UK manufacturer of power and distribution transformers, Winder Power, has been shortlisted by the Living Wage Foundation for the Living Wage Champion Awards 2016 in the Yorkshire & Humber region. The awards recognise Living Wage Foundation employers who have made significant contributions to communities and industries by implementing and celebrating
The first scaffolding training centre to deliver apprenticeships and commercial courses in the North East of Scotland has officially opened its doors. The state of the art facility, which has received over £1 million in investment, is a partnership between the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and ASET International Oil
A new £2 million training and research centre at the Port of Blyth will be opened next week by the Duchess of Northumberland. The launch will mark the next phase of the Blyth Education and Community Hub (BEACH), a development to regenerate the Blyth coastline. The first stage delivered a
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is launching two new and innovative building contracts next month (November 5). Designed to be used in conjunction with RIBA’s Architect’s Appointment Agreements for Small Projects (domestic and concise forms), the new contracts are fully aligned with the RIBA Plan of Work 2013.
Clugston Construction, part of the privately owned Clugston Group, has secured a multi-million pound contract to build a new Lidl supermarket in Scarborough. The scheme is one of a new generation of sleek energy efficient stores currently being rolled out throughout the UK by Lidl, and is being built by
Laing O’Rourke topped August’s contractor league table after it signed the £850m deal for the St James Quarter project. The firm had been lined up by TH Real Estate for the Edinburgh commercial development having undertaken enabling works, before finalising the main contractor agreement in August. That sole contract was
Edinburgh City Council has closed 17 of its newly built schools after the body responsible for the buildings revealed that it was unable to guarantee their structural safety. Above: Brickwork fell off Oxgangs Primary School in January Concerns first arose when brickwork collapsed at Oxgangs Primary School during a storm
1) Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway 2) Khorgos-Aktau railway 3) Central Asia-China gas pipeline 4) Central Asia-China gas pipeline, line D 5) China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway 6) Khorgos Gateway China’s “One Belt, One Road” project aims to make central Asia more connected to the world, yet even before the initiative was formally announced China
BP has shut one of its platforms near the Shetland Islands after an oil spill that is sure to attract further unwelcome attention to the UK firm’s environmental record. The 95 tonne, 665 barrel spill was blamed on a “technical issue” at BP’s Clair platform on Sunday. Although the leak
Cala Group says it is “on target” to achieve its turnover goal of £1 billion by 2020, having posted its fourth consecutive year of record results. Alan Brown, Chief Executive of the house building firm, said the group’s strategy was “to grow the business to over £1bn by 2020”. He
UK manufacturer of power and distribution transformers, Winder Power, has been shortlisted by the Living Wage Foundation for the Living Wage Champion Awards 2016 in the Yorkshire & Humber region. The awards recognise Living Wage Foundation employers who have made significant contributions to communities and industries by implementing and celebrating the Living Wage, an hourly rate set independently by the Foundation and updated each year, calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; a social consensus about the amount people require to make ends meet, and Winder Power has been a proud supporter of the initiative over the last three years. There are currently more than 2,700 accredited Living Wage Foundation employers throughout the UK, all who have signed up voluntarily, who recognise that adhering to the Government’s national living minimum wage is not good for business. As a living wage employer, this commitment means that every employee at Winder Power, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors; receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.25 – significantly higher than the Government’s national living wage of £7.20. Speaking following the shortlist announcement, Laurence MacKenzie, group chief executive of Winder Power, said, “We’re absolutely delighted to have been recognised by the Living Wage Foundation and to have been shortlisted for their Living Wage Champion Awards. Making a public commitment to be a responsible employer is important for Winder Power as many Winder Power staff are from the local community and we are a proud British manufacturer producing all of our products in Yorkshire. We are committed to ensuring that we provide this community, and the UK, with sustainable employment and maintain, and indeed create, jobs in this country; and we believe the Living Wage Foundation accreditation aids us in this objective.”
