Huntingdonshire District Council is the first UK council to use an innovative fingerprint-based drug test to support its frontline services. Since July, the council has been using the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System as part of its recruitment process. Thanks to the fingerprint system’s ease-of-use and ability to deliver test results in ten minutes, council managers are now able to carry out their own drug screening tests before candidates are offered permanent or temporary positions, instead of relying on an external agency to do this. The council is using the system to help ensure that all its front-line safety-critical service staff, including refuse collection drivers of 26 tonne lorries, ground teams, and street maintenance staff working in busy traffic, are all working safely – and protecting themselves, their colleagues and the public. Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) has used drug testing to support its drug and alcohol policy for some time, but has now replaced the previous urine-based testing service provided by an external agency with the Intelligent Fingerprinting portable testing system that is managed in-house. Although the council has been using the fingerprint test for only a few weeks, it has already been very positively received by both candidates and testers thanks to its hygienic, non-invasive approach – which enables social distancing when testing – as well as its ability to provide on-site test results in around ten minutes. “We are using the Intelligent Fingerprinting system to test all new permanent employees or agency staff for frontline services. These employees work in safety-critical roles, often work around machinery, and in a constantly changing environment so it is critical that they are alert and fit for duty. The fingerprint drug screening system is fantastic as it’s saving the council a huge amount of time and cost as we’re now able to conduct the tests in-house rather than using an external provider. Having the system available for use whenever it’s needed also gives us the flexibility to carry out tests at other times too, such as ‘for cause’ testing if we have reason to suspect drug use by an existing employee,” said Andrew Rogan, Operations Manager, HDC. “We are finding the fingerprint system is giving us much greater control over our drug testing, and its efficiency is helping us to unlock immediate savings for the council,” added Andrew Rogan. “Thanks to the Intelligent Fingerprinting approach we have been able to implement remote training for our managers so they can carry out the testing themselves, and we’re confident in the results as the test is virtually impossible to tamper with.” Dr Paul Yates of Intelligent Fingerprinting also commented: “It’s good to hear that our fingerprint drug test is already saving Huntingdonshire District Council time and money while delivering a superior on-site service for their drug testing needs. Immediate efficiency savings include being able to carry out testing quickly and easily in the office and no longer needing to cordon off bathrooms to dedicate their use to urine testing. The council has also taken advantage of Intelligent Fingerprinting’s one stop service for both drug and alcohol tests so we’re providing the council with alcohol breathalysers too.”

A £350 million contract to convert the second stage of Paddington Square in London has been agreed. Sellar, on behalf of Great Western Developments Ltd., will work with main construction partner Mace to deliver the next set of works. This follows the completion of phase one on time and on budget, which saw demolition and piling works delivered. Paddington Square will completely reimagine the approach to Paddington Station, including a new concourse for the London Underground Bakerloo Line, allowing for the area to become one of the grand entrances to London. The mixed-use scheme will offer 360,000 sq ft of office space across 18 light-filled floors, four tiers of curated retail, 1.35 acres of comprehensive public realm improvements and West London’s highest rooftop dining experience with views across the city’s skyline. Excavation is now underway to prepare for the second stage of construction, following the agreement of a final design, programme and cost plan. Focchi has also been appointed as cladding contractors, and William Hare appointed as steelwork contractors to deliver the 5,300 tonnes of steel involved in the build. Paul Flexney-Briscoe, Construction Director at Sellar, said: “We have worked extremely closely with Mace over the past year to frame a plan that is immediately actionable, on time and on brief, and we are happy to confirm today that it is to be delivered on budget. This is an important moment for the development, one that keeps us on track towards a successful build and completion, and marks the point that our vision for Paddington Square starts to become a tangible reality.” Gareth Lewis, Mace’s Chief Executive for Construction, added: “The delivery of Paddington Square promises to create a new icon for the London skyline and create a new mixed-use neighbourhood in Paddington. The agreement of this contract is a major milestone that brings us closer to the completion of the scheme. Like the Shard before it, Mace is very proud to be working alongside Sellar to bring their ambitious vision for this new site to life.” Paddington Square is set to be completed in spring 2022.

