Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Chief Executive Victoria Hills said:  “Planning reform will impact communities across the country. This must be a positive process, to ensure that planners have the required support to plan the world we need. Planners are uniquely skilled to bring together communities, developers, infrastructure providers and local government to ensure new homes are built in the right place and accompanied by the services they need.

“We strongly welcome the greater certainty for development in ‘Growth’ zones, which will ensure homes can be built in areas where they are badly needed. Zoning for growth must be combined with active support to see projects through, with masterplanning and specialist proactive teams. Government has a chance to be truly ambitious here and deliver beautiful, healthy and well-connected green development.

“We suggest that further nuance would be required, to differentiate areas needing radical new masterplanning from industrial areas ripe for redevelopment and from suburbs.

“We need qualified planners installed within all local authorities as Chief Placemakers. Leadership is essential to ensuring local plans are in place and to ‘level up’. Community Planners must play a crucial role ensuring local people have their voices heard in the process, alongside investment in digital infrastructure to expand engagement.

“Finally, funding must match ambitions. A well-designed and well-funded system is an efficient one. Developers and communities will both benefit from a visionary and well-resourced system that harnesses the best of planning. We will work constructively with government to ensure planning delivers.”

Jamie Johnson, CEO of FJP Investment, said: “Today’s Queen’s Speech confirms that the Conservatives are pushing ahead with their plans to significantly reform the UK planning system. While the focus of the initiative is to accelerate the “levelling-up” process, ensuring more new homes are built, we should still expect plenty of opposition to the Bill.

“People will understandably be wary that if they live in one of the soon-to-be-designated “growth” zones, they could see green spaces built on and have their daily lives disrupted by major construction works. Yet at the same time, few would deny that the Government must take action if the UK’s housing shortage is to be effectively addressed; making it quicker and easier for housing projects to get the green light is an important part of that.

“It’s clearly a careful balancing act. For me, however, there must also be a keen focus on the quality of the new-build projects. Evidence has shown in the past that many prospective homebuyers are put off buying newly-built homes, either because they dislike the style and character of the property, they do not trust the quality of the work, or the surrounding area and infrastructure do not appeal. Simply constructing more houses will not necessarily help; they must be the right houses within the right ecosystems. As ever, the devil will be in the detail as the Bill takes shape.”

Paresh Raja, CEO of Market Financial Solutions said: “The shortage of affordable housing across the UK is one of the biggest issues facing society today. Countless successive governments have laid out ambitious targets for the construction of new homes, and then missed them. That is why I believe it is positive to see a more fundamental shift in policy – tackling the issues within the underlying planning system.

“From what we know so far, it’s set to be the most significant overhaul of the UK’s planning process for more than 70 years. Naturally, proper judgement must be reserved until the Bill is officially put forward and then duly debated. However, it is a move that could light the touch paper for the construction and housing sectors, spurring on a huge amount of investment in the real estate industry in the years ahead. And crucially, the end result ought to be many, many more affordable properties for would-be homebuyers.”

Ritchie Clapson CEng MIStructE, co-founder of propertyCEO: “We’re a nation of entrepreneurs; we have many individuals who are willing, able and committed to get started in business and who can make a difference. And we also have a housing crisis in this country for one key reason; because over the years, we just haven’t built enough homes.

 “So, let’s put politics to one side for a moment and consider what the people in this country really need; the answer, quite simply, is more new homes.

 “Over the last year we’ve seen the government take huge strides towards making the delivery of new homes not only easier but substantially quicker, with the introduction of new permitted development rights. Not only have these been focused on recycling our redundant brownfield sites, they have also enabled many entrepreneurs to transition into small scale property development and start to deliver some of these much-needed homes.

 “The government’s commitment to easing the planning rules and bureaucracy that have frustrated the delivery of new homes historically can only be positive.

 “Let’s cut out the red tape that’s slowed us in the past. Let’s build a dynamic and flexible planning system that embraces technology while ensuring our local planning authorities have the resources and scope to prevent a development free-for-all.

 “And then let’s get out there and build, build, build!”