The first scaffolding training centre to deliver apprenticeships and commercial courses in the North East of Scotland has officially opened its doors. The state of the art facility, which has received over £1 million in investment, is a partnership between the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and ASET International Oil & Gas Training Academy (ASET). The centre is based at Clinterty in Aberdeen and provides high quality professional training and a comprehensive portfolio of CISRS (Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme) and SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) accredited scaffolding courses. These will train and upskill the Scottish workforce and benefit both the construction and oil and gas industries. David Mosley, CISRS Scheme Manager, said: “The possibility of a second CISRS accredited centre in Scotland has been discussed at length. We are delighted that ASET and CITB have built an excellent facility and we wish them a very successful future.” Nine learners from throughout Scotland have started their apprenticeships this week. Dundee based employer Kevin Malone of Skyline Scaffolding Ltd, employs apprentice scaffolder Darren Holt, who has just started his training at the new site. Kevin commented: “I was extremely happy when I heard the new centre was opening. It is long overdue, and will certainly be a great boost for scaffolding training in the area.” Atholl Menzies, Chief Executive at ASET, added: “This is an exciting time for ASET and CITB as we now begin to realise our vision of creating a centre of excellence for scaffolding training in the North of Scotland. This purpose–built facility is perfectly positioned to meet the demand for accredited training at introductory and advanced levels – from Dundee to Shetland. “The apprenticeship provision will help to attract new entrants into the industry, making an important contribution to the local economy. The extensive range of commercial courses available will open up new opportunities for employers and individuals alike.
A new £2 million training and research centre at the Port of Blyth will be opened next week by the Duchess of Northumberland. The launch will mark the next phase of the Blyth Education and Community Hub (BEACH), a development to regenerate the Blyth coastline. The first stage delivered a maritime heritage centre, an Engineering and Marine Science base for Newcastle University along with a new facility for the training and community outreach charity, Blyth Tall Ship. Now, the base will allow Port of Blyth’s training subsidiary Port Training Services to develop its offering of NVQ’s and plant training, while enhancing its delivery of apprenticeships and community engagement through a schools partnership. Newcastle University’s Emerson Cavitation Tunnel Laboratory, situated at the centre, will offer an environment for the study of propulsion, water turbine, coating technology, ice research and a series other niche areas of research. Northumberland College’s wind turbine technician training facility is to be backed and certificated by international renewable energy training and certification body BZEE. This latest phase of the hub has attracted significant funding from the Coastal Communities Fund, North East LEP and Sport England, whilst all the partners have contributed significantly to the total budget for the scheme. Martin Lawlor, Chief Executive of Port of Blyth, commented: “We’re delighted to be opening phase two on the back of a record year at the Port. “The significant benefits of the project reflect the commitment that the Port and all partners in the development have to training, research and opportunities for the community”.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is launching two new and innovative building contracts next month (November 5). Designed to be used in conjunction with RIBA’s Architect’s Appointment Agreements for Small Projects (domestic and concise forms), the new contracts are fully aligned with the RIBA Plan of Work 2013. The new contracts have been designed in response to feedback from members of RIBA members who have called for improvement and innovation within the building contracts that are currently available. The RIBA Domestic Building Contract offers a simple, comprehensive and legally appropriate contract solution for all types of non-commercial work, such as renovations, extensions, maintenance and new buildings. The contract is endorsed by the HomeOwners Alliance. The RIBA Concise Building Contract will provide a complete contract solution to cover small scale commercial building projects of a standard and straightforward nature. The new RIBA Building Contracts form part of a move towards a holistic suite of project contracts that can be prepared and stored digitally and are more relevant and focused around the needs of those undertaking smaller projects – a more intelligent and flexible suite of documents that are easier to use, yet reduce risks to both parties and the project overall. The RIBA is also working on updating the suite of RIBA Agreements, to be available as an online tool. Key innovations incorporated into the new RIBA Building Contracts: Allows effective collaboration between the client/employer and contractor Facilitates good management of the project from start to completion Fair and equitable terms for all parties Provides an effective way of managing payments to the contractor Flexible payment options Flexibility to propose suppliers and sub-contractors Provides a straightforward method for dealing with changes to the project within specified timescales Option for completion in stages Comprehensive insurance provisions Terms compliant with the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations for consumer clients
