Small business owners or newbie entrepreneurs have many things on their plates with little time to accomplish everything. However, it would be best to remain well aware that sales alone won’t decide your business’s financial success in the future. Sure, significantly increasing your sales will lead to more profits in
The waterside development is of outstanding design and quality, and key to the ongoing regeneration of Worcester The new proposals are a direct response to planning and consultation feedback The scheme will provide a £362m economic boost to Worcester and the wider West Midlands area The development responds directly to
MCM Group is delighted to announce that Unit 12, a 38,000 sq ft warehouse at Felnex Road off Pontefract Lane, Leeds, is to be redeveloped creating a new high specification, industrial property suitable for use as a storage and distribution facility or trade counter. Planning permission has just been granted
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has secured extra government funding to provide a further 200 free places on its online heat pump training course. BESA developed the installer training in collaboration with the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and heating equipment manufacturer Worcester Bosch. Launched in March, it has already trained for free
Work will begin on the new Countesswells Primary School and Nursery next Monday 11 October, ahead of the school being completed in 2023. Construction of the new school, led by Aberdeen City Council, will begin with the formation of a new vehicle access and boundary fencing at the start of
Bureau Veritas hails month-long initiative as ‘crucial’ in turning the tide on improving overall health in the construction industry Leading CDM and Occupational Hygiene authority urges industry to eliminate risks associated with dust, starting at the design phase of development Leading Construction Design and Management (CDM) and Occupational Hygiene authority, Bureau Veritas, has praised the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) for
“Do you want the glass or gloss table?” Chances are, this is a question that you have come across every time you are out furniture shopping. Well, maybe not every time but enough times to expect it when shopping. Ravaging through dining tables and chair finishes is not easy for
The rising popularity of safety helmets has led some to believe that they will soon replace hard hats as standard construction headwear. Market projections place the safety helmet industry to grow to $2.6 billion in market size by 2026, from 1.9 billion last year, according to BusinessWire. With more and more
Research by central London estate agency, Bective, has revealed that London is currently home to the third largest available level of super-prime property market stock, with just Hong Kong and New York placing above the capital. There are an estimated 63 billionaires currently living in London accounting for 2.3% of
The award-winning Queens Quay Heat Pump Energy Centre is providing low-carbon heating to the first phases of the £250m Clydebank-based development and members of West Dunbartonshire Council, Vital Energi and Star Renewables recently gathered to celebrate the achievement at an official opening. The opening is a particularly timely showcase of
Small business owners or newbie entrepreneurs have many things on their plates with little time to accomplish everything. However, it would be best to remain well aware that sales alone won’t decide your business’s financial success in the future. Sure, significantly increasing your sales will lead to more profits in the future. But, you must never forget one thing – trying to increase your sales by applying every sales strategy you can find will only end up lowering your profit margins because if you’re spending more cash, you’re reducing your profits. That said, generally, when talking about financial success and profitability, the best thing to do here is to improve the variables that affect your business’s ability to earn a profit. Typically, these variables range from accounting practices to marketing efforts to your employees and everything in between. Ultimately, you’ll have to change or optimize your business practices if you are to increase your profits tenfold. So, let us look at a few ways your small business can make big profits. Train your employees. It is a well-known fact that helping your employees improve their productivity levels will lead to more satisfied customers, more sales, and enhanced profitability. Not to mention, it will also reduce the chances of operational errors and mistakes when your workforce doesn’t have to perform the same tasks repeatedly. That said, an easy way to improve your employee’s productivity and efficiency is by educating and training them. Doing so will allow you to enhance their knowledge base and skills necessary to conduct business operations more effectively while making them feel like a valued part of your business. So, whether you decide to enroll them into higher education programs like an online MBA no GMAT required degree or send them to employee training camps, it is all about showing commitment to their progression. Furthermore, taking this initiative will give your employees a sense of encouragement, motivating them to perform with excellent efficiency and dedication towards achieving your business’s unified goals. Work on your website. Potential customers will often visit your business website to look for information about your business and its products/services before purchasing. So, it is a no-brainer to improve your prospects’ online experience by enhancing your website’s quality. With that in mind, your website should allow you to accomplish a few things; Provide information about your business, products, and services Entice potential customers into buying something Offer them an excellent online shopping experience Provide 24/7 customers support services So, by ensuring that your business website has the best design language, is up-to-date, and is user-friendly, potential customers won’t think twice before clicking the purchase button. Plus, before your website is up and running, consider performing an SEO audit. Doing so will enable you to identify areas of your website