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NEWS In Brief ! The Hill Group has renewed its sponsorship of Cambridge United Football Club for the next three seasons. Neil Rowe, Head of Commercial at Cambridge United Football Club commented: “We are proud to continue working with The Hill Group which has been a long-standing partner of the football club. Alongside the excellent work they do building sustainable homes, the company is a leader in community work including providing modular homes to people experiencing periods of homelessness.” ! Timber distributor James Latham has introduced a new online carbon measurement tool designed to give specifiers the confidence to make greener design choices. The Carbon Calculator has been developed in partnership with the University of Bangor and is part of the company’s commitment toward sustainable construction and design, helping specifiers make more informed, lower-carbon choices. ! Figures recently released by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) indicate construction apprenticeships have bounced back from the pandemic, stronger than ever. The Modern Apprenticeship Statistics report reveals that the number of Construction and Related Modern Apprentices (MAs) in training for the end of quarter three 2021-22 was 12,814, which is 254 more apprentices than in 2019-20 and account for 32% of the 34,000 apprentices in Scotland.
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Appeal of new-builds rose during the pandemic
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ver a quarter of homeowners (26%) are more likely to consider purchasing a new-build property compared to before the pandemic, new research from FJP Investment has revealed. The investment firm commissioned an independent survey of 1,185 UK homeowners and homebuyers. It found that 50% would be willing to buy a newbuild for their next home, with the figure jumping to 65% among those aged 18-34. The research revealed nearly two fifths (39%) of homebuyers viewed new-build developments as part of the search for the last property they bought. Almost a quarter (24%) of respondents said they would consider investing in a new-build property but not living there.
Nearly three quarters (74%) said they are attracted to the greater energy efficiency of new homes. Over two thirds (68%) consider the modern facilities and furnishings to be another appealing factor, while 45% said that a big selling point is that new-builds are free from the complications that come with a property that has had previous owners. Jamie Johnson, CEO of FJP Investment, said: “The UK property market has been a hive of activity over the past 18 months, and our research clearly shows that more people are now considering new-builds for their next home or property investment. The greater energy-efficiency and conveniences that modern developments afford stood as a key factors working in the favour of new-builds.”
British Gypsum launches new training offering
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ritish Gypsum has opened the doors to a newly refurbished training academy at its Head Office in East Leake, Leicestershire. Designed to provide an enhanced practical training environment for those already in the industry as well as the next generation of installers, the new training academy is part of an investment that the company has made to help upskill and increase the competency of those already in the industry, and ensure that it does its bit to help the industry close the skills gap. James Maclean, Head of Training Academies said: “We are committed to lead the way as a trusted partner and provide the support and facilities to help produce better building outcomes, so we are delighted to have invested in our training offering and open the doors to our new training academy in East Leake.
“As the UK’s leading manufacturer of high-performance drylining solutions, our customers rely upon us to provide them with the correct technical and installation advice, so we are pleased to be able to provide them with state of the art training facilities, increase the number of courses we offer and develop more resources that are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure that we do all we can to help the industry close the skills gap.” To discover more please go to www.rdr.link/dad001
ASHPs fitted at Somerset development
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elamare Park is the first Barratt development in the country with no gas supply or connection on-site, in a move that the company says will ‘pave the way for future developments’. All 82 properties at Barratt Homes’ Delamare Park development are fitted with air source heat pumps as standard.
6 April/May Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer
The Ecodan air source heat pumps installed at the development have an ErP (Energy Related Products Directive) A++ performance rating and can be controlled via a smartphone, tablet or computer. Louise Ware, Sales Director at Barratt David Wilson Homes South West, said: “We’re really excited to be the first team within Barratt Developments to fit air
source heat pumps in our homes. Heat pumps are clean and highly efficient and the way to a greener future.”