Clugston Construction, part of the privately owned Clugston Group, has secured a multi-million pound contract to build a new Lidl supermarket in Scarborough. The scheme is one of a new generation of sleek energy efficient stores currently being rolled out throughout the UK by Lidl, and is being built by Clugston Construction’s North East office. Once complete in January next year, it will form a key part of a wider residential development, also under construction on the site of the Town’s former football stadium. The new store is designed to put customers and Lidl employees at the heart of it, while also boasting a brand new architectural structure and spacious layout which, with its wider aisles, longer tills, restroom and baby changing facilities, will offer an enhanced shopping experience and superior welfare facilities for Lidl’s growing customer base. The new concept Lidl store will also use the latest energy efficient technology to cut down on its environmental impact. The building will reduce the CO2 emission rate by more than 20% in comparison with a building of the same type, size and use; which is around 40 tons of CO2 per year. This is equal to nine households, which would take eight cars off the road for a year or flying a jumbo jet for over 700 miles. Commenting on the new store Lidl UK Regional Head of Property, David Murphy, said: “We are really excited at the prospect of bringing a new store to Scarborough. This marks a substantial investment in the local community and will create 40 new jobs when the store opens. We would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their support and look forward to opening our doors in the not too distant future.” Andy Mackintosh, Clugston Construction regional manager for the North East commented, “We’re delighted to be working on the Lidl development in Scarborough, which continues Clugston Construction’s expansion in the region. We are looking forward to delivering a successful project.” Clugston Construction is working alongside Space Architecture and structural engineering company, HPBW Civil & Engineering Service on the project.
Laing O’Rourke topped August’s contractor league table after it signed the £850m deal for the St James Quarter project. The firm had been lined up by TH Real Estate for the Edinburgh commercial development having undertaken enabling works, before finalising the main contractor agreement in August. That sole contract was enough to send Laing O’Rourke to the league summit, according to construction intelligence provider Glenigan – the first time it has topped the monthly table since November 2015. Bouygues took second for August with a £492.5m haul across eight projects. Underpinning this was £236m of work secured by Bouygues subsidiary Colas Rail on the extension of the Midlands Metro. Galliford Try claimed third spot for the period with £293.9m spanning 11 deals, including a £175m regeneration scheme for Genesis Housing Association and Queens Park Rangers at Old Oak Common. Fourth-placed McLaren owed its place primarily to a £155m distribution centre development for Roxhill & the London Distribution Park, while Skanska finalised another of the month’s stand-out deals: a £65m package at Great Ormond Street. Top 10 contractors, year to Aug 2016 Contractor No Total (£m) 1 Bouygues 43 2486.5 2 Royal Bam 89 2389.4 3 Morgan Sindall 306 1845.1 4 Kier 294 1748.7 5 Laing O’Rourke 22 1734.3 6 Galliford Try 146 1726.0 7 Balfour Beatty 76 1621.7 8 Carillion 43 1402.6 9 Wates 127 1311.7 10 Mace 37 1152.6 League tables are subject to revision Top 10 contractors, August 2016 Contractor No Total (£m) 1 Laing O’Rourke 1 850.0 2 Bouygues 8 492.5 3 Galliford Try 11 293.9 4 McLaren 3 265.4 5 Lendlease 4 231.6 6 Balfour Beatty 5 181.1 7 Burmeister & Wain 1 160.0 8 Graham 6 124.5 9 VolkerWessels 11 122.6 10 Siemens Rail 1 105.0 League tables are subject to revision Its strong month kept Bouygues at the top of the annual contractor league, despite second-placed Bam closing the gap. Morgan Sindall climbed to third for the 12 months to August after Balfour Beatty slipped to seventh, while Kier was up two places to fourth. Bowmer & Kirkland was a notable mover, gaining three spots to sit 14th, while Multiplex went one better in rising four places from 19th to 15th.
