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Osborne To Spur 400,000 New Homes

Osborne spurs house builders to deliver 400,000 homes

George Osborne

Chancellor George Osborne attempted to galvanise reluctant house builders into delivering more homes with a £6.9bn package of measures.

Critically the affordable housing package in the combined Autumn Statement and Spending Review includes cash to stimulate the supply-side and demand-side of the housing sector.

He also said transport capital spending would be raised to fund HS2 and the roads programme as the department’s operational budget was slashed by 37% but its capital spending will increase as previously planned by 50% to £61bn, compared to the last five-year period.

“That funds the largest road investment programme since the 1970s, for we are the builders,” added Osborne.

The funding includes starting construction on High Speed 2, and sticking to plans to spend £13.4bn on the Roads Investment Strategy to deliver 112 major schemes and over £5bn on roads maintenance.

Up to £475m will be released towards the end of five years to fund large local transport projects, enabling local areas to bid for funding for projects that would be too expensive for them to pay for by themselves, such as the Lowestoft Third River Crossing and the North Devon Link Road.

The Government has ramped up spending on the school estate and committed to spend £23bn over the Parliament to open 500 free schools, provide over 600,000 additional school places, rebuild and refurbish over 500 schools and address essential maintenance needs.

Spending Review other key points
New £300m Transport Development Fund, supporting development work for projects like Crossrail 2
Apprenticeship levy will be set at 0.5% of an employers wage bill
£1.3bn to reform prison estate by building nine prisons
£310m for 15,000 homes at Ebbsfleet garden city
£400m to build new integrated public health science hub in Harlow
Creation of 25 enterprise zones
Council free to raise business rate to fund infrastructure and spend all capital receipts from asset sales
£150m for a new dementia research institute at a UK university site
£150m to build new storage facility for the British Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum
£97m Thameslink station at Brent Cross
Extra £250m for Kent transport
Fund new home for Royal College of Arts in Battersea

 

Infrastructure investment £billion
Year 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20 20-21 Total
Existing long term capital plans
Roads Investment Strategy 1.8 1.8 2.2 2.5 3.0 3.9 15.2
Highways maintenance 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 6.9
Network Rail 6.8 7.4 5.6 4.3 5.0 5.3 34.5
High Speed 0.8 0.8 1.7 2.9 4.8 4.8 15.8
Flood/coastal defence 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 2.3
Science: capital 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 6.9
Housing and regen plans 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 5.9
Existing school building plans 4.6 4.8 3.8 3.2 3.0 2.8 22.2
New extra spend
Housing and regeneration – 0.0 0.3 1.2 1.1 1.4 4.1
Local Sustainable Transport Fund – 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.5
Large Local Major Roads – 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.5
New school building plans – 0.3 0.8 1.3 1.5 1.8 5.7
Total spend 17.5 18.7 18.0 19.1 22.1 23.9 120.4

On housing he added: “First I am doubling the housing budget to £2bn a year and will deliver 400,000 new homes by the end of the decade. That is the biggest house building programme since the 70′s.”

Full details have still to emerge but the spending package includes direct subsidies of up to £2.3bn to developers to spur them into building 200,000 starter homes — properties for sale to first-time buyers at a 20% discount to their market value.

The new starter homes discount policy first announced in October 2014 will be available on prices up to £450,000 in London and £250,000 elsewhere.

On the demand-side up to £4bn will be channeled into building 135,000 Help to Buy: Shared Ownership homes for households earning less than £80,000.

In London, this threshold will stand at £90,000. The Chancellor also launched the London Help to Buy scheme, which will provide interest free loans on up to 40% of loans.

A further £400m is earmarked to help build 8,000 specialist homes for older people or those with disabilities.

Up to £200m has been found for 10,000 new homes that tenants can live in for five years at reduced rents while they save for a deposit. They will then have “first right” to buy the home.

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

 

Edge Careers are Construction and Engineering Recruitment Experts who pride ourselves on offering the highest level of service in the industry to all of our candidates and clients.

To become an Edge Careers candidate, please click here to register your details. If you are a client looking to fill a vacancy, please click here, or alternatively contact one of our consultants to discuss your requirements in more detail via our Contact Us page.

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Construction Forecast Downgraded

Forecasters have lowered construction growth predictions for this year and next owing to a slowdown in third quarter housing and commercial activity.

