Part I: Exclusive with Adam Matthews – Chairman of EU BIM Task Group

In the first part of the interview, UK Construction Online talk exclusively to Adam Matthews – Chairman of the European Union BIM Task Group, about the UK’s placement within the construction industry, the European Common Network, the drive for BIM and how other countries are progressing on their BIM journey following Brexit.

Adam Matthews is Chairman of the European Union BIM Task Group which is a network of public sector stakeholders from over 20 nations and co-funded by the European Commission.  He is also Director of International Development for the UK Government’s BIM Task Group and has more than 24 years of experience in information technology and change management in various industrial sectors.  Adam holds an MBA from Kingston University which focused on sustainability and public policy for the construction sector.

Since the Level 2 mandate in April, how well placed do you think the UK construction industry is?

‘Standing aside’ from my UK role and just looking at the evidence from surveys, conferences, institutes and associations would suggest that most of the industry has at least started on the journey towards BIM Level 2.  That includes those just beginning to understand what BIM Level 2 is, to those that have immersed their organisation’s procedures as supporting Level 2 and the collaborative use of data.

We can also say that the industry has a much greater awareness and capability in “collaborative BIM” (the original phrase under the Construction Strategy 2011) than five years ago.  This is a big step forward for the UK industry and it should be recognised for how enthusiastically it has embraced this change.

On a personal note, I think it must rank as one of the greatest national collaborative efforts the construction sector has seen.  A building services engineer said to me once that BIM was one of the best things to happen in the sector in his lifetime, and that the UK Government’s BIM programme was the best thing Government had done for the industry (with the notable exception of H&S improvements).  I wouldn’t disagree with his assessment.

To help the industry equip itself on Level 2, there are guides to explain and adopt the Level 2 approach which will be delivered shortly on:  http://ift.tt/2cR3rXs

There is more to do, but we should also celebrate the progress we have made in a relatively short period of time.  The CIC should also be congratulated for their leadership and ownership of the programme since its launch at the end of 2011.

How is the European Common Network developing?

The UK with Norway started the group in late 2013 with 12 other European countries by holding a get-to-know-you session in Brussels.  Since it formed as the EU BIM Task Group, it has grown to over 20 European nations with support and co-funding from the European Commission.  The aim of the group is simple – create a common understanding of BIM in Europe and aim to spread common practice across public clients introducing BIM to public policy or public works.  We launched our website in early 2016 www.eubim.eu and updates on our progress will be issued there.

We have just completed a survey of European practices by public stakeholders and now starting to draft a guide for public procurers on BIM. This BIM handbook will make recommendations for good practice based on the current European experience.

Do you think the EU would ever have a BIM mandate?

Mandate is a strong word. Technically the UK BIM ‘mandate’ is policy encouragement to the UK’s public construction client group to require the delivery of BIM information on centrally funded projects.  It is not easy to see how a single BIM mandate would be applied across Europe – however, do I see common approaches and requirements for BIM being adopted by European governments and public clients? Yes, absolutely.  And looking forward, I see these requirements aligning across Europe.

Over the next three to five years it is likely there will be a growing momentum of consistent BIM requirements in public tenders at national and public estate levels.  We are beginning to see this already. Clients are recognising it is not enough simply to request “It should be BIM” in public tenders: they want to specify standard digital information datasets at key project milestones.

In terms of the EU, is the drive for BIM coming from the private or public sector?

Both, but at some stage in a number of countries – the public stakeholders are taking a leadership role to help create the necessary conditions to deliver joint economic and environmental benefits for both the public sector and for industry.

What impact will Brexit have on closer collaboration with BIM in Europe?

In my view, the collaboration has been a European exercise, not just EU – it actually includes members of the EFTA (European Free Trade Association) such as Norway (a leading partner in the project) and Iceland.

With regards to Brexit, the EU BIM Task Group is a two year project until end of 2017 which would mean the UK will be a full EU member at that time. And the goal of the group is to align the European approach to introduction of BIM. Beyond Europe, there is recognition that BIM is a global language – construction will transform to a global ‘digital construction’ sector over the next five to ten years.  The group is collaborating to place the European sector to compete effectively in this market.

I would add that it is a European success – nations sharing approaches and implementation descriptions in order to agree a common performance level to describe what BIM is to encourage trade across borders.  It continues to be a positive and collaborative experience.

 

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Reaction to Nationwide House Price Index

The Vinden Partnership says decisive policy needed to end construction projects’ hesitancy

The latest Nationwide House Price Index has been released and reveals that house price growth softened in September.

House prices rose by 0.3% on August’s figures and  are up 5.3% on the same period in 2015.

The building society said that house prices still “remained within the narrow range of 3% to 6% that has prevailed since early 2015.”

The number of homes on the market remains close to record low levels with the number of new buyer enquiries also remaining flat.

The lack of new housing being built was cited as a contributing factor to this but encouragingly the number of new homes being built increased slightly. However, the number was still way below the numbers needed to satisfy demand.

The report suggested that economic uncertainty could be preventing some house builders from increasing their output despite having the capacity to do so at the current rate for the next five years.

Speaking to Matt Brown from UK Construction Online, Peter Vinden, Managing Director of The Vinden Partnership – a leading multi-disciplinary consultant company to the built environment said: “This is a perfect example of why we need a defined Brexit policy from the government.

“This report highlights housebuilders having the capacity to build more houses but holding back because of economic certainty. This hesitancy will have a knock on effect across the entire industry.

“This week we have heard about ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ Brexit. What we need is a ‘defined’ Brexit. This country can thrive outside of the EU and it isn’t something we should be fearful of. The economic Armageddon threatened by many in the run up to referendum has failed to materialise. The government should be embracing this opportunity with a sense of optimism and get on with securing the best deals for Britain.”

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Key contract signed for Hinkley Point

The government and EDF have signed the contract for the new £18Bn Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

The key contract has been signed by the government and French energy giant EDF, for the UK’s first new nuclear power point in a generation, Hinkley Point C.

Following Theresa May’s appointment to Prime Minister, she made an unexpected announcement in July that she wanted to scrutinise the project.

Her government gave its approval two weeks ago on condition that it could prevent EDF from selling its controlling stake before completion of the project.

CGN will pay about a third of the cost of Hinkley. Under its agreement with EDF, it will also have a stake in a new plant at Sizewell in Suffolk.

The Chinese will then be allowed to develop their own reactor technology at Bradwell in Essex, subject to planning and regulatory approvals.

In a ceremony in London on Thursday, EDF boss Jean-Bernard Levy joined officials from the UK, France and China, for the official signing following the governments go-ahead for the plant earlier this month.

Business Secretary Greg Clark, Foreign French Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, China’s National Energy Administration Director, Nur Bekri, and the Chairman of Chinese firm CGN were amongst those attending the meeting.

Ahead of the event, dozens of contracts consisting of thousands of pages for the huge project in Somerset are believed to have been prepared ahead of the event, with the key document being the Contract for Difference or CfD, which gives a guaranteed price for the electricity Hinkley Point will generate for 35 years.

Mr Clark said that signing the contract was a “crucial moment” and that Hinkley played “an important part in ensuring our future low-carbon energy security”.

He Yu said it signifies “CGN’s commitment to the UK as one of the world’s leading developers and operators of nuclear power. This flagship programme is a triple win for China, Britain, and France and is a culmination of years of cooperation between the three countries. CGN looks forward to providing UK consumers with safe, reliable and sustainable energy and maximising opportunities for UK suppliers and the UK workforce.”

The nuclear power plant will provide power for nearly six million homes.

Critics say the guaranteed “strike price” – which is more than twice the current wholesale cost of electricity – will provide a windfall for EDF for decades to come.

However, Greenpeace said it was “no wonder the UK government has opted for a ‘champagne-free’ signing ceremony away from public view.

“With a stroke of the pen ministers are signing away billions of pounds of billpayers’ money to a project they know is plagued by legal, financial and technical problems. In the unlikely event Hinkley is working some time in the second half of the next decade, renewable energy will be much cheaper, yet British consumers will still be forced to pay over the odds for nuclear power. It’ll be like being locked into an expensive fixed-rate mortgage as interest rates plummet.”

 

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House price growth slows in September

House price growth softened in September according to the latest Nationwide House Price Index.

House prices increased by 0.3% in comparison to August’s figures and up 5.3% on the same period last year.

