Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer March 2020

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PROFESSIONAL

HOUSEBUILDER &PROPERTY DEVELOPER MARCH 2020

WWW.PHPDONLINE.CO.UK

MARKETING TIPS The best advice for selling your properties

ROOFING, CLADDING & INSULATION Using a building’s fabric to create warmer, more efficient homes

SITE SOLUTIONS Save time and effort by crushing your own material on site

KITCHENS & BATHROOMS What can developers do to create bathrooms with character?

EXPERT UPDATE: DESIGNING HOMES IN A ZERO CARBON FUTURE

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contents PHPD MARCH 2020 VOLUME 14 NUMBER 3

This issue Regulars 5 6 10 57 59

First Word News Developments General Building Products Last Word

Cover story

Takeuchi’s mini-excavators have found a natural home on housebuilding sites.

Turn to page 38 to find out more.

Special Reports 12 Five to Remember Ademchic reveal their top five tips for developers looking to make the most out of their properties 14 A Sure Thing MPW’s Colin Donnellon provides his advice to SME builders looking for insurance.

PROFILE 16 Development ǀ Broadwater House PHPD talks to Clearview Developments’ Jason Tema about the company’s approach to building

SITE SOLUTIONS 35 At Full Tilt A Bobcat mini-excavator kitted out with a tiltrotator is making life easier for a housebuilder

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Meeting Clearview Developments

ROOFING, CLADDING & INSULATION 19 Sterling Work Superglass’ factory renovations completed 20 The Very Fabric Kingspan Insulation discuss the upcoming revisions to Parts L and F of the building regulations 23 Lap of Honour Cedarmill Developments have recently used Cedral Lap fibre cement cladding to add kerb appeal to one of its projects 24 Fully Decked Out Improving safety during the roofing stage with the Rhino Load Deck System 26 The Perfect Foil SuperFoil: Making new build projects more energy efficient 28 Top Down Change Bushbury Cladding looks at climate change and roofing 30 Round-up

36 Little Wonders PHPD visits Italian crusher manufacturer Komplet with the team at Red Knight 6 38 Fleet on the Ground Compact and flexible, Takeuchi plant is proving to be the perfect choice on tight developments 40 Creating Safer Sites JCB showcased its new dumpers at the Executive Hire Show 42 Round-up

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Negotiating sites with a mini-excavator

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Cement fibre cladding in action

KITCHENS & BATHROOMS 45 Tapping into New Opportunities The hot water tap market is growing rapidly, Heatrae Sadia discusses 48 A Place to Think PHPD visits Tissino’s new Experience Centre 50 Touch of Class Hamilton Litestat explain how electrical accessories can provide the perfect bathroom 52 Setting a High Bar Taking a look at Mira’s bar shower valves 54 Round-up

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Adding atmosphere to bathrooms

EXPERT UPDATES 33 Design What are some of the implications of LETI’s Climate Design Guide 34 Planning Planning in ‘beauty’

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first word

Editor Kieran Nee phpd@hamerville.co.uk Group Advertisement Manager Craig Jowsey 07900 248102 craig@hamerville.co.uk Advertisement Manager Samuel Shannon-Tinsley 01923 237799 stinsley@hamerville.co.uk Northern Area Sales Ian Duff 07810 353 525 probuilder@sky.com Digital Group Manager Stuart Duff Digital Assistant David Molloy Design Adeel Qadri Group Production Manager Carol Padgett Production Assistant Claire Picton Managing Editor Terry Smith Circulation Manager Kirstie Day Publisher Bryan Shannon Printer Wyndeham Group Published by: Hamerville Media Group Regal House, Regal Way, Watford, Herts, WD24 4YF. Tel: 01923 237799 Email: phpd@hamerville.co.uk Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer is a business magazine for firms and individuals involved in all aspects of the building industry. The publishers and editor do not necessarily agree with the views expressed by contributors, nor do they accept responsibility for any errors of translation in the subject matter in this publication. © 2019

Subscriptions to Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer are available at the following rates: UK: 1 year — £30 post paid Europe and Overseas: 1 year — £50 post paid Airmail: 1 year — £65 post paid To be removed from this magazine’s circulation please call 01923 237799 or email circulation@hamerville.co.uk

Repeat, Shuffle, Play As the editor of a housebuilding magazine, it’s important to know as much as you can about the various bodies, organisations and key figures that populate the news pages each month. You develop a sense of familiarity with experts and spokespeople who regularly comment on new developments within the industry, and you pay attention when certain people comment on particular issues, knowing that it will soon be creating a new conversation within the sector. One key figure whose name, however, it would pay to exercise caution when considering adding to the memory bank, is the housing minister. On the face of it, the chosen appointee should be of the utmost importance to housebuilding, and yet, as we now meet the 10th minister in as many years we must ask, is there any importance whatsoever in the role?

The switchover, from Esther McVey to Christopher Pincher, has seen the usual comments about a new start, a renewed focus and optimistic predictions about the Government’s as-yet unrealised ability to build enough houses. Accompanying the platitudes is a growing sense of frustration and weariness at the position, which increasingly seems to be accessible only via a revolving door: Enter prepared with the knowledge that you will be back out again within two years. Alongside the housing minister, the country has had 17 construction ministers within the past 19 years, only compounding the frustration within the building sector.

Of course, you’d have to be naive to assume that every politician was passionately involved in their brief, and that it was the lifetime goal of each and every housing minister of the past ten years to hold that particular position. However there is still something to be said for continuing for an amount of time with the same minister, providing continuity of approach, embodying a singular point of contact and a degree of responsibility. With the industry lurching as it currently does from year to year, not knowing who will be in the top job in six months’ time, housebuilders could be forgiven for thinking that they were on a ship without a captain. They’ve been given a destination, 300,000 new homes per year, and a rough sketch on how to do it, but with the captain’s hat being ceremoniously passed on so often, it’s surely only a matter of time before the crew mutinies.

The question of quality over quantity when it comes to delivering the homes the country needs can at times feel less like a debate and more like a mantra, being repeated over and over until the words have lost all meaning. It’s a debate with one side, it seems – smaller housebuilders and developers can deliver the goods, both in terms of quality and quantity. Repeatedly, their knowledge of local areas and local needs have proven their ability to provide a service to the community that volume housebuilders can’t. Yet, without a concerted effort on behalf of the Government to ensure SME builders are prioritised, are we destined to constantly sail in circles?

For more information from PHPD visit www.phpdonline.co.uk @phpdonline

Total Average Net Distribution 14,633 1 July 2018 – 30 June 2019

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news In Brief ■ St. Modwen Homes delivered a 25% growth in sales volumes in the year to November, having sold 1,060 new homes. St. Modwen Homes’ performance has been delivered alongside a continued focus on customer experience. As a result, the Home Builders Federation customer satisfaction rating is currently tracking at over 90%, equivalent to 5-star status.

■ 2019 was Cornwall developer Legacy Properties’ most successful year to date, having achieved a 46% revenue increase year on year, for the last three years. It also saw a big increase in its team, recruiting seven new members of staff in the last six months, bringing the number of permanent staff to 22. Legacy’s managing director, Nick Long, said: “I’m so proud of what our team has achieved within the last year. From impressive revenue growth, to another UK Property Award for the best residential development.”

JCB makes emissions compliance verification standard ESAR Emissions Compliance Verification will be standard on every JCB EU Stage V and electric machine for the UK market from the beginning of the month, housebuilders are being assured.

A second label, which can easily be scanned to verify the machine’s emissions compliance, will be positioned alongside the existing CESAR triangle. UK projects already trialling the scheme, have found that less time is being lost on delivery to site and there are fewer air quality inspections required for equipment in operation.

Electric machinery, like JCB’s innovative 19C-1E mini excavator, will be

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equipped with a white triangular ECV label, while EU Stage V diesel powered equipment will use a green ECV sticker.

JCB Sales Director Steve Smith said: “JCB is leading the way in clean engine and electric drive technologies, reducing harmful emissions to improve air quality.

Now we are making identification easier for customers working in sensitive, urban environments and in enclosed spaces.”

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn001

■ Leeds College of Building has announced it is teaming up with The Guinness Partnership, managers of the new housing development opposite the College’s South Bank Campus.

Guinness is committed to working with the College to develop opportunities for students, including career talks, employability skills, site visits, work placements and apprenticeships.

NFB announces new Awards open to all UK construction businesses ll construction and building businesses in Great Britain will be eligible to enter a new awards scheme designed to recognise those individuals and companies that set the gold standard in the construction sector.

The National Federation of Builders is supporting the Awards, which are being run and judged entirely independently.

Nick Sangwin, National Chair at NFB, said: "While the industry has a number of awards schemes, they tend to be focussed on one particular aspect of the sector or in just one nation but the Construction

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6 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

Awards of Excellence will be a much broader church. These prestigious, UKwide, independent awards will honour the exceptional contributions of companies and individuals in the construction and building sector across Great Britain. These awards will become much sought-after and we expect a strong list of entries."

The awards ceremony will be held in October at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel.

More details, including who will sit on the judging panel and when nominations are open, will be announced soon.

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Email your news & views to phpd@hamerville.co.uk or tweet us at @phpdonline

Industry calls for changes to contracts

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he housing sector is calling for quality measures to be embedded into contracts to ensure the industry improves standards. At The Housing Forum's Quality Counts conference, architects, contractors, suppliers and sub-contractors identified procurement as the stage in the housebuilding process that will have the most impact on quality.

Their suggestions included building in quality measures and check points within each stage, being specific on standards that must be adhered to and stating the minimum quality expectations, all within the initial contract.

They also called for roles within design and procurement to engage with parties involved in the build and occupancy stage much earlier in the development to give a more realistic indicator of time scale and cost.

Stephen Teagle, chair of The Housing Forum, said: “Often the industry is racing to deliver on time which can result in a failure to consult the supply chain effectively. We need to look at the relationship between the different parties involved at all stages to help address the fragmentation of the industry.”

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn002

More energy efficient housing on the horizon for Wales Elmhurst Energy has welcomed the Welsh Government’s new consultation on energy efficiency and ventilation in new build homes, which sets ambitious new targets going beyond those proposed for England.

“We are delighted to see the consultation from the Welsh Government,” says Stuart Fairlie, Technical and Operations Director at Elmhurst. “We look forward to analysing the key differences proposed by Wales and will work with our members before replying.

The ambitious steps proposed are more adventurous than England, and also ensure that homes built in Wales will be more energy efficient. The vision is very clear and we look forward to working with the Welsh Government and our members to deliver these homes.”

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn003

Grant Engineering unveils new facilities rant Engineering in Birr, Co Offaly, recently welcomed the Irish Prime Minister to officially open their extensive new facilities which include an R&D Innovation Centre, a dedicated Customer Services Centre and a large Training Academy.

The official launch event marked the culmination of a €14 million investment project which has taken place over the past four years at Grant Engineering’s manufacturing premises in Birr.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn004

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news

Email your news & views to phpd@hamerville.co.uk or tweet us at @phpdonline

FMB: Back small housebuilders to improve the design of new homes

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emoving barriers to small housebuilders will deliver better quality homes and happier people, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to a national design audit conducted by UCL for CPRE, the countryside charity, and the Place Alliance, published today.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: "Today’s report shows the impacts of 30 years of market consolidation, which has squeezed out the small builder. SME house builders have to compete on quality rather than volume, so it is hardly surprising that a broken housing market dominated by a handful of major developers is failing to deliver what homeowners want and need."

Berry concluded: "To get SME builders back into the housing market we need to

Rise in land value since election The UK is benefiting from a noticeable rise in land value since the result of the election and the latest survey by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has shown a 17% increase in new buyer enquiries, rising from -5% in November, further highlighting that consumer confidence is on the rise.

In the last quarter of 2019, property enquiries and completions reduced due to the upcoming election, creating an air of uncertainty with developers.

However, Saffron Building Society is predicting a upturn in property development finance enquiries in the first quarter of 2020 as this uncertainty dissipates and developers progress with planned projects.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn006

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tackle the barriers of land supply, access to finance and a simpler planning system.

Greater diversity in our housing market will not only help deliver better quality homes, but happier people as recent FMB research

shows that homeowners are twice as likely to be ‘very satisfied’ with the quality of their new build home if it is built by a small builder than one of the top 20 firms."

