News
INNSA Annual Conference 2015
Bookings now being taken for the INNSA Conference at MOSI on 24th March 2015
The Invasive Non-Native Specialists Association (INNSA) has announced that bookings are now being taken for its Annual Conference which will be held at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) on 24th March.
The Conference will mark an important milestone in the development of INNSA with the launch of its new and ground breaking Code of Practice. This Code will enable consumers, property professionals and other stakeholders to identify specialist consultants and contractors that they can rely on to remediate invasive species, such as Japanese Knotweed.
The Conference will also cover the contents of the Infrastructure Bill and the Consumer Rights Bill that will affect the invasive species remediation industry. Both of these Bills are expected to become Acts of Parliament before the General Election in May. With speakers giving the consumer, surveyors, lawyers and mortgage lenders perspective on Japanese Knotweed in particular, the content of the conference is extremely wide ranging and should be of interest to all property professionals.
Mike Clough, the Chairman of INNSA, said; “we are absolutely delighted that we have attracted such a varied and very distinguished list of speakers for our Conference in Manchester in March. They include the world renowned expert on invasive species, Dr John Bailey from Leicester University, and Rob Simpson, the Chief Executive of BASIS, to provide the industry expert view.
Political speakers will give an expert view on the two Bills relevant to our industry which are currently going through Parliament, which constitutes breaking news for us all. With Graham Ellis from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Paul Broadhead from the Building Societies Association (BSA) and Simon Law from the Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) we will get the property professionals perspective and the media commentator Kate Faulkner from Designs on Property will give us the all important consumer view.”
Clough added; “With the launch of the new INNSA Code of Practice, and presentations on how it will be regulated and protect consumers, it is a packed agenda.” The Code will be THE Quality standard by which the invasive species remediation industry will be measured.
Immediately after the Conference on 24th March, INNSA will be open to membership applications for all those companies that aspire to be part of the industry elite.
6 I PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015
Windsor Park redevelopment on schedule
England could be first opponents at Belfast stadium
Work on the redevelopment of the National Football Stadium for Northern Ireland at Windsor Park is on schedule. The stadium project, due to be completed in October 2015, will have a capacity of over 18,000 seats.
The redevelopment project includes:
- full replacement of the football surface and drainage
- demolition of the South Stand
- replacement of the South and East Stands to provide modern spectator and media facilities
- refurbishment of the seating in the West and North Stands and replacement of floodlight masts, with the new floodlighting integrated at roof height
The new headquarters for the Irish Football Association will be in the East Stand, whilst the South Stand will be the location for international match day corporate hospitality and also extensive conference facilities.
It is understood the IFA will make contact with the English FA and invite Roy Hodgson’s side to
come to play in Belfast before the 2016 European Championship finals in France, which both Northern Ireland and England could be involved in.
The IFA will also explore the possibility of bringing other high profile nations to Windsor, but England is the preferred choice.
The last time England played at Windsor Park remains one of the most celebrated occasions in Northern Ireland sporting history when, on September 7th 2005, David Healy famously scored in a 1-0 triumph in a World Cup qualifier.
Artificial turf called into question
California State senator calls safety of artificial turf into question and requests a “comprehensive study”
A California state senator is pushing to ban artificial turf fields that use rubber from used tyres, amid concerns that the fields could be linked to cancer and other illnesses.
State Sen. Jerry Hill proposed a bill last month that would prevent cities and school districts from installing artificial turf fields that use rubber crumb or styrene-butadiene (SBR) rubber, for the next three years. The bill also proposes that the state conduct a comprehensive study on the health effects of rubber crumb on the people who use the fields.
Hill introduced the bill after growing concerns from the public that the rubber surfaces on turf fields could be increasing the number of cases of leukemia and lymphoma among young athletes, as well as prostate, testicular and other cancers.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that our children aren’t being harmed by materials used to make their fields and playgrounds,” Hill said in a statement.
Studies on the health effects of the rubber crumb fields, so far, have been anything but conclusive. The Environmental Protection Agency conducted a study in 2009 and found that the concentration of dangerous compounds were below the “level of concern,” according to the EPA website. But, by the EPA’s own admission, the study was very limited - it only looked at four sites - and should not be used to “reach any comprehensive conclusion”.
The thirty chemicals that can be found in the rubber crumb include benzothiazole and trichloroethylene (TCE), compounds known to cause adverse health effects, as well as mercury, arsenic and lead, according to the EPA.
Hill’s bill would seek to fill the holes left by the EPA study. Instead of four fields, the study would examine at least twenty, and would look specifically at whether the low level concentrations of toxic compounds and materials can cause leukemia, cancer and other illnesses. It would also examine alternative turf materials, like used shoes, cork, and rice husks.
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