Building Work to Start on £50m Regeneration Project

Builders are soon to start work on a £50 million regeneration project for a run-down estate in Surrey. Construction of the first phase of the Stanwell New Start regeneration scheme, due to begin next month (February), will see a total of 52 new homes built. Award-winning housing provider A2Dominion is working on the scheme in partnership with Spelthorne Borough Council. David Price, A2Dominion’s Director of Regeneration, said, “We’re very excited that building work will be starting next month on the Stanwell New Start scheme. We’re due to set up the site in mid-February. “This will involve installing a site

office and marking out the masterplan on the ground ahead of digging the foundations. We’ve been committed to working closely with residents since the very start, and look forward to continuing to do so as the project moves forward.” There will be 11 houses and nine apartments for affordable rent constructed in the Long Lane area during the first phase of work, along with 16 houses and 16 apartments for private sale. The revenue generated from the private sale properties will be invested into the regeneration project, helping to fund the building of the future phases. The first phase is expected to

take about 12 months to complete, with show homes set to be launched in Summer/Autumn 2011. As well as providing high quality new homes, the Stanwell New Start project involves improving open spaces and community facilities, and extra care provision, including a new health centre and a children’s centre.

Local Firm Gallops Ahead with Charity Fundraising

Staff at manufacturing firm

Pland Stainless have raised over £2,000 for The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

The Leeds-based stainless steel

washroom and sanitaryware manufacturer held a day out at Doncaster Racecourse in December to reward staff for a trading year which saw an increase in sales despite a difficult trading environment. Directors played host to 110 staff

and family members in the Royal Box at Doncaster on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. Raffles were held during the course of the event and a total of £2,050 was raised for the NSPCC. Raffle winners enjoyed a luxurious chauffeur driven limousine to take them to the races and received prizes including a camera, DAB radio and a state-of-the-art Blu-ray DVD player.

The annual event was organised

as part of the company’s Christmas celebrations, whilst at

Apathy, Ignorance and Denial - ASFP President Spells it Out

More than 100 guests attended

the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) annual President’s Lunch, at the Palace of Westminster in December, to hear ASFP President Brian Robinson spell out the current problems with regard to the control of fire protection in the UK. “I have been questioning whether the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the CDM Regulations 2007 and Regulation 16B of the Buildings Act were working together to raise installation of appropriate fire protection measures” he commented. “Have matters improved? Sadly, I think not”. He blamed the lack of a national

audit procedure and claimed that the biggest challenges faced by the industry were apathy, ignorance and denial. “We all recall the scene of the tragic fire at Lakanal House that unfolded on our television screens recently, in which six people sadly lost their

lives. At the time, the media were asking the obvious question – how could this happen? Lakanal House gained national media attention because people died”, he stressed. “Only then were questions asked of Lambeth and other Local Authorities, to ascertain their legal requirement to undertake fire risk assessment”. He questioned if Lakanal House

was a one off, or if it was symptomatic of a much more deeply rooted problem. He also queried if other issues were contributing to a picture of worsening public fire protection in the UK and pointed to the recent Association of British Insurers (ABI) fire loss figures. They show fire damage up by some 16 % to £1.3 billion, which represents a record high. Life loss figures also indicate that we will see a significant rise over the next year. “Such a combination of factors should at least raise the question of, why”, he stressed.

“Disasters such as Lakanal House could be minimised by much tighter Building Regulations” he claimed. “However, it is arguably just as true to state that if appropriate fire protection measures were installed correctly, in accordance with the Building Regulations, both the human and financial cost would be considerably lessened. The demise of the Clerk of Works is symptomatic of how, piece by piece, our systems for delivering excellence of works in buildings have been stripped away and the matter has been made worse through the introduction of competitive bidding between local authorities and approved inspector bodies” he maintained. Mr. Robinson confirmed that if

the evidence of malpractice or inadequate passive fire witnessed by many ASFP members on an almost daily basis was anything to go by, the courts should be overflowing. The journey from the

architect’s initial design, to occupancy, is one loaded with opportunity for error, compounded upon error. The ASFP President drew the analogy of taking delivery of a new car. “Do you give much thought to the process of manufacture, or how the vehicle was inspected before delivery? You assume they put brakes in it, that the steering wheel is connected correctly and that your family will be safe in it. If you think that way about a car, why shouldn’t the same rules apply to the fire protection measures installed in a building? The hazards are the same. Get it wrong and you run the risk of killing, or seriously injuring its occupants.

“It is simply not good enough to

state that measures exist to ensure against incompetent workmanship, that everyone will take ownership of their responsibilities, utilise properly qualified people and proper independent audits”

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the same time giving something back to those less fortunate at this important time of year. “The generosity shown by the

staff has raised a record sum of money for a worthy charity,” said Ian Hodgson, Operations Director at Pland Stainless. “We had a great day out and we are delighted that the money will be used to help vulnerable children at a time of year when they are most in need.” Pland Stainless chose the NSPCC as its nominated charity this year, as part of helping to protect children from cruelty, support vulnerable families, campaign for changes to the law and raise awareness about abuse. “We are delighted that Pland

Stainless chose to support our charity this year,” said a spokesperson from NSPCC. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24