The World’s Largest Tidal Scheme, in the UK

    • Mersey Tidal Power has the potential to become the world’s largest tidal scheme
    • Formal planning process for UK’s “first of a kind” Mersey Tidal Power set to begin
    • Potential to manage environmental issues associated with climate change
    • Scheme would need government backing to complete development stage

 

Advanced proposals to build the world’s largest tidal scheme on the banks of the River Mersey have been unveiled by the Liverpool City Region’s Mayor Steve Rotheram.

Mayor Rotheram has revealed that the city region will pursue a barrage between the Wirral and Liverpool as the preferred option for the city region’s flagship Mersey Tidal Power project.

The barrage scheme – the “first of a kind” in the UK – could generate clean, predictable energy for 120 years and create thousands of jobs in its construction and operation.

 

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

 

“The River Mersey has been the lifeblood of our region’s fortunes for centuries – and it has an even more vital role to play in our future. Where our area was once a leader in the First Industrial Revolution, we now have an opportunity to seize our chance to become a leader in the Green Industrial Revolution.

“Mersey Tidal Power has the potential to generate clean, predictable energy for 120 years, create thousands of green jobs and apprenticeships – and all but seal our area’s status as Britain’s Renewable Energy Coast. Beyond the banks of the River Mersey, this is a national infrastructure asset that could position the UK as a global leader in the renewables race and help to turbocharge our net zero ambitions.

“We are under no illusions, we know there are still significant technical and financial challenges to overcome, but the plans we’ve unveiled today mark a huge step on our journey to bringing Mersey Tidal Power to life. Quite simply, the case for tidal has never been clearer – both for our economy and our planet.”

 

The announcement comes as the multi-billion-pound scheme moves towards the formal planning consent process.

It opens the possibility of a first-ever cycling and pedestrian route over the river between Liverpool and Wirral and could also provide a defence against future flooding risks associated with climate change.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will be asked at its March meeting (15/3/24) to approve the submission of a scoping opinion to the Planning Inspectorate later this year for the world’s largest tidal power scheme.

Over the last three years, the authority has undertaken early technical work to develop the potential scope of the scheme, which could be up and running within a decade, playing a huge role in the region’s push to be net zero carbon by 2040 – at least a decade ahead of national targets.

Mersey Tidal Power is a key part of a push for tidal range projects across the UK, focused on the west coast. Tidal range technology can make use of the UK’s abundant natural resources to create greater domestic energy security, complementing offshore wind, hydrogen and solar power.

 

Councillor David Baines, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Net-Zero and Air Quality, said:

 

“Existing strengths in wind and solar power and emerging strengths in hydrogen mean that our city region is already leading the way in developing a cleaner and greener economy.  Harnessing the power of the River Mersey to generate green and predictable energy for the next 100 years and more would be an incredible addition to our clean energy mix.  We need to ensure we are extremely aware of our sensitive local ecology but just reaching this stage in the Mersey Tidal Power project has taken a huge amount of hard work allied with vision and would be a big step towards it becoming a reality.”

 

If agreed, prior to the scoping opinion being submitted the Combined Authority would carry out a period of engagement, regionally and nationally, with stakeholders. Once the scoping opinion is received, the CA would hold formal consultations across communities and stakeholder groups.

The scoping opinion will be based on the creation of a barrage across the river.

The report to the Combined Authority notes that a barrage option would be less expensive than a lagoon, requiring less material and lower levels of government support. It would offer numerous other advantages, including the possibility of a pedestrian and cycle link between Liverpool and Wirral. A barrage could also help manage long-term environment issues related to climate change, including managing the effects of sea level rise on the Mersey.

Submitting a scoping opinion is the first step towards preparing a Development Control Order (DCO) submission – a process which typically takes two to three years. The scoping opinion submission describes the project and asks the Planning Inspector to advise on the scope and breadth of surveys needed to complete the documents outlining the environmental impact of the scheme.

