We need to modernise our tired commercial buildings

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by Joe Bradbury, Editor

 

The built environment is filled with ageing commercial buildings. They serve as a platform for most of the country’s major industries and provide the general public with areas in which to work, shop, socialise and relax. Needless to say, commercial buildings play a crucial role in 21st century Britain. However, despite investment in this booming sector being ever on the rise, commercial buildings are amongst some of the poorest performing buildings in terms of energy efficiency. Buildingspecifier’s Joe Bradbury discusses the importance of retrofitting these buildings to ensure minimum impact and maximum return.

 

According to the Committee on Climate Change, the commercial sector is accountable for approximately 26% of all greenhouse gas emissions from buildings in the UK. The world’s population is currently consuming the equivalent of 1.6 planets resources a year. The Global Footprint Network estimates that if we continue to consume at current rates we’ll blow the global carbon budget and lock in more than 2C of global warming in approximately 17 years.

 

As a result of this, the EU is currently reviewing its EU 2030 energy efficiency targets, with buildings in general highlighted as having great potential to reduce global emissions if efforts are made to make them more energy efficient.

 

Making ageing buildings fit for the future

 

There are so many things that commercial building owners and specifiers can do to become a little more eco-friendly, but in broad terms there is a 3-step process that should be followed in order to do so:

 

  1. significant investment in skills and capacity to enhance building management and deliver energy efficient refurbishment
  2. installation of low carbon generation capacity
  3. the design, manufacturing and fabrication of energy efficiency products and services

 

Heating and lighting are two areas in particular where changes need to be made. Let’s look at those two areas in a little more detail:

 

Let’s talk light…

 

A cityscape at night is aesthetically a beautiful thing to behold; anybody who has seen the glowing lights of Vegas in the vast blackness of desert night, or London skyline reflecting on the surface of the Thames, will concur. Unfortunately, it is also an incredibly inefficient and irresponsible use of energy and a waste of precious resources. Overnight lighting is just one of many bad habits held by the commercial sector today. It is also one of the easiest to fix.

 

In 2013, France made it a legal requirement for shops and offices throughout the country to turn off their lights overnight in a bid to fight light pollution. This is expected to save 250,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum – roughly enough energy to power 750,000 French households for a year, according to the French Environment Ministry. So, if you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your building, put that light out!

 

Another easy but effective change that can be implemented immediately is to upgrade to LED lighting. It requires very little upfront investment, and delivers immediate returns.

 

Typically the energy savings made from switching from a conventional source to LED is 50-60%. They also require changing much less frequently, meaning that savings will also be made in terms of maintenance. This benefit is two-fold, affording the maintenance team the time to be more proactive in energy initiatives rather than changing lamps.

 

A recent California Energy Commission study also estimates that savings will be two times higher by the year 2020 by switching to LED than they are at present, when the technology becomes even more efficient.

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Hot and cold

 

The costs of heating and cooling a building are always on the rise. Often, addressing energy efficiency without a multi-system approach can be futile, with no tangible savings being made. Again, as with lighting, it is largely a behavioural change that will most benefit the commercial building sector in meeting efficiency targets going forward. For instance, a mere broadening of the range of temperatures inside your building, scheduling heating and lighting to vary according to peak occupancy times, can make drastic reductions to carbon footprint and energy bills.

 

Buildings are accountable for over 30% of final energy consumption in the world. 15% of this energy is used in the heating and cooling of interior spaces. Therefore it is imperative that you look at your heating and cooling systems if you want to make improvements.

 

Currently, the heating of buildings is largely based on fossil fuel burning technologies and cooling is dominated by incredibly carbon-intensive electrical systems. Studies suggest that by implementing low or zero-carbon heating and cooling methods in buildings – such as solar thermal, heat pumps, combined heat and power (CHP), and thermal energy storage – we have the potential to lower CO2 emissions by approximately 2 gigatonnes and save 710 million tonnes oil equivalent of energy over the next 34 years.

