Hussain Architectural Design whose head office is in Burnley are delighted to announce that they are officially a Semi Finalist in construction and trade category at the Leicester based Niche Business awards The Niche business awards said they have received over 400 nominations this is a HUGE achievement. The Trade & Construction category recognises: tradesmen and construction companies including builders, gardeners, landscapers and painters, finalist include those who have proven customer satisfaction, reputable services, high standards of work and/or original, innovative design. HAD is a young, female led multi award winning architectural practice based in Burnley, Blackburn, Manchester and London. Saira Hussain, the founder of Hussain Architectural Design was both excited and surprised by the announcement, she said: ‘there was a time when we worked tirelessly trying to be taken seriously in the construction industry as a young female led practice, we’re now being nominated and shortlisted for awards in towns such as Leicester where I’d say we’ve done 3-4 projects, it’s a wonderful achievement. Services offered by Hussain Architectural Design (HAD)  Architectural Design  Commercial Interior Design  Planning permission  Building Control  Fit-outs and Construction To find out more about Hussain Architectural Design Ltd, you can visit our website at: www.hussainarchitecture.co.uk

NMC the leading international player in the development, production and marketing of synthetic foams like Climaflex® has developed a foam based on renewable raw materials. This innovation significantly improved the climate and energy performance of NMC products and helps towards protecting the climate and resources. As a family company, NMC stands for quality and climate protection. Plant-based raw materials make the difference The new NMC Naturefoam® is made mainly from polyethylene manufactured from sugarcane. Sugarcane grows back every year absorbing CO2 as it grows and thereby saving finite resources such as oil. NMC Naturefoam® is available for NMC quality brands CLIMAFLEX® and EXZENTROFLEX®. Environmental product declaration (EPD) for Climaflex® made of NMC Naturefoam® shows impressive results. The EPD for the Climaflex range made of NMC Naturefoam® certified by the IBU (Institute for Construction & Environment) proves that the CO2 emission in the entire production process from cradle to the factory gate could be reduced to zero which is clearly better than initially estimated. In the production of the previous Climaflex formulation these emissions amounted to 62.8kg CO2 per m3 of foam whereas in common rubber insulation they can come between 200-220kg per m3 of foam. Pipe Insulation made NMC Naturefoam® offers double the contribution to climate protection Technical pipe insulation products carrying the proven NMC quality brands CLIMAFLEX® and EXZENTROFLEX® are improved by the use of at least 50% renewable materials. Recycled manufacturing scrap and additives to improve insulation values and fire protection complete the composition. Top Class Product properties CLIMAFLEX® and EXZENTROFLEX® from NMC Naturefoam® have the same technical properties as the previous CLIMAFLEX® in terms of: • Insulation values • Fire performance • Simple installation by craftsman • Longevity Climate protection as a major driver in renovation and construction Politicians and consumers are demanding more sustainability in all areas of life, including in the construction industry. Consistent environmentally conscious construction and restoration thus means • Using materials which generate fewer greenhouse gases, • Contain a high percentage of renewable raw materials • Manufactured by means of environmentally sensitive production processes.

The owner of a business that manufactures specialist adhesive tape for industrial applications has been fined after a young apprentice lost his finger on a rotary die press. Nuneaton Magistrates’ Court heard how the 16-year-old apprentice was adjusting guides on a laminating head which is part of a rotary die press. Whilst making the adjustment he tripped, put his hands forward and his index finger got caught in the drive gear at the rear of the laminating unit. His finger needed to be amputated as a result. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 9 September 2014 found that the machine did not have appropriate measures, namely guards, in place to prevent access to dangerous parts of the rotary press. James Fussell (trading as Tecman Speciality Materials), of Berrington Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £6,000 with £1,754 costs. After the hearing, HSE Inspector Michelle Morrison said ‘If the company had ensured that access to the dangerous moving parts of the rotary die press had been prevented,  then this young man would not have lost the top of one of his fingers. This was an entirely preventable incident. For further information on safe working on machinery visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/ 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

