1 July 2016 | James Richards Corporate FM provider Anabas is to provide facilities services to credit reference agency Callcredit.  Worth £1.5 million over three years, the contract will see Anabas provide a range of FM services to Callcredit’s corporate headquarters in Leeds, which houses over 700 staff across 78,000 square feet.  Service lines include cleaning, M&E maintenance, building maintenance and FM helpdesk provision. Alistair Craig, Anabas managing director, said: “Our contract with Callcredit continues to extend our coverage throughout the UK. As a boutique provider specialising in corporate offices, this contract… reflects our core business and we look forward to working with them.” Group head of facilities at Callcredit, Hedia Delly, said: “We chose Anabas as we wanted a provider that was of a size and scale to be able to professionally manage our facilities, with all the reassurances that are required from a cost, risk and compliance perspective but at the same time not so big that we did not feel important to them.” Anabas employs more than 700 staff across 150 locations across the UK. Its other clients include Lego, AbbVie and Worldpay. Source link

Acting on behalf of NFUM, joint letting agents Savills and KLM have formally launched the marketing for the new retail extension at The Brewery Quarter in Cheltenham. The new retail units, which are currently under construction, link the existing scheme to the High Street and total 110,000 sq ft (10,219 sq m). Once completed, the Brewery Quarter will comprise 300,000 sq ft (27,870 sq m) of commercial space. The Brewery Quarter currently has over three million visitors per year and includes six restaurants, an 11-screen Cineworld, plus a three screen luxury cinema, two bars and a Hollywood Bowl. The newest addition is the 5,000 sq ft (465 sq m) Brewhouse and Kitchen, which will open in May 2016. Chris O’Mahony, retail and leisure director at Savills Bristol, comments: “The Brewery Quarter in Cheltenham is ideal for retailers looking to take advantage of Cheltenham’s affluent and thriving economy. This modern development benefits from a high footfall location on the High Street in the heart of the town centre.” Dominic Brady of KLM, adds: “The Brewery Quarter will offer retailers with a requirement for Cheltenham a unique and exciting opportunity. The new space is well configured and offers a modem specification whilst retaining flexibility as the units can be tailored to suit individual requirements.”   Source link

Savills, on behalf of St John’s College, has let office and laboratory space at Edinburgh House, St Johns Innovation Park in Cambridge to Coalesce Product Development Limited. The product and technology development company has agreed to a new five-year lease  for space totalling 3,796 sq ft (352 sq m) and will occupy Suites One, Two and Three on the ground floor of the building. Currently two suites remain available ranging from 1,250 sq ft (116 sq m) to 2,500 sq ft (232 sq m) at a quoting rent of £27.50 per sq ft (£296 per sq m). Phillip Ridoutt, director of business space at Savills Cambridge, comments: “St John’s Innovation Park is unique to the Northern Cluster as it provides clear straightforward expansion opportunities for existing occupiers within the multiple buildings owned by St John’s college. The park also continues to attract new office and R&D companies due to the strength of its location as a prime science and technology business area. This is the perfect environment for Coalesce to continue to grow following its relocation from the St John’s Innovation Centre.” Coalesce Product Development Limited was unrepresented. Source link

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today responded to The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s annual Autumn Statement.  RIBA President Stephen Hodder said: On housing “The announcement of new developments at Northstowe and Bicester are a positive step, but much more needs to be done if we are to end the housing crisis within a generation. “The government needs to works with experts and local communities to deliver sustainable proposals. Short-term value for money is not the only criteria of success for major new development, any government funding for house building must ensure that the houses and communities that are created are built to the highest standards. “We need be building 300,000 new homes a year for the foreseeable future if we want to reverse the housing crisis. A new generation of towns designed upon the principles of the Garden Cities movement are only part of the solution. Freeing up public land for homes, supporting a greater diversity of developers including self and custom build and supporting institutional investment in housing should all be measures any future government should consider to really tackle the housing crisis.” On planning “The RIBA welcomes improvements to the planning system that reduce the amount of information required at outline stage to establish the principle of development. “Moves to speed up the processes involved in small applications are welcome, but we need to recognise that the growing pressure on resources within local planning departments is causing increasing headaches for everyone involved. “Moves to make the planning system more effective and timely without compromising the core principles of sustainability are welcome. The planning system needs to move away from being a box ticking exercise and become a meaningful process to help communities shape their area. A national spatial strategy should be at the heart of this.” On flood defences “New funding for flood defences is needed but we are not going to really get to grips with flooding unless we ensure that homes and businesses in flood risk areas are more resilient to flooding. If we accept that as a nation we are going to continue to build on flood plains then the way we create communities for homes and businesses in these areas need to be re-examined so that they are more resilient. We need to examine how new developments can be designed to prevent flooding and make it more manageable when it happens.” On the government’s infrastructure announcements “The government needs to ensure that the economic impact of the infrastructure spending announced this week is maximised. Development opportunities, especially around new and improved transport links should allow for more housing development to meet local housing demand, better environments for businesses and greater opportunities for local residents.” ENDS Notes to editors For further press information contact Howard Crosskey in the RIBA Press Office: 020 7307 3761 howard.crosskey@riba.org The Autumn Statement 2014 and associated documents can be viewed in full here: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/autumn-statement-2014 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 3rd December 2014 Source link