Tim Wood, Acting Chief Executive at Transport for the North, said: “Today’s Queen’s Speech opened with a statement on levelling up and the need to transform connectivity by rail and bus as part of the agenda. That this is high on the list of priorities is welcome news and must now be met with action as we focus on rebalancing our economy and improving transport links.

“We now need to see commitment to these aims in the upcoming Integrated Rail Plan, including backing the full HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail networks. Alongside a sustained pipeline of investment in our roads and active travel provision, this will support the cross-cutting themes of economic recovery and growth out of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as increasing skills and opportunities for the North’s communities.

“Clear targets on climate change are also to be welcomed. Green growth is a big challenge, and one that is a key area of focus for Transport for the North. Our upcoming Decarbonisation Strategy provides a strong evidence base and clear plan for how cutting carbon emissions can be achieved, and offers a vision for future transport networks that will tackle the climate emergency.”

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU said:  “This will not be a particularly encouraging Queen’s Speech for local government.  Everyone agrees that we need to build many, many more houses in this country. It’s less clear that planning is what is preventing us from doing so. These proposals leave local government with the political liability on planning whilst depriving them, and by extension the communities they represent, of the powers to manage it effectively.  Are major planning changes on permitted development totally compatible with rejuvenating town centres?

And, if we truly want places to be levelled up and to stay levelled up, we need to empower them through genuine devolution not through sporadic government patronage. Governments outside of Westminster have to deliver every day. Westminster politicians love to talk about how they will get on and deliver, but it is councils and mayors that actually do that.The shift of power away from Westminster is already happening, our politics has to catch up somehow.

However, the glaring hole in the middle of this Queen’s Speech is a plan for social care reform.  Every year that this is kicked into the distance, the care sector moves closer to complete collapse. No-one pretends there’s an easy solution here but it will never get any easier and there will never be a better time. The Government must act now.

As arguments rage about the principle of voter ID, we would simply note that just last week local government delivered a double set of elections under the most trying of circumstances with, as always, a minimum of problems and negligible fraud. Maybe the Government should let councils do what they do best without making things more complicated than they need to be.”

“We should invest in the green skills and training that will enable people to find the jobs of the future. For example, low carbon heating and home upgrades can create the local green jobs the government has promised. Without sustained investment in training for those skills, Johnson’s plans will break down quicker than a rusty old boiler.

“Pledges on lifetime skills are welcome, but the loans inevitably exclude too many and the training must be accessible to all so that neglected communities do not lose out in our transition to a low carbon economy.

“The fact is, we face a chronic shortage of construction workers and low-carbon heat engineers. For years, stop-start government schemes have discouraged businesses, colleges and potential trainees from investing time and resources in this area. The collapse of the Green Homes Grant in March was just the latest example. Now the Government must keep its promises.

“Local authorities should also play a much larger role in delivering green skills. They’re ideally placed to engage young people and small businesses, grow local economies, create a diverse workforce and tackle fuel poverty. Let’s give councils the powers and funding to create the well-paid jobs and better homes their communities want.”

Work begins on restoration of UK’s oldest lido

Materials and plant to be shipped by barge as access to Cleveland Pools is by river

The Cleveland Pools Trust is delighted to announce the start of works to restore the historic pools in Bath, following a 17-year community campaign to save the Grade II* listed site.

Bristol-based Beard is leading the work on the restoration of Cleveland Pools, the oldest surviving outdoor public swimming pool in the UK, which was built in 1815 and is now regarded as a nationally significant site.

The project has the support of hundreds of people in Bath, many of whom have recorded their happy memories of summers spent poolside, of learning to swim, early romance and just how cold the water was.

However, the £6.2m project poses some significant engineering challenges for Beard, which will bring its extensive experience in the heritage sector to the development, as the site is only accessible for vehicles by river.

Machinery, building materials and equipment required to carry out the major refurbishment work on-site will have to be loaded up at the nearby Avon Rugby Club, which is being used as a base, and carried up-river on a pontoon pushed by a barge fitted out for the purpose.

