Constructing Excellence in Wales

Wales must make the transition to a low carbon economy (and make it now)

The Climate Change Commission for Wales launched its 2nd Annual Progress Report on Monday 18th February 2013.

The Report outlines the work of the Commission over the last year and sets priorities for action in 2013/14.

There is increasing evidence that greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise, which potentially could see global warming of between 4oC and 6oC within the next century. This type of temperature increase would present significant disruption to life in Wales and the natural resources we rely on. Commission member, Professor Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre said “There is a widespread view that a four degree future is incompatible with an organised global community, which is likely to go beyond adaptation and will be devastating to the majority of ecosystems.” (more…)

Welsh entrepreneur appointed business ambassador for Branson’s Virgin Media Pioneers initiative

• Welsh entrepreneur selected as Regional Ambassador for Virgin Media Pioneers programme
• Forthcoming event to encourage young people with big ideas in Wales

Sir Richard Branson has opted for a bit of ‘Pinkspiration’ in his search for the voice of Virgin Media Pioneers in Wales to inspire more young people to start their own businesses.

Lisa Marie Brown, an award-winning social entrepreneur, who’s ‘Design Factor’ projects have been regenerating parts of Wales has been crowned as an ambassador for her homeland, hoping to unearth and encourage the next budding Branson.
With nearly one in four young people currently unemployed, Virgin Media Pioneers is a free, online community connecting young, entrepreneurial talent to a network of peer-to-peer support, with video blogs, engaging TV series and expert professional mentoring and advice. (more…)

Housing Regeneration and Heritage Minister Huw Lewis has called upon mortgage lenders and homebuilders to sign up to deliver the NewBuy Cymru scheme at a special event to inform the industry of the details of the scheme.

Plans for NewBuy Cymru, were announced in November last year, and since then, work has been underway to develop the detail of the initiative. The event at the Millennium Stadium, which included a key note address from the Minister and presentations from the Home Builders Federation and scheme administrators Jardine Lloyd Thompson, provided businesses with an opportunity to learn more about the scheme and to take part in a question and answer session.

NewBuy Cymru will be available to all buyers in Wales, subject to fulfilling lending criteria, and will support the purchase of up to 3,000 new build homes up to value of £250,000. The Welsh Government and house builders will act as guarantors so that buyers can secure high loan to value mortgages that would not otherwise be available to them. Buyers will contribute a 5% deposit. The scheme, which the Welsh Government is supporting with a guarantee, could enable an investment in housing of up to £500m within a five year period.

The Minister said:
“We are all more than aware that we are working in very difficult economic times which are having a significant negative impact on all aspects of the housing market. But we mustn’t let these difficulties stop us doing what we can to help the housing system work more effectively. Nor should it stop us being ambitious.“ (more…)

The Department for Environment & Sustainable Development has issued a consultation on a draft set of regulations.

Welsh Government would like to hear your views on the draft regulations. This consultation contains proposals which: 

Implement the requirements of the EU Directive 2010/31/EU on the Energy Performance of Buildings
Minor changes to facilitate the Green Deal
Amendments to Schedule 3 in relation to the self-certification (competent person) schemes.

For more information and how you can respond, please click on the link below

Welsh Government

The closing date for the consultation is Wednesday 20th February 2013.

Capital Allocations

The Welsh Government, is committed to stimulating economic growth, creating jobs and reducing poverty in Wales. In the Final Budget, which was passed in the Assembly last month, we announced an additional capital funding package of £232 million over the next two years. This means that since publication of the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan for Growth and Jobs last May, this Government has committed to an additional investment package of around £1.1 billion. To read the full statement download Capital Allocations Document

Regional Pay

Over the past 12 months we have had many discussions about the proposal by the UK Government to impose regional pay upon the public sector in the UK. I am pleased to confirm that during his Autumn Statement on the 5th December, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the proposed policy had been abandoned. To read the full statement download Regional Pay Document

Since their introduction, DAS have been subject to praise, criticism and discussion. Many good designers produce design and access statements as a matter of course. However, Access Groups have concerns about the effectiveness of the statements. It is considered from the information we have already that the perceived issues associated with DAS can be grouped into three areas:

• Delivery – that DAS have not delivered accessible quality outcomes;

• Complexity – that design and access statements have further complicated the system including validation; which adds delay to the planning application process and has led to inconsistencies between authorities;

• Duplication – that other regimes could be better mechanisms for improving delivery of some aspects of good design.

