Work is gathering pace on two schemes that will transform the Northumberland leisure and lifestyle scene. Henry Riley has been appointed lead consultant on a project to bring a £21m leisure centre to Morpeth. The Newcastle division of the international property and construction consultancy will provide quantity surveying, employer’s agent
Transportation is one of the most important inventions that mankind has ever developed. Aside from the internet, it has also been credited to be one of the proponents of globalization. Even though its scope is not as wide as the internet, it is still very important in a lot of
Specialist logistics developer and investor PLP (Peel Logistics Property), has bought a 17 acre development site at Smithy Wood Business Park in Sheffield from St Pauls Developments and the Norfolk Estate where it will speculatively build a 343,000 sq ft warehouse. The site was sold subject to planning and having
Do you always feel like you’re solving an impossible puzzle when you’re trying to furnish your small home? If you want to fit all the items you need, the result will end up looking cramped. On the other hand, if you want to make it unique and filled with personality,
Even though working from home sounds like a dream come true, the fact is that it can sometimes be a real struggle. The fact of the matter is that, unless you have impeccable self-control, you can easily find yourself procrastinating and doing anything but the work that needs to be
Working from home is not only more practical and time-effective, but it also allows you to set up your office according to your needs and desires. If you have a comfortable, well-equipped and personalized office, your work will be more efficient and you’ll experience better work satisfaction. However, working from
Are you wild at heart or a serene spirit? Perhaps you have a bit of both, depending on the situation. We all live hectic lives from time to time, but we like all the drama to happen outside of our home. Our own house should be a safe haven where
Goodman will offer design and build opportunities for Andover Business Park’s final 16-acre plot, capable of delivering up to 362,000 sq ft of bespoke industrial and distribution space. Launch of Plot 5 follows sale of final roadside plots, adding to the Park’s excellent on-site amenities Customers will join the Co-operative
The UK has set an ambitious target to become a zero emissions nation by 2050. If it can be achieved, this would make the UK the cleanest country in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. 31 years certainly seems like a long time to achieve this, but is
Barberry Developments is developing a £9.8 million, 72,000 sq ft, speculative warehouse unit at the site of a former DIY store in Northamptonshire. Barberry Developments has started on site at the 3.5-acre site, at Sopwith Way, Daventry. Benniman has been appointed construction contractor and practical completion is expected in May
Work is gathering pace on two schemes that will transform the Northumberland leisure and lifestyle scene. Henry Riley has been appointed lead consultant on a project to bring a £21m leisure centre to Morpeth. The Newcastle division of the international property and construction consultancy will provide quantity surveying, employer’s agent and principal designer services for the scheme, which will see the creation of a new centre with a 25-metre swimming pool, sports hall, spa facilities, fitness suite and studios. It will also have a new community services hub that will include a library, customer service centre and adult learning area. Construction work is due to start next year, with the centre open for business in 2021. Meanwhile, a £20m project to build a new leisure centre in Berwick has been given the green light by planners. The existing Swan Centre is being demolished in phases to ensure continuity of leisure services for local residents and replaced with a new facility with a 25-metre swimming pool, sports hall, an outdoor all-weather football pitch, fitness suite, fitness studios and spa facilities. Construction work is due to start by the end of this year, with the centre operational in 2021. Advance Northumberland, the development arm of Northumberland County Council, is project-managing both schemes supported by Henry Riley and several other key partners. Both schemes are being funded by the council. Joel Neasham, senior associate at the Newcastle office of Henry Riley – which is also the lead consultant on the Berwick project – said: “We’re delighted to be involved in two schemes that will bring a much-needed boost to Northumberland’s thriving leisure scene. Both centres will have top-quality facilities that will benefit residents of Berwick and Morpeth, as well as those living further afield. “There’s a huge demand for this type of facility as consumers increasingly take up fitness and well-being activities to lead a healthier lifestyle. Health and well-being are important considerations for many people nowadays, so we’re delivering services that make it easier for them to adopt this lifestyle.” Part of the Riley Consulting group of companies, Henry Riley is an international property and construction consultancy that works across the built environment spectrum, offering cost management, project management, health and safety and innovative digital services. The company has worked on various notable projects across the North of England in the health, leisure, retail, commercial, education, residential, industrial and logistics, and transport and infrastructure sectors.
