July 2005 - News from the UK

News: Timber Frame, Construction & Property News

• UKTFA - "Stop the Fighting!"
  (29 July 2005, wood for good)
  Bryan Woodley, chief executive of the UKTFA, says it’s time for the building materials industry to stop the infighting and to work more closely together to promote confidence in the high quality of UK housebuilding.
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• Construction fatalities rise to 22
  (27 July 2005, Contract Journal)
  Fatalities in construction now stand at 22 following three worker deaths in a week. The number is slightly down on figures for this time last year, which stood at 26, although it makes grim reading before tomorrow's (Thursday) release of the Health & Safety Executive’s construction fatality figures for 2004/05. The health and safety message still doesn’t seem to have filtered its way into the industry as there have now been 31 fatalities since the construction industry agreed to improve safety standards at the Safety Summit in February.
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• ECIA furious with Wembley bonus agreement
  (21 July 2005, Contract Journal)
  Engineering construction employers have reacted with fury to the detailed terms of the £1.6m project milestone agreement at Wembley Stadium, which has been concluded unilaterally by Multiplex and the Amicus and GMB unions. The deal is seen as flying in the face of the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI), which seeks to exercise a degree of control over site pay. There are fears that it could trigger leapfrogging claims on other major sites.
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• Timber Frame Company gets ‘Big Tick’ for Best Practice
  (20 July 2005, Benfield ATT.co.uk)
  The Timber Frame Construction Industry today heightened its sustainability credentials with the announcement that one of the UK’s leading manufacturers has been awarded a regional Big Tick at the annual Business in the Community Wales Awards for Excellence.
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• Timber Frame building is 'the Original Modern Method of Construction'
  (8 July 2005, Green Building Press)
  Many house builders and developers who have become confused over what constitutes MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) will be reassured to hear that the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships have confirmed that all forms of timber frame construction qualify as MMC, including ‘traditional’ open panel timber frame systems.
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• Price of Bricks set to Increase
  (6 July 2005, Contract Journal)
  Materials prices are set to increase significantly as manufacturers face the prospect of soaring energy and hydrocarbon prices. The price rises in gas and electricity since the beginning of the year have affected brick companies, which faced a slow start to the year. Energy can account for approximately 20% of the price of a brick.
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• US forests in retreat as housing advances
  (4 July 2005, EDIE)
  America's forests are being swallowed up by housing developments at an alarming rate sparking a raft of ecological concerns and raising questions over the impact on water resources.
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• Green Register workshop promotes sustainable construction
  (1 July 2005, TRADA News)
  The Green Register (TGR) is staging a new workshop on 12 July at Westminster University, London, aimed at builders, Building Control officers and other construction professionals to promote the practical aspects of sustainable construction.
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• Glutton for punishment steps out of frying pan and straight into fire
  (1 July 2005, EDIE)
  A Scottish construction firm has been caught burning demolition waste on two separate occasions less than a year after being convicted of the very same offence.
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News: Environment, Climate & Attitudes