The average cost of a home now stands at £206,015.

The building society said that figures still “remained within the narrow range of 3% to 6% that has prevailed since early 2015.”

There was little change in regional price trends. The south east of England continued to see stronger increases in comparison to the outer Metropolitan region.

House price growth in Scotland and Northern Ireland remained subdued, with small decreases noted in Wales and the North of England.

The number of homes on the market remains close to record low levels with the number of new buyer enquiries also remaining flat.

The lack of new housing being built was cited as a contributing factor to this but encouragingly the number of new homes being built increased slightly.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief Economist, said: “The number of new homes built in England has picked up, but is still not sufficient to keep up with the expected increase in the population. In the four quarters to Q2 2016, 139,000 new houses were completed, 30% higher than the low point seen in 2010.

“However, this is still around 15% below the average rate of building in the five years before the financial crisis and 38% below the 225,000 new households projected to form each year over the coming decade.”

Mr Gardner said that advantageous interest rates and such schemes as Help to Buy should reassure house builders that there is sufficient demand to buy the properties.

He suggested economic uncertainty maybe preventing some house builders from increasing their output despite having the capacity to do so at the current rate for the next five years.

The survey seems to suggest that more houses are being built in areas where “affordability is more stretched” and demand higher. More affordable regions have seen the least amount of new houses being built.

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IBI’s Routemapper makes high-speed data collection faster for England’s strategic roads operator

IBI Group supports Highways England’s Asset Information Group with state-of-the-art data gathering and hosting services.

IBI’S Routemapper is a combination of imagery equipment originally commercialised by IBI Group in 2006, which has been combined with Teledyne Optech’s SG1 LiDAR systems, to create a Mobile Mapping System.

Highly accurate laser point clouds and high-quality imagery can be collected from a vehicle moving at high speeds, which can then be processed and office-based users can extract high quality inventory data.

Highways England’s Asset Management Information System (IAM-IS), a central, national-level repository for asset data and information about associated maintenance levels, will be populated by the locations and attributes of the large number of surface-visible assets gathered by the MMS.

In addition, Highways England’s Asset Visualisation Information System (AVIS) – provided by IBI Group – will enable Highways England and its supply chain to visualise its asset data alongside MMS datasets. This includes imagery and LiDAR, mapping and other datasets.

There are several areas in which, daily, organisations can increase efficiencies through accessing their geospatial information in conjunction with imagery and LiDAR point clouds. These include: asset management, drainage, geotechnical, environmental, design, incident management, customer care and enquiries, value management evidence, auditing third parties, and traffic management.

Routemapper allows customers to benefit without making large investment in software, hardware, storage and specialists.

The Routemapper internet-based viewer provides access to an array of imagery and LiDAR point cloud visualisation and measurement functions in a single platform. The viewer uses a web-based mapping engine based on the open-source, Java-based GeoServer environment. Users can share and edit geospatial data. It uses data from any major spatial sources, including open standards such as Web Feature Service and Web Coverage Service, as well as a high-performance certified-compliant Web Map Service (WMS).

To ensure security, all datasets can be hosted on dedicated, secure servers alongside options for double redundancy to maintain access continuity. Any spatial data can be incorporated into the mapping environment. This includes section/chainage, marker post referencing and gazetteers alongside the open-source GeoServer mapping layers – all of which can be navigated to and interrogated in terms of attributes.

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Video: New £16.25M rollercoaster for Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced it is to build the UK’s first ever “double-launch” rollercoaster.

A video has also been released to give a virtual preview of the upcoming attraction.

Following five years of planning, the rollercoaster is being manufactured by German firm, Mack Rides at their factory in Waldkirch, south west Germany.

The double-launch is an advanced technology that will see the ride two powerful thrusts of acceleration during the two and a half minute experience.

Thrill seekers will be able to experience the same G force levels as a Formula One driver and reach heights of 88.5ft and drops of 82ft.

The acceleration of the ride at launch is four times that of supercar Lamborghini Gallardo.

Construction MMXVIII will interact with other iconic rides such as the Big One, Steeplechase, Big Dipper, Pleasure Beach Express and the Grand Prix.

The £16.25M ride is due to open in spring 2018, earning it the working name of ‘Construction MMXVIII’ or Constriction 2018 for those who missed that day at school that covered Roman numerals.

It will feature a world record of 15 interactions, involving five different rides and two tunnels.

Deputy Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Nick Thompson, said: “We have been working on this concept for five years now and are delighted to be able share news of our plans.

“Construction 2018 will be fast, adrenalin fuelled and exhilarating but also smooth and comfortable – an entirely new ride experience. It sees a significant investment in Blackpool Pleasure Beach. We expect to see thrill seekers flock to the park to experience this UK ride first.”

Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Amanda Thompson, said the ride was in keeping with Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s history of investing in cutting edge rollercoasters. She commented: “I’m delighted to be able to continue this tradition and bring such a thrilling ride to the UK.”

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Build it, SAM – Check out the Robotic bricklayer

Those of you who remember Auf Wiedersehen Pet might recall a scene Jimmy Nail’s character Oz taking on Site Manager, Herr Ulrich, over his right to have a tea break whenever he wanted, as long as there was no shortfall in the number of bricks laid at the end of working day.

Had Construction Robotics’ semi-automated mason (SAM) been an option for the BEKO building site in Dusseldorf back in 1983, Oz might have thought twice about being so confrontational about his unscheduled tea breaks.

Founded 2007 with the aim of bringing robotics and automation to onsite construction, Construction Robotics created SAM – a semi-automated bricklaying robot that is designed to work collaboratively with a mason.

Scott Peters, Co-Founder of Construction Robotics, said the project threw up two initial issues that needed to be overcome.

Mr Peters said: “How do we handle the mortar and how do accurately place a brick with a robot? Robots are typically bolted to a concrete floor where everything is very predictable around it. When you go to a job site, everything is dynamic.

“You take a robot, you put it on upon a mast climbing work platform, it’s moving around very dynamically in the wind and as people walk around. As the robot goes to the wall, it’s going to follow that.”

To overcome this, a sensing system was built that follows a laser that’s fixed to a building and adjusts for any movement to the working platform. Mr Peters commented: “It corrects it and accurately places that brick every single time.”

The process of adding mortar to bricks needed to be considered. SAM does this by approaching the task in a different fashion from a mason.

Mr Peters described the process: “With the mortar, what we do is very different from what the mason does. We apply the mortar to the brick. So as the robot picks up the brick, it applies the mortar to it and places it at the wall. We can measure and temper the mortar, and ensure any different type of mortar is handled very consistently and reliably.”

SAM is controlled and operated via wireless handheld device, which can have map files uploaded to it via USB.

Mortar is fed into a hopper. There are two brick feeds, allowing for half bricks and decorative bricks to be loaded into the machine.

As one brick is being laid, the next brick is being measured so it knows the exact dimensions of that brick.

The robot can lay bricks ranging from modular to utility-sized and is powered by propane. Two gas tanks are fitted, allowing for one to be replaced without shutting off the machinery.

A number of features are included on the robot to ensure the safety of those working with it.

A safety door shuts down the machinery when opened should the operator wish to enter the work area.

A safety wheel also means that once the end of the scaffolding has been reached or an obstruction detected, it will drop down and stop the system.

SAM also includes sensors, bumpers, warning lights and sounds and an emergency stop.

Construction Robotics has created a piece of user-friendly software to work in conjunction with SAM to design brick walls and include elements such as window and door opening openings.

When it comes to operating SAM on the construction site, there is a three-step process.

The first stage involves setting up the Hydro-Mobile and attaching the tracks. The tracks are able to be installed within 30 minutes and don’t need to be removed for the duration of the work on site. Sam is then loaded onto the Hydro-Mobile using a tele-handler.

The second step sees measurement information uploaded to SAM. Once the ‘recipe’ file is uploaded, measurements need to be taken to indicate where the windows, control joints and any detailing works are located.

Mr Peters explains: “The measurements allow for horizontal correction within a given space. Taking into account, job-site variation that transitions from very predictable, theoretical wall map to an actual wall map you can build a wall to.”

Once the measurements process is complete, step three sees bricks and mortar loaded into SAM and the robot shown where the laser system is.

The mason’s role during operation is to keep Sam loaded while the system works independently, which it is capable of doing for hours at a time.