Transportation is one of the most important inventions that mankind has ever developed. Aside from the internet, it has also been credited to be one of the proponents of globalization. Even though its scope is not as wide as the internet, it is still very important in a lot of economies and government functions all around the world. We all need them to save time and travel to farther distances. Once we had our feet and animals for transport, but now there are machines that can do the work for us. It has been very important to the development of many businesses and fields of study. How Modern-day Transpo Help Run Society There are many different kinds of transportation, generally divided into which body it travels in the world. We mostly refer to the aerial ones as planes and the sea-based ones as boats or ships, although there are a lot of different terms separating each type of vehicle. However, there are many more types of land-based transportation and all of them have different uses. All of them can traverse considerable distances but each of them can carry only a limited weight. Each country also has their own vehicles that they have developed, and some of them stayed there for good. Read more about them here. Most of us do have cars these days. You can even say that they are already considered a need especially in the cities. In the rural areas, they are also needed but most people can get by through public transportation, hitchhiking, or walking. Some areas still even use horses as transport. However, in the city, having a car is really needed because you need to bring it for work and save time. You might also need to bring your family along with you. Having a car is already considered a very practical decision to buy as it is an investment as well. However, there are times that you might need something far bigger than your car. You may want to start a construction business and there are a lot of things that you want to do. You might have some sand, gravel or cement that you need to dispose or transfer to another location. Also, you may want to store it as well and it can be quite difficult to do it all manually. If all of it is in sacks, then maybe you can do it but it is so much easier if you have a dumpster truck with you. Learn more about dump trucks here: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/construction-equipment-5-great-dump-trucks-844978. What Are Dump Trucks? Dumpster or dump trucks are one of the staple vehicles in any construction site and other locations that need heavy duty vehicles. Each town has its own waste removal companies that help keep the neighborhood organized and clean. A dumpster rental service will place dumpsters in places that are available for everyone so that they can use them instead of dropping trash bags on the pavements. Keeping the neighborhood clean and tidy will also help keep the wildlife from getting stuck in plastic wrappers and boxes, which can lead to species going extinct. You have seen them before probably on films, television shows and even in newspapers. If you haven’t, imagine a really large pickup truck with a really nice function; it can tilt its posterior portion to “dump” or release any of the contents behind it. This is the reason why most construction companies use them for their transportation problems especially with various materials. It can be quite detrimental to the operations if it is still manually done. Now, how can you get this type of vehicle? Well, one of them is through rental. There are so many businesses which offer dumpster rental in DC with competitive prices. You can always contact them through their offices or check out their websites for their other services. There are many kinds of dumpster trucks so you also need to ask which one would fit what you want. Although there is one kind of dump truck that is the most commonly used, you can also choose depending on the size. You may also want to buy one, but we would recommend this one for those who want a long term use. It is important to take note that the dumpster trucks are one of the most notorious for work-related accidents. This is why it is also important to have an insurance policy covering your vehicles. If you are going to acquire it for a business, make sure that your operators have the proper knowledge of driving these vehicles. Additional training may also be needed so that you will have peace of mind while they are operating the dumpster truck.
