A London construction company and the director of a Hertfordshire roofing firm must pay out close to £30,000 after a worker broke his back falling through a void for a roof light.

The fall occurred on a site in Brent on 29 February 2012. Golders Green-based Right Angle was refurbishing and extending three residential properties. Some of the work had been subcontracted to Rickmansworth-based John Donald, trading as John Donald Roofing. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted both parties after identifying a number of safety failings across the site as well as those linked to the roof work.

Westminster Magistrates Court heard last week that the injured worker, then aged 28, fell as he cleared materials from a flat roof. He picked up a piece of ply board that he assumed was debris without realising it concealed a roof light void beneath. He fell feet first through the void and landed on the first floor some 5.6 metres below, fracturing his spine on impact.

HSE established that the measures taken to mark and protect this and other similar voids were unacceptable, and that other workers could have suffered a similar fate.

Numerous other height safety failings were identified on the site, including lack edge protection, fall risks on the scaffold, open joists, and open staircases where there were no handrails.

Fire risks and inadequate fire prevention measures were also noted, as well as numerous slip and trip hazards caused by excess rubbish and debris, and dangerously stacked window frames.

Right Angle Ltd, of Finchley Road, London, NW11, was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £5,375 after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.

John Donald, of New Road, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, was fined £4,000 with £3,965 costs after admitting a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

HSE inspector Danielle Coppell said after the hearing: “There were numerous failings on the part of Right Angle Ltd that exposed multiple operatives to a host of foreseeable risks, including falls, slips and trips. John Donald has to accept culpability as an experienced roofer who should have known better. He instructed the injured worker to work in an unsafe area where there were wholly insufficient measures in place to prevent or mitigate a fall. The end result is that a young man has sustained life-changing spinal injuries from which he may never fully recover.”

Construction is set to start this year on the first of 30 more tower blocks that are to be built at London’s Canary Wharf.

With Tower Hamlets Council yesterday giving planning permission for a multi-billion pound extension of Canary Wharf, contractors will begin work before the year is out.

Canary Wharf Group plans to build a net 4.9m sq ft (6.5m sq ft gross) mixed use development at Wood Wharf, which is the eastern continuation to the existing Canary Wharf district.

The scheme will result in a further 30 big tower blocks at Canary Wharf, with roughly half the new space for apartments, making Canary Wharf a place to live as well as work. Completion of the first phase of this development will coincide with the arrival in 2018 of the Crossrail train service at Canary Wharf.

The new Canary Wharf neighbourhood will provide a net 2.6m sq ft (3.4m sq ft gross) of residential space, including 3,100 new homes, ranging from park-side townhouses to high-rise buildings designed by signature architects. Among the new tower blocks will be a network of parks and public squares with approximately nine acres of interconnected public spaces, including 1km of dock-edge walkways.

The new district will also include net 1.9m sq ft of office space (2.6 sq ft gross), targeting the media, technology and telecoms sectors.

The masterplan by Allies & Morrison also includes a primary school, an NHS medical centre, a community centre, a hotel and more than 100 high street shops, restaurants and cafes.

 Canary Wharf Group chairman and CEO Sir George Iacobescu said: "We are very pleased to have worked in collaboration with Tower Hamlets and the local community in helping to achieve this important planning permission. This major eastern development of Canary Wharf will reinforce the district as one of London's most vibrant and dynamic mixed-use commercial and residential districts. It will combine new high quality offices aimed at the fast emerging TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) sector; a wide variety of high street shops and restaurants, and a range of new housing opportunities designed around generous newly created public spaces. We expect to be on site in the fourth quarter of 2014, with the first buildings to be occupied as early as the end of 2018."

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The average small and medium sized construction company carried trade debt of £484,000 last year, according to a new survey.

Companies with 10-49 employees and a turnover between £2m – £10m were the worst hit, with an average debt of £627,000 – representing 16% of turnover.

Debt recovery firm Debt Guard Solicitors analysed the accounts of 550 construction SMEs.

Firms with fewer than 10 employees and a turnover of less than £2m each had an average trade debt of £41,000, accounting for a slightly smaller 14% of turnover.

 Medium-sized companies with between 50 and 249 employees and a turnover between £10m and £100m, as expected, had the highest levels of SME trade debt at £969,000. This accounted for a more manageable 13% of turnover.

Debt Guard Solicitors chief operating officer Mark Burgess said: “This research highlights the financial headache caused by outstanding and unpaid bills in the construction sector. It is clear that smaller SMEs in particular need much greater support in this respect, as many are facing the very real threat of closure due to trade debt pressure.

“Our message to all construction SMEs struggling with late payment is, ‘don’t write off your debt’, look at legal ways to professionally recover it as, by improving credit flow, this will help put your business on a more stable financial footing.”

If Labour wins next year’s general election, there will be an end to umbrella companies and a full public inquiry into construction’s blacklisting scandal.

These are just two of the measures put forward by construction unions and agreed by the Labour Party’s national policy forum last weekend.

On blacklisting the Labour Party has agreed that: “If the current government will not launch a full inquiry into the disgraceful practice of blacklisting in the construction industry the next Labour government will. This inquiry will be transparent and public to ensure the truth is set out.”