that you can improve upon to reach the top of SERPs. Communicate with your customers regularly. These days, customers want to build solid relationships with the business they wish to affiliate with, especially in today’s all-digital world. However, have you ever thought of the advantages of doing such a thing? You probably haven’t. These days, large businesses treat their customers like cash cows. They want to milk them for every last penny they have. That said, by improving customer-business relationships through continuous interaction, you’ll be able to receive insights into what your customers like and what they dislike. That said, communication always is a two-way street. So, to get the most profits out of this interaction, consider offering them discounts, sales, offers, and free product/service trials, to name a few. Doing this will allow you to actively communicate with them while improving your profits in the process. Automate your business processes. One of the easiest, most effective ways to improve your small business’s profitability is business process automation. Plus, this will also reduce operational costs and enhance efficiency in the process. After all, an excellent, cost-effective process automation software or service will allow you to automate business processes ranging from payroll management to product packaging to inventory management to everything in between. In the end, automating your business processes will reduce the workload from your employee’s shoulders. As a result, they will perform more efficiently at work and focus more on other critical areas of your business. Just imagine this – would you rather have an employee working on customers service or sit around the warehouse packing orders? Through BPA(Business Process Automation), you can easily automate your order packaging to provide your employees with the time to work on more important business aspects. Reduce the prices of best-selling items. Your best-selling services and products are something that your consumer knows your business by. In fact, it is your company’s identity and shows every consumer that you are a market leader on a particular subject matter or solution. So, whether you provide a base-level product or a no-frills service to your customers, it would be wise to capitalize on the situation and cut down the prices of your best-selling products/services. Doing so will allow you to attract customers into buying the products/services your business is known for. Although you will reduce your prices, you will sell larger quantities of such products/services and earn more profits in the long term. Then, after new customers become loyal to your brand, you can then utilize up-selling and cross-selling techniques to make even more profits. So, in the end, whatever strategy you go with, offering your best products/services for a fraction of the price, compared to what your competitors offer for the same products/services, will undoubtedly allow you to sell more and earn more! Partner up with other businesses. Do you know of any non-competing business that targets the same customers as yours but caters to different customer requirements and problems? While you might not think of this as much when you run a small business. However, know this – collaborating with such non-competing companies is an excellent strategy to sell larger quantities of your products/services and increase profits in the process. It
The waterside development is of outstanding design and quality, and key to the ongoing regeneration of Worcester The new proposals are a direct response to planning and consultation feedback The scheme will provide a £362m economic boost to Worcester and the wider West Midlands area The development responds directly to the aspirations of the city to create more homes, businesses and jobs while being environmentally sustainable and heritage conscious UK residential and commercial property developer Godwin Developments, working in partnership with Lowesmoor Regeneration Ltd, has submitted updated plans for its waterside mixed-used scheme Lowesmoor Wharf in Worcester, as a direct response to feedback received from local stakeholders and residents. The development is an ambitious regeneration scheme of eight buildings and public spaces, designed by award winning architects Apt. When built, it will completely transform the currently industrialised canalside location in central Worcester into a vibrant, well-considered destination of exceptional quality. Created to meet the city’s aspirations to bring more residents into the city centre, Lowesmoor Wharf will provide 238 modern spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with balconies. Occupants will have access to private indoor and outdoor spaces – such as rooftop terraces and community areas – across the six residential buildings. The scheme will also help bring more businesses and jobs into Worcester through the provision of office, retail and food and beverage space, all set within generously sized fully landscaped public areas. As a direct response to the feedback received from planners, the community and various organisations, the height of the tallest element of the scheme has now been significantly reduced to match the requirements of the Worcester City Masterplan. The scheme now steps up from three to a maximum of eight storeys at Lowesmoor Terrace, with two of the canal facing buildings having also been reduced by a storey each. In doing so, the development integrates very well into the surrounding landscape of the conservation area and the wider Worcester skyline. An expert assessment on the visual impact of the amended proposals – also submitted as a part of the revised plans – has also been carried out and demonstrates that views of Worcester Cathedral and other significant landmarks in the city are not compromised. Additionally, the proposed hard and soft landscaping throughout the scheme has been improved significantly to include suggestions by Worcester City Council and the Canal & River Trust, the charity with guardianship over the UK’s waterways. The blend of new materials, that are better suited to the conservation area have been supplemented by additional trees and wildflower areas, which will improve the biodiversity of the site. New landscaping