The Government is consulting on its plans to give British workers the right to request flexible working from the first day in a new job, rather than having to wait up to six months under existing legislation. Currently, an employee can make one flexible working request (for working from home
A selection of never-seen-before CGIs have revealed the first look inside the 60 new homes for outright purchase on offer at Edward Street Quarter, Brighton’s newest neighbourhood, which also offers ‘Grade A’ office space, cafes, retail and leisure facilities. The images show off a sleek and spacious design, contemporary features
A Welsh company that has worked on many of Wales’ most iconic buildings is celebrating a key anniversary by giving to and helping charities – rather than holding a physical celebration. AB Glass, an award-winning architectural aluminium and access control specialist, marks its 30th anniversary – and will celebrate by
Enterprises with optimum supply chains have 15% lower supply chain costs compared to businesses that are not focused on optimization of their supply chains. That means these companies can meet customer expectations by delivering goods when and where they want them whilst at the same time, grow the business profitably and sustainably.
One of Europe’s largest wooden framed buildings, the Gramophone Works in Kensal Green, West London, has been brought back to life following a £25 million refurbishment programme as part of a major collaboration between main contractors Grahams and the country’s fastest growing M&E specialist, Dowds Group This historic building now
Sick days cost UK businesses around £77 billion in lost productivity each year, equating to roughly 30 days of absence per employee1. Poor or unmaintained ventilation can cause ‘sick building syndrome’ in employees and could lead to longer periods of staff absence and potential operational disruptions too. In a bid
The face-to-face event returns to the London Excel on October 15th and 16th It will be the first, large scale, property investment exhibition to be held face to face in London since Covid restrictions curtailed the events industry over a year ago. The two days are packed with exhibitors including
Work is underway on the refurbishment and conversion of a former school and sixth form centre in Sussex that will become a new base for social care services and pave the way for the development of hundreds of new council homes. Brighton & Hove City Council has chosen Willmott Dixon
Derwent Facilities Management Ltd have been awarded a place on Crescent Purchasing Consortium’s (CPC) framework for the provision of Total Facilities Management Framework Agreement CPC/EK/01/2021. This framework provides access to a broad range of facilities management services including hard and soft FM services as well as a full facilities management
GRAHAM has topped out at the University of York’s £130 million flagship student accommodation project, which was built in only 58 weeks with a room completed at a rate of every 1.5 hours. Supporting the University of York’s “Campus for the Future” masterplan, the 1,480-bed scheme is helping to transform
The Government is consulting on its plans to give British workers the right to request flexible working from the first day in a new job, rather than having to wait up to six months under existing legislation. Currently, an employee can make one flexible working request (for working from home or elsewhere, flexi-time, reduced/compressed hours, job shares, annualised/staggered hours, phased retirement) every 12 months and an employer has three months to consider whether that request can be accommodated. The consultation is seeking views on how many flexible working requests should be permitted, how quickly employers should respond, whether the business reasons for refusing such requests remains valid, requiring employers to suggest an alternative if the original request is refused, and the administrative burden for businesses. The Government supports flexible working as a key part of its ambition to ‘build back better’ from the pandemic and, recognising that such arrangements are not appropriate for all individuals or all businesses, is seeking to create a framework which encourages employee/employer conversations leading to genuine two-sided flexibility. In the consultation document the Government sets out its view that flexible working arrangements not only benefit individual employees, they can also positively impact employers by removing invisible restrictions to jobs and fostering a more diverse and more skilled workforce, improving staff wellbeing, inclusion and motivation, and reducing staff turnover and recruitment costs, leading to increased productivity and improved financial performance. IWFM’s CEO, Linda Hausmanis, said: ‘We view the Government’s intent as a positive sign that the right lessons are being learned from the home-working experiment of the past 18 months and will engage with the substance over the coming weeks. ‘Now that many more people recognise that work is an activity, not a destination, it is critical that businesses enable them to do their best work, whenever and wherever it may take place. ‘We will feed into the consultation to put forward flexible working best practice, while also guarding against unintended consequences, such as hindering career progression or creating two-tiered workforces.’ The Making Flexible Working the Default consultation is open until 1 December 2021 and can be viewed here. If you have any comments on flexible working which you would like us to consider as part of our response to the consultation, please email: policy@iwfm.org.uk Also as part of the Government’s flexible working agenda, the cross-sector Flexible Working Taskforce is to look at developing advice and best practice to support the change to new ways of working emerging from the pandemic. Focusing initially on the location aspect of flexible working, the Taskforce will consider the essential practical and legal issues around policy and procedure, contractual issues, remote working health and safety, equalities and fairness, and performance management. We will continue to monitor developments on this topic and update members on relevant outputs and outcomes.