Anna Baker, project director for Cleveland Pools Trust said: “After 17 years of community action, starting construction work is a hugely significant moment which we’re all so happy to see.

“We’ve had fantastic support to get us this far, particularly from our main funder, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, but still have some way to go with £400,000 still to raise. We are looking forward now to seeing the restoration take shape, to be complete by summer 2022, when the community that enjoyed the benefits of this wonderful facility in the past, will be able to once again.

“Beard has brought a great deal of expertise to the project and a real appreciation of what the facility will be used for once it’s complete, which is very important for us in a construction partner.”

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Among the work to be carried out is the restoration of two pools – the crescent-shaped main pool for adults and a smaller, shallower pool for children. There will also be refurbishment of the largely unaltered Grade II* listed buildings, the central cottage upgraded to be used as a main entrance and pay point, with the first floor to become a caretaker’s flat.

Work is due to be completed in time for swimmers to return next summer, for the first time since 1984 and will be accessible for all, both physically and financially.

Mark Tregelles, Beard project manager said there have been some unusual logistical challenges in terms of accessing the site and starting the job.

He said: “We recognise how culturally significant this development is for the community, and wider region, not only as a Grade II* listed building but also as a space for the community to use and enjoy when it’s complete. We are working closely with the Cleveland Pools Trust to realise their vision to make it an accessible and fun place to be for all users, and also to reflect the rich history behind the nationally important site.

“But it is certainly a different prospect for Beard as we’ve had to do a lot of work in preparation to establish a base down river at Avon Rugby Club, which we will use as a loading site to get everything we need onto the barge and sailed up to the site.

“There can’t be many building projects today which require access by boat. So, we’re pleased to be starting after months of planning, and to draw on years of experience working on culturally important buildings to ensure delivery on time for the community.”

The project was set to start in March last year when the covid pandemic struck and led to delays and increased costs. In recent months the Pools has enjoyed exceptional national support with additional funding being provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the DCMS Capital Kickstart Fund, and emergency grant aid from Historic England.

The project includes a community engagement and volunteering programme with dedicated resources to deliver the Activity Plan, which aims to engage a wide and diverse section of the local community in meaningful projects. So far this has included delivering a tailored employability programme to give students the experience of working on a real project, running intergenerational activities about the history of the pools and engaging volunteers to create a walking trail to site as part of the green travel plan.

The overall project costs for the period 2019 to 2025 are now just over the £8 million mark with the Trust needing to raise a further £400,000 over the next 18 months to deliver all outcomes.

Plans for the refurbishment of the site include:

• Restoration of two pools – the crescent shaped main pool for adults and competent swimmers and a smaller, shallower pool for children
• Restoration of the largely unaltered Grade II listed buildings. Central cottage restored for the main entrance and pay point, first floor to become a caretaker’s flat
• Terrace seating area with shelter from sun or rain
• New toilets and showers
• Refreshment kiosk
• New river pontoon for access via boat services to Pulteney Bridge
• Improved disabled access including an electric buggy to manage the steep entry slope
• Heritage exhibition & learning space within the site

Cleveland Pools (circa 1960)

About the Cleveland Pools

 The Cleveland Pools are the UK’s oldest surviving public outdoor swimming pool. First opened in 1817 as a river fed pool, followed by a colourful history through the Victorian era to its heyday in the 1970s, until competition from the newly opened indoor Bath Sports and Leisure Centre saw the Cleveland Pools close to swimming in 1984. To survive, it was for a short time used as a trout farm, but was threatened with demolition as an alternative to repair. In 2003 Bath and North East Somerset council, who owns the site, put it up for sale, and it was added to the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register.

Thanks to the determination of local people, the Cleveland Pools Trust (CPT) was formed in 2004 to rescue the pools from dilapidation. In 2006 its listed building status was raised from II to II* as The Pools were considered of ‘particularly important… of more than special interest.’

Thousands of supporters from far and wide, many of whom have happy memories of swimming here before closure, joined the campaign and today the CPT has many highly valued volunteers who give their time to support the project. The Pools are now being restored for the community of Bath and beyond to enjoy.