features have also been included to better define the towpaths and walkways, balancing accessibility for residents and visitors with security for existing boat users and businesses. Improvements to the servicing of the scheme have also been introduced, protecting the marina and minimising waste vehicle trips across the development. As with the previous proposals, the scheme will continue to prioritise the use of walking and cycling, as well as public transport and therefore will be mostly car free. However, as an additional amenity, it will include 12 car parking spaces and operate a ‘car club’ model for the benefit of residents. This will allow car sharing – including disabled parking spaces and EV charging – while the 606 secure cycle storage spaces on-site will improve walking and cycling opportunities throughout the development and further afield. The retention of heritage assets on-site has also been carefully considered, with the proposed scheme planning to carefully restore, for community use, the Portmaster’s House and the buildings facing Lowesmoor Wharf. The inclusion of water features resembling the historic canal fingers will echo the rich history of the site, while also creating focal points for residents and visitors to enjoy. Development director at Godwin Developments, Matt Chandler, said: “Lowesmoor Wharf is a scheme of exceptional quality and outstanding design but most of all a scheme of ambition – to bring new residents, visitors and businesses to central Worcester and retain them through an exciting destination that caters to living, working, socialising and being closer to nature. “We have always believed in the huge potential of this centrally located site in Worcester and have sought to create a development which will benefit the local community. Therefore, since submitting our original planning application last year, we have listened and responded to a number of comments to our plans. Working closely with stakeholders and our expert consultants, we have not only amended the scheme to reflect the feedback received but also ensure that Lowesmoor Wharf is viable and able to deliver on all the improvements to the public space we were hoping to achieve. “We are grateful to those who have engaged and worked with us constructively over the last few months and helped us shape the plans which we are excited to bring forward today. “I am confident that this development fits well with Worcester’s vision for the future. It is both forward looking in its design and sustainability, seeking to create new spaces for people, attract investment and benefit the local community, while also responding to the city’s rich heritage and supporting it in its post-COVID recovery.” Reflecting Worcester City Council’s declaration of a climate emergency and ambitions for Worcester to be a carbon neutral city, Lowesmoor Wharf includes a range of sustainable features including roof mounted PV panels for on-site energy generation, green sedum roofs for insulation, noise reduction and improved air quality, LED lighting, an efficient building fabric, heat recovery systems, rainwater attenuation and air source heat pumps for the commercial units on site. If approved, the scheme is set to bring a major economic boost to the city of Worcester and the surrounding areas. Analysis by international consultants Rider Levett Bucknall rated the scheme as “outstanding”- contributing almost £4 for every £1 invested. It will provide a whole life value of £362 million and create 175 jobs, apprenticeships and work placements in the construction phase alone. The social
MCM Group is delighted to announce that Unit 12, a 38,000 sq ft warehouse at Felnex Road off Pontefract Lane, Leeds, is to be redeveloped creating a new high specification, industrial property suitable for use as a storage and distribution facility or trade counter. Planning permission has just been granted for the building to be completely stripped back to its frame and reformatted. In order to maximise the 1.68-acre site, the footprint of the original property will be reduced to 28,537 sq. ft which in turn will provide additional yard space and parking areas. North East-based property investment company MCM Group, which acquired the site earlier this year, has been working with Carter Towler’s Industrial Agency team and S&SA Architects designing a redevelopment scheme that would maximise the potential of the existing building and land. Commenting on the scheme, MCM Group’s Investment Director Douglas Cranston said: “We are really excited to see this project get underway and complete an extensive refurbishment that will future proof such a well-located asset. The initial demolition work has now started on site and Walter Thompson Contractors will commence the rebuild. We are aiming for the new property to be ready for occupation early in the New Year. “We are keen to expand our property portfolio and were particularly interested in investing in Cross Green. This area just to the east of Leeds city centre is flourishing with leading businesses including Amazon, DHL, CEF, Euro Car Parts, Premier Farnell, Fedex, John Lewis, Symingtons and BCA but there is a marked shortage of medium-sized industrial properties which we hope to help address.” Carter Towler’s Industrial Agency Director Josh Holmes added: “While we have been advising MCM Group on the reformatting and marketing of the site we have received a number of very promising enquiries from potential occupants. We are confident given the high-quality refurbishment being undertaken and roadside prominence of the site that we will secure an occupier before it’s completed in January.” Tom Goode, Associate with the industrial property team of Knight Frank in Leeds, concluded: “Felnex Road will provide some much needed high quality stock to address the current supply and demand imbalance in West Yorkshire. Located between J45 of the M1 and Leeds city centre, the building occupies a prime and prominent position fronting Pontefract Lane and will appeal to both trade counter and logistics occupiers alike”. Felnex Road is located directly off the A63 close to junction 45 of the M1 and just 1 mile east of Leeds city centre. Tom Goode and Iain McPhail at Knight Frank in Leeds have been appointed as joint marketing agents.