The policy statement adopted on employment status in the construction industry is: “False self-employment in construction is a scandal that is costing the taxpayer hundreds of millions each year…..The next Labour government will put this right by tackling problems with the Construction Industry Scheme and setting criteria for deeming contracts in the construction industry for an individual’s personal service to be employment contracts for the purpose of both taxation and employment rights, and will abolish the loopholes in existing deeming measures, including through the use of umbrella and payroll companies.”

Other issues close to the hearts of construction union activists have also made it into Labour policy. For example, papers relating to the 1972 trial of the Shrewsbury pickets will be made public.

On pleural plaques it was agreed: “Labour will introduce legislation for a proper compensation scheme for sufferers of asbestosis and asbestos related conditions, ensuring they are given the payment they are duly owed without delay, by enshrining the levy on the insurance industry in law. This will secure a sustainable funding stream for compensation for victims and ongoing research into asbestos related diseases and their treatment. The compensation scheme will be extended to include pleural plaques should evidence be found to show pleural plaques are symptomatic.”

On the treatment of construction workers in Qatar it was agreed that: “Labour is appalled by the human rights abuses being perpetuated in Qatar and deprecates the system of sponsored employment known as the Kafala system; Labour calls on the Qatari authorities to adopt ILO Conventions of Freedom of Association and to ensure all migrant workers are covered by the standards contained in Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and legacy Worker’s Charter. If the Qatari authorities fail to take appropriate steps Labour will call for Qatar’s right to host the 2022 World Cup to be removed”.

Steve Murphy, general secretary of Ucatt, said: “Ucatt is delighted that Labour has agreed these commitments. Labour has listened to Ucatt concerns and the concerns of construction workers. The challenge will now be in ensuring they are implemented by securing a Labour victory at next year’s general election.”

Property sells faster in Cambridge than any other city in the UK, taking only 27 days on average to be marked as sold, according to leading real estate portal Rightmove.

The University and techno city is closely followed by London boroughs of Lewisham and Sutton both with 29 days and Waltham Forest with 31 days. Warwick at 33 days and St Albans at 34 days) also make the fastest selling top 10.

Overall the average time to sell has fallen to 65 days this year compared to 75 days in the same period in 2013 with properties across the country selling 10 days faster than this time last year.

In the slower selling markets properties could be for sale for an average of more than 100 days before a deal is made, with areas in Wales and the North making up the majority of the list.

Powys in Wales has the slowest selling properties, taking 113 days on average, followed by Gwynedd at 112 days and Sefton in Merseyside at 106 days.

The new data includes all properties that were changed to Sold Subject to Contract (SSTC) by agents during April to June 2014, and measures the interval of time since they were first listed for sale on Rightmove.

Although some of the slower towns have seen increases in time to sell compared with 2013, all regional averages have fallen showing the housing market recovery to be broad based.

The biggest falls year on year were in London with 32% drop from 60 to 41 days, the South East with a 22% drop from 65 to 51 days and the East with a 20% drop from 70 to 56 days. The North East sees the smallest fall of 2% from 90 to 88 days, followed by Wales with a 5% fall from 92 to 87 days.

‘This new data shows just how different the pace of the housing market is at a very local level, and clearly displays that speed is key for both buyers and sellers,’ said Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst.
‘Buyers want to know that they can be the first to find new properties on the market, and sellers expect to have their property marketed as quickly as possible to find a suitable buyer,’ he added.

Shipside pointed out that when selling a property you need to consider local market conditions to help set the asking price and ask your agent how soon they can have your property on the market.

‘Our study looks at the average time from first listing, to being confident enough in the buyer's ability to proceed, to actually mark it up as sold subject to contract. So although some sellers might find a potential buyer in a few days, the averages reflect the time taken to carry out thorough checks to minimise the risk of the sale falling through,’ he explained.
‘A good agent will establish proof of cash, ability to get a…

EDF Energy and trade unions have reached agreement on collective agreements for workers involved in building the proposed new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset.

The agreements with the unions GMB, Prospect, Ucatt and Unite, cover supervisors and support service workers as well as construction workers. They set the project's policies and culture for effective collaboration between all parties involved, including EDF Energy management, contractors, unions and the entire workforce, EDF said.

The agreements are for not just pay and productivity, but also industrial relations, recruitment, training, health and welfare, as well as skills development and workforce communications.

The new deal builds on an agreement signed between EDF Energy and the construction unions last year, giving a minimum craft rate of £13 an hour.

Approximately 5,600 people are expected to be employed on site at peak of construction on the £14bn project. EDF said that it was important to secure these agreements now, even though the project is still subject to a final investment decision, so that it and when the project does go ahead, it will stay on schedule.

EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz said: “These landmark agreements have been reached through constructive dialogue, with genuine commitment on all sides. The collective nature of these agreements is their most important feature, and they represent a new template for others to follow. They ensure that the Hinkley Point C project will benefit from excellent workforce relations, with everyone working as one team with a common approach agreed ahead of time.

“These progressive agreements are genuinely novel, and will help us ensure we have the right team of people in place to deliver the project.”

A leading piling specialist has issued a warning to main contractors and clients that, with construction industry recovery under way, they need to factor in longer lead times to avoid project delays.

Aarsleff UK is warning that the time between securing a contract and being able to mobilise on site is coming under strain as the number of contracts being let increases.

