Industry News
Unregistered gas fitter jailed for dangerous gas work
A
Staffordshire gas fitter has been jailed after gas work he performed at a domestic property was left in a dangerous condition. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how Colin
Christopher Batchelor carried out gas work in September 2016 that included removing an old boiler, installing a new boiler, reinstalling a gas meter and connecting pipework while he was unregistered.
An investigation by the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) found that Colin Christopher Batchelor had performed gas work while falsely claiming to be a member of Gas Safe. He was not competent to carry out work in
relation to gas fittings, he did not have any relevant qualifications and he failed to carry out any test or examination to verify that the installation was gas tight following his work. This resulted in the work
not being performed in a manner which would prevent danger to people. Colin Christopher Batchelor of Tean, Stoke-on-
Trent pleaded guilty to five breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to eight months immediate imprisonment for each offence, to be served concurrently. After the hearing, HSE inspector Dr Riley
Roberts commented: “The Gas Safe Register exists to protect the public from people such as Colin Christopher Batchelor, who are prepared to work illegally, falsify records and carry out potentially dangerous gas work. “Performing gas work without being competent
to do so can be highly dangerous and lead to a loss of life. All gas work must be done by a registered Gas Safe engineer to ensure the highest standards are met to prevent injury and loss of life.”
Right to Buy sales plummet by a quarter
Right to Buy sales of council homes fell by 23 per cent in the final quarter of last year, but the number of homes built and acquired slipped further behind the Government’s one-for-one replacement pledge. Official figures showed that English councils sold
2,612 homes to sitting tenants between January and March 2019. This was down from 3,396 sales a year earlier. Councils received £219.7 million from these sales during the quarter, which equated to an
average receipt of £84,100 per home down from £82,800 in 2017/18. During the whole of 2018/19, some 10,213
council homes were sold, a fall of 21 per cent on 2017/18 and the lowest annual number of sales since 2012/13 when the discounts were substantially increased (to encourage more sales) and below the 17,684 homes sold in 2006/07. This brings the total number of council house
sales since 2012/13 to 78,271. Despite the Government’s much publicised
commitment to replace all of the sold off properties, only 1,406 homes were started or acquired by councils during the last quarter of the year. Replacements now lag 4,170 homes behind the
replacement commitment total, with 23,685 additional affordable homes started or acquired between 2012/13 and 2018/19, against a target of 27,855. Meanwhile councils are awaiting the outcome of a
Government consultation exercise on how Right to Buy receipts can be used, which closed in October.
Sheffield Council upgrades its fire alarm protection
Sheffield City Council has decided to upgrade the fire alarm systems across its entire housing stock as part of a major electrical upgrade programme to keep tenants safe in their homes. Phase one of the work will see over 20,000
properties upgraded with mains powered smoke alarms fitted in every circulation space on each storey (hallways and landings), in the principal
habitable rooms and in every access room serving an inner room, plus a heat alarm in the kitchen. In addition, carbon monoxide alarms are being
installed in every room that has a fuel burning appliance. The city council is running the alarm
upgrades alongside its fixed wire testing programme, to minimise disruption to tenants
and access issues to properties, until 2021. Peter Marr from the Council’s Repairs Policy and
Investment Team, said: “Sheffield City Council believes that the best way to protect tenants from Carbon Monoxide poisoning is through the provision of an audible CO Alarm coupled with educating tenants on how to stay CO safe. “Since the start of this programme, a small
number of CO instances have been highlighted and acted upon. Coverage, therefore, is in every room with a fuel burning appliance (gas or solid fuel, open or room sealed, with or without flame shut-off features etc.).”
New deal to develop 900 build-to-rent homes in Battersea
Volume house builder Telford Homes has agreed to develop almost 900 build-to-rent homes as part of a £280million scheme at Nine Elms Park, Battersea in south west London. Land for the new build scheme was bought from the Royal Mail and is situated close to the new
United States Embassy. The scheme is expected to be completed in 2024. Jon Di-Stefano, chief executive of Telford Homes,
said: “We are delighted to be building this exciting scheme for Henderson Park and Greystar. We have been working on the detailed design for some time
and we can start work on site immediately. “We continue to make progress against our
objective to increase the group’s output of build-to- rent homes in London, and this contract with Henderson Park and Greystar, with whom we have a strong relationship, highlights our position as a trusted partner at the forefront of this fast-growing sector.” In March, Telford Homes announced that it had
signed a deal with Invesco Real Estate and M&G Real Estate, as long-term strategic build-to-rent partners, to build more than 400 homes.
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM August/September 2019 | 21
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