A selection of never-seen-before CGIs have revealed the first look inside the 60 new homes for outright purchase on offer at Edward Street Quarter, Brighton’s newest neighbourhood, which also offers ‘Grade A’ office space, cafes, retail and leisure facilities. The images show off a sleek and spacious design, contemporary features and spectacular sea views, with an exclusive roof terrace taking centre stage. Based at Edward Street in the heart of Brighton, the development offers one, two and three-bedroom apartments, many with balconies, and an impressive communal roof terrace. Steve Eccles, Project Director at First Base, commented: “We worked with award-winning architects Buckley Gray Yeoman to design features to boost mental and physical wellbeing. The showstopper is without doubt our exclusive roof terrace which will enable residents to get to know one another, adding to the feelgood factor of living by the sea in an exciting and vibrant new community. “The largely pedestrianised new quarter with green spaces and public art installations will offer our residents more spaces to relax, get active and socialise. “For anyone looking for a contemporary home just minutes away from the seaside, the new neighbourhood at Edward Street Quarter is ideal.” Within walking distance of Brighton’s central train station, Edward Street Quarter offers residents access to the city’s cultural quarter, fabulous food scene, stunning seaside and buzzing Kemptown area. James Epps, Director of Land & New Homes and Residential Agency for Oakley Property, said: “Edward Street Quarter presents a fresh vision of contemporary urban living not seen before in the city. “The development will help meet the demands of modern life, including spaces designed for home working, premium cycle facilities and a spectacular roof terrace with views across the Brighton skyline and towards the sea.” Tom Bryant, Director, Residential Development Sales at Savills, commented: “We have already seen strong demand from a range of different buyers, all seeking a sense of community and access to the vibrancy that Brighton has to offer”. Edward Street Quarter will also comprise 125,000 sq ft of office space, as well as 20,000 sq ft of leisure, retail and hospitality facilities. The development is being jointly developed by First Base and Patron Capital Partners. All enquiries for these stunning new homes in Brighton’s newest address should be directed to Oakley Property or Savills via edwardstreetquarter.com.