 

For many existing buildings, a change in the heating a cooling system and the building envelope accordingly can prove to be high in initial outlay and very disruptive. Some retrofits need a complete overhaul of their existing heating and cooling systems, insulation, windows etc. Sadly, the higher initial costs involved and the subsequent longer wait for financial return results in many buildings choosing to plod on using existing inefficient heating systems. This often hampers other energy efficiency efforts that have been made, making the strive for energy efficiency an earnest but ineffective endeavour.

 

Although it can be expensive, do not overlook the multitude of sustainable heating and cooling options on the market today. It is only through a multifaceted approach that the commercial building sector can truly make a tangible impact on its carbon footprint.

 

To summarise

An efficient building is a productive building. By being considerate in how we generate and use energy, we can help reverse manmade climate change whilst simultaneously receiving a series of lucrative fringe benefits as an industry. We can also set an example for future generations to follow – ensuring that professionals within the built environment always have a healthy, vibrant environment in which to build for many years to come.

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1825: “this railway is the most absurd scheme that ever entered into the head of a man to conceive”, DOES HS2 ECHO A DEBATE FROM THE PAST?

Read Tom Beattie’s analysis.

Eagle-eyed history buffs from the North West may already be aware of an important anniversary that occurred on September 15.

On that date in 1830, two of Britain’s true Northern powerhouses were forever linked when the first journey on the Liverpool to Manchester railway line took place between Edge Hill and Liverpool Road stations, respectively.

It was the world’s first inter-city railway line and its introduction would prove to be one of the true seminal moments in Western history. The railway would link the port of Liverpool, then arguably the world’s most significant mercantile hub, with the town of Manchester, the epicentre of the world’s textile industry and would shorten journeys from 36 hours by canal, to just four.

The brainchild of George Stephenson, much like the oft-criticised HS2 of modern times, its establishment had been years in the making and not without its fair share of critics.

In the House of Commons in April 1825, Edward Alderson, the counsel employed by those in opposition to the railway stated “this railway is the most absurd scheme that ever entered into the head of a man to conceive” and made pains to suggest that the money it would require in order to be brought to fruition, some “£400,000 to £500,000”, was not safe in the hands of engineer George Stephenson who he claimed was either “ignorant” or “something he would not wish to mention.”

To those of us that have witnessed the widespread derision of the costs involved in bringing HS2 to fruition, this kind of criticism will seem only too familiar. Within a year, perhaps reluctantly, Stephenson’s plans would be met with approval, the move becoming proving to be the catalyst that would irreversibly make the world a much smaller place over the course of the next decade.

Within a month of the first journey between Liverpool and Manchester by rail, the number of passengers using the service had reached 1,200, wildly outstripping the initial estimates of 250 made by Stephenson.

A reporter in the Observer in September 1830 made the canny observation that prior to the railway, “goods would arrive in a shorter time from New York to Liverpool than they could afterwards be conveyed from Liverpool to Manchester.”

Today, it is difficult to a imagine a world untouched by the ingenuity of those involved in the development of the railway.

There are clear parallels to be drawn between the tumultuous times we are now facing, with an unpopular Prime Minister overseeing our largest political crisis in living memory and the fraught period in British history that was the 1820s.

In fact, in response to the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, Prime Minister the Duke of Wellington, who had journeyed north to witness this piece of industrial history, had been met with jeers upon his emergence from the carriage that transported him and other dignitaries to Manchester.

Prime MinisterThis invites obvious comparisons with his modern-day incumbent, Boris Johnson, who himself faced vocal opposition to his presence in the north, most notably in Doncaster, as he hit the campaign trail this month ahead of a yet-to-be-announced general election.

During Johnson’s largely derided visit to the North, questions abounded regarding the status of the much-vilified HS2, which plans to connect the north with London via high-speed rail. Forming part of the Northern Powerhouse development, official estimates calculate that the scheme will cost £56bn to complete.

Phase 1 of the scheme will link Manchester with London via High-Speed-Rail and is set to be completed in 2028, with phase 2 – which will link Leeds with London – scheduled to be completed in 2035.

The Northern Powerhouse development had become one of the flagship policies of the Coalition Government of 2010-15 and David Cameron’s subsequent majority Government that existed until 2017.