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn005

£1 billion of finance to support small and medium sized builders he green light has been given to provide £1 billion in finance to support small and medium sized builders, in order to allow smaller housebuilders to enter the market.

Local builders will be able to secure loans from participating banks to help the government deliver its commitment of at least a million new homes in the next five years.

In an announcement to Parliament the Housing Secretary confirmed the British Business Bank’s ENABLE Build Programme will shortly begin guaranteeing millions in new loans for local, independent construction businesses to deliver new homes.

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Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: “Small housebuilders are vital to building the homes this country needs but too often struggle to access affordable finance.”

Since the scheme opened for applications in May 2019, the government has received interest from specialist and mainstream lenders – including high street banks – which want to be involved in this innovative scheme to deliver homes.

Following the credit crunch in 2008 figures show that only 1,737 small to medium size builders operate in England, with more needed to help respond to the demand for new homes.

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DEVELOPMENTS

MCR Property Group submits plans for 94 new homes in Bristol MCR Property has submitted a planning application to build 94 new homes at Bristol’s Parkview Campus, a key area for residential development in Bristol.

The developer intends to build a mixture of houses and duplexes on the redundant car park site which is approximately 6.1 acres in size. The proposed development will provide approximately 10,500 sq. m. of residential accommodation in total.

Designed by architects Leach Rhodes Walker, the proposed properties will comprise:

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68 three-bedroom homes ranging from two to three storeys ● 26 duplexes, configured as two homes per four storey building The ground floor duplex homes will benefit from their own private garden, allowing residents to enjoy the amenity space equivalent to that of a house.

A total of 129 car parking spaces will be created, many attached to properties, with 102 allocated to residents. Plans for the site also include full mature landscaping, a children’s play space, on-site bicycle storage and improvements to the perimeter bridleways.

Chris Taylor, asset manager at MCR Property Group, said: “Bristol is regularly named as one of the UK’s most desirable places to live outside of London. This development will create a considered mixture of new homes that meet exceptional demand for family homes in the area.

“We aim to transform the space into a thriving community of high architectural quality set within an environment of soft landscaping and protected trees. The scheme will benefit from excellent links into Bristol city centre, which will offer an attractive place to live as the wider Parkview Campus plans are brought to fruition.”

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E-mail your latest developments to phpd@hamerville.co.uk

Elevate Property Group has revealed its designs to bring a derelict site in the centre of Great Malvern back to life with a new development of 17 houses and apartments.

The plans for Edith Walk, drawn up for Elevate by JM Architects of London, also include three commercial units totalling 2,740 sq ft within the development. The proposals have been submitted to Malvern Hills District Council for approval following extensive consultations between Elevate Property Group and council officers on the best solution for the site.

Architect Philip Ives of JM Architects described the Edith Walk location as a “challenging diamond of a site to work on”.

Yorkshire housebuilder Avant Homes is bringing 143 new homes to Doncaster, after planning permission was granted

by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council to transform a brownfield site.

The 12.91-acre site located off Leger Way is the former location of Wheatly Hills Middle School, which has been vacant for 22 years after closing in 1997.

Once complete the £34m development, called Furlong Park, will feature a selection of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes across 12 of Avant’s signature housetypes, providing a wide selection of homes for a range of buyers, all less than two miles from Doncaster town centre.

South Yorkshire…

Click has announced that work will commence on its muchanticipated landmark development of 238 high-end studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in Slough town centre at the beginning of April of this year.

Interest has been incredibly high due to the popularity of Slough as an investment location and already, before the official launch, over 50% of the initial off-plan phase has been reserved.

50 of the new homes will be designated as affordable, with a significant number available through shared ownership. All of the units will be finished to a high-standard that meet the latest building control standards and certifications and the communal roof-terrace will enjoy uninterrupted and protected views of Windsor Castle. A show home will launch in early 2021 and it is anticipated that the first homes will be completed during Q4 of 2021.

Kent…

Worcestershire…

Berkshire…

Golding Homes, one of the South East’s largest housing providers, aims to build more new affordable homes in Kent as part of its development pipeline, with the goal to have 8,000 homes in its ownership by 2021.

Based in Maidstone, the housing provider has set out ambitious plans thanks to a new £100m credit facility secured with NatWest and additional funding of £20m from Santander.

Neil Perrins, Director of Resources at Golding Homes, said: “The new facilities support our development programme, building hundreds of new homes every year. As a social landlord we have ambitions to grow, meeting the high demand for quality affordable housing and creating homes and communities for people who need them most.”

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Special Report

Five to remember C

areful and precise planning are necessary to make any development financially lucrative.

Often overlooked, or deemed secondary, is the impact that marketing and interior design can have on your project. Not only could a clever layout and style boost the value of individual apartments and increase your ROI, it can also attract the increasing number of discerning buyers who seek individually designed homes.

Here are Karolina’s top five tips that will help position your next scheme ahead of the competition.

1. Discover the power of a good floor plan Layouts are one of the most overlooked aspects of the development process. We often see beginner developers who assume that a floorplan that was designed by the planning architect is automatically the best solution. In doing so, they may be missing the opportunity to maximise the value for their project.

Sometimes the smallest change makes the biggest difference.

It’s not uncommon for us to uncover value in the region of £50,000-£150,000 through floor plan optimisation on developments of 10 units or more. In central London, that can often be achieved by rejigging the layout to add just one bedroom to the floor plan. Maximising the available space is the developers’ biggest challenge and also their biggest opportunity. However, it’s not always about creating more bedrooms. The trick is to create a product that appeals the most to your target market, something that the planning consultant might have not thought about when securing planning on the site.

2. Remember to market during the build process It should go without saying but it is surprising how often we meet a developer who has not thought about marketing their project during the build process.

What has worked very effectively for our clients are the marketing packages that sell the aspirational lifestyle, quality CGI images, hoardings, brochures, microsites and social media campaigns.

Karolina Adamczyk, Chief Visionary Officer of ADEMCHIC, a design consultancy for property developers, offers her top five tips to developers looking to secure the best sale.

Do it like the big fish in the industry and always remember that the sooner you put your development out there, the sooner you can attract off-plan buyers.

This, inevitably, has a major positive impact on your project’s financing costs.

For example, a developer has a bridging loan of £30,000 per month and chooses to spend £15,000 to create CGIs and marketing materials to secure sales off plan. That marketing budget is just 50% of your monthly financing costs. But in our experience, it allows our clients to sell sites before practical completion and save accruing financing costs for each month. If you assume just six months to sell all the units, that is £180,000 financing costs that are saved by utilising your £15,000 budget at the right time.

3. Don’t cut costs in the fit out stage It’s not rare to witness a developer running low on funds towards the end of a scheme’s building phase and cutting down on specification as a result. This can often lead to creating a product that does not differentiate your development for the

Do it like the big fish in the industry and always remember that the sooner you put your development out there, the sooner you can attract off-plan buyers 12 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

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buyers that come through the door. In reality, this can cost you more than you bargain for as cheap looking interiors often result in more discounts and longer selling times. To avoid this, spend a month or two at the beginning of the project creating a one-of-a-kind specification that will make your project stand out in the selling process. Starting early with your specification will also insure better trade deals on fixtures and allow you to compare apples with apples during your contractor tender process.

4. Avoid accumulating extras In a development, time equals money more than in any other business. Time is of the essence, so every day without a decision adds unnecessary costs and pressures – contractor fees, professional fees, consultant fees, financing fees, etc. To avoid this, always ensure that your contractors have full specifications from the start, including technical drawings for bathrooms, communal areas, and kitchens.

While a detailed design fee seems like a large cost at the beginning of the project, often when you add up the total extras at the end you will find that the design cost would have been a small percentage of the additional amount of extras you have accumulated.

A clear, detailed design avoids your fit-out budget increasing once work has commenced. Apart from the obvious grief that comes with a growing budget and decreasing margin, every day’s budget pressures may impact your relationship with the professional team – especially your contractors. It will also consume your time and drive, which you could invest instead in finding your next site.

5. Don’t underestimate the emotional factor of show homes Buyers fall in love with the idea of a home – a show home’s purpose is to create an aspirational lifestyle and home they want to live in. Our recipe for success in creating an effective show home is a careful selection of accessories. It’s not about the sofa or bed you have bought, it’s the perception of cosiness and emotions we create through accessories like art, rugs and throw pillows. A show home is a commercial decision with its own ROI. You want your buyers to step inside and feel like home. We have curated show homes that have attracted offers of up to 20% over the asking price.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn008

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'Romolo Tavani

SPECIAL REPORT

A Sure Thing Colin Donnellon, Associate Director of MPW Insurance Brokers, part of the Clear Group, offers his advice to the smaller builder looking for insurance.

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ost construction, buildings may develop structural defects because of the design, workmanship or materials used in the construction process.

Building Warranties provide protection for major defects, and if an insurancebacked warranty is purchased, the risk is transferred from the parties involved to an insurer. For the smaller developer or speculative builder, purchasing a warranty will offer protection against costly repairs outside of the usual defects period.

Latent Defects or Inherent Defects Insurance comes from the French Civil Code and was first available in France and Belgium in the 1930s. Here in the UK, insurance-backed warranties have been available for a considerable length of time.

Historically, the NHBC has dominated the market for residential warranties. In recent years, however, we have seen an increase in the number of building warranty providers entering the residential and commercial property sector.

The collapse last year of unrated Alpha Insurance A/S, which supplied the insurance required to cover structural defects affecting new homes, has seriously impacted that availability. What’s more, AmTrust International and more recently Canopius in Lloyd’s, have disclosed that they intend to exit the sector entirely.

14 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

What’s more, it’s likely that other underwriters may signal their intention to follow suit.

That said, the availability of warranties among providers remains strong with new underwriters expected to announce their entry to this sector, offering warranty protection for residential and commercial developments.

Various options are available with specialist underwriters also catering for recently completed buildings/structures and mixed-use developments. For example, cover has been secured for an office block that was built and completed over four years ago.

Good advice and market knowledge is the key to choosing the correct insurer and avoiding unrated insurers. Ideally, a specialist construction broker will have the credentials and experience to offer their client the right choice. It is certainly not a case of one size fits all.

Each provider will have a particular strength and specialism, whether this is for a large project of multiple properties, a single structure for the speculative builder or a renovation or completed building.

Without expert advice, making the best choice may be confusing and costly.

When purchasing a warranty, consideration should also be given to

lender acceptability. For residential builds, the warranty purchaser will need to ensure that a warranty is provided by an insurer that is accepted by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The CML has released some helpful guidelines to assist the purchaser in understanding the types of cover, inspection regimes and, ultimately, lender acceptance.

Costs vary depending on the type of warranty – whether that is for new build, conversion, completed structure or commercial and mixed use. Costs will be determined based on the project, and a specialist construction broker will have the ability to seek out the right choice.

Certainly, there are plenty of options to secure an insurance-backed warranty that offers the required level of protection for an agreed period and at a competitive price.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/009

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Profile |Development

A completed flat in nearby development The Old Bank

Extending Praise W

ith views stretching across the High Weald Area of Natural Beauty, it’s easy to see why Broadwater Down was chosen as the ideal spot for a development bursting with character. The choice, however, was made considerably easier for Clearview Developments, by the fact that the spot was already chosen by William Nevill, 4th Earl of Abergavenny who, along with developer George Mansfield, developed 46 mansions in the area. The very first mansion built by the pair is currently being given a second lease of life, and Clearview’s Director Jason Tema is determined to match the quality that the heritage of such a building deserves.

“As you can see, it’s a beautiful building, built using quality materials and designed to stand the test of time,” Jason tells me, as he takes me around the perimeter of the building, enthusiastically pointing out the various features which have brought their own individual challenges, “look at these bricks, they look normal enough but in fact, they’re a few millimetres bigger than standard sized bricks. When this building was built, each town had its own brickworks and they made the bricks using whatever materials they had locally. For the extension, we’ve had to source a traditionally made brick from a supplier that can provide them at the same size too. We found one, Furness Brick, which is one of the oldest brickmakers in the country. A few millimetres might not sound like a big difference, but across the whole extension you will notice or, at least, I’ll notice.”

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“Extension” here may be something of an understatement, as Jason and his team are in fact doubling the size of the property, essentially taking what’s already there, which currently houses five flats, and doing it again, so that on completion the entire development will house 14 flats. The area is a conservation area, in fact there is some talk of acquiring the famous blue plaque for the house, and as such any additional building must match up to strict measures, restricting what materials and techniques must be used.