The Welsh Government’s Framework for Action on Independent Living went out to consultation on 20th September 2012. Under priority 6 of the framework, a review of DAS as a tool for achieving accessibility, including examining how DAS sits along side Building Regulations Access requirements is recommended. TAN 22 was introduced as the sustainable buildings policy to act as a stepping stone until Building Regulations, devolved in December 2011, have been reviewed by the Welsh government. TAN 22 sets an expectation of BREEAM ‘very good’ with an ‘excellent’ score for energy for non-domestic building and Code for Sustainable Homes score level 3 with extra credits for energy in new housing. (more…)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published the Consultation on Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Brokerage Service.

Please visit the DECC website for more information.

The consultation will close on 15 April 2013.

The Welsh Government Environment & Sustainable Development Division are looking to employ a Building Standards Technical Officer to provide advice and support in relation to Building Regulations/construction legislation and support establishment of Welsh Government Building Regulations capability.

For more information visit the  Welsh Government website

The Minster for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage has launched a consultation on a proposed new regeneration framework – “Vibrant and Viable Places”.

The suggested approach going forward will be much more holistic than previously undertaken, and will be ensuring all sectors of Welsh society, the key mainstream areas, to consider regeneration in both their spend and approach.

The consultation ends on 14th January 2013.

For more information visit the Welsh Government website.

Wales’s Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, John Griffiths, today launched a plan which sets out how the Government will work with the construction sector to increase their recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste it sends to landfill.

The plan is aimed at the construction and demolition industry and sets out how it can play its part in the delivery of Wales’s ambitious recycling targets.

The construction industry currently accounts for 14 percent of Wales’s ecological footprint for waste and the construction and demolition sector plan provides advice and guidance to the sector to help it operate more sustainably.

As well as setting waste prevention and recycling targets, the plan makes recommendations on how to manage waste to achieve more environmentally friendly and affordable outcomes for the construction industry – including builders, trades people and suppliers.

The Minister launched the construction and demolition sector plan at Llanwern High School in Newport, which won a the Constructing Excellence in Wales award for waste prevention in June this year. Speaking at the event, the Minister said: “As well as being an integral contributor to the Welsh economy, the construction industry is a large consumer of natural resources, producing 12.2 million tonnes of waste each year in the Wales alone.

“Taking action to reduce the environmental impact of the construction sector is critical as our current level of waste is totally unsustainable. We have an obligation to ensure that we use our resources wisely.

“The ultimate aim is to turn high quality recycled waste into a valuable resource that does not cause environmental harm, rather than it ending up in landfill.

“The plan I’ve launched today asks Wales’s construction industry to look at how it can waste less and recycle more. It also offers financial benefits for construction and demolition companies – something that is very important in these tough times.”

Minister for Environment & Sustainable Development, John Griffiths has launched a consultation on proposed changes to Building Regulations Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) and changes to the Approved Documents.

We would like to hear your views on the proposed changes. This consultation contains proposals for:

•      Changes to Part L(Conservation of Fuel and Power) of the Building Regulations;

•      Changes to the Approved Documents for Wales;

•      A new template for the Approved Documents for Wales; and

•      A discussion of future thinking as we move towards zero carbon.

For more information and how you can respond, please click on the link below.

http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/planning/buildingregspartl/?lang=en

The closing date for the consultation is Tuesday 23 October 2012  (more…)

Previous editions of the Government Construction newsletter have provided a summary of action in hand to implement the Government Construction Strategy.

