Following a strong first quarter, premier regional developer Mulberry Homes has continued its strategic expansion with nine current developments and several more launching soon, in prime locations cross Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire, Oxford, and recently branching into Bedfordshire, to meet local demand for quality new homes. Following the launch of six
Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd. (RSS) is raising the capacity and diversity of its rigging stock, whilst equipping itself to respond to increasing demand for complex below-the-hook solutions, to more efficiently serve the heavy-lift sector. RSS attends to a myriad of industries from six UK locations but its most recently
The Mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr Jay Dyne, was on hand last month to officially open the new Forklift Truck Training Centre at Cambridge Regional College’s Huntingdon Campus, designed to be used by apprentices, local companies and jobseekers. A welcome addition to the Huntingdon Campus range of facilities, the training centre
Please click on link to see Mainstay article in BDC Magazine April 2019 with Neal O’Grady, Managing Director of Integrated Property Management (IPM). For further information please contact Pip Gowenlock – Marketing and Communications Officer – PipGowenlock@mainstaygroup.co.uk – 01905 361 035 Mainstay article – BDC Magazine April 2019
With little under a month to go until the highly-anticipated 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations come into force, Bureau Veritas is calling on duty holders to step up efforts aimed at reducing the safety risk posed by poor electrics. Due to be published in July, BS 7671
Leading independent construction, property and management consultant, Rider Levett Bucknall UK (RLB UK), has announced today the appointment of industry expert Steve Gillingham as Partner and National Head of Public Sector, with immediate effect. Steve joins RLB from Mace where he was most recently Regional Director responsible for strategic and
The joy of getting up and enjoying a shower in the morning cannot be overstated. However, the horror of stepping into that blissful shower to discover that your hot water cylinder is delivering nothing, but icy cold water is not the rude awakening you want. So, what causes a household
Following a strong first quarter, premier regional developer Mulberry Homes has continued its strategic expansion with nine current developments and several more launching soon, in prime locations cross Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire, Oxford, and recently branching into Bedfordshire, to meet local demand for quality new homes. Following the launch of six new developments in 2017 and a positive start to 2018, the housebuilder is seeing strong footfall to its sites, with robust sales across its current portfolio from buyers across the region. Mulberry Homes, the residential arm of Mulberry Developments, originally formed in 2004, has quickly established a strong reputation for its design and delivery of striking new home developments in sought-after locations. To date, following the financial year end, Mulberry has built 130 homes in highly desirable premium locations including Bicester, Great Easton and Appleby Magna, with over 200 new homes in the pipeline for the current financial year. Renowned for its high-quality niche properties, Mulberry Homes builds a broad range of individually designed homes including traditional two storey spacious family homes, well designed starter homes and single storey bungalows commanding a strong brand reputation for themselves and their homes alike. The properties are sympathetically designed to suit all buying profiles, from downsizers, families, young professionals and first-time buyers. All homes combine a meticulous attention to detail, with a design-led approach, offering superb kerb appeal, and outstanding interior and exterior specification. Adding to its growing development portfolio, Mulberry is launched the exclusive Hursley Park development in Great Bowden this month. Recently crowned one of the best places to live in the Midlands and commended as the best address in the area by The Sunday Times, Great Bowden is a highly sought-after postcode less than a mile from the thriving town of Market Harborough, offering direct trains to London. This niche development will offer 50 new homes, situated within stunning landscaped gardens and 22 acres of country park. Work is well-underway on site and a number of plots have already been reserved. Providing an aspirational home for everyone, Mulberry currently has a range of properties available. Recently launched, Winchelsea Gate is set in the popular village of Weldon, Northamptonshire and has already proven extremely popular with buyers, with 50 per cent of phase one reserved. Stokes Rise in Great Easton is an exclusive development of exceptional four-bedroom family homes, designed to replicate the lasting character of the surrounding area. Meanwhile, a flourishing community is coming to life at Oakview in Appleby Magna, having sold to families and savvy commuters, benefitting from excellent road links. Known as the ‘Best Kept Village’ in Buckinghamshire, Hanslope is home to an Ofsted Outstanding Primary School and an exclusive new collection of just 12 three and four-bedroom homes. Now 75 per cent sold, the sales success of the development continues as St James’ Manor occupies the perfect family location, with top local amenities as well as great commuter links. Houghton Fields offers a stunning collection of family homes ranging from three to four-bedroom properties in Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire. As Mulberry’s first Bedfordshire development, Houghton Fields is meeting demand as one of the few housebuilders to provide traditionally built new build