This is something that puts many developers off and prevents many builders from going beyond small renovation works. Not so for Clearview Developments, however, whose legally trained Director seems to relish the challenge such a building poses, and waxes lyrical about the build process and the quality of the materials he uses.

“Conservation bricks with the original red brick banding, timber-sashed windows, timber fasciae, decorative stucco, floor to ceiling windows, cast iron gutters, traditional pantiles on the roof, herringbone floors – we’re not going to skimp on anything, that’s just how we do things,” Jason explains, as we approach the front of the building where an inspector is busy

PHPD’s Kieran Nee goes to Royal Tunbridge Wells to meet Jason Tema of Clearview Developments, who is currently working on a project of much historical interest. investigating the trees lining the grounds of the property. It’s not just preserving the traditional aspects of the existing building Jason has to concern himself with, he must also contend with the challenge of adding nine new properties to the space, and offering the necessary provisions required by the modern home owner.

“We’re adding a bike storage unit below the buildings,” Jason explains, “and we’re creating three separate areas for parking.

This area is very biodiverse, and that’s why we want to make sure we’re not cutting down any important trees. We’re making sure each space is ready for electrification too, by running the cables under the ground and providing a connection point. The only reason we’re not installing the full terminal is because the preferred technology is changing so rapidly, in fact since we’ve been on this site it’s already changed once.”

We take a moment to admire the original porch, whose grand wooden front door will, despite modern regulations on fireproofing and security, be staying put.

“By adding a second front door, further in, which meets all the new requirements, we were able to keep the traditional one at the front. It would have been such a shame to

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We take care of every aspect. I have spent Saturday nights looking at the plans for a particular flat and trying to come up with a better place to put the washing machine in order to maximise the space available for the home owner get rid of it. The tiled floor too, we’re going to keep it but we’re also going to add a wheelchair ramp. I don’t want to limit the properties’ appeal to any one type of person, I want everyone to be here together, creating a genuine community.”

At times, it seems like things might not truly add up, as though Jason’s sums of effort, expense and care might create quality homes, but might also fall short of the notoriously slim profit margin. However, this is where Jason’s experience working on building sites since a teenager (even during his law degree), and his father’s expertise as a builder come into play.

Jason makes a point of doing everything he can in-house, employing directly everyone involved in the project.

As Jason puts it, a veritable Noah’s ark of tradesmen pouring onto the site appears, “two carpenters, two plasterers, two plumbers, everyone direct!” he tells me, and each person working on the project is determined to do a good job. “We’re builders, we build homes. We take care of every aspect. I have spent Saturday nights looking at the plans for a particular flat and trying to come up with a better place to put the washing machine in order to maximise the space available for the home owner.

The guys who work for us recognise that we really care about the work we do, and we treat them with respect as the skilled workers that they are, that’s why, for instance, when we got on here two weeks earlier than planned, I picked the keys up

on Friday and on Monday morning I had a full team of men ready to work. They dropped everything to come and join us, because they know that it’s going to be a fulfilling project.

“Every development we do, we want it to be an award-winner. Whether it wins an award is neither here nor there, but the attitude is that we want it to be the best.

We don’t build standard flats to plan, we create unique, characterful flats that, ultimately, people will be as proud to live in as we are to build.”

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn010

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Roofing, Cladding & Insulation

Sterling Work S

uperglass’ factory redevelopment, which at £37 million is one of the largest in Scottish engineering and manufacturing in recent years, was announced in December 2017. Now complete, it will double the site’s capacity to around 60,000 tonnes of glass wool insulation annually.

Redevelopment of the site, including installation of a new 187-tonne furnace and curing oven; cooling, cutting and milling equipment; and an automatic packing system will allow for continuous development and improvement in product quality. This has been supported with a complete rebrand of the Superglass product, including contemporary new packaging.

The redevelopment of Superglass’ Stirling manufacturing facility was supported with a Scottish Enterprise grant of £477,000 in 2017.

The significant engineering and building works within Superglass’ existing site were carried out while the original production area continued to operate.

During the construction process, Superglass reported its return to trading profit a year ahead of forecast with revenue growing from £23.6m in 2017 to £32.9m in 2018, a 39% increase.

In 2016, Superglass joined the TECHNONICOL group of companies, the largest manufacturer of construction materials in Russia and Eastern Europe. It owns 56 manufacturing facilities across the continent, including Superglass’ site at Thistle Industrial Estate in Stirling.

Mark Atherton, Chief Production Officer, said: “I’m incredibly proud of how all of our teams have worked collaboratively and flexibly to redevelop the site while continuing to meet customer demand. Maintaining production to capacity during such major works is an exceptional feat of engineering and

Leading glass wool insulation manufacturer, Superglass, has completed the redevelopment of its Stirling manufacturing site.

Glass wool insulation produced by Superglass is made from up to 84% recycled glass and is estimated to save around 300 times the amount of energy used to manufacture it. project management, and has helped us continue to grow and return to profit.

“We have been pleased to be able to work with a number of local engineering companies to deliver the project, which will have had a further beneficial effect on the local economy. As developers, builders and ultimately house-buyers become more environmentally aware, energy efficiency becomes an even more valued feature for new builds, so we anticipate demand for insulation to continue to grow.”

Ken Munro, CEO of TECHNONICOL International for Western Europe & North America, added: “This multi-million-pound investment is a real vote of confidence in Scottish manufacturing and is a statement of intent regarding the long-term future of our Stirling operations. Mark Atherton and the team in Stirling can be rightly proud of completing the renovation on-time and budget, while simultaneously maximising production from the old plant. This exceptional achievement justifies the confidence that TECHNONICOL has shown in our business.”

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn011

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Roofing, Cladding & Insulation

The Very Fabric T

his Spring, major consultations into the energy performance standards for new homes have been undertaken in England and Wales. The revisions to Parts L and F of the respective Building Regulations are set to be implemented before the end of the year and are seen as a stepping stone to the introduction of even tougher requirements in 2025. With this in mind, it is important for developers to familiarise themselves with the proposals and consider how best to prepare for the likely changes ahead.

The consultations primarily deal with the mandatory requirements for the conservation of fuel and power, but the guidance for ventilation has also been revised alongside this; Approved Documents L1A (ADL1A) and Approved Document F are not mandatory, but provide guidance on how to meet the requirements of the Building regulations for new domestic buildings. The Part L guidance includes overall emissions targets and specific limitations such as worst-case U-values.

Targets for Part L1A Both the English and Welsh consultations provide two uplift scenarios over their current versions of Part L1A. In England, the options are for a 20% or 31% (preferred) reduction on current carbon emission levels, whilst the Welsh consultation sets more ambitious targets: 37% (preferred) or 56%.

In addition, the consultations also introduce a new principal performance metric – Primary Energy – with carbon emissions retained as a secondary 20 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

performance metric. The rationale for this is that as energy supply becomes decarbonised, CO2 will become a less important measure of property performance.

A Primary Energy Factor is first generated for each fuel type based on the energy used in upstream production activities such as extraction, processing/refining and transporting.

Primary Energy for heating, for example, can then be calculated through the following equation: (property energy demand/ efficiency of heating technology) x Primary Energy Factor For example, take a property heated with 100% efficient electric panel heaters with an overall heating demand of 10,000 kWh. The fuel factor for electricity is 1.501 so Primary Energy is calculated as follows: (10,000 kWh / 1) x 1.501 = 15,010 kWh Energy generated by onsite renewable technologies such as photovoltaics (PV) can be used to reduce the energy demand calculation. For example, if PV is used to generate 1,500 kWh for use within the dwelling then the calculation would be changed as follows: ([10,000 kWh – 1,500 kWh]/1) x 1.501 = 12,759 kWh Concerns Whilst the Primary Energy metric offers advantages, there are significant concerns about how it is implemented within the English consultation draft.

In the present English Approved Documents L, a Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard is used to limit the energy demand of the property. The consultation

Jonathan Ducker, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Kingspan Insulation UK, explores the potential revisions to Parts L and F of the Building Regulations.

argues, however, that to prevent the standards becoming too complex, FEES should be removed entirely. In addition, the proposed worst-case backstops for fabric performance are laxer than even the current Welsh requirements.

In theory, this could allow homes to be constructed in England to the worst-case backstops across the board, with higher heat demand than one built to the current standards (and therefore subject to FEES), providing that this is compensated for by using lots of PV generation.

This approach isn’t very sustainable, nor very future-proof. As we decarbonise and move to electrified heating and hot water provision, reducing demands in the winter months will become increasingly important.

Carbon intensities will be higher during these months as renewables are less efficient and demands are greatest. If we push more and more buildings, as well as transport, to the grid, there is a worry that unless demands are minimised, the carbon intensity at these times could even creep up (rather than reduce).

Fabric First Overall, the better approach would be to take a fabric-first approach, maximising energy savings whilst retaining the ability to simply upgrade the building by adding energy generation in the future. Whilst not compulsory, the suggested building element U-values used within the notional building for the Welsh consultation offer a sensible starting point and, in meeting them, developers can upgrade their own design and building practices ready for 2025.

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two Welsh proposals and English 20% improvement scheme use the more stringent Option 1 values from SAP table R2 whilst the English 32% improvement options uses the more relaxed Option 2 values.

It is also worth noting that for English and Welsh consultations, thermal bridging and detailing will become more important.

Under the proposed changes, the Approved Construction Detail’s associated generic psi-values (measure of heat loss through a junction) would be withdrawn, the

global backstop default thermal bridging level would worsen and, unless developers have modelled/calculated psi-values available, the somewhat poor individual junction backstops will have to be used – so actually paying attention to detail will be very important to overall compliance. The

Looking ahead Whilst the details of the English and Welsh ADLs are still to be finalised – the longterm trajectory is clearer. Very soon, developers will be expected to deliver dwellings which achieve net-zero emissions as standard. Whilst efforts to decarbonise the grid will support this, it is important that developers work now to reduce the energy demand from new homes. By adopting a fabric-first approach with careful detailing, companies can help to future-proof themselves for the changes ahead in 2025 and deliver high quality properties for homeowners.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn012

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Roofing, Cladding & Insulation

Lap of Honour O

ver 450sq.m of Cedral Lap in colour Pewter has been installed across a selection of three storey family homes, creating a contemporary visual appeal that perfectly encompasses the developer’s commitment to providing the highest standard in premium housing.

Cedarmill Developments is dedicated to constructing residential and commercial properties across the UK’s Southern regions, offering clients first class functionality and style. The latest site in Havering consists of a combination of luxury detached houses, which will be completed in autumn 2019.

Seamus Tattan, Senior Contracts Manager at Cedarmill Developments, said: “This is the first time we have specified Cedral Lap fibre cement cladding and we are already looking to utilise the material on a further two upcoming residential developments as we are so impressed with it.

“Initially, we were looking for an exterior solution that offered the highest standards in aesthetics and fire performance, whilst offering the greatest value for money. Cedral surpassed these requirements, enabling us to create a resilient and stylish exterior that we are

Initially, we were looking for an exterior solution that offered the highest standards in aesthetics and fire performance, whilst offering the greatest value for money. Cedral surpassed these requirements, enabling us to create a resilient and stylish exterior that we are confident will offer the same impressive kerb appeal in years to come.

– Seamus Tattan, Cedarmill Developments

Cedral Lap fibre cement cladding has been specified as the building material of choice by luxury developer Cedarmill Developments, adding kerb appeal to its latest residential project in Hornchurch, Essex.

PHPD investigates.

confident will offer the same impressive kerb appeal in years to come.”

The properties’ ground floor is constructed of brick, with Cedral Lap clad across the first and second floors. This creates a contemporary New England style aesthetic that works in perfect harmony with the sleek black windows and doors.

Seamus continued: “I cannot fault the Cedral team for their expertise and guidance, from the initial specification process, right through to final installation of the product. We look forward to working with Cedral on our upcoming developments as we continue to create beautiful homes.”

Cedral Lap fibre cement cladding is a low maintenance alternative to traditional cladding materials, offering a minimum life expectancy of 50 years. Resistant to rot, attack from insects and the external elements, the easy to install solution is available in a wide range of shades and finishes and has a Class A fire performance rating.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn013

Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer march

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Roofing, Cladding & Insulation

Fully Decked Out The Rhino Load Deck System is on the charge in its mission to improve onsite safety, PHPD investigates.