However, in recent times, questions have been raised regarding the true status of the programme. Although the most recent Northern Powerhouse Convention of the North, held on September 13 in Rotherham, attracted representatives from over 300 companies including Santander Group, Vodafone, New Balance and Rolls Royce, any tangible progress has been decidedly slow for a scheme once given such high-profile backing by two previous Governments.

In fact, a report carried out by left-wing think tank IPPR North showed that “current or planned expenditure on transport infrastructure per head of population is £1,943 in London and £427 in the north of England.”

With this considered, it appears that claims that the Northern Powerhouse has been at best put on the backburner or, at worst, quietly shelved by the current Government, may carry a good degree of weighting.

In some ways, this is where the importance of the much-derided HS2 takes on such critical status. For the wide-ranging criticism the scheme has received since it was announced, it undoubtedly holds the key to reviving the stuttering Northern Powerhouse scheme; giving the North a slice of the proverbial pie that the South East has been feasting on since the days of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership.

However tenuous the links are, the parallels that do exist between HS2 and George Stephenson’s railway are striking.

Just as the railway between Edge Hill, Liverpool and Liverpool Road, Manchester helped turn the North West into the industrial epicenter of the Western world in 1830, HS2 has the power to catapult the region into worldwide economic significance once more.

HS2 might not change the world like George Stephenson’s railway once did, however, to the Northern communities that have felt left behind by the South East over the past 30 years, it might well feel that big.

 

 

Source: Mancunian Matters

 

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The future of retrofitting is offsite

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When people think of offsite construction they often think of new-build. However, offsite technology can also be utilised within the refurbishment of an existing building, bringing with it all of the benefits (such as faster delivery times and less on-site disruption) that has become synonymous with the practice. Joe Bradbury of Building Specifier investigates.

 

The industry today

 

The UK construction industry is worth nearly £100 billion to the UK economy each year. But tighter restrictions, increasing build costs and a lack of skilled labour are threatening the sector’s future growth.

 

But where there are challenges, opportunities can also be found, and the sector has seen several innovative solutions come to the fore in recent years. This is particularly true when it comes to prefabrication and offsite construction products that can be retrofitted into existing buildings in dire need of updating.

 

Offsite solutions are being deployed across a wide range of new and refurbishment projects, from hotels and leisure to education and research facilities. And with the backing of the Government, their usage is only set to increase further.

 

But why are offsite solutions becoming more popular, and why is the Government keen to back them? In short, they deliver quality at scale, and help projects of all sizes complete on time and to budget. Currently the demand being placed on the construction industry continues to rise, but the number of projects completing on time and to budget continues to fall. This is not just due to tighter regulations and labour shortages, but other factors like the weather and delays in the supply of materials.

 

Factor in housing shortages, an aging population, an increase in speciality housing needs, a lack of suitable student accommodation and an uptick in the number of build to let homes, and it’s clear to see why prefabricated solutions are being more widely used.

 

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Why offsite?

 

Offsite solutions are becoming more popular as they can be designed, manufactured and pre-assembled offsite, and then simply dropped into place for ease and speed in new build projects but still provide the high quality expected. Specialist manufacturers design and build tailored products, to perfectly meet client specifications and these are simply delivered whole ready for installation and fitments or re-assembled onsite quickly and easily for the purposes of refurbishment. Installation does not require skilled labour, significantly reducing time and costs.

 

Take bathrooms and showers as an example; these can be the most complex part of a refurbishment project due to the need for wet trades and a range of skilled labour, from designers to plumbers, electricians and tilers. Examples such as pre-fab pod solutions however, can be completely bespoke and designed to fit into any space – whether a Grade II listed manor house, an office block, a refurbishment or a new-build.

 

Sectional pods are ideal for limited spaces, and bespoke designs can be completed from concept to delivery much quicker than manual builds, where a whole host of factors can slow down the build, from the late delivery of materials to several contractors having to work together, in confined spaces and reliant on other trades’ staged completions.

 

Greater control

 

In terms of the construction process, modular building and offsite construction techniques provide specifiers with programme certainty and quality though simplification of site operations, whilst also reducing weather dependencies due to the controlled factory-based assembly process. The ancillary benefit of this is that buildings retrofitted with offsite technologies offer enhanced specification standards and build-quality which reduces occupancy costs related to energy use, defects and repairs.