So what does this mean for your average brickie?

In the first series climax of Auf Wiedersehen Pet, just before the lads’ hut burns down, Oz stands with a beer in his hand and looks around the construction site, admiring the hard work craftsmanship that had gone into the building. Oz says: “See all this here. We built all this; our skill and labour. No computer will ever be able to take the place of us. Last for a thousand years this will, you know. I tell you, there’ll always be a place for skilled labour.”

The good news for the likes of Oz is that although part of the bricklaying method may now becoming autotomized, the likes of SAM still require human operation – whether it be designing the brick walls, measuring on-site, operating the equipment and loading the bricks.

Skill sets may change, but competent, skilled workers will always be in demand.

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Upgraded train service on Arriva Cross Country network under new contract

Passengers on the Arriva Cross Country network will benefit from £20M upgraded trains under new contract announced today.

A new contract has been announced today (29 September), which will give rail passengers across Britain thousands of extra seats, quicker journeys and free wifi, after the government agreed a new deal for services for the Cross Country franchise.

As part of the £20M investment, Arriva Cross Country will continue to run train services across Britain, which under the contract will deliver better connections, a better customer service and a tough new set of targets.

The operator has been set “tough” targets for punctuality and reliability on Cross Country services, which run from Aberdeen to Penzance, Bournemouth to Manchester and Stansted to Birmingham, among other routes.

Journey times from Birmingham to Manchester will be cut by nine minutes on weekdays and 12 minutes at weekends.

An additional 39,000 more seats will be available at peak time along the Edinburgh to Plymouth route through Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol by December 2017, according to the Department for Transport.

The government have said passengers will also get free Wi-Fi by 2018.

In addition to the upgrades, customer services will open 24 hours a day, and a new mobile app will allow customers to buy tickets and check live running times.

The £10 charge for a change in tickets will also be removed, and extra trains will run to Morpeth.

Arriva Cross Country Managing Director Andy Cooper said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to deliver even more for our customers over the next three years through this new agreement.

“Satisfaction is the theme for the range of investments we will be making, with better, faster journeys with more seats and free wi-fi.

“We will also be looking to our customers for feedback on how we can deliver them great journeys, and a strong focus on engaging with the many communities and stakeholders our trains serve across the country.”

Rail minister Paul Maynard said: “We are making the biggest investment in the railways since the Victorian era and today is a key milestone in giving passengers better journeys right across the Cross Country network.

“The franchise, which spans parts of England, Scotland and Wales, serves both commuters and long distance passengers and these benefits from Arriva Cross Country will deliver extra and smoother journeys for customers using these services.”

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New Apple London Campus at Battersea Power Station

Battersea Power Station Development Company has announced that Apple will become the largest office tenant at the £9Bn regeneration project.

Apple will take approximately 40% of the total office at Battersea Power Station, occupying approximately 500,000 sq ft., across six floors of the central Boiler House inside iconic building.

1400 Apple employees will make the move from existing offices from around the capital to the Grade II listed former electricity generator.

In a statement, Apple said: “This is a great opportunity to have our entire team working and collaborating in one location while supporting the renovation of a neighbourhood rich with history.”

Rob Tincknell, Chief Executive of Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “We are delighted that Apple has chosen to make Battersea Power Station its home in 2021. It is testament to our fantastic building and the wider regeneration of the 42-acre site, which offers a carefully curated mix of homes, businesses and leisure amidst extraordinary open spaces and new transport links.

“It has always been our clear objective to create one of London’s most thriving new communities and this commitment from Apple will undoubtedly help us achieve our goal.”

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan welcomed the news, commenting: “I am delighted that Apple is moving into Battersea Power Station‎, helping to generate new jobs and economic prosperity for Londoners. It is a further sign that London is open to the biggest brands in the world and the leading city for trade and investment.”

Apple expects to make the move into the Power Station in 2021.

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Proposals for second HS2 South Yorkshire station take step forward

Government to commission study into proposals for second station in South Yorkshire along proposed HS2 line.

Proposals for a second station in South Yorkshire as part of the HS2 route have taken a step forward, with Wentworth and Dearne MP John Healey, given the promise that the government will commission a study into the possibility of the HS2 line, which would run close to the existing M18 motorway.

Mr Healey received confirmation of the study in a letter from Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling.

The new proposed building, a “Parkway Station”, would cut through towns in the Dearne Valley between Doncaster and Rotherham.

The idea was originally mentioned by HS2 Chairman David Higgins in a report earlier this year, which included scrapping the idea of the previous plan for a station at Meadowhall serving the whole of South Yorkshire. The revised plan proposed that some northbound services should branch off the mainline and go into Sheffield station, which by cutting out Meadowhall, would allow the mainline to take a route further east, and cut cost by £1Bn.

Mr Healey said a previous plan would have seen the line “running right through but not stopping in South Yorkshire” but he welcomed this latest move that could see Dearne Valley residents benefiting from their own HS2 railway station.

Mr Healey said: “I oppose a change of route for HS2 away from plans for a Meadowhall station which could bring benefits widely across South Yorkshire, and I’ve said this directly to HS2 boss Sir David Higgins and the Transport Secretary.

“This new HS2 route risks the worst of all worlds, with the HS2 running right through but not stopping in South Yorkshire. So if Ministers are going to consider this new route then I want to make sure an HS2 station in Rotherham or the Dearne is part of the plan.”

 

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Dalzell steelworks in Motherwell to reopen

Nicola Sturgeon is to reopen Dalzell steelworks today, after it was mothballed in 2015.

Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is today (28 September), formally reopening Scotland’s last major steelworks, Dalzell in Motherwell, calling its revival a “very positive signal”, saying “engineering industries still have a future here in Scotland”.

The steelworks were closed last winter, with the loss of 225 jobs after Tata Steel announced it was cutting a total of 1,200 jobs at its plants in Scunthorpe, Motherwell, and Clydebridge in Cambuslang. Dakzell was then rescued by Liberty House in April amid the industry-wide crisis.

Liberty house has since taken on 120 members of staff, and many of them are former employees. There are plans to increase employment to 200 over the next 18 months “as production risings in response to market demand”.

The firm has spent the last five months preparing to activate the huge furnace and steel plate rolling mill, saying the plant has already secured a significant number of orders for plate, particularly in the construction and energy sectors. The plant announced earlier this year that it will make steel plates for wind turbine towers.

Liberty aims to produce 150,000 tonnes of plate a year at Dalzell, with hopes of building up to previous levels of output depending on the market.

Executive Chairman of Liberty House Group, Sanjeev Gupta said: “There is an impressive spirit of partnership here and a determination to give the Scottish steel industry a real future. From our side we promised we would get this important plant open again by the autumn and today we are proud to be fulfilling that promise.”

He added that the neighbouring Clydebridge works would come back on stream “in due course as market conditions allowed”.

Paul Kelly, who represents the Motherwell West ward for Labour, told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “I think the local community is delighted by the news that Liberty House has taken over the steel plant and has big plans for the future.

“It’s been at the heart of our community for over 140 years, it’s dominated the skyline and it’s an integral part of what we’re about as a local community.

“So the feeling really is one of optimism as we look to the future and how we can make sure this works out and creates employment opportunities.”

 

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‘Entrepreneurs should be as respected as Olympic champions’

Business Secretary Greg Clark used his speech to the Institute of Directors’ annual conference at the Royal Albert Hall in London to praise the contribution of entrepreneurs to the UK economy.

Mr Clark’s comments come after Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox accused business bosses of being “too fat and lazy” and playing golf every Friday afternoon.

In an effort to rebuild bridges between the government and business, the Business Secretary told business leaders that entrepreneurs are “one of the greatest strengths of our country”.

He said: “At a time of great change we can be inspired by the fact that more jobs have been created in Britain over most of the last decade than in the rest of Europe put together.

“The people who created them are you.”

He described start-ups and SMEs as the lynchpins of local economies.

Mr Clark said that the country should treat entrepreneurs with the same admiration they would for our Olympic champions.

He said: “Our job creators don’t always get the respect they deserve. But I believe that this country should be as proud of its entrepreneurs as it is of its Olympians and Paralympians.”

The long-term strategy employed in making Britain a major player at the Olympics is something that the Business Secretary suggested the government should replicate in its business policy.

Mr Clark said: “Planning for the long-term is nothing to be embarrassed about. In any other walk of life, it is essential.