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here is often a perception in the industry that health and safety, whilst essential, will inevitably impact on productivity. Find a solution that is quick to erect, and will ultimately reduce build times, and that preconceived notion can, however, be quickly dispelled. That’s just what the suppliers of Rhino Deck claim for its load deck system which, in their words, is a product that proves that health and safety can work in your favour.

That is a message that is now resonating with housebuilders, with this load deck fall prevention system established as amongst the most popular

24 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

on the Actavo portfolio – a position that has enabled the hirer to move from just supply only to the creation of a successful installation division.

“Our installation service is actually a response to industry demand,” explains the company’s Richard Brown. “Our clients wanted to be sure that the deck was erected properly and that’s just the service we can now provide. Not only that but we’ll dismantle it as well, so it’s the complete package – from design, build and carrying it away at the end of the job.” If it proves more cost effective for a firm to install itself then tradespeople who attend a Rhino

Deck training course at one of Actavo’s five FASET (Fall Arrest Safety Equipment Training) approved centres around the country, will be rewarded with a blue CSCS skilled worker card.

Whilst Actavo recommends that contractors follow one of these two paths the system is available for both general hire and sale, but significant support is still on offer. In this instance, the supplier is able to provide onsite guidance during installation, as well as the likes of Toolbox Talks, in order to ensure they are fully conversant with the concept. “In truth, it’s actually very difficult to put the deck up

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Its steel construction is weather resistant and is robust enough to withstand the rigours of site use, whilst also being easily stored and transported from site to site wrong because if you do, it simply doesn’t go together,” continues Richard, “ultimately, it’s up to the builder themselves within their own risk assessments, to decide what path to go down.”

With lightweight hollow steel components that simply lock into place – without the need for hand tools or fixings – a degree of experience will allow a two man team to install approximately 50 sq.m per hour. In fact, with only six sections per m2, its developers claim it is up to 10 times quicker to erect than traditional scaffolding.

Where plastic alternatives need support from the external walls, Rhino Deck offers the flexibility of being completely free standing. Maximum heights of up to 4 metres can be achieved, whilst it is load tested up to 600kg per m2 up to a 3 metre platform height.

Its steel construction is weather resistant and is robust enough to withstand the rigours of site use, whilst

also being easily stored and transported from site to site. In addition, all components are supplied with a corrosion resistant powder coating. Richard adds: “One of the main advantages for housebuilders is accessibility underneath the raised platform. The inherent strength steel affords means that the number of support legs can be kept to a minimum.

Indeed, because they can be spaced up to 1,280mm apart, full pallets can be stored below the decks, whilst the feet are adjustable in order to accommodate minor differences in floor height. This is a very versatile health and safety solution, with a modular construction that can achieve complex footprints and accommodate irregular floor plans.”

If you need to add height to a plastic deck then it will invariably need to be removed and rebuilt. With the five different sized legs on the Rhino Deck solution (0.5, 1, 1.5, 1.8, 2m) the deck can be raised in situ.

If you have constructed a deck for a bricklayers’ lift at 1.8m, for instance, it’s then possible to add another set of legs and braces to go up to 2.3 or 2.5m for the roof trusses. Moreover, because linear runs can be achieved with, for example, a 1m height and 1m handrail above, this is both a trestle and birdcage system in one, which eliminates the need to specify two separate working at height solutions.

Latest technology Rhino Deck is a technology that is already challenging the likes of scaffolding, but it is itself using the latest tech to advance its case still further and move beyond traditional access products. If clients provide an accurate PDF drawing of their project, Actavo can then generate a computer-generated design that will fill that space with a load deck by the most efficient means.

With the demand for new build housing now a pressing social and political issue, the sector is turning to new methods, and a reduction in build schedules is now of the essence. In the Actavo team’s view, that’s why contractors are turning to Rhino Deck.

“Speed is certainly a crucial factor in our success, and our system can get in and out so much quicker, or be moved around and modified when on site. We’re not looking to replace scaffolding, because that will still very much be the solution for the externals, but as far as an internal birdcage system is concerned this is certainly a faster and more flexible approach.”

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn014 Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer march

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The perfect foil William Brown, Managing Director of SuperFOIL Insulation, offers some top tips on making a new build energy efficient.

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hen you’re responsible for a new-build project, you’re in a position where every decision can contribute to the overall energy efficiency. From the very start of a project, energy efficiency can guide all your decisions, whether it’s the orientation of the home, the positioning of the walls, the choice of materials or the overall quality and finish.

Few people understand the important role that windows play in warming and cooling a home. Lots of heat can be lost

through windows so installing good quality windows can cut heating bills and make a house comfortable all year round. Many people believe that smaller windows mean a warmer home, but this isn’t always the case. The sun’s light can heat a home when it’s able to shine inside, so large windows which face the sun can maximise the amount of natural warmth entering the building. It’s true that heat can also be lost through windows but double or triple glazing can minimise this.

There’s also much to be said for a good set of blinds or curtains to keep the heat in at night and prevent draughts. To prevent heat from being lost around the windows, you should also install high quality cavity closers to prevent the warmth from leaking out from the cavity.

New Technologies Traditional insulation solutions use materials which sit between the rafters and studs of a

26 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

property. However, there are more effective solutions which can not only improve energy efficiency, but also increase the interior space of the home.

The traditional method requires the use of timbers which measure up to 225mm or more. This is far thicker than is required for structural strength and, since just 40mm of modern insulation can provide the same thermal resistance as 100mm of glass wool, there’s no reason to stick to tradition.

Alternatively, you could always doubleup and use two layers of high performance insulation to make the home superefficient. One type of insulation that housebuilders may have heard of is multi foil which is made up of layers of foil, including a reflective layer, as well as wadding. It’s often used on new builds

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Traditional insulation solutions use materials which sit between the rafters and studs of a property. However, there are more effective solutions which can not only improve energy efficiency, but also increase the interior space of the home because it’s more energy efficient than many traditional types of insulation, it’s easy to install and is thinner than traditional insulation, making it suitable for walls, floors and ceilings. Moist insulation can become a big problem when it comes to the energy efficiency of a home. In the UK climate, it’s not unusual for rainwater to get inside the walls of a property and damage the insulation, causing it to lose its effectiveness. Multi foil, however, has a

vapour control layer, preventing the insulation from becoming damp and keeping it effective, so is a much better choice when it comes to new builds. Metal pipes and beams can also spoil a new home’s energy efficiency by becoming cold and radiating this into the house. You can eliminate this cold bridging by ensuring that metalwork is also wrapped up in insulation, just as the walls are.

Rooftop energy saving The roof of a home offers some of the greatest opportunities to improve energy efficiency. Being the area most exposed to the sun, rooftop solar panels are a great way to produce low-cost renewable energy which can be used during the day, sold to the national grid, or stored using passive solar technology.

While battery storage for solar energy is still in its infancy and might not be a cost effective

solution for many homes, solar energy can be efficiently stored as hot water, with power used to heat the water tank during the day. This, combined with efficient space heating and heat recovery ventilation systems, means that a home can be comfortable all year round using a fraction of the energy required for traditional systems. The roof is also one of the most important spaces for insulation.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that around 25 per cent of heat is lost through the roof of an uninsulated house, so good insulation here can dramatically improve the energy efficiency of a new home. Multi foil insulation is ideal for builders to use in the roofs of properties because it’s thinner and lighter than other types of insulation so is easy to handle, install, cut and seal.

Multi foil may be quite new, but it’s become a trusted solution for a wide range of projects. The use of the insulation, along with other energy saving techniques, such as good quality windows and solar panels, is the ideal solution to making builds energy efficient, meaning they will be cooler in summer and warmer in winter, as well as saving the homeowner money.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn015

Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer march

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Stephen Horin from Bushbury Cladding investigates the impact climate change could have on roofing in the UK.

Top Down Change ©AdobeStock/milkovasa

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n the last couple of decades, the UK has started to experience more extreme weather phenomena. Back in 2003, the UK and Europe experienced one of the most severe heat waves in recorded history; tens of thousands died, including 2,000 in the UK alone. It was one of the hottest summers in more than 500 years. And just this year, the hottest ever temperature recorded in the UK, 38.7˚C, was confirmed by the Met Office in July. Climate scientists warn that these hot UK summers could become the norm by the 2040s.

As rising temperatures directly affect water vapour concentrations, clouds, precipitation patterns and streamflow patterns, rainfall becomes either too abundant or in short supply, causing both flooding and droughts. In the UK, nine of the nation’s 17 record-breaking rainfall months since 1910 have occurred from the year 2000.

What does this mean for roofing?

So far, experts do not feel that UK homes are currently prepared for the impact of climate change. The Committee on Climate Change has warned that the efforts to adapt the UK housing stock to the effect of the likes of rising temperatures, flooding and water scarcity are lagging behind what is needed. Their report finds that necessary measures to adapt are not being rolled out fast enough.

Many crucial elements of the way buildings are constructed today are based on historic records of climate data that are several decades out of date. As a result of climate change, we could see an increase in the risk of building collapse, significant loss of value as a result of storms and snow and water encroachment that all reduce a building’s lifespan.

28 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

Experts claim that new and existing buildings need to be assessed for their resilience to future climate changes and kept updated accordingly. New builds especially should be foreseeing these eventualities, as it is much easier to build from scratch with a contingency plan for climate change in mind than updating existing buildings retrospectively.

The cost of roofing damage Climate-change-induced windstorms are expected to increase, causing havoc to a building’s structure, particularly the roof.

While floods often get the spotlight as the pivotal climate change hazard, wind damage actually costs more, with smallerscale incidents occurring more frequently; the damage racks up to about an average cost of £1 billion per year.

As roofs tend to be exposed to the elements, the nature of roof construction will need to change to meet the demands of the changing climate. Wetter weather will not only affect the roof itself but the ability of maintenance crews to make inspections and repairs. Increased rainfall could also accelerate the growth of algae and mould, leading to discolouration and structural problems. People could find the cost of their insurance increasing to cover the costs of extreme weather events.

The changes could see an increasing demand for roofing materials with damage mitigation technology. We are also likely to see a growing demand for enhanced insulation in roofs, so roofing systems are more energy-efficient, and an increase in the construction of solar panels, so roofs are also energy-producing.

What is being done?

The Committee on Climate Change warned in 2016 that the UK is not prepared for the

impact of climate change in the coming decades. But, it’s not all doom and gloom; the UK has made strides to reduce its carbon footprint.

Back in May, Britain met its electricity needs without burning coal for an entire two weeks, which is the longest the country has gone coal-free since the 1880s – and quite incredible when you consider that the UK only went its first day without coal two years earlier in 2017. This is a good sign for the outcome of the UK’s goal to eliminate coal from their energy mix by 2025.

As for roofing, there has been a shift towards the use of green roofs – roofs covered with vegetation that collect rainwater and boost air quality – as there has been a 17% market growth year on year for these kinds of roofs in the UK. The UK Green Building Council has urged that all new buildings and infrastructure should use “nature-based solutions” by 2030 to improve their resilience and make higher environment net gains.

Green roofs are being touted as a good solution to overheating homes, as they can reduce the roof temperature by absorbing heat into their thermal mass. For the management of internal heat, internal roof insulation is useful for preventing heat loss.

In 2015, the Government created the National Infrastructure Commission to produce an in-depth assessment of the UK’s infrastructure needs with a 30-year time horizon – identifying climate change as a key driver. They aim to foster longterm and sustainable economic growth across all regions of the UK, improve the UK’s international competitiveness and improve the quality of life for those living in the UK. But only time will tell if it’s enough to prevent climate change from causing a full-scale national infrastructure crisis in the future.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn016

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Roofing, Cladding & Insulation I Round Up SAINT-GOBAIN WEBER BRICK SLIP

The new weberwall brick from Saint-Gobain Weber is a simple lightweight brick effect product supplied on mesh sheets, in a range of highly realistic brick finishes.