Specialist logistics developer and investor PLP (Peel Logistics Property), has bought a 17 acre development site at Smithy Wood Business Park in Sheffield from St Pauls Developments and the Norfolk Estate where it will speculatively build a 343,000 sq ft warehouse. The site was sold subject to planning and having received it, the new owner intends to get started on a speculative build as soon as possible. The facility will be one of the largest warehouses in the Yorkshire region. Construction will commence this year with completion in Autumn 2020. Smithy Wood Business Park, adjacent to Junction 35 of the M1 motorway in Sheffield is a well established commercial location and home to occupiers such as DPD, Cutting and Wear and Arthrex. Matthew Fitton, development director at PLP, said: “Given the proximity of the site to the M1 motorway and Sheffield, PLP Smithy Wood will offer great accessibility and market connectivity. PLP has the confidence here to speculatively build one of the largest warehouses in the region.” “In line with PLP’s long term sustainability policies, we’re installing roof mounted solar panels, multiple electric charging points for vehicles and the infrastructure to augment these post construction. We are also making a significant investment in the local ecology of the site, improving the biodiversity of the surrounding area.’’ David Newton, MD of St Pauls Developments, said: “We always believed in Smithy Wood’s location, being so close to J35 M1, and this encouraged us to invest in the site to create a fully serviced, strategic land holding. PLP’s decision to purchase and develop 17 acres is exactly the type of deal we felt we could attract, and I am sure it will be a successful project for them.” The PLP platform is owned by MIRA Real Estate, Peel Group, Ivanhoé Cambridge and its senior management team. CPP have been appointed as leasing agents for the scheme.
Do you always feel like you’re solving an impossible puzzle when you’re trying to furnish your small home? If you want to fit all the items you need, the result will end up looking cramped. On the other hand, if you want to make it unique and filled with personality, the space will end up looking cluttered. Either way, you lose. Well, you don’t have to lose anymore! No matter if you’re designing a smart studio apartment or you just downsized to a cheaper and more practical home, you don’t have to sacrifice style and comfort. Here are some of the best tips that will help you master the art of furnishing and create a tiny yet chic space. Don’t overburden the floors While you certainly need to fill your home with the essentials, even a perfectly thought-out room can look small and uncomfortable if you don’t have space to walk around. So, open up your floors and let them breathe—it will instantly create an illusion of bigger square footage. In order to still get all the pieces of furniture you need, opt for floating designs, especially when it comes to nightstands, bathroom cabinets, shelving and lighting. With floating pieces you’ll not only make the ground clear of obstacles but also free up some space for extra storage beneath and make cleaning a breeze. Choose double-duty If a small home, every piece needs to earn its spot in your space and ones that certainly pull their weight are double-duty pieces. Beds with built-in drawers, benches and ottomans with under-the-seat storage for blankets and books and daybeds doubling as sofas or guest beds will always have space in your home and come in very handy. Keep bigger items at hand Just because you don’t have huge square footage, it doesn’t mean you have to give up all your larger furniture items. Items like gorgeous King Living sofas are modular which means you can combine different elements and adapt your seating to your needs. This is certainly handy for people who lack space yet enjoy the comfort of large furniture. Also, make sure to put larger items against the wall—this will allow you to keep the depth of the room and enjoy all the comfort of big and comfy furniture. Combine your sofa with a chunky recliner placed in the corner and you’ll love your cozy yet uncluttered design. Go for practical folding pieces Sure, you might need a work desk or a dining table, but you don’t need them all the time. So, grab a few practical furniture pieces that fold when not in use. If you fold your piece and remove it, you’ll both free up floor space and prevent clutter from occupying your surfaces. Do you have a small kitchen with only one wall? You can invest in folding doors that can conceal the mess until you do the dishes. Don’t be scared of bold Just because your space is small, it doesn’t mean you have to adopt an extremely minimalist lifestyle and paint everything white or gray. Bold colors and accessories are always welcome, no matter the size of your home. Darker walls and ceilings can make the space feel super cozy and safe. Also, bold statement furniture can distract people from noticing your lack of square footage. Combine your simple aesthetics with a statement Seymour chair in blue or cinnamon or a timeless Eames chair in oak and it will attract all the right attention while providing you with much-needed seating and comfort. Boost lighting Small spaces often have tiny windows that don’t exactly shower the space with sunlight. So, you need to make up for the lack of light by turning to electricity. If you combine ceiling fixtures (no matter if hanging pendants or sleek flush mounts) with task lighting like lamps and sconces, you’ll brighten up your atmosphere and avoid that feeling of claustrophobia. Mirrors can also help your lack of natural light. These great décor elements serve a double purpose: they make the space seem bigger and they disperse the light all over the room. So, consider adding a large mirror to your wall or opt for a gallery-style mirror display if you want something more unusual. Just because you’re not blessed with a huge mansion, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a chic and stylish home. With these furnishing tips, you’ll not only achieve comfort, but also harmony that we all need in our lives.
