The Prime Minister has launched a set of planning reforms aimed at tackling the housing shortage and delivering homes for everyone.
The reforms mark a major overhaul to the National Planning Policy, focusing on maximising the use of land, strengthening protections for the Green Belt, and placing a greater emphasis on converting planning permissions into homes.
Theresa May has warned developers who are too slow to build houses that their past record could count against them when they bid for new planning permissions. She wants to rewrite the rules on planning to help developers and local authorities to build more properties to allow more people to own their home.
The government is determined to tackle the housing shortage and has already implemented a number of measures to secure new housing developments.
With government support, 2017 saw the biggest increase in housing supply in England – over 217,000 new homes – for almost a decade. However the government aim is to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. In order to achieve this, more planning permissions need to be fast tracked to allow both first time buyers access to the housing market, and our increase the supply of appropriate housing to the older.
It is to this end that Prime Minister is conducting the first major overhaul to the National Planning Policy Framework in six years. The reforms provide a comprehensive approach for planners, developers and councils to build more homes, more quickly, in the places people want to live. Councils and developers will now be required to work with community groups to ensure those affected by new developments will have a say on how they look and feel. It will focus on the following areas:
Greater responsibility: Local authorities will have a new housing delivery test focused on driving up the numbers of homes actually delivered in their area, rather than numbers planned for. Developers will also be held to account for delivering the commitments, including affordable housing and the infrastructure needed to support communities.
Maximising the use of land: Local authorities will be allowed to make the most of existing brownfield land for housing, while using redundant retail or industrial land will be encouraged, with more flexibilities given to extend upwards.
Maintaining strong protections for the environment: Ensuring developments bring environmental benefits environment where possible, as well as increasing the protection given to ancient woodland.
Ensuring the right homes are built: Delivering more affordable homes that meet the housing needs of everyone such as; first time buyers, build to rent homes, guaranteed affordable homes for key workers, and adapted homes for older people.
Higher quality and design: Introducing new quality standards for well designed new.
More transparent planning process: Local authorities will be encouraged to work together and continue to close the gap between planning permissions granted and homes built.
Housing Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “An entire generation is being locked out of a broken housing market as prices and rents race ahead of supply. Reforming the planning system is the crucial next step to building the homes the country needs.
“This government is determined to fix the broken housing market and restore the dream of home ownership for a new generation. There is no silver bullet to this problem but we’re re-writing the rules on planning so we can take action on all fronts.
“In moving to a more integrated society, the focus for everyone, whether a developer or a neighbourhood group, must be to come together to build the homes our communities deserve.”
John Acres, MRTPI, President, The Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “We are delighted to be co-launching the consultation on the new National Planning Policy Framework today and we encourage the planning profession and others who care about planning and what it can do, to feed back to government.
“The RTPI will be holding a series of round table sessions for our members around the country to discuss its contents.
“Planners are critical to and passionate about building vibrant and connected neighbourhoods, towns, cities and wider areas; at the heart of which we need to ensure we build enough good quality homes that fit the needs of all.
“A clear, concise and consistent policy context can help to deliver this. We applaud the government’s focus on homes and planning and in revising the framework.”
However, the Prime Minister is clear that the answer to the housing crisis does not lie in tearing up the Green Belt. The Government will be maintaining existing strong protections so that authorities can only amend Green Belt boundaries if they can prove that they have fully explored every other reasonable option for building the homes their communities need. There will also be stronger protections for ancient woodlands and historic coastlines.
Only 10 per cent of England has been built on and only 13 per cent is covered by Green Belt – the purpose of which is to prevent urban sprawl. The PM will be clear that developers and local authorities must only allocate Green Belt sites for development for exceptional reasons. Should development have to go ahead it must first make use of brownfield sites, and where land is removed, they must create new spaces.
These planning reforms are part of a wider package of housing reforms designed to tackle the housing shortage; including a £5Bn Housing Infrastructure Fund which has already seen £866M allocated to 133 council led projects to fund key local infrastructure including new roads, cycle paths, flood defences and land remediation work, all essential ahead of building the homes.
Source: UK Construction Media / Gov.uk
Charity darts night in aid of Southampton Foster Carers Association
/in Charity Events, Home Page news feed, NewsOn Friday evening we hosted a charity darts night in aid of the Southampton Foster Carers Association.
