Leading construction company Henry Brothers has partnered with the Scottish Prison Service to support its workshop joinery training programme, designed to improve employability skills for inmates upon release. As part of its ongoing work with the Dunfermline Army Reserve Project, Henry Brothers has acquired five eight-seater picnic tables produced through
Eric Wright Construction has started the building and fit out of a £22million college building for Seashell Trust in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, which will deliver specialist education facilities for students aged 16-25. The new building for Royal College Manchester is made up of a reception and specialist classrooms along with
Author: Pranav Jaswani, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx The construction machine industry is still in its early stages of electrification, with the first small electric machine only coming onto the market in 2015. However, IDTechEx’s new report, “Electric Vehicles in Construction 2024-2044: Technologies, Players, Forecasts”, highlights how the electric machines of
Deposit alternative specialists flatfair have announced a bumper month with Build To Rent (BTR) sector landlords. And CEO Gary Wright says that smaller, private landlords should follow the lead of the corporate providers in choosing the additional protection offered by their No Deposit scheme. He said: “Understandably, landlords feel they
Underinsurance is a persistent problem that leaves property owners vulnerable to significant losses, often caused by something as simple as an outdated reinstatement value. To address the growing issue of underinsurance head-on, the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), which has more than 60 years’ experience in collating and analysing construction
Bellrock Group has been awarded a significant five-year hard FM (Facilities Management) contract with West Sussex County Council, valued at up to £10 million per annum. The contract, which spans over 200 corporate sites across nine property categories, will see the Bellrock team delivering planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, and
honey will build 54 two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes in Waverley, Rotherham, after being granted planning permission for a £15.5m development. Called Homes by honey at Waverley, the development is located on the former Orgreave Colliery & Coking site off Rivelin Way. Homes by honey at Waverley will
Contractor trains up STEM ‘Careers Champions’ to roll out North East Ambition Programme in region’s schools. Esh Construction has partnered with the North East Combined Authority to enhance STEM provision in schools across the region. Working collaboratively through the Combined Authority’s North East Ambition Programme, which aims to champion the
A challenge to a telecommunications infrastructure provider’s proposal to renew a lease at a much reduced rent under the Electronic Communications Code has resulted in a key ruling by the Scottish Lands Tribunal which will have ramifications across the industry. In order to renew a lease under the Code, an
GAP Hire Solutions based in Glasgow, has fought off global competition to win a prestigious RoSPA Award, demonstrating its commitment to health and safety excellence. GAP has retained the Gold Award, for the seventh year, in the Health & Safety Performance category and obtained Gold for Fleet Safety, demonstrating its
Leading construction company Henry Brothers has partnered with the Scottish Prison Service to support its workshop joinery training programme, designed to improve employability skills for inmates upon release. As part of its ongoing work with the Dunfermline Army Reserve Project, Henry Brothers has acquired five eight-seater picnic tables produced through the Prison Service training initiative. Ian Henry, CR Director at Henry Brothers, commented: “As a responsible business, Henry Brothers is passionate about supporting the areas in which it operates and providing opportunities to enhance local spaces. “This initiative embodies our core values, reflecting our commitment to social responsibility and collaboration for positive impact, and we are thrilled that we can give back in a way that benefits the wider community.” Henry Brothers, which has an office in Cardross, Dunbartonshire, secured the contract for the construction of the new Army Reserve Centre in Dunfermline in 2022. The five tables purchased will be generously donated to Fife Council for Dunfermline Public Park, Pittencreiff Park and St Leonard’s Park in line with the objectives of the Park Improvement Strategy. Adele Rae, General Manager at SPS Fauldhouse said: “Individuals in the care of the Scottish Prison Service have been involved in the manufacturing of a range of quality garden products for over 35 years. “The joinery training programmes in our prisons give people the opportunity to gain valuable new skills and qualifications and make positive changes to their lives. “We are delighted to see that their work is benefiting the local community in Dunfermline”. Fife Council’s Convener of the City of Dunfermline Area Committee, Cllr James Calder commented: “Henry Brothers plays a vital role in community support, and its recent generous donation will have a notable impact. “The contributed benches are expected to enhance our outdoor facilities, encouraging increased use of the park and contributing to the improved health and well-being of the local community by fostering a connection with nature. “The success of the Park Improvement Strategy, which seeks to upgrade facilities for residents, workers, and visitors alike, is dependent, in part, on contributions from responsible local businesses such as Henry Brothers and we are thrilled to have their support in this endeavour.” For more information about the company’s’ extensive corporate responsibility programme, visit henrybrothers.