Even though working from home sounds like a dream come true, the fact is that it can sometimes be a real struggle. The fact of the matter is that, unless you have impeccable self-control, you can easily find yourself procrastinating and doing anything but the work that needs to be done. There are a few reasons why this tends to happen often. Aside from the fact that you don’t have anybody monitoring your progress and micromanaging you, you can easily get distracted if you don’t have a designated working space. That is why creating a home office is of the utmost importance for anyone working from their abode. Here are some interesting tips on how to create a working space that will get your creative juices flowing and make you want to work all day. Find the right area First of all, you will need to locate the best area of your home to set up a home office. This doesn’t have to be an entirely separate room if you don’t have that much space at your disposal. Rather, you can find a quiet little nook in your house and choose to use it for this purpose. On the other hand, if possible, choose a room that’s somewhat isolated from the hustle and bustle that’s going on in the rest of the house. Decide on the color scheme The next thing you should do is decide on the color scheme you want to implement in your home office. Light and neutral tones are always welcome, but if you want some pop of color, consider going for the ones that are known to boost productivity. Red, blue, yellow and green are the most common choices but if you personally don’t like these shades, you can opt for whichever hue motivates you personally. Choose the right style Deciding on the style you want to implement in your home office is another thing you need to pay attention to. Simply filling your office with random furniture pieces to serve a purpose they’re not quite meant to serve will create an environment that will more likely hinder your efforts than boost them. That’s why you need to pay attention to the style of the pieces you choose to make a part of your design, as well as their practicality. So, try to get your hands on an Eames chair that not only looks sleek and blends seamlessly into any design but also offers the right type of support. On the same note, browse office desks that look stylish are made of high-quality materials and offer great functionality and customizable options. Make it bright Moreover, the area you choose for your home office needs to be bright as poorly illuminated areas won’t benefit your productivity. Not only that but the areas that don’t have opulent lighting will contribute to eye-strain which will make doing your job significantly more difficult. That’s why, aside from making sure you have plenty of natural light and that it can penetrate into your home – choose light curtains instead of dark, heavy ones – you’ll also need to install additional artificial lighting sources. An overhead fixture, although necessary, won’t be enough to support all of your needs. Create a break area All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. This is something you definitely don’t want happening to you. As much as staying concentrated on the work at hand is important, it’s also important that you implement a nice little break area in your home office design. Once again, depending on the amount of space you’re working in, you can either go big or small. If your home office is a separate room, add a sofa and a nice little coffee table so that you can take 5 whenever you feel like you need it. On the other hand, if there’s simply not enough room in your home office for an entire sofa, consider adding a nice armchair or a bean bag and a small coffee table that will provide you with the same level of comfort. The fact that you’re working from home doesn’t mean that you can simply turn your dining room table into an office desk. Having a beautiful home office will encourage your productivity and motivate you to dedicate the necessary attention to the job at hand.