Edinburgh City Council has closed 17 of its newly built schools after the body responsible for the buildings revealed that it was unable to guarantee their structural safety. Above: Brickwork fell off Oxgangs Primary School in January Concerns first arose when brickwork collapsed at Oxgangs Primary School during a storm in January. The school was built in 2005 by Miller Construction under a public-private partnership initiative, PPP1. Four other schools built by Miller at the same time were subsequently closed for precautionary inspections. Miller Construction was taken over by Galliford Try in 2014. Edinburgh City Council has now decided to shut more schools over safety fears. In a statement, the council said: “We have taken the precautionary decision to close all of our PPP1 premises from Monday 11th April 2016… The decision has been taken after remedial works taking place on Friday 8th April at Oxgangs Primary School uncovered new issues relating to the school’s construction.” The schools were supposed to reopen after the Easter holidays on 11th April but parents have been advised to make alternative childcare arrangements for the foreseeable future. “The Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), who manage and operate the schools on behalf of the council, and their technical experts were unable today (8th April) to give the council sufficient guarantee that the schools are safe to open on Monday,” the council said. The schools being closed are: Braidburn, Broomhouse Primary, Castleview Primary, Craigour Park Primary, Craigmount High, Craigroyston Primary, Drummond Community High, Firrhill High, Forthview Primary, Gracemount High, Oxgangs Primary School, Pirniehill Primary, Rowanfield, Royal High, St David’s Primary, St Joseph’s Primary and St Peters RC Primary. Also being closed for checks are Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre and Howdenhall Secure Unit. Council leader Andrew Burns said: “Edinburgh Schools Partnership have today been unable to give the council sufficient guarantee that the schools and other premises are safe to open on Monday. Clearly we have every right to expect these schools to have been built to a good standard and in accordance with industry practice. We now know this isn’t the case. ESP have let the council down but more importantly they have the let children, parents and staff of this city down. “We have today alerted the Scottish government to our concerns. “The safety of children and our staff is our top priority and we’re simply not willing to take any risks. As such we have no option but to close these schools and Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre. “We fully recognise the significant inconvenience to parents caused by these closures. However I am sure everyone will understand why we have taken these steps. We will keep parents and carers updated over the coming week as more information becomes available.” Repair work at Oxgangs has been carried out by Amey, one of the shareholders of Edinburgh Schools Partnership. Structurela engineers from Will Rudd Davidson have been providing technicla advice. This article was published on 9 Apr 2016 (last updated on 9 Apr 2016). Source link
1) Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway 2) Khorgos-Aktau railway 3) Central Asia-China gas pipeline 4) Central Asia-China gas pipeline, line D 5) China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway 6) Khorgos Gateway China’s “One Belt, One Road” project aims to make central Asia more connected to the world, yet even before the initiative was formally announced China had helped to redraw the energy map of the region. It had built an oil pipeline from Kazakhstan, a gas pipeline that allowed Turkmenistan to break its dependence on dealings with Russia and another pipeline that has increased the flow of Russian oil to China. Chinese companies have funded and built roads, bridges and tunnels across the region. A ribbon of fresh projects, such as the Khorgos “dry port” on the Kazakh-Chinese border and a railway link connecting Kazakhstan with Iran, is helping increase trade across central Asia. 1) Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway A China-led consortium last year won a $375m contract to build a 770km high-speed railway line between Moscow and Kazan. Total investment in the project — set to cut journey time between the cities from 12 hours to 3.5 hours — is some $16.7bn. Back to top 2) Khorgos-Aktau railway In May last year, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced a plan to build — with China — a railway from Khorgos on the Chinese border to the Caspian Sea port of Aktau. The scheme dovetails with a $2.7bn Kazakh project to modernise its locomotives and freight and passenger cars and repair 450 miles of rail. Back to top 3) Central Asia-China gas pipeline The 3,666km Central Asia-China gas pipeline predated the new Silk Road but forms the backbone of infrastructure connections between Turkmenistan