bungalows. These properties have been snapped up by local buyers, with just one bungalow remaining. As one of Mulberry’s flagship developments, Harcourt Gardens offers a variety of 60 homes, ranging from one to four-bedroom properties. Located in Kibworth Harcourt in Leicestershire, this extremely popular and vibrant village offers its residents the best of both worlds with nearby open countryside, a fantastic choice of schools and top transport links into the city. Families will be perfectly suited to this prime location. Steeped in rich history Earls Barton, located nine miles from lively country town Northampton, is the home of Earls Place. Benefiting from Northampton’s frequent rail services into London, from Wellingborough this development is ideal for commuters who wish to move further from the city in order to get more for their money. The remaining four-bedroom homes are available to purchase with Help to Buy, meaning a deposit of less than £13,000.is this figure correct? Oak View is a luxury development that is well suited to all buyer types, with a range of homes including three, four and five-bedroom properties and easy access to the major Midland Cities, Birmingham, Coventry, Nottingham, Derby and Leicester. The thriving village location of Appleby Magna offers residents Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rated schools and day to day amenities within close range of the development. Meeting further demand for commuters, Stokes Rise is perfectly located to benefit from fast rail links to London St Pancras from neighbouring Market Harborough and Corby. Whilst easily connected to the capital, the homes are set within the picturesque village of Great Easton, known as one of the most attractive Welland Valley villages, living up to Mulberry’s promise of delivering homes in the best locations across their region. Finally, Stratton Park, an exclusive development featuring one to four-bedroom properties is down to the last remaining homes. These properties continue Mulberry’s outstanding quality specification throughout their open-plan designs. Perfectly designed to suit the needs of modern living, the local amenities include the popular designer shopping outlet, Bicester Village. City professionals from Birmingham or London can enjoy fast and easy access, with frequent services taking just 50 minutes into London. Ian Sadler Managing Director of Mulberry Homes, commented: “This year has got off to an exceptional start for Mulberry Homes with a record number of live sites and development launches including the eagerly anticipated new homes at Houghton Fields, our very first Bedfordshire development. Over the next year, we plan to continue to grow the business by seeking out the most desirable sites in prime residential locations across our heartland in Midlands as well as strengthening our regional presence and product offering throughout Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.” For more information on Mulberry Homes, please visit www.mulberryhomes.co.uk.
Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd. (RSS) is raising the capacity and diversity of its rigging stock, whilst equipping itself to respond to increasing demand for complex below-the-hook solutions, to more efficiently serve the heavy-lift sector. RSS attends to a myriad of industries from six UK locations but its most recently opened site is in Warrington, close to the heavy-lift depot of Ainscough Crane Hire, which named RSS a preferred supplier of lifting and rigging equipment at the end of 2016. And the partnership, combined with market conditions, is yielding demand for heavier and often specialised rigging gear. Steve Hutin, managing director at RSS, said: “Our heavy-lift initiative is two-pronged in that we want to ensure we have the product and expertise to respond to demand, but we must also continue to raise our profile in the sector so more industry professionals view us as a company capable of delivering below-the-hook solutions at the higher end of the marketplace.” He continued: “In the first instance, we are looking at our stock levels and manufacturing capabilities, but we are also repositioning the image of the company in certain areas to capitalise on the growth we detect where heavy lifting equipment is concerned; we recently signed off on promotional materials that focused on our capability to supply heavy lifting and crane accessories. There is also a good tie-in with our inspection, repair, and other divisions of the company.” Hutin was reluctant to state a capacity at which he feels the heavy-lift market begins. He said: “Some might say anything over 250t is a heavy lift but we have equipment suppliers with the engineering capability to go into the thousands of tonnes. Taking into account the super- or mega-heavy end of the market, the lines are blurred further. That’s why we look at the sector not only in terms of capacity but also in the context of complexity, where a spreader beam, slings, and other rigging gear might be required beneath the hook of a single crane.” Hutin was actually keen not to highlight Warrington as the fulcrum for this renewed heavy-lift focus. “Demand [for heavy lifting equipment] is nationwide,” he said. “In fact, at the forefront of our marketing endeavours is the message that we can provide rigging products and services across the UK. Further, we’re not limiting our growth strategy to supply of product—hire, sales, and inspection services are collectively important.” RSS does not want to enter the contract crane market, whereby it would source a crane and deliver a complete lifting package to clients. This exclusive focus on rigging equipment has swelled the potential of the Ainscough partnership, but has also opened doors with other major and regional crane rental firms. Sarens recently sourced a significant order for a project within the heavy-lift sector, Hutin confirmed. Picture: ainscough crawler.jpg Caption: RSS provided a variety of rigging equipment, including spreader beams, wire rope slings, and wire rope bobbins, for use beneath the hook of this Ainscough crawler crane. Contact for editorial enquiries: Steve Hutin, steve@rssgroup.co.uk
The Mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr Jay Dyne, was on hand last month to officially open the new Forklift Truck Training Centre at Cambridge Regional College’s Huntingdon Campus, designed to be used by apprentices, local companies and jobseekers. A welcome addition to the Huntingdon Campus range of facilities, the training centre will allow Cambridge Regional College to offer RTITB accredited training and licencing, an in-demand skill for businesses across the county and region. In attendance on opening day were a number of local businesses, jobcentre representatives and recruitment professionals, along with members of the college staff who have played a part in the creation process, including Forklift Instructor Simon Hunt. Cambridge Regional College Principal and Chief Executive Mark Robertson introduced the Mayor and took a moment to thank those who had helped make the opening possible. Mayor Jay Dyne then took centre stage, and expressed his delight at opening a key new resource for the region, “It is great to be back at the Campus to see the developments, investments and improvements that the leadership team at Cambridge Regional College have been implementing over these last few months” he said. “Our region needs a variety of skills and this college offers a great range of specialist training and vocational courses. These industry specific licences are an essential part of what local employers are looking for new recruits to hold, making this a hugely useful new service for the local community”. Cambridge Regional College Head of Employment Services, Maureen Horan, was also present for the opening celebrations, she said, “When we embarked on the journey to merge Cambridge Regional College with Huntingdonshire Regional College into one college with two great campuses, we knew it would require investment and new thinking. I would like to say a huge thank you to the staff that worked very hard and collaboratively to get the facility ready for accreditation, which we received first time with no actions”. After a ribbon cutting ceremony set to a round of applause, the Forklift Truck Training Centre was officially open to the public. The Mayor then took a tour of the facility and the rest of the Huntingdon campus. Cambridge Regional College offers a wide range of full-time, part-time and Higher Education courses from Construction and Engineering to Media and Computing Technologies, with campuses in Huntingdon and Cambridge. It is one of the top 10 colleges in the country and the largest Apprenticeship provider in the Eastern Region, with many opportunities to join great companies. The opening of the centre represents the latest in a line of successes the college has achieved in recent times. Key performance figures released recently place it first in the country (out of 198 colleges) in 19+ GCSE Maths A* – C pass rates. A centre of vocational excellence, Cambridge Regional College continues to grow and expand its role as a major seat of learning in the East of England.
Please click on link to see Mainstay article in BDC Magazine April 2019 with Neal O’Grady, Managing Director of Integrated Property Management (IPM). For further information please contact Pip Gowenlock – Marketing and Communications Officer – PipGowenlock@mainstaygroup.co.uk – 01905 361 035 Mainstay article – BDC Magazine April 2019
With little under a month to go until the highly-anticipated 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations come into force, Bureau Veritas is calling on duty holders to step up efforts aimed at reducing the safety risk posed by poor electrics. Due to be published in July, BS 7671 – IET Wiring Regulations 18th edition will apply to all new and rewired installations designed after January 2019. The legislation is set to include a number of significant changes in relation to protection against fire, protection against overvoltages and clarity on special location installations, in a bid to optimise safety in domestic, industrial and commercial locations. The more stringent standards will look to address the risks presented by faulty electrical installations and wiring systems, after estimates show that electricity is the leading cause of over 20,000 accidental fires in the UK each year1. In the run up to implementation, global certification firm Bureau Veritas is urging all duty holders to review their existing electrical safety standards and intensify their ‘safety first’ approach to compliance. Nathan Cliff, electrical principal engineer for electrical systems at Bureau Veritas, said: “With poor electrical installations still responsible for five accidents in the UK every single day, it’s no surprise the 18th Edition will force us as an industry to place a greater emphasis on the protection of people. “For duty holders, our advice is clear – do not wait until the regulations take hold to take action. Instead, start by reviewing existing electrical safety protocols to ensure they take a ‘safety first’ approach to protecting employees, students and residents so that best practice is achieved every step of the way.” According to Bureau Veritas, one important aspect for duty holders to consider is that the 18th edition puts a greater onus on a risk assessment when it comes to protection against transient overvoltage (e.g. lightning) required for buildings to protect against the risk of fires and loss of supply. In addition, protection must be provided for high risk and sensitive locations, such as medical locations, heritage buildings, banks, IT centres etc. Nathan adds: “For many, these new regulations will no doubt be hard to decipher and put into practice. However, it’s literally a matter of life and death for duty holders to get to grips with these reforms as soon as they can as achieving compliance now ahead of the January 2019 deadline will, ultimately, help to save lives.” To find out more about Bureau Veritas please call 0345 600 1828 or email info@uk.bureauveritas.com. Alternatively, please visit www.bureauveritas.co.uk