Even with a weaker growth forecast, contractors can still count a near 20% rise in construction from 2015 to 2019. This will be driven by growth in the three largest construction sectors; private housing, commercial and infrastructure.

According to the Construction Products Association industry output is now expected to grow 3.6% in 2015, down from the expected 4.9% spurt forecast back in the summer.

Next year the industry’s growth rate is expected to be slightly ahead of 2015 at 3.8%, down from the 4.2% first forecast.

Forecast highlights

Construction growth downgraded

 

 

Construction output: up 3.6% in 2015 and 3.8% in 2016
Private housing starts: up 7% this year and 5% in 2016
Public housing starts: down 10% in 2015 and 5% in 2016
Offices construction: up 8% in 2015 and 7% in 2016
Infrastructure output: up 13.2% in 2015 and 7.6% in 2016
Key risks include skills shortages and government austerity

 

 

 

Dr Noble Francis, economics director, said: “We remain positive about prospects for the construction industry. The slowdown in Q3 activity is expected to be temporary.”

“The commercial sector is forecast to enjoy growth from 2016 averaging 3.9% per year through to 2019. New offices construction is expected to be the primary driver, with increasing activity in cities such as Birmingham and Manchester as well as growth in the capital.”

“Retail construction is expected to improve but a consolidation of expansion plans by major supermarket chains will constrain growth rates.”

“Infrastructure activity continues to thrive. Output in the sector is forecast to grow 11.2% on average per year between 2015 and 2019, supported in large part by the £411bn National Infrastructure Plan.”

He said that the roads and energy sub-sectors would be strongest but work is forecast to increase throughout the forecast period in all key sub-sectors; roads, energy, rail, water and sewerage.

“Private housing starts are forecast to rise, with major house builders signalling their intention to build more homes over the next 12-18 months,” said Dr Francis.

“Help to Buy accounts for one quarter of new build purchases and will help to sustain demand. House prices continue to increase in most regions, especially in London and the South East, illustrating a strong underlying demand.”

“Public housing, however, is expected to be adversely affected by uncertainty and a lack of funding due to the extension of Right to Buy to housing associations and cuts to social rent. As a result, public housing starts are estimated to fall 10.0% in 2015 and a further 5.0% in 2016.”

But Dr Francis warned: “While growth prospects in construction remain positive, there are significant risks. Government austerity focuses on current spending rather than capital investment but the risk remains that if government cannot reduce current spending as much as it anticipates, it may cut public construction projects to achieve its aims of eliminating the public sector deficit.”

“In addition, within the construction industry, the key concerns regard skills shortages, which have already been reported in the housing sector but may become more prevalent across the wider industry over the next 12-18 months due to the forecast growth.”

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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£100bn for Infrastructure by 2020

Chancellor pledges £100bn by 2020 for infrastructure

 

George Osbourne
Chancellor George Osborne will today launch the National Infrastructure Commission and promise to stick to his pledge to spend £100bn in this Parliament for new roads, rail, flood defences and other vital projects.

He will set out plans to ‘get Britain building’, saying that infrastructure will be at the heart of next month’s Spending Review.

In the review, the Chancellor will set out plans to raise billions of pounds from a suite of asset sales that will be ploughed back into infrastructure projects.

Later today in York, Osborne will also confirm the seven commissioners who will help former Cabinet minister Lord Adonis run the independent National Infrastructure Commission.

The line-up includes Lord Heseltine and experienced industry bigwig, Sir John Armitt, who backed the formation of the commission in a Labour policy document before the last election.

NIC commissioners
Lord Heseltine – the former deputy prime minister who has long championed the regeneration of Britain’s inner cities through infrastructure investment
Sir John Armitt – the former chair of the Olympic Delivery Authority, and next year’s President of the Institute of Civil Engineers
Professor Tim Besley – a former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee and the LSE’s Growth Commission, which recommended an independent infrastructure body
Demis Hassabis – artificial intelligence researcher, neuroscientist and head of DeepMind Technologies
Sadie Morgan – a founding director of dRMM Architects and Design Panel Chair of HS2
Bridget Rosewell – a senior adviser at Volterra and former Chief Economist and Chief Economic Adviser to the Greater London Authority
Sir Paul Ruddock – chairman of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the University of Oxford Endowment

The Chancellor said: “I am determined to shake Britain out of its inertia on infrastructure and end the situation where we trail our rivals when it comes to building everything from the housing to the power stations that our children will need.

