Prominent developer Wykeland Group is leading the remarkable regeneration of its home city of Hull, with a series of multi-million pound investments. Wykeland is one of Yorkshire and the Humber’s leading commercial developers and is a key player in a raft of major schemes in Hull as the city enjoys
The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), Scottish Government’s independent centre of infrastructure expertise, has published its latest five-year corporate plan outlining how it will prioritise its work towards a vision of world-class infrastructure for the people of Scotland. Recognising that high-quality infrastructure underpins inclusive economic growth, sustainable communities and the effective
If your business is involved with hazardous chemicals in any way then you may already be aware of the Global Harmonised System (GHS) – but if it is something new to you, it is very important that you understand it. Whether you are involved with these chemicals directly, or perhaps
Whilst gardening is a fun and enjoyable pastime, it’s also one that can be decidedly challenging in some instances. Aside from the labour-intensive and time-consuming nature of some gardening tasks, it may occasionally be necessary to undertake more complex projects that make your outdoor space more accessible and functional. Whilst
Waterloo Air Products plc is investing in an 18-month professional development programme for a group of employees from all disciplines within the company. Run in conjunction with Accelerator Solutions, the initiative is designed specifically to develop the skill sets that Waterloo will require as it continues to expand, creating a
BSRIA has launched its free-to-download topic guide on Soft Landings and Business-Focused Maintenance (BFM). This guide aims to inform those involved in the design, construction and operation of a building about how an effective BFM regime can be developed and achieved through the soft landings approach. Nick Blake, the guide’s
Latest transaction at premier 74-acre Silverwood’s Business Park now brings the development to 90% occupancy. St Francis Group, a leading UK-based property development and investment group and an expert in brownfield development and regeneration has announced the sale of 3.6 acres of land at its premier 74-acre Silverwood’s Business Park
Having just some uncertain ideas and a logo of your company is not enough to say that it is a brand strategy. To succeed one should have a written plan in details to gain results and understand what should be taken. 3 questions each brand should ask itself before planning
KAREN Ryan who spent 15 years of her career at Stepnell has been crowned Mentor of the Year at an annual award ceremony which recognises the very best in construction excellence within the West Midlands. The award recognises an individual who has shown a commitment to developing the future leaders
The Environment Agency has announced a set of new supplier arrangements and partnerships which will increase efficiency, value for money and the green legacy of its £2.6 billion capital investment programme. The programme aims to better protect 300,000 homes from coastal erosion and flooding up to 2021 and beyond. Effective
Prominent developer Wykeland Group is leading the remarkable regeneration of its home city of Hull, with a series of multi-million pound investments. Wykeland is one of Yorkshire and the Humber’s leading commercial developers and is a key player in a raft of major schemes in Hull as the city enjoys unprecedented regeneration after gaining national and international exposure as UK City of Culture 2017. The focal point for the city’s rejuvenation is the waterfront Fruit Market quarter. Once a near-derelict area, the Fruit Market took centre stage during the City of Culture year and is being transformed by one of the most significant urban regeneration schemes in the North of England. Wykeland is part of the Wykeland Beal joint venture with East Yorkshire-based housebuilder Beal Homes which is driving forward the £80m renaissance of the Fruit Market, in partnership with Hull City Council. The Fruit Market has been reinvented as one of the most vibrant and fastest-growing communities in the North, featuring a host of commercial, creative and cultural ventures. The first buyers are also moving into a £17m Wykeland Beal development that is adding the residential element to the developers’ “live, work and play” vision for the area. Wykeland Beal has just secured planning permission for the latest major phase of the Fruit Market transformation, which features a new head office for the UK’s leading safety company, Arco. Hull City Council’s Planning Committee gave the green light