Managing director Chris Primett said: “Whilst it is great to see signs of recovery within the construction sector, the demand this presents on a finite pool of resources, positions occupied by the specialist contractor such as piling, is considerable. The ability to adapt to the rate of contracts available is not an easy one and has the potential to ultimately present itself on site.”

With lead times for many construction materials being stretched, with some block manufacturers quoting lead times of four months and longer, as well as for the services of the specialist contractors, Aarsleff says there are wider ramifications. “Any delays can cause problems on site but they could also threaten the rate of the UK’s recovery and possibly lead to swings in the price of construction products and services as a consequence of supply and demand.”

Mr Primett continued: “As well as a better appreciation by Tier 1 contractors and clients that longer lead times may be needed, there must also be a better understanding of the effects moving previously programmed start dates can have on a specialist contractor, as this might have quite a significant impact, especially for any follow-on-projects that may have been committed to. Piling, as the work of specialist contractors, has always been considered a long lead-time element and where these appear on the construction time-scale or pathway, they should be given due consideration and scheduling so that any delays do not to impact on the entire project.”

He acknowledged that suppliers and subcontractors had a role to play in preventing scheduling problems.  “It is important that specialist contractors clearly identify lead times and communicate these to clients from the outset of discussions,” he said. “This will allow projects to be planned better, with works scheduled and front-end elements like piling and ground works may even benefit from early contract placement to protect the entire project and remove them as the rate limiting step for future works on the construction pathway.”

Wellingborough-based construction training provider Citrus Training has acquired near neighbour Altitude Safety, which supplies safety equipment.

Altitude specialises in the sale, hire and servicing of personal protective equipment, breathing apparatus, gas monitoring and detection equipment, alcohol & drug testing kits, fall arrest systems and compressors.

“Altitude is a great fit for Citrus,” said Citrus managing director Wayne Taylor. “Both companies share similar philosophies with a passion for developing a culture of safety, understanding customer needs and exceeding expectations.”

Former Heathrow Airport chief executive Colin Matthews has been appointed non-executive chairman of the Highways Agency (HA).

He takes over from Alan Cook, who has been in post since 2011.

Mr Matthews will have to pilot the transformation of the Highways Agency into a government-owned company, assuming that the Infrastructure Bill that will do this is enacted before the next general election.  Mr Cook is credited with coming up with the reform plan.

An engineer by professional background, Colin Matthews has run various types of infrastructure businesses. Before joining BAA and subsequently Heathrow, his previous jobs include running gas company Transco, recruitment firm Hays and water company Severn Trent.

The new chairman will take up his post at the Highways Agency on 1 September 2014. He will be paid £130,000 for a minimum of 78 days’ work a year. This is more than Mr Cook has been getting – “to reflect the revised role, the challenges that the Highways Agency face in the coming years”, the government’s official statement said.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Colin Matthews’ appointment demonstrates the commitment we have to revolutionising our roads. His strong business record will give the new strategic highways company the leadership and focus on customer service it needs, which means taxpayers and road users will get a network fit for the future economic demands of this country.”

Mr Matthews said: “I am delighted to be taking up the chair of the Highways Agency. Roads matter to drivers and the economy. My focus will be on making them work better. Long-term stable investment will mean that all road users will be better able to get to their destination safely and quickly‎.”

Home values in half of the 100 largest metro areas in the United States will not reach their pre-recession peak levels again for another three plus years, it is claimed.

According to the second quarter Zillow Real Estate Market Report the residential real estate market recovery is still very much in its middle stages.

Nationally, home values remain 11.3% below their 2007 peak. Looking ahead, home values are expected to rise another 4.2% through the second quarter of 2015, according to the Zillow Home Value Forecast.

That means it will take 2.7 years for national home values to re-achieve their prerecession levels, assuming a steady rate of appreciation at the forecasted level.

Locally, in 50 of the nation's 100 largest metro markets, it will take three years or more for home values to reach prior peaks. Notable large metros where full recovery in home values will take longer than a decade include Minneapolis at 14.5 years, Kansas City at 12.5 years and Chicago at 11.7 years.

‘In dozens of markets home owners that bought at the peak of the market in 2006 or 2007 will have to wait until 2017 or later to get back to the breakeven point on their home, a lost decade in which they will have built up no home equity,’ said Stan Humphries, Zillow’s chief economist.

‘This is reflected in stubbornly high negative equity and effective negative equity rates, with more than a third of Americans with a mortgage lacking enough equity to realistically list their home for sale and buy another,’ he explained.

‘But there is a silver lining as we navigate these tricky middle innings of the recovery. Because home values remain so far below their peak levels in so many areas, it is still possible for buyers to find bargains. This will be critical to maintaining home affordability over the coming years, especially as mortgage interest rates rise,’ he added.

The report shows that home values climbed 6.3% year on year in the second quarter, the slowest annual pace of appreciation recorded so far this year and a sign that the market is returning to more normal levels.

In a more normal market, home values appreciate at roughly 3% per year. Home values nationwide were up 1% compared to the first quarter and 0.5% from May.

Nationally, rents rose 2.5% year on year in the second quarter but fell 0.3% compared to the first quarter. The quarterly decline was the largest recorded since Zillow first began publishing the Zillow Rent Index in late 2010. Rents were flat month on month.

