Plans for a £25 million maritime centre of excellence focused on innovation, engineering, R&D, entrepreneurship and training at the heart of Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters development in North West England have been approved by Wirral Council. The announcement was made earlier today at MIPIM, the international property event in Cannes, France, by Richard Mawdsley, Peel…
England
Royal BAM Group NV has appointed Huw Jones to succeed Ian Parish, BAM Nuttall executive director, who retires on 31 December. Parish, who has over 38 years’ experience in the civil engineering industry, re-joined BAM Nuttall in 2020 as managing director, major projects, before taking on the role of interim managing director of BAM Nuttall…
Compass Group healthcare business Medirest and its partner, Royal Surrey Hospital, have been awarded ‘Exemplar’ site status, for the early and proficient implementation of the 2021 UK National Standards for Cleaning. The recognition acknowledges the delivery of the best-in-class service and that they will share learnings and experiences to enable other trusts to follow suit.…
Lewis Moody MBE has joined the ‘Stalls for All’ campaign which aims to break long-held taboos surrounding continence-related issues. Launched by Initial Washroom Hygiene and charity Bladder & Bowel UK, the campaign is working to deliver ‘washroom dignity’ for everyone regardless of age, gender or need, by ensuring that they have access to the washroom…
BAM has been commissioned by Betsi Cadwaladr University (BCU) Health Board to develop the detailed design for a new inpatient adult and older persons mental health unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan near Rhyl, Wales. The Welsh Government has approved the Health Board’s outline plans and the scheme can now proceed to a full…
deVere Group, which has US $12bn under advisement, has announced the temporary closure of its UK property investment division as inflation fears suggest the Bank of England will need to hike interest rates more aggressively to combat rising prices. James Green, deVere Group Investment Director, explains: “We are concerned about the availability of credit and,…
FM Magazine sounded out Paresh Raja, CEO of Market Financial Solutions (MFS) and Shojun CEO, Jatin Ondhia, on the 50 basis point hike in interest rates announced today by the Bank of England. Paresh Raja, CEO, MFS, says: “The property market is being pulled strongly in two different directions. Today’s interest rate hike is significant, impacting…
UK commercial and industrial fit-outs and refurbishment specialist Pexhurst has been holding Mental Health Tool Box Talks across all of its live sites using professional occupational health and safety consultants, Safety Services UK. The consultants discussed mental health issues with site workers, outlined the support available to them and suggested ways in which they could…
Louisa Clarke, managing director of Churchill Group’s cleaning business in the North and Scotland, has been appointed to the UK’s Veterans Advisory Board for 18 months. The board provides independent insight and advice to Ministers about the effectiveness of current veterans policies and services, as well as their future needs and expectations. The Board is…
Sodexo’s government business has been awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to manage HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire following a competitive tender process. The new contract has an estimated value of £264 million over a ten-year term, and MoJ has the option to extend for a further two one-year terms. The…
According to the latest survey from Handelsbanken, 49 per cent of small and mid-sized professional landlords with a minimum of four properties in the UK are planning to increase their portfolios in the year ahead, as optimism about residential and commercial property builds despite fears of an economic downturn and the cost of living crisis.…
Clive MacKinnon, a project director with ABM Technical Solutions in the United Kingdom, considers the technical and operational challenges that are typically encountered by facilities managers overseeing EV charging installations. The electric vehicle revolution is here and EV charging is set to become an expected part of all built environments. From this year, large buildings…
Bank of England plans to scrap mortgage affordability rules have been described as “utter madness” by Nigel Green, the CEO of deVere Group, who says the move underscores how the central bank is “failing Britain.” The damning analysis from the head of deVere Group, one of the world’s largest independent advisors of specialist global financial…
Staff at Scottish glass and aluminium specialist Cube Glass have been treated to a Day at the Races to celebrate the firm’s 10th anniversary. Eighteen employees and closely-related sub-contractors joined managing director Gary Thorn on a Park’s of Hamilton coach ride to Chester in northwest England on May 27 where they stayed overnight before heading to…
RO Real Estate, a subsidiary of UK family-owned business, The RO has successfully pre-let two food retail units on its development at Solstice Park in Amesbury, Wiltshire. Work on the units is underway with completion expected over the summer and customer visits expected to commence later this year. Tenants include leading food retailer Greggs, the…
Vladim Toader, CEO and co-founder of neolender Proportunity, comments on the impact of the Bank of England’s 1 per cent hike in interest rates on first-time buyers. Today’s interest rates hike announcement from the Bank of England is a further blow to first-time buyers trying to get onto the housing ladder. Many who have been…
NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), has launched its second-generation Hard Facilities Management (Hard FM) framework agreement. The second iteration of the organisation’s highly successful framework is designed to respond to the need within the NHS for high-quality, innovative and cost-effective solutions, which help NHS trusts manage their estates successfully. The new framework’s scope has…
Iain Cox, Chair of the Business Sprinkler Alliance, explains how an automatic sprinkler system in a warehouse in Leicestershire in England helping the fire service extinguish a fire and prevent further damage. A fire broke out in the storage area of warehouse premises in Hudson Way, Magna Park at 9:30pm on Thursday, March 16th with…
A major new report from the UCL Institute of Health Equity (UCL-IHE) and Legal & General lays a roadmap for the role of industry in ‘levelling up’ the United Kingdom, and examines the evidence of how businesses affect health and what they can do to improve health equity. In the past, businesses have often been…
The installer of a new wireless fire detection system at the historic Chester Cathedral in northwest England has reaped praise on its manufacturer, Kentec Electronics. Brad Parker, founder of Charles Thomas Heritage Fire Protection, was tasked with specifying and upgrading the wireless fire detection system previously installed in the Cathedral. The thick walls and lead-lined…
Northwest England industrial hire company Astley Hire has become one of the first companies in its sector to achieve carbon-neutral status for the period from December 2020 to November 2021 under the PAS 2026 framework. In 2021 Astley Hire embarked on a 12-month long project to address how they could further minimise the environmental impact…
Kier has launched a recruitment drive with over 1,200 jobs available across the Group. As one of the UK’s leading construction and infrastructure providers, the jobs will support new schools, hospitals, roads and rail projects in communities right across the UK. The recruitment drive will also help Kier to achieve its ambitions to bring a…
The Waking Watch division of UK life safety company, Prime Secure, has launched a budget wireless common fire alarm system. In the wake of the Grenfell disaster, thousands of leaseholders across the UK have shouldered the financial burden of either a wired alarm solution, or a waking watch fire marshal, which could cost more than…
Members of staff at agricultural products supplier Wynnstay raised over £6,000 for The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) in 2021, after participating in a challenge. In the “North to South” challenge, over 200 employees accepted a challenge to see how many times they could virtually walk, run, swim or cycle a distance equivalent to that…
Cloudfm CEO Jeff Dewing has launched a podcast series to inspire people across the industry in their work and personal life. The new podcast, dubbed ‘Doing the Opposite: business disruptors’, features a wide range of guests from business, sport and the arts. The podcast shares unconventional business conversations with people who have faced major challenges…
15.11.2021, 10:07 Takeaways from COP26 for Smaller UK Contractors The Contractor Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) comments on how COP26 and legislation announced by the UK government in anticipation of the agreement will impact on SMEs operating in the construction sector. There is a lot of good work already underway to tackle climate change…
12.11.2021, 12:22 Security Upgrade for UK Power Networks Abloy UK has been awarded a five-year contract to upgrade mechanical locking systems at high and low voltage distribution facilities operated by UK Power Networks with electromechanical and more advanced mechanical solutions. Products specified by UK Power Networks, which owns and maintains the electricity distribution network across…
12.10.2021, 08:20 ESS Expands Mental Health First Aider Programme During the last 18 months, Compass Group subsidiary ESS has worked with Mental Health First Aid England to train over a hundred mental health first aiders. Employees ranging from frontline operatives to members of the company’s senior leadership team have participated in the programme which aims…
07.10.2021, 12:06 Supporting Airborne Infection Control ABM UK has launched a comprehensive programme of services to help businesses improve indoor air quality in the post-Covid-19 environment. EnhancedFacility™ launches at a time when the UK is seeing the reoccupation of buildings increase just as colder months approach; making the circulation of fresh air more challenging,…
30.09.2021, 13:31 Safeguarding Tower Block Residents from Fire Residents of a London tower block awaiting the replacement of cladding identified as unsuitable following the Grenfell Tower tragedy are being protected by a wireless detection and evacuation system following guidance issued by the National Fire Chiefs Council. The landmark tower in Deptford, South-East London, had…
20.09.2021, 11:35 British Food Fortnight 2021 The annual celebration of Britain’s diverse culinary talent is underway with multiple communities and organisations participating in festivities until 3rd October. Organiser, Love British Food, is being supported by commercial and in-house caterering providers, trade associations and community organisations with a range of activities, including: Foodie lessons and special…