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Eric Wright Construction has started the building and fit out of a £22million college building for Seashell Trust in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, which will deliver specialist education facilities for students aged 16-25. The new building for Royal College Manchester is made up of a reception and specialist classrooms along with sports and administration facilities. The building will also incorporate a café, activity hall with extended climbing wall, fitness suite, rebound room, sensory integration room and a suite of flexible multi-purpose rooms at ground floor level, with contemporary office space above and external landscaping. The building will provide 12 new classrooms and six individual teaching spaces. Seashell provides support for young people with complex disabilities and communication needs. The specially equipped college building is designed to enable staff and students to move about with the minimum of restriction. It replaces an existing building which was not fit for purpose and did not have space for the adaptations needed to accommodate many of the students, some of whom use wheelchairs and other equipment to move about. Some students also live on campus in neighbouring residential homes. Commenting on the start on site, James Eager, Director Lead from Eric Wright Construction said: “We’re really pleased to have started on the delivery of this superb new college building which will really enhance the lives of the students and staff alike. The building has gone through a painstaking design and review process in collaboration with the Trust’s teaching team, with every element of its design tailored to meet the needs of the students.” Brandon Leigh, Chief Executive at Seashell, said: “Watching the building finally start to take shape is exciting and we can’t wait to see students and staff enjoying the building very soon. The new college building will mean improved accessibility for students and will be much better at meeting the needs of the young adults with complex disabilities who come to Seashell. Seeing the building complete will be a monumental point in our history!” Eric Wright started enabling works in January and the building is expected to complete in Autumn 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Author: Pranav Jaswani, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx The construction machine industry is still in its early stages of electrification, with the first small electric machine only coming onto the market in 2015. However, IDTechEx’s new report, “Electric Vehicles in Construction 2024-2044: Technologies, Players, Forecasts”, highlights how the electric machines of today are bigger and better than their predecessors from less than 10 years ago. OEMs worldwide are picking up the pace of electric machine development, and IDTechEx finds the industry will grow to be worth over US$126 billion in 2044. Digging force of electric vs. diesel mini-excavators. Source: IDTechEx Machine performance continues to improve The first electric machines to come onto the scene were mini-excavators. Their smaller sizes and less intense workloads made them the ideal testing ground for construction electrification. Many construction companies’ concerns then were whether these electric machines could withstand the demands of the job site and deliver similar performance to diesel engines. IDTechEx’s new report finds that electric mini-excavators are now at a point of development where they can match diesel on virtually all key metrics. EVs offer up equivalent or even superior power to diesel machines, with models from Kato and Wacker Neuson able to generate 30-60% more digging force than an average diesel machine of the same size. Significant improvements have been seen in the runtime of these machines too. Where the first machines on the market only achieved 4 to 6 hours of operation on a single charge, newer machines can manage up to 8 hours of operation (a full workday) as standard. Persistent battery development has played a huge part in this increase, and IDTechEx expects runtimes to reach 9 to 10 hours in the near future. Large excavators and loaders are coming to the fore While mini-excavators dominated the early phases of electric construction machine growth and are still the market’s largest segment, the development focus has pivoted onto large excavators and wheel loaders. Together, these two machine types made up 35% of all equipment sales in 2023 and are some of the heaviest emitters of greenhouse gases on the job site, contributing to over 50% of all construction machine emissions. Their electrification