Monika Slowikowska, founder and managing director of Golden Houses Development, has won the ‘Inspirational Individual Award 2018’ in the National Federation of Builders (NFB) Awards 2018, which took place at the Belfry Hotel and Resort in Sutton Coldfield on the 27th of March. “Monika is clearly a driven businesswoman who has shown what is possible and has worked out solutions for some of the industry’s more intractable problems. With her drive for quality, honesty and performance in business she is clearly an inspirational leader,” said the judges about the winner. The NFB Awards celebrate the high standards of workmanship and application achieved by NFB members throughout England and Wales, being a reflection of the dynamic nature of the construction industry and the excellent levels that have been achieved. Golden Houses Development was also recently nominated for two Constructing Excellence Awards 2018: the ‘Building Project of the Year’ award for project of £10 million and below and for the ‘SME of the Year’. The results of these awards will be announced at the Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony on the 29th of June 2018. Monika Slowikowska is one of the most respected and creative female business leaders in the construction industry. She founded Golden Houses Development in 2012 and it specialises in general building works within the high-end residential market in London and has worked on a variety of high-profile projects. All projects are completed to the highest standards of design, construction and finish, which Monika recognises are important to her clients. She recently spoke at the Women in Construction Summit held on the 6th of March, where she talked about the lack of women working in the construction industry and the pay gap between same jobs. Golden Houses Development Ltd is a real success story and the business has grown at a phenomenal rate, in 2016 it achieved turnover that was six times higher than in its launch year.

According to Savills latest Big Shed Briefing report, total take-up of UK warehouse space (units 100,000 sq ft +) exceeded 14.62 million sq ft (1.35 million sq m) in the first half of the year, 29% above the long term average of 11.3 million sq ft (1.049 million sq m), driven by the continued demand from high street and online retailers. Examining demand by occupier type, Savills figures show that online retailers and parcel delivery companies now account for 25% of the market in 2016, up from last year’s previous record of 17%. Savills notes that so far, 2016 has seen strong levels of take-up for units over 500,000 sq ft (46,451 sq m), with five deals already completed this year, compared to a yearly average of seven. This includes Amazon taking 1.3m sq ft (120,773 sq m) at Bardon and L&G homes taking The Big 555 in Sherburn In Elmet. However, Savills anticipates that occupiers will have to turn to the build-to-suit (BTS) market to satisfy larger requirements in the future, especially as the rate of speculative announcements continue to slow. Already in 2016, 48% of the space transacted has been for bespoke BTS units. This is due to the fact that Grade A and large unit supply continues to fall, with only one shed of this standard over 400,000 sq ft (37,161 sq m) currently available to pre-let at Magna Park in Lutterworth. On a smaller scale, the supply of existing units of over 100,000 sq ft (9,290 sq m) stands at only 29 million sq ft (2.69 million sq m), across 170 separate units, which has  already fallen by 14% since the start of the year. Kevin Mofid, head of industrial research at Savills, comments: “The supply of good quality large units remains at critically low levels, meaning that the increased prevalence of the build-to-suit segment within the market is here to stay for the foreseeable future.” Regionally, the South West is continuing its record year, transacting 3.6 million sq ft (334,450 sq m) in the first half of the year, which is 2.1 million sq ft (195,096 sq m) more than the annual average. One of the largest local deals in the region, and country, has seen The Range take 1.158m sq ft (107,581 sq m) at Central Park. On the other hand, Savills highlights that the South East has seen significant recovery in the second quarter with 1.3 million sq ft (120,773 sq m) of deals compared to a record low in the first quarter of just 262,000 sq ft (24,340 sq m). Richard Sullivan, national head industrial and logistics at Savills, adds: “Despite the current market uncertainty, we expect the manufacturing and distribution sectors to remain robust. Whilst it is likely that speculative development will slow, we do not anticipate that take-up levels will drop significantly as there are still a number of live large unsatisfied requirements across the country including Lidl in the North West and Amazon who are continuing to roll out its Prime and Fresh services. “Overall, we are operating in a very different landscape to 2008/9 when almost 100 million sq ft of space was actively being marketing. Even accounting for the current development pipeline, supply remains at historic lows, in contrast to strong take-up levels.” Furthermore, Savills notes that the investment market for logistics units continues to attract investors. In the first half of 2016 £1.2 billion of stock was transacted, which is £350 million above the long term average. Key to this has been the increased prevalence of overseas investors in the market, combined with the increased levels of take-up from the likes of  Amazon creating a supply of prime investment stock. As a result, Q2 saw two of the three keenest net initial yields paid this year for Amazon units, with a 4.5% yield at Bardon and 4.66% at Airport City, Manchester respectively. Acting for the vendor, Savills also advised on one of the largest deals of the quarter with Tritax Big Box REIT’s purchase of the DSG unit in Newark for £77.3 million, reflecting a net initial yield of 5.76%. James Williams, head of industrial and logistics investment at Savills, adds: “‘Whilst there has been a great deal of uncertainty in the investment market since the Referendum, indicators from some completed sales and bids are that investors are still keen to acquire good quality logistics opportunities.’ Source link