“Every business here forms a view of how you are going to earn your living in the future. I’ve never understood why it has been considered controversial for a government to do the same.

“A government that fails to look ahead and make the right long-term decisions on tax, infrastructure, research, education and skills, is one that has abdicated responsibility.”

The Business Secretary also took the opportunity to pay tribute to outgoing Director General of the Institute, Simon Walker, for his role in helping younger business leaders have their opinions heard and representing the “best of British business”.

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£10M boost for variety of Scotland’s infrastructure projects

Scotland will receive £10M to boost regeneration projects in four local communities thanks to Local Economic Development Fund.

It has been announced in the Programme for Government that the Local Economic Development fund will provide £10M, in the communities of Clackmannanshire, Fife, Hawick and Irvine, to develop the local economy.

The money will be spent delivering a variety of business infrastructure projects, including an enterprise hub in Kincardine, small industrial workshops, spaces for small and growing businesses as well as new business space in the Irvine Enterprise Area.

Hawick will receive £3.625M, the biggest portion of funding, after suffering a series of setbacks including the loss of more than 100 jobs at Hawick Knitwear. The funding will go to Scottish Borders Council, who will deliver actions set out in the Hawick Action Plan, which aims to revitalise the town, encouraging start-ups and retaining growing business in the town.

Fife will receive £2.7M, with Fife Council using the money to support an enterprise hub and industrial workshops in Kindcardine, supporting diversification and business growth. This includes the construction of eight new industrial units in Kindcardine, with site infrastructure, for SMEs responding to the current shortage of such units in the area.

Clackmannanshire will receive £2M, with its council using the funding to support the creation of business units and a community enterprise hub. It will also support growing businesses relocate to bigger premises when expansion is needed.

Irvine will receive £1.675M for the Irvine Enterprise Area Project, for the Strategic Investment Campus Gateway Development enabling infrastructure. New business infrastructure will be constructed creating new industrial business space in addition to road and utility expansion, to attract growth companies and investment from life and chemical sciences sector, to the Irvine Life Science Enterprise Area.

A total of 3000 square metres of business space and 2.5 hectares of land will be brought back into use.

Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “As was made clear in the Programme for Government, we wanted to introduce measures to boost business confidence and keep our economy moving.

“In the wake of the EU referendum, we have committed to protecting Scotland’s interests, particularly our economic interests. We have been working to ensure that money reaches businesses, communities and individuals where it is most needed. Local businesses can be the engines of our economy and strong local economies are crucial to our success.”

The funding comes as part of the commitment by the Scottish Government, with the Town Centre Action Plan and the Town Centre First Principle. The Principle calls on central government, local authorities, communities and the wider public sector, to prioritise the heath of town centres in any decision-making processes.

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Construction starts on Faversham flood alleviation scheme

Work on the Front Brents flood alleviation scheme at Faversham has got underway this week as part of the Environment Agency’s £2.3Bn flood protection programme.

The Environment Agency has been working in collaboration with residents, Swale Borough Council, Faversham Town Council and Kent County Council to come up with a scheme that will significantly reduce the risk of flooding to those properties hit by the flooding caused by high tides in December 2103.

The work includes a clay embankment between 600mm and 800mm high that will be landscaped with openings created to allow continued public access to the green and the creek. Timber flood barriers will seal the openings when required.

Mark Douch, Environment Manager for the Environment Agency, said: “When the works are complete, over 30 residences and businesses will benefit from protection against tidal flooding. By working in partnership with local residents and local authorities, we have developed a cost effective scheme, which is sympathetic to the local environment. On average, for every £1 invested in protecting communities, £8 is saved in damage repair.

“It is our priority to do everything we can to protect people from flooding. This year the Environment Agency is on track to better protect 44,000 properties in England through its continued programme of investment in flood defence schemes. We are spending more than £2.3Bn to build flood schemes around the country, which will better protect 300,000 homes by 2021.”

Construction work on the project is expected to last for two months.

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Recent poll shows public think Smart Motorway has made driving more dangerous

AA poll shows 8 out of 10 drivers think removal of hard shoulder for Smart Motorway makes motorway more dangerous.

According to an AA Populus poll of 20,845 drivers, eight out of 10 drivers believe that in comparison to four years ago, they feel the Smart Motorways have made motorways more dangerous, with some describing emergency lay-bys as “death zones”.

Guidance from Highways England says stopping places are to be no more than 1.6 miles apart on motorways where the hard shoulder can be opened to traffic during busy periods, but the AA have said drivers have made it “abundantly clear” that they feel this is insufficient.

Drivers feel that this is not enough to avoid broken down vehicles being forced to stop in live running lanes, with the danger of being hit from behind.

When asked by AA to describe their thoughts on the lay-bys, phrases such as “death zones”, “foolish planners’ promised land” and “desperate unreachable havens” were used.

The motoring company have said that they would like to see twice as many lay-bys and they should be twice the length.

In a statement, Edmund King OBE, AA President said: “Whilst we support measures to improve motorway capacity, we do not think that safety should be compromised. We do not accept that the current criteria of an Emergency Refuge Area or exit at least every 2.6km is safe.

“Breaking down in a live running lane with trucks thundering up behind you is every driver’s worst nightmare. The official advice is to dial 999 which just shows how dangerous the situation can be.

“If drivers can see the next lay-by, they are much more likely to make it to the relative safety of that area even if their car has a puncture or is overheating. If they can’t see the lay-by, they often panic and stop in a live running lane. If more lay-bys are designed at the planning stage it will be less expensive and safer.

“It is time for the government to go back to the drawing board and design a scheme acceptable to drivers.”

Officials have been keen to press ahead with smart motorway projects, which are already in operation on sections of the M42, M1, M6, M4 and M5.

Highways England say Smart Motorways tackle congestion, which costs an estimated £2Bn every year, with 25% of this resulting from incidents.

Analysis gathered by Highways England since the opening of Smart Motorways shows a 22% increase in journey reliability, a reduction in personal injury accidents by more than half, and where accidents did occur, severity was much lower overall with zero fatalities and few seriously injured.

 

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Construction of world’s largest radio telescope complete

Work is now complete on the world’s largest radio telescope that will act as a giant ear to listen for radio waves originating from space.

Situated in China’s Guizhou province, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) was tested for the first time this week as it begins its search for the secrets of the universe and extra terrestrial life.

It will receive radio signals, catalogue pulsars, investigate gravitational waves, dark matter, fast radio bursts and be ready to receive transmissions from alien life forms.

FAST is the brainchild of Professor Nan Rendong, who is the Chief Scientist and Chief Engineer on the project and is part of China’s scientific revolution, which sees it only lag the United States in terms of the research spending and the amount of scientific papers published.

President Xi Jinping said FAST would see China make “major advances and breakthroughs at the frontier of science.”

The dish size is half a kilometre wide, equivalent to 30 football pitches, and is made up 4,450 panels. It is built in a natural depression in an astonishing feat of engineering.

Construction work on the telescope began in March 2011. Planners looked at 400 karst depressions in southwestern China as possible locations to build FAST before deciding on Dawadang.

Construction on the project proved to be extremely challenging with the location of the telescope hours away from the nearest highway and required construction teams to negotiate their way through rough terrain, narrow roads and through mountainous regions.

A 7km road was built connecting the site to the nearest town. The arduous journey restricted the use of heavy equipment meaning that most of the work had to be undertaken manually, much of it done in temperatures exceeding 40°C.

Professor Nan Rendong commented: “All the heavy parts of the structure we had to transport from an industrial area, thousands of miles away, across these terrible winding roads.”

FAST’s size means that is now the world’s largest radio telescope, overtaking the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which some people might remember as the location of the climactic battle between Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond and baddie Sean Bean in the 1995 film Goldeneye.

FAST was modelled on the Arecibo telescope, both being built in karst depressions and utilised steel cable meshes to provide support connected to limestone peaks.

Its larger size means that is has twice the collecting area of the previous record holder.

As a point of reference, Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank in measures 76m across in comparison to the 500m diameter of FAST.

FAST pulls as much as a 300m diameter of the dish into a parabola that will focus cosmic radio waves on receivers. This means that the antenna will be able to tilt and turn despite being on a fixed dish.