At the current rate of house price growth of around 10% a year, the buyer of an average UK home will be subject to a 3% stamp duty tax rate before the end of 2016, new research shows.

This amounts to £7,500, an additional £5,000 when compared to the 1% band, stamp duty for a home costing £250,001, according to figures drawn up by haart estate agents.

The firm’s latest report also shows that the acute shortage of supply is easing as new homes for sale increase 5% annually and new buyer demand falls by 1.8%.

The June report also shows that property prices were up 1.9% month on month and 9.9% year on year taking the average price of a house to £204,429.

But on London the figures have soared, up 5.8% month on month and 20.3% year on year, taking the average prices of a home in the city to £490,595.

Prices seem to be having a knock on effect on the market with house sales down 0.7% month on month but up 9.2% compared with June 2013. Viewing are also down. Month on month viewings dropped 6.3% but are up 7.1% compared with a year ago.

Paul Smith, chief executive officer of haart, the UK’s largest independent estate agent, with a network of over 200 branches, said that if national property prices continue to increase at their current rate, the average price of a UK home will fall within the 3% stamp duty tax bracket before the end of 2016.

‘This means buyers forking out at least £7,500 on top of other costs when moving home. Where a property tips over into this 3% tax band, an extra penalty of at least £5,000 is incurred on any property priced over £250,001,’ he explained.

He pointed out that stamp duty bands have not moved upwards in line with house price inflation, a fact that successive governments have benefited from to the tune of £4.7 billion for 2012/2013. First time buyers, who pay an average £154,645, have no relief as they are already in the 1% stamp duty band.

‘The government, and the Bank of England, need to be careful not to overcool the market and by raising the stamp duty tax threshold could help keep the market fluid,’ added Smith.

He also pointed out that the new Mortgage Market Review measures are having an impact, but the new affordability tests and stricter scrutiny are applied at an early stage which means that only realistic buyers are considered and unrealistic ones are filtered out of the process quickly.

‘This explains the fall in buyer registrations by 1.8% annually UK wide but this is really a fall in unrealistic mortgage applicants being able to progress with no accompanying dip in average property prices or in annual UK sales. These are the first signs of the market undergoing a natural, cathartic process of self correction,’ he concluded.

The value of sporting property assets in the UK has increased by 32% over the last 10 years, led by grouse moors, according to a new Sporting Property Index from Knight Frank.

The Index tracks the 10 year change in value of rivers, moors and deer forests and of all of them grouse moors have shown the greatest rise in capital value with an increase of 49% over the past decade. Salmon rivers increased by 29%, followed by deer forests at 29% and lastly trout chalk streams at 16%.

Clive Hopkins, head of Knight Frank Farms and Estates, explained that the recession tore the heart out of the market in 2008 and 2009. ‘The first thing that suffers during an economic crisis is this kind of very expensive and very discretionary purchase. The fact that growth is positive at all shows how resilient an asset a specialist sporting estate is,’ he pointed out.

To reflect their diverse nature and levels of desirability, each asset in the index is also split into three categories; primary, secondary and tertiary.

Primary rivers are those considered trophy purchases, such as the best stretches of the Test or Itchen for trout, and the Spey, Tweed, Tay or Dee for salmon, and are often bought by ultra high net worth buyers.

Those in the secondary category, which for trout could include the Kennet and Lambourn, and the Findhorn and Oykel for salmon, still offer fantastic sport for the enthusiast, but don’t command as high a price premium.

The index report points out that Tertiary rivers may not be the most fashionable or provide large catch numbers, but are sought after by individuals or syndicates looking for a cost effective way to enjoy their passion. Examples include the Piddle and Frome chalk streams and the Doon or Thurso salmon rivers in Scotland.

A property maintenance firm has been prosecuted for failing to check a wood dust extractor in its joinery workshop.

Stockport-based High Peak Remedial Services Ltd was prosecuted by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) after it failed to comply with an enforcement notice requiring its wood dust extractor to be properly tested, as required every 14 months by law.

Trafford Magistrates’ Court heard that an HSE inspector issued an improvement notice during a routine visit to the Park Road workshop on 13 July 2013, after it emerged the company had not arranged a recent test of its extraction system.

The company was given just over eight weeks to comply with the enforcement notice, but asked for an extension on the day before it was due to expire. The firm was then given another four weeks to arrange a test but it again failed to meet the deadline.

High Peak Remedial Services Ltd, of Buxton Road in Stockport, was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,662 after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to comply with an Improvement Notice.

HSE inspector Emily Osborne said after the hearing: “High Peak Remedial Services put its employees’ health at risk by not arranging for its wood dust extraction system to be tested. We gave the firm several chances to arrange for an engineer to visit the workshop over a three-month period, but it failed to take any action. We therefore had no choice but to prosecute.”

First time buyers are being squeezed further out the market in the UK with house sales by this group down 20% in the last month alone, according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).

The NAEA’s June Housing Market Report shows that the number of first time buyers dropped to 20%, down from 25% in May 2014, a 20% decrease to the lowest level recorded since May 2013.

The first time buyer struggle is reflected in the age of this month’s house buyers, as those aged 18 to 30 represented just 3% of all house sales in June, the lowest percentage of young house buyers recorded by the NAEA to date.

