Residential is to deliver a new £27 million housing development at Shuttleworth Road in Wandsworth. The project includes 71 affordable new homes in the borough, supporting Wandsworth Council’s target to build 1,000 homes for local residents. At the ground breaking ceremony Paul Nicholls, Managing Director of Wates Residential, said: “Today’s ground breaking event marks an exciting milestone in our delivery of much-needed affordable new homes for local people at Shuttleworth Road. It follows months of collaboration with the Council, members of the community and other local stakeholders to really understand their vision for the area and how we can realise this, both through the design and construction of these homes and looking at ways we can create wider local economic and social value. We look forward to strengthening these relationships as we continue to progress on site.” Wates has been undertaking preparatory works on the site since May 2018. This latest development marks the official beginning of the site’s main construction phase, with completion of the scheme due in the Summer of 2020. “This is another demonstration of our commitment to build 1,000 new homes on our larger development sites, which will help people in the borough buy or rent a home that is right for them. We’re delighted to partner with Wates Residential on this scheme and look forward to strengthening our relationship with them to provide quality housing for local people,” added Wandsworth Council Leader, Ravi Govindia. All social housing that is demolished as part of the regeneration will also be replaced with affordable homes. The completion of these new homes will directly support the borough’s wider Winstanley and York Road Estates regeneration programme by providing affordable homes for those needing to move.
Housing needs in the UK are changing amid declining levels of home ownership and lifestyle shifts. Rather than the traditional ‘buy-and-hold’ model, residential housing needs are shifting towards developments that are built for rent and aimed towards a specific demographic who are at a particular life stage. As such, funding needs are changing to support these types of developments and this should lead investors to consider new ways of accessing the property market. Why is the UK property market experiencing change? Homeownership levels have fallen dramatically among the younger generation over the last thirty years. In 1991, 67% of 25-34 year olds were homeowners compared with 36% in 2014. Meanwhile, private sector renting more than doubled between 1980 and 2014. This is not just a UK phenomenon. In the United States, for example, home ownership fell to its lowest level in more than five decades in 2016. Declining homeownership is resulting from both cyclical economic forces as well as longer-term structural trends. While economic pressures have been important contributors towards declining homeownership, especially among millennials, longer-term lifestyle shifts are also having a significant impact. The way people live and work is frequently less structured and standardised than in the past, and there appears to be less desire for people to be held down by long-term commitments. Coinciding with the advent of the ‘gig’ economy has been rising numbers of self-employed and contract workers over the last twenty years, suggesting a more mobile and flexible workforce. Nonetheless, while both the residential and commercial property sectors are experiencing significant change, new investment opportunities are opening as developers adjust their product offerings to meet evolving economic conditions and lifestyles. In fact, some of the most innovative developments are happening in the residential market. Co-living benefits the individual and the community ‘Co-living’ is an area of particular interest and future growth. These developments, which at this point are mainly focused in London, cater for young professionals’ more mobile lifestyles. They offer the convenience of all-inclusive costs, covering rent and bills as well as services such as cleaning and gym membership. This market is further developed in the United States and the evidence suggests widespread popularity in metropolitan areas such as New York and Oakland, California. In addition to convenience, this type of living arrangement combines the benefits of feeling part of a community while at the same time offering individual privacy. Occupiers have shared living spaces, but they can also retreat to their own fully furnished private apartment. It presents an attractive choice for young people, especially as a national survey recently found that 16-34 year olds experience feeling more lonely than older generations. However, it is not just the investment potential that these types of new developments hold for investors. Co-living and other purpose-built rental developments may also hold wider economic benefits that could help the struggling UK high street. How can investors take advantage? Investors can access these types of purpose-built rental developments through development finance or bridge loans, which are secured by the underlying assets and offer higher yields relative to UK government and corporate bonds – typically between 5% and 8% per annum net of fees. With banks and building societies retrenching from lending in the post-financial crisis years, this market presents a growing opportunity as developers look to secure funding from a diverse range of sources. Although still at an early stage of development, operational assets are a logical, modern way to benefit from an evolving and changing UK property market. By Tom Brown, Managing Director at Ingenious Real Estate
