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New Associated advisers A new category of adviser has been launched by the Engineering Council. Associates will be recognised as organisation supporters who provide valuable assistance and support to the council’s work through their knowledge. www.engc.org.uk


‘Simplify school building’ The government urgently needs to simplify and improve the process of delivering better schools before any more time and money are wasted, said the Royal Institute of British Architects. The view was voiced as part of a government review of capital investment in schools. www.architecture.com


Professionalising FM The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is launching a campaign to help FM professionals demonstrate their critical role in improving strategic business performance. The Professionalising FM campaign will be launched in October at the FM and Estates Management Show. www.rics.org


Whole-life costs critical Heating and Ventilating Contractors Association (HVCA) president, Martin Burton, has appealed to clients and building owners to take account of whole- life costs, rather than just the initial capital outlay, and called on government to showcase best practice. www.hcva.org.uk


A bright idea A change in EU legislation has meant that, from last month, light-bulb packaging has to provide clearer information about brightness (measured in lumens) of bulbs, as well as their wattage.


New rule set back Local Authority Building Control has criticised the new ‘commencement of work’ rule, fearing it will lead to new homes being built to outdated energy efficiency standards. It says the change could see new homes built to 2006 Building Regulation standards in 2013 or 2014. www.labc.uk.com


Rural areas ‘need to be empowered’ to deliver low carbon solutions


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The British countryside has enormous untapped


potential to contribute low carbon energy solutions, says a new report. Community-owned power


generation, recycling and heating initiatives could have a major impact on helping to cut carbon emissions, says the study from the Rural Coalition, which represents a number of planning groups. While rural dwellers currently


have more carbon-intensive lifestyles than their urban-dwelling counterparts, a strong community spirit provides a ‘unique rural advantage in tacking climate change’, the report claimed. The report contains a list


of recommendations for the government to help empower rural communities, manage and plan for business and residential growth in the countryside, and meet head-on the twin challenges of a depressed economy and climate change. Matthew Taylor, chairman of the organisation, says in the report, The Rural Challenge, that planners need to ‘meet the challenges of the environment, climate change and community cohesion; address concerns about badly-planned developments gobbling up green fields; and tackle the diverse needs and challenges of tailoring services to small rural communities’. Effective masterplanning


Rural communities have untapped potential for helping to cut carbon, says report


is essential to the creation of attractive, vibrant working communities, the report suggests, while the retention of a community’s ‘inherited character’ is key to the planning process. An effective masterplan should


include housing, community facilities, transport links, and green spaces – all developed to dovetail with existing developments in nearby towns and villages. The report also criticises the


government’s plans to create local housing trusts, which would have the power to vote on rural housing schemes. The proposal would allow


building to go ahead without traditional planning permission, provided 90% of residents were in favour. But, the report says, such a move could create ‘long- lasting conflict’ among residents in rural communities. www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk


Solid wall insulation requires big boost


Britain would need to see a tenfold increase in solid-wall insulations to have a chance of meeting government targets, a trade association has warned. The National Insulation Association (NIA), which represents UK manufacturers and installers, raised its concern at a meeting with government figures. There are currently around 7m


properties in the UK with solid walls which require either external or internal wall insulation. A senior official from the


Department of Energy and Climate 16 CIBSE Journal October 2010


Change (DECC) who attended the meeting told the NIA that around 2m of these properties may need to be insulated by 2020 to meet the government’s carbon emissions reduction target. Neil Marshall, NIA chief


executive, said that the industry was ready to step up to the challenge of insulating 2m properties with solid walls by 2020. But a major increase in current activity would be needed, he suggested. Marshall said: ‘The industry


is ready, willing and able to take up the challenge; the National


Insulation Association and the Solid Wall Insulation Guarantee Agency will be working with their members, government and other key stakeholders to significantly increase the industry capacity while ensuring that quality and standards are maintained.’ Greg Barker, Minister for Energy


and Climate Change, said: ‘Our plans will give a huge boost to the insulation industry during the economic recovery as we pave the way for the start of the Green Deal.’ www.nationalinsulation association.co.uk


www.cibsejournal.com


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