The timber supply chain in took a massive hit in 2020, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and a continuously shifting market. Unfortunately, shortages seem set to continue into 2021, exacerbated by high levels of demand for timber and wood products globally. Building Specifier Editor Joe Bradbury investigates:

Short term

In the early days of the pandemic, sawmills throughout Europe had no choice but to shut, albeit temporarily. The subsequent lockdowns throughout the UK and Europe resulted in a massive surge in demand for timber for DIY and garden projects, which in turn began to impact supplies through to Britain’s construction sector. Additional high demand for structural timbers, particularly CLS and carcassing, from across Europe and especially from the USA, has also affected the amount of material available in traditionally well-stocked markets such as the British builders’ merchant sector.

With demand continuing at a high level into 2021, there has been no ‘quiet season’ in Britain’s building trade, and thus little opportunity for sawmillers and importers to replenish stocks on the ground here in the UK to their previously-plentiful levels. COVID-19 is still producing spikes in cases, such as that recently seen in the UK’s largest timber-supplying partner, Sweden, where an increase in cases has resulted in a tightening of operating conditions and delays where vessel crews are required to self-isolate. Import logistics, especially with the end of the Brexit transition period and the new arrangements with the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, may add further pressures on supplies, as the timber sector will need to compete with many other industries in obtaining road haulage capacity within the UK.

Speaking on the subject, David Hopkins, Chief Executive of the Timber Trade Federation said “Pre-COVID, timber buyers were used to there being plentiful landed stocks available to meet immediate demand. Suppliers were also used to having time over traditionally quiet periods in the trade to re-build stocks for the following season. This situation has now been turned on its head. It is understandable that many customers should be surprised by, and angry about, the new reality we are facing together. The reported price inflation has also made it difficult for some manufacturers to accurately price projects for customers.”

Long term

Timber is a renewable resource. However, that doesn’t make it completely sustainable. If forests are being harvested quicker than they are being replenished, then there’s a real possibility that we could run out.

A recent report commissioned by WWF finds that UK businesses must invest in sustainable forest management if they are to guarantee access to timber that their businesses rely on in the near future. Leading countries that supply timber to the UK are either at the point of expiry or running at a deficit as forest resources are used without adequate provision for sustainable timber supply.

As the international market for timber will change in its dynamics in the next decades, without urgent action UK businesses who have failed to adequately plan for continuity of their timber resource could be left exposed with fewer commercial options.

The implications are far reaching with WWF’s ‘Living Forests’ report series concluding that global demand for timber is expected to triple by 2050 due to an increase in demand of wood and paper products from growing economies and populations. At the same time this report’s analysis indicates that:

• Brazil has only 16 years of timber forests remaining, South Africa 7 years, Colombia 12 years, Mexico 9 years, Nigeria 11 years, Thailand 9 years and Pakistan 10 years.
• Primary forest is being depleted at an alarming rate in many forested countries, the most extreme examples being Nigeria, losing 99% of primary forest, and Vietnam 80% since 1990 – a loss of almost 2 million hectares in these two countries alone. This has a huge impact on the biodiversity and other important forest ecosystem functions.
• In the UK by 2050 less than 22% of the timber will originate from Britain.
• All the UK foresters interviewed for the report expressed grave concerns over the future of domestic softwood supply.

Julia Young, Global Forest and Trade Network Manager for WWF-UK said “committing to sustainable timber sourcing isn’t just an added bonus, but is something that any timber dependent business must be investing in if they want a healthy and resilient business that will survive. We can no longer rely on our usual sources of timber as unsustainable practices are having devastating consequences on forests, and we face a real danger of not having enough timber to satisfy our growing population needs.

“Businesses need to review how their timber is sourced if they want to secure supply for the future, and in keep timber prices stable. This will have tangible business benefits of sustainable practices including advantages in regulatory positioning, easier raising of finance, brand value and an engaged workforce. It also gives manufacturers maximum scope for product development and provides retailers with a full range of tradable goods. These business benefits can increase performance and ultimately aid the bottom line.”