The brick slip is particularly suitable for applications where a builder needs to achieve a quality finish but without having to bring in specialist labour on site – for example, completing the facades on garage blocks, plant rooms, bin stores or other ancillary buildings, or as a factory-applied cladding for volumetric modules or panellised build systems.

www.rdr.link/dn017

CUPA PIZARRAS NATURAL SLATES

Smithy Cottage, an unusual, cruciform shaped new-build property in Warrington, has recently been constructed using Cupa Pizarras’ Cupa 2 natural slates. Selected for uniformity, longevity and aesthetics inkeeping with the surrounding properties, the slates were used for the roof of the property which unusually incorporated atrium glazing and inlaid solar panels.

The slate is a dark grey, non-carbonated slate with thin laminations and a smooth surface, formed by tectonic compression and quarried from the company’s Riodolas mine in northern Spain. As with all the firm’s slates, it is available in a selection of formats, sizes and thicknesses ranging from 3.5mm to 7.5mm.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn018

A. PROCTOR GROUP FIRE RESISTANT VAPOUR CONTROL LAYER

A new high-performance fire-resistant vapour control layer has been launched by A. Proctor Group. The new layer is air and vapour tight, thus improving the energy efficiency and reducing the risk of condensation within residential buildings.

Procheck A2 is designed to protect the building fabric from the potential risks of condensation, whilst providing the added benefit of serving as an effective airtight barrier. The design consists of laminated glass fibre and foil protected by a clear lacquer.

BMI UK & IRELAND LIQUID APPLIED ROOFING RANGE BMI Sealoflex is a liquid-applied waterproofing range offering housebuilders a great choice of highperformance system solutions for a host of requirements and applications.

Headlining the new collection is Sealoflex Ultima, a lightweight, seamless and versatile, singlecomponent system. Suitable for use on a variety of substrates – from concrete, bitumen and asphalt to plywood/OSB, synthetic membranes and even metal roofs – Sealoflex Ultima can be deployed in new builds as well as providing a complete overlay solution on existing roofs.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn020

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn019

MARLEY PANTILE

The new Eden tile from Marley features a traditional profile whilst incorporating modern fixing methods for quicker and easier installation – this provides builders an easy-to-fix, authentic, low pitch option when a traditional pantile is required for aesthetic or planning purposes. Unlike anything else on the market, the pantile combines a traditional appearance with time saving features, including a specially designed SoloFix channel to make BS 5534’s two point fixing easier, a flat back on the rear of the tile so it doesn’t rock during installation and an enlarged nib for easier nailing.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn021

30 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

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EXPERT Update | DESIGN

Report for Duty

©Red Pixel/Adobestock

Following the launch of the London Energy Transport Initiative’s Climate Design Guide, Rob Woolston, director at multi-disciplinary design practice, rg+p discusses what it means for the housebuilding industry.

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limate change is a global conversation and we have reached a time where action needs to be more clearly defined so guides like this from LETI are essential.

Fundamentally, it outlines how the entire supply chain can work together to ensure all new buildings meet climate change targets, and specifically achieve the route to zero carbon.

20% by 2021 and so on with the aim of 100% of all designed buildings to be zero carbon by 2025 and all built buildings by 2050 in line with wider government targets. In principle this all makes sense but still seems ambitious given a) the rate of change normally associated with the construction industry and b) the immense cost and practical issues of achieving the target for existing stock.

“ Unlike other design guidance that has been launched recently, the LETI report is clear that our industry knows how to design sustainable buildings, just that it needs some clear targets to achieve zero carbon” One of the conversations the wider industry has been having is regarding the actual definition – do we mean zero carbon, carbon neutral or carbon negative and what’s the difference between the three? The LETI defines zero carbon as whole life carbon, which it divides into two clear components: operational and embodied. Operational carbon refers to new buildings that do not burn fossil fuels and are entirely powered by renewable energy whereas embodied carbon highlights best practice targets for buildings that are made from re-used materials.

Unlike other design guidance that has been launched recently, the LETI report is clear that our industry knows how to design sustainable buildings, just that it needs some clear targets to achieve zero carbon. It sets out a trajectory for all new buildings: 10% to be zero carbon by 2020,

One of the report’s limitations is that it has a very significant focus on new buildings and there is no guidance for retrofitting. Whilst new buildings can only compound the problem, we cannot let existing stock stagnate or, worse, see a repeat of tragedies like Grenfell just because they were not given the same level of attention. There is also a seeming neglect for the other characteristics that make buildings habitable, enjoyable and sustainable – air quality, good light, controlled heat, accessibility, etc.

A key focus, and no doubt seen as a ‘quick win’, the construction of new housing on a large scale could have a significant impact. Also, from a practical point of view, applying the theories of sustainability to individual dwellings is a relatively manageable proposition. The

concern, however, is that the cost, both in terms of build and time, will be passed on to the consumer at a time when house prices are already under the spotlight. We need to make zero carbon or even carbon reduction more appealing to the consumer so they value that initial capital outlay and will be rewarded by a longterm reduction in energy costs whilst also helping tackle climate change.

I think the message that’s clear from the LETI document is that we must act now, especially when statistics are released like 49% of the UK’s annual carbon emissions are attributable to buildings. A worldwide climate emergency has been declared so we all need to be accountable and work collaboratively towards its mitigation and resolution.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Rob Woolston is a director at AJ100 practice, rg+p. Rob has over 20 years’ experience in residential development and oversees a team of architects, master planners, urban designers and town planners. For more information, please visit www.rg-p.co.uk

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EXPERT Update | PLANNING

©Vladimir Gerasimov/AdobeStock

A Plan in Place

Andrew Raven, a director in Savills urban design studio, considers the recommendations set out in a new report published by the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.

‘L

iving with Beauty’ is the muchanticipated final report of the Building Beautiful Commission, an independent body set up to advise Government on ways to promote and increase the use of high-quality design in new developments and neighbourhoods.

The report, published in January, follows hard on the heels of a national audit of housing quality, released earlier in the month. Conducted by University College London and co-funded by the PlaceAlliance and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) the audit assessed 142 schemes from across England. Three quarters of schemes audited were ranked as either ‘poor’ or ‘mediocre’ – an indictment of placemaking in England.

‘Living with Beauty’ makes policy proposals in eight different areas, based on three underpinning aims for the planning system: to ask for beauty, refuse ugliness and promote stewardship.

A key recommendation is that beauty should be embedded in the planning system. Recent changes to both the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) and the National Design Guide, alongside the soon-to-be published National Model Design Code, are fundamental here.

These measures will require both local authorities and developers to put additional skills in place, and argue for a ‘Chief Placemaker’ in every senior council team, and a member of Cabinet responsible for placemaking.

The report envisages bringing consultation on the design of sites earlier in the planning policy process. In practice it is often difficult to engage communities on design quality of proposals until sites are allocated for development. Councils would be required to consult on and develop their own detailed policies on what good quality design looks like in their area. Developers will need to engage in these consultations, and may also need to show local people how they have considered their local history, character and identity.

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The proposals reflect previous discussions between the Secretary of State, the policy exchange and Boys Smith, the authors of ‘Living with Beauty’, who advocate ‘gentle density’. This would mean densities higher than currently being delivered on greenfield sites, and lower than those achieved on superdense brownfield sites. If empowered, the proposals would require housebuilders to develop new housing typologies, and councils to review design policies.

Further proposals include changes to tax regimes to incentivise long-term ownership of sites and alignment of VAT on housing renovation and repair with new build to encourage the re-use of existing buildings. The report also calls for better education for both professionals and councillors, as well as management changes to better enable the delivery of high quality places, with performance targets to measure well-being and beauty potentially including a ‘popular support’ element. Meanwhile, the greater emphasis on access to nature and green spaces proposed in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is aligned with the evidence on the need for better air quality, the benefits to health of green spaces, and the commitment to zero carbon by 2050.

Coupled with the outcomes of the Letwin Review, and alongside the Beauty Commission’s previous work, we can expect this agenda to inform changes to the planning system over the next 18 months. Developers and housebuilders of all types will need to increase the range of placemaking skills they have available, and will need to develop those skills over the coming months to enshrine design quality and beauty in all that they do.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn022

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Site Solutions

At full tilt JR Green Build, a specialist in the construction of eco-friendly houses, has purchased a new Bobcat R-Series E27 mini-excavator in conjunction with a new tiltrotator, to provide increased performance and versatility to greatly speed up work and reduce costs in completing these properties.

J

R Green Build constructs energyefficient homes using insulation products developed from over 35 years of keeping out the harshest winters in the Nordic countries. The company combines seamless build options with the use of insulated foundation raft and insulated concrete forms to create homes to meet individual needs and those of architect's specifications.

James Rowlands, Owner of JR Green Build, said: “There is always a lot of handling, lifting and placing of materials on site when constructing these energy-efficient properties. I was looking for a new 2-3 tonne mini-excavator that combines good lifting and digging capability with easy transportability – I chose the Bobcat E27 as it is the most powerful machine in this class that I could tow on my trailer to the various sites we will be working on. Lower transport weight is a feature of all of the R-Series 2-4 tonne models from Bobcat.

“There is real demand for our eco homes and through the combination of the high performance E27 combined with the flexibility offered by the tiltrotator, we will be better able to meet this demand by building homes more quickly. As well as speeding up the placement of the insulation products and the other elements of our eco homes,

we will also fit the E27 with an attachment with tines which will allow us to save on the cost of hiring an additional forklift machine on site. The machine will enhance every aspect of the work from groundworks, construction and materials handling to completion of the projects.”

Together with the low transport weight, the conventional swing model offers an inclass unique combination of superior stability, class leading digging performance and breakout forces. The excavator offers just 280mm of tail overhang, which allows the machine to be operated in confined spaces.

This makes the machine an ideal tool for highly demanding applications where performance together with transportability have a priority over compactness.

Built around the operator The E27, like all Bobcat mini-excavators, is designed around the operator. As experienced by James Rowlands, the large space for the operator in the cab and the premium interior deliver best-inclass comfort with an improved entry/exit thanks to new ergonomic 3D handles and a wider door. The R-Series cab in the E27 also features significantly larger windows and narrower pillars giving market-leading all-around visibility.

The excavator offers just 280mm of tail overhang, which allows the machine to be operated in confined spaces James Rowlands added: “The visibility and comfort in the cab are excellent. I’m quite a big guy, but the cab is a nice place to sit and to operate the machine – it is also easy to get in and out of the E27. The excavator is very smooth to operate and easily controllable – it is therefore very accurate to use and combines this with its digging, lifting and pulling power to easily carry out tasks such as digging trenches and removing tree stumps.”

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn023

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Site Solutions

Little Wonders PHPD’s Kieran Nee accompanies UK dealer Red Knight 6 to the Italian HQ of mobile crushing plant manufacturer, Komplet.

F

rom the machinery involved to the size of the rocks that can be effortlessly reduced to rubble, the crushing and screening industry in the UK is a typically heavy duty affair and one where the American maxim “bigger is better” has traditionally held sway. As with most plant and machinery, size and weight equate to power in the minds of most operators and those in charge of the company cheque book. Italians, however, do things a little differently and, as they have proven with their cars and their coffee, less is often more. It was Italian manufacturer Komplet’s devotion to compact plant that first attracted the attention of Red Knight 6, a UK machinery dealer specialising in crushing and screening, and we went along together to the firm’s factory in Italy to see the compact wonders for ourselves.

Eschewing the sheer size and weight of traditional crushing and screening plant, Komplet has instead aimed squarely for

the smaller end of the industry, placing themselves in an ideal position for the UK housebuilding industry. Sales Manager, Alan Canestrari explained the company’s ethos: “We want to provide a full solution for customers operating in the compact waste and demolition market. We provide everything they need for crushing, screening and conveying material.”

Red Knight 6 has been selling the grey crushers and screeners in the UK for the past two years, and uptake has been promising – focussing mostly on the ultracompact Lem Track 4825, which can process up to 25 tonnes of material per hour whilst being small enough to be towed by a pickup. The flexibility afforded by such compact dimensions and weight – the Lem Track weighs 3.4 tonnes and is just over 2 metres in length – reflects the company’s origin.

As a response to the earthquakes that ravaged central Italy in the late 1990s, Tonino Filonzi started Komplet, and devoted himself to providing a solution to safely dealing with the concrete and rubble that littered the once idyllic streets and lanes of the small towns involved. By his own cheerful admittance, the first attempts weren’t great, but as the years progressed – and our trip saw Tonino gleefully celebrate the firm’s 20th birthday with a very large birthday cake – the machines became more refined and powerful, resulting in a variety of crushers for specific applications, along with screeners, conveyors and, most recently, a rotary pulveriser.

