Brunswick Developments, represented by international real estate advisor Savills, has let restaurant space at Marina Boardwalk in Brighton to Five Guys and MOD Pizza.  The scheme forms part of the new mixed-use West Quay development at Brighton Marina, which is due for completion this month. Five Guys and MOD Pizza have both agreed new 15-year leases, with the former taking a 3,288 sq ft (305 sq m) unit at a rent of £115,080 per annum and the latter a 2,943 sq ft (273 sq m) unit at a rent of £103,000 per annum.  The deals follow recent lettings at West Quay to TGI Friday’s, Casa Brasil, Bella Italia and Las Iguanas.  At 127 acres (51 hectares), Brighton Marina is the largest marina complex in Europe and one of the biggest leisure schemes in the South East of England.  It is home to an eight screen Cineworld, Rendezvous Casino and numerous multiple restaurant brands including Café Rouge, Coast to Coast, Zizzi, Nando’s, Prezzo, Frankie & Benny’s, Wetherspoons and Pizza Express.  The West Quay development has created an additional seven restaurant units and more than 850 high-end apartments. Carlene Hughes, associate director in the leisure team at Savills, comments: “Five Guys and MOD Pizza will further strengthen the restaurant offer at Marina Boardwalk and enhance Brighton Marina’s reputation as one the UK’s premier leisure schemes.  Talks are underway about letting the last remaining unit and we look forward to announcing more details in due course.” Montagu Evans acted for Five Guys and MOD Pizza. Source link

Browser does not support script. Contact us RIBA President Jane Duncan said: “The Chancellor’s focus on house building is welcome. But urgent action is needed to ensure all homes are well-designed, sustainable places people want to live, making ‘rabbit hutch’ houses a thing of the past. The announcements on new infrastructure and devolution must put quality design at their heart if we are to truly build a better Britain.”  On Housing: “We need well designed homes in the right location, of the right quality and at prices people can afford to buy or rent. While we are pleased that the Government has made more money available to help increase the number of ‘affordable’ homes for first time buyers, older people and those with disabilities, the quality of new homes cannot be allowed to slip off the agenda. The Housing and Planning Bill offers the perfect opportunity to ensure new houses are of excellent quality and will make homes for people now and long into the future.” On Planning: “Local Authority budgets have been slashed to unsustainable levels and we are concerned about the impacts this will have on local communities. Budget cuts have already undermined the ability of Planning Departments’ to make strategic long term judgements about the needs of the communities they serve. This latest round of cuts will make it increasing hard to adequately appraise the quality and impact of proposed development and enable public participation in the design process.” On the need for Energy efficiency: “Urgent action is needed to resolve the current policy impasse on the future of energy efficiency in the UK. Without more money it is unclear how the government plan to meet their ambition to upgrade all low-income households by 2030. Ahead of the Paris talks, we need to see more leadership on climate issues from the government.” On School Buildings: “The protection of the schools capital budget is welcome but there is still an enormous challenge that needs to be met. With much of the school stock beyond its shelf life and a need to provide additional places to accommodate two imminent population peaks it is vital that the Government works with the designers and builders of new schools to ensure that high quality and value for money are consistently delivered.” ENDS     For further press information contact Howard Crosskey howard.crosskey@riba.org 020 7580 5533 The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA     Posted on Wednesday 25th November 2015 Source link

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has welcomed the latest changes to the capacity market, announced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc), saying they will make it easier for storage to get funding. The trade association said that it still believes the capacity market is a “flawed mechanism” because it “does not sufficiently take into account carbon emissions and value for money”. However, it said, the reforms will make it easier for energy storage projects take part in the transitional auctions, which offer targeted support to demand-side response (DSR) projects. As part of its reforms, Decc agreed to a lower minimum size of load reduction DSR units to 500kW, which “should enable more storage to participate in the mechanism,” the REA said. In a statement commenting on the changes, REA senior policy analyst Frank Gordon said the reforms are “welcome in terms of making it slightly easier for storage projects to take part in the transitional auctions”. “We also welcome stronger penalties for not delivering capacity, which was previously missing from the scheme,” he added. “However, the scheme continues to support higher-carbon electricity generation, at a time when the Paris climate talks highlight how the UK must transition away from these sources. “Renewables can offer the capacity we need and in the timescales required without the need for an expensive mechanism that adds little to new-build capacity.” The reform package, released last week, also includes measures to buy more capacity through the capacity market; to buy it earlier; to increase the penalties faced by auction winners which back out of their contracts; and to end the advantage enjoyed by diesel generation in the auction. The REA said it remains “highly concerned” by a proposed review of ‘embedded benefits’ grid charging. “By attempting to address diesel in the capacity market, the government risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater by possibly changing grid charging in an attempt to restrict diesel generation awarded contracts,” Gordon said. “Diesel should not be supported, and an emissions limit would address this, without damaging knock on impacts for renewables.” Last week, Labour slammed Decc for its reform to bring the capacity market auction forward, saying it will cause consumer bills to “shoot up”. In a statement issued to coincide with Decc’s confirmation of the new timetable, shadow energy secretary Lisa Nandy slammed the government’s decision, accusing it of “trying to bury the bad news” that the costs would be passed on to consumers. Source link