Nearly 80% of NAEA member agents believe the recent announcement by the Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, on the cap on high risk mortgages, which will see only 15% of new mortgages at 4.5 times a borrower's income, will affect the number of first time buyers and home owners looking to move.

‘Things are getting even tougher for first time buyers. Not only do you now need to stump up ridiculously large sums of money in terms of deposits and stamp duty to be able to get on the ladder, but new rules mean buyers will also have to prove they can easily afford repayments now and in the future,’ said Mark Hayward, NAEA managing director.

‘Alongside this, a scaling back of the governments Help to Buy scheme and the implementation of the MMR in April will also have a significantly negative impact on the first time buyer market,’ he added.

There is some good news in this month’s NAEA housing report, as June saw an increase in the average number of properties available per NAEA member branch. Available properties increased to an average of 46 compared to 44 in May 2014.

But the number of properties available per member branch is still historically low, and has not reached above 50 per month since November 2013, and above 60 since May 2013.

The average number of house hunters registering with NAEA agents decreased slightly in June, from an average of 374 house hunters in May to 371 in June. However, NAEA member agents also reported a decrease in the average number of sales agreed per branch, down from 10 in May to nine in June.

The rising price of bricks helped producer Michelmersh Brick Holdings to increase its profits in the first half but there is little happening there to aid shortages in the construction industry.

In fact, stocks are now said to be “at their lowest level in living memory”.

Michelmersh sold 34 million bricks in the first six months of 2014, down from 35.2 million in the first half of 2013. But the average selling price was up 12.8% to £387 per thousand.

This meant that its half-year turnover grew 8% to £13.6m (2013 H1: £12.6m) and operating profit was £1.4m (2013 H1: £0.1m).

With much reduced finance costs, last year’s first-half pre-tax loss of £300,000 became a pre-tax profit of £1.3m.

Cost of production increased only marginally, with energy costs staying steady, gross profit margin increased to 33% for the period.

Chairman Eric Gadsden said that construction industry recovery was now spreading nationwide. “In the first half of last year the focus was very much on London and the South East, and whilst this remains an important long-term market for us, we have seen a spread of new work and RMI sector improvements at a national level. In addition we are continuing to gain quality new orders in Scotland and grow our market position there.”

He added: “The brick industry is benefiting from rising demand and we have now seen for the first time since 2008 signs of increased national brick prices with stocks at their lowest level in living memory. “

However, he said that there was little that brick producers could do in the short term to ramp up output to meet demand.

“Capacity in the industry is largely fixed and can only be increased through significant investment and the availability of appropriate consented mineral reserves, which requires long term planning,” he said. “Margins are still not at a level where the industry is enjoying normalised levels of return on capital such that there is adequate return for new investment in this vital industry. Brick manufacturing in the UK is in a state of flux as a result of the forces created by the long awaited reduction in national stocks, now at historic low levels, and improvement in demand against the backdrop of long-term under investment in the industry.”

Last week Wienerberger announced plans to increase its UK brick production capacity by 200 million bricks by the end of this year. (See previous report here.)

Renew Holdings has promoted engineering services director Paul Scott to its main board.

Mr Scott becomes only the third executive director on Renew’s board, alongside chief executive Brian May and finance director John Samuel.

Paul Scott, aged 49, has headed Renew’s nuclear contracting business, Shepley Engineers for seven years.

He reports to chief executive Brian May, who at 63 may be considering his succession strategy.

Chairman Roy Harrison said: "I am pleased to welcome Paul to the board of Renew. Over the last seven years, Paul has developed Shepley Engineers Ltd into the leading mechanical and electrical contracting business at Sellafield and since assuming the position of engineering services director in 2012, has successfully championed the integration and growth of our engineering services businesses whilst maintaining their independent brand strengths."

The number of first time buyers in the UK the first six months of 2014 reached their highest level since 2007, according to new research.

The bi-annual Halifax First Time Buyer Review shows that there were an estimated 144,500 first time buyers in the first six months of 2014, an increase of 25% on the same period last year and also the highest total for the same six months period since 2007.

For the third successive year the number of first time buyers, in the first half of the year, has been over 100,000, representing the strongest performance, for this period, since the start of the financial crisis.

First time buyer numbers also rose by more than the total number of home movers which increased 20% over the same period. They also increased their share of the home purchase market from 44% in the first half of 2013 to 46% in the same period this year, the highest proportion since 2000.

The review also says that mortgage affordability has also improved significantly in recent years. The proportion of disposable earnings devoted to mortgage payments by first time buyers stood at 31% in the first half of 2014, substantially below of the peak level of 47% in the first half of 2007 and below the long term average of 34%.

First time buyers are an important segment on the housing market, accounting for 46% of home purchases in the first six months of the year, up from 44% during the same period in 2013 and 40% in 2012,’ said Craig McKinlay, mortgages director at the Halifax.

‘The resurgence in the number of first time buyers getting on to the housing ladder has been buoyed by improving economic conditions, rising employment levels as well as government schemes such as Help to Buy, which have helped more first time buyers on to the housing ladder,’ he explained.

The data also shows that 60% of all first time buyer purchases in the first half of 2014 were above the £125,000 stamp duty threshold, this is up from 51% a year earlier. Nationally almost half, 48%, of home purchases by first time buyers were between £125,000 and £250,000, up from 44% from a year earlier.