Leading independent construction, property and management consultant, Rider Levett Bucknall UK (RLB UK), has announced today the appointment of industry expert Steve Gillingham as Partner and National Head of Public Sector, with immediate effect. Steve joins RLB from Mace where he was most recently Regional Director responsible for strategic and operational management in the North of England and Scotland. Alongside his National Head of Public Sector role, Steve will support the continued rapid growth of RLB’s regional business in Manchester. Commenting on Steve’s appointment, Dean Sheehy, RLB UK Board Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome Steve as a Partner to RLB. Having worked across many sectors, from commercial and residential to urban regeneration, his appointment as National Head of Public Sector will continue to strengthen our relationships with local authority clients across our UK business. Joining our senior management team in Manchester, Steve’s extensive experience and knowledge, including his role on the board of the Northern Powerhouse, will be a fantastic addition for RLB.” Steve Gillingham, added: “RLB’s exceptional growth over the last few years attracted me to the business. I am looking forward to driving customer service and delivery with our Public Sector clients across the UK, and adding to our strong presence in Manchester.”
The joy of getting up and enjoying a shower in the morning cannot be overstated. However, the horror of stepping into that blissful shower to discover that your hot water cylinder is delivering nothing, but icy cold water is not the rude awakening you want. So, what causes a household to run out of hot water? More importantly, what can be done about it? I once lived in a rental apartment which had a hot water cylinder so small that in order for me to wash and condition my hair required a two-part shower. I’d wash my hair, add the conditioner, turn the shower off and wait for the hot water cylinder to heat up again, then wash my conditioner out. This was great if you wanted a really deep conditioning treatment, not so great if you were running late for work. In order to make sure that you and your household don’t go without hot water, there are a few tips and tricks you can look at. What Type of Cylinder Do You Have? Although continuous gas hot water cylinders are becoming more popular (continuous cylinders are regularly installed overseas), in Australia one of the primary types of cylinder that has been installed in houses and apartments for years is the standard storage tank. These come in a range of sizes and work by filling the cylinder with cold water and heating the water, often with an electrical element. This type of cylinder is prone to providing cold showers, because once the heated water has been drained from the tank, it refills with cold water and needs to be reheated. Sometimes the problem is caused by the household having a hot water cylinder that is simply too small for it’s needs, so it is quickly drained (although it also quickly refills and reheats). However, a larger tank may not always be the solution. One person having a luxurious long bath may completely drain the tank, leaving no hot water for an hour or more. Hot water for everyone If you have the storage tank type of hot water cylinder, your first option to making sure that there is enough hot water to go around is to have a discussion about anti-social behavior and hogging all the hot water. From there, your next option is to work out if you have the right sized tank for your needs. It has been suggested that the average person uses 35l of hot water a day – obviously this is an estimate and will be subject to seasonal fluctuation as well. If there are two of you in a 1-bedroom apartment, a 50l storage cylinder may work. If you are a family of 6, this is unlikely to provide anyone with a warm shower. The South Australian government has provided a calculator that helps you work out how much hot water you need and looks at your options for hot water supply: https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/energy-and-environment/using-saving-energy/water-heaters/water-heater-calculator. This can provide you a great starting point but talk to your hot water installation professional before making your final decision, as they may have suggestions or advice that fits your specific location and needs; the online calculator is great, but may not think about access, sunlight/shade or a multitude of other considerations that an experienced installer will notice immediately. Hot Water, All the Time Once you start looking at options for hot water supply, the idea of instantaneous hot water starts to develop huge appeal. Particularly if you are the one regularly getting a cold shower. Having a gas system can provide a continuous supply of hot water, but people may think they are unable to use this system because there is no natural gas line available in their area. However, these systems can be installed using gas bottles as well as directly to a supply line, so the only issue comes with how easy it is to access the gas bottle to exchange it when it runs out. Free Hot Water Another tempting option is using a solar heater (click here) – either purely solar or solar as a boost to an electrical system. Although not actually free, using a solar hot water solution can bring down the costs of heating your water.