is, therefore, key to furthering the decarbonization of the global construction industry. As the rate of new electric machine models entering production has increased from 2019 to 2023, so has the size of these machines. Where 3-tonne mini-excavators once represented the height of electric machine technology, multiple OEMs now have large excavator models weighing 20 tonnes or greater. The Chinese OEM Know-How even started producing a 52-tonne electric excavator in 2023, which is by far the largest seen to date. Wheel loaders have reached a similar stage, with new 20-tonne machines now being the norm for electrification. Bigger machines necessitate bigger and more advanced battery systems, and the rise of electric excavators and wheel loaders has seen battery sizes in construction shoot up dramatically over the last 5 years. The maximum battery size installed in newly produced models has consistently gone up from ~30 kWh in 2018 – used in mini-excavators and similar compact machines – to over 500 kWh in 2023. The Know-How 52-tonne excavator is equipped with an enormous 700 kWh battery, which IDTechEx estimates would cost US$210,000 on its own and weigh over 3.5 tonnes. What’s next for EV construction machines? Many of the larger machines now entering the market have already gone down the same path as mini-excavators in matching the performance of diesel counterparts. OEMs are at a stage where performance parity is no longer challenging to achieve and are focused on expanding their EV portfolios into bigger machines and new equipment types. Chinese OEMs have been market leaders in this sense, developing larger excavators and wheel loaders while also being proactive in the electrification of mobile cranes weighing in the hundreds of tonnes. Battery advancements will play a huge part in determining the future of the electric construction industry. OEMs currently achieve battery pricing far above what is seen in the automotive market, but increasing the scale of EV production and setting up dedicated supply chains will help bring down costs. At the same time, improving the efficiency of existing battery technologies and bringing in more advanced Li-ion and future battery technologies will widen the types of machines that can be electrified and further enhance their performance. The new IDTechEx report “Electric Vehicles in Construction 2024-2044: Technologies, Players, Forecasts” provides deeper analysis of the future of the electric construction machine industry. It finds that the industry will grow at a CAGR of 21% to reach US$126 billion in value by 2044. For more information and downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/EVConstruction. For the full portfolio of electric vehicle market research available from IDTechEx, please see www.IDTechEx.com/Research/EV. Upcoming free-to-attend webinar….. The Electric Future of Construction: EV Machines On The Rise Pranav Jaswani, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx and author of this article, will be presenting a free-to-attend webinar on the topic on Thursday 5 September 2024 – The Electric Future of Construction: EV Machines On The Rise. This webinar will include: We will be holding exactly the same webinar three times in one day. Please register for the session that is most convenient for you. Click here to check the timings and register for your specific time zone. If you are unable to make the date, please register anyway to receive the links to the on-demand recording (available for a limited time) and webinar slides as soon as they are available. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Deposit alternative specialists flatfair have announced a bumper month with Build To Rent (BTR) sector landlords. And CEO Gary Wright says that smaller, private landlords should follow the lead of the corporate providers in choosing the additional protection offered by their No Deposit scheme. He said: “Understandably, landlords feel they are living in uncertain times. Local authority licensing is on the increase and the Renters Rights Bill is just around the corner. “It’s not surprising that the bigger providers are looking at the rental landscape and seeking out as much protection as they can for their investments.” July was a record month for No Deposit plans from flatfair’s BTR partners with 80% more plans sold than the same month last year. Their deposit alternative option is offered at approximately 77% of live BTR units and their customers include many of the most respected names in the industry, such as Greystar, Native Residential and urbanbubble. Wright explained that flatfair offers free protection of up to 10 weeks’ worth of damages and/or rent arrears for landlords and if the amount owed exceeds this, flatfair pays the landlords upfront while recovering the debts themselves. Fully recovered “With the extra protection offered with our deposit alternative, there can be a misconception that it costs landlords money. But it is completely free for both agents and landlords and they unlock double the amount of protection in the event of damage to property or rent arrears at the end of the tenancy. “There can also be a mistaken belief that deposit alternatives attract a poorer quality of tenant but in our case, the vast majority of No Deposit tenancies have closed