to the £22m scheme, including the Arco offices, a 350 space multi-storey car park, 34 residential units and 3,000 sq ft of retail/leisure space. The 55,000 sq ft Arco building will be one of the largest new corporate head office developments in the North of England in recent years. It will accommodate around 450 employees who will transfer from Arco’s current base, in a 1960s building a mile away which is set to be demolished as part of a £392m Highways England scheme to improve the main A63 route through the city centre. Wykeland paved the way for the Fruit Market to become a magnet for investment with developments such as @TheDock, which saw a vacant waterfront site incorporating a listed dry dock become a thriving tech campus, with the Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) digital hub as its centrepiece. @TheDock is acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading digital clusters, with around 200 start-up or scale-up tech firms based on site or closely linked to it, and last month Wykeland gained planning permission for two new buildings to complete the development. The £9m plans will provide 31,000 sq ft of offices, co-working and meeting space to enable tech companies to continue to collaborate and grow. Wykeland’s latest landmark development is a nine-storey hotel with rooftop sky bar offering spectacular views of Hull’s waterfront, as part of a scheme that will secure the future of two historic buildings and create a new city centre piazza. Wykeland has teamed up with Princes Quay Developments, owner of Hull’s Princes Quay Shopping Centre, for the Castle Buildings scheme featuring a 52,000 sq ft hotel with 150 bedrooms as part of a £20m investment creating up to 150 jobs. Dominic Gibbons, Managing Director of Wykeland Group, said: “Hull is riding the crest of a wave and, as a company founded and based in the city, we couldn’t be happier to be at the heart of the exciting change we are now seeing all around us. “Hull has never before experienced so much concentrated investment, but it’s certainly not an overnight success story and it’s fair to say some of it is making up ground on other major cities. “The seeds have been sown over many years, including by all the key players coming together behind the bid for Hull to be UK City of Culture. In fact, we were the first ‘business angel’ to back the bid, as well as becoming a Major Partner, and support from the city’s businesses community was a vital factor in the success of the bid and the year-long cultural programme. “Being City of Culture was a game-changer for Hull and, working together, the city has capitalised on the momentum the year generated.” Mr Gibbons said a key factor was unlocking the potential of Hull’s waterfront, including the unique Fruit Market area, which was home to the city’s wholesale fruit and vegetable trade for a century before falling into decline. He added: “Our own offices overlook the River Hull and the Humber Estuary, so we were very aware of what could be achieved. We kick-started the revival of the waterfront by acquiring and revitalising the Marina Court offices and then launching @TheDock and C4DI. “There had been previous plans by out-of-town developers to regenerate the Fruit Market, but these collapsed after the banking crisis. Back in 2013 we formed a joint venture with Beal Homes to bid to become Hull City Council’s partner, which has ultimately led to the thriving urban village we see today. “Key to all of this has been the strength of our relationships with public sector partners such as the city council and businesses such as Beal Homes and Arco. The investment Hull is enjoying also demonstrates the power of bringing together physical, social and cultural change – after all, regeneration is about people, not just buildings.” Wykeland was founded in Hull 50 years ago and has developed more than 11.5m sq ft of high-quality commercial space across the north of England and Scotland. Three years ago Wykeland sold a range of business parks in Scotland and the North East to focus on its “sphere of influence” in Yorkshire and the Humber and that decision has paid dividends. The company now has a development pipeline of almost £400m within the region, with flagship projects including the fast-growing Bridgehead and Meltonwest business parks in East Yorkshire. Wykeland has also established a reputation as a trusted partner of the public sector in bringing commercial acumen and delivery focus to public-private partnerships. As well as the partnership with Hull