If you were to browse through the cybersecurity section on any news site, you’ll no doubt be inundated with stories on data breaches and cyberattacks. The Internet is our friend, sure, but it can also be our enemy if we’re not careful. For some idea of how prevalent online threats really are, it was discovered that one in every five small businesses are targets of cybercriminals, and that there were 638 million ransomware attacks in 2016. Therefore, don’t think it’s only the bigger companies who get targeted – it’s the little guys too. Every business should be prepared for digital attacks, and while we understand that these preventions can appear costly and time-consuming, the alternative is much, much worse. Here is how you can protect your business from cyber threats. Educate your employees Not passing on helpful cybercrime information to your employees can be hugely detrimental. You’ll find that people can be exploited via social engineering: if left unaware of these tactics, your employees could be tricked into letting strangers into the building, giving details to scammers over the phone, or even clicking on email attachments containing malware and viruses. The more your employees know, the better they will be able to prevent falling into the trap of social engineering scams, helping to transform your business for the better. Hire an expert Strange as it seems, there are companies who will actually simulate as many cyberattacks as they can, and might even use social engineering themselves to see how your employees react. This service is designed to test your existing security measures, show you any weak links in the chain, and to inform you of better prevention tactics. SafeBreach is worth a look, as they can provide incredibly useful info on the state of your firewall, antivirus software, and how your employees handle phishing scams. Update your software Ransomware attacks like Petya and Wannacry made it clear that many businesses were unknowledgeable when it comes to such cyberattacks, but it also showed that IT departments were slightly behind the times regarding the latest software updates. Hackers will take any opportunity they can to breach your system, but when you metaphorically leave the front door open, then it’s on you. Some helpful tips regarding your software include: Don’t ignore those pop-ups that appear on your system and tell you to update your software. When it becomes available, go ahead and update it. Ensure all third party software is up to date. Have a clear line of dialogue between IT and other departments. You’re on the same side! Companies like Norton have some great anti-virus software and firewalls, but there are also businesses like Cybereason, that create some of the most sophisticated anti-hacking software available today. Additionally, adopting standards like IASME Cyber Essentials can help your business strengthen its cyber defenses. Cyber Essentials certification ensures that your organization is following best practices in cybersecurity. Consider insurance It might not be a step you want to take, but even if you’ve completed all the above steps, you might still want that extra bit of security. Think about getting insurance specifically for data theft and cybercrimes, in case you do fall victim to hacking. Don’t live in fear, but simply stay aware of threats, keep your employees up to date, and make sure your software is the latest version.

For the second year running, the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best new building is in partnership with the BBC News Online.  The BBC will cover architecture’s most important prize in-depth through a series of video features focusing on the shortlisted buildings and an online vote. From Friday 10 October, for six consecutive days, the BBC will run a series of online video features on each of the six buildings shortlisted for the 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize; films will also be broadcast on the BBC News Channel. An online vote will launch on Friday 10 October until Wednesday 15 October, inviting people to select their favourite of the six shortlisted buildings – the winner of the vote will be announced on Thursday 16 October.  The films and voting details will be available at www.bbc.co.uk/stirlingprize In addition to the partnership, the winner of the 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize will be announced live on BBC News Channel at around 8.20pm on Thursday 16 October.  The 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize event is being held at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), 66 Portland Place W1 on the evening of Thursday 16 October.  The RIBA Stirling Prize party is supported by Champagne Taittinger and Heineken.  To book tickets for the event go to: http://www.architecture.com/WhatsOn/October2014/RIBAStirlingPrize2014.aspx The Architects’ Journal is professional media partner for the 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize.   Notes to Editors: For further press information please contact Beatrice Cooke in the RIBA Press Office – beatrice.cooke@riba.org; or 020 7307 3813/07805 173681 For further information on the 2014 shortlist and the judges for the prize go to: http://www.architecture.com/StirlingPrize/RIBAStirlingPrize.aspx Images of the six shortlisted buildings are available via this link:  https://app.box.com/s/1v1q7ddnrodn56ha1n8i The RIBA Stirling Prize is the UK’s most prestigious architecture award. Given to the architect of the building thought to be the most significant of the year for the evolution of architecture and the built environment, the RIBA Stirling Prize is judged on a range of criteria including design vision, innovation and originality, capacity to stimulate engage and delight occupants and visitors, accessibility and sustainability, how fit the building is for its purpose and the level of client satisfaction. www.architecture.com/ribastirlingprize   The Architects’ Journal is professional media partner for the 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize www.architectsjournal.co.uk The RIBA Manser Medal is sponsored by Hiscox Private Insurance. Hiscox, the international specialist insurer, is headquartered in Bermuda and listed on the London Stock Exchange   (LSE:HSX). There are three main underwriting divisions in the Group – Hiscox London Market, Hiscox Re and Hiscox Retail (which includes Hiscox UK and Europe, Hiscox Guernsey, Hiscox USA and subsidiary brand, DirectAsia). Hiscox underwrites internationally traded, bigger ticket business and reinsurance through Hiscox Re and Hiscox London Market. Through its retail businesses in the UK, Europe and the US Hiscox offers a range of specialist insurance for professionals and business customers, as well as homeowners.  For further information visit www.hiscoxgroup.com Hiscox UK’s affinity partnerships team creates long term commercial relationships with leading brands.  Hiscox are able to offer RIBA members a 10% discount on their home insurance or office insurance which can also include cover for architectural models (subject to terms and conditions)  – call 0844 248 1644 or visit www.hiscox.co.uk/riba The 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize is sponsored by Brockton Capital. Champagne Taittinger is the official champagne partner for the 2014 RIBA Stirling Party. Taittinger, the only major Champagne House to remain owned and actively managed by the family named on the label. Champagne Taittinger is the second largest vineyard or domaine owner in the region giving them ultimate control of quality from vine to bottle. The Champagnes are Chardonnay dominant which gives the elegance, delicacy and finesse. Champagne Taittinger is widely distributed around the world in 140 countries. Hatch Mansfield is the sole UK agent for Champagne Taittinger. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. www.architecture.com  @RIBA  #StirlingPrize     Posted on Thursday 9th October 2014 Source link