“At the Spending Review, I will commit to investing £100bn in infrastructure over the next five years and we are creating an independent commission to give us a long-term, unbiased analysis of the country’s major infrastructure needs.

“We need to think long-term and deliver a cross-party consensus on what we need to build.”

The commission will produce a report at the start of each five-year Parliament, offering recommendations for priority infrastructure projects and hold governments to account for their delivery.

Its initial focus will be in three key areas. These include identifying priorities for future investment in the North’s strategic transport infrastructure to improve connectivity between cities, especially east-west across the Pennines.

London’s transport system, particularly reviewing strategic options and identifying priorities for future investment in large scale transport improvements – on road, rail and underground – including Crossrail 2.

Energy, particularly exploring how the UK can better balance supply and demand, aiming for an energy market where prices are reflective of costs to the overall system

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

 

 

Edge Careers are Construction and Engineering Recruitment Experts who pride ourselves on offering the highest level of service in the industry to all of our candidates and clients.

To become an Edge Careers candidate, please click here to register your details. If you are a client looking to fill a vacancy, please click here, or alternatively contact one of our consultants to discuss your requirements in more detail via our Contact Us page.

Follow Edge Careers on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for all our latest news, exclusive competitions and events.

www.edgecareers.co.uk

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Edge Careers Psychometric Testing

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At Edge Careers, we are always looking at how we can improve our offering to our candidates and clients so we can deliver the highest quality recruitment solution possible. One of our offerings that you may not be aware of, is our psychometric testing, which we offer to all clients when our candidate is at interview stage.

I’ve heard of Psychometric Testing, but what exactly is it?

Psychometric testing is simply a way of assessing a candidate’s individual personality, attitude and motivations in the workplace. This allows a client to see if a candidate would suit the company and the role they have been put forward to. There are four key styles that are tested as part of the DiSC psychometric testing, which are Dominance, Influence, Conscientiousness and Steadiness. Everyone has a mixture of all four styles but will have a bias towards one or two styles this will be shown by where the dot falls on the DiSC illustration.

DiSC Basic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do Edge use DiSC Psychometric Testing?

Edge Careers uses the DiSC psychometric testing because, every profile is:

  • Valid and reliable – respondents are amazed by the accuracy and detail of their reports
  • Memorable – with no complicated letters and numbers to remember
  • Extremely well written – constructed, and presented. Each profile appears to have been written by an adept human author rather than a computer!
  • Application specific – offering different adaptations of a profile and model to serve different populations- specifically leaders, managers, sales people and general staff in an organisation.
  • Relatable and applicable meaning the learning is easily transferred into the workplace
  • Quick and simple to administer – each questionnaire is completed on-line in just 15 minutes and can be immediately accessed

How accurate are the results?

The Psychometric test uses the most advanced assessment method (adaptive testing) and sophisticated algorithms to quickly and accurately analyse a person’s responses and provide personalised feedback.

 

Edge Careers are Construction and Engineering Recruitment Experts who pride ourselves on offering the highest level of service in the industry to all of our candidates and clients.

To become an Edge Careers candidate, please click here to register your details. If you are a client looking to fill a vacancy, please click here, or alternatively contact one of our consultants to discuss your requirements in more detail via our Contact Us page.

Follow Edge Careers on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for all our latest news, exclusive competitions and events.

www.edgecareers.co.uk

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Construction in 2045

Is this what construction will be like in 2045
Equipment hire specialist Hewden has taken a peak into the future of construction to predict how the industry will look in 2045.

The report envisages a world of 30km tall buildings with spaceports, driverless vehicles and mini-cities in the sky while site workers will have super-strength exoskeletons creating half-man, half-machine operatives that can utilise a range of attachments.

Hewden’s 2045: Constructing the Future report has been developed by renowned futurologist Ian Pearson and was launched today to coincide with the date Marty McFly and Dr Emmett Brown time-travelled to in the ‘80s blockbuster movie, Back to the Future II.

The report takes a look at what the UK might look like in another 30 years, covering areas such as building design, transport, technology and health and safety.

Pearson said: “While we’re not all flying around in cars, there are a number of things, such as the use of drones, video conferencing and some of the physical structures that were portrayed very accurately in the movie.

“The acceleration of new technology has and will continue to be the biggest driver for change. As will look forward another 30 years we can expect to see a very different but exciting world.”

Some of the key findings of the report include:

Skyline 2045

The London Skyline in 2045 will have super-tall structures and a spaceport

Cars 2045

In 2045 driverless vehicles will be the norm. Unlike the more futuristic curved look, vehicles will likely be box shaped to maximise on-street capacity.

Exo Skeleton 2045
Builders will have super-strength exoskeletons creating half-man, half-machine workers that can utilise a range of attachments.

 

Pearson added: “Augmented reality will play a major role in the aesthetics of a building.

“It’s likely that many buildings will actually be very plain, instead using AR to create visually appealing environments for those that visit.”

Heavily populated cities such as London are likely to change the most, according to the report, with space travel and development of new cities within cities some of the major changes.

Pearson said: “The use of super-strong carbon-based materials will enable us to build incredibly tall structures, some even up to 30km high.

“This will make space travel more convenient and for major transport hubs like London, going into space will be a regular occurrence in 2045.

“A few of these structures may be so large that their capacity enables them to function as small cities in their own right, with all the usual city functions mixed within the same building.”

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Did You Know?

Ferrari-world-abu-dhabi

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Facts:

  • The 86,000 m2, enclosed area of Ferrari World, can fit 7 football fields in ‘head to toe’.
  • The total roof area of 200,000 m2 uses enough aluminum to cover 16,750 Ferrari’s, or if you laid the roof flat you could place 20,100 Ferrari’s side by side and end to end.
  • If Ferrari World was turned upright, it would be the tallest man made structure in the world at over 300 floors!
  • The Ferrari logo on the roof, the largest ever created, measures an incredible 65m in length and covers an area of 3,000 m2 which could fit at least 7 basketball courts.
  • The volume of concrete in Hoover Dam could fit inside Ferrari World.
  • 100,000 m3 of concrete was used to pour the slabs of Ferrari World, which is 10,000 m3 more than what was used for Wembley Stadium in London.
  • Ferrari World has the largest space frame structure ever built with a total of approximately 172,000 members and 43,100 nodes.
  • Ferrari World needed 12,370 tons of steel to create its structure; the Eiffel Tower only needed 7,000 tons.
  • The gross footprint area of the plaza level is equivalent to approximately 15 American Football fields.
  • The Empire State Building could be rebuilt in the same time it took to clad the 200,000 m2 of roof for Ferrari World Abu Dhabi; approximately 14 months.
  • Formula Rossa, the world’s fastest roller coaster, has the same G force one would feel driving in an F1 car and braking at maximum speed.
  • Ferrari World includes 1,200 dining seats – enough to feed the entire park at full capacity in 3 hours.
  • Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is the world’s only venue to house Four Michelin-star experienced Italian chefs under one roof.
  • A football field needs 8,400 m2 of grass coverage; to cover the area around the roller coasters at Ferrari World, 4.5 times that amount was used – approximately 39,000 m2 of ground cover.
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Tom Eaves Joins The Freelance Division

Tom Eaves

Please join us in welcoming Tom Eaves to Edge Careers.

As our newest team member, Tom has joined our flourishing Freelance Division as a Recruitment Consultant. Having lived for a number of years in Australia, working in sales and customer facing roles, Tom brings a wealth of experience and a fresh approach to construction recruitment and is a great addition to the Freelance Division. We are very excited to welcome Tom to the Edge Careers team and wish him the best in his new role.

Edge Careers are Construction and Engineering Recruitment experts.

The majority of our consultants have over 10 years’ continued service within the company, some of which are former construction industry professionals who truly know the industry inside out. We have long standing client relationships spanning over 25 years and a multitude of clients from privately owned regional businesses to large multinational Plc’s, located both within the UK and internationally.

As Construction and Engineering Recruitment Experts, we have a wide database of multi-disciplined candidates, from Site Labourers to Board Directors, and no matter which division you speak to, you will have a Key Account Manager providing you with one point of contact throughout the recruitment process. Whether you are a client or candidate, we’ll make things as simple as possible for both parties. As registered members of the REC, we ensure we always operate in a professional, legal and moral manner.

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