The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), Scottish Government’s independent centre of infrastructure expertise, has published its latest five-year corporate plan outlining how it will prioritise its work towards a vision of world-class infrastructure for the people of Scotland. Recognising that high-quality infrastructure underpins inclusive economic growth, sustainable communities and the effective provision of public services, Scottish Government has set a National Infrastructure Mission to increase infrastructure investment by up to £1.5bn per annum over its £5.2bn 2019-20 baseline, so that it reaches £6.7bn in 2025-26. SFT has a unique role across the whole of Scotland, working with the public and private sectors, to: Plan asset investment and management effectively across sectors and places Innovate in approaches to funding, financing and delivery Deliver projects and programmes to drive life-cycle value and vibrant construction and related industries Manage existing assets, estates and contracts productively SFT’s Corporate Plan sets out the outcomes it will work with partners to deliver, with a particular focus on: Enabling development in places where jobs can be created and homes built – bringing public and private sector partners together with a focus on infrastructure and innovative financing to unlock the potential of places and assets; and Delivering investment programmes in public infrastructure effectively – especially programmes which span multiple organisations such as schools’ investment and elements of the National Infrastructure Mission which need new financing approaches to be delivered. In supporting the National Infrastructure Mission to enable the low-carbon, digitally enabled economy of tomorrow, SFT sees an increased focus on: Low-carbon infrastructure where we are working to deliver better insulated buildings, de-carbonise heat and provide options to increase electric vehicle charging points Digital infrastructure where we are working on 5G technologies as well as rolling out masts to further increase 4G coverage in mobile ‘not-spots’ Infrastructure technology with 3D computer modelling, virtual reality and laser scanning all amongst the new infrastructure technologies we are promoting to virtually build a new school or hospital to help flush out any design flaws before moving the building into the construction phase Maintenance and resilience where a renewed focus on making the best use of the assets we have through effective and joined-up use of buildings and focussed investment in condition can benefit users, the environment and free up budget over the medium term to invest in transformation Much of SFT’s infrastructure work is delivered in partnership with the Scottish construction industry. Recognising its importance to the economy SFT will seek to ensure a vibrant construction industry with increased productivity delivering well-designed and high-quality assets to its customers and fair and rewarding work to a diverse workforce. Peter Reekie, chief executive of the Scottish Futures Trust, explained: “Delivering high-quality, well-functioning infrastructure to support and accelerate economic growth will achieve social and environmental benefits right across Scotland. Building the economy is our focus, and we will continue to provide innovative investment models to stimulate additional private sector investment and create jobs. “The target to phase out the need to buy petrol or diesel vehicles in Scotland in little over ten years’ time will require a big expansion of charging points and we are working with colleagues from Transport Scotland to plan for that now. “In addition, the economic impact of Scotland becoming a world-leading digital nation is huge as it could boost GDP by around 10%. But to reap that reward, all of Scotland must be at the forefront of technology. We are delivering the 4G mobile mast infill programme to cover many rural mobile not-spots and working on Scotland’s 5G strategy which will be piloted at Dundee’s waterfront area.” Infrastructure Secretary, Michael Matheson, said: “The Scottish Government’s £5 billion commitment to infrastructure investment in 2019-20 will support 50,000 affordable new homes, delivery of the extension of early learning and childcare, new roads and railways, electric vehicles and delivery of superfast broadband across Scotland. “As part of this, our pipeline report, published last week, shows Scottish Government procured projects, with a value of almost £3.1 billion, are estimated to be in construction across Scotland during 2019-20. “Building on this success, SFT will support the delivery of our National Infrastructure Mission, which will increase annual infrastructure investment by 1% of current (2017) GDP by the end of the next Parliament, helping to protect and create jobs, and boost growth across the country.”
If your business is involved with hazardous chemicals in any way then you may already be aware of the Global Harmonised System (GHS) – but if it is something new to you, it is very important that you understand it. Whether you are involved with these chemicals directly, or perhaps in an incidental way it is vital not only to know what the symbols mean and what they are used for, but also to ensure that any labelling that you are responsible for is carried out correctly. Here we will take a GHS to establish exactly how it could affect your business, as well as examining the steps that you need to take to ensure that your labelling is fully compliant. A brief history Across the world many different countries and organisations have laws and rules about how hazardous properties of chemicals are identified (known as their ‘classification’) and how information about these classifications should be distributed to individuals and companies, such as through labelling and data sheets. For a long time, this was extremely confusing as there was little cooperation or unity between different countries and the bodies that oversaw hazardous chemicals. In some countries a chemical might be labelled ‘hazardous’ while in others it was not considered to be. This can potentially make it dangerous for the people involved, and complicate international trade. What is GHS? It wasn’t until 1992 that the international community developed the Global Harmonised System. The UN has since rolled out the GHS across the world. It is used to classify and communicate whether a chemical has hazardous properties. It does so by defining the risks posed by the specific chemical to health, safety, and the environment. It uses available data to establish processes for chemical classification and ensures that hazardous information is presented in the correct way. Thankfully the GHS has been adopted by organisations and institutions worldwide as it makes the whole process of dealing with hazardous chemicals not only potentially easier and more profitable from a trade perspective, but also safer and more environmentally friendly. Why is it important? It is clear to see that with poor systems in place for understanding hazardous chemicals, the consequences could be disastrous. Ultimately, the GHS came into place in order to provide better protection for people, as well as for the environment. It also makes it much easier for businesses to work within a standard framework for these chemicals. Having a standard labelling system means that there are no language barriers or localised systems that can confuse the situation. Companies, industries and countries are able to work within a unified system that everyone can refer to without the potential for misunderstandings. How can my business become complaint with the GHS? If you work with any kind of chemicals in the process of producing, transporting, or storing then you need to have health and safety labels that comply with the GHS. Ultimately, a GHS-compliant label has the following: A signifying word indicating the severity of the hazardous chemical. This might be “danger” or “warning”. A GHS hazard statement which uses specific words and phrases for the type of A GHS hazard pictogram which provides information about the specifics of the hazardous effects that a chemical can have on human or environmental health. All pictograms are black and white images inside a red diamond border. Explaining the GHS pictograms Created for the fast and effective recognition of chemicals, the GHS pictograms need to be clearly positioned on any materials so that it is easy to read from an appropriate distance. The GHS has nine official pictogram symbols that are used to represent specific hazards. Here we’ll take a look at the pictograms, broken down into their relevant categories: Physical hazards Explosive – unstable and explosive substances are signified with the icon of an exploding ball Flammable – any gas, liquid or solid that has the potential to ignite are signified with a flame Oxidising – any chemical that has the ability to oxidise any other substance is signified with flame over a circle Compressed Gas – any container with pressured gas inside is signified with a gas canister Corrosive – any corrosive substances are signified with a hand and an object being damaged by fluid from a test tube Health hazards Toxic – any substance that has a poisonous effect (either through consumption, inhalation, or physical exposure) is signified with skull and crossbones Harmful – any substance that can cause damage to the skin, damage to the eyes, dizziness, or other reactions, is signified with an exclamation mark Health Hazard – any substances that are carcinogenic, or can be responsible for issues with reproductive, development, or the respiratory system are signified with a figure with a burst in their chest Environmental hazard Environmental Hazard – any substance that can cause harm to the aquatic environment is signified with a barren tree and a dead fish