Working from home is not only more practical and time-effective, but it also allows you to set up your office according to your needs and desires. If you have a comfortable, well-equipped and personalized office, your work will be more efficient and you’ll experience better work satisfaction. However, working from home doesn’t come without cons! Homes are distracting environments and getting back on track after an interruption can be very hard. So, in order to minimize distractions, boost efficiency and ensure comfort, here are a few essential design tips for your home office. Start with lighting Plenty of light, both natural and artificial, is crucial for your office productivity. First, make sure to place your desk in a way that will make the best use of your sunlight (yet avoid glare). The wrong placement can cause eye strain, screen glare and boiling temperatures, so be strategic. For some artificial light, make sure to ensure the same intensity as daylight. This will be most comfortable for your eyes and ensure a good circadian rhythm. Separate your work life from your private life When you can work in your pajamas, go grab a snack and chat with your kids whenever you want, it can be hard to keep your professional and private life separated. So, make sure to place your office in an area that’s a little isolated to ensure better focus and uninterrupted workflow. If you can’t find a secluded spot, ensure good sound insulation, place Do Not Enter signs and even invest in noise-canceling headphones. Additionally, make sure to use your home office only for work. Set up a speedy connection If you want to have a productive workday and a home office that runs smoothly, you need speedy internet connection. In case you often lose connection or suffer from slow internet, consider changing your provider or investing in a more powerful line. Having fast and reliable internet will ensure you always stay in contact with your clients, get things done quickly and spare yourself a lot of headaches and nervous breakdowns. There’s nothing as annoying as a broken internet connection just when you need to send an email or check something online ASAP. Get essentials When it comes to setting up, start with essentials—the things you can’t do your job without. You can always rely on quality Winc stationery and find everything from desks to post-it notes, all in one place. Make sure to pay attention to things like storage, filing cabinets, practical furniture, electronics and a cozy client meeting areas (if you regularly see people). These essentials will be enough for the start or until you assess your needs are realize what else could make your work faster, better and easier. Splurge on your chair When it comes to getting your chair, make sure to be careful. Invest in a sturdy, ergonomic chair that will reduce the negative effects of sitting and provide you with a no-distraction workday. If you can, hit a showroom and try out a few chairs—this is much better than getting a random one online. You can also accompany your chair with a practical footrest and even grab a standing desk extension for your laptop of you spend a lot of time on your computer. Personalize your space What most people hate about modern offices are minimalism, grayness and that uncomfortable, overly-corporate feel. But, if you work from home, you can take over the creative control when it comes to the look of your home office and personalize your space. Filling your office with decoration is a great idea, especially if you do something that requires alertness and creativity. Think plants, motivational posters, art you like—these can all work towards achieving a totally chic, unique yet efficient office. Treat yourself to a coffee machine This is as much of a luxury as it is a necessity. For many of us, coffee is the main source of fuel for a successful workday, so make sure to grab a good coffee maker and enjoy a fresh cup whenever you need a little hand. This handy guide from the unclutterer will help you to find the right coffee maker for your needs. Keep it at arm’s reach and you’ll see your productivity grow with each new sip. Start designing your home office today, and you’ll soon enjoy a comfortable, private and completely personalized workspace that will allow you to reach your maximum potential and show everyone who’s boss.
Are you wild at heart or a serene spirit? Perhaps you have a bit of both, depending on the situation. We all live hectic lives from time to time, but we like all the drama to happen outside of our home. Our own house should be a safe haven where we can rest our soul and feel true inner peace. Of course, there are many factors that impact our serenity at home, but one of them surely is interior design. By that, we don’t mean you should now redecorate your entire home with expensive furniture from some catalog, but there probably is room for improvement. We’re here to give you some ideas on how to contribute to making these conditions just right. Use your experience It’s sometimes hard to know what exactly is that you need. Instead, you can think of your favorite places and think about what they have in common. If it’s just one place, think about its ambiance and what it is that makes you happy when it comes to the interior. It can be something obvious and large or something completely minor, just a detail. Think long and hard and try to decide which elements relax you in your favorite place. It may be about the dominating color of the room or just a tiny piece of furniture like a lamp or some scented candles. Nevertheless, you should get yourself some of those. Make it cozy Coziness is an essential prerequisite for a peaceful place. This is why comfort comes first when it comes to decorating your personal space. Make sure you change any uncomfortable furniture you have. In order to be able to relax, you need to have comfy couches. Once this condition is fulfilled, you can focus on getting soft pillows in warm colors and patterns. Some small rugs and adequate drapes can fulfill the atmosphere. You can also consider getting a few plush toys if they’re your cup of tea. Moreover, smells cannot be omitted, they’re an important part of the atmosphere which is why you can get some lavender-scented sticks or candles. Green therapy Another calming factor definitely is plants. If you don’t have any greenery, it’s high time you got some. Large flower pots made from natural materials will contribute to the inside of your home. Make sure you have something green and leafy to put in those pots. Research suggests that color green really has a therapeutic effect on people, so there’s no such thing as too much in this case. However, you should consider how demanding maintenance of these plants is and if the conditions inside your house, such as the amount of light and room temperature, suit them. Of course, once you do get them, you need to nurture them and be very gentle and attentive. You won’t regret it as you’ll enjoy the love you get in return. Lighting People often forget about lighting when decorating. However, it’s an extremely important aspect. One can have a perfectly decorated space, but if it’s poorly lit, the whole impression rapidly deteriorates. This is why dimmer switches and lamps are important parts of any room where people spend most of their conscious time. Dimmers will enable you to control the amount of light in different situations, while various lamps will create the dynamics of lighting which is very appealing to the human eye and you can definitely find the right combination that is going to feel soothing. Separate areas People often find that the source of their stress is actually not being able to separate their work life from their private life. Believe it or not, a great deal of these cases occurs due to people working and relaxing in the same room. This is why you should definitely limit all your technology and working area to just one room, while there’s a completely different room designed for relaxation. It will definitely help you separate the two in your mind once they’re physically disjointed. If you only have one room, you can use creative ways to physically separate your desk and the couch by some auxiliary walls or giant plants. All in all, a peaceful environment definitely doesn’t arise overnight. It needs work, both on the content of your home, as well as your own mental efforts. However, once you take care of the aesthetical and practical sides, the mental one will soon follow.
