Cavanna Homes, a homebuilders from the South West, has announced another year of steady growth and a record number of sites in development across its region. The Torquay-based firm, which currently has new homes for sale in seven locations in Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, will be bringing forward an additional
A surge in interest for speciality and performance films is on the horizon, figures suggest. Brought about through increasing growth within the flexible packaging and solar energy industries, it is expected that there will be an interested interest in, and focus upon new films which are able to offer enhanced
Although the overall rate at which the sales of construction-related products is increasing has slowed down, the overall sales figures of such products are still on the rise for the eleventh year running, says a report by the Construction Product Association. The report highlights that over the final four months
It has recently been reported that East Midlands based renters are happier with their landlord in contrast with any other location in England. The research, carried out by the NLA, highlighted that some 83% of renters in the area commented on their satisfaction with their present landlord, with those from
We’ll start this post with a positive – across the whole, UK energy consumption in industry (and as a whole, including domestic use) is falling year on year. The latest report from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (which you can read in full here) paints a broadly positive
We’ll start this post with a positive – across the whole, UK energy consumption in industry (and as a whole, including domestic use) is falling year on year. The latest report from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (which you can read in full here) paints a broadly positive
Despite industry woes with regard to housing shortages, it has been reported that, at the end of 2015, housebuilding reached an all new high at the finish of 2015. Ending the year on a very positive note, figures from the DCLG highlight that, over the course of the final 3
With reference to Savills’ latest Regional Office Market Review & Outlook report, there are growing concerns as to how competition for Grade A space is grossly outstripping the supply presently, and to be made available. With less than one year’s supply of such space confirmed for the market over the
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Cavanna Homes, a homebuilders from the South West, has announced another year of steady growth and a record number of sites in development across its region. The Torquay-based firm, which currently has new homes for sale in seven locations in Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, will be bringing forward an additional five sites this year, including Wincanton in Somerset, making it the busiest construction year in the company’s 95 year history. Pre-audited figures show a £64.7 million turnover in 2018 which represents a 6.4% increase on the previous year. Moreover, a total of 290 new homes were sold; 201 open market and 89 affordable homes for rent or shared ownership through a housing association. Last year’s results have been welcomed by the company, especially in light of the decline in the property market. “It’s been well publicised that nationally the housing market has taken a bit of a downturn, and the South West is no exception. The uncertainty over a Brexit ‘deal or no deal’ is causing people to wait and see what this will mean for the country and their own personal circumstances. Whilst there has been a dip in numbers of visitors to our showhomes over the last few months, the prospective buyers we’ve seen have been extremely positive of both the quality and specification of our new homes as well as the overall developments,” explained Cavanna Homes’ Managing Director Keith Miller. For 2019 the company has a range of new homes for sale at seven Westcountry locations: Bodmin in Cornwall and Holsworthy, Barnstaple, Stoke Gabriel, Paignton, Torquay and Newton Poppleford in Devon. Cavanna is also bringing-forward a further five new developments; Barley Meadow at Dawlish, Cavanna@Wolborough Hill, Newton Abbot, Broadleigh Park at Tavistock, Bellevue at Bude and Cales Reach at Wincanton. “Our business plan for 2019 has been adjusted to reflect the current market conditions, especially in the first quarter,2 said Looking forward, Keith Miller. “Whilst we anticipate a slowdown, we are proceeding with cautious optimism during this unprecedented and unpredictable period.” Cavanna Homes’ 95th anniversary was market by the launch of a new brand and a new portfolio of house styles – The Westcountry Collection – which can be viewed at new showhomes opening in the New Year at Kings Orchard – Stoke Gabriel, Alfred’s Gate – Newton Poppleford and Moorland Vale – Bodmin.