Li Di, Deputy Chief Engineer, on the FAST project said: “When it starts to function, you can imagine that there is a 300-meter bowl rotating in a 500-meter pan. The telescope is able to be accustomed to the single rotation of the earth, and can detect accurately and sensitively.”

With construction now complete, efforts can now turn to perfecting the use of the telescope.

Sun Caihong, Deputy Chief Technologist, commented: “The telescope can access the observed target now, and it is able to collect the data for the experts to make further analysis. But we will still do some debugging and testing operations to perfect its function.”

China will now be hoping that the FAST project will help them be the undisputed world scientific leader.

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University College of Estate Management achieves BREEAM Excellent rating

The University College of Estate Management achieves highest level of sustainability with BREEAM Excellent rating.

A BREEAM Excellent rating has been awarded to the University College of Estate Management (ECEM), for the refurbishment of its new premises, showcasing the highest levels of sustainability.

ECEM, a provider of supported online learning for Built environment professionals, placed sustainability within the BREEAM assessment criteria at the centre of the plans, which saw the college receive the highest scores in the education sector, and one of the highest scores recorded under the Refurbishment and Fit Out Scheme in the UK, since it was introduced in 2014.

The education provider moved from its four decades of operation at the University of Reading’s Whiteknights Campus, into a new location in the town centre.

UCEM Principal Ashley Wheaton said: “After more than 40 years of occupation at Whiteknights we saw the move as a significant milestone in our history, reflecting our independence as an academic institution with our own degree awarding powers and progression to full university college status.”

The Principal of UCEM, agreed with his team that along with the new headquarters being in Reading, a vital brief would be to create a building that was environmentally friendly and fit for the future.

Following an intensive search, the team found a three storey 1980s building at 60 Queen’ Road in Reading, with the contracts exchanged in August 2015.

Work on the refurbishment began in January 2016.

“Even though we were up against deadlines we wanted to achieve the best in sustainable design and technology, so we looked at BREEAM accreditation as a model for achieving our goals. The next step was assembling a team that would bring all of the elements together, from sourcing materials to applying energy efficient technologies and recyclability,” added Wheaton.

The team included fit-out specialists Overbury, property programme managers Taurus, environmental consultants Hilson Moran, and BREEAM assessor and advisor Anna Scally at GVA Acuity.

The new building features a whole host of technologies from fabric improvements such as refrigerant flow air conditioning, photovoltaic panels, insulated cavity walls, time controlled LEDs and a raft of energy saving devices.

All stages of the fit-out was documented, recorded and assessed, right from the transportation of the materials from the factory to the building sight, including storage and distribution, KPI sheets confirming monitoring – the recording and reporting of transport of construction materials and waste accommodation and fuel consumption and carbon dioxide.

This was all included in the BREEAM evidence.

Joe Croft, Project Manager at Overbury, said: “With a total area of 2,118m2 the project aimed to be one of the few certified to BREEAM’s Refurbishment and Fit Out Scheme 2014 – including new aspects such as direct recycling of waste from site back to manufacturer. The client wanted to demonstrate international excellence in sustainable refurbishment to both students and academia, with the aim of influencing future best practice in industry.”

 

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£15M Innovate UK investment in emerging technology

Innovate UK is investing up to £15M in projects that will help develop innovative products, services for the industries of the future.

The Emerging and Enabling Technologies competition will identify and invest in new technologies and capabilities.

It is envisaged that the technological breakthroughs will have the potential to unlock billions of pounds of value to industry and shake up existing markets.

An emerging technology would be classed as one that is currently progressing or having just emerged from the research phase. The technology will be able to bring more value to customers by disrupting existing markets.

Enabling technologies underpin the development of high-value products and services in many industrial sectors and markets improving performance and productivity.

Innovate UK are looking to fund a portfolio of projects that would include technical feasibility, industrial research and experimental development.

Guidance from Innovate UK says that projects must clearly show high-growth, potential innovations in one or more of the following areas:

• any emerging technology that can demonstrate a step change in performance and the potential to disrupt existing industrial approaches; we are particularly looking to fund projects in energy harvesting, imaging technologies, graphene or biofilms

• any enabling technology in: satellite applications, electronics, sensors, photonics, digital, Internet of Things (IoT), data, cybersecurity, virtual or augmented reality and distributed ledger technology.

 

Businesses entering the competition must lead the project but are able to collaborate with other firms.

It is a requirement that each project must involve at least one small or medium sized company (SME).

It is expected that a project’s cost would fall withn £25,000 to £2M and last between six months and three years.

A launch event will be held on Friday 20th September, with briefing events held in Manchester, Belfast and Cardiff throughout October.

The competition opens on Monday 3 October, with the registration deadline on Wednesday 30 November. The application deadline is Wednesday 7 December.

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How concerning is the wage gap in the construction sector?

Since the government first published the draft regulations on gender pay gap reporting on the 12th February, employers have been determining what it means for them. So how bad is the wage gap in the construction industry?

Earlier this year we asked employers from a range of sectors for their estimated pay gap figures. The results (shown in the infographic) show an average pay gap of 20% across the UK, which is comparable with the 19.4% quoted by the Office of National Statistics (Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings) for both full and part-time employees. However, looking at sectoral variations, construction was one of the worst, with an average pay gap of 28.9%. This is no real surprise, given the perception of construction as a historically male-dominated profession. However, by digging a little deeper, some underlying issues exist that may help to explain the wide gap.

In the spring edition Paydata’s UK Reward Management Survey, only 41% of employers confirmed measuring gaps in gender pay, compared with just a third within construction. A similar percentage (39%) had never conducted an equal pay audit, compared with over half (54%) in construction. This would suggest that construction has been slower to recognise equal pay as an issue than other sectors. This may be due to the lack of formal job grades in the sector, a necessity for being able to conduct an accurate equal pay audit. In addition, naturally there has been an historic fear of addressing what could be a sizeable and costly problem.

Yet attitudes within construction appear to be changing, since the second gender pay gap consultation in February and the subsequent coverage of gender pay issues in the popular press. Provisional results, from the latest running of our UK Reward Management Survey, indicate that over two thirds of construction employers are now measuring gender pay differences, a significant increase on the third of employers quoted earlier in the year. However, until the gender pay reporting requirements are finalised most (69%) admit they still do not report on gender pay.

A key factor affecting the pay gap in construction is the under-representation of women in construction jobs, particularly at a senior level. Looking at our pay database which covers over 24,000 individual jobholders, fewer than 15% of the employed workforce are women. Indeed, most women are employed at base professional or junior levels. Above this (senior quantity surveyors, site managers, etc.), less than 5% of the workforce is made up of women. At Director level (Project Directors, Commercial Directors, Design Directors) 3.5% of the workforce are women. These numbers have a profound effect on the overall gender pay gap figures that construction employers will be required to publish.

Our latest figures show that although there is much work to do, the industry is starting to address this latest challenge. 85% of construction employers state that they are making plans to implement the gender pay reporting legislation, with almost a quarter saying they have completed overall planning and 31% stating they have completed work to ensure their internal systems can produce the data required. However, only 15% have conducted an equal pay audit to understand their data trends and only 8% have a communications plan in place to explain the inevitable gender related gaps in their figures.

Before this year, other industries appeared in a better state both in terms of their pay gap figures and having the systems, grading and resources in place to meet the reporting requirements. However, our latest research shows that other industries have lagged behind in their preparations for gender pay reporting implementation (for example, only 18% have completed planning work on their internal systems and only 12% have conducted an equal pay audit). Perhaps this is because the construction sector has more work to do to close the gap.

So what will it take to close the gap? Unfortunately there are no quick fixes; it will take time, resources and money to address decades of under-representation in the industry. The priority for employers will be to understand whether they have an equal pay issue, as this is likely to be the biggest financial and reputational threat. The only way to examine this is to conduct a detailed and accurate audit, which will take time and resources and buy-in from senior management. The advantage of doing this though is that it will help employers write a commentary to explain what is driving their figures, and what they intend to do to address any issues.

Ironically, the overall pay gap figures in construction may get worse before it gets better, if employers attract more women into apprenticeships and graduate programmes.

By Tim Kellett, Director at Paydata

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BASEC appointed Construction Products Regulation notified body

The British Approvals Service for Cables (BASEC), has been designated by the UK Government Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) as a Notified Body for conducting cable testing to the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and a Notified Body for cable product certification to the CPR.

