Wind Power to people

Wind farm applications to be subject to Local Resident approval

Communities Secretary, Greg Clarke, has announced that local residents will get the final say over onshore wind farm applications in their area.

Although onshore wind makes a meaningful contribution to Britain’s energy mix, communities don’t always back the projects, particularly when no consultation of the public has been carried out.

New planning rules announced today will mean that wind turbines should only be progressed if they are clearly backed in a Local or Neighbourhood Plan and any planning concerns from the local community are clearly addressed.

These reforms will bring power to the people, enabling them to have greater say in the future of their local neighbourhood through Local and Neighbourhood Plans.

Council’s now need to apply the following new rules before granting permission to wind turbines in their area:

• the site is in an area identified as suitable for wind energy as part of a Local or Neighbourhood Plan; and
• following consultation, the planning impacts identified by affected local communities have been fully addressed and therefore has their backing

If a planning application has already been made for wind turbines in an area where the local plan does not identify suitable sites, the council will only be able to approve the application where it addresses the planning concerns of the affected community and therefore has local backing.

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Greg Clark said: “Our One Nation approach is about backing people on the issues that really matter to them and we are today delivering on our manifesto commitment to give local people the final say over onshore wind farm applications.”

The post Wind Power to people appeared first on UK Construction Online.

New Chief Executive for Highways England

A new Chief Executive has been appointed for Highways England.

An experienced engineer, Jim O’Sullivan, will bring significant leadership experience to the role, having worked on numerous safety critical transport projects.

He was previously Managing Director of the Airports Division at Heathrow Airport Holdings (BAA), responsible for all the group’s airports outside Heathrow, as well as Managing Director at Edinburgh Airport, and Technical Standards and Assurance Director at Heathrow Airport Holdings (BAA). Further experience includes four years at Central Networks (Eon UK) as Capital Delivery and Field Force Director, and time at British Airways, serving some of that time as Chief Engineer for Concorde and as Technical Director for the airline.

Responsible for delivering £1Bn of improvements to England’s motorways and major A roads by 2020, Highways England is government owned and was previously headed up by Graham Dalton, who announced his departure in January after seven years at the helm of the Highways Agency (Highways England’s predecessor).

Highways England Chairman Colin Matthews said: “I am delighted to announce Jim’s appointment to lead Highways England in a new, challenging era. The government has committed to the biggest investment in roads in a generation: there are more than 100 roads schemes in its Road Investment Strategy which Highways England will be responsible for delivering to provide safer, more reliable and much improved journeys on our busiest roads.

“I would like to thank Graham Dalton for his leadership over the past seven years. He has been responsible for significant improvement schemes, as well as meeting the needs of the nation during severe weather and events of international interest such as the 2012 Olympics, all culminating in the successful transition from the Highways Agency to Highways England.”

Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin said: “Jim’s experience of leading world-class infrastructure companies means I can be confident he will ensure that the benefits of the record investment this government is making in our roads delivers for drivers and businesses across the whole of the UK on time and on budget.”

Jim will join on Monday 22 June 2015, before formally taking over from Graham Dalton on Wednesday 1 July 2015.

 

The post New Chief Executive for Highways England appeared first on UK Construction Online.

FiT needs continued support – NAPIT

A recent survey has discovered that 48% of British people are willing to back more investment in renewable energy and tackling climate change.

With the South of England boasting enough energy to power over a million households from solar PV last year, the renewables industry is enjoying strong growth and consumer interest.

NAPIT, The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT), are pushing for continued Government support through the Feed in Tariff (FiT).

The continuance of FiT would allow the domestic market for solar PV to get to a stage where it would be cost-neutral and therefore no longer need Government support.

David Cowburn, Managing Director of NAPIT Certification, said: “We mustn’t let the positivity seen in the renewables industry go to waste. If an announcement is made confirming the ambition of the Government to continue funding the domestic RHI and the FiT remains in place then there is no reason this growing market can’t become a strong contributor to meeting the UK’s legally binding target of 15% renewable energy by 2020. Installers have the opportunity to position and differentiate themselves as industry leaders if they get trained and certified to install these technologies now.”

NAPIT have provided campaign infographics to call for changes to be made to help grow this industry and give new MPs and influential organisations in the sector a unique insight into the way big policy decisions affect the lives of hardworking installers across the country.

NAPIT is a trade association that strives to support and represent its members within the building services and fabrics sector

Visit http://ift.tt/1J5P1xP for more information or contact NAPIT by emailing info@napit.org.uk or by calling 0345 5430330.

The post FiT needs continued support – NAPIT appeared first on UK Construction Online.

UK unemployment falls as wages rise

Official figures from the Office of National statistics show that the number of people in unemployment between February and April has fallen by 43,000 to 1.81 million, down 349,000 on a year ago.

