Infrastructure specialist Balfour Beatty has overseen ones of its more historically intriguing projects, the completed renovation of a structure which dates all the way back from the 18th Century. This structure, known as Tadcaster Bridge, is based in Yorkshire and had been in dire need of repair since December 2015
The city of Romford, in the East End of London, will be investing in a new leisure center for its citizens valued at a grand total of 25 million pounds, which REL Electrical will now be able to contribute towards. The family-run electrical installation business has just signed a contract
Health and safety in the workplace, particularly in the building and construction industries, are of paramount importance to individuals around the world as well as in the United Kingdom. However, alarming figures collated by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) have indicated that despite the continued implementation of
With the end of the financial year approaching Albion Valves (UK) Ltd, a leading UK valve supplier to the building services and industrial markets, has reported phenomenal business growth over the last ten years, with the company having more than tripled their turnover during this period and the workforce at
Leading property companies Dransfield Properties Ltd and Harworth Group Plc have announced a joint venture agreement to deliver a new £50 million retail, office and leisure scheme at Waverley, Rotherham – home to Yorkshire’s largest ever brownfield mixed-use redevelopment. The new 12-acre development is a key part of the strategic
Farmers have pleaded with chiefs for the right to build as they claim they can help to solve the rural housing crisis. Landowners have said they can help solve the crisis and also regenerate countryside communities but the barriers to development need to be lifted. The head of planning at
It is clearly more important than ever before that the British Safety Council gets involved and committed to aiding various businesses in construction on how they can improve their safety measures in the workplace. Having been in place for an impressive total of 60 years, the British Safety Council will
Robert Walters, a surveyor that has been in operation conducting surveys around the world since the year 2000, has released figures this year that indicate that the salary earners working in the field of mid-level supplies will go up by a very significant 11 per cent. This is without a
On the 22nd February of this year, Manchester will witness a useful new lesson in how to maintain the values of health and safety in an increasingly digitized workplace universe. The event, organized and implemented by the British Safety Council, whose unbridled authority on the subject of health and safety
Infrastructure specialist Balfour Beatty has overseen ones of its more historically intriguing projects, the completed renovation of a structure which dates all the way back from the 18th Century. This structure, known as Tadcaster Bridge, is based in Yorkshire and had been in dire need of repair since December 2015 when violent flooding in the region resulted in part of it being destroyed. Since then, the implementation of works seeking to restore the structure to its original state of glory has been in place with the collaboration and hard work of North Yorkshire County Council. Indeed, whilst old, the structure is a vital necessity in joining the different sides of the region and thus enabling business initiatives and infrastructure in the region such as SMEs in the area to take place and prosper. The council also had the help of Balfour Beatty, who applied their extensive knowledge of how infrastructure works in order to ensure that the bridge was rebuilt safely and effectively to allow for the local economy to benefit the most from its new implementation. Indeed, David Robinson, acting as the Project Director of this ambitious construction project in the North Yorkshire region, expressed his delight and pride that the company was able to get involved with this initiative. As he explains, the fact that the structure itself was of a grade two listing did not deter Balfour Beatty in the slightest, and the company did their utmost to ensure that it was rebuilt with the attention and respect that it deserved. This included using and applying various materials and methods of reconstruction that would have been in use at the time that the bridge was originally built. Even through these perhaps more time-consuming methods of building and construction, and with adverse weather conditions and fluctuating water levels to contend with, Balfour Beatty successfully completed the project in a little over a year, and are very pleased that it is now finished and can now finally be used by the excited locals of the North Yorkshire area where the bridge is located.
The city of Romford, in the East End of London, will be investing in a new leisure center for its citizens valued at a grand total of 25 million pounds, which REL Electrical will now be able to contribute towards. The family-run electrical installation business has just signed a contract to organize the installation and construction of the networks at Romford Leisure Center, which will be overseen by property management business Willmott Dixon, themselves under the watchful eye of Havering Council. The electricals will be designed to eventually enable for the installation of the brand new facilities, among the many which will include such features as a pool for swimmers containing no less than 8 lanes. This will enable those wishing to swim to be able to go at their own comfortable pace, whilst those perhaps wanting to burn more calories will be able to launch themselves bravely and boldly into the faster lanes without knocking into the slowcoaches. In addition to these state-of-the-art pool facilities will be a new fitness suite, a specially built-in rink for ice skaters, as well as an assortment of other sporting activity appliances that the people of Romford will be able to benefit from. At a cost of 2 million pounds worth, REL Electric will plan, install and supervise the entire installation of the electronic side of affairs for the leisure center: this is estimated to take up to as long as an entire year. REL’s MD Mister Toby Buckley has expressed his happiness in being affiliated with the new center, which it is hoped will revitalize and invigorate life into Romford’s infrastructure. Mister Buckley is adamant that the technical conundrums of the installation process will be challenging, but with an already impressive portfolio in developing leisure center space, it seems clear to all involved that REL Electrical are well suited to fulfilling the potential of the new Romford center. If anyone can do it, it’s REL.
Health and safety in the workplace, particularly in the building and construction industries, are of paramount importance to individuals around the world as well as in the United Kingdom. However, alarming figures collated by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) have indicated that despite the continued implementation of health and safety regulations in the workplace, many of these have not been followed or simply been ignored by members of the industry. The evidence based on this alarming and worrying claim is based on the staggering amount of fines accrued by building firms for not carrying appropriate risk assessments or putting their employees’ lives in danger and at great personal risk. The year 2016 recorded a total of 19 fines imposed amounting to sums worth a million pounds or even greater than that, the greatest even reaching to a 5 million pound fine. This is clearly a disgrace to the building and construction industries and demonstrates that not enough businesses in these sectors are regarding the safety and wellbeing of their workers as it should be. It is also worth bearing in mind that fewer fines of staggering amounts were imposed during the year 2015. In fact, not a single fine amounting to 1 million pounds was imposed on a single business in 2014: this is not due to the fact that safety measures were implemented much more in that year than more recently. Rather, the reason for this increase in fines is also that the IOSH is imposing larger penalties than ever before on businesses that neglect the safety of their workers and it is hoped through this that this will be a way of ensuring that businesses regard the safety of their employees more seriously now that they can be fined huge amounts for negligence. Shelley Frost of the directing body of IOSH has explained how injuries in the workplace destroy lives forever and it is therefore essential that all is done to ensure that businesses give health and safety the attention that it deserves.
With the end of the financial year approaching Albion Valves (UK) Ltd, a leading UK valve supplier to the building services and industrial markets, has reported phenomenal business growth over the last ten years, with the company having more than tripled their turnover during this period and the workforce at it’s base in Barnsley growing by over 100%. Albion attributes the secret of success to having a loyal and highly skilled team of people supporting the business and its distributors. During the coming year, one third of Albion staff will have been with the company for ten years or more, with the original core founding team clocking-up over 20 years each in the business. From a commercial perspective, it is Albion’s empathy with customers and their responsiveness to ever-changing industry needs that has helped them build a reputation as a preferred supplier. Whilst the team’s expertise and product knowledge – particularly keeping abreast of new product development has helped the business grow and expand into new areas. The company has also been quick to reinvest in the business. During 2016 Albion invested significantly into expanding its premises in Barnsley, enabling them to increase stock densities and improve stock availability to customers. A new in-house test facility for testing and setting safety valves was also added as was a staff canteen and increased office space to accommodate Albion’s growing team. In recruitment, sustainability has been key in the growth strategy to help ensure the team retains exactly the right balance of skills to best service distributors. Last year Albion recruited dedicated managers in both quality control and marketing for the first time, to further support its sales and operations team. David Keys, Managing Director, Albion Valves UK Ltd commented: “We are very fortunate to have such a great group of people working with us. The team is always willing to go the extra mile for customers and continually strives to provide a first-class service. It is their skills and knowledge that really makes this business the success story it is today. To help us grow further and continue to offer the best possible service to customers, we are also keen to develop young talent and pass the skills developed by our senior staff onto the next generation. As a business, we have always offered apprenticeships and have a one hundred percent track record of extending our apprenticeships into full-time employment. This year we will be recruiting again to fulfill another apprenticeship, as well as adding to our sales team.” Albion currently stocks over 5000 lines of commercial valves, suitable for applications predominantly within the process, water, building services and HVAC industries, all available from its distributor network.
Leading property companies Dransfield Properties Ltd and Harworth Group Plc have announced a joint venture agreement to deliver a new £50 million retail, office and leisure scheme at Waverley, Rotherham – home to Yorkshire’s largest ever brownfield mixed-use redevelopment. The new 12-acre development is a key part of the strategic regeneration of the 740 acre Waverley development, just two minutes from Junction 33 of the M1. The planned high-quality local centre is expected to bring hundreds of new jobs to the region and will deliver: A 24,500 sq. ft. food store High quality office space Medical centre Transport hub A new hotel 70,000 sq. ft. of further retail space A gym as well as good quality restaurants and coffee shops 470 car parking spaces The development will formally link the internationally renowned Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) and the residential area through a masterplanned retail and leisure development, incorporating much-needed community facilities. Shops, restaurants and cafes will be set around a central car park area with a good mix of independent and national names. There will be high quality office space created above the retail units as well as attractive walkways, landscaped piazza areas with water features and a “town square” where regular Farmers’ Markets can be held. A planning application is scheduled to be submitted in Spring 2017 and will include a transport hub for Rotherham to improve connectivity to the region as well as a hotel and a new medical centre to serve the growing business and residential area. This is the latest phase of Waverley’s development. Yorkshire’s leading brownfield development is already home to 600 homes and the AMP which includes world-leading firms including Rolls-Royce and Boeing. The next 15 years will see up to 3,400 further homes built, in addition to a further 1m sq. ft of manufacturing space to further grow the AMP. It also marks a further high-profile development for Dransfield Properties, which has just opened the company’s flagship Fox Valley development in north Sheffield on a former steelworks site. It has also won a number of awards for similar developments elsewhere, including a BCSC Gold Award for its Marshall’s Yard scheme in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. This is a really exciting project to be involved with. Mark Dransfield, Managing Director of Dransfield Properties, said: “This is a really exciting project to be involved with. We are delighted to work alongside Harworth, bringing our team’s experience and knowledge of delivering retail developments to this new community. “Waverley is an exciting development which has great potential for creating a high-quality retail and leisure environment, designed to support the growing community and the wider region. We look forward to being a part of this project.” Owen Michaelson, Chief Executive of Harworth Group plc, said “We are delighted to partner with Dransfield for this significant development on our flagship site, given their track record across the UK and their absolute focus on quality. “We expect the local centre to become central to the Waverley community, as it co-joins the AMP and the residential area, offering a range of essential facilities and bringing hundreds of job opportunities to the region.” About Harworth Group Listed on the main market, Harworth Group plc is one of the leading regeneration specialists in the UK. Harworth owns and manages over 22,000 acres of land across 150 sites, ranging from residential development land to commercial properties, low-carbon energy schemes and agricultural estates. To find out more about the company visit www.harworthgroup.com Harworth Group is the landowner and developer of Waverley. The development to date includes 600 homes and the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) which is home to world-leading firms including Rolls-Royce and Boeing. The next 15 years will see up to 3,400 further homes built in addition to a further 1m sq. ft of manufacturing space to further grow the AMP. About Dransfield Properties Formed in 1992 Dransfield Properties is a South Yorkshire based company which specialises in retail led regeneration, primarily focussed on town and district centres. The company works with some of the leading names in the retail industry and has a property portfolio which includes award winning centres in both Morpeth in Northumberland and Gainsborough in Lincolnshire – a sympathetic redevelopment of a former industrial site, which won the BCSC Gold Award. In the last 12 months the company has also launched its flagship Fox Valley development in Stocksbridge, north Sheffield on a former steelworks site. To find out more about the company visit www.dransfield.co.uk
Farmers have pleaded with chiefs for the right to build as they claim they can help to solve the rural housing crisis. Landowners have said they can help solve the crisis and also regenerate countryside communities but the barriers to development need to be lifted. The head of planning at the Country Land and Business Association, Fenella Collins, has noticed that the growing attention to problems relating to the affordability of housing are causing strain in the rural communities. Members of such communities want to work in a countryside that is socially diverse and thriving economically and developing housing is a great way to do this, however, the planning system has brought frustration to landowners and their plans. Over half of all permitted development rights applications to convert farm buildings into dwellings are still being turned away. And whilst calls have been made on the government to intervene and change regulations to offer clearer guidelines for planning bosses. However, it’s becoming seemingly obvious that are exceptions being made for rural sites. Housing development on rural sites is only allowed if its affordable as seen with statistics surrounding Cornwall and Northumberland. The latter has had no sites built since last year, while 300 homes were allowed to be built in Cornwall. There has also been calls for affordable housing to be made exempt from capital gains and inheritance tax in a bit to make it seem financially attractive. Whilst house building did increase last year, it was down by almost a quarter on pre-recession levels with house prices rising 7% from October 2015 and October 2016. Sheep farmer William Ashley has developed housing on rural land by converting two barns into three dwellings and chicken sheds into a further 12 live-in work units. Mr. Ashley has claimed there