The international cable test and certification body has been assigned the Notified Body number 2661. This number will appear on the label of every piece of cable that BASEC tests or certifies under CPR, before it is distributed and sold. It will also need to appear on all manufacturers’ declarations of conformity for cable products that BASEC has had a role in. In addition, European Union Commission and other Member States have been informed that BASEC has fulfilled the relevant requirements to carry out conformity assessment according to the CPR. As such, BASEC and its identification number has been added to the EU NANDO information system.

The CPR regulation demands that cable manufacturers supplying any type of cable that is intended to fit permanently into the structure of a building (including power distribution, final circuit wiring, control and instrumentation and data communications cables) to European markets, meets the new cable testing, certification and CE marking requirements of CPR by 1^st July 2017. Cable wholesalers and distributors supplying into the EU also have a responsibility to ensure the cable manufacturers they work with have done this, or if necessary to undertake the CE marking requirements themselves.

Dr. Jeremy Hodge, chief executive at BASEC said: “In order to meet the CPR requirements before the 1^st July 2017 deadline, cable manufacturers and distributors seeking to comply with the CPR must work with a Notified Body. All documentation should be in place by this date or they may risk having their products taken off the market. We are working across the global cable industry to inform, educate and implement CPR for cables. In particular, there has been an increasing demand for CPR training from international cable manufacturers who import cable into Europe from China, the Middle East and the US.”

The benefits of achieving compliance with CPR for cables include free circulation of construction cable in the EU’s single market and cable products only have to be assessed once according to a harmonised European standard. Users of construction cable can also better define their performance requirements and market surveillance is coordinated through one common information structure. About four million tons of low voltage cable is used in Europe each year, much of this in construction, amounting to a value of about 12Bn Euros.

To fulfill the requirements of being a Notified Body, BASEC needed to prove United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditation as a certification body to ISO/IEC17065, and UKAS accreditation of its cable test laboratory to ISO/IEC17025 which includes the large-scale vertical ladder test used for CPR, EN 50399, and a number of other common cable tests.

UKAS witnessed individual fire tests, inspected the laboratory and verified requirements for the management of procedures, documentation and records, to confirm BASEC could deliver the service.

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New THINK! campaign launched to improve cycle safety

New campaign THINK! launched to reduce cyclist accidents and fatalities caused at left turns.

The government have launched new safety campaign THINK!, which will remind cyclists and HGV drivers of the dangers of the left turn, following data which shows that last year, a fifth of cyclist fatalities included HGV’s.

The Department for Transport launched the campaign today, which encourages cyclists to “hang back” from lorries, and be aware of the blind spot on the left side.

The campaign comes following statistics showing that a large proportion of deaths happen when a cyclist is at the front left of the truck, and almost a third of all crashes between cyclists and HGVs happen when the lorry is turning left. Research shows that many cyclists believe that this danger spot is a safe place to be.

The campaign focuses on London and Manchester, the two cities in England with the highest number of cyclist deaths.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “We are investing £300M over the next 4 years to help make Britain a cycling nation.

“Reducing the number of cyclists killed on our roads is a key priority. Since 2010 the number has decreased to its lowest level.

“This campaign will raise awareness amongst urban cyclists and help make our roads safer for those on 2 wheels.”

As part of the campaign, a video has been released called “Things you shouldn’t get caught between”. There are also posters which carry the message “Don’t get caught between a lorry and a left turn. Hang back”.

Christopher Snelling, FTA’s Head of National and Regional Policy, said: “We need to make our busy urban roads as safe as possible for all users and it’s important that both HGV drivers and cyclists understand the risks created by sharing the limited road space and know what steps they can take to minimise them.

“This DfT campaign highlights one of the key danger zones – the blind spot at the front left of an HGV. New design innovations such as transparent cab doors all have a part to play in improving safety in the long term but increased awareness can have immediate impact. FTA encourages all HGV drivers and cyclists to visit the campaign website to find out more about this important message.”

 

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£45M Urban Villages initiative launched

Junior Ministers have launched strategic frameworks that will see five areas benefit from a £45M Urban Villages initiative.

Junior Ministers Alastair Ross and Megan Fearon were on hand at the event at Girdwood Community Hub in Belfast.

The five Urban Villages areas to receive the boost are Ardoyne and Greater Ballysillan in North Belfast, Colin in West Belfast, EastSide – Newtownards Road, between Bridge End and Grampian Avenue in East Belfast, Sandy Row, Donegall Pass and the Markets areas of South Belfast and the Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street in Derry.

The initiative will see significant funding invested in a wide range projects including the transformation of vacant and derelict spaces.

Buildings will be refurbished, with low-density areas also being redeveloped

Civic areas will be regenerated plus new ones created; shop frontages will undergo facelifts, with public realms being improved.

The Urban Villages Initiative is devised to improve good relations outcomes and regenerate places where there has been a history of deprivation and community tension. It has three inter-connected aims: to create positive Community Identities, to build Community Capacity, and to improve the Physical Environment.

Junior Minister, Alastair Ross said: “Four Urban Village areas in Belfast as well as one in Londonderry will benefit from this particular initiative.

It is a significant programme which will deliver £3.6M of investment into capital projects by the end of this year, making life better for all those communities and neighbourhoods.”

Junior Minister, Megan Fearon said: ““Across five locations we intend to deliver a £45M capital programme over the next four years. This will be supported by significant revenue investment to undertake a wide range of projects to improve the physical appearance of areas, build capacity for the local community and foster positive community identities.

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MG Motor to end manufacturing in the UK

MG Motor has announced it is to stop making cars at its Longbridge plant, moving production to China.

The firm, MG Motor will no longer make cars in the UK, saying vehicle assembly was no longer “required” and cars including the MG3 and MG GS would arrive “fully built ready for distribution”.

The UK base also incorporates the SAIC Motor Technical Centre (SMTC), and the total site employs over 300 people.

A total of 25 redundancies will be made at the plant, but sales, marketing and after-sales operations will remain at the plant.

More than 400 design engineers and other staff at the SAIC Motor Technical Centre (SMTC) at the site and MG Motor employees are not affected.

Production re-started in 2011, with the first new MG for 16 years being made from the production line in the West Midlands in 2011, marking the first large-scale production at the plant near Birmingham since the demise of Rover in 2005.

A spokesman for MG said: “Centralising production demonstrates MG’s commitment to the future, as well as its continued focus on attracting and developing the highly-skilled automotive engineering and design talent present in the UK.

“Where possible, production staff would be moved into new roles”.

Matthew Cheyne, head of sales and marketing at MG Motor UK, said moving production abroad was “a necessary business decision”.

Richard Burden, Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, has criticised the decision, describing it as “hugely disappointing and premature”.

“I understand the business concerns that MG have surrounding costs of assembly at Longbridge, which have undoubtedly been aggravated by problems with the strength of the pound.

“However, more discussions should have taken place to explore alternatives and options before any decisions were finalised.”

There was the option for MG to meet with the government to discuss options, with Mr Burden saying he had hoped that the announcement would not be made until further talks had been held.

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Boost to planned Robroyston railway station

The Scottish government has provided a boost to plans for a new £7M railway station at Robroyston.

The Scottish government will meet 50% of the estimated cost of the station’s construction through the Scottish Stations Fund. The remaining funds will be provided by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, Glasgow City Council, and private developers.

Announced in 2014 by then Transport Minister, Keith Brown, the £30M Scottish Stations Fund aims to lever in third party investment to provide improved and new stations and associated facilities.

The new station proposals, which include a park & ride car park, are designed to provide local residents with a sustainable travel option, as well as catering for additional future demand from the 1,600 new households planned for the Robroyston area.

Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport, said: “I am very pleased to announce this substantial funding package for a new station for Robroyston.

“This is a significant announcement, with Robroyston the first new station project to be funded by the Scottish Stations Fund, which was introduced to improve and increase access to rail across Scotland.

“This announcement highlights the Scottish government’s continued investment in rail infrastructure and services to better connect our communities and support sustainable economic growth and jobs across the country, with £5Bn of funding for infrastructure and services committed to 2019.

“Demand for rail travel continues to boom with over 94 million journeys made on the ScotRail passenger network last year. Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to meeting this demand and brings the prospect of a new station for the people of Robroyston one step closer to reality.”

Plans submitted to the Scottish Stations Fund by the Robroyston station scheme promoters predict the project would be completed by March 2019.