Goodman will offer design and build opportunities for Andover Business Park’s final 16-acre plot, capable of delivering up to 362,000 sq ft of bespoke industrial and distribution space. Launch of Plot 5 follows sale of final roadside plots, adding to the Park’s excellent on-site amenities Customers will join the Co-operative Group and Rich Products in strategic location With a population of 12.7 million people within a two hour drivetime1, Andover Business Park meets the demand for strategically-located industrial and distribution space in reach of both the South East and West of the UK. Alongside the opportunity to access this prime consumer base, which amounts to a combined spending power of £282 billion, customers will benefit from a growing employment pool, with the local population set to increase by 50% by 20312. The Park is already home to the Co-operative Group’s regional distribution centre and global bakery firm Rich Products, which opened a 15-acre site in June 2019 in a move to consolidate its UK production facilities. Goodman has also recently seen the sale of two roadside plots at Andover Business Park, with van leasing company Abacus and 24 hour gym, PureGym, both set to start on site imminently. The latter will add to a suite of amenities – including a Travelodge hotel, Costa drive-thru and Marston’s Inn – helping customers attract and retain their workforces. Charles Crossland, Managing Director, Goodman UK, said “Just two miles from Andover town centre and benefitting from direct access to the A303, the site reflects Goodman’s commitment to providing strategically-located warehouse space and high-quality environments to work – with the park offering not only job opportunities but facilities to match.” Appointed agents at Andover Business Park are JLL, Savills and Myddelton & Major. For more information about business prospects in Andover Business Park and Plot 5, please visit the website for more more details.
The UK has set an ambitious target to become a zero emissions nation by 2050. If it can be achieved, this would make the UK the cleanest country in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. 31 years certainly seems like a long time to achieve this, but is this goal attainable at all? Currently, the figures are not too pleasing. As of October 2018, the UK had an annual greenhouse emission of around 500 million tonnes of CO2. The government has received advice from the Committee on Climate Change regarding reducing this to zero, after a UN report highlighted the urgent need to cut carbon emissions entirely in order to prevent catastrophic climate change. In an interview with BBC News, the UK’s climate minister Claire Perry said: “The report was a really stark and sober piece of work — a good piece of work. Now we know what the goal is, and we know what some of the levers are. “But for me, the constant question is: what is the cost and who’s going to bear that, both in the UK and in the global economy. The question is: what does government need to do, where can the private sector come in, and what technologies will come through?” VW service provider, Vindis, has investigated the issue in further detail, looking into the actions that need to take place in order for this goal to be achieved. Swapping our vehicle To meet a target to scrap petrol and diesel cars by 2040, the government is already making moves to clean up the air by cleaning up on the roads. While we may be a couple of decades away from seeing this ban come into force, it appears that an increasing number of British motorists are already exploring what’s available when it comes to alternative-fuel or LPG vehicles. There are some drivers that are already making the swap. In fact, Next Green Car has reported that the number of new registrations of plug-in cars jumped from just 3,500 in 2013 to over 195,000 as of the end of January 2019. Furthermore, figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders highlighted that electric car sales across the UK has shifted from only close to 500 being registered each month in the early part of 2014 to an average of 5,000 per month throughout 2018. Because of the growing interest in these vehicles, the UK is also making infrastructural changes. While the UK’s network of electric vehicle charging points was recorded in at just a few hundred units as of 2011, there had been more than 5,800 charging locations, 9,800 charging devices and 16,700 connectors installed by June 2018. We