Whilst gardening is a fun and enjoyable pastime, it’s also one that can be decidedly challenging in some instances. Aside from the labour-intensive and time-consuming nature of some gardening tasks, it may occasionally be necessary to undertake more complex projects that make your outdoor space more accessible and functional. Whilst this will require you to comply with various health and safety and planning legislation, it’s thought that modifying your garden space can translate into an ROI of 88%. This means that you can add considerable value to your home by creating an accessible garden, and the question that remains is how can such an objective be achieved? Start with Your Layout – Considering Paths and Paving If you’re modernising your garden space, it’s important to determine its precise layout. This means dividing the space between paving, lawn and flower beds, as you look to compartmentalise the area and optimise accessibility. In terms of paving, this is a worthwhile investment in a new or modified garden as it provides an affordable and relatively easy to maintain surface area. Paving also provides the ideal balance between efficiency and cash savings, as whilst materials such as gravel may be cheaper they’re far from ideal for bins, children’s toys and pushchairs. From a practical perspective, paving with mortared joints tends to be easier, whilst this also prevents weeds from sprouting in your garden space. If you have kids, you should also keep clear of slippery materials like slate and York stone, whilst paths should also boast a recommended width of between 1 and 1.5 metres. If you intend to maintain flower beds around the edge of the garden, you should also look to separate alternative planting areas that negate the need for constant pruning and minimises overgrowth. This means that your flower beds should be secured and compartmentalised, with Marshall’s garden edging stones and caps providing a stylish option that strikes the ideal balance between cost and aesthetics. Some Practical Considerations for Home-owners In terms of functionality, there are other steps that you can take to improve your private or communal garden space. One option is to install an outdoor plug socket on the external wall of your home, as this makes jobs such as mowing and hedge-trimming far easier. It’s also wise to install simple and easy-to-use handles (or latches) on all external doors and gates, so that people can gain access safely at all times. If you don’t have the money to install a new or powerful water system, you should consider fitting an outdoor tap or a water butt that collects rainwater as it falls. These steps will help you to create an accessible and functional garden space, and one that’s inherently safe and enjoyable during the summer months.
Waterloo Air Products plc is investing in an 18-month professional development programme for a group of employees from all disciplines within the company. Run in conjunction with Accelerator Solutions, the initiative is designed specifically to develop the skill sets that Waterloo will require as it continues to expand, creating a group that is ready for the future challenges the business will face. The participants were selected on the basis of an initial assessment as to suitability, aptitude and potential to benefit from the programme. The content is broad-based, from analytical skills and the application of technology, through to emotional intelligence and communication. The benefits will not just be for the business. The goal is to increase employee satisfaction and generate a positive impact on customer service. Managing Director at Waterloo, John Tiernan, says: “Customer service is the main focus for Waterloo as we move forward. We know that the key factor in delivering exceptional customer service is having experienced and happy employees. This course is designed to really support and challenge our people to help drive innovative customer solutions into the future.” Heidi Daniell, Director of the providers of the training programme, Accelerator Solutions, adds: “It’s fantastic to be working with Waterloo Air Products. We aim to not only benefit Waterloo’s employees but positively impact the organisation. Accelerator delivers high-impact training and development programmes to clients in a range of sectors. We’ve found that these programmes really help organisations to strengthen skill sets, and build a culture based on shared vision and values with team members at all levels as well as customers and stakeholders.”
BSRIA has launched its free-to-download topic guide on Soft Landings and Business-Focused Maintenance (BFM). This guide aims to inform those involved in the design, construction and operation of a building about how an effective BFM regime can be developed and achieved through the soft landings approach. Nick Blake, the guide’s co-author and principal consultant on facilities management, said: “It is fundamental to involve the facilities managers (FMs), where known, from early on in the design stage. The knowledge and experience of the FMs can inform better design of systems and make BFM more readily adoptable and easier in operation. “Maintenance can have a major impact on the success of a business and, therefore, can deliver a competitive advantage. It shouldn’t be considered as an overhead – but as a way of adding value to the business. Each building, therefore, should have its own bespoke maintenance programme, which can enable the FM to prevent asset failures through a more pragmatic approach.” He added: “BFM can help the team to first decide which assets are crucial in achieving the business goals and the end users’ needs. Then, soft landings success criteria in terms of the availability, accessibility and manageability of those assets can be set. And the asset strategy and maintenance schedules should be gradually developed during the project and be completed and available at the pre-handover phase.”