However, there were significant regional variations in the prices paid by first time buyers. Only 1% in London did not pay any stamp duty, 10% in the South East and 23% in the South West.

In contrast, some 72% of first time buyers in the North bought a home below the lowest threshold, and therefore paid no stamp duty.

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) has produced a guide to the use of continuous flight auger (CFA) piling.

The document provides background information to the flighting mechanism, helping identify some of the situations where the risk of over-flighting is likely to occur. Over-flighting is piling jargon for when the auger is rotated too much and more soil is extracted than concrete pumped in to replace it. This can result in the ground beneath the piling rig become unstable.

The guide is available to download from the FPS website, www.fps.org.uk.

It is aimed not just at piling contractors but also geotechnical designers, planning supervisors and all those involved with the specification, selection and procurement of CFA piling. It sets out the options for where the risk of over-flighting has been identified. These include:

• A more substantial piling platform.
• Selection of a drill rig to ensure that torque and crowd combinations are compatible with auger rotation and rate of auger penetration into the ground. Where risk is particularly high then cased CFA may be considered.
• Review pile diameter, auger pitch and spacing parameters and central stem diameter. The use of an auger extension pole to increase pile depth is likely to increase risks.
• Over rotation during the concreting phase should be minimised and concrete overbreak or under break records should be scrutinised to ensure potential voids have been backfilled.
• Computer control systems can provide consistency of drilling and concreting controls when the most appropriate combination of parameters has been established.

Should these measures not mitigate the risks enough then alternative pile design or construction methods might be considered.

FPS chairman Martin Blower said: “CFA piling is widely used and there have been a number of notable rig overturns recently. What this document does is raise wider awareness of the potential risks of over-flighting, loss of support and stability of the working platform that may result in a piling rig or attendant crane overturning. More importantly, the document encourages robust risk management and the controls to be implemented to mitigate such risk.”

A developer has been sent to prison for 30 months after repeatedly breaching prohibition notices while redeveloping a former office block in Parkeston, Essex.

An inspector from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) visited the site on 28 February 2013 following complaints from local residents worried about debris falling from upper storeys and of the danger to workers at height.

Eze Kinsley, the developer who was found to be in control of workers at the site, intimidated the HSE inspector who visited. The inspector had to come back with police to serve prohibition notices requiring an immediate stop to unsafe work at the site. Mr Kinsley then assaulted the inspector.

After further reports that work had not stopped, HSE issued a further prohibition notice on 3 April 2013, which was breached within just one hour of being served.

Eze Kinsley, of Edgware, Middlesex, was today prosecuted by the HSE at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on 18^th July.

He was given a 30 months prison sentence after being found guilty of two breaches of section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, to be served concurrently with three 12-month prison sentences after being found guilty of three counts of contravening a prohibition notice contrary to section 33(1)(g) of the same Act. He was also ordered to pay costs of £5,000.

Mr Kinsley was found guilty of assaulting an inspector from HSE at a separate court appearance.

After the case, HSE inspector Jonathan Elven, said: “Although no one was injured as a result of the woefully inadequate working practices this is nevertheless a serious case.

“The working conditions on this site were truly appalling with absolutely no provision for workers’ safety. In addition, the repeated breaching of prohibition notices – without any attempts to put right the reasons why work had been stopped – put workers and the general public at serious risk.

“Mr Kinsley refused to accept that he had a responsibility to make sure people who worked for him, and any member of the public living or working near his site, were not subjected to unnecessary risks – and vigorously and violently resisted all attempts to make him take actions to protect them.”

A trend for down sizers is in the UK residential property market on the increase and set to continue over the next few years, it is claimed.

According to latest figures from Strutt & Parker's recent Housing Futures survey, some 52% of home owners between the age of 70 and 79 consider the need for a smaller home to be a key factor for moving house in the next five years.

It's a similar story for other age groups with 39% of home owners between 60 and 69 thinking about downsizing, and 22% of 50 to 59 year olds.

‘There is no doubt that downsizing is a consistent trend. Some 72% of the people we surveyed are planning on moving in the next five years,’ said Stephanie McMahon head of research at Strutt & Parker.

‘The UK has a housing shortage, however, we are also a nation of under occupiers and the move towards smaller homes will stay constant or increase over the coming years as the large group of UK baby boomers move into retirement and beyond,’ she explained.

According to Prudential, there are over two million downsizers which fit into the over 55s baby boomers category, often with grown up children owning properties worth in excess of £750,000. Rightmove has similarly profiled this generation as equity rich and cash poor, often looking to help family members by freeing up funds.

‘With the UK economic confidence returning, downsizers are sensing now is a good time sell after years of hesitating during the recession. Many are moving house to better suit their evolving needs both in terms of space and finance, or shrinking to share, save and spend,’ said James Mackenzie, head of the Country House Department at Strutt & Parker.

The firm says that this fresh stream of property for sale created by downsizers could ease current housing pressures by increasing supply and restricting further house price rises. ‘With average property asking prices remaining static between May and April, this trend may already be in motion,’ it concludes.

A passion for gardening is taking root amongst a new generation of home owners in the UK with many adopting a Good Life style, according to new research.