“The UK Government must lead by example and address sustainable forest use in the urgently upcoming 25 year plan for nature.”

Illegal logging

A recent government study also highlighted that 9 out of 13 samples (69.2%) of plywood made in China and imported into the UK contained unauthorised species of timber – including African hardwoods – and only one supplier out of 16 was compliant with the EU Timber Regulations.

The Chinese Plywood Enforcement Project was carried out by the National Measurement Office, and found a catalogue of failures on a worrying scale.

It found that large volumes of tropical wood are imported into China from high risk areas in Africa and Papua New Guinea, and in 9 cases, microscopic testing showed that there was a mismatch between the species found, and the product declaration.

What’s the problem?

The rainforests of West and Central Africa (where a large portion of this ‘dirty’ wood is coming from) are home to an astonishing number of animal and plant species. They are critical to the survival of three of our closest animal relatives, the gorilla, the chimpanzee and the bonobo, all of which are endangered.

Sadly illegal logging is rampant in these regions and corruption is widespread. Protection of forest areas by national and international law is largely inadequate and poorly implemented.

The potential to cause loss of life, misplacement and suffering is not just limited to the animal and plant kingdom in the illicit trade of illegal wood – many of these species detected by the government study are part of the trade in ‘conflict timber’ – timber traded by armed groups or administrations to perpetuate conflict or take advantage of conflict situations. Groups notorious for human rights abuses have been funded by the timber trade in Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The rainforest in Papua New Guinea covers over 100,000 square miles of the landmass. It provides the habitat for about 200 species of mammals, 20,000 species of plants, 1,500 species of trees and 750 species of birds. In fact, Papua New Guinea is so rich in biodiversity that it estimated that 5-7% of all known species in the world live in this rainforest.

The forests are also the home to indigenous peoples, the Maisin. For the Maisin, forests provide everything from food and medicinal plants, to materials for houses, canoes and tools. Under the Papua New Guinea constitution, the Maisin are actually the legal owners of their traditional lands.

Unfortunately, these are under threat from large-scale illegal logging activities; almost all of which is export-oriented, with unprocessed logs exported to China for processing.

How UK construction can help

Environmental consultant Charlie Law, co-chair of the construction group at pro-UK timber organisation Grown in Britain said that the NMO undertook the study following suspicions in the timber and construction industries that imported Chinese plywood was being mislabelled.

“It’s unlikely to have been incorporated into buildings on major sites, but you will find it on smaller sites because it’s cheaper, or it might be used for temporary, protective uses.”

“It’s something we knew was a risk, we’d seen Chinese plywood and had conversations in the timber industry. There were also concerns about health and safety as it wasn’t always CE marked. There were rumours about they put this stuff together in China. So in the end NMO was asked either to allay everyone’s fears, or to prove that there’s a problem.”

Charlie Law said that site managers nationwide should actively check their timber supplies on site. “Subcontractors should be aware of the need to only supply FSC or PEFC-certified timber, but sub-contractors need to check it, and sites are busy places.”

“It’s one of those things that confirms why we do what we do in terms of checking chain of custody certificates – it’s always good to have these reminders that there are unscrupulous operations that are trying to break the law.”

It is vitally important that the UK construction sector doesn’t sleepwalk into this harmful, illegal supply chain. Be it intentionally or unintentionally, participating in the illegal wood trade perpetuates an issue that should be of worldwide concern.”

In summary

Timber in construction, whilst innovative, is nothing new. Trees, and their derivative products, have been used by societies around the world for thousands of years. It’s clear to see why – there is ample global supply for the foreseeable future, making it a sustainable and responsible product to build with. These days timber has been honed and crafted and divided into many areas to offer a multitude of options for the budding specifier.

Timber offers a host of economic and logistical benefits for the offsite and modular construction sectors, as modern timber is largely factory prepared and brought to site for rapid assembly. But only if we are we and make sure we are using it ethically; otherwise we can only expect shortages to get worse and longer lasting.