The Mersey Tidal Power project would be the largest tidal range scheme in the world, using tried and tested technology for the first time in the UK. The multi-billion-pound project would potentially create thousands of local jobs, bringing economic and resilience benefits to the Liverpool City Region, in an asset that could operate for more than 120 years.

Source: Liverpool City Region

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Funding for Home Heating

Three projects have been awarded  funding from Innovate UK to research and develop more sustainable solutions for heating.

Addressing the fact that 23% of total emissions in the UK is generated from heating our 30 million buildings, Innovate UK ran a competition, Design Engineering Innovation Lab, to invest in the development of innovative renewable heating technologies that can be scaled across the UK.

Innovate UK were looking for proposals that reduced capital and installation costs across the whole system of net zero renovation, such as the fabric of the building and decarbonised heat technologies.

Organisations competing for a place, included energy suppliers, technology providers, research organisations and community interest groups.

Three of eight ideas produced by the innovation lab secured a total of £7,615,622 in grant support.

Let Zero, which is led by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, has been awarded funding of £2.4m.

Let Zero will work with landlords in the private sector to improve decision-making on renovations and improvements in their properties for the benefit of their tenants, especially vulnerable people.

The 18-month project will develop an end-to-end solution, powered by AI, to give landlords a ‘trusted path’ for upgrading their properties, tailored to the needs of the occupants.

While to be tested in South Yorkshire, has the potential to be scalable across the UK.

Transform-ER is a project led by Energiesprong UK, which has secured £3.3 million for its project that aims to help deliver retrofit solutions to one million homes per year by 2030.

The current retrofit market doesn’t have the capacity or capability needed and this project brings a fresh approach.

Transform-ER will embrace the move towards offsite construction to enable rapid deployment of high-quality retrofit solutions.

The project will provide interoperability rules for new products, enabling kits of parts to be brought together.

A ‘retrofit rulebook’ will also be developed, which will write up the activities in the project as case studies.

It will also set out clear guidance for other industry innovators and those wishing to join the retrofit revolution.

Elemental Power received £1.9 million for a project that aims to transform how retrofits are carried out on non-domestic buildings in the UK.

From using immersive ‘digital twins’ to test and simulate real conditions, to using local renewable energy solutions, building owners will be provided with the information needed to make the best upgrade decisions.

 

Source: Air Quality News

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Digitilisation: Construction must not be left behind

Contrary to popular belief, a recent report has shown that the UK construction industry has been among the best at digital adoption. However, this has started to grind to a halt as a quarter (28%) of businesses in the sector believe digital transformation is easy for them to achieve.

While most firms recognise the importance of implementing new digital infrastructure, there are a variety of sector-specific barriers as most projects require the involvement of multiple stakeholders each with their own systems and ways of working. In many cases, the financial and time commitment required to streamline the volume of processes and systems prevents wide-scale adoption programmes from getting off the ground.

Additionally, many construction businesses are still reliant on traditional processes and paper-based systems that lack efficiency and productivity. Also, workers in this sector may not have had the opportunity to maximise their skills within emerging digital technology and administrative processes. This means many firms may prefer to stick with what is familiar, despite these systems being time-consuming and often complicated.

It’s crucial for firms to take stock of where efficiencies can be made and understand the capabilities of their team members. Once this is understood, businesses should provide effective training to keep employees engaged and excited throughout the change journey.

Highlighting focus areas that are high impact but cost effective is a quick and easy way to receive an almost instant return on a digital change programme while slowly introducing new methods to team members. For decision-makers in the sector, combining these quick-win areas with an employee advocacy strategy can help to smooth any internal resistance and ensure the successful pick-up of new ways of working.

As the nation continues to digitise, it’s vital the construction sector isn’t left behind. A robust digital infrastructure will boost efficiency and competitiveness within the industry as stakeholders continue to implement digital solutions for their business needs.