The One Year On document and all the other material is available at
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/government-construction-strategy.

If you have any comments or questions about what you read, please contact us at
GovernmentConstructionTeam@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk.

WELCOME to the February edition of the Cynnal Cymru e-zine, packed with news, views and events from Wales and the World. Read the Commissioner for Sustainable Futures’ article on the Climate Change Commission for Wales’ first Annual Report. We have an update on the solar subsidies cuts explaining how the UK Government has lost its court appeal, and our feature this month is about Pathfinder for Llanidloes Energy Solutions and their search for Young Energy People! Please drop us a line with all your latest news and events for the next edition, email newsdesk@sustainwales.com

Climate Change Commission for Wales

Introduction

This paper provides an update from Commission members to highlights key areas of work or forthcoming events. The Chair of the Climate Change Commission and the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development will provide an oral update at the meeting on 8 December.

Download: Papers – Commission members update

The Wales Low Zero Carbon Hub has produced a short user friendly summary of the consultation documents. This is to help you navigate your way around the long list of documents so you can get to the points in which you are interested more easily and quickly.

We hope you find it useful. Don’t forget the deadline is the 18^th January. 

Disclaimer:  The document is not part of the formal consultation nor does it seek to influence your views in any way.

Download:  LZCH Green Deal Consultation Navigation Guide

Tackling Construction and Demolition Fly-tipping

Are you ready for the changes?

There are changes to the Waste Regulations making it a requirement for any business which generates, imports, produces, carries, keeps, treats or disposes of waste will have to follow the “Waste Hierarchy” when choosing a waste option, and show you have done so when you transfer your waste to another business.  The waste hierarchy duty applies to both hazardous and non hazardous waste and came into force on 28^th September 2011.

The link below will direct you to a leaflet outlining your responsibilities when disposing of waste.

Download: Fly Tipping Flyer.pdf

It will also help you decide whether you should be registered as a Waste Carrier with the Environment Agency.  Were you aware that from 29 March 2011, new regulations introduced a two-tier registration system for waste carriers, brokers and dealers.

For further information, you can call Environment Agency Wales on 08708 506 506 or visit www.business.wales.gov.uk

Fly-tipping is a big problem in Wales, costing over £2.7 million last year to clear up.  The majority of fly-tips contain material from construction and demolition activities.

You can help tackle this problem. Help us to help you improve your local environment.

Summer newsletter from The Works Ebbw Vale covering projects underway on site, recent achievements and upcoming events

Download: The Works – English
Download: The Works – Welsh

Cutting carbon and improving energy efficiency was the golden thread running through the 2011 Constructing Excellence in Wales Awards on Thursday night (14 July) at the Holland House Hotel, Cardiff.  The event was sold out, with around 400 guests attending what was a particularly good evening for west Wales with awards for the A40, Carmarthenshire and Swansea councils. (more…)

Constructing Excellence in Wales welcomes the launch of the final report by the Innovation and Growth Team (“IGT”) drawn from across the UK construction industry to consider how the UK construction industry can rise to the challenge of the low carbon agenda and the need to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050.

The report draws heavily on the Constructing Excellence report “Never waste a good crisis”, and sets out roles and actions for industry, clients and government over the next decades to 2050. Particularly welcome is the identified need for collaborative integration of the supply chain.  The IGT document echoes many of the arguments put forward by Constructing Excellence in Wales in the “No Turning Back” report of October that was backed by the Welsh Assembly Government. (more…)

Wales Wins Honours Again at National Constructing Excellence Awards

Wales once again confirmed its status as a construction centre of excellence when Welsh Health Estates and GKR Maintenance & Building secured two out of the ten honours available at the National Constructing Excellence Awards on 19 November and gained a highly commended in a third. 