A surge in interest for speciality and performance films is on the horizon, figures suggest. Brought about through increasing growth within the flexible packaging and solar energy industries, it is expected that there will be an interested interest in, and focus upon new films which are able to offer enhanced mechanical and aesthetic value for customers brought about through new, innovative production techniques. With packaging sector professionals taking a great step forward from more traditional means of production, organisations are now increasingly being seen to incorporate advanced technologies and develop new, innovative methods of producing packaging as backed by notable growth in the wider industry. Of the new, innovative products brought to the market as a result, performance, speciality films are of the most prominent, with such films boasting improved protection in ensuring that products such as perishable items remain undamaged. Additionally, the films have also been shown to bring considerable benefits for with Solar PV and other electrical goods due to conductivity levels. In an official report put out there by Transparency Market Research, it has been highlighted that these films are on the brink of extreme market interest, with a projected value of the performance films market sitting at $42.21 at the close of 2019. And while the growth up until this point is naturally expected to be a steady increase, those organisations involved in the production of performance and speciality films are expected to be provided with ample opportunity to take advantage of the increasingly dominating market. In other areas of film development, research and development has been conducted with the view to bringing water-soluble films to the market also, offering a highly sustainable solution for green-conscious companies. That said, performance films are presently reliant upon crude oil production, which remains less friendly towards the environment. This, as a result, means the market may remain fairly volatile as a result of regular changes in oil pricing as well as the public’s view of the industry. And so, looking forward, the challenge to put to manufacturers of such films is quite clearly to find a way to combine the best of both worlds and, if this can be achieved, success can, in turn, be all but assured.
Although the overall rate at which the sales of construction-related products is increasing has slowed down, the overall sales figures of such products are still on the rise for the eleventh year running, says a report by the Construction Product Association. The report highlights that over the final four months of 2015 overall sales have risen at a slowed rate than previously, yet manufacturers of such products still remain very positive as to the future of the industry over the course of 2016. Another positive aspect of the report was that many UK manufacturers have, in fact noticed a notable reduction in costs associated with energy, fuel and even on the exchange rate. However, on the flip side, the costs associated with staffing organisations has been noted to rise somewhat, which, while a very positive figure for employees in the sector, will also be reducing the benefit employers are seeing from the decreased operational costs. As Rebecca Larkin, Senior Economist for the CPA explains, the figures do highlight positive growth for construction-related products yet, with regard to heavy manufacturing, the figures actually highlighted the lowest balance within a quarter over the past 3 years. She commented that this: “Echoes weakness in overall construction output data for the closing months of last year.” Yet, those operating within the sector do seemingly remain confidence of its success. One of the key factors to which we can attribute the lessening of energy prices is the oft-reported fall in oil pricing around the world, which has greatly assisted manufacturers in maintaining commercial growth despite relatively shaky economic climate. With regard to the change in employment costs, the rise in pay did not, in fact show up the figured expected by inflation and recognition for performing employers, but the widely-reported skill shortages have acted as a catalyst for employees demanding increased wages which have consequently increased bills.
It has recently been reported that East Midlands based renters are happier with their landlord in contrast with any other location in England. The research, carried out by the NLA, highlighted that some 83% of renters in the area commented on their satisfaction with their present landlord, with those from the North West and South West coming in at a joint level of 82% satisfaction. The figures highlight some of the drastic differences in levels of satisfaction, with, in contrast to the North West, only 67% of those in the North East being satisfied with their landlord – this, in fact, heralding the lowest value of all those reported in the UK. This figure also falls short of the average level of satisfaction shown in the report, where approximately 79% commented on their satisfaction with their landlord. As for the rest of the results, 3rd Place in the report went to the South East, followed by the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, London, Eastern England and the North East which came in at 80%, 79%, 73%, 72%, 71% and 67% respectively. Commenting on the report, Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer of the NLA nodded to the sheer quantity of good landlords which are represented in the market and that, while often portrayed to be quite “uncertain and unhappy”, the private rent sector is actually far better than most people think it is. Landlords, of course, are not on their own in supporting the tenants, however, as the NLA does indeed also offer a range of training systems so that they can provide the best possible environment for their tenants. Richard Lambert also highlighted the importance of other parties, such as governmental departments, stepping up their involvement in this support, encouraging both national and local governmental parties to also chip in for the betterment of the sector.