Source: Property Week

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Construction Stabilises and the Future Brightens

There are signs that the UK’s construction industry is picking up pace and for the first time in two years builders are feeling more optimistic.

In the latest S&P Global/CIPS construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) there was a score of 49.7 last month compared to 48.8 the previous month, any score below 50 shows the sector is shrinking.

According to the survey there has been an improvement in market conditions and this has led to the foundation for residential construction work to settle.

Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said,

“This was the best performance for the construction sector since August 2023 and the forward-looking survey indicators provide encouragement that business conditions could improve in the coming months.”

“However, a protracted downturn in activity has made construction companies cautious about their employment numbers,” Moore added.

“Staffing levels dropped for the third time in the past four months and the latest round of job shedding was the steepest since November 2020.”

Rob Wood, chief UK economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics, said,

“House-buyers returning to the market as expectations of interest rate cuts have grown helped construction output to stabilise in February.

“Builders’ surging confidence in the outlook suggests construction output will grow again soon.”

 

Source: London Loves Business

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Sector Reponds to Jeremy’s Budget

 

CEO of The Hydrogen Energy Association (HEA) Celia Greaves

“Giga has the potential to release billions in private investment in clean energy supply chains to provide products and services and will be critical for the continued development and deployment of hydrogen in the UK.

“We have been invited by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to facilitate input to a Call for Evidence on the funding package to support the expansion of strong, home-grown, clean energy supply chains across the country, for hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), as well as electricity networks, nuclear and offshore wind.

“Our input – from an association representing 120 members across the full-value chain – will help them to better understand the manufacturing project pipeline and the issues faced by the supply chain, and ultimately support DESNZ in gauging hydrogen market readiness for Giga funding, ahead of intended scheme launch in the summer of 2024.

“We are now entering a period of unprecedented growth for the UK hydrogen economy and this sort of funding could provide that valuable leap forward for the UK to continue to be a world leading place to invest in hydrogen.”

Gideon Stone, co-founder of Janine Stone & Co, the luxury residential design and build agency

 “The UK prime and super-prime residential sector is one of the few points of light amid a very difficult housing market. The sector has a strong appeal, seeing a more than 5% increase in listings over the past 12 months, with particularly pronounced growth in prime London neighbourhoods, such as Highgate, Holland Park, and Belgravia. Overall, the sector’s economic contribution is significant, generating over £36 billion across some 16,000 transactions last year.

Overseas buyers are vital to this market, accounting for 45% of purchases in Prime Central London in 2023, an increase of 6% on the previous year. As a result, Chancellor Hunt’s decision to scrap the non-dom tax regime threatens to snuff out the sector’s recovery. Too sudden or too dramatic a change in the tax system for high net wealth individuals risks transactions to grind to a halt, depriving the Exchequer of much needed revenues and the housing market of an upturn in one of its most important sectors.

Britain is blessed with a large endowment of extremely desirable luxury properties that overseas buyers wish to purchase and the Government should think carefully before jeopardizing the future of this important sector.”

Will Walker, UK Policy Lead at Ashden the climate solutions charity

“The country is crying out for bold government leadership and a credible plan to address the triple-whammy of energy security, fuel poverty and the climate crisis. This has to be done through sustainable clean growth. Any plan needs to be backed with the right powers, resources and incentives to empower communities, leverage investment, upskill and expand the workforce, and revive the economy.”

“The chancellor said he wanted to ‘build up our resilience to future shocks’. However, in reality he failed to ‘read the room’ and delivered a budget that misses the fact that citizens, by and large, care more about long-term investment in public services and getting help with their energy bills than short-term tax cuts.”

“Unfortunately, what we’ve seen over the last decade from Government is dither, delay and division on net zero. This has undermined business and investor confidence, weakened supply chains and added nearly £2.5bn to UK energy bills.