A Welsh company that has worked on many of Wales’ most iconic buildings is celebrating a key anniversary by giving to and helping charities – rather than holding a physical celebration. AB Glass, an award-winning architectural aluminium and access control specialist, marks its 30th anniversary – and will celebrate by renewing its commitment to charities associated with the armed forces. AB Glass was founded by managing director Alan Brayley in 1991 after he cut his teeth as an apprentice in the glass and glazing industry. He started by going door-to-door seeking work in the Swansea area and it was four years before the business moved into its first premises. Today, from its state-of-the-art, purpose built, headquarters in Swansea West Business Park, the company employs more than 40 people and supports a 20+-strong team of sub-contracted installation specialists. It has won numerous awards for its quality and environment standards as well as commitment to a number of charities. The business has worked on a host of landmark buildings in Wales including the Royal Mint Visitor Centre, the Royal College of Music and Drama, the Newport city centre campus of the University of South Wales, The Institute for Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT), and HMS Cambria in Cardiff Bay, which is now the Royal Navy’s sole reservist base in Wales. It has also worked on a number of important education institutions including the £40 million ‘super school’ in Baglan, Port Talbot, Croesyceiliog School in Cwmbran, Ysgol Carreg Hir in Briton Ferry, Dylan Thomas School in Swansea, Cefn Saeson Comprehensive School in the Afan Valley, Aberystwyth University, Swansea University’s Bay Campus and many phases of student accommodation including a landmark scheme for Fusion Student in Swansea. As it turns 30 this year, it had planned a summer barbeque. Instead, driven by the many challenges that charities have faced in the past 18 months because of COVID-19, it will donate what it would have spent on a party to a number of charities. The company has a strong affinity with the armed forces and the veterans community in this part of Wales. Alan Brayley served in the Royal Regiment of Wales and Royal Welsh for 20 years, finishing his military career as a Sergeant Major. AB Glass has also employed many ex-service personnel and helped many more in other ways. He is a big supporter of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity – the national charity of the British Army – and recently judged the Welsh Veterans Awards. In addition, he will support The Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. As Deputy Lieutenant for West Glamorgan, supporting Louise Fleet, JP, HM Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, Brayley will also play a wider role in helping organise the Platinum Jubilee celebrations locally. Alan Brayley, managing director, AB Glass, said: “We have been debating how to celebrate this landmark for some time. It has been a tough period for everyone in the past 18 months due to COVID but many charities have really felt it. As such, we decided that rather than spend the money on ourselves, it would mean a lot more to help others – something that has always been central to our ethos as a company. “We will still raise a glass to what we have achieved internally. I am very proud of everything we have achieved. My colleagues and clients have always been incredibly supportive, and I would like to thank them for everything they have helped us achieve – here’s to the next 30!”
Enterprises with optimum supply chains have 15% lower supply chain costs compared to businesses that are not focused on optimization of their supply chains. That means these companies can meet customer expectations by delivering goods when and where they want them whilst at the same time, grow the business profitably and sustainably. For best results, companies that use updated technology and resources can improve their performance and efficiency in the supply network. Here are technologies that businesses should take advantage of to enhance the operations of the supply chain. Robotic Automation The design of the supply chain is critical in ensuring that products flow smoothly between warehouse facilities, manufacturers, and customers. To this end, it is vital to reduce manual operations that could lead to human errors costing the company money. In addition, expensive labour costs can be eliminated and increase warehouse functionality. Designing smart systems that use robotic automation is one solution to optimise the supply chain network. Through autonomous robots and similar devices, the supply chain gets better, thereby, helping businesses reduce long-term costs. Reliance on manual labour is decreased because robots provide a stable source of labour. Hence, it is expected that productivity will look up whilst cutting error rates and frequency of inventory checks. Furthermore, picking, sorting, and storing activities are also expected to improve on top of better access to dangerous or difficult locations. Thus, robots also assist in shrinking rates of employee injuries and at the same time, raise efficiency as they work alongside with human personnel. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Machine learning and AI in the supply chain are extremely valuable because of the ability to access valuable data that are otherwise difficult to consolidate, filter, and extract. Machine learning algorithms, however, can do these tasks better and faster than humans. AI can determine patterns, identify gaps in the supply chain, and even provide very accurate forecasts for the business. AI software when used in supply chain and logistics enhance the overall performance because of the highly accurate predictive actions that must be taken to correct flaws in the supply chain network. Moreover, AI can also help players make informed decisions given various scenarios taking into account time, revenue, and cost. Driverless Vehicles Autonomous vehicles have been making the news for some time now. Although they are not expected to become mainstream in the next 5 years due to constraints and bottlenecks, self-driving vehicles can become a game changer in the supply chain. Driverless vehicles can significantly improve logistics by reducing costs and delays. Distribution and production centers are going to benefit from a speedy and efficient logistics. To further enhance the performance of the supply chain, warehouse, production, and distribution centres can be set up in areas where motorways and human labour are readily accessible. Autonomous vehicles are also going to relieve the scarcity of drivers, improve sustainability, and reduce accidents and injuries. To illustrate, driver shortage is not only a phenomenon that affects the UK where there are 60,000 driver positions that need to be filled up. In other countries such as the United States, there is a shortage of lorry drivers since years. AVs can help ease the burden of labour shortage whilst ensuring that there is no interruption to the supply chain. Technology plays a focal role in enabling businesses to speed up processes and remove barriers in the supply chain network. An optimised supply chain offers many benefits such as reduced costs, higher productivity, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
One of Europe’s largest wooden framed buildings, the Gramophone Works in Kensal Green, West London, has been brought back to life following a £25 million refurbishment programme as part of a major collaboration between main contractors Grahams and the country’s fastest growing M&E specialist, Dowds Group This historic building now offers some of greenest credentials of any work space in London, offering some 64,132 sq ft of office accommodation, five outdoor terraces overlooking the nearby Grand Union canal, a 2,400 sq ft reception and event space area, together with a café and bar. As part of the refurbishment programme, Dowds installed sustainable PV units and heat pumps and low energy LED lighting to achieve the coveted ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating – a challenging task in part of a 100-year-old building which had never been designed to incorporate modern infrastructure. Dowds Group Contracts Director Wayne Kemp explained: “We quickly discovered that working in a wooden framed structure also created several issues such as fire prevention, that needed to be addressed. This meant that we had to protect all new equipment with film before Graham Construction could spray the entire building with fire retardant.” Work started on the site, which is spread over five floors, in August 2020 with Dowds providing a full design and installation service for a building which is now expected to be turned into a creative hub. The Old Gramophone Works opened on its present site in the early 1920s. The building went on to house Saga Records, acquiring Trojan Records in 1975 and becoming the epicenter of reggae music for the whole of Europe .
Sick days cost UK businesses around £77 billion in lost productivity each year, equating to roughly 30 days of absence per employee1. Poor or unmaintained ventilation can cause ‘sick building syndrome’ in employees and could lead to longer periods of staff absence and potential operational disruptions too. In a bid to tackle this very real issue, Plasma Clean, trusted pioneers in innovative and affordable infection prevention solutions, has partnered with global tech company Airthings to deliver life changing air quality technology to protect the UK’s workforce. This significant partnership between two leading providers of air quality technology can provide advantageous benefits for offices as well as health and leisure facilities and schools. Studies show these include long term cost savings, over 60 percent better cognitive performance and a 30 percent decrease in headaches and respiratory issues1. Indoor air has been found to be over five times more polluted than outdoor air in the UK2. The impact of this is acute and has been directly linked to asthma, anxiety, lack of concentration, lower productivity and the increased spread of infectious diseases. The industry leading businesses have joined forces with the aim of helping everyone to breathe better air. Utilising Airthings’ highest grade air quality sensors, Plasma Clean will be able to monitor CO2, temperature, humidity, radon, VOCs, pressure, light and virus risk – all in real time. The battery-operated and wireless sensors can be placed in any building and indoor air quality with advanced cloud analytics is monitored through the comprehensive Airthings Dashboard via desktop. Plasma Clean, which has been dedicated to improving indoor air quality for the last 13 years, will analyse the data collected to produce a detailed report complete with a range of recommended solutions for any identified inefficiencies. The recommendations give clients options to take the next step to neutralise bacteria and virus cells in the air, and ensure continuous disinfection. Steve Keogh, CEO of Plasma Clean, explained, “We are thrilled to be announcing our partnership with Airthings, which will help to deliver life changing technology to offices, leisure and health facilities and schools across the country. “Without the proper ventilation systems in place, an office full of people can quickly increase the amount of harmful gases in the air and dramatically reduce the indoor air quality, impacting negatively on cognitive function.” Airthings works with major brands and businesses to deliver affordable and innovative technology solutions to improve indoor air quality on a global scale. Airthings has sold more than 300,000 monitors worldwide with its premium product range. Oyvind Birkenes, CEO of Airthings commented, “We’re so excited to be working with a like-minded company such as Plasma Clean. Our collaborative approach allows us to use the very best technology to analyse indoor air quality and deliver a solution to help protect people long term. Together we are dedicated to helping everyone breathe better air.” To find out more about Plasma Clean’s infection control range, visit: www.plasma-clean.com
