UK construction and property
- Labour supply | Costain has formed a new Integrated Labour Team (ILT) from four other firms which will become its first port of call for any temporary labour needed on a project. It says that it will use the ILT to confirm a pipeline of supply and have real employment terms for temporary workers.
- Building standards | The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers plans to accept fee-paying organisations as “chartered organisations”, believing that it would raise standards in the industry. It said the programme is “far beyond a mere certification, this programme symbolises exceptional standards, embodying professionalism in its truest sense.”
- On hold | The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has issued an Article 31 notice on the plans to redevelop 140 and 150 London Wall, which prevented it from gaining planning permission. The Holding Direction means that applications should be referred to Michael Gove instead of the City of London Corporation.
- Film studios | Renowned director, James Cameron, has backed plans for a new studio scheme west of London in a letter to Buckinghamshire Council, who will vote on planning permission later this month. He said, “The 22.5% of the total global box office the UK delivered in 2023 will grow” as a consequence of studios which embrace advanced technology.
- Infrastructure framework | The Atomic Weapons Establishment has published a plan to seek interest from suppliers for its planned works. It has two complex infrastructure programmes: Future Materials Campus and the Future Infrastructure Programme.
- Scottish Building Safety Levy | The proposed levy would mirror legislation passed by the UK parliament and cover the construction of new residential buildings. However, the Scottish Government cannot pass legislation without approval from Westminster.
- JCT changes | 2024 JCT Update including previously optional clauses on collaborative working and early disputes notifications – now included in the contract’s main provisions, and the contractor assuming the roles of both principal designer and principal contractor in relation to the Building Regs updated by the Building Safety Act 2022. The update, which is scheduled for release on 1st May, has been dismissed as “inadequate” by a critic, with law firms saying that it represents a change in emphasis rather than process.
- Social housing | Unless funding certainty is given beyond the 2021/26 Affordable Homes Programme, JV North (which represents 13 housing associations and local authority members from the north west) has warned that developments of over 50 homes, or those that take longer than 12 months, are now at risk. Usually, support for affordable housing from the Government overlaps in funding horizons to allow continuous work, but it was absent from the last Budget.
- Grey belt | Labour announced plans to unlock the building of thousands of homes by allowing poor-quality parts of the green belt to be built on. Plans need to provide at least 50% affordable homes. Knight Frank has identified 11,000 sites which would deliver between 100,000 and 200,000 homes. The proposed policy rules out building on “genuine nature spots” and must deliver improvements to existing green spaces.
- Office rents | According to Carter Jonas, low vacancy rates for premium offices have driven up rents. It expects the gap between Grade A and lower-quality Grade B space to widen.