“A case in point is the home heat workforce and heat pump industry. Several net zero retreats in recent years, including the latest U-turn this week with the scrapping of the Clean Heat Market Mechanisms – sometimes given the misnomer of ‘the boiler tax’ – have meant that the industry really don’t know where they are any more. They have had their fingers burned and don’t trust government schemes, undermining the progress of a growth sector – yet again this budget neglects to provide a properly funded retrofit plan to support action that could really make a difference to the economy and help households trying to keep their costs down and homes warm.”

“Clearly the model is broken. Fundamentally, local leaders need more powers and resources devolved from Westminster, not further pressure on spending that has already been cut to the bone. Only by centering the needs of communities in the transition to net zero, reviving public services, and prioritising those most affected by it, will we get where we need to go and bring people with us.”

 

Dr Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), said:

“Local government was not entirely absent from today’s Budget. Headline announcements included a trailblazer devolution deal for the North East, devolution deals for Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire and Surrey, new Investment Zones and a series of funding deals to support housing. These will no doubt be welcome in those areas that receive them, but the Chancellor did not address the systemic funding issues in local government.

Our latest research found half of councils believe they could face bankruptcy within the next parliament. Council taxpayers are paying ever higher rates for fewer services, and leisure centres, SEND provision and adult social care funding are all facing deep cuts.

Now is the time for productive debate on the possible solutions to the local government funding crisis. Instead, the spending reductions required by this budget will increase all these pressures.

The Chancellor recognised market failures in children’s residential care and SEND support but councils will not feel that this is enough to counteract the cost increases they have faced in those areas. Similarly many in local government will note that the Chancellor’s emphasis on public sector productivity is not reciprocated by removing some of the onerous funding hoops that councils have to jump through.

We need a proper debate about how we fund local services and we need to reform council finances. This scattergun pattern of largesse granted or withheld will no longer suffice.”

 

Graham Harle is the CEO of Gleeds Worldwide

“As Chancellor Jeremy Hunt resumed his seat after the budget, the false bonhomie masking apprehension on colleagues’ faces spoke volumes. With an election around the corner, if it was supposed to buy the government another term of office, I would imagine many Tory MPs will be ordering the removal van. Construction and property are a bell weather industrial sector as well as big employers and our numbers make for grim reading, with construction activity recording almost flat output levels in February after five months of falls. This is the core issue that the Chancellor should have been addressing – how to inspire confidence, fan growth and improve productivity. Rather than tinker around the edges doing things like increasing the VAT registration threshold by a meagre £5K, minimal investment in housing and full lease expensing “when affordable”, the Chancellor should look at the anaemic UK economy as needing a transfusion, not a sticking plaster. GDP is only predicted to be marginally higher this year at 0.8%, for instance. This was a budget to stop us bleeding out before the election, not a long-term recovery plan.”

David Hannah, Group Chairman of Cornerstone Tax

“Multiple Dwellings Relief was first implemented as means to incentivise bulk purchases and provided developers with a suitable avenue for delivering low-cost homes. At a time when demand for affordable housing has skyrocketed, the government should look to create fresh incentives for developers, instead of abolishing old ones.”

“With inflation forecast to fall below the 2% threshold in just two months time, it’s time that the Chancellor pressure the Bank of England to urgently reassess their priorities. Economies have momentum and the unnecessary continuation of record high interest rates risks further damage to the UK’s struggling housing market.

“Our data reveals that 59% of Brits on their current salary cannot afford to save for a deposit, whilst 54% of Brits claim that their family aren’t able to provide them with enough support for their first step on the housing ladder.

“The Chancellor could have used this opportunity to reform the private rental sector, measures including the abolition of the second home surcharge from rental sector investors and reinstating full relief on mortgage interest payments would have both reduced the costs of purchase, whilst also allowing landlords to freeze, or potentially cut, rents. “

The Housing Forum responds to the Spring Budget 2024

 

The Housing Forum welcomes the £240m announced today to unlock housing in Barking and Canary Wharf, and also the second round of funding to address the nutrient neutrality issue blocking new homes. It was disappointing not to see any other significant new funding announced for housing in today’s budget.