 

Constructed offsite, under controlled plant conditions, using the same materials and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built facilities, projects can be completed in about half the time. The finished modules are transported and put together on site.

 

As a nation we need affordable, well designed and energy efficient buildings to meet a bustling demand and tackle issues such as fuel poverty and climate change. Sustainable building methods and renewable energy are pivotal in delivering a sustainable solution and can be retrofitted into any building, if we put our minds to it.

 

It makes environmental sense

 

Specifiers are now rightly expected to make buildings sustainable and energy efficient as part of the greater effort to reduce CO2 emissions, energy consumption and waste as a nation. As such, environmental considerations will naturally transform how our buildings are constructed and subsequently refurbished, what materials are used and which methods are employed.

 

Offsite construction is far less energy intensive than traditional construction methods. The carbon footprint left by the many construction vehicles and machinery on the site of a traditional construction project alone is considerably larger than that of modular construction. Put simply, fewer vehicles involved and less time spent on site results in less greenhouse gases being released into our environment.

 

The transition to a low-carbon economy presents our industry with great opportunities for growth. Environmental considerations will transform how our buildings are constructed, what materials are used and the methods employed. We are now on the cusp of the predicted ‘sea-change’ and that the time is right for the construction industry to embrace innovative offsite techniques to develop better buildings at a rapid rate to enhance lives, minimise the environmental impact and reduce energy costs for occupants for many years to come.

 

Government backed

 

The Government have been very vocal about offsite in recent years, championing the benefits it offers. They have repeatedly stated that they will support ‘building long term collaborations’ with the industry, ‘exploiting digital technologies such as the adoption of offsite construction techniques’.

 

In addition, they would ‘adopt a presumption in favour of offsite construction by 2019 across suitable capital programmes’. This stands as further evidence of the rising popularity of offsite modular construction.

 

As more and more projects are completed, construction management will recognise that modular design can be commercially viable alternative to traditional builds.

 

Sleek designs and high specifications mean they can be used from high-end projects such as hotels, right down to student accommodation, and still deliver a solid ROI.

 

In fact, the high specification, unrivalled quality, offsite checks and lower maintenance can extend the longevity of the bathroom environment way beyond those offered by traditional refurbishment practices which often require on-going maintenance.

 

In summary

 

The construction industry as a whole (including the refurbishment and retrofit sector) has a job on its hands. Take housing as just one example; if the construction industry stands any chance of delivering 1 million new homes by 2020 and do something real about the 11,000+ homes across the UK that have been empty for 10 years or more, it can only do so by evolving to keep up with a changing world. Despite all of the noise, offsite construction accounts for less than 10% of total construction output at present. This is frustrating, but it also means there is still tremendous scope for further expansion across the various sectors that comprise construction. Let’s do our part too and embrace offsite.

 

Joe Bradbury, Editor

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The locations that will benefit from a £95 million heritage boost

Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced the locations that will benefit from a £95 million heritage boost for high streets in 69 towns across the country.

 

  • 69 high streets in England will be revitalised by a £95 million cash injection
  • This is the biggest ever single investment by Government in the UK’s built heritage
  • Projects across the country will transform disused historic buildings into shops, houses and community centres
  • Funding will help traditional businesses adapt to better compete with online outlets

Increasing competition from online outlets is putting high streets across the country under growing pressure. As part of the Government’s drive to help high streets adapt to changing consumer habits, the £95 million funding will provide a welcome boost that will breathe new life into historic buildings and areas in our towns and cities.

The initiative will be funded by combining £40 million from the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport’s Heritage High Street Fund with £52 million from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Future High Street Fund. £3 million will be provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support a cultural programme to engage people in the life and history of their high streets.

The investment builds on the successful Heritage Action Zones programme, run by Historic England, and will turn empty and underused buildings into creative spaces, offices, retail outlets and housing to support wider regeneration in the 69 successful areas by attracting future commercial investment.

Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan said:

“Our nation’s heritage is one of our great calling cards to the world, attracting millions of visitors to beautiful historic buildings that sit at the heart of our communities.”