We’ll start this post with a positive – across the whole, UK energy consumption in industry (and as a whole, including domestic use) is falling year on year. The latest report from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (which you can read in full here) paints a broadly positive picture for overall industrial energy efficiency. We’re much less reliant on solid fuels, and bioenergy use has grown hugely over the past 10-15 years. On the flipside, though, things don’t necessarily look quite so good elsewhere – particularly electricity and gas. While gas use has fallen it’s still comparatively high, and electricity reliance is equally high but has seen a reduction since the mid-90s. (Source: Department of Energy & Climate Change – Data Tables) However, when we looking even wider at the last 45 years, electricity consumption has actually gone up; consumption has gone from 2.8m tonnes in 1970 to 5.9m tonnes at the end of 2014. With the exception of bioenergy and waste, it’s the only fuel type whose demand / consumption within the industrial sector that’s increased. While the ways in which this electricity is being generated has been improving (e.g. solar, hydroelectric), it’s also important to try and reduce overall consumption – so that, as a sector, we can pick up the downward trend in demand we had seen until the increases from 2010 onwards. How Can We Reduce The Consumption? Renewable forms of energy do mean that there is, from an ecological perspective, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ types of electricity usage; if a site has moved from grid electricity to self-sufficiency through solar or water, but consumption stays the same, then this has a positive impact on the environment. However, quite often (particularly at larger industrial scales) renewable solutions aren’t enough to provide a consistent or reliable impact; there will still need to be a reliance on fossil fuels, even if it’s just as a ‘backup’. So how can we, as businesses within the industrial sector, make an even more positive impact on both the environment and (from a commercial point of view) operating costs? It’s all in energy efficiency; changing where your electricity comes from is one step, but improving how much you use is a new level. Industrial Doors – How Big Can The Impact Be? There are some large-scale changes that can be made in the industrial sector to improve efficiency, such as updating equipment to more efficient machinery. However, as with domestic properties, energy lost through poor insulation can be a huge contributing factor – and improving this area can have a big impact. Industry specialists Attenborough Industrial Doors are one of a number of UK-based manufacturers and suppliers putting a huge emphasis on energy efficiency over the last ten years. This is efficiency in both the power used to operate industrial doors themselves, as well as the financial savings that can be made as a result. The impact that efficiency, modern industrial doors can have are typically two-fold. Firstly, you have the added insulation benefits; when closed, energy consumption will be less when it comes to heating or cooling buildings internally. Regardless of how this electricity or energy is generated (even if it’s 100% renewable) then the reduction in energy required allows for more efficient running, and reduces the risk of needing to fall back on non-renewable backups. The second benefit is similar, but is related to effectiveness and speed of operation. Faster and automatic industrial doors and roller shutters ensure that doors can’t be left open, and are only open for as long as necessary. This is particularly important when it comes to sectors such as medical or food production/distribution where temperature control is absolutely essential. To conclude, how successful are we as an industry in reducing energy consumption and improving the adoption of renewable resources? On the one hand, the use of bioenergy is up significantly – which is a huge achievement. Conversely, though, the overall consumption of electricity has remained high and needs consistent efforts for efficiency to ensure the trend of lower usage is picked up again – making for not just a financially beneficial end-result but also a positive impact on the environment.
We’ll start this post with a positive – across the whole, UK energy consumption in industry (and as a whole, including domestic use) is falling year on year. The latest report from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (which you can read in full here) paints a broadly positive picture for overall industrial energy efficiency. We’re much less reliant on solid fuels, and bioenergy use has grown hugely over the past 10-15 years. On the flipside, though, things don’t necessarily look quite so good elsewhere – particularly electricity and gas. While gas use has fallen it’s still comparatively high, and electricity reliance is equally high but has seen a reduction since the mid-90s. (Source: Department of Energy & Climate Change – Data Tables) However, when we looking even wider at the last 45 years, electricity consumption has actually gone up; consumption has gone from 2.8m tonnes in 1970 to 5.9m tonnes at the end of 2014. With the exception of bioenergy and waste, it’s the only fuel type whose demand / consumption within the industrial sector that’s increased. While the ways in which this electricity is being generated has been improving (e.g. solar, hydroelectric), it’s also important to try and reduce overall consumption – so that, as a sector, we can pick up the downward trend in demand we had seen until the increases from 2010 onwards. How Can We Reduce The Consumption? Renewable forms of energy do mean that there is, from an ecological perspective, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ types of electricity usage; if a site has moved from grid electricity to self-sufficiency through solar or water, but consumption stays the same, then this has a positive impact on the environment. However, quite often (particularly at larger industrial scales) renewable solutions aren’t enough to provide a consistent or reliable impact; there will still need to be a reliance on fossil fuels, even if it’s just as a ‘backup’. So how can we, as businesses within the industrial sector, make an even more positive impact on both the environment and (from a commercial point of view) operating costs? It’s all in energy efficiency; changing where your electricity comes from is one step, but improving how much you use is a new level. Industrial Doors – How Big Can The Impact Be? There are some large-scale changes that can be made in the industrial sector to improve efficiency, such as updating equipment to more efficient machinery. However, as with domestic properties, energy lost through poor insulation can be a huge contributing factor – and improving this area can have a big impact. Industry specialists Attenborough Industrial Doors are one of a number of UK-based manufacturers and suppliers putting a huge emphasis on energy efficiency over the last ten years. This is efficiency in both the power used to operate industrial doors themselves, as well as the financial savings that can be made as a result. The impact that efficiency, modern industrial doors can have are typically two-fold. Firstly, you have the added insulation benefits; when closed, energy consumption will be less when it comes to heating or cooling buildings internally. Regardless of how this electricity or energy is generated (even if it’s 100% renewable) then the reduction in energy required allows for more efficient running, and reduces the risk of needing to fall back on non-renewable backups. The second benefit is similar, but is related to effectiveness and speed of operation. Faster and automatic industrial doors and roller shutters ensure that doors can’t be left open, and are only open for as long as necessary. This is particularly important when it comes to sectors such as medical or food production/distribution where temperature control is absolutely essential. To conclude, how successful are we as an industry in reducing energy consumption and improving the adoption of renewable resources? On the one hand, the use of bioenergy is up significantly – which is a huge achievement. Conversely, though, the overall consumption of electricity has remained high and needs consistent efforts for efficiency to ensure the trend of lower usage is picked up again – making for not just a financially beneficial end-result but also a positive impact on the environment.