The housing sector has been struggling with market downturn and a raft of new regulations, making it more expensive and difficult to build new homes. The government is on course to miss its own target of 300,000 new homes a year, and there was nothing today to suggest any plan to remedy this situation. The Housing Forum’s proposals for a £4bn fund for affordable housing would enable the 60,000 households currently in temporary accommodations to have a home of their own, reducing costs for local authorities’ hard-stretched budgets and helping the housing and construction sector to retain capacity to accelerate in the future.

We’re also very concerned about the funding cuts proposed to unprotected departments like the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, over the coming years. Even more worrying is the lack of support for local authorities, many of which are on the verge of issuing Section 114 notices. Well-funded local authorities are needed to develop local plans and build much needed social housing, if councils are left in the lurch then housebuilding will decline yet further.

 

 

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Tax Breaks for Property Developers

Property developers and investors taking on projects to convert commercial property into residential homes have received transformational news, as the government confirms changes to planning law, which coupled with potential tax breaks could be highly lucrative.

From 5th March 2024, changes to the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) in England will come into effect. The GDPO gives property developers the ability to go ahead with certain types of development without the need to seek individual planning permission from the local authority.

The GDPO in essence considers planning permission to have been granted for particular types of projects. With the changes being introduced, the scope of the GDPO is widening and previous rules which created barriers are being removed.

Why is the government changing the GDPO?

The housing crisis and the high volume of vacant units on the high street has driven the government to make these changes.

The retail sector has seen a large shift to online shopping, which has driven up the collapse of some of the largest retailers in the country. Business rates have also driven other companies off the high street.

The hope is this change will act as a ‘two birds, one stone’ solution, by encouraging both property developers and investors to take on commercial units in England’s towns and cities and regenerate them as much needed housing for the country.

For context, previous Permitted Development Rights (PDR) projects led to the creation of 102,830 new homes, over the period 2015/16 and 2022/23, which comprised around 6 per cent of the net homes delivered over that period.

By easing the restrictions on the GDPO, the government hopes that this route to the creation of new homes can help reach their overall targets for housing.

How is the GDPO changing?

The change relates to the Use Class, Class MA. This allows for a Class E commercial property to be converted into a residential property.

At present the GDPO caps the maximum floor space of a project to 1,500 square metres, meaning any building with a floor space that exceeded this size could only be partly converted. This restriction is to either be removed, or increased to 3,000 square metres, meaning the size of building that can be changed from commercial to residential use will be at least twice what it is now.

Secondly, a property had to have been vacant for a continuous period of three months, before the date of an application. This requirement is being removed.

So, from March 5th unless there is an Article 4 direction or other form of restrictive condition in place that overrules the GDPO, a Class E (e.g. offices, retail space, cafes, restaurants, health centres, indoor recreation and much more) type of commercial building of any size, and regardless of whether it is in use or not, can be converted to residential use.

It may be necessary for property developers to apply separately for planning permission, if the outside of the building is to change (e.g. extra windows and doors are needed).

Tax breaks with change of use property developments

As stipulated in Section 7 of the Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708), the VAT rating on some property conversions is reduced from 20 to 5 per cent. This applies when you are converting a premises to a:

  • Single household dwelling
  • Different number of single household dwellings
  • Multiple occupancy dwelling
  • Premises intended for use solely for a relevant residential purpose

There are conditions that apply in each instance, however, for those that qualify this is a significant cost saving.

What does the change to Class MA permitted development rights mean?

Other rules, outside the floor space and vacancy rules being removed, will still apply. For example, the building must have been in Use Class E continuously for at least the last two years, it must not be on or part of a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) or protected in some way, and cannot be within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Nonetheless, the change will be transformative for the property development industry. It will bring about a faster, cheaper and easier path for the conversion of unused or under-used commercial buildings to residential use.

