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The Chancellor set out plans to give smaller house builders access to a £500m fund to stimulate small local projects. The finance pot formed part of a set of measures that George Osborne claimed would support building of 200,000 new homes. Until now Government guarantee schemes were limited to support for major infrastructure projects being developed by major house builders. In 1988 two-thirds of all new homes were built by small and medium sized builders, but that figure now stands at less than a third. The Builders Finance Fund hopes to galvanise local housing projects with  loans to smaller housing developers. It estimated that the fund will unlock 15,000 housing units stalled due to difficulty in accessing finance. He said that the Government would also back three vast housing schemes: a garden …

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Alumno Developments has been granted planning permission for a major student accommodation project at the Eastside Locks in Birmingham. Construction of three buildings, ranging in height from 9 storeys to 13 storeys to provide 625 student bedrooms can no start later this year. The City Locks scheme designed by Glenn Howells Architects is expected to cost around £40m to build and will be located near to the site of the proposed HS2 terminus. David Campbell, managing director at Alumno, said: “ Eastside Locks is one of the largest regeneration projects in the country and the student accommodation developments will kick start the further developments set to emerge on the site.” Contractors Balfour Beatty, GB Building and Shepherd have each worked with Alumno on previous student projects. Last week the developer also…

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Durham County Council says it will recommend for approval a plan that promises 31,400 new homes; 9500 sq m of new retail floorspace and land for warehousing and offices. Planning The County Durham-wide plans, which include proposals for each of the county’s 12 main towns and for rural areas, are expected to be agreed next month and set the agenda leading up to 2030. If approved, the strategy would be referred to the Government for approval and could be adopted by 2015. Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for economic development, said: “We welcome the positive feedback and appreciate the time everyone has taken to give us their comments. This is a hugely important document and we look forward to it getting the formal go-ahead and are ready to make sure it …

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Building of a planned 170m viewing tower in Brighton will start in the summer after councillors agreed to take out a government loan for the scheme – and pass it onto developers. The ambitious plan to draw in tourists with a new south coast attraction looked set to crash when a private backer withdrew a £15m funding offer last year. But now the council has agreed to provide extra top up lending of £21.4m on top of the £14.8m previously agreed to get the scheme off the ground. The elevating viewing platform project is to be built near the ruined West Pier and is expected to earn the council three times more than it needs to cover its loan repayments. The extra £21m …

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Building surveyor Sophie Lydia Smith has been crowned Miss Cheltenham and will now compete in this summer’s Miss England pageant. Lydia Smith works for Stroud District Council after completing a two-year course in construction and civil engineering. She told the Gloucestershire Echo: “I work in building conservation and construction so I don’t always look glamorous at work. “This was my chance to look glamorous.” Her mother Sonia added: “I think she can inspire many other young women and that you don’t have to be a man to work in her industry.”

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Disasters can strike when you least expect them. The recent UK floods show that even the best-prepared areas can face serious infrastructure damage when rising water levels, turbulent winds or serious earthquakes occur. Hindsight is a wonderful thing; it’s tough to prepare for a flood, earthquake or storm after it’s happened, so instead, the best way to fight against the effects of a natural disaster is to be prepared for it in advance. We spoke to neXpower to learn more about how you can prepare for power outages – a common occurrence during floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Have first aid and food ready When the power goes out, your oven, microwave, toaster, fridge and freezer will all stop working. Because of this, any perishable …

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It is a well-known truism that in the construction and manufacturing industries, compressed air is the fourth utility.  Costing each business which uses a compressed air system roughly a 10th of its overall bills cost, it is arguably imperative that businesses in construction and manufacturing examine their air compression systems to ensure they are as efficient as they can be.  Alongside this, government regulation states that companies should be doing more to reduce their carbon emissions, and by reducing waste, this will also help to reduce cost. Compressed Air Systems Basic compressed air systems are straightforward enough to understand. In essence, the system delivers a pressurised stream of air to its target at a regulated level. It does this by taking air in and …

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A three-year foundation degree course in kitchen design at Buckinghamshire New University has been given the official go-ahead. Scheduled for the autumn, the bespoke course has been developed in conjunction with a panel of industry experts, primarily for those currently working in the industry. Delivered in partnership with the KBB NTG by kitchen industry experts, students will work on a comprehensive range of modules to cover aspects of materials, technology, sustainability, culture and design in order to develop critical and imaginative responses to kitchen design. Students will also learn about the technical and legislative contexts of kitchen design and will be supported through close contacts with industry partners. “In the UK there are more than 2,000 manufacturers supporting 5,000 kitchen retailers, so as independent kitchen design firms …

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A Shrewsbury College student studying Brickwork has just competed in the SkillBuild National Final and has been selected as one of the top seven bricklayers in the country. Ryan Stevens who is completing his Apprenticeship NVQ Level 3 in Brickwork at Shrewsbury College is hoping to represent the UK with his skills, is pictured with some of his work. Ryan Stevens, 19, of Shawbirch, Telford, is just completing his NVQ Level 3 Apprenticeship at Shrewsbury College, having started in the 14-16 programme and completed his Levels 1 and 2. Although he didn’t win any prizes when he competed at the NEC SkillBuild National Final in November, judges were so impressed by Ryan’s expertise that he was chosen as a potential candidate to represent the UK at bricklaying after getting a high enough score …

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Postcard campaign to mark National Apprenticeship Week Sanctuary Group is using a postcard campaign to launch a series of activities for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, taking place from 3 – 7 March. The leading housing and care provider has long recognised the positive impact that apprenticeships have for the individual apprentice, the organisation employing them and the wider industry, and is supporting more than 600 apprentice placements through its £750m development programme to build 5,000 new homes across the UK. Each apprenticeship offers a vital first step towards a career in construction for the young apprentice, while at the same time ensuring that the building industry has the range of trained people it needs in the future. The postcard campaign has been devised by Sanctuary to highlight these factors during National …

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