The Lloyds Bank Insurance Britain at Home report shows that home owners aged 25 to 34 year olds spent an average of £647 on their outdoor spaces in the past year, nearly double the average UK spend of £366.

Some 29% said that this expenditure is driven by a love for gardening, for 19% it is entertaining guests outside and 14% aim to increase their property's value.

The third Britain at Home report also shows that 19% of the new green fingered generation now owns a greenhouse and 29% have invested in new trees, plants and flowers for their gardens in the past year.

As gardening programmes and the trend for growing your own vegetables undergo a renaissance, some 34% of all home owners say they are spending more time improving their outdoor spaces, while 33% admit they are spending more money on doing so compared to five years ago.

The study also found that money is not just being spent on horticultural items either, with the most popular accessories for the garden now including outdoor furniture, owned by 81% of British home owners, barbecues by 49%, bicycles 37% and trampolines 10%.

‘We've witnessed a real return to homeliness, with everything from gardening, baking and cookery, to knitting and crafts coming back in style. It's interesting that this trend is growing against the rise of technology and in a post recessionary climate. There is a sense of holding on to traditional pastimes in an increasingly fast paced, modern society,’ said Frances Tophill, horticulturalist and presenter of ITV's Love Your Garden.

‘With the current waiting list to snag an allotment longer than that of any new restaurant, there is no doubt that gardening is growing in popularity among a younger generation and people are enjoying spending more time outside,’ added Tophill.

Despite home owners' willingness to spend time and money on their outdoor spaces, 37% admit that they do not have a secure lock for their garden and 24% admit none of their outdoor items are insured.

‘With a blossoming culture of green-fingered outdoor enthusiasts, the value of our gardens may be higher than we think, especially once everything from tools and toys to bikes, furniture and flower beds is taken into consideration,’ said Tim Downes, senior claims manager, Lloyds Bank Insurance.

‘With the latest crime figures showing over a million thefts from gardens and outdoor spaces took place in the year to September 2013, home owners should make sure their outdoor spaces are covered by their insurance policies, and securely locked,’ he added.

Property sales in Spain increased by 12.6% in May compared with the previous month with the Balearics seeing the biggest increases, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Office.

The data also shows that new home sales were down 8% from a year earlier and second hand homes up by 16% which could be good news for those who have been unable to sell.

The biggest annual increases in May were in the Balearics with a rise of 33.1, Cantabria was up 30.4%, Andalucia was up 10.7% and Catalonia was up 3.1%.

The biggest decreases were reported in Castilla-La Mancha with a fall of 15.2%, Galicia with a fall of 6% and Comunidad de Madrid was down 5.5%.

Meanwhile, the latest figures from the General Council of Notaires shows a sharp rise in the number of Chinese buyers in Spain, suggesting that they are responding to the golden visa rules which grant citizenship to non European Union nationals who invest a minimum of €500,000 in real estate.

Looking at non-resident demand for Spanish property in the first quarter of this year broken down by nationality, and comparing it to the same time last year, Chinese demand increased by 666%.

But Mark Stucklin of Spanish Property Insight pointed out that while no other country comes close, it has to be said that Chinese demand started from a low base of less than 10 sales in the first quarter of 2013, rising to 69 sales in the first quarter of this year.

The next best performer in terms of non-resident demand growth since the Spanish Golden Visa scheme came into force last year was the United States with an increase of 143%.

The only other country with an increase of more than 100% was Argentina, up 115% to 28 sales, once again starting from a very low base.

Big increases in purchases by non-residents from countries outside the EU are likely to be driven by golden visa buyers. ‘However, the Spanish golden visa scheme has not been a great success since it was launched last year, partly because it is still early days, but mainly because competitors like Malta and Portugal offer more attractive golden visa packages,’ said Stucklin.

Skills shortage concerns in the UK construction industry now stand at their highest level since 2008, the latest quarterly survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors shows.

Some 54% of respondents said there are insufficient numbers of quantity surveyors currently available to meet workloads, up from 41% in the first quarter of the year.

The figures, also show that private housing, commercial and industrial sectors are driving strong growth across the whole of the UK, with particularly encouraging performance in the Midlands, which saw workloads rise at a record pace of 57% net balance.

However, there is a shortage of white and blue collar workers with 59% of respondents reporting shortages of bricklayers and 51% reported a shortage of managerial workers.

There are also difficulties in the sourcing of some key building materials. Brick imports were 63% higher than in the second quarter of 2013 and this is likely to result in upward pressure on costs and prices, while also presenting a challenge to further strong growth in the sector.

Despite this, employment prospects for the sector remain firm, as the industry gets to grips with meeting rapidly rising demands from a historically low base. Across the whole of the UK, a net balance of 60% of respondents expect employment to rise over the next 12 months, with London and the South East outperforming the rest of the UK and Northern Ireland's employment prospects steadily improving at 31%.

‘The UK construction market is mirroring the natural consequence of a rise in demand after five subdued years. The upsurge in housing demand is creating pressure across an industry which failed to invest in attracting new talent or in the training of existing employees at the height of the economic downturn and this in turn is creating similar effects among material supply,’ said Alan Muse, RICS director of Built Environment.

‘The good news is that there is reason for optimism, with workloads, profits and employment all forecast to deliver growth over the next 12 months and it is now the responsibility of industry to invest in training and technology to ensure it capitalises on these opportunities,’ he added.