In terms of the overall impact on the housing sector, the government clearly has a long way to go before the housing crisis is fixed. It has a target of creating 300,000 homes per year in England by the mid 2020’s, which we are now upon.

However, in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, the net additional dwellings figure for England demonstrated a significant housing shortfall, and sat at just under 235,000 per year.

 

Source: Commercial Trust

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What can go Wrong with Geothermal Projects?

Krafla Geothermal Power Plant in Iceland

How to explain the low energy output of one of the UK’s flagship geothermal projects?

GeoExPro spoke to a geothermal drilling expert to find out

 

In September last year, the UK Government announced a list of renewable energy projects that qualify for a minimum price guarantee for the energy delivered to the grid. Geothermal projects were among the winners for the first time, and the United Downs project in Cornwall, southwest England, was one of them.

However, the estimated energy offtake from United Downs looked a little meagre: only 2 MWe. Higher output can reasonably be expected for such a flagship and expensive project, where the producer well reaches more than 5,000 m and temperatures over 175°C are confirmed. What might be the cause for an energy output this low?

It is not only a low energy output; progress on constructing the site has also been much slower than anticipated. In June 2020, I listened to a talk by Ryan Law from Geothermal Engineering Limited, the project’s operator. At the time, electricity production was thought to be online in 2021. It is 2024 now, and there is still no electricity production, and the project’s narrative has moved significantly towards lithium production.

To learn more about what may have caused all this, GeoExPro spoke to Kevin Gray from Black Reiver Consulting, who has been working in the geothermal space for years and knows how to drill a geothermal project properly. Kevin is a real advocate for the geothermal industry, but at the same time, he does not shy away from being upfront about the risks of not sticking to a competent drilling strategy.

The United Downs project seems to be an example of a project where a competent drilling strategy was missing.

The United Downs project targeted a major fault zone in the granitic basement. Hot brines from a depth of around 4,100 m are supposed to be brought to the surface to power an electricity plant, with the cooled fluid subsequently re-injected at a depth of around 2,100 m into the same fault zone where it was produced from deeper down.

Schematic representation of the Porthtowan Fault zone drilled by the two United Downs geothermal wells. Source: Geothermal Engineering Limited

 

As virgin granite has no permeability, any fluid flow into the wellbore relies on natural fractures. Therefore, it is critical for high-profile projects of this kind to preserve the permeability as much as possible during the drilling process.

“This is easier said than done because penetrating a naturally fractured zone is often associated with mud losses while drilling and, therefore, the risk of clogging up the fracture space”, says Kevin. “And that is most likely the thing that went wrong here.”

“An explanation as to why the fracture space was clogged up so badly is the type of drill bit used”, continues Kevin. “The project went through 38 roller-cone bit runs, and guess what roller-cone bit cuttings do when drilling through a fracture zone? The cuttings can completely pack off your fractures, decreasing their capability to accommodate fluid flow.”

Kevin further explains that there are bits on the market that can do a much better job, as it is in this particular realm where a lot of innovation has been taking place over the last few years.

“On that basis, it looks likely that there was no proper assessment of the type of drill bit to be used”, Kevin concludes. “Sure, even with the best bits, it will always be a challenge to prevent any formation damage completely, but in this case, it seems that the low projected energy output can be directly related to the lack of a proper drilling strategy.”

Source: GeoExPro
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Report Says UK can add £51.2b to the Economy by Building Social Housing

New research suggests that building 90,000 social homes every year could significantly benefit the UK economy – by up to £51.2bn.

A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) that was commissioned by Shelter and the National Housing Federation (NHF), argues the investment would not only address the housing crisis but also generate a net profit of £12 billion for the taxpayer over 30 years.

The report, entitled ‘The economic impact of building social housing’ also highlights that building more social housing could create up to 140,000 jobs in the first year alone.