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has secured extra government funding to provide a further 200 free places on its online heat pump training course. BESA developed the installer training in collaboration with the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and heating equipment manufacturer Worcester Bosch. Launched in March, it has already trained for free more than 700 qualified plumbing and heating engineers, who were looking to upskill to take on heat pump work. The course is delivered through the Association’s online training Academy and this new round of funding, which comes from unspent Green Homes Grant scheme money, will allow it to extend the free programme until the end of October. New applicants should sign up here and are urged to move quickly as demand continues to be high as the market for heat pumps expands encouraging more companies and individuals to diversify into this area. Heat pumps were highlighted by the Prime Minister as a key technology for delivering many of the government’s decarbonisation goals and he tasked the industry with installing 600,000 a year by 2028. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) also set a target of one million a year by the 2030’s towards an eventual total of 19 million to help achieve net zero by 2050. Industry estimates for this year put the current number of heat pump installations at around 71,000 and ramping that up to achieve the government’s ultimate target would require an additional 40,000 trained installers, according to the Heat Pump Association. Challenge The BESA Academy training scheme is a direct response to that challenge, according to the Association’s director of training and skills Helen Yeulet. “One of the biggest barriers to increased adoption of heat pump technology is the lack of suitably qualified installers,” she said. “It is also very important that installations meet a high technical standard and that engineers fully understand the technology, so consumers get the full energy and carbon saving benefits. “We are delighted to be working in collaboration with the HBF and Worcester Bosch because our combined expertise means we can include the most up-to-date knowledge in the training and use people who really understand the subject to deliver it.” Alongside the training course, BESA has updated its guide to good practice for heat pump installation (TR/30). This is the only guide that clearly identifies and explains all the different types of heat pump available and clarifies the type of training needed for successful installation. It also explains how to avoid many of the design problems that have impaired the performance of some systems to improve consumer satisfaction and cut more carbon emissions. The guide, which is available to buy from the BESA website, draws on the increased experience of heat pump technology in the field and provides an overview of the different applications including their benefits and limitations as well as providing outline design information for each. It contains updated references to building standards and codes of practice as well as data referenced from the latest CIBSE and BSRIA guides. Carbon emission factors have been updated along with explanations of new and emerging technologies that use different refrigerant types and blends which bring new hazards and safety considerations. “Since the first edition of this guide was published, there has been a significant increase in the use of heat pump technologies, which has resulted in a broader range of choices for end users, specifiers and installers, and also a greater knowledge of their potential benefits and pitfalls,” said Will Pitt, chair of the BESA technical committee. “New regulations, assurance schemes, government incentives and market entrants mean that heat pumps are now a far bigger presence in our industry. This makes the need for a recognised source of good practice increasingly vital to avoid some of the design problems that can undermine performance and disappoint end users.” TR30 is available to buy here. It costs £70 to BESA members and £140 to non-members. To sign up for heat pump training go to: www.thebesa.com/hpi
Work will begin on the new Countesswells Primary School and Nursery next Monday 11 October, ahead of the school being completed in 2023. Construction of the new school, led by Aberdeen City Council, will begin with the formation of a new vehicle access and boundary fencing at the start of next week. The new school is being built to the north of Countesswells, overlooking the Cults Burn Park and adjacent to the neighbourhood centre and next to the new Sainsbury’s Local which opened last week. Countesswells Development Limited (CDL) will ensure that, where possible, disruption to the local community is minimised. Alex Goodfellow, director at CDL, said: “Breaking the ground of our much-anticipated school is another significant milestone for our community, and a further demonstration of the commitment to deliver a highly attractive community to live, work, play and learn.” Parents and