without charges or they have been settled in full by the tenant. “The remainder have set up repayment plans for the money to be fully recovered on behalf of the landlord. “A month on after the election, we can clearly see the direction of travel – that is very tenant-focused – landlords will be bound to be feeling pressure. “The BTR sector – as a group of very large landlords – are absolutely committed to this product and see the value of it and we firmly believe that agents and smaller landlords would feel the benefit if they followed suit. They are the lifeblood of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and they should feel that their businesses are safe and secure.” Wright recounted the story of an agent client who also let their own property with No Deposit: “Their tenants’ charges exceeded 10 weeks’ worth of damages and unpaid rent. In this particular case, they received 5 weeks’ worth of rent plus additional payment for redecoration, cleaning and repairs – full recovery. They said they were paid more than they would have received through a traditional deposit scheme and it saved them a lot of hassle chasing down the debt. “The bigger BTR players have already realised this and there is no reason why private landlords should miss out.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Underinsurance is a persistent problem that leaves property owners vulnerable to significant losses, often caused by something as simple as an outdated reinstatement value. To address the growing issue of underinsurance head-on, the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), which has more than 60 years’ experience in collating and analysing construction costs, has partnered with risk management firm Intelligent AI to provide a service that produces reinstatement cost assessments at the touch of a button. The BCIS Intelligent Rebuild Cost Platform draws from multiple data sources to create rebuild cost reports for residential and commercial properties, including BCIS reinstatement data, planning applications and satellite imagery. Crucially the platform can report on everything from individual residential properties to multi-billion-pound commercial portfolios, enabling annual assessments where previously a rolling-check every three or four years might have been all that was possible. James Fiske, BCIS CEO, said: “We help property professionals to not only access high-quality data, but to understand the most appropriate data for them. Sadly it’s not uncommon to find unreliable sources of data being used to inform sometimes major business decisions. “This could be a property owner simply using market valuations for declared reinstatement values, or using inappropriate indices, like general inflation, to estimate movement in rebuild costs. In some larger organisations, there can be issues with data management where figures have been passed between teams, have come through an acquisition, or nobody is quite sure what the original source is. “The use of problematic data is of course not limited to reinstatement values, but the financial risk in this area could be the most significant one a property owner or portfolio manager has, if they are exposed to considerable loss through underinsurance. On the flip side, having a clearer view of the rebuild costs also helps to avoid overinsurance, and overpaying on a policy.” BCIS polled more than 200 professionals, predominantly from surveying and insurance roles, and asked what factors they thought contributed most to incorrect reinstatement valuations. More than one-third (36%) said a lack of regular re-evaluations, 24% said changes in construction costs, and 20% said inaccurate initial assessments. Fiske said: “We know policyholders want to be adequately covered, but annual site visits for a whole portfolio may be unfeasible. From portfolio managers using IRCP to perform an immediate risk assessment to surveyors using pre-populated assessments as a starting point, the intention is to improve efficiencies, save time, and reduce risk for everyone in the process.” Using reliable, verified data is crucial to reducing instances of underinsurance and is the driving principle at the heart of the platform. BCIS reinstatement data alone constitutes more than 1,100 dwelling models and 650 ancillary models, representing a wide range of supporting structures, components, and features. These models are built upon input costs derived from upwards of 12,500 regularly updated supply prices, as well as labour, plant, and specialist rates, in total producing more than four million rebuilding cost permutations. Estimates of the prevalence of underinsurance in residential and commercial policies vary, but with the onus on professionals to ensure they have done everything they can to minimise risk, it represents an area of huge concern. In the BCIS poll of professionals, the majority said they encounter underinsurance issues related to reinstatement valuations either frequently (29%) or occasionally (30%). Less than one-quarter (22%) said they rarely did, and just 13% said never. A recent survey commissioned by Aviva[1] found 73% of brokers are worried that some of their clients may be underinsured and they ranked underinsurance second on a list of market challenges they are concerned about. Intelligent