Senior business executives see greater opportunity in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) than in Artificial Intelligence (AI), as UK businesses look to adopt next-generation connectivity in the next five years. In fact, nearly 9 in 10 UK organisations (88%) believe AR and VR will have a significant business impact by 2022 – compared to 70% of those that said AI – according to new research commissioned by international legal practice Osborne Clarke. The Next Generation Connectivity report and research, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, surveyed executives and managers from 11 countries and found the followings: Globally, 44% of digital businesses, 43% of respondents in real estate and 32% of respondents in the energy sector say VR and AR offer significant opportunity; 27% of digital businesses say an enhanced ability to deliver VR and AR will be the number one application driven by next-gen connectivity for the digital business sector in the next five years. “There is a huge amount of opportunity on offer by introducing AR and VR into businesses – across all sectors. From real estate companies being able show tenants how a building that is still under construction will look when complete, to businesses arming employees with real time AR diagnostics or stock inventory, to a digital healthcare business using VR remote surgical operations, VR and AR are set to make a huge difference to the way businesses run in the next five years,” commented on the findings Tom Harding, partner at Osborne Clarke and expert in technology. However, there are some key considerations businesses need to take before adopting these new technologies, specifically with regard to connectivity. Connectivity is a vital component that enables the virtual and actual to merge. The report also found that there are a number of barriers that UK businesses face when it comes to adopting new levels of connectivity, such as High costs of required investment in infrastructure (46%); Their organisation’s lack of technical capabilities (40%) and Concerns over data protection and privacy (34%). “AR/VR will be game changers for business process and efficiency, so overcoming these challenges will be crucial. There are also legal issues from intellectual property (IP) to privacy, and health and safety, that enterprises will need to consider. Businesses need to get all their ducks in a row now, so they can use new technologies effectively and gain a competitive advantage quickly,” concluded Handing.
Energy Assets Utilities is playing a key role in ensuring that the 2,200 new homes planned for a major development in Wallyford, Scotland, will be at the leading edge of the digital revolution sweeping across the residential new build sector. With people’s increasing reliance on digital connectivity to support devices ranging from smart TVs, games consoles, and tablets to home security and energy control systems, superfast broadband is becoming a ‘must-have’ for home owners…and developers are responding. At Wallyford, Energy Assets Utilities has been responsible for laying the conventional gas, electricity, and water infrastructure up to the spine road running through the site, but is also leading on the roll-out of fibre-to-the-home. “The first few homes are now benefiting from superfast connectivity, with many hundreds more to follow to support lifestyles increasingly reliant on digital technology…and to connect to who knows what as we enter the era of the ‘Internet of Things’,” said Craig Topley, Energy Assets Group Managing Director (Construction). The Wallyford scheme is the largest multi-utility network design and construction project ever undertaken by EAU, with services now available not only for residential homes but also for a new primary school, currently being built, and potentially some commercial units. It’s all part of East Lothian Developments’ plans for a new community at St Clements Well, which stretches to the south, east and west of Wallyford. The construction project illustrates Energy Assets Utilities’s growing position as a leading provider of gas, electricity, water – and increasingly fibre cable – networks for residential and commercial schemes across Britain.
Miller Homes has recruited two new senior planning experts to support its ambitious growth plans. Mark Jackson has joined the award-winning house builder as Strategic Planning Director – Midlands & South, while Ben Hatt is now on board as Strategic Planning Manager – South, both based at the company’s Basingstoke office. The pair will work under the leadership of Scott Chamberlin, Divisional Managing Director – Strategic Land, whose appointment was announced in the summer. Bringing with him a wealth of experience from planning consultancies and local authorities, Mark comes to Miller Homes after a seven-year spell at Gleeson Strategic Land, where he was Planning Director. Ben spent a decade working for a local authority, before moving to Churchill Retirement Living’s planning department. Commenting on his appointment, Mark said: “I am pleased to join Miller Homes at a time when it is moving closer towards hitting its medium term target of delivering 4,000 new homes a year. “This is a fantastic opportunity to work across an extensive portfolio of existing sites, while adding to it with new sites in desirable locations that will satisfy the needs of prospective homeowners, including proximity to quality schooling, good transport links and high employment.” Ben echoed his comments, adding: “This is a very exciting time to join Miller Homes and I’m looking forward to working alongside Scott and Mark to help steer the business to further growth in the south by bringing in more strategic sites.” Scott Chamberlin added: “We have ambitious growth plans for the business and strategic land delivery is a fundamental aspect of this. The appointments of Ben and Mark strengthens our wider Strategic Land team and they will play an important role in helping us achieve our goals.” Last year, Miller Homes completed almost 2,800 new homes in regional markets outside London. For more details on its latest developments visit www.millerhomes.co.uk.
The A6 Manchester Airport Relief Road, a £290 million dual carriageway that links the A6 at Hazel Grove to the M56, has officially opened. It aims to improve connections from the city to its airport, as well as provide better connections to the £1 billion Airport City business park and development sites in Handforth Dean and Woodford. “We are investing more in improving our roads than ever before – making it easier, safer and quicker for people to get where they want to go. This new road will not only make it easier for people to get to the airport and away on holiday, but it will help businesses in the North West improve their access to world trade through flights from Manchester,” said Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who opened the road. “It will also lead to the creation of thousands of jobs, boosting the economy and further demonstrating the strength of the North West’s role in the Northern Powerhouse,” he continued. The A6 Airport Relief Road is expected to create more than 5,000 jobs in Greater Manchester and deliver a £2.5 billion boost to the regional economy. “This new road connects Manchester Airport with the people and businesses of Stockport, Manchester and East Cheshire. It was only made possible by Department for Transport and Greater Manchester Combined Authority funds and it is a good example of central government working together with a city-region to deliver major infrastructure that improves people’s lives,” added Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. “The A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road will enable people to make quicker and easier journeys, and will cut congestion, especially on local roads. The supporting cycling and walking infrastructure will also make active travel more attractive and safer for more people and supports our ambition to make them the first and natural choice for short journeys. Greater Manchester is emerging as a world-class city-region and we want to work with government to deliver a transport system to support it,” Andy concluded.
The Power of BIM & Revit The terms BIM and Revit have been in common usage in the construction industry for several years now and Tricon Foodservice Consultants have been a leading player in bringing about the adoption of BIM in the industry. After years of investment, Tricon are delighted to see that the true power of the methodology is beginning to be realised and the many benefits are starting to be felt. First Things First: BIM is not Revit Although often used interchangeably BIM and Revit are not the same thing; BIM stands for Building Information Modelling and is a process for creating and managing information used in a construction project. It is a methodology to improve efficiency and the way diverse teams work together. Revit is a software tool used by architects, engineers and designers as part of a BIM process. It is actually the product name for the Autodesk software package used to model a building and has been widely adopted by users who have previously used their Autocad suite. So it should be noted that other software products are available on the market. Getting Started Started in the UK in 2011 through the Government’s Construction Strategy policy paper, Tricon have led the foodservice sector from almost zero usage of BIM and Revit to a point where now approximately half of all of their work is completed using BIM. Tricon could see the benefits of using BIM and Revit early on and in 2013 took steps to lead the industry in adopting this technology as Revit was already widely in use in the USA. The substantial investments needed in both software and training meant that take up in the UK was slow and the benefits were not easily seen by all. In fact, the contractors often saw the benefits quicker than some of the Clients. To overcome this Tricon took the bold move to contact all equipment manufacturers and suppliers advising them that they would be using BIM going forward and would expect them all to do likewise. Making the Investment Tricon’s own investment was significant, taking two of their design team out of the day-to-day business to rework one of their projects from a 2D Autocad design into a 3D Revit model. This required a huge initial effort to create a set of standard equipment families as none of these existed at that time. A single item could take a full day’s work simply to create the families and in a process they christened as “Triconising” designs were created so that they were a generic standard rather than specific make and model. This made them much more flexible for future designs and projects. After 6 months of work they ended up with a Revit model for the trial project (see photo v model image below) and now have around 3000 items and families of items that were used both on the project they were remodelling but more importantly on future projects waiting to be designed. Multiple benefits become apparent As BIM became more widely used key benefits began to emerge and contractors