school pupils have been eagerly awaiting the new school which will have provision for over 400 pupils as well as around 60 nursery children. Plans for the modern school include a space for early years’ education, an all-weather pitch and two separate playgrounds as well as an outdoor classroom which will offer an innovative approach to teaching and learning. Residents got a preview of what their first new primary school would look like and were able to comment on the design and lay-out at a consultation event last year. Karen Watt, community liaison officer at Countesswells added: “All our residents were really excited by the final designs revealed last year, which took into account their feedback and ideas. This approach is part of our ambition to grow and nurture the community ethos we have created at Countesswells. The school will cater for the wider community, with designated community areas that can be accessed out of school hours. This includes the gym hall which can be used for evening classes and events and a meeting room – perfect for community groups to get together.” Countesswells Primary School pupils are currently being taught in the former Hazlewood School, overseen by Countesswells Primary School headteacher Paula Rough. Countesswells will eventually comprise 3,000 homes, along with healthcare facilities, local business units and shops, neighbourhood centres, green and civic spaces and extensive parkland. Ms Watt added: “The last few years have seen the community continue to prosper, with the addition of new house builder David Wilson Homes, as well as the continued development of homes from Stewart Milne, Kirkwood, Barratt and Chap. “Our first retail unit, Sainsbury’s Local has been very much welcomed by residents, and we’re sure that families and couples looking to start a family will be even more attracted to Countesswells now that they can see the state-of-the-art teaching and learning environment that will be in place for their children. This, in turn, will accelerate the delivery of other community facilities.” To date the infrastructure brought onto the site includes new roads, utilities and fibre optic broadband alongside extensive landscaping throughout the new community. This has included the construction of a new West Link access road, connecting the community at Countesswells with the existing Kingswells roundabout, while also providing a fit-for-purpose route for cars, cyclists and pedestrians, along with improved green space throughout the town that allows travel from one woodland to another. For information about Countesswells, visit https://countesswells.com/.
Bureau Veritas hails month-long initiative as ‘crucial’ in turning the tide on improving overall health in the construction industry Leading CDM and Occupational Hygiene authority urges industry to eliminate risks associated with dust, starting at the design phase of development Leading Construction Design and Management (CDM) and Occupational Hygiene authority, Bureau Veritas, has praised the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) for highlighting the respiratory risks associated with exposure to construction dust as part of its month-long inspection initiative. Launched last week, the initiative will see HSE inspectors across the UK target construction firms to check the status of their health and safety standards, looking at the control measures businesses have in place to protect their workers from exposure to construction dust, including silica, asbestos and wood dust. Hailing the focus as a ‘crucial requirement’ in turning the tide on improving overall health in the construction industry, Bureau Veritas – a global expert in managing exposure risks to workers by recognising, evaluating and controlling hygiene hazards in the workplace – is urging construction firms to take an up-front approach to eliminating the risks associated with dust, starting at the design phase of development. Fran Watkins-White, Head of CDM Services at Bureau Veritas, said: “The focus on construction workers’ respiratory health as part of the HSE’s inspection initiative is a necessary step in improving practices across the construction industry when it comes to protecting workers’ health. We’ve seen the industry make great strides in improving conditions that place workers at risk from exposure to dust, but there is much more to be done in terms of eliminating that risk through the design phase on projects and good construction planning – particularly when considering modern advances in construction technology.” Research shows that each year more than 3,500 builders die from cancers related to their work, with thousands more cases of ill-health and lost working days. In fact, more workers are lost to diseases caused or made worse by their work than are actually killed in construction accidents. The current Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) 2002 regulations require employers to control substances that are hazardous to health through various methods, including providing measures to reduce harm to