A survey released by international real estate advisor Savills and the British Council for Offices (BCO) has revealed that Cambridgeshire workers place greater priority on their office having a strong internet connection than their equivalents across the rest of the UK. The report, What Workers Want, highlights that having good quality wireless access is the second most important factor for workers across Cambridgeshire, coming second only  to length of commute, with 81% of respondents ranking this as ‘very important’ or important’. This compares to 74% of office workers nationwide. As ongoing debates regarding the city’s problematic infrastructure continue, it is no surprise that workers care about the length of their commute. Despite this, there appears to be less concern about the creation of good public transport connections with just over half of Cambridgeshire workers citing this as important, compared to 71% across the UK. As a direct result of these issues, Cambridge has one of the highest percentages of cycle-commutes in the country, therefore it makes sense that 34% of the city’s workers rank bicycle storage as important, the second highest ranking in the UK after Bristol. Although it did not make the top ten list of factors most important to Cambridgeshire, it still surpassed the wider UK ranking of 27%. Click here to see the top 10 factors most important to Cambridgeshire office workers. The What Workers Want poll of 1,132 office workers across the UK looks to investigate the factors that are important to employees in the workplace and how much they believe that their current environment satisfies those requirements. There seems to be a significant mismatch between what Cambridgeshire office workers deem important, when compared to current levels of satisfaction. Upon closer inspection of these facts it is possible to identify the size of the ‘frustration factor’ and in turn identify what organisations need to address in order to attract and retain staff. Click here to see the top 10 factors Cambridgeshire office workers are most dissatisfied with. Steve Lang, director of research at Savills, comments: “Length of commute is a common concern across the whole of the UK, but it is interesting to see that access to good quality wireless is more important in Cambridgeshire than anywhere else in the UK. The city itself has one of the highest volume of knowledge intensive firms in the country, so quiet space and a strong internet connection are going to play a large role in the day to day running of these businesses. “Furthermore, this could also be attributed to changes in the workplace, with open plan layouts and a culture of hot-desking adding to employees frustration. Essentially, if organisations fail to get office design and infrastructure right, they can risk a decline in overall productivity.” William Clarke, associate director of business space at Savills Cambridge, adds: “With a vast number of Cambridgeshire’s occupiers specialising in technology and R&D, good quality wireless is an essential. A lot of these business rely on an environment that encourages ideas and collaboration and it is interesting to see that in some cases this still remains unsatisfied. Workers are a fundamental of any company and this research is a fantastic tool to help guide requirements going forward.” Danny Parmar, British Council for Offices East Anglia committee chair, says: “ When it comes to staff satisfaction and retention, employees are now looking far beyond salary and how many days holiday they have. A new, more digitally engaged workforce has resulted in a shift of needs. As this research has shown, facilities such as good wi-fi and a quiet working environment are key to keeping staff happy.” Source link

The Right Mortgage & Protection Network has announced the launch of a new referral service which will allow members to refer business that they do not conduct to the Network who will act as a representative of the adviser in finding the client an appropriate product. With a no-cross-selling agreement in place, advisers can deal with all of their clients’ financial needs safe in the knowledge that nobody will poach that client and earn 30% of any commission on that product. The launch of the Network’s Equity Release and PMI processes show the Network’s intention to give its members the opportunity to take advantage of these lucrative markets, with the processes being set up with both the adviser and their customers in mind. CEO Martin Wilson said: “We are delighted to make these announcements which have been the product of much adviser feedback. Weekly commissions has been one of the main features that has been requested and so we are thrilled to now be able to offer this. The launch of the referral service as well as our Equity Release and PMI propositions shows our aim to give all of our advisers the opportunity to provide their client with a holistic financial planning service and achieve the best possible customer outcomes. MD, Adam Stretton added: “Our already strong proposition continues to grow and we are certain that this will have a significant positive impact on our advisers’ business.” Source link