The Global Warming Policy Forum has called on prime minister Theresa May to speed up shale gas exploration in order to establish the full extent of the UK’s resources. GWPF director Benny Peiser said that the last two governments under David Cameron “failed to get any shale gas out of the ground”, despite repeated claims that it would ‘go all out for shale’. “Theresa May now has a golden opportunity to reset UK energy policy and demonstrate that she can deliver where her predecessor failed,” he said. The government has today (8 August) announced plans to change the Shale Wealth Fund proposals to include the option to give more of the proceeds directly to local residents. Communities could receive up to 10 per cent of tax revenues derived from shale exploration in their area to spend on priorities such as local infrastructure and skills training. The new fund could deliver up to £10 million per eligible community. The government will also consider whether this approach to the Shale Wealth Fund can be a model for other community benefit schemes to “put more control and more resource in the hands of local households”. GWPF hailed the plan as a “sensible step to break the decade-long logjam” in shale development. UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) chief executive Ken Cronin also welcomed the news, saying: “The onshore oil and gas industry in the UK continues to believe that local people should share in the success of our industry and be rewarded for hosting sites on behalf of others in the country.” He insisted the overarching objectives of secure, affordable and low-carbon energy “continue to be a driving force for our industry”. “Just 12 years ago, Britain was a net exporter of gas, but imports now make up nearly half of our gas demand, at a cost to this country of around £10 million a day,” he added. “Recent estimates by National Grid are that, without shale, the UK could be importing over 90 per cent of its gas by 2040.” Source link

Industry must promote safe building standards in airtight homes Published:  28 April, 2016 BSRIA has reminded the industry that it must promote safe building standards and correct air tightness levels at all times, following comments from the Glasgow School of Art that people who do not ventilate their homes properly expose themselves to harmful levels of pollutants. Specialists at the school’s Mackintosh Environmental Research Unit (MEARU) said modern homes were being built to be airtight. This causes a build-up of harmful chemicals and moisture if householders do not open windows or vents. The unit has made a series of recommendations to reduce pollutants, including: Keeping trickle vents or windows open when cooking or showering Increasing ventilation when cleaning Open windows at night Dry laundry near an open window Make sure homeowners understand how the ventilation system of their property works. Professor Tim Sharpe, head of the MEARU, said: “Poor indoor air quality, particularly in bedrooms, is hard for people to detect. There are clear links between poor ventilation and ill-health so people need to be aware of the build-up of CO2 and other pollutants in their homes and their potential impact on health.” The MEARU conducted a survey of 200 homes which were constructed to modern, airtight standards. It found that most householders kept trickle vents closed, and bedroom windows closed at night. Julia Evans, chief executive of BSRIA, said: “BSRIA deals with domestic ventilation (Part F), including MEV and MVRH systems and measurement of indoor air quality, on a daily basis and promotes the importance of good ventilation. The undesired side effects and health issues people are exposed to when they don’t adopt this are tragic, especially asthma, which costs the NHS millions of pounds a year alone.” The recent ‘Ventilation in New Homes’ report published by the Zero Carbon Hub highlighted a widespread lack of understanding of the importance of correctly designed, specified, installed and commissioned ventilation systems. In the UK, people spend approximately 80% of their time indoors. The quality of indoor air is not only affected by ambient or external pollution, but also from indoor sources. Inadequate ventilation means that levels of pollutants can be five times higher indoors than outdoors. Tobacco smoke, mould and chemicals released from synthetic fabrics, furnishings and household products are some of the sources of contaminants that make indoor air worse than outdoor air at times. Common pollutants include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOC) and radon. These various chemicals cause eye and skin irritation, damage the central nervous system and have been linked to cancer. High levels of moisture encourages growth of dust mites, which can affect people who suffer from asthma, hay fever or allergies. It also encourages mould spores in the air which causes lung infections in people with weak immune systems. Source link