may still be quite a while away from seeing all vehicles on the roads of the UK being run on alternative fuels — the latest vehicle data from the SMMT stated that the car registrations market share for January 2019 was 64.08 per cent petrol, 29.08 per cent diesel and 6.84 per cent alternative-fuel vehicles, for example — but it appears that things are at least moving in the right direction. Making the greener switch It’s fair to say that low-carbon alternatives could be the way forward if we’re to realistically meet our target. It appears the nation is already assisting in this area too. In figures compiled by Imperial College London and reported on by The Guardian, the capacity of renewable energy in the UK surpassed that of fossil fuels for the first time. With the amount of renewable capacity trebling in the same five-year period that fossil fuels decreased by one-third, the capacity of biomass, hydropower, solar and wind power hit 41.9 gigawatts and the capacity of gas, coal and oil-fired power plants recorded in at 41.2 gigawatts between July and September. Imperial College London’s Dr Iain Staffell, who led the research, said: “Britain’s power system is slowly but surely walking away from fossil fuels, and [the quarter between July and September] saw a major milestone on the journey.” We’re already paving the way for change. The UK has set standards such as being powered for three days straight without the use of coal in 2018. This was before a report from Imperial College London which was commissioned by Drax suggested that coal supplied only 1.3 per cent of Britain’s entire use of electricity during the second quarter of 2018 — furnaces based at coal-fired power stations throughout the country were completely unused for 12 days in June last year too. Better insulation Sometimes changes need to be made inside the home too. According to a BBC News article from February 2017, the UK was needing to cut carbon emissions by 80 per cent between the date that the piece was published and 2050. What’s more, a third of those carbon emissions had been recorded from heating draughty buildings across the nation. A negative impact is arising from these badly insulated homes. Experts from the Green Building Council — a group of leading construction firms — stated in a report sent to Parliament that 25 million existing homes will not currently meet the insulation standards being enforced in the mid-century and will need to be refurbished to the highest standards. According to calculations, these findings mean that the rate of refurbishment stood at a rate of 1.4 homes needing to be worked on every minute as of the beginning of 2017. Understandably, this work will help cut carbon emissions, but it can also help with other areas too. The Green Building Council’s head Julie Hirigoyen explains: “People will have warmer homes and lower bills; they will live longer, happier lives; we will be able to address climate change and carbon emissions. “We will also be creating many thousands of jobs and exporting our best skills in innovation.” To meet the 2050 target is a bold ambition. Fortunately, some of the examples covered in this article does at least suggest that efforts are being made to ensure the
Barberry Developments is developing a £9.8 million, 72,000 sq ft, speculative warehouse unit at the site of a former DIY store in Northamptonshire. Barberry Developments has started on site at the 3.5-acre site, at Sopwith Way, Daventry. Benniman has been appointed construction contractor and practical completion is expected in May 2020. Barberry secured the site for an undisclosed sum from New River Retail and achieved planning consent from Daventry District Council earlier this year. Barberry development director Jon Robinson said: “Barberry 72 will be a prominent high quality warehouse/manufacturing unit, in the highly sought-after mid-box range, in what is an excellent location. “We currently have a logistics/industrial pipeline of circa 2.8 million sq ft. All of our warehouses are available on both leasehold terms or as freehold purchases.” Meanwhile, the Richardson Barberry joint venture construction of five mid-box industrial units, totaling 174,500 sq ft, at More+ in Bristol, has reached practical completion. The JV has also been selected as development partner to deliver a £140 million business park – with 1.75 million sq ft of accommodation – at Aycliffe Business Park in County Durham, and recently gained planning consent.