“It is right that we ensure these buildings are preserved for future generations but it is important that we make them work for the modern world.”

This £95 million will help breathe new life into high streets all over England, benefiting businesses, supporting our much-loved buildings and helping to make our communities more attractive places to live, work and visit.

The funding will be used for a variety of projects, including:

  • To complete essential repair works in historic buildings and reveal hidden and forgotten features of buildings by restoring shop-fronts and facades
  • Stimulate commercial investment in high streets by demonstrating how historic sites can be successfully repurposed.
  • Develop education projects and bespoke events to help reposition historic buildings as community hubs at the heart of local towns and villages.
  • Help address the UK wide skills shortage of heritage professionals in expert fields like stonemasonry and conservation by providing local property owners, residents and businesses with the opportunity to train in these areas.

Communities Secretary of State Robert Jenrick said:

“I want to make sure the nation’s high streets continue to be at the heart of local communities. Today’s funding, part of the £3.6 billion we have committed to helping towns across the country, will revitalise much-loved historic buildings, helping to reverse the decline of our town centres. Ensuring that prosperity and opportunities are available to everyone in this country, not just those in our biggest cities, is a priority of this Government in our mission to ‘level up’ the regions.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, said:

We are doubling funding to nearly £100 million to revitalise our heritage high streets, ensuring they remain at the heart of our communities for years to come. This will help places across the country – from South Norwood to Scarborough – protect their treasured historic buildings and support local economies to thrive.

Historic England’s Chief Executive, Duncan Wilson said:

“Our high streets are the beating hearts of our communities. Many have roots that go back hundreds of years. Their historic buildings and distinctive character tell the story of how our towns and cities have changed over time. They are places where people come together to socialise, shop, run businesses and be part of their local community, but now they face an uncertain future.”

‘”Through physical improvements and cultural activities, we will work with partners to find new ways to regenerate our high streets. It is a challenge, but with our experience and track record, as well as the knowledge and passion of local councils, businesses and community groups our historic high streets can be thriving social hubs once more.”

 

Source: GOV.UK

 

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‘Stronger Towns’ – New Money or Old news

“We’ve got a huge new Towns Fund which is going to be giving £3.6 billion altogether”

That was the claim from Boris Johnson on Friday. In March this year, Theresa May announced £1.6 billion for a new “Stronger Towns Fund”. The idea was to boost the local economies of towns that had been “left behind”.

In July, the new Prime Minister committed to add an extra £1 billion to the pot, bringing the total value of the Stronger Towns Fund up to £2.6 billion.

So where’s the “£3.6 billion” figure from?

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government say that the “Towns Fund” now comprises the “Stronger Towns Fund” and another pot, the “Future High Streets Fund”.

The Future High Streets Fund was announced in October 2018 and given £675 million to spend. Boris Johnson has since topped that up with an extra £325 million to bring the total to £1 billion. When you add that to the Stronger Towns Fund, you get a grand total of £3.6 billion.

So is Mr Johnson right to refer to this as “new”? If he means that the Towns Fund itself is new, then he’s right — before he took office, the Stronger Towns and Future High Street Funds were separate, and now they are combined.

But the key question is: how much of that £3.6 billion is new money? The answer, as the government’s own press release comes close to admitting in paragraph 11, is £1.325 billion.

It’s not the first time Mr Johnson has referred to the “£3.6 billion” figure — it cropped up in July during one of his first speeches as Prime Minister — though on that occasion he didn’t indicate whether this was all new money or not.

 

Source: 4 NEWS

 

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THE ASIAN BATTLE FOR LAND – Food or Energy?

Huge renewable energy projects planned in Asia, such as solar parks and hydropower dams, risk accelerating the conversion of farmland, uprooting communities and destroying livelihoods, energy experts and human rights activists warned on this week.

As they look to curb climate changing emissions, some of the most rapid transitions to renewable energy are taking place in countries such as China, India and across Southeast Asia.

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But with many in the region still dependent on farming and fishing, there is a real risk that large-scale renewable energy projects will change land use and hurt poor communities, said Harjeet Singh, global climate change lead at charity ActionAid.

