News

New Home Planning Permits in Short Supply

According to the latest HBF Housing Pipeline report, planning approvals for new home s in the UK fell by another 10% last year Continue Reading

CO2 Emission Warning

In the Water, Energy & Environment Newsletter of 09/11/2011, Tim McManan-Smith writes that Global emissions are increasing faster than economic growth, reversing a slow, but gradual, reduction in carbon emissions intensity.   Continue Reading

(Article by Mike Carey in "The DRUM Opinion" 7 Decembeer 2011)

I don't want to sound alarmist

... but it looks like Goldman Sachs has taken over Europe.  The continent has succumbed to the dictates of global finance, there was no choice. The bankers are holding us all to ransom and have done since the beginning of the GFC in 2008. Continue Reading

Jake Berry, parliamentary private secretary to housing minister still believes that 230,000 homes per year will be built by 2015, despite the fact that in the year to June 2011 only 107,210 homes were built.  He delivered this unbelievable statement to the Housing Market Intelligence conference.

Professor Michael Benfield of the Benfield ATT Group wonders how on earth this can possibly be achieved when the banks refuse to lend to anyone in the building sector and planning authorities are not embracing any of the Government Housing Policy reforms.

Continue Reading

(A Wales Forest Business Partnership announcement)

Under a ‘provision of ecosystem services’ remit,  the Welsh Government (WG) is proposing to bring together the functions of Environment Agency Wales (EAW) with Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and Forestry Commission Wales (FCW) into a new Single Environment Body (SEB). Continue Reading

Verbal contracts now referred to in Adjudication

(An Alway Associates Advisory)

One of the features of the amendments to the Construction Act contained within Part 8 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 is that section 107 of the old Act has been repealed. Continue Reading

Good Science

In pursuit of ‘good science’, this posting reprints the views of an eminent scientist, Professor Fred Singer, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal of 4 November. Fred Singer is Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia and Director of the Science & Environmental Policy Project, with specialties in atmospheric and space physics. Continue Reading

Jobs & Career Opportunities
• Marketing & Communications Officer – based Caldicot, Monmouthshire
• Regional Sales Consultant Negotiators – Home Based

For full details see Benfield ATT Group Opportunities

According to Reed Recfruitment, more employers were seeking suitable recruits for jobs in June than they were in May.  It was also 20% higher than a year ago in June 2010.
While salaries remained constant, demand from the insurance and engineering sectors was at record levels, with job oopenings in the east Midlands rising sharply.
Salaries in [...]

The Homes and Communities Agency has allocated funds in its FirstBuy scheme to over 100 housebuilders & housing associations. Continue Reading