began to push the methodology themselves as they recognised that significant time savings could be made during the construction or fit out on projects as well as efficiencies in project management costs. Some of the Contractors have calculated there are approximately 33% less coordination meetings required on site with a BIM project when compared to a non BIM one. 3D modelling techniques also allowed designers to overcome issues such as clash detection which was traditionally a major cause of delays during a site build. Tools such as Revit will inform the designer if and where a clash will occur as different services and layers are added to the project’s design. BIM Levels 0, 1 and 2 Since Tricon first began using BIM they have progressed through the various levels to reach BIM level 2 compliance. BIM level 0 is essentially 2D hand drawings distributed in paper or electronic format where the lead consultant compares each layout to identify any coordination issues, the whole industry moved well past this level with the introduction of AutoCAD; BIM level 1 is where the drawings are produced in an electronic format and can be overlaid to identify coordination issues significantly enhancing collaboration between the various parties involved in the project. BIM Level 2 is where the design is developed as a 3D model and there is a Common Data Environment is in place with naming conventions for information are agreed in common formats so that all information can be shared and interrogated by all parties involved in the design. There are also elements of improved Health & Safety in the design as well as greatly improving the information available for Facilities Managers as every element within the design is documented fully within the model. Everyone working at Tricon has now received Revit and BIM training as do all new starters within their first 6 months. Adapting to the changes is not just a matter of retraining CAD operatives as this is just one aspect of the model. All members of the project team need to understand it and the new terminology that accompanies it. Data Sharing Having completed their project modelling exercise, Tricon shared the information with CESA and manufacturers started to approach Tricon to ask how they were handling BIM on their projects. By sharing their data with the industry, Tricon were able to help speed up the process of adoption and they now estimate 80-90% of manufacturers are on board. Significant Benefits Although it has been a major investment both in time and money, approaching half of Tricon’s work is now under BIM and real benefits are being seen. For example better quality designs are achieved in the same timeframe as clashes are detected quickly; 3D design walkthroughs can be arranged for non technical clients such as chefs who may struggle to fully appreciate a design from a 2D CAD layout. In one recent project,
The people of Oxfordshire are being invited to take part in the search for the best painter and decorator in the region. Organised by the Oxford Kidlington, Cowley, Abingdon and Banbury Dulux Decorator Centres, along with Jack FM, the region-wide competition aims to find the superstar of decorating – whether it’s because they’ve spruced up a community centre with a lick of paint or turned a house into a dream home with their top quality wallpaper skills. Along with the title of Oxfordshire’s painter and decorator of the year, the winner will win £1,000 in Dulux Decorator Centre vouchers for themselves and a Dulux Decorating Academy training course of their choice up to the value of £250. Two runners up will win £500 in vouchers for second place and £250 for third place to spend in Dulux Decorator Centres. While all five finalists will receive a Dulux goody bag. Entries are open until the 25th November, with both tradespeople and the general public encouraged to nominate themselves or people they know by going to www.oxfordshiredecorator2018.co.uk A shortlist of five will be drawn up by a panel of expert Dulux Decorating Centre judges but it will be the public that will have the final say – getting a chance to vote for their favourite throughout December. “We know the talents of our local decorators and see the end results of their handiwork in homes across the county. That’s why we want to reward them all and recognise the best of the best with the title of Oxfordshire’s painter and decorator of the year, as we see this as the perfect opportunity to celebrate all that’s great about painting and decorating in Oxfordshire,” said Gary Bilton, Regional Manager at Dulux Decorator Centre. “The region is really important to us, having just opened brand new stores in Cowley in October and in Abingdon earlier in the year – joining our two existing branches in Kidlington and Bambury. So we wanted to take the time to celebrate the talent that this area has produced,” added Gary. For any competition related questions please visit the Dulux Decorator Centres in Oxford Kidlington, Cowley, Abingdon and Bambury.