The association offers activities and social events for fostering families and the children in their care. It gives additional help to foster carers with monthly support groups in two regions of the city. The SFCA also provides newly approved foster carers with ‘buddies’ – putting them in contact with experienced carers who can offer advice and support when needed.
They organise annual events including fun days, barbecues, discos, day trips, a Halloween party and a Christmas grotto.
If you would like to help them to fund raise or would like to donate then please contact Southampton City Council’s fostering service on freephone 0800 5 19 18 18 or visit fostering@southampton.gov.uk
A good time was had by all!
Enter the 2018 Construction Enquirer Awards
/in NewsThe Construction Enquirer Awards 2018 are now open for entries.
Anyone can put forward a great company to work for or do business with.
Running in conjunction with UK Construction week, the Construction Enquirer Awards are dedicated to recognising and rewarding the industry’s best companies to work for and the best firms to do business with.
The event in Birmingham will be attended by directors and senior staff from leading construction firms. The top ten winners will be revealed in the first week of August with the awards themselves being held on the 9th October. The awards night will be hosted by Architect and Broadcaster George Clarke, and the deadline for entries is the 8th June.
Early bird individual ticket prices are £250 or £2500 for a table of 10.
The awards categories are as follows:
•Best Client to Work With (Public and Private)
•Best Main Contractor to Work For (Over £250m)
•Best Main Contractor to Work For (£50m – £250m)
•Best Main Contractor to Work For (Under £50m)
•Best Specialist Contractor to Work For (Over 25m)
•Best Specialist Contractor to Work For (Under £25m)
•Best Main Contractor to Work With (Over £250m)
•Best Main Contractor to Work With (Under £250m)
•Best Specialist Contractor to Work With
•Best Construction Supplier to Work With
•Best Consultant to Work For
•Best Construction Project to Work On (Civils)
•Best Construction Project to Work On (Building)
The awards will run in conjunction with UK Construction week, held in Birmingham from the 9th – 11th October.
To nominate or apply for a company please go to:
https://www.ukconstructionweek.com/construction-enquirer-awards/submit-your-entry
Prime Minister tackles housing shortage
/in NewsThe Prime Minister has launched a set of planning reforms aimed at tackling the housing shortage and delivering homes for everyone.
The reforms mark a major overhaul to the National Planning Policy, focusing on maximising the use of land, strengthening protections for the Green Belt, and placing a greater emphasis on converting planning permissions into homes.
Theresa May has warned developers who are too slow to build houses that their past record could count against them when they bid for new planning permissions. She wants to rewrite the rules on planning to help developers and local authorities to build more properties to allow more people to own their home.
The government is determined to tackle the housing shortage and has already implemented a number of measures to secure new housing developments.
With government support, 2017 saw the biggest increase in housing supply in England – over 217,000 new homes – for almost a decade. However the government aim is to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. In order to achieve this, more planning permissions need to be fast tracked to allow both first time buyers access to the housing market, and our increase the supply of appropriate housing to the older.
It is to this end that Prime Minister is conducting the first major overhaul to the National Planning Policy Framework in six years. The reforms provide a comprehensive approach for planners, developers and councils to build more homes, more quickly, in the places people want to live. Councils and developers will now be required to work with community groups to ensure those affected by new developments will have a say on how they look and feel. It will focus on the following areas:
Greater responsibility: Local authorities will have a new housing delivery test focused on driving up the numbers of homes actually delivered in their area, rather than numbers planned for. Developers will also be held to account for delivering the commitments, including affordable housing and the infrastructure needed to support communities.
Maximising the use of land: Local authorities will be allowed to make the most of existing brownfield land for housing, while using redundant retail or industrial land will be encouraged, with more flexibilities given to extend upwards.
Maintaining strong protections for the environment: Ensuring developments bring environmental benefits environment where possible, as well as increasing the protection given to ancient woodland.
Ensuring the right homes are built: Delivering more affordable homes that meet the housing needs of everyone such as; first time buyers, build to rent homes, guaranteed affordable homes for key workers, and adapted homes for older people.
Higher quality and design: Introducing new quality standards for well designed new.
More transparent planning process: Local authorities will be encouraged to work together and continue to close the gap between planning permissions granted and homes built.
Housing Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “An entire generation is being locked out of a broken housing market as prices and rents race ahead of supply. Reforming the planning system is the crucial next step to building the homes the country needs.
