NEWS All the latest news from around the building industry In Brief


REFURBISHMENT FUND More than £35m in government funding has been allocated for the refurbishment of older homes. Housing Minister Grant Schapps scrapped Pathfinder, Labour’s housing market renewal programme – which led to many Victorian houses being demolished – when he came to power. Councils will have to match the government funding on offer. www.communities.gov.uk


BOOST FOR RENEWABLES The government has allocated £125m to help low carbon manufacturing and renewables, as well as more advanced industries such as aerospace and chemicals. The Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative is also aimed at helping suppliers to relocate their manufacturing operations to the UK. www.bis.gov.uk


ARCHITECTS’ CONFIDENCE UP The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) trends survey for November showed that, overall, workloads appear to be becoming more stable, but confidence remains fragile. The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index stood at -4, up from -7 in October and -10 in September.


ONLINE PROCUREMENT Cabinet secretary Francis Maude has announced a shake-up of the government’s procurement strategy, with £50bn worth of contracts being placed online in an effort to encourage small firms to bid for them. The initiative is aimed at cutting the time it takes for the government to procure goods and services by as much as 40%. There will also be an online list of work, with a confidence rating to indicate the likelihood of a project going ahead. www.data.gov.uk


New infrastructure cash in Autumn Statement


l Funding allocation criticised by business and green pressure groups


The government’s Autumn Statement has drawn fire from business chiefs and green pressure groups. The Chancellor, George Osborne, promised a


£250m package to help mitigate the costs of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and increase climate change levy relief for energy-intensive businesses. He also pledged an ‘extra’ £1.25bn for the capital


costs of new school buildings, which he said would pay for around 100 ‘free schools’ (independent state- funded insitutions). ‘I am worried about the combined impact of the


green policies adopted, not just in Britain, but also by the European Union, on some of our heavy, energy- intensive industries,’ he said. However, many business leaders believe he is


missing the point about sustainability and the ability of energy efficiency to contribute to future economic growth. Jim Woods, a director at Green Monday, the


network for corporate sustainability chiefs, slammed the Chancellor’s lack of vision. ‘Mr Osborne does not seem to realise that sustainability drives better businesses,’ he said. ‘According to the Harvard Business Review, sustainable companies outperform that market by 4.8% per annum. Sustainable businesses are better- run businesses.’ He pointed to Marks & Spencer, whose Plan A strategy delivered £70m profit this year, as an example


More funds will be allocated for new schools


of how big energy users can reshape their operations to deliver lower costs and better performance. Friends of the Earth said that ‘throwing billions of


pounds at roads and dirty energy will increase our dependence on gas, coal and oil and lock cash- strapped homes and businesses into spiralling fuel bills’.


Executive director Andy Atkins accused the


Chancellor of ‘rewarding lobbying by some of the world’s biggest businesses with a £250m licence to pollute’. ‘I fear they must be talking to the wrong people if


they want to be seen as the “greenest government ever,’ said HVCA head of sustainability David Frise.


For more information visit: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2011


Housing strategy ‘lacks wide appeal’


The housebuilding sector has welcomed the government’s new strategy to stimulate the market for new build homes, but remains unhappy about the lack of action in other parts of the market. Michael Newey, of the


Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), welcomed the New Build Indemnity Scheme, which will provide government guarantees of mortgages for


6 CIBSE Journal January 2012


mostly first-time home buyers. But he said that ‘care must


be taken to ensure it does not distort the market or lenders’ affordability calculations’. A number of observers are concerned that the focus on new build will not free up chains and may reduce demand for second- hand property, putting those with little equity at a disadvantage. ‘Limiting funding to niche


areas of the market does not solve the wider need for adequate levels of funding in all parts of the market,’ said Mr Newey. Small to medium-sized developers welcomed the Get Britain Building Investment Fund. However, they warned that projects must be properly analysed to avoid creating ‘white elephants’ that do not satisfy demand.


www.cibsejournal.com


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