The building programme would also inject £37.8 billion back into the economy within three years, primarily through boosting the construction sector.

Building 90,000 social homes will end the housing emergency

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, said:

“Homelessness is a political choice, with a simple solution. Building 90,000 social homes a year will not only end the housing emergency, but due to the wider economic benefits it brings, it will pay for itself within just three years.

“Day after day our frontline services are inundated with calls from people who are being tipped into homelessness because there are no genuinely affordable homes available and private renting is just too expensive.

“Communities are being torn apart as people are priced out of their local areas – leaving behind their jobs, children’s schools and support networks.”

She added: “It doesn’t have to be this way. A safe and secure social home will give people a place to thrive – improving their health and access to work and education.

“All political parties must make the choice to end the housing emergency – they must fully commit to building 90,000 new genuinely affordable social rent homes a year for 10 years.”

 

Potential savings across various government departments

The report also highlights potential savings across various government departments should the UK commit to building new social housing.

The savings would amount to:

  • £4.5 billion on housing benefit would be saved
  • £2.5 billion earned through construction taxes
  • £3.8 billion earned through employment taxes
  • £5.2 billion saved on NHS costs
  • £4.5 billion saved on homelessness reduction
  • £3.3 billion saved on Universal Credit.

These savings, combined with additional tax revenue, would recoup the initial £11.8 billion government investment within 11 years.

‘The housing crisis can be solved’

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation said:

“This research shows not only that the housing crisis can be solved, but that this can be done in a way that will save the taxpayer money, boost jobs and bring huge benefits to the wider economy.

“Right now, we are in the midst of a housing emergency. Millions of children are being pushed into homelessness, families are being forced into impossible choices to keep a roof over their heads and people in every community in the country are seeing life chances harmed by inadequate housing.”

She adds: “Building more social homes is a win-win solution. It will immediately boost the construction industry, supporting thousands of jobs, and will save the government and taxpayer money over the longer term.

“It also brings huge benefits to people affected by the housing crisis through reducing homelessness, increasing employment and boosting children’s life chances.”

Source: Property 118

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T Levels not A Levels is what Employers Need

College cements ambitious plans for ‘transformational’ campus buildings

Work is getting underway on a trio of large capital investment projects at Bradford College.Over the last two years, the college has secured nearly £29m in funding, which will go towards major construction schemes. Plans include:

·       New £3.5m vocational T Level facilities in the existing David Hockney Building.
·       A £6.9m refurbishment of the derelict Garden Mills building on Thornton Road.
·       Construction of a new £17m Future Technologies Centre (FTC), also on Thornton Road.

T Level Facilities

A £3.5m Department for Education (T Level Capital Fund  – Wave 5) investment will create a commercial barbering salon, nail bar, collaborative lecture spaces, TV studio, enhanced media editing and recording studios, outdoor dining facilities, and remodel of The Grove training restaurant.

T Level qualifications are an alternative to A Levels and focus on the hands-on skills that employers need.

Opening in September, these latest T Level facilities follow on from £1.3m Wave 4 funding which built T Level health and early years facilities in 2023.

The first phase of work incorporated five new digital teaching suites, a large collaboration science lab, a mock clinical ward, and the conversion of classrooms into indoor and outdoor nursery training rooms.

Garden Mills

The Garden Mills refurbishment is the result of £5.8m worth of funding received from The Office for Students (OfS) Higher Education Capital Fund (with a £1.1m college contribution).

Contractor Tilbury Douglas has finished the strip out of the five-storey building for fit-out and completion by this summer.

Garden Mills will enhance the college’s existing health science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) facilities. Higher-level HNC/HND and degree students will use this building from the new academic year.

It will house two new flexible laboratories, a prep room, six higher education digital IT labs, an ophthalmic dispensing suite, a clinical suite, a real-life work environment with consulting and testing booths, a collaboration area, and academic teaching spaces.