and China. Chinese-built, it runs from the Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan border to Jingbian in China and cost $7.3bn. Back to top 4) Central Asia-China gas pipeline, line D China signed agreements with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to build a fourth line of the central Asia-China gas pipeline in September 2013. Line D is expected to raise Turkmenistan’s gas export capacity to China from 55bn cu m per year to 85bn cu m. Back to top 5) China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway Kyrgyzstan’s prime minister Temir Sariev said in December that the construction of the delayed Kyrgyz leg of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway would start this year. In September, Uzbekistan said it had finished 104km of the 129km Uzbek stretch of the railway. Back to top 6) Khorgos Gateway Khorgos Gateway, a dry port on the China-Kazakh border that is seen as a key cargo hub on the new Silk Road, began operations in August. China’s Jiangsu province has agreed to invest more than $600m over five years to build logistics and industrial zones around Khorgos. The map below shows how the transport and energy projects link across the region. Back to top Source link
BP has shut one of its platforms near the Shetland Islands after an oil spill that is sure to attract further unwelcome attention to the UK firm’s environmental record. The 95 tonne, 665 barrel spill was blamed on a “technical issue” at BP’s Clair platform on Sunday. Although the leak was limited in scale, it was halted within an hour of the problem arising. The timing could hardly have been worse for the group. The release last week of Deepwater Horizon, a big budget Hollywood dramatisation of BP’s 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has thrust the risks of offshore production and exploration back into the public eye. The latest spill was nowhere near the 3m barrels released after the deadly blast on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, however the environmental group said it highlighted “the dangers posed on a daily basis by oil and gas operations off the coast of Scotland”. BP said the oil “was released to the sea from the Clair platform as a result of a technical issue with the system designed to separate the mixed production fluids of water, oil and gas”. The group added: “We are investigating the cause of the technical issue and the field will remain offline for the time being.” “At present, we believe the most appropriate response is to allow the oil to disperse naturally at sea, but contingencies for other action are being prepared. “Oil has been observed on the sea surface and we are monitoring its movement. Both direct observation and oil spill modelling indicate the oil to be moving in a northerly direction away from land.” The Clair platform, located 75km west of the Shetlands, is on the frontier between the North Sea and the Atlantic. The area has some of the biggest remaining reserves of oil and gas in the UK, though deeper water and hostile weather means that it is more difficult and expensive to extract in comparison with shallower parts of the North Sea.
Cala Group says it is “on target” to achieve its turnover goal of £1 billion by 2020, having posted its fourth consecutive year of record results. Alan Brown, Chief Executive of the house building firm, said the group’s strategy was “to grow the business to over £1bn by 2020”. He said: “We have the infrastructure in place to deliver that, both the products, the people and the land.” The group posted a 15% rise in turnover in its full-year results, with group revenue of £587.1 million for the year to June 30, 2016, which was an increase from £511.6 million the previous year. Pre-tax profit also jumped by 18% to £60.1 million in its latest figures, which is up from £50.9 million over the same period. Mr Brown added that his company had seen “no impact” on the business since the EU referendum in June EU and praised Theresa May’s new government for its recent moves to boost housebuilding. Earlier in the week, Business Secretary Sajid Javid announced a £3 billion Home Builders Fund and a £2 billion ‘Accelerated Construction’ programme to accelerate the building of housing on brownfield land, which Mr Brown said he backed. He said: “Since 2010, the government has recognised we have a significant housing shortage, and that we need to do something about it. ”We’ve seen positive changes since then, and what I’m particularly pleased about is that since Theresa May became prime minister, if anything [the government]’s desire to solve the housing crisis has increased.” The group, which focuses on Southern England, the Midlands and Scotland, has increased completions by 16% in the last year, with 1,151 homes completed in the year to June 30, 2016, up from 993 the previous year. It has also added 30 sites to its portfolio in the financial year, which are projected to deliver almost 2,700 homes in the short term.