The site in Italy

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The twin-shafts used to rip through concrete and rebar

Rubble entering the ultra-compact Lem Track 4825

Green Solution If Komplet’s focus on the wellbeing of the local environment was ahead of its time at its inception, the construction industry across Europe has, 20 years later, finally alerted itself to the power and potential of protecting the planet. Now, everyone from legislators down to customers are falling over themselves in a bid to ‘go green’. The eco benefits of onsite materials processing are obvious, as you put back into the project the very material you remove from the previous structure, meaning less waste.

Less waste leaving your site, and less aggregate being delivered to site means less polluting tipper trucks on our nation’s beleaguered roads.

Komplet shines on the small houseing development, where the added bonus of reusing the site’s own waste could be a real monetary bonus to the contractor.

Paul Donnelly, MD of Red Knight 6, explains: “We see a real potential in the UK for Komplet. There are a lot of contractors out there who could really benefit from the flexibility and transportability of these great machines.

Smaller companies who wouldn’t have been able to benefit from on-site processing before now have that ability.”

It’s not all about compactness and protecting the environment, however.

Beneath the grey panels is some seriously

powerful engineering. At the quarry site where Komplet was displaying its range, the machine that elicited the biggest response was also the newest – the Krokodile twin shaft rotary pulveriser. At 14 tonnes, it is the biggest unit the company has produced so far and can process a number of different materials, including concrete, wood, metal and fence posts with heavy rebar.

Rather than using simple brute force like a traditional crusher to break down material, the Krokodile utilises two rotating shafts with almighty teeth on them designed to rip their way through virtually anything. We watched in awe as it crunched through tonne after tonne of rebar-filled concrete, passing it through to a three-way screener which deposited the material in three neat piles. A chaotic tangle of concrete and rebar was sorted into piles of reusable aggregate within a matter of minutes. Red Knight 6 Sales Director, Dan Flack told me: “The power involved is what makes these machines really special. They’re compact, yes, but the trade off in size wouldn’t be worth it if the machines were weak. As it stands, it’s incredible that something as small as the Krokodile can produce such results.” Powered by a 160KW/220HP diesel engine, the shredder quite frankly puts its counterpart from the animal kingdom to shame.

The Krokodile Rotary Pulveriser processing a range of materials

Easily Serviced Machines used for any amount of demolition will face an especially brutal life, so machinery that is easily serviced and repaired is of the utmost importance.

Simplicity and ease of operation are central tenets of the Komplet philosophy,

Rather than using simple brute force like a traditional crusher to break down material, the Krokodile utilises two rotating shafts with almighty teeth on them designed to rip their way through virtually anything and easier servicing and repairs follow on naturally from that, with accessible components at ground level and easily sourced spare parts available.

We visited the factory, which was situated among the gently rolling hills of the Italian countryside, and were shown various units at different stages of production. The calmness of the surrounding landscape extended into the small production line, and as we made our way around, the local workers quietly busied themselves assembling the plant.

Owned by brothers Tonino and Paolo Filonzi, the family spirit seems to extend well beyond the boardroom and, indeed, our UK contingency was welcomed, quite literally, with open arms.

Going forward, Red Knight 6’s Paul Donnelly sees a bright future for the two firms: “Komplet understand our needs perfectly and are able to tailor their offering to the UK market. They are at a point now where they are ready to open themselves up and start gaining business across Europe in a serious way. We are fully committed to establishing Komplet in the UK and we believe 100 per cent in the potential for these machines and what they can do for the sectors we are targeting. We wouldn’t be here otherwise.” As UK developers come to rely more on SME contractors to deliver the quality housing the country needs, Red Knight 6 may well find more and more eager customers looking for the ‘Komplet’ solution.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/024

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Site Solutions

Creating Safer Sites JCB used last month’s Executive Hire Show to showcase a range of new dumpers.

T

he Executive Hire Show in February rounded up the latest equipment and machinery on offer through the rental sector to developers. JCB used the opportunity to display its latest site dumpers.

Ideal for smaller developments, the new 1T-2 high-tip site dumper is an EU Stage V compliant 1.0-tonne machine boasting a host of safety improvements, including the an optional Smart Safety pack.

The 1T-2 is powered by a 16.1kW (21.6hp) diesel engine that meets the emissions regulations without any requirement for exhaust after-treatment, reducing cost and downtime for customers. The machine is equipped with a drive inhibit system, preventing travel unless the seatbelt is in use and an initial movement alarm, that provides an audible warning before travel commences. An electric parking brake is now standard, while JCB’s Twinlock

40 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

drive is available as an option. Twinlock controls the rotation of each wheel motor, to provide maximum traction in difficult ground conditions.

In response to consultations with leading plant hire customers and JCB dealers, the 1T-2 is also offered with an optional Smart Safety pack. This includes an intelligent tilt prevention warning system (patent pending) using proven technology from the firm’s Loadall telescopic handler range. It is designed to prevent the skip being raised when the dumper is sitting on dangerously uneven ground.

A visual gauge sits above the main console, with a series of lights running from green, through amber to red. As the skip is raised or tipped, the system senses if the

machine is leaning to the side or forwards or backwards, causing a potentially unstable situation. If the lights reach the amber stage, an audible warning is given to notify the operator, to either lower the skip, or move the machine to more stable ground conditions.

In the event that the machine is tipped over, the system will stop the engine to prevent internal damage and prevent restarting for a set duration. Where the optional JCB LiveLink telematics system is installed, it will also send a notification to the fleet manager that the machine has been tipped over. The Smart Safety pack

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also includes the option for the dealer to reduce the machine’s maximum travel speed, which is particularly useful for less experienced operators.

The machine is available with a wider track for additional stability. This uses an increase in wheel offset to raise the width of the machine from 850mm to 988mm, still allowing access through a standard 1m doorway. The increased track boosts machine stability by 16%, further increasing safety on rougher site conditions.

Heavier Models The Staffordshire-based manufacturer is also updating its heavier site dumper models with the introduction of the EU Stage V 6T-2 and 9T-2. With capacities of 6.0-tonnes and 9.0-tonnes respectively, the two machines are powered by JCB’s proven Stage V 430 Dieselmax engine.

This compact, 55kW (74hp) 3.0-litre engine is equipped with an intelligent diesel particulate filter that has been specifically designed for site dumper operation.

The 6.0-tonne 6T-2 and 9.0-tonne capacity 9T-2 site dumpers are available with a new design of forward-tipping skip, with a reduced spill board height at the rear. This offers improved visibility to the working area in front of the machine and to the front tyres. The skip design conforms to the ISO 5006 visibility standard, yet offers the same skip width as the conventional 6.0 and 9.0-tonne site dumpers. The machines also deliver equal ground clearance and steering radius as the standard models.

The two site dumpers are offered with a choice of a new SiTESAFE canopy or an improved SiTESAFE cab. This ROPS/FOPS Level II cab offers an internal noise level of 84dB, allowing operators to work without any requirement for ear protection. Equipped with easily replaced flat glazing and latchable doors, the cab is supplied radio-ready and can be equipped with an optional chiller.

The SiTESAFE cab leads the market for side impact safety, as it is able to withstand a full rotational speed impact from a 13-tonne excavator and a half slew speed impact from a 20-tonne machine. In addition, the front screen is made of 8mm Hammerglass, with toughened glazing to the sides and rear.

With a choice of high visibility skips, a dedicated site dumper engine with no requirement to stop work for DPF regeneration, improved cab safety and comfort and standard JCB LiveLink telematics, the 6T-2 and 9T-2 site dumpers offer housebuilders and developers a new level of productivity and performance.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn026

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site solutions I Round Up DRAGON EQUIPMENT CRUSHER Dragon Equipment enters the market with the launch of its new CR300 concrete crusher. The small crusher claims to be an easy to use, durable, compact, lightweight, efficient concrete crusher. The crusher’s abrasive resistant jaws and crushing mechanism can crush up to six tonnes of concrete an hour. The machine’s 700mm width and less than 700kg weight provides access through standard doorways and around tight corners.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn027

DOOSAN PORTABLE POWER GENERATOR Doosan Portable Power has launched its G20 Stage V compliant generator.

Providing a prime power output of 19 kVA, the new model is powered by the Yanmar 4TNV88 18 kW diesel engine, meeting EU Stage V engine emission levels for generators. Of particular interest for the rental market, the fuel tank configuration on the G20 generator ensures autonomy of at least 47 hours at 75% of the load.

www.rdr.link/dn028

NU-STAR POWERED WHEEL BARROW The Nu-Star Electric Wheelbarrow is a powered wheelbarrow capable of hauling 350Kg for up to 8km on a single charge.

The ability for operators to push the barrow easily up ramps not only helps save time and effort, but aids on-site health and safety. The machine provides a solution for the industry for internal works, with no exhaust fumes or handlebar vibrations.

www.rdr.link/dn029

HINOWA BI-ENERGY SPIDER PLATFORM Access Platform Sales has delivered the UK's first bi-energy Hinowa Lightlift 33.17 Performance IIIS spider platform to access rental company JMS. The new machine can be powered with a low-emission Kubota D902 diesel engine or as an electric platform with its lithium-ion batteries. It has a maximum working height of 32.5m and maximum outreach of 16.5m. Like all Performance platforms, it has an unrestricted basket capacity of 230kg.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn031

ATLAS COPCO LIGHTING TOWERS It’s the intelligent inbuilt sensors in Atlas Copco’s SmartMast lighting tower concept, which detects and responds to adverse conditions, obstacles, potential impacts and irregular ground surfaces or floors. On detecting high winds, for example, the system automatically lowers the mast to avoid losing stability. Similarly, it brings the mast down if any obstacle is detected between 300 and 500mm above it. It can also sense – and alert users to – the approach of objects which might impact upon the light tower.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn030

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KUBOTA MIDI-EXCAVATOR

VARIPOWER POWER SOLUTION

The latest in its range of midi excavators, Kubota has announced the launch of the KX080-4a2, which aims to provide the same performance as previous models but includes the firm’s V3307 direct injection Stage-V engine.

The new model has a reduced engine RPM DPF re-gen, giving reduced noise levels, increased DPF re-gen intervals and increased DPF replacement life. This reduces maintenance costs and the machine’s environmental impact whilst enhancing productivity for a wide range of tasks.

The KX080-4a2 incorporates a 2-pump load-sensing hydraulic system, designed to ensure smoother operations when using front attachments, regardless of loading size. By allowing hydraulic oil to flow according to the specific range of the operator’s lever motion, the new system reduces fuel consumption and improves the overall operating performance.

The machine’s auto-idling system is fitted as standard – reducing not only running costs but noise and exhaust emissions, enabling users to operate in a wider range of environments. What’s more, vital components such as the battery, fluid tanks and filters are now easier to access, making maintenance simpler than ever.

Numerous safety features come as standard on the KX0804a2; such as the auto-stop function on the tank’s electric refuelling pump, an anti-drop valve on the boom and arm cylinder, advanced visibility mirrors, a seat belt indicator and increased stability. The machine is protected by Kubota’s highly regarded anti-theft system, meaning only programmed keys will enable the engine to start up. Anyone attempting to start with an un-programmed key will activate the alarm. Newly enhanced features send an alert to remind the operator to extract the key after operation, and an LED to alert potential thieves that the system is activated.

Compact dimensions (1,930mm length and 2,595mm width) ensure the Yanmar C08 tracked carrier can fit through even the tightest of spaces, while also guaranteeing simple transportation.

Four model variations are available – POWER, POWER+, HI TIP and HI TIP+ – ensuring suitability for almost every application. A large vessel capacity (0.45m3 [POWER], 0.36 [POWER+, HI TIP, HI TIP+]) and 800kg payload is perfectly suited to housebuilding operations, with an oscillating roller design keeping the load stable even on unstable or loose terrain. The HI TIP models have an unloading height of up to 1,500mm and can either tip directly into skips or pass over fences and onto raised work areas.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn032

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn034

Designed and manufactured in the UK, VariPower incorporates all the elements needed to supply power to remote or off grid locations. The unit’s core is a true variable speed generator, which runs between 900 and 2,000rpm. A highly efficient lithium battery bank will utilise stored power for when silent power is needed or loads are low. This combination makes the system a more economical and efficient power option compared to a traditional fixed speed generator.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn033

YANMAR TRACKED CARRIER

WACKER NEUSON DUAL VIEW DUMPER The Wacker Neuson Dual View concept allows the operator to conveniently and quickly change the seat position through a 180-degree rotation of the entire operator control panel and the seat console. This always gives the operator a perfect view in the direction of travel – during transport, loading and dumping.

