January 2007 - News from the UK

Update: Timber Frame, Construction & Property News

• Building Regulations - Part B changes announced

The Government has announced details of revisions to Part B of the Building Regulations dealing with fire safety. The new Approved Document B will come into force on 6 April 2007. Commenting on the announcement, the DCLG Minister responsible, Angela Smith MP, said:

'This package represents better, more focussed regulation that will deliver real benefits for both occupants and fire fighters alike. Indeed the review that led to the changes looked at fire safety in all types of premises including dwellings, residential care homes, public buildings and warehouses. It also considered the important role sprinklers and other types of fire protection measures may have, particularly in buildings where the occupants are most at risk from fire.'

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• GATE European Timber Architect of the Year

An international competition to find the best young architects across Europe

GATE (Gaining Added value from Timber in Europe) the Interreg Project which is about using more local timber in construction is launching the biggest single European competition to encourage more young architects and designers to use timber in their projects.

Trainee and unqualified architects from across GATE's partner Regions in Poland, Estonia, Slovenia, Thuringia and Wales can win an all expenses paid trip to Estonia on the 12th to the 15th June 2007.
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• HBF hosts zero carbon conference

Article - January 2007 - Greenbuilding)

The Home Builder's Federation have begun the year by hosting a roundtable summit in London to consider the government's ambitious zero carbon building targets.
Representatives of home building companies, suppliers, utility companies, regulators, local government and even environmental groups met to start working out how to deliver new homes to 'zero carbon' expectations within the ten years as announced by Gordon Brown late last year.
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News: Environment, Climate & Attitudes

• Stark findings on climate change

The world's leading scientific experts are set to deliver the latest, starkest findings on climate change.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change begins its release of the long anticipated Fourth Assessment Report in Paris on 2 February 2007, which is set to provide the most credible evidence yet of the human link to climate change and its devastating impacts.

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• Cleaning up the smart way

As legislation forces water companies to provide more comprehensive wastewater treatment to more of the country, the industry will need the best control and instrumentation technologies to manage it all, writes Jim Plumley.

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• FSC reserves judgement on Government approach to assure legal and sustainable sources of timber.

On Monday the Government announced that timber processed through five forest certification schemes now give satisfactory assurance of being legally logged from sustainably managed forests. Thus three more schemes have been added to the original two that were approved in 2004.

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• Contaminated Land & Construction - Review of the Year 2006

From fears over the environmental impact of England's housing boom to the prospect of losing greenbelt land to new developments, the contaminated land and construction sector was full of controversy this year as housing pressures continued to mount.

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• Waste industry must adapt to climate change

(16 January 2007 - Edie News)

A think tank made up of academics, regulators and industry experts is set to consider how the waste sector is likely to be affected by climate change and what it can do to adapt.
The recently established Waste Communications Partnership has been put together by the Oxford-based UK Climate Change Impact Programme (UKCCIP) and will include representatives from the Environment Agency, Local Government Association and trade bodies the Chartered Institute of Waste Management and the Environmental Services Association.

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News: Society, Community & Responsible Business

• Women under-represented in top jobs says EOC
  

  (05/01/2007)

Women make up just 10 % of directors of FTSE 100 companies and barely 20 % of Parliament, according to Sex and Power: Who Runs Britain? 2007, the Equal Opportunities Commission's annual survey looking at women in senior positions across the public and private sector.The EOC points out that the pace of change at the top in many areas remains slow, and in some cases has even gone into reverse - despite the massive growth of women in work and public life.
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• Farmers' markets may not be as 'green' as they appear
  

  (The Times 04/01/2007)

A report in The Times suggests that farmers' markets may be less environmentally friendly than supermarkets. Locally sourced food sold through farmers' markets may not necessarily mean greener food. Supermarkets pack large amounts
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News: Finance & Economy

Gordon's tonic for struggling first-timers

• Gordon's tonic for struggling first-timers
  

  ( The Observer 10/12/2006)

The government's expansion of its assisted home purchase scheme is welcome, say Lisa Bachelor and Jill Insley - unlike the closure of a pensions loophole and possible end to cheap life insurance
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• Environmental stocks rocketed in 2006 (12 January 2007 - http://www.edie.net/)
  

The value of leading environmental technology companies almost tripled during the course of 2006, according to an organisation which tracks the value of eco-friendly firms.

The Impax ET50 is a tracking index designed as a tool to allow financial analysts to keep tabs on leading environmental companies and follow trends within the sector.

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