“This shift and expansion will have significant implications for farmers, indigenous communities, ecosystems and water sources. The risks include land grabbing, destruction of forests and water bodies, and displacement,” he said.

“There is a need to ensure that the new solutions don’t create different injustices, inequalities, and cause more environmental destruction”, including from mining for minerals such as copper, cobalt, lithium and rare earth metals, he said.

More than three people were murdered each week last year while protecting their land from encroaching industries, with a four-fold increase in killings related to conflicts over water, according to Britain-based human rights group Global Witness.

Of the 164 killings it recorded in 19 countries, nearly a fourth were linked to mining, with fatal attacks also recorded at hydropower projects, it said in July.

In the Mekong river, some 11 mainstream dams and 120 dams on tributaries are planned for hydropower generation, which scientists have warned will imperil the already fragile river system, and hurt communities dependent on fishing and farming.

India’s development plans, requiring 11 million hectares of land by 2030, are likely to cause displacement “on an unprecedented scale,” the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre said in a 2016 report.

Some of this land will go towards large solar farms that are key to meeting India’s commitment to increasing its electricity generation from renewable sources to 40% by 2030.

Countries must look at ways to minimise land use when planning renewable energy projects, industry experts said.

Rooftop solar panels are one option, said Vibhuti Garg, an analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis in India.

“The government is also looking for land that is not used for agriculture,” she said.

Countries including Thailand and Singapore are also floating solar panels in lakes, dams and the sea.

While croplands have the greatest solar power potential, the impact can be minimised with “agrivoltaic” systems, or growing crops underneath solar panels, according to a study published in the journal Nature last month.

Source: Reuters

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New Homes to service rail manufacturing facility

Trains for the London Underground are to be built at a new facility in Goole.

Siemens has received a planning permission grant for this to go ahead. This is combined with Croda Europe’s planned move to Goole 36 Underground, as well as Beal Homes’ new housing development in the area.

All of these projects are set to unlock the potential of the 30-acre Capitol Park Goole, according to Capitol Park’s developers Sterling Capitol.

Siemens has just been given approval by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council for its proposed £200m rail manufacturing facility on a 67-acre site at Goole 36. The plans include 860,000 sq ft of manufacturing, commissioning, warehouse buildings and stabling sidings, as well as a four-storey 54,000 sq ft office building.

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As part of the project, Siemens is planning to create up to 700 jobs and a further 250 during the construction period, with an additional 1,700 potential UK supply chain roles.

Richard Beal, chief executive of Beal Homes, said: “Our plans amount to a huge economic boost for Goole – we’ll be investing more than £100m over the next 15 years.

“Our development will provide the high-quality housing, from starter homes to executive properties that Goole needs to support current and planned investment, encourage further growth and realise the town’s rich potential.

“Pending planning approval, we expect to be on site later this year and delivering the first new homes in the second half of 2020. That means much-needed, high–quality homes for local families and people attracted to the area. It also means many new jobs working directly with us or with local sub-contractors and suppliers.

“We’re proud and excited to be among many investors who are leading the way in delivering the regeneration of Goole and creating an exciting future for the town and its people.”

The factory will manufacture 94 trains for the Piccadilly line. The new trains are part of London Underground’s ‘Deep Tube’ upgrade programme to modernise the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo and City lines.

Meanwhile, East Yorkshire-based Beal Homes has submitted detailed plans for the first phase of a large-scale development of 800 homes on a 73-acre site close to Junction 36 of the M62 in Goole.

The overall scheme will be the largest residential development in the Goole area for many years. Covering an area equivalent to almost 50 football pitches, the development will include the provision of a new primary school and additional open space.

Mike Heydecke, of Starling Capitol, said: “Capitol Park Goole, adjacent to the M62 at Junction 36, is perfectly positioned to take advantage of these investments. The park has been opened up by the new link road from the motorway to the port and has massive economic potential for employment. This potential can now be further unlocked.”

 

Source: BDaily News

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WHY SLASH VAT ON HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Brian Berry, chief executive at the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), discusses VAT changes and underserved areas of the development industry.