• Industry cuts emissions beyond expectation
  (22 July 2005, EDIE)
  British industry cut the amount of carbon dioxide it emits by 14.4 million tonnes last year - more than double the target set by government.
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• Big rises in energy costs from Powergen may be copied by other suppliers
  (22 July 2005, Telegraph p8)
  Powergen yesterday announced a huge rise in the price of gas and electricity yesterday, prompting fears that other companies will soon follow suit writes David Derbyshire. The company have blamed the rise on the increased cost of wholesale fuel and have warned that the price of gas is set to increase by 11.9% and electricity by 7.2%. Consumer groups warned yesterday that most energy suppliers would hike up prices over the next few months.
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• Heat forces up price of emissions trade-offs
  (18 July 2005, Financial Times p3)
  Fiona Harvey et al. write that the heatwave which has brought drought to large parts of Europe has boosted carbon emissions allowances to record levels, further increasing electricity prices for hard pressed industry. At the end of last week the carbon price dropped to £16.50 (€24) per tonne but had previously seen highs of €29. Point Carbon, an analyst company, attributed the easing to profit-taking and some softening in gas prices.
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• France to harness 'power of the sun'
  (8 July 2005, EDIE)
  France has been chosen as the host site for an ambitious experimental trial to produce energy from nuclear fusion - the same energy source as the sun.
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• G8 heads on brink of climate agreement
  (4 July 2005, Financial Times p1)
  James Blitz et al. write that the leaders of the Group of Eight industrial nations look close to an agreement to combat climate change at their summit this week. Tony Blair is on the brink of brokering a global agreement on climate change, which explicitly recognises that science compels the world to act to contain greenhouse gases, as he prepares to host the G8 leaders at the gathering in Gleneagles.
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• UK - North South divided by extremes of flood and drought
  (1 July 2005, EDIE)
  The divide between North and South has been marked in catastrophic fashion this week, as extreme flooding devastated areas of the north while the south was issued with smog alerts as it basked in sunshine.
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• Climate change will drive up premiums
  (1 July 2005, EDIE)
  A major player in the world of finance has teamed up with WWF to warn that climate change is bad for business and, if nothing else, will see insurance premiums soar as underwriters start to take into account the increasing risk of sever weather conditions.
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• Europe failing to tackle emissions growth
  (1 July 2005, EDIE)
  Despite its image as the global hub of good environmental governance, the latest figures show that even Europe cannot keep its emissions growth under control.
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News: Responsible Business and the Community

• Corporate ethics catching on
  (27 July 2005, The Times Public Agenda p5)
  Salaries and company benefits were once the key deciding factors for potential employees when considering choosing a job, but corporate ethics is now reaching the top of the criteria list. Michelle Henery adds that Julia Cleverdon, chief executive of Business in the Community, said that over the past 10 years businesses have had to meet expectations from employees to act responsibly. "Companies that fail to act responsibly have a difficult time recruiting and retaining talented staff," says Ms Cleverdon.
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• Businesses consulted in effect of emissions scheme
  (20 July 2005, Financial Times p3)
  Fiona Harvey reports that yesterday businesses prepared to make their voices heard on the impact of the European Union’s greenhouse gas trading scheme, as the government launched a consultation into the scheme’s second stage.
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• Green goals are big business
  (15 July 2005, EDIE)
  Businesses driven by social or environmental goals rather than profit are making some £18 billion in the UK every year and employ almost 800,000 people.
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• Students spread a worthy gospel
  (11 July 2005, Financial Times p13)
  In this article Sarah Murray writes about the thousands of young aspiring business leaders who are joining a network called Net Impact which exists to promote corporate responsibility. The Net Impact message is that it is possible to use business to effect positive social, environmental and ethical change.
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• Welsh business told to think global, act local
  (8 July 2005, EDIE)
  Ministers have been promoting the benefits of a sustainable Wales to business leaders in Cardiff this week.
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• Industry invited to let Government know how it's getting on with the environment
  (1 July 2005, EDIE)
  Government has launched a PR offensive to try to persuade industry of the importance of reporting its impact on the environment, but once again fallen short of making it a statutory requirement.
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News: Finance & Economy

• Cost of business regulation could exceed tax revenue
  (4 July 2005, Financial Times p4)
  The total cost of business regulations to the UK economy could be greater than the money raised by income tax states the government’s Better Regulation Task Force. Jonathan Moules reports that Sir David Arculus, who chairs the taskforce, is consulting with business, the public sector and charities to calculate the cost of administering new legislation, as a first step to cutting the administrative burden of red tape.
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Feature Article of the Month - Builder & Engineer Magazine; Timber Frame Supplement

Seasonal, 2005

Expert Viewpoint: Dr Michael Benfield

Dr Michael Benfield is one of the leading Timber Frame Construction Experts. He spoke to Builder & Engineer about how the Construction of more Timber-based buildings will help meet the ambitious carbon emission targets set by the Government...