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56,000 households helped to purchase home through Right to Buy scheme

Since 2012, over 56,000 households have been helped with buying a home through government’s Right to Buy scheme.

Figures released yesterday (22 September 2016) show the Right to Buy scheme has helped 56,000 households purchase a home, and more than 312,000 households have now benefitted from government-backed home ownership schemes including Right to Buy, Help to Buy and Help to Buy: Shared Ownership since 2010.

The new figures show that in the three months to June, over 3,500 households were bought under the Right to Buy scheme, a 21% increase from the same time last year.

Councils received £283M from sales of homes – a 27% increase for the same quarter last year- which will be re-invested in new homes.

Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell, said: “From London to Leeds, Right to Buy plays an important part in building a country that works for everyone, helping thousands of people become homeowners for the first time.

“And we’re determined to replace the additional homes sold on a one-for-one basis, nationally – providing new affordable homes for rent for those who need them.”

Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Sandwell in the West Midlands, Southwark, Greenwich, Nottingham, Newham, Leicester and Barking and Dagenham are the top 10 places taking up Right to By.

However, data from the National Audit Office say that the number of new homes created under the scheme is nowhere near the amount needed to deliver its headline “one for one” promise, with a fivefold increase needed to keep pace with homes sold in 2014-2015.

New data from the Department for Communities and Local Government reveals that the number of homes started or acquired by local authorities in England between April and June this year fell by 41% on the previous quarter.

A total of 422 new homes were either begun or acquired, down from 715 in the previous quarter.

There were 3,362 right-to-buy sales, a slight increase on 3,276.

Around half of the total first-quarter sales were made by 104 local authorities that recorded no starts at all, while just five authorities accounted for 41% of all starts or acquisitions between them.

The NAO said: “To meet the target of replacing the roughly 8,512 homes sold in 2014-15 by the end of 2017-18 would require quarterly housing starts to reach around 2,130, a fivefold increase on recent figures of approximately 420 per quarter.

“One-for-one replacement does not necessarily mean like-for-like: replacement properties can be a different size, and built in a different area, compared to those that have been sold.”

 

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World’s biggest ship elevator opens at Three Gorges Dam

The world’s largest ship elevator at Three Gorges Dam in Central China’s Hubei Province has begun trial operations this week.

The trial marks the culmination of a project that first began 22 years ago.

Designed by a Chinese and German team to meet exacting German engineering standards, the ship elevator will help small and medium-sized ships with a maximum water displacement of around 3,000 tonnes to cross the dam. The water level behind the dam is up to 113 meters higher than the downstream river.

The whole ship lift project is made up of an upper bay, an upper gate, a ship chamber, a lower gate and a lower bay.

It comprises of chamber for the ship, with a 120m long pool, 18m wide with a depth of 3.5m. The total weight of all these components, including the water, is 15,500 tonnes.

The Three Gorges Dam itself is a reinforced concrete gravity structure with a length of 2.3km and a height of 175m. Construction of the structure was completed in 2008, with the ship lift being under construction since then.

The key strategies of the Three Gorges Dam project were to increase shipping capacity, generate power and provide flood control to the local area.

Water levels were raised on the upper reaches and flood water storage released to supply the middle-lower reaches during the dry season to improve navigation of the river.

The elevator was part of the original designs submitted in 1992 but was initially envisaged to provide passage to passenger ship and emergency cargo vessels. The popularity of travelling in this fashion has since dwindled following the development of roads and high-speed railway across China.

However, due to technical and safety concerns, the ship elevator project was put on hold in 1994.

The Yangtze River is one of the busiest waterways in the world and was key component of the Chinese government’s 2014 national strategy to develop areas around the river.

The elevator will be operated in conjunction with the five-tier ship lock that has been in use since 2003. The use of the ship lock has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2015, the amount of cargo passing through was 119.6 million tonnes; up from 34.3 million in 2004.

In the first quarter of 2016, freight rose nearly 8% on the previous year.

The ship elevator will mean that small to medium-sized vessels will no longer need to pass the dam via the ship lock, saving them between three and four hours. This will free up the ship lock for larger vessels to pass through.

Efforts are being made to improve the way the ship elevator is used by vessels.

A senior official with the navigation authority commented: “We are coordinating with transport authorities to introduce new ship standards that can fit in the ship lift, and discussing with travel agencies to design targeted products for those who are interested.

“The ship lift would add new flavour and experience to the classic Three Gorges tour.”

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Bank of England says Help to Buy mortgage guarantee not needed

Help to Buy Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is no long needed in the UK, the Bank of England has told the Government.

The Help to Buy Mortgage Scheme, a major government scheme which was designed to prop up the UK housing market, is no longer needed, according to the Bank of England.

The scheme, which is set to close at the end of the year, allows lenders to offer loans to people who have a deposit as low as 5%, thanks to support from the government.

The use of the scheme is in decline, with mortgage lenders reporting that business is up sharply.

The option to lend to people who only have a 5% deposit, is available outside the scheme at a similar if not cheaper price.

In a letter to Chancellor Phillip Hammond, the banks Governor Mark Carney said: “Given the decreasing usage of the scheme over time, the [Financial Policy] Committee judges that the closure of the scheme would be unlikely, in current market conditions, to affect significantly the provision of finance to prospective mortgagors, including high loan-to-value borrowers.”

Other Help to Buy schemes are unlikely to be affected, which include equity loans to buy newly-built homes, as well as the Help to Buy Isa savings scheme which is aimed at those saving for a deposit.

The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said in a review of the Help to Buy Mortgage Scheme, that it accounted for 3% of total mortgage lending in the first quarter of the year. In 2014, it accounted for 6% of such lending.

It accounted for 25% of lending in the first three months of the year to those offering a deposit of less than 10% of the value of the home to be bought, compared with 70% in 2014.

The FPC said that the scheme has not posed a risk to financial stability of the housing market, adding that it had not driven up prices in general, nor on the houses bought through the scheme.

Separate figures from lenders have revealed that the health of the mortgage market was stronger in August.

Mohammad Jamei, Senior Economist for the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), said: “Widely voiced fears in recent months about the housing market have proved to be wide of the mark.”

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GET TO THE FRONT OF THE Q

Secured by Design is the official UK Police flagship initiative combining the principles of ‘designing out crime’ with physical security.

Approved Document Q: Security – Dwellings, Part Q of the new Building Regulation, (often known as Part Q) , which took effect in England in October last year, requires that, in new build residential developments in England and Wales, reasonable provision is made to resist unauthorised access to new dwellings. This clearly has implications for property design and the products used in them. The flagship police initiative Secured by Design has a remit to ‘design out crime’ from buildings and has a team of experts to advise property developers and housebuilders on how best to comply with this new legal security requirement. Here they answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the new reg.

Q: What are the key requirements of Part Q and where does it apply?

Part Q applies to all new dwellings, including those resulting from a change in use of an existing building, such as commercial premises, warehouses and barns undergoing conversions into dwellings. It also applies in Conservation Areas.

Part Q imposes security requirements for doors at the entrance to a building, including garage doors where there is a connecting door to the dwelling along with ground floor, basement and other easily accessible windows, and any easily accessible roof-lights. The basis of the requirement is that the product must be shown to have been manufactured to a design that has been tested to an acceptable security standard.
The following products fall within the scope of Part Q:

*all dwelling entrance doorsets

*all easily accessible windows, roof windows and skylights

*Communal entrance doorsets (flats/apartments)

*emergency exit doorsets allowing access into the common areas of the building (flats/apartments)

*other doors that may allow access into common areas of the building (flats/apartments), such as drying rooms,     cycle stores and refuse areas

*If there is a connecting doorset between the garage and the dwelling, then either the main vehicular doorsets together with any pedestrian doorsets, will fall within the scope of the regulation, or alternatively the connecting doorset.

Q: When did Part Q take effect?

A: It came into effect on 1 October 2015. It does not apply to work started before that date nor to work subject to a building notice, full plans application or initial notice before that date, providing work is started on site before 1 October 2016.

Q: Does Part Q apply to all homes?

A: No, the new Building Regulation only applies to new homes and existing buildings that are being converted into new homes only (such as a warehouse, barn, etc). Existing homes are currently not required to meet the security requirements within Part Q.

Q: Does Part Q apply to extensions?

A: No, extensions currently fall outside the scope of Part Q.