By Ellen Huelin, Associate Director at Whitecode

Creating more thermally efficient building envelopes is key to achieving energy efficiency and better performing buildings. Thermal bridging is a key focus point of the update to Part L of the Building Regulations; itself a stepping stone to the Future Homes Standard which aims to have new homes zero carbon ready by 2025. But with the amendments to Part L and the revision of SAP10 bringing thermal bridging into the limelight, what changes do we have to make as an industry?

Even though thermal bridging is far from a new concept, the update to Part L – in which thermal bridging features prominently – will certainly change things for construction clients. Here at Whitecode we have been assessing thermal bridging separately as part of an SAP assessment for many years, working to SAP 2012 which is recognised as the government standard for measuring a dwelling’s energy rating.

 There are a variety of ways to understand thermal bridging, but it can be basically summarised as the heat loss that occurs when two elements join. Thermal bridging happens when a wall meets a window, where there is a break in the insulation that consequently causes a cold bridge, resulting in higher heat loss. When completing a SAP assessment, we account for all those little bridges that feature in a house’s structural layers. To measure the rate of heat loss we calculate a Psi value. These are then added up to create the Ψ value for the entire dwelling. Considering thermal bridges account for around 30% of heat loss in a building, it’s vitally important to cover this area as it significantly impacts a SAP assessment.

A key change to the new Part L when it comes into force later on this year is the absence of accredited construction details (ACD) in the calculation of Psi values. Developed in 2002 by BRE, ACDs are a set of standardised junction details that are designed to prevent thermal bridging points in compliance with Part L. ACDs were used by many of us when completing a SAP assessment.

This major revision of SAP10 – the methodology which is part of Part L – is being made as ACDs are now considered an outdated, unreliable mode. Completing ACDs was almost a tick box exercise in the SAP assessment, where nobody actually looked at the finer detail. Furthermore, as ACDs were developed nearly 20 years ago this methodology doesn’t account for all the modern methods of construction, not to mention the big changes that were made post-Grenfell. Some of the new methods of insulation can exacerbate thermal bridging including the use of metal framing. These new technologies are not listed in the ACD and don’t always perform well compared to more solid pieces of insulation.

What are the alternatives?

With the absence of ACDs, a potential option is for manufacturers to create their own methodology to calculate Psi values. Many manufacturers have done so already, mostly because the incentive is there for them to create products that have good thermal bridging.

The caveat here however, is that there is little in the way of responsibility when it comes to ensuring these Psi values are delivered onsite. How do we know the SAP deliverables are actually achieved in real life? At the moment, no party is tasked with the duty of checking continuity of insulation onsite, which is worsening the performance gap. We need more than simple sign-off sheets.

Things are changing with the advent of technology. The industry is moving towards developing another stage in calculating Psi values, where someone will request photo evidence throughout the build which shows the insulation has been installed properly. The key thing here however, is that the responsibility needs to be defined. Is it the role of the SAP assessor or site manager to take photos? To assure quality, there needs to be verification so that appropriate images are uploaded. It may be that this becomes a digitised process with a clear audit trail, where documentation can be uploaded to the cloud securely and shared easily.

A camera could be mounted onto a hard hat to capture the work in real time. One of the credits in BREEAM is doing a thermographic survey on completion, where a thermal imaging camera is used to locate cold spots. Maybe we can develop this technology to quantify and measure process and quality onsite?

Whitecode uses thermal modelling software to complete bespoke Psi values. This is particularly suited to the current construction method using Metsec frame which bridges the insulation layer.

At Whitecode, we would encourage developers to start building up a portfolio of Psi values for their projects in anticipation of Part L 2021. It comes into force in June 2022, meaning the time to get prepared is now. These can be used across different sites and provides the opportunity to improve on these junctions where required.

Thermal bridging is a real hotspot in the construction industry right now. For many years it is been an afterthought or part of a tick-box exercise when it really should have ranked higher on the agenda. But with SAP10 and Part L on the horizon – and with new UK homes needing to be zero carbon ready by 2025 – the time for accurate thermal bridging is without question, now.