“This government is determined to fix the broken housing market and restore the dream of home ownership for a new generation. There is no silver bullet to this problem but we’re re-writing the rules on planning so we can take action on all fronts.
“In moving to a more integrated society, the focus for everyone, whether a developer or a neighbourhood group, must be to come together to build the homes our communities deserve.”
John Acres, MRTPI, President, The Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “We are delighted to be co-launching the consultation on the new National Planning Policy Framework today and we encourage the planning profession and others who care about planning and what it can do, to feed back to government.
“The RTPI will be holding a series of round table sessions for our members around the country to discuss its contents.
“Planners are critical to and passionate about building vibrant and connected neighbourhoods, towns, cities and wider areas; at the heart of which we need to ensure we build enough good quality homes that fit the needs of all.
“A clear, concise and consistent policy context can help to deliver this. We applaud the government’s focus on homes and planning and in revising the framework.”
However, the Prime Minister is clear that the answer to the housing crisis does not lie in tearing up the Green Belt. The Government will be maintaining existing strong protections so that authorities can only amend Green Belt boundaries if they can prove that they have fully explored every other reasonable option for building the homes their communities need. There will also be stronger protections for ancient woodlands and historic coastlines.
Only 10 per cent of England has been built on and only 13 per cent is covered by Green Belt – the purpose of which is to prevent urban sprawl. The PM will be clear that developers and local authorities must only allocate Green Belt sites for development for exceptional reasons. Should development have to go ahead it must first make use of brownfield sites, and where land is removed, they must create new spaces.
These planning reforms are part of a wider package of housing reforms designed to tackle the housing shortage; including a £5Bn Housing Infrastructure Fund which has already seen £866M allocated to 133 council led projects to fund key local infrastructure including new roads, cycle paths, flood defences and land remediation work, all essential ahead of building the homes.
Source: UK Construction Media / Gov.uk
Wear a hat for brain tumour research
/in Home Page news feedBrain tumour research is so important. Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, they kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer… yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
So, grab your favourite (hard) hat and raise funds to bring us closer to a cure for brain tumours – either on Thursday 29th March or on any day during the month.
Since Wear A Hat Day started back in 2010 it has raised over £1,000,000 for Brain Tumour Research! The campaign is the culmination of Brain Tumour Awareness Month in March.
Funds raised through Wear A Hat Day 2018 will develop a network of world-class brain tumour research Centres of Excellence in the UK. The charity relies on funds raised by supporters.
The scientists at the four UK Centres of Excellence work together to gain a greater understanding of brain tumours and to identify ways in which they can be treated effectively.
The funding strategy means that there is investment in long-term research, building the ‘critical mass’ of expertise needed to accelerate the journey to find a cure. In turn, this facilitates increased research investment from other sources.
It is essential that there is long-term research into this devastating disease. Despite advancements for many other types of cancer, treatment options for brain tumours is still very limited, largely due to the historic underfunding for research into neuro-oncology.
For more information on how you can get involved please visit their website at:
https://www.braintumourresearch.org/fundraise/wear-a-hat-day
Housing Minister announces new funding
/in Home Page news feed, NewsNew funding to help speed up planning decisions and help deliver quality new homes has been announced by Housing Minister Dominic Raab.
The first wave of the Planning Delivery Fund, totalling £15.8 million, has been awarded to enable councils to process more applications, implement new reforms and also train planners to tackle the housing challenges faced by their local area.
This funding boost will support local authorities working together on ambitious new joint local plans and core strategies, which will engage residents on how future development will take place in their areas and outline the locations suitable for new homes where demand is high.
The funding will also support greater best practice and innovation within councils as they decide planning applications, resulting in more being determined over a shorter period of time.
Money awarded to bidders will also allow local authorities to access the latest expertise on design and town planning, driving up the quality of new homes built.
This first wave of funding has been split into 3 streams that will assist in delivering new homes across England: The Joint Working Fund (£9.4 million), Design Quality Fund (£4.82 million) and Promoting Innovation Fund (£1.07 million).
A total of 68 projects will receive funding from the Planning Delivery Fund across all 3 streams, from 2017 until 2019.
The launch of this fund will give successful councils a greater capability to implement the government’s reforms of the planning system and comes as the Ministry for Housing prepares to launch its revised National Planning Policy Framework later this spring.