AI CEO Anthony Peake said another key aim of the platform, which has been developed using groundbreaking AI tools, together with support from Lloyd’s Lab and leading insurers, is to provide the industry with the tools necessary to communicate the importance of reliable and regular assessments. He said: “We’re essentially trying to avert disaster. Whether that’s a residential property where a few hundred pounds difference in the premium could save the customer potentially missing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds in a payout, or a commercial portfolio where the declared value is upwards of a billion, it’s about safeguarding people’s homes and livelihoods should the worst happen. “In a recent test we did with an insurer, analysing a portfolio of 355 commercial properties, we found the reinstatement value to be £1.17bn underinsured. “In the poll, the top three barriers to customers updating their coverage to avoid underinsurance were cost considerations, lack of understanding and lack of awareness. Policyholders need to understand the potential consequences and what they can do about it.” Underinsurance is not a new issue, but it has been exacerbated in recent years by rampant inflation, which particularly impacted construction materials prices. Annual growth in the ABI/BCIS House Rebuilding Cost Index peaked at 19.4% at the end of 2022, representing a significant hike in the costs associated with rebuilding a property. The vast majority of professionals polled said rising construction costs have had either a significant (71%) or moderate (24%) impact on their customers or clients in the last two years. Cos Kamasho, BCIS Asset Data Manager, said: “Although inflation has cooled, and we’re not seeing those massive spikes now, there are still lots of external influences that can push up costs. “Annual growth in the BCIS Labour Cost Index, which tracks movement in trade wage agreements, for example, is at a 20-year high, and there are widely reported skills shortages in the industry. Changes to building regulations can also greatly impact rebuild values as properties have to be rebuilt to the current standard, not what was in place when the property was first built. “Inflation coming down doesn’t necessarily mean prices have come down. The cost of many materials in construction remain at historic highs, so using an up-to-date data source is vital.” To find out more about the BCIS Intelligent Rebuild Cost Platform please visit: https://bcis.co.uk/product/bcis-ircp/ For more information about BCIS, please visit: www.bcis.co.uk and for more information on
Bellrock Group has been awarded a significant five-year hard FM (Facilities Management) contract with West Sussex County Council, valued at up to £10 million per annum. The contract, which spans over 200 corporate sites across nine property categories, will see the Bellrock team delivering planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, and project support services. This partnership underscores Bellrock’s commitment to maintaining a diverse and complex portfolio of properties with precision and care. West Sussex County Council selected Bellrock for this contract due to the company’s emphasis on long-term maintenance strategies and its commitment to reducing the council’s reactive maintenance expenditure. The mobilisation phase began on 1st July, with full-service delivery set to commence in October 2024. Paul Bean, CEO of Bellrock, expressed his enthusiasm for the new partnership, stating, “This is a significant achievement and a pivotal new client for us. Safeguarding such a varied range of properties is a considerable responsibility, but one we are proud to undertake. We have strategically grown our business and enhanced our capabilities to deliver top-tier services where they are most needed.” In addition to its core FM services, Bellrock has pledged to collaborate closely with West Sussex County Council to develop social value initiatives aligned with the council’s Social Value Framework. These initiatives are designed to generate positive impacts for the local community and environment. Jeremy Hunt, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property at West Sussex County Council, commented, “We are delighted to award this contract to Bellrock, whose tender was both highly competitive and comprehensive. This represents a significant shift in how West Sussex County Council will approach the delivery of hard FM in the future. I particularly welcome Bellrock’s commitment to working with us on our shared social value objectives. I anticipate a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