is a desire to develop but people are being put up against a brick wall and a frustrating one at that as there is a sense of desperation for housing and farms are being prevented from helping. Instead, housing developers such as Strata Homes and the government are building on brownfield sites as this is a lot cheaper than building on green land. There is a strong local interest to build thousands of homes on hundreds of brownfield sites in the coming years. This will be part of a government strategy to help first time young buyers afford a home whereas on a great site, they would massively struggle to afford the housing. Up to thirty areas across England will receive funding from the Start Homes Land Fund which is said to be a project worth £1.2 billion. Not only are brownfield sites more affordable but it also allows housebuilders to be in closer proximity to the urban amenities. However, planning brownfield land cannot solve the housing crisis alone and does come with its own issues. Planning on such land is an extremely lengthy and complex process due to the heritage impact on the land
It is clearly more important than ever before that the British Safety Council gets involved and committed to aiding various businesses in construction on how they can improve their safety measures in the workplace. Having been in place for an impressive total of 60 years, the British Safety Council will deliver its event on the 22nd February of this year. Taking place over the course of half of a day, the event will feature various talks and speeches by leading professionals in the field that will range from members of the British Transport Police all the way to Olympic champions such as Nathan Douglas. It is evidently hoped that the site’s location next to Hilton Manchester in the Piccadilly area will act as a welcome reminder to businesses and individuals around the world that it is more important than ever for them to commit to installing health and safety measures. Indeed, with the hope that the event will be widely attended by members from all over the country, it is clear that the event is set to be a success and welcome news that the safety of businesses in the industry are being held in high regard. It is evidently clear that the British Safety Council is incredibly committed to ensuring and promoting the safety of individuals in the workplace all over the place. Through its investment in social media and concern for the promotion of such events as the Manchester conference, it is clear that the British Safety Council will consolidate its 60 years as one of the most dedicated services to enabling the security of workers all over the United Kingdom for the challenging years ahead that are to come. Indeed, it will be more vital than ever for them to do this what with the turbulence and civil unrest all over the country and the rest of the world today.
Robert Walters, a surveyor that has been in operation conducting surveys around the world since the year 2000, has released figures this year that indicate that the salary earners working in the field of mid-level supplies will go up by a very significant 11 per cent. This is without a doubt a very welcome piece of news to salary earners in this bracket of the work industry as it contrasts greatly to the mere 4 per cent average rise in the salaries of people in other senior positions in work. This evidence is clearly a sunnier alternative to the gloomy news and prospects that have been put in place as a result of fluctuating economies, the EU referendum and the surprising election results in the United States. This is clearly an encouraging sign to employers in the field who will want to encourage the popularity of the profession, and it is clear that the amount of applicants for positions in this sector is consistently high, due to the lucrative salary schemes available. In addition to this, members employed in the contract acquisition sector will see their annual salaries also rise, to slightly less impressive degrees, to a total of 8 per cent. As Mister Neil Morgan of the managing team of Robert Walters explains, it is evident that this strengthening of salary growth is a good sign for the contracting industry and a sign that there will still be a large demand for such senior positions in the years to come. Such skills as time management and an ability to multitask and juggle a number of different duties are essential to the job description of these senior roles in the business, and these are skills at least that will not be in shortage among those members of the British population wanting to get their foot in the senior careers door. And with an 11 per cent increase, who wouldn’t want to give it a go at some point in their life?
On the 22nd February of this year, Manchester will witness a useful new lesson in how to maintain the values of health and safety in an increasingly digitized workplace universe. The event, organized and implemented by the British Safety Council, whose unbridled authority on the subject of health and safety is key, will be useful to members from a wide variety of trades and work backgrounds from all over the country. Running for half a single day, the event is catered to those who wish to be made more aware of the pitfalls that can occur in the workplace, from work hazards to maintaining one’s own physical and mental health in the workplace. With the increasingly alarming statistics revealing the unhappiness and discontent of individuals in the workplace, it is more important than ever that those workers in the building trade and indeed in any other are made fully aware of the variety of different kinds of solutions to problems that are open to them. The event will involve talks by individuals from a variety of different working environments, from spokesmen for the police force to transportation methods and even the governing bodies of this country. Ms Louise Ward, who herself will be delivering the initial welcome and introductory talk to individuals to kick off the event at 09:30, has highlighted such colossal events as the EU referendum result and the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the USA as having a huge impact on workers’ sense of worth and wellbeing in their environment. She emphasizes that it is more important than ever for the British Safety Council to show what it can do to help workers and individuals in need of support, and to design and construct new ways and methods of implementing safety along with progress in all working environments around the country. The event is set to be a success for all involved.