Future Technologies Centre (FTC)

Construction of the purpose-built FTC building will begin in spring following the demolition of Junction Mills and surveys by contractor, Morgan Sindall.

The project was made possible thanks to £15m funding from the Department for Education’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund (FECTF), secured in October 2022, boosted by a £2m college contribution.

The FTC will be the new home of modern automotive and digital engineering curricula, such as electric/hybrid vehicles, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and digital/3D design.

The college’s Automotive and Digital Engineering Department will relocate from Bowling Back Lane to the new premises once completed during the 2025/2026 academic year.

Christopher Malish, Bradford College vice principal finance & corporate services, said: “We’re thrilled to see work scaling up across our project sites after years of logistics and planning.

“We have an exciting year ahead as we develop sector leading facilities. This is a huge boost for the college but is also a transformative investment in Bradford city centre, that also supports the wider city centre development.

“These multi-million pound investments will create cutting-edge learning environments for the local community, allowing the college to deliver on its mission of transforming lives.”

source: The Business Desk

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Learn from heatwaves to inform UK policy

Turning up the heat: learning from the summer 2022 heatwaves in England to inform UK policy on extreme heat

The UK experienced five heatwave periods during summer 2022 with record-breaking temperatures of over 40°C in England. This was not an anomaly, but part of a warming trend: extreme heat events are projected to become more likely as the climate continues to change.

This evidence report, research drawing from the experiences of those working on the frontline of the heatwave response in England in summer 2022 – including policymakers, emergency responders, utility sector and civil society participants – finds that the country is ill-prepared for future extreme heat events.

To inform future preparedness and responses to extreme heat in the UK, this evidence report evaluates the current policy response to extreme heat, shares lessons from the experiences of decision-makers and first responders to the 2022 heatwaves and recommends that the Government develops a new Heat Risk Strategy (see figure below).

Key messages

  • The 2022 heatwaves were associated with a total of 2,985 excess deaths in England and heat exposure is estimated to cost the UK economy £260–300 million per year. Heat poses particular risk for those with pre-existing health conditions and exacerbates existing social and economic inequalities. There are also differences in regional heat vulnerabilities and exposure.
  • Better management of heat risk and adaptation action is essential to protect the population and infrastructure. Although the most effective way to minimise the longer-term impacts of extreme heat is through cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, the severity and frequency of heatwave periods will continue to grow even once global emissions reach net zero.
  • Reflecting on the 2022 heatwave response in England as a whole and in London, Manchester and Yorkshire and Humber, our research participants expressed a range of concerns, including a lack of preparedness for the heat, a lack of specific resources and funding, and the need for better communication, public engagement and education.
  • Positive aspects of the response highlighted by participants were the presence of strong teams, agile decision-making, prioritising vulnerable groups, successful forecasting and early warning systems and the deployment of the national heat alert system.
  • Existing policies related to managing extreme heat in England are fragmented and do not adequately address the severity or urgency of heat risk. For example, the Third National Adaptation Programme recognises the risks to human health from extreme heat but fails to offer actions of sufficient scale and urgency to significantly improve heat preparedness.

  • Over half of UK homes are at risk of overheating: buildings in the UK have been designed to protect from the cold rather than the heat. Building regulations now address overheating risk in new-build homes, but existing homes and buildings are excluded.

  • Limited progress has been made to address the risks of heat, drought and wildfires in the natural environment – and to harness the opportunities of nature-based solutions such as green and blue infrastructure to provide cooling urban areas.
  • The severity of extreme heat risks and impacts are often underestimated by the UK population and positive media coverage of heatwaves tends to undermine the severity of risks.
  • The UK needs a National Heat Risk Strategy, a strengthened National Adaptation Programme and a new vision for leadership to ensure a step change in progress on addressing heat risk at all geographical levels.

A National Heat Risk Strategy for the UK

 

Source: London School of Economics

 

 

 

 

 

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