health, providing monitoring and health surveillance and planning for emergencies. Joe Marais, Team Leader in Occupational Hygiene & Storage Equipment at Bureau Veritas, said: “Current regulations require the Duty Holder – or Principal Contractor – to ensure COSHH regulations are met, which detail the necessary steps to protecting employees against over exposure to hazardous substances, including dust. When considering the ‘hierarchy of control’, all too often we see Duty Holders implementing control solutions at the mid-way point – effective if the hazard is unremovable, of course, but does little to eliminate the hazard itself. “We would therefore urge construction companies to consider the risk of exposure to dust and other hazardous materials from project conception, effectively ‘designing out’ the dust risk through construction planning, including off-site construction where possible, and planning for work to be undertaken in controlled environments equipped for better managing the health risks associated with dust – such as dust suppressants and collection systems.” Fran added: “There are some simple ways that Duty Holders can ensure they are protecting the health of their employees, though we realise that complying with industry regulations and standards – such as CDM Regulations 2015, COSHH or ‘EH40’ (which details exposure limits) – can often feel like a minefield. In this instance, a third party such as Bureau Veritas can support in meeting necessary requirements and can even work with construction companies to provide a full suite of services, including CDM Consultancy services supporting the consideration of health and safety in design and support from our Occupational Health team by way of initial consultation, audit and testing through to full reports, recommendations and control of hazardous materials.” Bureau Veritas is a leading CDM and Occupational Hygiene authority, with expert capability to support clients in meeting regulations and managing exposure to risk. To find out more about Bureau Veritas’ services or to discuss individual requirements with a member of the team, call 0345 600 1828 or visit www.bureauveritas.co.uk.
“Do you want the glass or gloss table?” Chances are, this is a question that you have come across every time you are out furniture shopping. Well, maybe not every time but enough times to expect it when shopping. Ravaging through dining tables and chair finishes is not easy for anyone, especially an ordinary buyer who is only looking forward to acquiring chairs that will complement their curtain set. Although both glass and gloss finishes share some common characteristics, investing in gloss dining tables and chairs sets can dramatically change the look of your dining area. Here are the benefits that you will enjoy with this type of finish: Easy to incorporate with lighter colors If you wish for darker dining tables and chair sets and want to match them with your light-colored room, then the glossy finish will complement the entire dining or living room. As such, you can ‘play’ with your decor every now and again, and make your dining room look lively. Easy to clean One thing is for sure, there is nothing more painstaking than cleaning a glass table. Without proper cleaning and the use of the right detergents, your glass tables and chairs will look dirty. Also, when children are around the house, they may end up touching the glass table and chair sets, making everything dirty. However, with a gloss finish, you can forget all about this. Your cleaning experience will be quite easy and you will not have to worry about fingerprints all over the tables and chairs. The finish provides a super clean look. In fact, simple cleaning with a damp cloth is all that’s needed. Easy to style Regardless of your home style, a gloss dining table or chair is an incredible choice for you. Regardless of the type of gloss finish, you can use it as a “blank canvas” so as to come up with the end design that you desire. You can create the look that you want without making your home feel dark and moody. Instead, everything can be light and refreshing. Strong and durable Need we say more? If you are looking for a dining table and chair sets that will last for years and years, then those with a gloss finish are your best bet. Needless to say, wood can last as long as you want it to. Other than this, glass is fragile and tables and chairs with this finish need to be handled with utmost care because they are very delicate. Summary Shopping for a new piece of furniture is very exciting. While narrowing down your taste and preferences, it is also wise to narrow down on the finishing that you desire. Judging from all the aforementioned benefits of gloss dining tables and chair sets, it is a perfect choice. The finishing is easy to keep clean, it is long-lasting and affordable in comparison to its glass counterpart. Most importantly, tables and chairs with a gloss finish will fit in and complement any room. it goes without saying that this should be the ultimate finishing to your furniture- hands down!