Welsh Health Estates (WHE) were named client of the year.  Its management of the Designed for Life; Building for Wales Framework moves the construction industry forward and WHE clearly demonstrated how a framework should operate with all the right ingredients. Despite being small, GKR won the leadership award because of the manner in which its entire team had grasped the importance of people development in delivering great service and value.

Both award winners shone out on an evening when UK construction made a strong case that lowest price tendering and adversarial ways of working are not the way to build Britain out of the recession.  People, culture and behaviours underpin this argument and so it was great to see that Simon Lander, of Chandler KBS, was made highly commended in the Achiever Award category for his total commitment to best practice principles as demonstrated by his leadership and project management skills in Wales. (more…)

No Turning Back, says Jane Hutt

Jane Hutt AM, Business and Budget Minister for Wales, announced that due to the risks of a wholesale return to lowest price tendering in public sector construction procurement, the Welsh Assembly Government will be setting up a policy team focussing on construction procurement.

The Minister was speaking on Tuesday, 26 October, at the Construct 2010 conference in Cardiff where a ground breaking report into construction procurement in the public sector in Wales that calls for a policy commitment from the Welsh Assembly Government and a consistent approach from all public sector bodies.  The report, No Turning Back – The Case for a Renewed Emphasis on best Value and Collaborative Working in Public Sector Construction Procurement was commissioned by Constructing Excellence in Wales and includes research, comment and recommendations from stakeholders within the construction supply chain. (more…)

WALES WINS THREE OUT OF TEN NATIONAL CONSTRUCTING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Wales confirmed its status as a construction centre of excellence when it won three out of the ten awards at the National Constructing Excellence Awards on 19 November. (more…)

A new report from Constructing Excellence has been published entitled Never Waste a Good Crisis . Authored by Andrew Wolstenholme of Balfour Beatty Management, the report looks to determine the level of industry progress since Rethinking Construction and define the improvement agenda for the next decade. Repeated below is the Executive Summary of the report which was published on the 14th October 2009. (more…)

CEW AWARDS CELEBRATE COLLABORATIVE WORKING

Cardiff Central Library, Newport High School and Mark Adams were the stars of the show at the 2009 CEW Awards last night, winning project of the year, waste minimisation award and achiever of the year.

Over 400 guests celebrated the achievements of the Welsh built environment at Cardiff City Stadium where Roy Noble hosted the evening and ten awards were handed out to the great and the good of Welsh construction.  (more…)

Wales is well on the way to reaching the Welsh Assembly Government waste targets, thanks to the Green Compass scheme organised by Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW) and launched by Jane Davidson AM, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing yesterday (13 July, 2009). (more…)

Resources from nearly three and half planets will be required to meet the demands of the human race if the global pattern of consumption continues, claimed Wales engineers last week. (more…)

WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and the Welsh Assembly Government are launching another round of their capital grant programme, which aims to help tackle the challenges of waste generated by companies in Wales. We can support development of new or enhanced reprocessing infrastructure, with up to 30% funding for projects in any part of Wales. Subject to the outcome of a bid for ‘Convergence Funds’ higher levels of support may become available in the Convergence Region. Grants are available for three separate materials streams: (more…)

Wales has become the first part of the UK to set a national standard for sustainable buildings to be met through the planning system following an announcement by Environment, Sustainability & Housing Minister Jane Davidson. The Welsh Assembly Government has introduced green standards for new buildings in Wales intended to cut carbon emissions and improve their sustainability via the planning system. (more…)

British Council Wales is seeking young volunteers from the construction industry to support its Low Carbon Futures – Challenge Europe Project, 2009/10 and we are recommending you! (more…)

The current market conditions are forcing clients and their supply chains to review costs and tender processes. However, as an industry we must resist any return to adversarial, lowest price procurement processes. (more…)

Constructing Excellence in Wales launches new business club for new professionals

Constructing Excellence in Wales has announced the launch of -40C (Forty Below Club), a new business club for new and aspiring professionals in the construction industry. (more…)