The face-to-face event returns to the London Excel on October 15th and 16th It will be the first, large scale, property investment exhibition to be held face to face in London since Covid restrictions curtailed the events industry over a year ago. The two days are packed with exhibitors including Hamilton Fraser, Knight Knox, Crowd Property and the NRLA. Many high-profile speakers have been confirmed and these include: ● Ben Beadle, CEO of the newly amalgamated NRLA as keynote ● David Cox, Compliance and Licensing Director at Rightmove (also keynote) ● Paul Shamplina, TVs Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords Founder of Landlord Action ● Vanessa Warwick, Co-Founder of Property Tribes ● Simon Zutshi, Co-founder of both Property Investors Network and CrowdProperty ● Richard Bowser, Editor of Property Investor News ● David Sandeman, MD of Essential Information Group and THE Property Auction guru The infamous, indefatigable Russell Quirk will also be hosting two panels including ‘The State of the PRS’ on Friday 15th October at 10.30am. In this forum, he is set to reveal his predictions for the 2022 property market and his view on where house price growth is going. Russell was notable for taking bets amongst industry colleagues in early 2020 with him backing a ‘no fall in house prices despite the pandemic’ prophecy despite just about every other pundit saying the opposite. “The rest, as they say, is history,” says Russell. “I successfully called the property market right in early 2020 despite the negative forces of a pandemic and the aftermath of Brexit whereby experts from across the industry predicted house price Armageddon. They were wrong and I was right, just like in previous years when I’ve correctly forecast what the market will do. Join me on Friday 15th October where I’ll explain what will happen in the next 12 months and why. Bring your chequebook,” he adds. Panel debates include the following and a full list of speakers and panels can be found here: ● Is now a good time to be investing in UK property? ● Holiday Lets – expert advice on how to maximise yields ● How to buy and sell at property auctions – the way the pros do ● Fraudulent Tenants – identifying them and avoiding them ● How to fund every property deal – dispelling the myths ● Using data to boost your investment outcome ● How to mitigate the three big tax traps for landlords ● Starting and growing your property development business ● The State of the PRS (Keynote Panel) And there’s much more to come with more panel announcements and speakers to be confirmed in the coming weeks. Nick Clark, Managing Director of the Property Investor Show says “We will be the first large-scale event in the industry to welcome visitors and exhibitors back to the face-to-face environment. It’s the first opportunity in two years for anyone interested in investing in property and for suppliers that want to reach investors, to network together and to benefit from each other.’ ‘Networking is such an important part of our sector and I suspect that most of us are rather Zoomed out now after many months of sitting in front of a screen.’ ‘Our forum is a place to meet, build relationships and conduct business across the property investment space and I’m delighted our event is leading the way in facilitating such.” Mortgage funders, estate agents, lettings agents, developers, property management, PropTech, legal firms and investment platforms alike can once again look forward to showcasing their products and services directly to the huge audience that The Property Investor Show provides. The full list of 68 seminars and multiple, well know industry speakers can be found here
Work is underway on the refurbishment and conversion of a former school and sixth form centre in Sussex that will become a new base for social care services and pave the way for the development of hundreds of new council homes. Brighton & Hove City Council has chosen Willmott Dixon Interiors to transform the site at the corner of Mile Oak Road and High Street in Portslade, into 23,336 sq ft of office accommodation for staff in its children’s services team. The council’s planning department granted a change of use for the vacant building which previously housed sixth formers from Portslade Community College and was once home to Windlesham House prep school. The move will allow the relocation of council staff from underused office space on a site at Moulsecoomb, which has been earmarked for the development of more than 200 new council homes. Willmott Dixon Interiors will carry out demolition works and a full strip out of the former Portslade school building, as well as some structural interventions and external remedial works and repairs. New M&E services will be installed, with parts of the building segregated through new access control doorways. The £3.7 million project was awarded through Orbis, a public sector partnership between East Sussex County Council, Surrey County Council, and Brighton & Hove City Council. It is expected to be complete in spring 2022. Willmott Dixon Interiors will deliver a minimum of 5% social return on investment of the project value, through activities including local employment opportunities, education support and a hoarding artwork competition with local schools. Graham Shaw, managing director at Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “This is a strategically important project for Brighton & Hove City Council, that will not only deliver new office space for social care services teams, but provide much-needed council homes in the area. The project has been designed to retain the existing internal configuration of the building to avoid large scale structural alterations. We will also have a full crew of operatives on site, including a dedicated traffic marshall to assist with delivery of materials and minimise disruption for residents and commuters.” The project team includes Potter Raper as quantity surveyor, project manager and employer’s agent.