Dominic Raab said:
This cash boost ensures councils have the resources needed to make quicker decisions on planning applications, delivering quality housing at a faster rate.
It’s part of our strategy to build the homes this country needs whilst also supporting residents to have their say on the kind of development that takes place in their area.
New project alert!
/in ProjectsWe’re pleased to announce another successful tender for Broadsword Projects LTD. Our work will begin in the coming weeks on the Southlands hospital extension project with Kier construction.
Air Pollution could cause a problem
/in Home Page news feed, NewsThe Considerate Constructors scheme have recently conducted a survey which reveals an urgent need for greater awareness and understanding of air pollution across the construction industry, and provides advice on tackling the issue.
Air pollution is a key concern for the construction industry due to the sector’s considerable impact on air quality.
•Less than a quarter of all air pollution-related deaths are in London, so it is clear that air pollution is everyone’s problem.
•Construction sites are responsible for 7.5% of nitrogen oxide emissions, 8% of large particle emissions and 14.5% of emissions of the most dangerous fine particles.
•The construction sector mostly contributes to air pollution through construction dust, plant machinery and construction transport.
•The industry is taking steps to reduce air pollution through air quality plans, emissions monitoring, dust management, low-emission plant machinery, delivery management and raising workforce awareness.
Air quality plans
At the outset of a large project or one adjacent to sensitive receptors, it is important to incorporate air quality considerations into the management and logistics plans. These can include the following:
•Where the risk of dust is deemed to have a negative impact on amenity, health and the natural environment – relative to site-specific factors such as proximity to sensitive receptors – an Air Quality Assessment may be required. This assessment should identify the level of risk to air quality during each stage of the project.
•Air Quality and Dust Management Plans should outline the steps being taken to mitigate the adverse impact of construction activities on air quality.
•In preparing Construction Logistics Plans, contractors should engage with their client/developers to demonstrate how they will deal with pollution issues during construction. This can include the controls and systems outlined in the above documents and traffic/delivery considerations.
Monitoring
It is difficult to assess a site’s impact on air quality if no monitoring is carried out, so sites could consider the following:
•Baseline monitoring of air quality levels in the vicinity of the works before the project commences will act as a reference point to identify good and bad practice throughout the project.
•Dust emissions should be monitored through specialised machinery, visual inspections, daily dust logs etc.
•Continuous air quality and particulate monitoring will alert the contractor to any rapid increases in pollutant concentrations, so that mitigation measures can be put in place.
While 84% of survey respondents acknowledge there is an issue with air pollution in the construction industry, nearly two thirds (64%) feel the industry is not doing enough to tackle this issue.
The survey, which involved over 600 respondents from across the UK and Irish construction industries, also revealed:
•91% said air pollution is a nationwide issue.
•88% said the importance of minimising air pollution is being communicated to the workforce on their site.
•62% said their site has appropriate measures in place to address air pollution.
•56% have a good or detailed understanding of air pollution.
•39% have an average understanding of the regulations surrounding air pollution.
Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive, Edward Hardy said:
A staggering 40,000 deaths a year are linked to air pollution in the UK, and many people are suffering long-term health problems caused by poor air quality. As construction is a significant contributor to air pollution, it is essential for the industry to put measures in place to clean up our air by working together to reduce our impact on air quality.
The Scheme’s ‘Spotlight on…air pollution’ campaign provides everyone within the industry access to a practical suite of resources including best practice, guidance and case studies from Scheme-registered construction sites, companies and suppliers on how to tackle this issue, as well as guidance from organisations including the Institute of Air Quality Management, Healthy Air Campaign and the Greater London Authority.
We are proud to be at the forefront of collaborative efforts to tackle air pollution, having partnered with the Institution of Civil Engineers to produce Scheme posters for registered sites, companies and suppliers to raise the issue of air pollution to their workforce. The Institution of Civil Engineers has also recognised the value of the industry being committed to the Considerate Constructors Scheme, having highlighted Scheme registration within its London Air Quality Taskforce report published in 2017.
Professor Peter Hansford FREng FICE, Chair of ICE Air Quality Task Force commented:
The Institution of Civil Engineers is delighted to be partnering with the Scheme for the launch of its ‘Spotlight on…air pollution’ campaign. The Scheme offers a golden opportunity for the industry to ‘up its game’ in relation to air quality around our construction sites and is a key driving force in helping to address this issue across the industry.