With payloads of six to ten tonnes, the DV60, DV90 and DV100 also benefit from hydrostatic drive, a wear-free springloaded parking brake, as well as joystick operation.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn054

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Kitchens & Bathrooms

Tapping into new opportunities

Roy Marsden, Product Manager at Heatrae Sadia, discusses the growth of the hot water tap market and the benefits fitting these products in new build developments.

D

emand for hot water taps is increasing, with research showing that one in five new kitchens installed over the past two years features a hot (boiling) water tap. Busy lifestyles are driving the need for convenient living, and with multigenerational households also on the rise, consumers are seeking efficient solutions that enable them to maximise the limited time they have available.

This, combined with an ever-increasing energy-conscious society, is forcing developers to consider solutions that can provide tangible benefits in relation to sustainability, time and cost.

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Kitchens & Bathrooms

As hot water taps are compact in design and can be installed over the sink or with a drip tray, they provide a practical, yet stylish solution for instant boiling, ambient or chilled water in high-end domestic kitchens

Hot water taps that have the capability to offer filtered and chilled options will resonate with the anti-plastic mindset of customers who are proactively looking to reduce their waste, but still want access to water that delivers guilt-free hydration.

Opting for water solutions that consider scale prevention and filtration is particularly important in hard water areas to ensure optimum water quality, while also reducing wear and tear on the system. For example, the Aquatap from Heatrae Sadia reduces bacteriostatic effects, chlorine taste and odour, and is supplied with a complete filtration kit as standard.

At a time when social media plays such a big role in people’s lives, the latest kitchen trends are always at the forefront of the customer’s mind, positioning style at the heart of the specification process.

As hot water taps are compact in design and can be installed over the sink or with 46 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

a drip tray, they provide a practical, yet stylish solution for instant boiling, ambient or chilled water in high-end domestic kitchens.

Safety on tap Unwieldy cables from a kettle not only look cluttered, but they also present an additional hazard which is particularly dangerous when dealing with boiling water, whereas hot water taps can dispense boiling water safely as they do not need to be lifted to pour out their contents, and are cool to touch. This is an essential consideration if vulnerable family members live within the household.

A kettle can easily be overfilled, causing excess water to bubble out of the appliance, along with excess amounts of steam. However, using a push/pull lever allows for controlled

boiling water delivery and any steam generated during heat-up is condensed and retained within the unit itself to help prevent accidental burns or scalding.

It is a misconception that re-boiling water in a kettle several times helps to kill germs; research has shown that re-boiling water more than once can actually create harmful bacteria. With the potential issue of contracting legionnaires’ disease a worrying concern, opting for a hot water tap can help to minimise risk and offers a more hygienic solution.

Families often lead very busy, on-thego lifestyles, and therefore savour any additional time they can get their hands on. Research suggesting that an average full kettle takes around three minutes to boil, so it’s no surprise that hot water taps are growing in popularity, as they can save large households a significant amount of time on a daily basis.

With the market expected to continue growing as the next generation of homeowners look for more convenient, adaptable and accessible household appliances, developers need to stay ahead of the curve in regards to sustainability, design, cost and productivity.

Hot and chilled water taps, such as Heatrae Sadia’s Aquatap range, help to provide solutions that meet the unique requirements of any household. As the products are often incredibly easy to fit and come with a wealth of supporting literature, it is perhaps the perfect time to start encouraging customers to consider upgrading to a hot and chilled water tap.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn035

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Kitchens & Bathrooms

A place to think Tissino has opened its Experience Centre as a place for housebuilders, designers and architects to discuss and share ideas. PHPD went along to find out more.

B

athroomware manufacturer Tissino has finished work on what it claims is the UK’s first bathroom Experience Centre, an innovative showcase designed to inform and inspire visitors.

Perhaps more than any other room, the bathroom has the potential to combine hardworking functionality with a sense of luxury and escape. In the best bathrooms, performance and practicality are essential, but a great bathroom is also designed as a room in which to relax. That means paying attention to every last detail.

For the team at the Warrington-based bathroom brand, attending to every detail is all part of the job. The company designs and manufactures a huge range of bathroom furniture and fittings, inspired by

the very best in Italian design. Now it is writing a new chapter in its story with its Experience Centre, an exciting concept that reveals the very best in bathroom design and technology – a place where you can begin your own bathroom journey.

Described as an ‘immersive space’ rather than a traditional bathroom showroom, the new Tissino centre is open now at the company’s Warrington headquarters.

Visitors can expect a range of features including zones designed to awaken the senses, a unique presentation space and a variety of custom-built displays to help inform and inspire. These are great spaces for housebuilders and developers to use for meetings or for discussing new ideas.

Tissino has created the perfect setting

Visitors can expect a range of features including zones designed to awaken the senses, a unique presentation space and a variety of custom-built displays to help inform and inspire

for its own high quality products – the company is committed to the highest standards in design and manufacturing – but the Experience Centre aims to achieve much more than that. As Cameron Lewis, Tissino’s managing director, explains: “We want to inspire specifiers with creative ideas that transform the standard bathrooms into highly valued and personalised spaces. At Tissino, we’ve been working hard for years to help people achieve their bathroom dreams, and our investment in this new Experience Centre helps capture the imagination in exciting and unexpected ways. This centre is the first of its kind in the UK, and we’re keen to welcome visitors and take opportunities to a whole new level.”

The new centre is a statement of ambition as well as a huge investment for the family-owned brand. With networking and open days already a success, it looks to become an essential visit for every bathroom designer and specifier.

VISIT The Tissino Experience Centre is located at the company’s headquarters on Lyncastle Road, Appleton Thorn, Warrington, WA4 4SN. It is open 8.30am4.30pm, Monday-Friday.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? To find out more about the new centre, or any other aspects of the Tissino product range, contact info@tissino.co.uk

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Kitchens & Bathrooms

Hamilton Litestat’s Gavin Williams discusses how decorative wiring accessories, lighting & audio control can complete a bathroom.

Touch of Class I

n the bathroom, decorative wiring accessories tend to be an afterthought, but they can assist in tying together a scheme and providing that final ‘finishing touch’ and hotel-like luxury.

With a huge range of options on the market, let’s sort through the solutions that can help elevate a bathroom scheme

50 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

from mediocre to marvellous.

In the home, we’re seeing greater demand for electrical accessories and controls that add an element of luxury, similar to high-end hotels. This is particularly sought after in the bathroom.

Bold colours, patterns and a mixture of materials are being combined to create

eye-catching schemes, with a huge range of wiring accessories available to complement these.

Light switches and shaver sockets come in a vast array of designs, materials and finishes to complement the choice of tiles, taps, heating solutions and colour schemes. Hamilton’s Vogue range offers a contemporary slant on the clean, traditional and minimalist white plastic plate, with rounded corners giving it an updated look.

Meanwhile, with high-shine metals a popular choice for fixtures and fittings, Hamilton’s Bright and Satin finishes in

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Hotel smart technology is also becoming more accessible for residential projects, allowing lighting and audio to be controlled at the flick of a switch or swipe of a finger

Stainless Steel, Chrome and Nickel are also favoured choices for this environment, including the current 2020 trend of Matt White and Matt Black.

A hotel trend that’s filtering through to residential properties is the incorporation of warm bronzes and brasses in design schemes. We’ve seen an upturn in interest for our contemporary Hartland CFX and Sheer CFX plate designs in elegant Connaught, Copper, Etrium and Richmond Bronze finishes, plus Antique Brass adding that final touch of refinement to the bathroom.

On the other end of the scale, Hamilton’s polycarbonate plates offer a

modern alternative. Perception CFX is supplied in a transparent finish to allow a bathroom wall colour or paper design to show through, while the Hartland CFX Colours comes in white, red and black gloss finish with both white and black inserts to add an intense pop of colour.

But it’s not just the wiring accessories that can offer an upgrade to the bathroom. Hotel smart technology is also becoming more accessible for residential projects, allowing lighting and audio to be controlled at the flick of a switch or swipe of a finger. A recent poll by interior design outfit Houzz indicated that a luxury bathroom experience was high in

demand, with good lighting and a relaxing space top considerations.

In the bathroom, Hamilton’s plug-andplay Smart Lighting Control solution can be programmed with different lighting scenes for varying tasks and recalled at the touch of a button. Bright lighting scenes can support make-up application or shaving, while dimmed scenes help provide that sought-after relaxing environment that’s perfect for a soak in the bath. Meanwhile, DMX lighting control adds a red, green or blue colour wash of light within the room, providing mood lighting for this relaxation space.

This can be further enhanced using RGBWW – this ‘warm white’ light is a better performing and more costeffective way of incorporating this sought-after light, as LEDs typically have a bright white output.

Taking this one step further, relaxing music can fill the bathroom courtesy of Hamilton’s Smart Audio Control. With the ability to play music throughout the home – inside and out – this flexible solution is scalable to meet the demands of the project. This and Hamilton’s Smart Lighting Control can be commanded via switches, touchscreen controllers or the Hamilton App, which is available on iOS or Android for the utmost convenience.

Combined, designer wiring accessories, smart lighting control and smart audio control can add another level of luxury to the home, helping transform the bathroom into a sanctuary of tranquillity.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn036

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Kitchens & Bathrooms

Setting a High Bar W

e want homeowners to have the very best experience with our products, as well as the builders installing them, which is why we continually strive to invest in and develop our ranges.

Whilst we’re always looking at new and innovative approaches to showering technology, that doesn’t mean we don’t exercise the same diligence in our core products, including bar valve mixer showers.

As a market leader in the showering industry, we still recognise that bar valves are an essential product, as they have many benefits for consumers, installers and specifiers. They can be easily installed and replaced thanks to the standard 150mm centre, and are widely specified and

52 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

available which saves both the installer and customer time and money.

But what makes our Bar valves better than others?

Making it easy From our renowned Mira Coda Pro to some of the latest additions, including the Relate EV and Relate ERD, all Mira bar valves operate on any plumbing system.

They feature Magni-flo technology, which gives up to three times more flow, even when fitted to low pressure, gravity fed hot water systems. They also come with a five-year guarantee.

It’s also important to mention that bathrooms now need to provide for and take into account the variety of ages

Dan Martin, Installer Channel Market Analyst at Mira Showers, looks at the bar shower valves and how user and installer feedback has made them even more beneficial to housebuilders and developers. within the household, due to the fact that multi-generational homes are on the rise, and therefore more safety elements are required when it comes to using a shower. To assist with this lifestyle shift, all the mixer showers feature our innovative CoolShield technology. Thanks to this technology, the valve stays cool throughout operation and removes the risk of vulnerable users touching the hot surface of the valve.

We’ll be honest, there will always be cheaper alternatives available on the market, but these don’t benefit from the innovation, quality and assurance that comes with buying a Mira Showers product.

Taking feedback on board We like to think that we don’t rest on our laurels and we take pride in the way we listen to and, where possible, implement feedback to further improve the design and function of every shower we produce.

We also know how important it is to listen, not just to customers but installers and housebuilders – they’re the ones that have to make the choice of what products to install and they know the importance to homeowners of good quality bathroom fixtures.

Whether through the Mira Installer Club, via our customer service call centre, or

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face-to-face at trade events, it’s vital that we have these channels and opportunities so we can understand the challenges that can present themselves, and how we can make changes to benefit all concerned.

For instance, we want to ensure our bar valves are both reliable and easy to fit, which is why fast-fix kits now come as standard with all Mira bar valves. We’ve removed the Z-connectors that installers told us they hated, and have introduced all-brass compression fast fix kits instead.

What does that mean for builders?

Housebuilders tell us that these fast-fix kits present a key benefit as all the water connections are on the ‘wet’ side, which means there is no potential for leakage

into the wall cavity. There will also be no sign of PTFE or jointing compound which can be unsightly, or in the case of jointing compound, easily block filters and cause unnecessary hassle.