Despite industry woes with regard to housing shortages, it has been reported that, at the end of 2015, housebuilding reached an all new high at the finish of 2015. Ending the year on a very positive note, figures from the DCLG highlight that, over the course of the final 3 months of the year, the building of new homes reached the highest levels achieved since the high points in 2008, with approximately 37,230 homes completed and a further 37,080 started in last year’s final quarter. As an overarching figure, the twelve months up to the end of 2015 incorporated the beginning of some 143,560 housing starts, which signified a notable increase on 2014, approximately 6% and over twice the figure reported in 2009. At the same, the number of completions over the course of 2015 also increased by some 21%, reaching 142,890 in total. Of specific note, the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire were shown to perform very well in the housebuilding arena. In another report by the Home Builders Federation, it was also highlighted that more and more new homes were granted planning permission over the same quarter, with circa 59,845 homes in total giving the green light (a 12% increase from the previous year). These figures, combined with the number of new build projects being undertaken, highlight the hard work of developers in reducing the nation’s shortage of housing stock as well as the support of councils in opening up doors for them to do so. Brandon Lewis, Housing Minister highlighted the importance of promoting even more housebuilding around the UK, though it’s safe to say that these figures provide a great foundation from which the sector can build upon in the coming months, and years. With a highly ambitious plan in the works for the future of the housing sector, Brandon Lewis commented that they will be: “Doubling the housing budget so we can meet our ambition of delivering a million new homes.”
With reference to Savills’ latest Regional Office Market Review & Outlook report, there are growing concerns as to how competition for Grade A space is grossly outstripping the supply presently, and to be made available. With less than one year’s supply of such space confirmed for the market over the course of the next three years, rents, specifically in regions such as Cardiff and Bristol is set to spike considerably. Presently, the average take-up across UK regions sits at approximately 4.6m, with availability down by circa 18% from the levels reported back in 2007. Speculative figures on developments have also risen by approximately 128% from last year, coming in at approximately 3.5m sq ft, yet, with 28% of that pre-let, it is expected that it will be mostly absorbed over the course of 2016. This lack of space has proven to be one of the key, driving factors for rising demands amongst value-add office opportunities to help cover the excess demand as opposed to supply – in fact, this January represented the 41st month of considerable refurbishment activity in a row. As a clear consequence of the demand and supply gap, so too has the gap between new-build rents and refurbished rents, with a deprecating differentiation between the average figures. This is a clear result of increasing rents, with Bristol potentially seeing the highest growth in rents of 12% by the end of 2016, as reported by Savills. Attributing the rise in UK-wide job creation as a driving factor behind the rising demand for quality space in prime locations, Claire Bailey, Associate Director of Savills Commercial Research has highlighted the potential for a pinch on new-builds between 2016 and 2017 due to the sheer quantity of developments already being pre-let and the rising demands for those in prime locations. As explained by Richard Merryweather, Joint Head of UK Investment at Savills, it is expected that occupier demands for space is more than likely to persist onto and into the future, where investors are then likely to continue looking into securing secondary assets in prime positions. This is effectively to take advantage of opportunities that may exist and to help fill the gap left open by limited available new developments; however, it may also develop a gap in the supply pipeline itself.