For the full report please go here:
https://ccsbestpractice.org.uk/spotlight-on/spotlight-on-air-pollution/#Introduction
Sources: cscscheme.org
Inquiry into the collapse of Carillion
/in NewsThis week marks the start of a two-part inquiry into Carillion’s collapse after a joint inquiry was launched by the business and the work and pensions select committees.
MPs are keen to find answers about what role senior executives played in the firm’s downfall. The committees will hear from Robin Ellison, chairman of trustees of Carillion’s pension scheme and next week, Carillion’s former chief executive Richard Howson and chairman Phillip Green will be summoned, along with a host of finance directors.
New research has shown the firm was the main contractor on 57 construction projects worth a total of £5.7bn on the day it liquidated.
The information comes from construction industry analysts Barbour ABI who have accounted for major projects such as Royal Liverpool Hospital and an army basing programme in Salisbury worth £450m and £340m respectively. The two schemes which remain in limbo are two of ten projects which are worth more than £150m. The figures also account for the £1.3bn HS2 contract.
Analysts say Carillion were also involved in 16 framework contracts as part of a list of companies pre-selected or pre-qualified to undertake works for an organisation.
These framework contracts are not included as part of the final 57 projects as there is no guarantee that they had won any work from the framework.
Commenting on these findings, Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said: “Carillion were deeply embedded within the construction industry – they were the second biggest contractor in the UK by revenue. Our records show that they were the main contractor on almost 60 schemes worth a total value of £5.7bn. That is not to mention the plethora of other contracts where they were carrying out other construction roles.”
Yesterday, a further 452 jobs were lost as a result of the collapse of the company, the losses were on top of 377 announced on Friday.
A new house building degree offered by Redrow
/in NewsRedrow, the leading house builder, in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Coleg Cambria, one of the UK’s largest colleges have established the UK’s first dedicated Housebuilding Degree. LJMU have also validated the qualification.
The first students to embark on the degree programme will be Redrow team members and they will start their course in 2018. Over the coming years Redrow hope to open the degree out to other house builders.
The three-year degree gives candidates a full overview of housebuilding skills; these include housebuilding quality, project management, health and safety, business skills, negotiation, right through to relevant aspects of law, mathematics and economics. Six modules will be completed each year by students.
Candidates will be assessed in a variety of ways including examinations, coursework and a final year dissertation project. In each year there are six block weeks of classroom learning which will be taught in partnership between LJMU’s Department of the Built Environment, Coleg Cambria and Redrow business experts with the rest of the contact time satisfied through virtual learning, practical site visits and tutorials. This means that students will be able to continue to combine working with Redrow with their studies.
Karen Jones, Group HR Director at Redrow and Trustee at the Construction Industry Training Board, comments: “The housebuilding sector has a real opportunity to innovate the way we develop and deliver skills training to ensure colleagues can fulfil their potential and progress in their careers. Part of that means working in partnership with further education and higher education providers to develop new pathways that enable recruits to develop the aptitude, attitude and strategic nous to deliver communities at scale. This is why we are working with Coleg Cambria and Liverpool John Moores University to deliver the UK’s first dedicated Housebuilding Degree. Participants on the course will be able to learn while they earn and develop the skills necessary to rise through the ranks in the housebuilding sector.”
“We feel it is important to share best practice with other house builders and we hope that in the future that the degree programme can be opened up to construction industry workers from across the industry. We believe this new programme will encourage people to enter the sector, as well as imparting crucial skills on those already in the workforce.”
Brian Berry, chief executive of trade body the Federation of Master Builders, said that while Redrow’s degree was a welcome step in the right direction, more action was needed from the Government to address the current skills crisis in construction.
“One of the reasons for the construction skills shortage is the fact that for too long, the Government and society more generally have held academic education in high esteem while looking down on those who pursue vocational education routes,” said Mr Berry.
“The Government must stick to its mission of increasing the quality of vocational training as it’s the only way we’ll improve the image of vocational education, attract more people into the industry and solve the construction skills crisis once and for all,”
Project update – Feltham Construction
/in ProjectsWorks are progressing well on the Feltham Construction Site in Newbury. Broadsword Screeding LTD are undertaking the installation of 700m2 of Cellecta Screedboard 28.