Our bar valves also come with the handles separate to the valve, which means there’s no longer any need to dismantle the valve to set the maximum temperature. So, having commissioned the maximum temperature, the knobs can be clipped into place and forgotten about, without the fear of dismantling and potentially damaging a new product.

There’s also the added peace of mind for the customer thanks to easy-clean fittings and spray plates, including rubclean nozzles. These give the customer

there will always be cheaper alternatives available on the market, but these don’t benefit from the innovation, quality and assurance that comes with buying a Mira Showers product the opportunity to make sure these can be easily cleaned to prevent blockages, which in turn, ensures the customer has the best showering experience possible.

We’re also extremely proud of maintaining our place as a UK manufacturer still assembling and manufacturing these products in our state of the art production facility at our Cheltenham HQ.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn037

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Kitchens & Bathrooms I Round Up KINEDO SHOWER CUBICLE

NUIE BATHROOM FURNITURE Nuie has added a new finish – Gloss Grey Mist – to its contemporary Athena range of modular bathroom furniture.

The range of unit options includes both floor-standing and wall-hung cabinet designs. With the range’s ability to offer four basin designs – Minimalist, MidEdge, Thin-Edge (all ceramic) or Double Bowl Polymarble Basin on 1,200mm twin units, as well as the option to choose an 18mm worktop on which to mount countertop vessels, Athena is even more customisable.

The new Kinedo Brooklyn shower cubicle range offers a showering solution for mid to high-end specifications. Available in two colour options, its design and quality fixtures mean assembly is quick and simple, without silicone and predominately without screws. This robust cubicle comes with a pivot or sliding door, white Biocryl shower tray with chrome waste, metal handles and a choice of profile colour, shower and glass.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn038

GROHE SHOWER Products with ecofriendly credentials are high on the priority list of many bathroom projects this year.

Proving that watersaving showers can still deliver a premium performance, Grohe’s new Rainshower 310 Mono head shower offers an enhanced shower experience without negatively impacting water consumption. Equipped with EcoJoy technology, the water flow is limited to 9.5 litres per minute (compared to the standard 12 litres per minute), delivering a comfortable yet cost-effective water saving experience.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn039

REGINOX BRUSHED NICKEL TAP Brushed nickel is a timeless design choice within the kitchen and Reginox has added the finish to its Genesis range of taps. Genesis brushed nickel is a modern monobloc mixer tap that suits any style of kitchen. Its minimalist design features a tall swivel swan neck spout, making it ideal for both 1.5 bowl and double bowl sinks, coupled with an elegant circular base and twin-level handles. Fitted with ¼ turn ceramic disc technology for ease of use and durability, Genesis is suitable for both low and high pressure systems and comes with a five-year guarantee.

Reginox’s Genesis tap collection is also available in plain chrome or in chrome with white or black handles as well as a brushed steel option.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn040

54 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn041

ROMAN SHOWER DOOR Shower designer and manufacturer, Roman has introduced the Black Grid Hinged Door with 10mm glass thickness as the newest addition to the Liberty Black Grid collection.

The door replicates the on-trend black grid latticed style which provides an industrial yet elegant aesthetic.

It features a silicone free matt black wall profile and the ceramic printed glass leads the current industrial look trend in bathroom design. For a more minimalist design, there is also the option of clear glass with matt black hardware which can be coordinated with brassware across the bathroom.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn042

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ABODE BATHROOM TAPS In an Antique Brass finish, the new Serenitie brassware collection from Abode makes a strikingly elegant impression in the bathroom.

Designed specifically for traditional theme settings, the Antique Brass pairs well with the Serenitie design, featuring cross handles that add personality to the bathroom. The hot and cold indicators on each handle are kept subtle to blend seamlessly into the tap’s design, while the quarter turn handles ensure precision flow and ease of control for the user.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn043

SENSIO DOWNLIGHTS Bathrooms are set to get a new look with the launch of Sensio’s two new ceiling downlights – Cube and Circa. With integrated colour changing technology, the UK-designed LED lights are packed with technology and offer the latest interior styling, featuring either a clear, or smoky tinted glass bezel surround with chrome rim. Both light fittings incorporate identical features and benefits; Cube is the new square geometric design and Circa the circular option. They are designed with integral Triotone LED technology enabling each fitting to be set at a cool, natural or warm white colour temperature and dimmed as required.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn044

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general building I round up MILBANK INSULATED CONCRETE FLOORING

KAYFLOW ANTHRACITE GREY GUTTERING Complementing the recent trend for new buildings to feature grey windows, doors and roofline installations, Kayflow has launched its latest square gutter system in anthracite grey.

Offering a modern finish, together with the benefit of a higher flow rate than standard half round systems, the firm’s contemporary guttering solutions are manufactured using up to 84% of post-consumer, recycled PVC. The kitemarked square guttering systems are supported with a 10-year guarantee and offer the capacity to manage higher flows of water – making them ideal for installation around larger roofs.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn045

HÖRMANN UK GARAGE DOOR OPENER Hörmann UK’s new generation of SupraMatic and ProMatic garage door operators provide the perfect combination of energy efficiency, speed and convenience. The new Series 4 operators offer significantly faster door opening than their predecessors, with an increase of up to 40% for the ProMatic 4 and a 75% increase for the SupraMatic 4. The new range also provides increased levels of energy efficiency, with LED lighting for bright garage illumination and a low power consumption of less than 1 watt of electricity when in standby mode.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn046

Warmfloor Pro by Milbank is the simple, costeffective way to assemble thermally insulated floors quickly, efficiently and economically. A high-quality alternative to a standard beam-andblock floor, this solution is economical to install with lower initial costs, reduced waste, and greater energy savings throughout the life of the building.

The insulated concrete flooring system combines rigid insulation blocks manufactured from lightweight, closed-cell, expanded polystyrene (EPS) sandwiched between pre-stressed concrete beams (either 155mm or 225mm deep) and finished with an EPS top sheet, membrane and concrete screed.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn047

DOMUS VENTILATION IN-LINE FILTER Domus Ventilation, part of the Polypipe group, has launched its first ever in-line carbon filter range – NOX-FILT – designed to improve indoor air quality by preventing harmful airborne contaminants, including up to 99.5% of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution, from entering a home. Designed to work on the supply leg of the ducting system of a mechanical ventilation system, the filter works seamlessly with the system to deliver fresh, filtered air into the main living areas of homes. A low profile means it readily fits into restricted spaces.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn048

MEDITE SMARTPLY STRUCTURAL OSB PANEL Recently, OSB panel Smartply Propassiv has been specified in an ultra-low energy, contemporary three-bedroom ‘Passivhaus’, Max Fordham House has been specifically designed to feature a thermal envelope geared towards reducing heat loss. The structural OSB panel features an integrated vapour control developed by Medite Smartply especially for use in Passivhaus construction and provides a state-of-the-art, engineered vapour barrier with consistently high vapour resistance over the entire surface.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn049 Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer march

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general building I round up QUICK STEP INTERIOR FLOORING The secret to Quick-Step Signature’s performance is its completely sealed surface, which is impenetrable to bacteria, dirt and liquids. This makes cleaning the floor simple: just wipe it with a damp cloth and you’re good to go.

Thanks to its water-resistant technology, it also makes the floor perfect for kitchens and bathrooms as moisture doesn’t stand a chance. Developers can now easily use the same floor throughout the house, truly uniting the interior and turning a house into a home.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn050

DUNLOP FIBRE LEVELLER

SETCRETE FLOOR LEVELLING COMPOUND Setcrete Exterior floor levelling compound and Setcrete Rapid Set DPM have been used in a residential project in Stafford to create a smooth, sound and dry subfloor base prior to the installation of a ‘floating’ underfloor heating system and engineered timber flooring.

Setcrete Rapid Set DPM provides an effective barrier to both residual construction moisture and rising damp in a single coat application, protecting both flooring adhesives and floor coverings from moisture damage.

Due to its moisture tolerant properties, Setcrete Exterior is also ideal for internal application over damp, uneven concrete and sand/cement screeds prior to the application of Setcrete Rapid Set DPM.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn051

With added fibres for increased strength and flexibility, Dunlop LX-360 Fibre Leveller is a floor leveller suitable for preparing interior floors in dry areas prior to laying sheet and tile soft floor coverings, carpet, natural stone and ceramic tiles.

Ideal for use with underfloor or undertile heating systems and timber floors, it is protein free and quick drying, meaning it accepts foot traffic in three hours.

Pumpable for large scale work, it can be used on both absorbent and nonabsorbent interior floor surfaces including concrete, cement-sand screeds, terrazzo, asphalt and quarry tiles.

Discover more at www.rdr.link/dn052

ADVERTISEMENT INDEX A. Proctor Group ......................................................................(page 31) Birkdale Sales ............................................................................(page 17) Bobcat ........................................................................................(page 39) Bond It ........................................................................................(page 21) Breedon Cement Ltd ..............................................................(page 32) Breedon Cement Ltd ........................................................(loose insert) Ecotherm Insulation Ltd ............................................................(page 9) Fassa UK Limited ....................................................................(page 22) Garador ......................................................................................(page 13) Glazing Vision Limited ..............................................................(page 4) 58 march Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer

Marmox UK Ltd ........................................................................(page 53) Pro Builder Live ................................................................................(obc) R. Hamilton & Co. Ltd ..............................................................(page 55) Reginox UK Limited ................................................................(page 47) RWC Limited ........................................................................................(ifc) Saniflo Ltd ..................................................................................(page 44) Stelrad Radiators ....................................................................(page 49) Superglass Insulation Ltd ......................................................(page 18) The Etex Group Ltd ................................................................(page 29) TISSINO ......................................................................................(page 56)

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last word Chris Coxon, Head of Marketing at Eurocell, discusses the findings of the firm’s recent report on the importance of building communities as well as homes.

Community Spirit T

he UK is currently in the midst of the largest housing shortage on record – a shortfall of 3.91 million homes. It is estimated that, to address this issue 340,000 new homes must be built every year until 2031. This means that the residential construction sector is under immense pressure to deliver the houses that the country needs.

However, it’s crucial these are not simply built in bulk, without any consideration of the needs and wants of the people that live there. The National Housing Federation, for example, has said that the shortage will only be solved with the right mix of private properties, social rent, intermediate affordable rent and shared ownership properties, so that UK residents have access to the type that is right for them.

In our Future Communities report, we examined how the UK feels about the provision of services when it comes to

in our report, 69% of people said they feel that not enough consideration is given to services and infrastructure during the planning process for homes building homes, alongside how they hope the communities of the future will develop.

We drew on a survey of 1,000 respondents, comprising an even split of social housing occupants, homeowners and private renters. This research found that 66% of people feel that too much focus is placed solely on building homes,

as opposed to more rounded communities supporting infrastructure.

Over half of those polled for the Future Communities report felt that quickly building a high volume of homes negatively impacts community spirit.

Clearly, this absence of a cohesive neighbourhood is an issue that impacts occupants across the board, including a third of respondents in social housing who said that the developments of the future need to be built in a way that encourages community spirit.

Services and infrastructure Access to services such as schools and GP surgeries has a significant impact on social cohesion and helps communities to form. As the UK builds the number of homes it requires in the coming years, it is crucial to ensure that the services and infrastructures that people rely on in their day to day lives are also developed.

Indeed, in our report, 69% of people said they feel that not enough consideration is given to services and infrastructure during the planning process for homes. This led to 31% of respondents saying that greater consideration needed to be given to the design and build of multi-use buildings during the planning of new developments.

Respondents also said that more should be done to provide parks (28%), leisure facilities such as sports and craft centres (26%) and amenities such as cafes (21%), highlighting further that communities cannot simply be created by building a high volume of houses with the surrounding area and facilities playing a major role in social cohesion. As a result, there needs to be greater collaboration

between planners and service providers to develop the facilities that ensure fully functioning communities.

With such a shortage of available housing, there is a concern that the homes and developments of the future will be built with speed in mind, rather than the neighbourhood that the homes are trying to create.

Where does the responsibility lie? With the planners, construction firms, architects and also the Government. As well as those that will be at the coalface of modern infrastructure and residential construction in the coming years, the Government must also play a key role in ensuring current and future regulation is fit for purpose. Only when the sector takes a fully collaborative approach will the communities of the future be a success.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information go to www.rdr.link/dn053

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