honey will build 54 two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes in Waverley, Rotherham, after being granted planning permission for a £15.5m development. Called Homes by honey at Waverley, the development is located on the former Orgreave Colliery & Coking site off Rivelin Way. Homes by honey at Waverley will comprise a mix of semi-detached and detached properties. It will form part of the local council’s larger redevelopment plans to transform the 740-acre Orgreave Colliery & Coking site into a new, sustainable community. Work at the development is due to commence in August with the first residents expected to move into their new homes in spring next year. Of the 54 homes, 17 have been designated to affordable housing. Mark Mitchell, honey chief executive officer, commented: “Our Homes by honey at Waverley development has created a great deal of interest from prospective buyers since we announced plans had been submitted. “Our development will provide high quality, high specification new homes to meet the significant demand that exists in the area from first-time buyers, second steppers, families and downsizers. “Waverley is an excellent regeneration project, so we are very pleased that our development will become part of it. “Now planning has been granted, we look forward to works starting to deliver homes that combine style, substance and sustainability for the benefit of our buyers and the communities in which we build.” For further information on Homes by honey at Waverley, click here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Contractor trains up STEM ‘Careers Champions’ to roll out North East Ambition Programme in region’s schools. Esh Construction has partnered with the North East Combined Authority to enhance STEM provision in schools across the region. Working collaboratively through the Combined Authority’s North East Ambition Programme, which aims to champion the full potential of the region by connecting communities and giving people the skills to succeed, Esh has provided six bespoke kits to support a wider understanding of STEM-related construction careers. Through the programme, Esh is currently training up six Careers Champions, who will then host a ‘Get into STEM’ session in participating schools, with the kits available for schools to book out and use for extra-curricular sessions that will promote STEM careers. Already, 55 primary schools have expressed interest in getting involved. Esh’s award winning ‘Get into STEM’ programme is designed to positively shape career aspirations whilst developing skill sets essential for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. Since 2015, Esh has delivered the programme to more than 16,900 primary school students across the North East, Tees Valley and Yorkshire. Kate Marshall, Social Value Manager for the North East at Esh Construction said: “Our team has been working closely with the Careers Champions to demonstrate programme delivery of the STEM kits, so that they can train up teachers and classroom assistants to use the kits within their own schools. The initiative to enhance STEM understanding to more students across our region will ultimately raise awareness of a range of career options in the construction and built environment sector. “At a time when our industry is dealing with a skills shortage, engaging with students from a young age will provide opportunities as we move into the 2030s and beyond. Our relationship with the North East Combined Authority continues to prosper to bring through the next generation of STEM workers, and we’re excited to watch as this programme develops over the coming months.” Two Careers Champions are based in Northumberland, as well as one covering Newcastle and North Tyneside, one for Sunderland and South Tyneside, one for Gateshead and one for County Durham schools. Each STEM kit contains bright and vibrant resources such as foam bricks, measuring equipment, literature and personal protective equipment, with a vision to raise student awareness of the world around them, consider STEM topics and reinforce important construction health and safety messages. Through its North East Ambition programme, the Combined Authority is supporting schools to broaden horizons, raise aspirations, challenge stereotypes and help children connect their learning to the world around them. Experience of real-world careers such as those demonstrated through the use of the STEM kits and Careers Champions is a key part of meeting these aims. Councillor Tracey Dixon, North East Combined Authority Cabinet member for Education, Inclusion and Skills, said: “This STEM kit rollout will support our work delivering careers related learning for primary schools in the region, by providing an opportunity for meaningful employer engagement within a key sector. The kit will help challenge gender stereotyping, support numeracy and literacy, and give the children a chance to learn about different progression pathways that will be available for them in the future, including apprenticeships and T Levels.” The school rollout will commence in autumn, with a system being set up for schools to contact the Career Champions to book the kit out through a booking and collection point. Schools may then deliver their own sessions as per the lesson plan outlined, or may choose to use the kit alongside other STEM-related lessons. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A challenge to a telecommunications infrastructure provider’s proposal to renew a lease at a much reduced rent under the Electronic Communications Code has resulted in a key ruling by the Scottish Lands Tribunal which will have ramifications across the industry. In order to renew a lease under the Code, an operator must be a party to a Code agreement with the other party. In the case of On Tower UK Limited (“OTUK”) v the Church of Scotland General Trustees, the tenant of the radio mast installation in Kay Park Parish Church in Kilmarnock was Orange Personal Communications Services Limited (“Orange”). The lease was later assigned by Orange to EE Limited and Hutchison 3G UK Limited (“EE & H3G”) whose equipment is understood to be on site. The lease was then assigned to Arqiva Limited, then to OTUK (at the time called Arqiva Services Limited). The lease placed certain restrictions on any assignation and the landlord was not told of the assignation. OTUK served notice to renew the lease on its standard terms at a rent of £3,000, considerably lower than the contracted amount. The Scottish Lands Tribunal found OTUK was not a party to a Code agreement when it served the paragraph 33(1) notice to change the agreement, meaning the notice was invalid; thus the ensuing application was similarly invalid. It is understood some 700 agreements were assigned from operators to Arqiva around 2015. In 2019 the Arqiva group sold its telecoms infrastructure and related assets at an enterprise value of £2 billion to Cellnex, which later became OTUK. The transaction comprised some 7,400 of Arqiva’s cellular sites, including masts and towers as well as urban rooftop sites, and the right to market a further 900 sites across the UK retained by Arqiva. The sites retained by Arqiva incorporated its broadcast infrastructure and its interests in machine-to-machine data services, which provide smart meter networks for the utilities sector. Ian Thornton-Kemsley, a telecoms expert at Galbraith, said: “Over the years operators have transferred sites between themselves apparently without properly considering the lease requirements; the case illustrates this. Despite the wording of the Code, operators are not prepared to justify the changes sought to the existing lease; and they readily apply to the Tribunals to impose agreements if landowners do not agree to their terms, which are often heavily weighted in their favour. This appears to have been the case at Kay Park. “It is important to check that the renewal notices are valid and to adhere to the requirements of the Code. By successfully challenging the basis of the notice, the landowner has protected its income for the time being – important to a charity such as the Church.” Mike Reid, Head of Utilities and a telecoms specialist at Galbraith, added: “Operators tend to weaponise their rights under the Code, using the threat of costs in legal proceedings to obtain settlements in their favour. The Kay Park decision, together with the Vache Farm case, is a welcome redressing of the balance, ensuring landowner’s rights are properly protected.” The Kay Park Scottish Lands Tribunal decision can be found at – http://www.lands-tribunal-scotland.org.uk/decisions/LTS.ECC.2023.57.html The Vache Farm case can be found at be found at – LC-2020-55 final_.pdf (tribunals.gov.uk). Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
GAP Hire Solutions based in Glasgow, has fought off global competition to win a prestigious RoSPA Award, demonstrating its commitment to health and safety excellence. GAP has retained the Gold Award, for the seventh year, in the Health & Safety Performance category and obtained Gold for Fleet Safety, demonstrating its dedication to ensuring its staff get home safely at the end of every working day. The esteemed RoSPA Awards program now celebrates its 68th year as the UK’s largest and most impactful health and safety programme. With almost 2,000 entries annually from over 50 countries, impacting over seven million employees, they offer a platform to spotlight an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in health and safety. Whether entrants seek non-competitive excellence recognition or vie for competitive awards across 32 industry sectors, the RoSPA Awards provide an unparalleled opportunity to stand among leaders shaping safer, healthier workplaces. As of this year, the RoSPA award entry process can be used as reflective practise to contribute to continuing professional development (CPD). Malcolm Campbell, Performance and Improvement Specialist at GAP Hire Solutions commented: “We are thrilled that GAP has once again earned these prestigious RoSPA Gold Awards for 2024. This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards in Health & Safety and Occupational Road Risk. It’s a testament to the dedication of all our operational teams in ensuring safety is at the heart of everything we do.” Julia Small, RoSPA’s Achievements Director, said: “Workplace accidents don’t just pose financial risks and operational disruptions; they significantly impact the quality of life for individuals. This is why acknowledging and rewarding excellent safety performance is vital. “We congratulate GAP Hire Solutions for winning a prestigious RoSPA Award and showing an unwavering commitment to keeping employees, clients and customers safe from accidental harm and injury.” Sponsored by Croner-i, the RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, and receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for the health and safety industry. Ben Chaplain, Managing Director at Croner-i, said: “We are proud to sponsor the RoSPA Awards for a second year, which emphasises our dedication to prioritising health and safety—an essential foundation for lasting success and wellbeing at work.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals