SIZEWELL C DECISION DELAYED AGAIN

The deadline for planning consent on the proposed new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk has been delayed again. A decision had been expected on 7^th July but has been pushed back to 20^th July 2022 following the collapse of the UK Government last week.

The reason for the new deadline, according to Paul Scully Minister for London and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets) is “to ensure there is sufficient time to allow the Secretary of State to consider the proposal” and that it “is without prejudice to the decision on whether to grant or refuse development consent”.

The French energy company EDF are planning to build Sizewell C but are in the process of being re-nationalised by the French government because of financial difficulties and their own nuclear power plans.

The UK Government pledged £100million to the Sizewell C project back in January to support the development but local groups are strongly against the new power station as it sits in an area of significant special scientific interest and natural beauty and adjacent to the RSPB Minsmere site.

Alison Downes, of campaign group Stop Sizewell D, said that she “hopes that announcements of EDF’s re-nationalisation have given ministers pause, especially when EDF’s parlous finances are at least in part down to their disastrous track record at building the type of reactors proposed for Sizewell C.”

EDF has a history of problems building these power stations, many coming in significantly over budget and way behind schedule.

However, the Government is keen to push ahead as the Suffolk station is part of a fleet of new nuclear power plants that form a key part of the government’s energy strategy, along with offshore wind and hydrogen.

For more information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.

CHANGES IN BUILDING REGULATIONS: WHAT THEY ARE AND HOW THEY IMPACT ON YOUR BUILDING PLANS

The Government’s new changes to Building Regulations will come into force on 15^th June 2022.

These are the first steps towards the Future Homes Standard, which is designed to make all new builds net carbon zero by 2025 and significantly improve energy and efficiency in existing buildings.

The key changes for New Homes will be:

• A 30% cut in emissions from new homes
• A 27% cut in non-domestic new builds including offices and shops
• Improvement of heating and lighting efficiency.
• A new Building Regulation to mitigate the risk of overheating in new homes including maximum limits to the amount of glazing on new residential buildings
• New homes will adopt the Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard to measure energy efficiency
• There will be a maximum flow temperature requirement of 55°C for new and replacement heating systems

The key changes for Existing Buildings will be:

• New minimum standards for fabric efficiency – there will be a new efficiency metric for the whole house calculation method for new extensions
• There will be a requirement for new or replacement heating system designs to accept low-carbon heating in future, including integrating the latest Ecodesign appliance benchmarks.

There is also new information regarding infrastructure for electric vehicles and all new homes will be required to have charging points for electric vehicles.

The transition period – 15 June 2022 until 15 June 2023.

Buildings currently in the planning process where documents have been submitted and approved before the 15^th of June 2022 will still be considered under the previous regulations, providing work beings before the 15^th of June 2023.

For work not requiring applications, the new regulations will come into force from the 15^th of June 2022.

For more information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.

CHANGES IN BUILDING REGULATIONS: THE COST IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW RULES

The Government’s new changes to Building Regulations will come into force on 15^th June 2022, although a transition period will be in place until 15^th June 2023 to enable plans already submitted and approved to continue with the existing regulations.

However, all new planning submissions will be subject to the new regulations and this will impact further on the already spiralling costs of building work.

Developers estimate the new regulations will cost the industry more than £10 billion over the next 70 years.

The higher cost of the new greener technologies required will impact upon the overall cost of the build. Increased insulation, ventilation, thermal heat pumps, reduced glazing and electric charging points will all add to the budget.

Carbon emissions targets will be more stringent, meaning that thermal elements such as walls, floors, and roofs will require more insulation and many more renewable technologies such as Solar Panels will be required.

Better insulation equates to larger cavities and, therefore, increased amounts of installation which will add to the costs. Combine this with the need to build slightly bigger in order to keep the same internal footprint and all material costs will increase.

The industry in principle is in favour of the move towards more sustainable, carbon-neutral, energy-efficient buildings, but getting the big developers to change their long-held attitude to finding the cheapest building solutions may prove a challenge.

For more information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.

WHAT IS STRUCTURAL FAILURE?

The definition of structural failure:

Loss of the load-carrying capacity of a component or member within a structure or of the structure itself. Structural failure is initiated when the material in a structure is stressed to its strength limit, thus causing fracture or excessive deformations.

The causes of a building collapse or failure can be various including bad design, faulty construction, foundation failure, extraordinary load, or a combination of these factors.

Examples of structural components in a building would include:

• Wooden or steel I-beams – which can fail when an imposed load exceeds the capacity of the beam
• Reinforced concrete will suffer if the mix and raw materials used are incorrect
• Foundation failures can occur when there is uneven soil settlement and uneven loading, moisture in the subsoil and insufficient compaction.

All of the above reinforces the need for structural warranty insurance on new buildings, extensions and conversions.

As specialists in structural warranty and latent defect insurance, please contact us for further information:

Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.

AS IF BY MAGIC – NEW HOMES THAT WILL RISE ABOVE THE FLOODS

It is estimated that flooding costs Britain £1.3 billion a year, with one in six homes now in flood zones and the increased risk of flooding up by 56% due to the effects of climate change.

The FloodSafe house is a prototype being developed by Hadley Group and Floodjack International to mitigate against flooding and protect both homes and lives.

Andrew Parker, a former builder and now Director of Floodjack International, came up with the idea of the jack system after a friend lost everything due to flooding and the Hadley Group, who build modular homes with steel frames, repurposed one of their steel frames to help develop the FloodSafe house prototype.

Water sensors under the house trigger the mechanical jacks to lift the house up to 1.5m within 15 minutes.  The system continues to track the water level keeping the house 15cm above water until it is safe to return to the ground.  There is also a built-in home battery allowing the house to remain fully functional for 3 days off-grid if services should be lost in the storm.

The FloodSafe house is more expensive to build than the same modular home without the flood avoidance system but as flood land is cheaper to buy it can work out cost-effective.

Now there is a visible working house people are starting to believe it is possible and flood jacks should become commercially available very quickly according to Mr Parker.

“If people see a real house going up and down ..….they start believing it.”

Across the world, different technologies are being developed to deal with flooding from watertight inflatable barriers for doorways in Ireland to amphibious buildings that float in the Netherlands.

As LABC, who represent local authority building control teams, have also approved the FloodSafe house in principle, it is looking quite possible that we will see houses literally rising above the flood water here in the not too distant future.

For further information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.

Companies Reluctant to Pay a Higher Price for Greener Offices

According to a recent occupiers’ survey conducted by YouGov and Irwin Mitchell, businesses are less keen to invest money in increasing the green credentials of their offices. They are looking more to changing habits within the workplace to offset their carbon footprint.

Larger businesses are the most likely to invest in ways to reduce their environmental footprint; including paying more for a greener office space (15%), having a sustainability team (36%) and investing in Property Technology (30%). A further 29% said they would accept increased rent if there was a financial incentive to do so, such as reducing service charge or energy costs.

The smaller businesses, however, feel that adopting greener practices is costly at a time when they are looking to save money.

Source: https://irwinmitchell.turtl.co/story/occupiers-survey-2022/page/7/2

Changing habits seem the most popular way of reducing the environmental impact of the office. Turning off lighting, heating and electric when offices are unused is the most popular option.

It appears to be the belief that small changes from employees across the company can have a big impact on environmental issues. This is a more favoured approached than investing money into future technologies.

According to Larry Fink of Blackrock, however, ignoring the green agenda is a perilous decision that will leave behind the companies that don’t adapt: “Decarbonising of the global economy is going to create the greatest investment opportunity… accompanied by enormous job creation for those that engage in the necessary long-term planning.”

Overall, however, it would seem that green decisions are still being driven by financial considerations for the majority of companies.

For further information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.

SAVILLS AUCTION HITS SEVEN YEAR HIGH

Savills’ live streamed auction on 2^nd March 2022 raised £53 million, the highest total since March 2015.

Strongest demand was for development land, residential properties in need of refurbishment and investment sites.

One single lot attracted over 70 bids in 45 seconds.

A mid-terrace in Dartford, Kent with a guide price of £120,000 sold, after much activity, for £271,000.

The highest value lot, a detached property in West Ealing, sold for £2.3 million.

According to Jeremy Lamb, Auction Director for Savills: “Buyer demand has been strong for quite some time, but there was definitely a sense with this sale that people were extremely keen to transact and invest in the assets on offer.”

It would seem that property remains a strong market for investment.

For further information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk. 

Is Slowing Wind Speed a Future Question Mark Over the Viability of Wind Turbines as a Serious Alternative to Fossil Fuel?

Renewable energy sources have long been heralded as our way out of the carbon crisis and reducing climate change. But is climate change itself impacting on the ability of wind to generate our electricity of the future?

A lull in wind speeds over Europe in 2021 has been a cause for concern. The longest calm spell in 10 years was recorded in March 2021. Coal fired power stations had to be used to combat the lack of electricity generated by the wind.

According to Paul Williams, professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, “Given what we saw in 2021, I think we will see and we need studies to understand (wind trends) better, especially given our increased reliance on wind as an energy source.” (Source: The Telegraph).

Scientists and the boardroom are equally concerned; but wind modelling is a complicated and uncertain thing to predict over the long term. Some scientists have estimated up to a 10% fall in wind speed by 2100. Other research suggests wind speeds could increase. Overall, the UK long term averages for wind speed remain close to the average.

There is also the argument that future wind turbines will be more powerful. So will easily compensate for lower wind speeds and still be able to generate more electricity.

Here in the UK we are well positioned to keep investing in wind turbines, as the North Sea remains one of the windiest areas. Even with a 10% fall in wind speed, this would not substantially affect electricity generation. The more turbines we build around Britain, the more resilient we will be to changes in wind speed.

However, with the imminent retirement of many coal and gas fired power stations in the immediate future, these changes must be addressed and investigated as the old power houses will not be there to help out in the future.

For further information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.

Thermal Bridging:
What It Is and How to Avoid It

Thermal bridges are places in a building where heat can transfer between the exterior and interior of the building via Conduction, Convection or Radiation.

They are one of the most significant sources of heat loss within a building. A conductive material or a gap in the insulation can form a ‘Bridge’ between the inside of a home and the exterior where heat can escape. This can lead to cold spots, condensation and even mould appearing.

The design and construction of a new building should try to have as few thermal bridges as possible and create a consistent ‘U-Value’ across the whole area.

There are two main types of thermal bridging:

1. Repeating Thermal Bridge

An example is when wall ties regularly bridge the cavity in a wall and therefore create a thermal bridge between the insulation.

2. Non-Repeating Thermal Bridge

An example is at junctions between construction elements – where a wall meets the floor or where the roof or windows meet walls.

Thermal bridges will be more common in older, poorly constructed, single skin buildings. They can still occur in modern builds if workmanship or the design is poor.

However, modern building regulations state that:

‘The building fabric should be constructed so that there are no reasonably avoidable thermal bridges in the insulation layers caused by gaps within the various elements, at the joints between elements and at the edges of elements such as those around window and door openings.’

This should result in both architects and builders looking carefully at reducing the opportunity for thermal bridging to occur in new build properties.

For further information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk. 

Britishvolt Secure Huge Funding for New Car Battery Factory in Blyth

Britishvolt, a leading UK manufacturer of electric car batteries, has secured funding for a major manufacturing facility in Northumberland.

“Battery solutions are the catalyst that will drive our society to an electrified, zero-emissions future. It is the next industrial revolution; some call it the green revolution. The next decade will see unprecedented change, and we at Britishvolt intend to be at the very heart of leading that change.” (Orral Nadjari, Britishvolt CEO & Founder).

The UK Government has committed £100m through its Automotive Transformation Fund. In addition to this, Britishvolt announced backing from investors that should unlock £1.7bn in private funding to build the first large scale ‘Gigafactory’.

“This announcement is a major step in putting the UK at the forefront of the global energy transition, unlocking huge private sector investment that will develop the technology and skills required for Britain to play its part in the next industrial revolution.” Peter Rolton, Britishvolt executive chairman.

The factory is to be built on the old Blyth Power Station site. It will give local people the opportunity to have well-paid, high-skilled jobs, which represents a huge economic opportunity for people in this area. When fully operational, the factory will employ 3,000 workers.

The government-funded Advanced Propulsion Centre calculates that the UK will need to produce batteries with a capacity of 90 gigawatt hours (GWh) a year if it is to retain a car industry of a similar size. Current UK production capacity is less than 2GWh, but Britishvolt hope to produce 30GWh.

By the end of the decade, the factory will produce enough battery cells for more than 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs per year.

The first batteries ready for use will roll off the production line in 2024.

For further information, please contact Ed or Kelly on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.