Construction industry bosses are appointing more subcontractors in preparation of a downturn. What do firms need to look out for when appointing new subcontractors?

Anyone in the UK can start a construction company without having to demonstrate any basic level of competency or qualification. That is why anyone looking to appoint subcontractors should carefully consider who they appoint, and not make decisions on cost alone. If someone is looking for a builder, I would recommend using a member of the FMB. All new members of the FMB are independently inspected and vetted. We have a complaints process and are able to remove members if we find them to be in breach of our code of practice. Therefore, you know that by using an FMB member you have a guarantee that the company you are using has been vetted and if things go wrong, you have a safety net.

What needs to be done to increase the number of houses being built in the UK?

There needs to be a greater diversity of housebuilding. In 1988, 40% of new homes were built by SMEs, whereas now that is as little as 12%. While the major housebuilders are building more homes each year, it is not in their interest to exponentially increase supply. Therefore, it is critical to tap into other parts of the housebuilding sector, such as SME housebuilders. The greatest barriers facing SME housebuilders are finding small sites to build on, followed by the planning system and finally accessing the finance they need.

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What areas of the property development market do you believe are underserved and why?

I think there is massive potential in retrofitting properties, but this has been neglected in government policy. While much of the focus of late has been on ensuring new build properties are low carbon, there are many homes in the UK that do not meet energy-efficiency standards and are a major contributor to carbon emissions as well as fuel poverty. We believe there should be a national retrofit strategy and the government should incentivise homeowners to upgrade their homes by slashing VAT on home improvement works to 5%.

How did you get into the industry?

I started out at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors as a parliamentary officer, then worked in its Brussels office for a while on European policy, before heading up its policy unit. I then moved to the FMB as director of external affairs and have been there ever since.

If you didn’t work in the property industry, what would you be doing?

It would have to be something to do with people and trying to make a positive difference. A career in politics is always an attractive option, despite all the recent shenanigans! Failing that, I’ve got great admiration for teachers.

Source: Development Finance Today

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How Vulnerable is our utility infrastructure

A record 62% of all UK excavation work is now preceded by a thorough search for underground assets, such as pipes and cables, according to a report by LSBUD (Linesearch BeforeUdig).

The report entitled ‘Digging up Britain 2019′, shows that there were 2,585,862 searches made through LSBUD’s online portal last year – a 14% increase on the previous year. As a result, almost a quarter of a million more potential asset strikes to the UK’s energy infrastructure were averted.

Part of this increase is because more utility owners are now members. Of the UK’s 1.5 million kilometres of underground utility infrastructure, about 800,000 kilometres is currently covered by LSBUD’s collaborative portal, a 23% increase on last year. This includes more than 60% of the UK’s electricity and gas networks, a 20% increase on the previous year. This is partly due to Wales & West Utilities registering its assets at the end of 2018. With SSE set to add their assets in 2019, over 60% of the UK’s electricity and gas distribution networks are now members.

Richard Broome, managing director of LSBUD, said: “We have record numbers of searches going through our system – one every 12 seconds. Some of this is down to having such good coverage from the DNOs and GDNs, and this is improving every year. There’s a definite ‘safety in the herd’ effect – the more asset owners registered with us, the more enquiries every utility member receives. That said, it’s a worry that nearly four in 10 projects are still taking place without proper searches being completed – leaving workers and the UK’s utility infrastructure at risk.”

The report bears this out. Since SGN joined LSBUD two years ago its enquiries have increased from 2,500 to more than 58,000 per month.

Despite the promising increases in searches, more than 1.5 million projects out of an estimated total of four million still took place in 2018 without a detailed search for underground assets being completed. This equates to 38%, or a dig every 21 seconds.

Broome added: “We can’t be complacent. We still need to educate everyone to complete a comprehensive search before they put a spade or digger in the ground – as the implications of a strike can be huge.”

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If the searches through LSBUD’s portal are indicative of what’s happening nationally, the biggest threats to utility assets came from utility companies themselves. Telecoms contractors and operators completed 881,000 searches, making up 34% of all searches in 2018. Water related information requests came next, with 574,000 searches, accounting for 22% of the total.