OFTEC warns heating businesses to beware of scams Published:  09 September, 2016 The Oil-Fired Technical Association (OFTEC) is warning technicians to be extra vigilant after being alerted to a growing number of heating businesses that have been contacted by fraudsters.   Fake advertising opportunities are a particularly popular tactic used by scammers. One recent example involved a technician who received a call from a person claiming to be selling advertising for a magazine on crime prevention. The call appeared genuine and they began by confirming the technician was OFTEC registered. Others have attempted to pray on the goodwill of victims by asking them to advertise in magazines for charities and other similar good causes, which turned out to be fake. If the victim becomes suspicious and attempts to cancel the arrangement, they will often claim to have taped the phone call and threaten to use it to enforce the ‘verbal contract’. Another approach used by fraudsters is to use deception to obtain bank details. These so-called ‘phishing’ scams – when fraudulent calls, emails or texts are sent in an attempt to gain personal information or payment – include impersonating public sector bodies and placing large orders with businesses, establishing that payment must be made before work is undertaken so invoicing details are required upfront. Other variations on this tactic include pretending to be from banks or from HMRC, wishing to discuss self-assessment tax returns. Fake invoices are another ploy increasingly used by scammers, who masquerade as a supplier and contact the business to say the account details on an outstanding invoice need to be changed in order for it to be paid. The business then innocently amends the details only to later find they have been sending money to a conman rather than a genuine supplier. Figures from GetSafeOnline, the government-backed cybersecurity body, show that such ‘phishing’ attacks rose by 21% during 2015. Furthermore, over half of all the attacks on businesses reported last year were made against small firms. Malcolm Farrow, marketing and communication manager at OFTEC, said: “Heating firms, like other small businesses, can be especially vulnerable to scams and it’s not unusual for criminals to harvest contact details from online directories such as those on the OFTEC or GasSafe websites. “Understandably, the majority of heating businesses we work with don’t feel the need to put formal security systems or procedures in place due to their size, and it’s very easy for owners to be caught unawares, especially when they are busy. “We urge anyone who receives unsolicited phone calls, texts, emails or letters to ignore them. Avoid entering into conversation with someone you don’t know online or over the phone and never place orders which are initiated via cold calls.” To help protect heating businesses from fraudulent activity, OFTEC has put together some top tips to avoid getting caught out: Always ask for written details before committing to anything Always compare email addresses and other details to previous correspondence If you are dealing with a public body representative you have not previously communicated with, don’t be afraid to ask for proof of identification If a delivery address is different to usual, query why. There could be a simple explanation but it’s always best to check Never open a suspicious email or click on a suspicious link. Web viruses don’t just ruin your computer, they can be used as a way to steal money. Free anti-virus software is widely available Poor grammar or bad spelling can often be a tell-tale sign. Genuine companies will spend time proof reading correspondence Be wary if you are asked to pay upfront for anything – play for time and do some online research to confirm whether the offer is genuine Numbers starting with 084, 087 or 09 are now premium rate so most reputable companies have stopped using them. However, they are used by scammers to trick people out of money If you receive an offer that sounds too good to be true – it probably is. Mr Farrow concluded: “If you have been scammed, don’t panic. End all communication with the fraudster immediately and don’t pay them any money without first seeking advice – fraudsters are unlikely to take legal action so don’t give in to their threats. If you think your security has been compromised, inform your bank straight away. They will step up security on your account to stop other unauthorised transactions. They should also be able to refund any money that has been taken. It is also worth contacting Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via the website – www.actionfraud.police.uk – for further advice.”   Source link