The unemployment rate has remained steady at 5.5%, the lowest level since August 2008. The total number of people now in employment has increased 114,000 more than the previous three-month period to 31.05 million.

The figures also recorded a record high employment rate for women of 68.6%.

Wage growth has risen at its fastest rate since August 2011, rising 2.7%, both including and excluding bonuses. Service sector pay rose at an annual rate of 2.9%, financial services rose 3.6% while the construction industry rose to a post-financial crisis high of 4.0%.

Employment Minister Priti Patel welcomed the figures, commenting: “Today’s figures confirm that our long-term economic plan is already starting to deliver a better, more prosperous future for the whole of the country, with wages rising, more people finding jobs and more women in work than ever before.”

The post UK unemployment falls as wages rise appeared first on UK Construction Online.

ISG Secures £6M Cleveland Fire Authority Framework Scheme.

ISG has secured its latest framework project for Cleveland Fire Authority, undertaking the £6M project for a training and administration centre in Hartlepool. The four year capital build framework with the Fire Authority, which will exceed £22M in total, will see sole appointee, ISG, create a Technical Hub and Training Facility along with four local fire stations in Middlesbrough, Headland, Thornaby and Grangetown.

Operating in 28 countries worldwide, ISG is an international construction services company that delivers fit out, construction, engineering services and specialist solutions. The Company works with owners, developers and occupiers within both the public and private sector for a wide range of industries.
ISG will construct the delta shaped training and administration centre designed by Bond Bryan Architects. Once construction is complete in summer 2016, the purpose-built centre will become home to the fire authority staff, leaving behind the existing headquarters, which will be demolished to make way for the state-of-the-art Technical Hub and Training Facility.

Spread over 32,000sq ft, the training and administration centre will give Cleveland Fire Authority a flexible environment across two floors by providing open plan office areas, community facilities and training space. The centre is designed to maximise the amount of daylight to enter the building and features extensive curtain walling to its façade and a striking full height atrium, with an outdoor terraced area at first floor level. The centre will also include other facilities such a café located on the ground floor, break out areas and a gymnasium, with highly-flexible training space featuring moveable partition wall structures to accommodate larger or small groups.

Chief Fire Officer Ian Hayton said: “This development at our Queens Meadow site is vital to ensure that we can continue to provide the high standard of fire and rescue services that Teesside residents and businesses need in the 21st century. We also need to avoid the heavy costs of repairing and maintaining existing buildings that will soon be unfit for purpose.

“This will be a Centre of Excellence with state-of-the-art training facilities for our firefighters and technical services provision to ensure all our equipment is maintained and in top condition.”

Key to driving efficiencies in the build programme is the framework model for project delivery with ISG utilising Cleveland Fire Authority’s own web-based procurement system to liaise with the regional supply chain. By forming a close working relationship with the client’s agent and cost consultant, Bradshaw, Gass & Hope, ISG have been engaged in the design process from an early stage, maximising buildability efficiencies across the framework to deliver best value for the Authority.

Danny Murray, ISG’s Northern Regional Managing Director said: “The redevelopment of Cleveland Fire Authority’s Queens Meadow Business Park site is a major investment in purpose built accommodation to support the Service’s vital work in the region. The partnership approach to delivering the key infrastructure brings all stakeholders together, working collaboratively and sharing knowledge and best practice to add value at every stage of the build process. This brings real benefits, getting these vital projects to site more quickly and cost effectively and leverages ISG’s considerable ‘blue light’ expertise and innovation.”

The Cleveland Fire Authority capital build framework was added to ISG’s ever increasing list of public sector partnering agreements which includes the North West Construction Hub, the EFA Framework, the Ministry of Justice Strategic Alliance Agreement Framework for Construction, Construction Framework South West and the Welsh schools and public sector framework SEWSCAO2.

The post ISG Secures £6M Cleveland Fire Authority Framework Scheme. appeared first on UK Construction Online.

55 Broadway redevelopment approved

TfL progress plans for Grade I Listed building

The redevelopment of a Grade I Listed building by TfL has been approved by Westminster City Council’s Planning Applications Committee.

London Underground’s historic Headquarters building, 55 Broadway will provide a mix of affordable, social and private housing, plus retail units and office space, once complete.

The project is being progressed as part of TfL plans to generate £3.4Bn in non-fare revenue, which will be reinvested in the transport network, providing benefits to customers and users.

Approval of the plans was assisted by TfL’s decision to maximise the amount of affordable and social housing within the development, including family sized homes, which will see one of the highest levels of on site affordable and social housing ever seen in this part of the borough.

The Headquarters building was commissioned in the 1920s by The Underground Group who wanted Broadway to reflect its bold vision of the future of transport in London. Architect Adams, Holden and Pearson were given the task of creating a ground-breaking design.

The site at St James’s Park Tube station was challenging because of its irregular shape and the District and Circle line only 7.3m below. The solution was a cross-shaped layout, allowing pedestrians to walk through the ground floor of the offices, across the station booking hall, providing a short cut between Victoria Street and St James’s Park.

Above ground, the building was faced with 78,000 cubic feet of high quality Portland stone. Contemporary artists were invited to sculpt decorative features into the stone facade, carved on site. Two are just above street level and a further eight are above the sixth floor windows on each side of all four wings.

The new plans will allow the heritage of the building to be maintained, and reinstate some of the original design, whilst also increasing the amount of quality retail space available at the station.

Graeme Craig, Director of Commercial Development at TfL, said: “TfL is one of the largest landowners in London. I am delighted that 55 Broadway can now be brought forward for development, generating significant sums to reinvest back into the transport network whilst helping us bear down on fares. The building is a part of our heritage, and its redevelopment will also enable us to preserve and enhance its historic features.”

TfL appointed TateHindle as its architect for the project in May 2014 following a Competitive Dialogue Procurement Process under the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) process.

Alongside TateHindle, TfL has also been working with Mott MacDonald, Knight Frank, CBRE, Alan Baxter & Associates, Deloitte, BDP, Four Communications, Tavernor Consultancy and AVR London on its plans to redevelop 55 Broadway.

 

 

The post 55 Broadway redevelopment approved appeared first on UK Construction Online.

Promoting mental health in construction: UK Construction Media exclusive

Mental Health Awareness Week, which ran between 11th – 17th May, has become a huge part in raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing issues.

Following its success, UK Construction Media spoke to Kate Nowlan, Chief Executive of CiC – an international employee assistance provider which delivers practical and emotional support around the clock to organisations all over the world.

Kate works with leading names in the construction industry and she spoke to UK Construction Media about resilience and how it can promote good mental health within the construction world.                                                                    

The Department of Health estimates that 2.3 million working days were lost in 2013/2014 due to sickness on construction sites across Britain and much of this sickness absence is due to mental ill health. But through promoting emotional resilience, leading names in the construction industry are taking positive steps to tackle the issue and impact of mental health.

Put simply, emotional resilience is your attitude towards the people, places and things that you’re faced with – whether that’s in your personal or work life.

It is the ability you have to deal with life and when people lack resilience they often suffer from mental health issues such as stress and anxiety which, when they get too much, can cause them to be absent from work or to be present but not focused on their work which is also known as ‘presenteeism’.

The factors that can erode emotional resilience are varied and include:

• Highly stressful or traumatic events
• Experiencing several stressful events at the same
• Suffering stress over a long period of time
• Lack of control, especially in the workplace
• Lack of social support

When people feel under pressure there are a range of symptoms that can emerge, such as headaches, back pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, mood swings, apathy, irritability, forgetfulness, poor concentration, boredom, paranoia, poor teamwork, loneliness, withdrawal, intolerance, relationship problems or heavy drinking.

If left unchecked, the dangers become more serious and can lead to burnout which is characterised by chronic sleeping disorders and exhaustion, deterioration of mental capabilities, memory loss, taking unnecessary risks, panic or anxiety attacks or severe depression and addiction.

And considering the impact of any of these symptoms on a busy construction site – or within any organisation for that matter – emphasises the potential dangers of not supporting and promoting good mental health.

Of course, it’s worth acknowledging that any given situation can feel tense and pressurised for one person whilst another might find it stimulating and exciting. And this is why emotional resilience can be a valuable and practical tool for an individual to develop in order to support their own mental health, help them identify stress triggers that are affecting them and enabling them to create strategies to cope.

When it comes to creating these strategies to enhance emotional resilience and boost mental health, there are a number of ways that individuals can be encouraged to adopt, as are outlined here.

Identify your vulnerabilities – there can’t be resilience without emotional awareness. Can you pinpoint the things that are making you feel stressed and overwhelmed?

Challenge negativity – pessimism can become a terrible habit but it can be overcome by trying to reframe any negative thoughts in a more positive light.

Work on your acceptance – resilient people know that a situation – good or bad – has to be accepted before it can be changed.

Get moving – stress of any kind is always accompanied by a build-up of stress hormones in the body that have a dramatic impact on the emotions. Working these off with regular exercise can make all the difference.

Get connected – social support is vital to strong emotional resilience, whether from friends, colleagues or family. And if you feel deeply cut off and isolated from those around you, it’s probably time to get some outside help.

Enhancing emotional resilience within an organisation will not reduce stress or improve mental health overnight, but as part of a focused initiative that encourages employees and managers to rethink their own wellbeing, it can have a longer term positive impact on absence, safety, performance and productivity for organisations and their people.

The post Promoting mental health in construction: UK Construction Media exclusive appeared first on UK Construction Online.