The rising popularity of safety helmets has led some to believe that they will soon replace hard hats as standard construction headwear. Market projections place the safety helmet industry to grow to $2.6 billion in market size by 2026, from 1.9 billion last year, according to BusinessWire. With more and more companies realizing that neglecting safety hurts them as much as their workers, it’s becoming a lot more likely for them to adopt safety helmets as the main form of head protection in construction. Where the Hard Hat Falls Flat Hard hats were designed with one thing in mind: to soften the blow from falling debris, which is the number one hazard on a construction site. This makes them effective in protecting against the vast majority of construction accidents, but not all of them. Construction sites are as varied in nature as the industries that call for them. The same can be said about the types of hazards that can be encountered in them. Even in your average construction site, there is still the possibility of getting struck in the front, back, or sides of the head. Hard hats are primarily reinforced on their tops, so they are not best equipped to protect against blows from other directions. Hits from other directions can still cause serious injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI. Hard hats do little to protect against falls, which remain the leading cause of construction worker fatalities. They are also poorly secured to the worker’s head and are liable to fall off. Why the Safety Helmet is Working Steadily Towards Mandatory Status In recent years, there has been an increasing clamor for safer workplaces. Safety helmets being introduced as a mandatory replacement for hard hats would be in line with this ongoing development. On their own, they offer better protection against impacts from multiple directions, thanks to their better head coverage and interior foam lining. They are also secured much better with adjustable chin straps and other fastening features. Since the basic design of a construction safety helmet is based largely around biking and climbing helmets, they also often come with ventilation and built-in eye protection. As of yet, no real laws require enhanced head protection in the form of construction safety helmets. But experts expect such ordinances to be just around the corner. There are simply too many advantages to safety helmets to pass up. They allow for much more modularity, giving enough room for improvement on existing specialized hard hats, such as electrical protection variants. Very soon, a construction company’s failure to provide head protection to its workers may be enough grounds for a construction accident attorney to secure a hefty claim for their clients. Why the Safety Helmet Has Not Been Made Mandatory Yet Despite the advantages offered by safety helmets and workers’ growing desire for safer conditions, there are still some roadblocks in the way of safety helmets becoming fully adopted in the construction industry. Workers want better protection. Yet, some may not fully trust the capabilities of safety helmets or be uncomfortable with the current design and instead prefer the familiar feel of the traditional hard hat. Plus, there’s also the fact that hard hats are the cultural symbol of construction workers, and so many may not be ready to trade up hard hats for improved designs. With construction companies slowly coming to terms with the fact that investing more in worker safety saves them more money in the long run, any government mandate for safety helmets will be met with little resistance. The only real barrier to its adoption is the awkwardness that some workers might feel over the unfamiliar new headwear, but that can be dispelled with enough time.
Research by central London estate agency, Bective, has revealed that London is currently home to the third largest available level of super-prime property market stock, with just Hong Kong and New York placing above the capital. There are an estimated 63 billionaires currently living in London accounting for 2.3% of the world’s total. When analysing this number in relation to the city’s total population, Bective’s research shows that London ranks third for the highest number of billionaires per 100,000 of the local population (0.70). Just San Francisco (1.45) and Hong Kong (1.07) currently boast more billionaires per 100,000 of the local population. A clear sign that London remains one of the locations of choice for the world’s wealthiest. Bective’s research also found that London sits within the top three in terms of the availability of super-prime property stock for existing, or future, billionaire homebuyers. Bective analysed 10 global cities based on the level of homes currently for sale at the £10m mark or above. The research shows that globally, there are 1,890 homes listed for sale at the very top end of the market across these 10 global destinations. 