Work by contractors on the nation’s roads also grew by 18%, with 360,000 requests submitted in 2018.  Housing grew its share of excavation work with a 21% surge in searches from firms involved in housebuilding. Solar farm project searches leapt by 64%, tree planting enquiries more than doubled, mining and quarry projects increased by 43% while searches relating to agricultural works increased by 86%.

LSBUD’s report also explores the costs of asset strikes, sharing data from a study by the University of Birmingham. Factoring in indirect costs such as worker ill-health or injuries caused by a strike plus traffic disruption, impact on the immediate neighbourhood, loss of custom to local businesses and so forth, the true cost of an asset strike is 29 times the direct cost; for every £1,000 of direct cost arising from a utility strike the true cost is £29,000.

LSBUD’s report highlights a strong correlation between the severity of a strike and the nature of work being carried out – incidents are twice as likely to occur on jobs that are medium or high risk than on planned work.

 

Broome concludes: “This is why we urge all asset owners to register with our service; with more emergency works than ever taking place, and more people searching than ever before, for every type of project, it’s crucial to make it easy for firms to rapidly check what’s under the ground.”

 

Source: Network

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Did Sajid miss his big moment?

Political chaos threatened to make Sajid Javid’s first Spending Review a footnote rather than a headline event, however the construction industry still found plenty to complain about…

It should have been Sajid Javid’s big moment. He announced an end to austerity, with no government department facing cuts next year for the first time since 2002. In fact, departmental spending will rise by £13.8bn in 2020-21 – an increase of 4.1% above inflation.

A £3.6bn increase to the New Towns Fund and some extra support to Homes England are also on the cards. However, for the construction industry, it’s a case of too little too late.

RIBA Chief Executive Alan Vallance said: “While an increase in spending is welcome, there’s a long way to go to reverse the damage a decade of cuts has had on the built environment. The RIBA has consistently raised concerns about the loss of skills in local government, as well as the continued exclusion of SMEs from public sector work. Under-resourced local authority planning departments have slowed the development of new housing and prompted a crisis in building quality.

“With significant warnings about the impact of Brexit uncertainty on the economy, particularly in a no deal scenario, an agreement on the way forward is vital.”

According to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), housebuilding and a new retrofit strategy must form part of the government’s ‘Infrastructure Revolution’, a policy announced in the Spending Round.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The housing crisis is undermining the British economy. If we are to increase productivity and improve our competitive edge on the world stage, then building more new homes must form part of the Government’s campaign to upgrade our infrastructure.

“I welcome the announcement for £241 million to be spent on the regeneration of high streets, town centres and local economies via the Towns Fund, and additional support for Homes England, however this must be part of an overarching strategy for new build homes and social housing, which will be key to securing a prosperous post-Brexit Britain.”

Dave Sheridan, Executive Chairman of ilke Homes, opined that additional funding for modern methods of construction would be more welcome than sticking plaster solutions.

“Delivering homes to the places that need them is priority number one, and this cannot be done without government investment,” Sheridan said. “The Chancellor’s pledge to increase funding for Homes England is a welcome one, but to meet the government’s targets of building 300,000 homes a year, collaboration between the public and private sector is crucial.

“Further investment into the modern methods of construction will be vital to delivering high-quality homes at speed. The previous government demonstrated their support for offsite manufacturing and the opportunities it poses in diversifying the supply chain and creating new jobs, easing the strain that the skills shortages has engendered. Gaining the support of this government will be fundamental to ending the housing crisis, and whilst increasing funding for Homes England is a good start, there is much more to be done.”

There was also good news in the form of extra funds to beef up T levels. All the industry needs now is clarity on how the extra spending will translate into new homes, and stability to build them.

Berry concluded: “The skills shortage is highly concerning in this respect, with just under two-thirds of builders struggling to hire bricklayers and more than half of builders struggling to hire carpenters. The announcement for an additional £400 million to be pumped into Further Education is a welcome boost to giving colleges and employers the resources they need to train more apprentices, and make T Levels, which will become the vocational counterpart to A Levels, a success. Today’s Spending Round set the scene for a positive outlook for builders, but we need more details about how more new homes will be delivered.”

 

Source: Showhouse

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