STA fights to keep solar thermal in the RHI Published:  02 May, 2016 The solar industry has pledged to continue its push to keep solar thermal eligible under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, following the closure of the government’s consultation on plans to cut off support for the technology. If the plans outlined in the consultation go ahead, solar thermal heat technology could be removed from the RHI entirely as of early 2017. It is thought the final decision is likely to be made in July this year. Solar thermal panels use infrared solar irradiation from the sun’s rays to heat water, which can then be fed into a hot water cylinder. There is currently 350GW of solar thermal capacity installed around the world, and the UK is currently ranked 44th in the world in terms of installed solar thermal capacity per capita. Thanks to support from the RHI, investing in solar thermal can currently provide a 5-8% return on investment for a typical homeowner and, in summer months, can provide almost all of a home’s hot water needs. The Solar Trade Association (STA) has conducted an industry survey that shows 83% of the industry backs its proposals for reform of the scheme to boost take up and provide more value for money. The domestic RHI scheme currently supports four different heat technologies – biomass, air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps and solar thermal. Mike Landy, head of policy at the STA, said: “Everyone gets the sense of using heat from the sun to meet our hot water needs. So it’s hard to understand why the government is proposing to remove solar thermal from the country’s toolkit to fight climate change, especially when the UK is also struggling to meet its renewable heat target. “Recent months have shown renewed market interest in solar thermal from consumers, so we call on the government to reinvigorate its support, not cut it off. Otherwise the country risks losing a strategically important option to reduce emissions and our reliance on fossil fuels.” Analysis conducted earlier this year by the STA showed there has been an 88% increase in solar thermal sales enquiries during the first few months of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015. The STA believes the government’s proposals are contradictory, on the one hand seeking to extend renewable heat to less-able-to-pay homes, but removing the best technology for those households with the other. According to the STA, it costs £7 per year to operate a domestic solar thermal system, and solar thermal is the only renewable heat technology suited to urban areas. The technology is popular with social housing associations in the UK to tackle fuel poverty. Solar thermal can also contribute to industrial process heat, as well as hot water in hotels and hospitals. Analysis by the International Renewable Energy Agency has shown that solar thermal could technically provide nearly half of heat demand in the industrial sector, much of which requires low-to-medium temperatures. Source link

India’s residential real estate market is set to see a boost with moves that will increase the supply of properties for sale and demand. Experts point out that change announced in the 2016/2017 Union Budget will see a reduction for first time buyers of INR 50,000 on interest repayment for loans up to INR 35 lakh where the cost of a house is INR 50 lakh and this will boost the demand for housing at the lower end of the market. This move is also likely to benefit purchasers in tier II and tier III towns such as Surat, Nagpur, Lucknow, Vadodara, Jaipur, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Indore, Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Rajkot, Bhopal, Kanpur, and Thane, according to Shishir Baijal, chairman and managing director of Knight Frank India. On the supply side, a 100% tax exemption on profit for developers and an exemption from service tax for the construction of houses up to 325 square feet in metro areas and 650 square feet in other cities will encourage supply in the affordable housing segment. The budget has also increased the limit of deduction of rent paid under section 80GG which provides for deduction of house rent paid, provided that a deduction for payment of House Rent has not been claimed under any other section of the Income Tax Act, from INR 24,000 per annum to INR 60,000 per annum, thus providing relief to those who live in rented houses. For investors, the abolition of the dividend tax (DDT) means that there will be no barrier to launching REIT schemes. ‘Removal of REITs from DDT will also make this type of investment more appealing to retail investors. In the long run higher transparency levels will ensure that the cash strapped real estate sector will get easier access to funds at a reasonable cost,’ said Baijal. A focus on improving infrastructure and rural development is also expected to give a much needed fillip to the real estate sector. This includes a significant outlay on improving roads, railways and developing smaller airports to improve regional connectivity. Additionally, incentives to MSME, Make-in-India will get a further boost that will benefit the real estate sector in the long run. ‘Additionally, the government’s focus on digitization of land records is a step in the right direction, especially in more rural areas. The move will also lead to higher transparency levels in the real estate sector,’ Baijal added. There is also likely to be more demand from overseas investors with the forthcoming Indian Property Show in London in April expected to be well attended by Indian expats seeking to invest in real estate. They are expected to be interested in smart gated communities which are being developed in major cities such as Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata. According to Srividya Rajan, general manager for sales and brand engagement at Sumansa Exhibitions, the Indian Property Market is affordable compared to other international investment destinations and capital appreciation on real estate in India is far higher in the long term. BOOKMARK THIS PAGE (What is this?)      Source link