317 of these are located in London, meaning the city currently accounts for 16.8% of this global, super-prime property stock. Just Hong Kong (904) and New York (537) are home to more £10m+ properties listed for sale, accounting for 47.8% and 28.4% of the global market respectively. In contrast, super-prime homebuyers face the toughest task in Moscow and Mumbai, with each nation accounting for just 0.1% of all super-prime properties on the market. Bective Sales Director, Craig Tonkin, commented: “It’s fair to say that the pandemic has proved more problematic for London’s super-prime market than it has for the rest of the UK market and ongoing travel restrictions have stifled demand at this very top tier since the start of last year. However, we’re now seeing signs that this is on the turn and the prime London market, as a whole, is well poised to make a swift recovery. Not only does it boast the quality of properties that appeal to the super-wealthy homebuyer, but it also has the available stock to sustain this appetite for high-end homeownership. As a result, London continues to rank as one of the dominant forces within the global, super-prime property market and the city remains an area of high interest for the world’s wealthiest homebuyers.” City Est number of billionaires 2021 Est population (metro areas and city areas) Billionaire rate – number of billionaires per 100,000 population San Francisco 48 3,313,000 1.45 Hong Kong 80 7,481,800 1.07 London 63 9,002,488 0.70 Moscow 79 12,655,000 0.62 Hangzhou 47 7,845,501 0.60 Shenzhen 68 12,592,000 0.54 New York City 99 18,823,000 0.53 Beijing 100 21,450,000 0.47 Mumbai 48 20,668,000 0.23 Shanghai 64 27,796,000 0.23 Sources Visual Capitalist MacroTrends City Property Stock Listed at £10m plus % of All Super-Prime Properties Sources Hong Kong 904 47.8% link New York City 537 28.4% link London 317 16.8% link Shanghai 59 3.1% link San Francisco 32 1.7% link Shenzhen 19 1.0% link Beijing 11 0.6% link Hangzhou 8 0.4% link Mumbai 2 0.1% link Moscow 1 0.1% link All Cities 1890 N/A
The award-winning Queens Quay Heat Pump Energy Centre is providing low-carbon heating to the first phases of the £250m Clydebank-based development and members of West Dunbartonshire Council, Vital Energi and Star Renewables recently gathered to celebrate the achievement at an official opening. The opening is a particularly timely showcase of Scottish innovation as world leaders are set to gather in Glasgow for the COP26 United Nations Conference. The £20m project, which was delivered by Vital Energi on behalf of West Dunbartonshire Council will provide heating and hot water to the 23-hectare Queens Quay development which includes plans for 1,200 homes, businesses and public buildings. The initial phase connects Aurora House, the Titan Enterprise Centre, Clydebank Leisure Centre and care home, Queens Quay House. At full build out the project will deliver circa 5,705 tonnes of CO2 reduction per year due to grid decarbonisation. Scott Lutton, Vital Energi’s Operations Director – North & Scotland said, “With COP26 fast approaching it is timely that we showcase the local authorities who have successfully delivered initiatives to meet their carbon targets and are an inspiration to others. West Dunbartonshire Council have shown that it is possible to, not only deliver large carbon reduction by harnessing renewable technology, but that this heat can be delivered at a more affordable price. “One of the truly exciting things about this development is that it will continue to grow over multiple phases, increasing in scale, becoming more efficient and allowing more people, businesses and organisations to access low-carbon heat.” The energy centre houses two 2.65MW water source heat pumps which extract water from the River Clyde at a rate of 125 litres per second and use the latent heat to produce heating and hot water for the development via a 5km district heating network. Councillor Iain McLaren, Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “I am extremely proud to officially open the West Dunbartonshire Energy Centre. This ambitious project has been many years in the making and it’s a pleasure to see the system up and running, providing low-carbon heat energy to so many buildings already, and with the capability of expansion throughout Clydebank. “As the world turns its eyes to the West of Scotland for COP26, and we work to agree action to try and halt the climate emergency, we are determined to do our part. This system, alongside a number of other steps taken by the Council, will help us achieve our goal to be net zero by 2045 and lead the way in tackling the climate emergency.” The network was designed to accommodate further growth, with the potential to expand beyond Queens Quay over several phases. The network has been future-proofed, and pipework has been installed to supply the forthcoming Health Centre, West College Scotland, the first 140 flats and retail units currently on site, all other homes planned for the site as well as Clydebank Library and Clydebank Town Hall. Future plans also include connections to the Golden Jubilee Hospital, Clyde Shopping Centre Dalmuir Flats, and into the town centre. Councillor Daniel Lennie, West Dunbartonshire Energy LLP Board member, said: “This fantastic system is already heating so many public buildings from the leisure centre to the care home, with the potential to expand to the Golden Jubilee and beyond. “It makes me so proud that as a Council we are showing our commitment to our net zero mission, especially because we are using our shipbuilding heritage and the Clyde – our most famous resource – to do so. “As well as taking these steps to tackle the climate emergency, we are also addressing fuel poverty for our communities and I’m sure Clydebank will see the benefits of the system for years to come.”