Nottinghamshire Builder Magazine - FEBRUARY 2012 21
County in £1.7m deal to buy old colliery railway lines ALMOST £2m could be spent on breathing new life into four former colliery railway lines, according to a report in the Nottingham Evening Post. Notts County Council is in discussions with Network Rail about buying the disused lines which served Bilsthorpe, Cotgrave, Calverton and Clipstone. If a deal is done, the council plans to spent £1.7 million creating new routes for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The authority is offering to pay up to £80,000 for the lines after Network Rail said it wanted to sell them.
Respected Nottingham property developer dies CAVAN Pickering, the property developer who helped shape the face of Nottingham has died at the age of 75, He was behind the creation of three of Nottingham’s hotels and a number of significant office developments. As a property developer, he led development of the Savoy Hotel, in Mansfield Road, which is now the Park Inn, as well as the Royal Hotel, now the Crowne Plaza, in Wollaton Street, and the Welbeck Hotel, in Talbot Street. The Estates Gazette, in its 2011 Rich List, valued Mr Pickering and his family interests at £68 million.
Energy/Power projects to ‘change the direction of the construction industry’ KPMG’s sixth annual Global Construction Survey finds that 41% of the top global engineering and construction leaders expect the energy/power industry to offer the biggest opportunities for revenue growth in the next 12 months and as a result, this could change the direction and even the landscape of the construction industry. Richard Threlfall, UK head of KPMG’s infrastructure, building & construction practice, said: “This year could see the construction industry in the UK and around the globe start to change direction significantly as the energy sector grows as a source of income for the industry. As a result, the demand for firms and individuals with energy sector-specific engineering and construction skills will rise as power projects proliferate.” The survey shows that economic uncertainty is still seen as the greatest systemic threat to the construction industry but optimism remains widespread amongst the global engineering and construction leaders as almost half (49%) expect to increase their backlog orders in the next 12 months. In the Americas and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions the second greatest concern over business conditions is the ongoing issue of government deficits – over half (52%) of construction executives in the Americas fear this may constrain any economic recovery; over a third (34%) are worried about this in the EMEA region. Richard said: “While the continuing economic instability deepens in many parts of the globe, the construction industry is not in retreat. 2011 was a solid year for engineering and construction companies as they saw backlog orders increase compared to 2010. The outlook for the construction sector is largely sanguine in the short-term and in the coming decades the demand for power and infrastructure projects around the world is only going to grow, which means the construction industry should be adapting to respond to the opportunity.” The survey finds that 40% of equity investors in the infrastructure sector from EMEA see energy/power followed by transport projects (30%) as the most attractive investment opportunity in the next 12 months. However, an overwhelming 80% cite that they are very concerned about governments’ ability to drive infrastructure spending and see lack of leadership as a barrier to investment. Moreover, two-thirds of engineering and construction leaders believe that the private sector is not showing enough initiative. Richard said: “Amidst a global ‘energy crunch’ significant investments are needed in energy infrastructure to provide energy security at current levels and to allow for a low-carbon transition of our energy systems.* Given the push for infrastructure, there will be intense competition for resources and skills, so the UK needs to work hard to attract the best private sector talent and investment. “With austerity policies in many countries constraining the scope for public sector spending, it is vital to create an environment that encourages private sector investment. As governments around the world seek to create 21st century infrastructure, they need to create an environment that encourages private sector investment. This means addressing regulatory and legislative barriers and showing long-term commitment.”
Advertisers! Reach over 3,000 local building-based companies for £30 plus VAT! CAN IT BE TRUE? YES IT CAN! Call Nottinghamshire Builder Magazine 01530 244069 Targeted advertising is cost-effective. See our full list of advert sizes and prices on page 5.
Coffee Time Crossword Solution
BOOKSPOT: The Construction of Houses By Duncan Marshall BSc MCIOB MBEng, Derek Worthing BSc Mphil MRICS, Nigel Dann This book is aimed specifically at those students and practitioners who require a broad understanding of building construction as part of a wider sphere of professional activity. The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practice of modern construction and services. In addition most chapters contain information on earlier construction techniques to reflect the age profile fo the UK housing stock. This fourth edition has a revised text and hundreds of revised graphics, new illustrations and photos, an additional chapter on
concrete housing, and an eight page colour section showing a series of photographs of a modern housing development. This book is the recommended construction text at a number of colleges and universities. It concentrates on principles and practice rather than details and regulations. In doing so it should enable the reader to demonstrate a comprehensive and genuine
understanding of modern house construction and its evolution over the last 100 years. • An extensive and comprehensive introduction to modern construction • New illustrations and photos • Eight page colour section AMAZON PRICE: £25.96
I didn’t have a happy upbringing. I remember my third birthday party. I was fifteen.