Latest transaction at premier 74-acre Silverwood’s Business Park now brings the development to 90% occupancy. St Francis Group, a leading UK-based property development and investment group and an expert in brownfield development and regeneration has announced the sale of 3.6 acres of land at its premier 74-acre Silverwood’s Business Park mixed use development in Kidderminster. The land is to be utilised to build new manufacturing, testing, warehouse and office facilities for Barton Firtop, a world leading manufacturer of filtration products, that will enable three existing sites to merge into a purpose built, ‘state of the art’ plant. It is anticipated that the Phase 1 development shall provide 40,000 sq. ft. of facilities and employment for up to 100 people with a Phase 2 expansion planned to follow to increase this to 60,000 sq. ft. and potentially an additional 50 employees. Commenting on the deal St Francis Development Director Gareth Williams said: “We are very happy to welcome Barton Firtop to our premier Silverwood’s Business Park development and to support their next phase of growth and expansion needs This deal follows several other land-sales during 2018 which now brings the park to practically 90% occupancy with only a few plots remaining. Silverwood’s is a real success story locally, creating much needed new housing, community facilities, leisure attractions and retail space in the process creating several hundred new jobs from the local community” Kevin Troughton, Managing Director at Barton Firtop said “This is a really exciting time for the Company enabling our current level of growth to progress to the next stage. Our company currently has space limitations and this problem is compounded by operating between three separate sites, so this new-build will enhance our capabilities and enable us to meet ever increasing capacity requirements, ultimately resulting in further increases in turnover and staffing levels. Over the last decade the company has more than doubled its staff base and with this acquisition it remains on course to expand further, based on the increasing demand for our World Leading Filtration® products that are supplied to prestigious clients around the globe.” John Dillon of GJS Dillon Commercial Property Consultants advised Barton Firtop on their acquisition. John Dillon explained that “Finding sites and existing warehouse / industrial facilities in Worcestershire is practically impossible at the moment without the help of an experienced Chartered Surveyor with local connections with Landowners, Property Owners, Pension Funds and Commercial agents. Working with Kevin Troughton at Barton Firtop and the professional team made up of Gavin Vickers from One Creative and Clare Regan at Whatley Weston & Fox was an absolute pleasure”.
Having just some uncertain ideas and a logo of your company is not enough to say that it is a brand strategy. To succeed one should have a written plan in details to gain results and understand what should be taken. 3 questions each brand should ask itself before planning any activity: Who are your clients? What is the message of your brand? How do you understand “success” in long-term perspective for your brand? Answering these questions, this initial step, will help you to define your goals, needs of your clients, methods of talking to them and the tools you will use to estimate your success. There is no one and only definition of brand strategy but generally it covers the following aspects: meaning of your brand; its promises; type of personality your brand broadcasts. So, to boost your revenue and promote your brand try online advertising network as example https://polus.media/ These moments are hardly trackable, but, nevertheless, very important. It becomes more evident when we start talking about brand’s mood. If we talk about big companies it is an often case to invite two different teams to develop each side of the brand, we don’t know why, but they do not often meet together and we may have contradicting results at the end. In some sense, one can say that brand strategy is relying on your intuition. We could add that it should be based on some data as well. Slogan of Rolex describes the situation most of all: it doesn’t tell time, it tells history. There is some history, brand developing in the video. Think what you can show in terms of: then and now. To discuss this example more, you may notice that there is a certain message from this brand. This part is very important to call correct motivation from your customers. Only after understanding the strategy of your brand you can make any marketing activities. However, we recommend waiting for a while and study your target audience. Here we mean to catch who your audience actually is. To draw a portrait of your customer you should include such factors like demography, marital status, type of work, where they go shopping, where they get news, which skills are necessary for work etc. After coming to conclusion you should think where these people mess around. We mean using online and offline areas. Sometimes, different location implies different means of communication. Of course, there is nothing better than to check what your competitors do. And here it is important not to copy them, but to show that you are different and why it is beneficial for your customers. Reasons why some brands may fail No seeing for long-term perspectives; Lack of work on brad’s uniqueness and its message; Lack of understanding the perfect clients; Incoherence in creativity; Obsolete methods or calls to such markets. All the things we discussed are so simple, but mystically so difficult. Anyway, the best thing you can do before working on your brand is thinking and analyzing and only after it some actions can be taken.