Plans for Cambridgeshire’s new town, Northstowe, have taken a major step forward. Proposals for Inholm, a contemporary Fenland village and the second phase of Northstowe, have been granted approval by South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Planning Committee. Innovative modern house builder ‘House by Urban Splash’, a new company backed by regeneration specialists Urban Splash, Homes England and Japan’s biggest house builder, Sekisui House, is bringing the project forward. Inholm comprises a total of 406 modular homes sitting within the context of Northstowe’s masterplan and is inspired by the area’s rich history and previous settlements. The new neighbourhood quarter will be defined by a perimeter of landscapes; country park, sustainable drainage swales, ecological zones and an education campus. When complete, it will be the largest in the UK to be manufactured offsite using modern volumetric construction. Proctor & Matthews Architects is the lead architect and master planner of the site. The village will encompass a range of housing typologies, later living homes and mixed-use buildings. The modular homes will include designs by architects shedkm, which can be configured by the buyer to their own design before being built in a factory and delivered to site. Mark Latham, Regeneration Director at House said: “We are delighted to launch our first homes in this part of the country and are excited about the opportunities ahead at Northstowe as we contribute to this emerging town. “We want to break new ground and surprise people using the latest building methods combined with bespoke designs. We are offering a range of customisable homes and apartments to suit a wide range of modern families, lifestyles and budgets. We can’t wait to get going.” Stephen Kinsella, Chief Land and Development Officer at Homes England, added: “I’m delighted that planning permission has been granted for the first homes to be built on Homes England land at Northstowe, which is a significant step forward for the new town and an important milestone for our joint venture with Urban Splash and Sekisui House. “This is a really ambitious proposal for 406 homes using modern methods of construction, and the quality design of these homes really reflects our ambition to deliver outstanding places.” The customisable homes will be launching officially late Spring/ early Summer 2020.

A new survey has discovered that nearly half of people in the UK feel no sense of belonging in the community where they live. The survey of 1,250 people, conducted by housing experts Laurus Homes, revealed that only 53% of people felt a sense of community with others that lived on their street.  The results varied greatly by age. 18 to 24-year-olds were least likely to feel a sense of belonging (44%) whereas those of retirement age (65+) were most likely to feel connected to where they lived (64%).  While there was no statistically significant difference between male and female respondents, sentiment changed greatly by region. Those in Wales were most likely to report that they felt a strong sense of belonging within their community (65%), whereas that number plummeted to just 44% for Londoners. Is the UK losing its sense of community? The survey from Laurus Homes displays a marked decline in the public’s sense of kinship with their local area over the last five years. Since 2014, the proportion of people who said they felt a sense of belonging in their neighbourhood has gone down from 72% (Source: Community Life Survey) to just 47% in this latest report. Previous research from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport also found that in the last five years, Britons have become less likely to trust their neighbours. Only 40% of those surveyed in 2019 said that many of the people in their neighbourhood could be trusted, down from 48% in 2014.  In fact, the proportion of adults who chat with their neighbours at least once a month — beyond a mere ‘hello’ — has also declined in the same time (75% in 2015 to 72% in 2019). This coincides with the increase in the number of people who felt their area had gotten worse to live in. That figure stands at more than 1 in 4 people in 2019, up from 1 in 5 just five years earlier.  What problems can a loss of community cause? While the decline in our sense of community might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it has significant impacts on health. Social isolation is a major risk factor for mental health. One research paper published in BMC Public Health found that working-age adults who lived alone were significantly more likely to develop mental health problems and rely on antidepressants than those who lived in a shared household. But why?  Many experts believe that having someone to talk to about ideas and circumstances helps people feel accepted by others. Feeling accepted is a core pillar of our psychological well-being. Without tight-knit communities, this sense of acceptance is more difficult to find.  How can we get our sense of community back? The decline of local communities isn’t inevitable. In fact, there are a number of ways we can revive the sense of community in our neighbourhoods, boosting our mental health and well-being along the way. Annie Clewlow, Manager of neighbourhood charity Communicare, suggests that lots of opportunities to chat — such as pubs, working men’s clubs, pension queues and at the school gates — have been lost thanks to the rise of digital communication.  “People need to be given more opportunities to ‘bump into’ one another in community spaces where they feel comfortable and safe. This includes cross-generational opportunities to increase mixing and socialisation across all age groups as this will improve each generation’s understanding of others. “Some supermarket cafés already have tables set aside for people who would like to meet others for a chat to sit at and some cities also have ‘happy to chat’ benches.” Annie said that local authorities could be instrumental in revitalising the UK’s sense of community. She said: “The government can encourage and support a ‘bottom-up’ approach and target funding to support community development such as local solutions groups.” Zac Worthington, Sales Manager from Laurus Homes, said: “It’s clear from the findings that we have to look into whether there is a disconnect between people and their local areas, which could create the loss of a sense of community.  “As the results from the survey show people need more opportunities to ‘bump into each other’. That’s why we are building homes rather than houses. We want to foster a new sense of community by building homes where people want to live and connect with their neighbours and engage in a community.” “Getting reconnected to a local community is key in helping reduce the level of social isolation our country experiences and encourage a way of living that is far better for our mental well-being.”