Derwent Facilities Management Ltd have been awarded a place on Crescent Purchasing Consortium’s (CPC) framework for the provision of Total Facilities Management Framework Agreement CPC/EK/01/2021. This framework provides access to a broad range of facilities management services including hard and soft FM services as well as a full facilities management provision – the 8288 members of the consortium will be able to procure facilities management services quickly and easily via this framework. The framework is also open to the wider public sector who can also use this framework to procure. The framework is split into 15 service areas with Derwent fm able to provide services across all 15 areas Grahame Sheeran, Head of Business Development at Derwent fm said “Derwent fm are delighted to be awarded a place on the CPC framework, we look forward to working with the team at CPC to provide their members with top class facilities management services.
GRAHAM has topped out at the University of York’s £130 million flagship student accommodation project, which was built in only 58 weeks with a room completed at a rate of every 1.5 hours. Supporting the University of York’s “Campus for the Future” masterplan, the 1,480-bed scheme is helping to transform the Heslington East Campus and will act as a stimulus for the university’s recruitment strategy while meeting the demands of its expanding global student body. GRAHAM is using a state-of-the-art off-site manufacturing facility in the north of England to deliver the scheme, enhancing the quality, safety, and sustainability of the construction programme. Key elements of the development include modular external sandwich panels, prefabricated steel bathroom pods, and pre-assembled services distribution racks. Overall, the project comprises 18 blocks, which house the en-suite bedrooms and 200 living rooms/kitchens, plus 18,000 sq ft of steel frame social Hubs spread over two buildings. In addition to influencing design in partnership with the architects Sheppard Robson and executing the project build, GRAHAM is also a key project investor as part of a consortium. Neil McFarlane, GRAHAM Strategic Projects Director: “Topping out at the University of York in the timeframe that we have is a monumental milestone that deserves to be celebrated. Despite the challenges thrown our way by Brexit and Covid-19, we held firm and adapted where we could with our supply chain to deliver within our programme. In just 290 working days, we have erected all the superstructures with minimal disruption using MMC, which has accelerated the build while maintaining quality and environmental standards. Now, we can look ahead to completion and bringing the campus properly to life in this last, but significant chapter of the project.” Hugh Crossley, Equitix CEO: “We commend all our partners at the University, GRAHAM and Derwent for their perseverance and resilience in delivering this crucial infrastructure on programme amidst the challenges of a global pandemic. It is a remarkable achievement. The topping out at the new residences celebrates a significant milestone in Equitix’s 50 year relationship with the University of York. Importantly, it also celebrates significant progress towards a new college that will enable future generations of students to embark upon their University life in an environment that promotes wellbeing, community and sustainability. Equitix focuses on developing and delivering schemes that provide a ‘Best in Class’ Student Experience and, working with GRAHAM, the outcomes delivered here have exceeded expectations.” Completion is planned in time for the 2022 academic year.