KAREN Ryan who spent 15 years of her career at Stepnell has been crowned Mentor of the Year at an annual award ceremony which recognises the very best in construction excellence within the West Midlands. The award recognises an individual who has shown a commitment to developing the future leaders of the industry and has invested their time in nurturing people to help them reach their full potential. She was instrumental in implementing Stepnell’s top-performing trainee and apprenticeship scheme which has boosted Stepnell’s workforce to include 10 per cent of apprentices, trainees and graduates and she chaired the Midlands Construction Training Group, helping other firms to upskill and train their workforces. Before retiring in the same week that she was presented with the award, Karen’s construction career with Stepnell has seen several successful partnerships forged with the CITB and schools and colleges across the Midlands which has resulted in young people joining the industry and becoming award-winners themselves. She said: “It was a huge compliment to be nominated for this award by my colleagues and receiving the award is an honour. “We’ve had so many young people join the business 15 years ago who are still with us now. I’ve seen them progress into senior positions, grow as professionals and have their own families. “These people are the life blood of the business. It’s built on investing in the next generation and that’s what Stepnell is all about. When I started there was less than 100 people, now there’s around 450, but the ethos of supporting staff and helping them grow is still the same.” Mark Wakeford, joint managing director from Stepnell said this award was a testament to Karen’s passion and dedication to mentoring within the industry. “Karen’s infectious enthusiasm to develop individuals within the construction industry has reaped dividends. At Stepnell we are committed to investing in the next generation of young talent and Karen paved the way by developing a hugely successful trainee and apprenticeship scheme,” he said. “Her work has been instrumental in helping us to exceed the industry’s “five per cent club” and we are proud to have apprentices, trainees and graduates making up at least ten per cent of our workforce. “Employee experience is a vital part of our culture at Stepnell, we work to nurture talent and recognise the achievements of individuals at every level across all five regions we operate in. “We offer diverse training opportunities for people leaving school, graduates, ex-offender programmes or people who want to retrain and we have several positions we’re recruiting to across our offices now.” To find out more about Stepnell careers visit: https://www.stepnell.co.uk/careers/current-vacancies/ Join the conversation at @Stepnellltd.
The Environment Agency has announced a set of new supplier arrangements and partnerships which will increase efficiency, value for money and the green legacy of its £2.6 billion capital investment programme. The programme aims to better protect 300,000 homes from coastal erosion and flooding up to 2021 and beyond. Effective from April 2019, the Environment Agency’s Next Generation Supplier Arrangements (NGSA) will form the basis of new ways of working which will help better protect people and the environment whilst ensuring that sustainable development is at the core of Environment Agency projects. The new NGSA arrangements have been developed using the EA’s long experience in the Flood and Coastal Risk Management sector as well as learning from other leading public and private infrastructure providers. The new arrangements promote innovative ways of collaborative working with delivery partners and local communities from the initial planning stages of a project right through to its completion. The new supplier arrangements will also lead to longer term team working and new ways of engaging with local organisations and communities. This closer working will ensure that homes, communities and businesses are receiving the best possible flood and coastal management for the challenges facing their area. At the same time flood and coastal defence projects will promote economic growth, social wellbeing and will seek to enhance levels of natural capital within the local community, making sure that each scheme brings long-lasting benefits for future generations. Toby Willison, Executive Director of Operations at the Environment Agency, said: “This ambitious new framework will help us to continue to deliver our £2.6 billion flood and coastal defence programme in a way which ensures that sustainability, efficiency and value for money remain at the very heart of the work we do to protect people, homes and the environment.” “The Environment Agency continues to work closely with partners and communities from across the country to deliver our commitment of investing £2.6 billion to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion over six years.” The new arrangements are also a major step forwards for delivering low carbon solutions for projects which will help the EA work towards the Government’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. The NGSA arrangements run through to 2023 with the opportunity to extend to 2027. The definitive list of new suppliers can be found below.