House prices in the UK fell by 1% between June and July, taking the average price to £214,678, according to the latest index which also shows that overall growth is slowing. In the three months to July prices were 1.6% higher than in the preceding three months, above June’s 1.1% increase and similar to the rates recorded in April and May of 1.5% but it significantly lower than in February and March. The data from leading lender the Halifax, also shows that prices in the three months to July were 8.4% higher than in the same three months a year earlier, unchanged from June but the lowest since July 2015 when it was 7.8%. The month on month decline largely offset the 1.2% increase in June, but Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist pointed out that month on month changes can be erratic and monthly falls often occur within an upward trend. He explained that it was the third monthly fall so far this year and was smaller than February’s decline of 1.5% and the quarter on quarter change is a more reliable indicator of the underlying trend. The number of first time buyers increased by an estimated 10% in the first six months of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015, according to the Halifax First Time Buyer Review. There were an estimated 154,200 first time buyers in the first half of 2016 compared with 140,500 in the same period last year. This was more than double the market low in the first half of 2009 when it was 72,700. Nonetheless, the number of first time buyers in the first half of 2016 was nearly a fifth lower than in 2006. ‘There are signs that house price growth is slowing with a deceleration in both the annual and quarterly rates of increase in the past few months. Nonetheless, the current rates remain robust. Overall, it remains too early to determine if there has been any impact on the housing market as a result of June’s EU referendum result,’ Ellis added. Alex Gosling, chief executive officer of online estate agents HouseSimple, also believes that too much should not be taken from the monthly figure. ‘There are so many factors at play right now, we’re probably going to have to wait until September to get a clearer picture of how the housing market is coping with this headwind of political and economic uncertainty,’ he said. ‘Property transaction levels traditionally drop off during the summer months,’; he explained, adding that there have been a number of other factors impacting the housing market in recent months such as April stamp duty changes, the EU Referendum, and the cut in interest rates. ‘The Bank of England’s decision to cut interest rates yesterday should definitely provide a stabilising effect on the economy. Whether that will be enough to inject the necessary confidence into the property market only time will tell. It will certainly provide a level of confidence to buyers and home owners knowing that interest rates are unlikely to rise any time soon,’ he pointed out. ‘With employment still high, the cost of living low, and the continued lack of supply, this should help support property prices. On the ground, we’ve not seen a material drop off in buyer enquiries amongst all this turmoil, but we are seeing buyers negotiating harder on price. We may start to see sellers, who are keen and need to sell, softening on price demands in the coming months. Although, with stock levels perilously low in many areas, quality properties in high demand location will still attract very strong prices,’ he added. With prices still up 8.4% year on year, there’s no real evidence that UK home owners need to be concerned just yet, according to Russell Quirk, chief executive officer of eMoov. ‘Once the market picks back up in a couple of months’ time and the Brexit uncertainty starts to subside, I’m confident the previous upward trend in value enjoyed by UK home owners will continue. In the meantime, this slight slowdown in price growth coupled with yesterday’s rate cut by the Bank of England, make it an ideal time for those considering a property purchase,’ he added. Ian Thomas, director of online property investment business LendInvest, does not believe that Brexit has not changed the resilient foundations of the housing market. ‘While house building numbers are up slightly according to the National House Building Council, the fact remains that we simply aren’t building anywhere near enough to meet demand. This lack of supply, combined with cheaper financing as a result of yesterday’s base rate cut, will continue to support house prices,’ he said. ‘The Prime Minister has talked about improving housebuilding, but those words need to be backed up with meaningful action. We can’t simply look to the biggest house builders to build us out of this crisis. More needs to be done to support developers of all sizes,’ he added. But Ben Madden, managing director of London estate agents Thorgills, does not think that the cut in interest rates will lead to higher house but it will help to further stabilise them. ‘People today are a lot more streetwise than they were when the global financial crisis struck. There’s more caution in property transactions, certainly, but people are more attuned to uncertainty and understand that life has to go on,’ he said. ‘Committed buyers and seller are very much active, while window shoppers have fallen away. To an extent, this has injected an extra efficiency into the market. You would expect August to remain fairly quiet, for the usual seasonal reasons,’ he added. Source link