Q: Are replacement windows incorporated within the requirements of Part Q?

A: No, replacement windows are not currently required to comply with Part Q.

Q: Does it apply to hotels?

A: No.

Q: Does the new Building Regulation Q apply to key worker or student accommodation?

A: If the accommodation provided is clustered into groups of bedrooms served by a shared front entrance doorset – similar an apartment layout – then Part Q is applicable.

However, if the bedrooms are off a shared/common hallway then the developments falls outside the scope of Part Q.

Q: Are the requirements of Part Q and Secured by Design the same?

A: No, whilst the technical standards within Part Q and SBD are the same, SBD requirements call for all door and window products to be fully certificated. This ensures that the company fabricating the doors or windows has been subject to factory production controls protocols and regular product and test audits by the certifying authority to ensure the continued quality and security needs are met. Part Q asks for testing only. The dramatic reductions in burglary rates and anti-social behaviour seen with the introduction of Secured by Design products, is based on the use of certificated products rather than those that are just tested to the relevant standard.

Q: I would like to use products that meet the European security standard (EN 1627), does this meet Part Q?

A: No, the National Forward for the UK version of the European Standard (BS EN 1627) makes it clear that PAS 24 is the preferred route to compliance. This is for good reason: the European standard fails to address some important areas of security which would render such products vulnerable if used in the UK.

Q: Does Part Q apply to doorsets leading to a balcony?

A: Yes. Doorsets providing access to a balcony are required to be secure.

Q: Which Building regulation takes precedence for apartment/flat entrance doorsets – Part B or Part Q?

A: Neither. Both have equal weighting within the Building Regulations. It is imperative that fire doorsets are tested in exactly the same configuration as they were tested for security. You cannot add any additional or alternative features to an apartment/flat doorset without ensuring that the doorset meets the requirements for both fire and security. Some examples of areas that need careful consideration are as follows:

• Glazing: you must ensure that all fire-rated glazing either meets the requirements of BS EN 356 grade P1A (min) or is supplemented by additional security glazing meeting the same standards
• Locks: the locks must be the same for both fire and security testing
• Letterplates: if letter plates are required, the manufacturer must demonstrate compliance with both the requirements for fire and security

Concealed door closers: some types of concealed door closer can substantially increase the risk of a security test failure when installed in particular types of door materials. Concealed door closers should therefore be installed within the doorset when it is security tested to ensure compliance.

How Secured by Design helps to get to the front of the ‘Q’

For many years Secured by Design has required that doors and windows are not only tested by the product manufacturer, but that independent third-party certification from a UKAS accredited independent third-party certification authority is in place. This requirement exceeds the requirements of Part Q.

Secured by Design has now also introduced the National Building Approval scheme which approves the supply chain prior to any building work. SBD ensures that the full requirements of Part Q and other security legislation and regulations are met (and exceeded) and issues a certificate confirming this. The certificate confirms that the doors, windows and roof-lights specified for use within the development are of the required standard. For a one-off sign up, this covers certified developers for three years for a cost of just £10 +VAT. For further details of the scheme, a full guide can be downloaded at http://www.securedbydesign.com or you can contact us at sbdnba@police-cpi.co.u

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A66 flooding protection work begins

Highways England has begun construction work this week in an effort to protect the A66 from flooding where it runs along Bassenthwaite Lake in Cumbria.

The project will see the carriageway raised by nearly 1.5m in places to prevent flooding incidents, which in recent years has resulted in partial or full closures of the road during severe weather.

A review of incidents involving swollen water levels leading to flooding from onto carriageways was already scheduled even before the headline-making storms seen last December.

The westbound dual carriageway collapsed and required the emergency lane on the eastbound carriageway to ensure the route remained open.

Over the next six months five sections of the road, which includes both dual and single carriageways, will be improved.

Highways England Programme Manager John Lyssejko said: “The A66 is one of the key arteries of the county, linking communities to the M6 and the rest of the strategic road network.

“Notwithstanding December’s storms, it generally copes well with prolonged rainfall. However, given the increasing frequency and severity of bad weather, it is vitally important to increase its resilience to flooding from Bassenthwaite Lake.”

Money for the project will come from the government funding that was set aside following the national Pitt Report into flooding issues and resilience.

Work is due to be completed by the end of 2016.

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Video: Five years construction in five minutes

Network Rail has released a timelapse video to mark the one-year anniversary of the opening of Birmingham New Street station.

The video condenses five years of the station’s transformation into five minutes and highlights various construction milestones reached along the way.

The five-year £750M redevelopment project fully opened to the 170,000 daily passengers on 20 September 2015. Grand Central, the shopping and dining hub situated above the station, opened a few days later on 24 September.

The revamped station saw the creation of a huge passenger concourse, five times the size of London Euston’s, which is overlooked by the new atrium roof that floods the concourse with natural light.

The station’s platforms are now brighter and more minimalist, allowing for greater and easier passenger movement. Entrances to the city centre have also been improved.

New Street Station also features 40 shops at concourse level, with the Grand Central shopping and dining hub situated above it, which includes one of the largest John Lewis department stores in the country.

The original station was only designed to cope with 60,000 a day when it was last rebuilt in the 1960s. The redeveloped station can now cope with up to 300,000 visitors a day.

It is the busiest station outside the capital and is the busiest interchange station in the UK with a train leaving the station every 37 seconds.

Patrick Power, Network Rail’s station manager at Birmingham New Street, commented: “This has been a fantastic year for Birmingham and our station as a whole. Seeing passengers’ faces when they first walked into the new concourse and station for the first time was a real highlight and that look of surprise and being wowed by what they see still happens as more and more people use the station every day.

“The redevelopment has visibly given our city a lift and we now have a station everyone can be proud of. We continue to do all we can to make it even better so that passengers and visitors to the city get the best possible impression of the railway and Birmingham.”

Speaking at the opening of Birmingham New Station, Mark Carne, chief executive of Network Rail, said the station was at the “heart” of the rail network, describing the transformation as “stunning”.

He commented: “The station is now bigger, brighter and better able to meet the needs of the growing number of people who use it each day.

“As Britain’s second city, Birmingham deserves a station of this calibre and, along with Grand Central, the investment we have made will help support the local economy and regenerate large parts of city centre.

Mr Carne described undertaking the redevelopment whilst attempting to minimise the impact on passengers’ journeys as a “major challenge” that he was proud to have achieved.

He said: “That’s a significant achievement for everyone who has helped build this fantastic new station of which they, and all of Birmingham, can be very proud indeed.”

The area surrounding the station is also being regenerated, with investment being made in new shops, bars and restaurants. Planning permission has also been granted for the creation of a 26-storey hotel near the station’s Southside entrance.

Work is still ongoing on the transformation, as work continues on the redevelopment of the station’s 12 platforms. Platform 11 will be the last to be completed and will reopen to passengers in mid-October.

Work on the southern hub that will provide an exit-only feature to the station giving direct access to Hill Street from the Navigation Street footbridge will also be finished by the end of October.

A year on and Network Rail research shows that New Street station currently enjoys an 88% passenger satisfaction rate – a record high for the station.

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Car production in UK hits highest August level for 14 years

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, car manufacturing in the UK hit 14 year high in August.

The car industry’s mouthpiece, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), has said that exports are driving growth in production, seeing production levels rise 9.1% in the month of August compared to the previous year.

According to the trade body, a total of 109,004 were produced last month, with an increase in investment in the UK car plants, leading to a demand at home and overseas.

A 10.2% increase in vehicle exports signals a boost from the collapse in the pound since the referendum result, with oversea buyers purchasing UK-produced goods for less money.

The SMMT said the total number of cars built for sale abroad was 13.3% up in the year to date.

There was also a 6.2% rise in the number of cars for the UK market.

Chief Executive of SMMT, Mike Hawes said: “August’s strong performance is good news for car makers and welcome news for the UK economy, which depends on this thriving sector for an increasing share of UK exports.

“British car producers are exporting a diverse range of high quality, attractive new models that are in demand across the world thanks to multi-billion pound investments made in UK plants over the past few years.

“Future success depends on continued investment in plant and products, and that in turn depends on the UK maintaining internationally competitive business and trading conditions.”

The most recent economic data suggests the following the wobble in July, which was caused by the shock caused by the referendum result, the UK is not on track to avoid recession.

 

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