Skanska UK has reported a strong rise in first-half revenues and profits but has once again seen its margins squeezed a little further.

In the first six months of 2012, Skanska UK made an operating margin of 3.6%. Last year it was down to 3.2%. This year it is 3.1%.

However, it was still a strong first half performance for Skanska UK’s construction business, as it made an operating profit of £19.9m, up 14% on 2103’s first half operating profit of £17.5m. Revenue was up by an even healthier 20% to £651.4m (£12013 H1:£545m).

New orders also grew strongly. In the first six months of 2014, £858.8m of orders were booked by Skanska. This includes the £250m redevelopment of the Worthy Down, Hampshire and Deepcut Surrey barracks for the Ministry of Defence, and Creechurch Place, a new £95m commercial property development in the City of London.

Skanska UK president and CEO Mike Putnam said: “Our order bookings equate to a book to build ratio of 132%. Any figure greater than 100% is good as it means we are taking in more bookings than revenue. We are in the process of recruiting an additional 1,500 people to fill new roles as a result of this success.”

The outlook for the year as a whole is positive, said Putnam: “We have a very strong pipeline of work, which includes preferred bidder status for Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.”

Projects completed so far in 2014 include the construction of Bath Spa University’s ‘commons’ building, Crossrail’s Western Ticket Hall Box at Bond Street Station, two sections of the M25 and the Alexandra Wing of the Royal London Hospital. In the City of London, Skanska has completed commercial developments Moorgate Exchange and 6 Bevis Marks, as well as the refurbishment of Aldermanbury Square.

Mothballed brick factories in Worcestershire and Surrey are to be reactivated to help meet UK brick shortages.

Austrian company Wienerberger, which has 14 plants in the UK, said that it plans to increase its brick production capacity by 200 million bricks before the end of this year, creating 120 new jobs in the process.

Wienerberger will be implementing the capacity increases by bringing factories at Hartlebury and Ewhurst back into action and investing in technology upgrades. It will also supplement UK production by increasing imports.

Managing director Harald Schwarzmayr said: “This capacity increase shows our absolute commitment to ensuring that enough new housing is built to meet the requirements of the market. The UK needs a minimum of 200,000 new homes to be built each year, approximately 35,000 more than will be started in 2014. With our capacity increases equating to approximately 25,000 homes each year, Wienerberger is capable of manufacturing the core material for more than 70% of that extra housing requirement needed.”

Former Kier chief executive Paul Sheffield has been appointed managing director of Laing O’Rourke’s Europe Hub and a member of the group executive committee.

Mr Sheffield handed in his notice at Kier in February after 31 years with the company. (See previous report here.) Aged 52, he had joined Kier as a graduate engineer in 1983 and rose to the top job in April 2010.

He was on an annual salary of £481,000 at Kier, with entitlement to receive a cash bonus of up to 100% of that basic salary, taking his package towards a cool million. It was clearly not enough to keep him in post.

His resignation after just four years in charge came as a surprise, especially as he had only recently led the acquisition of May Gurney. He officially departed at the end of June and starts his new job in October.

At Laing O’Rourke Paul Sheffield will have executive responsibility for leading the development and delivery of the group’s growth agenda in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Middle East. He will report to group chief executive Anna Stewart, who said: “During this period of industry transformation, there is no better person to lead the development of Laing O’Rourke’s Europe Hub than Paul Sheffield.  He is a proven leader with hard core engineering and construction skills, industry vision and the ability to unite people behind that vision.  His passion for how the construction industry can positively influence the world around us is exactly what Laing O’Rourke needs as we enter our next chapter of innovation and growth.

“With a broad executive remit, he will spearhead the Europe Hub strategy to get closer to our customers by delivering the inherent benefits of our unique business offering.  As one of the few remaining civil engineers to lead a major international contractor, his experience of successfully running complex businesses will greatly benefit the group as we evolve our strategic focus towards expanding the opportunities to deploy our Design for Manufacture and Assembly approach.”

Commenting on his new role, Paul Sheffield said, “To make real progress towards the ambitions set out last year in the UK government’s industrial strategy for construction in 2025, businesses need to have the courage to find ways of doing things differently.  The 30% time and 50% cost savings targeted will not be achieved by incremental change alone.   Recent investments in innovation, manufacturing and engineering excellence at Laing O'Rourke have shown that they have the ambition to lead this change agenda and to drive it at a pace that I have not seen in any other business in the industry. I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to be at the forefront of this paradigm shift in the way our industry works, and am very much looking forward to meeting the team and getting started in October.”

Chairman Ray O’Rourke said: “We are absolutely delighted that Paul has agreed to join us and lead the development of our international businesses across the Europe Hub.  He is one of the leading figures in our industry and has an outstanding reputation in business development, corporate leadership and construction delivery. The opportunity ahead for Laing O’Rourke is huge, but in order to seize it, we must have clear focus, move at pace, while continually innovating and transforming our customer offering.  Paul possesses the skills and experience to help make this happen and the Board is looking forward to working with him.”

Former Arup Group chairman Sir Philip Dilley has been confirmed as the next chairman of the Environment Agency.

He was nominated for the post by ministers last month but the appointment had to be approved by the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee. This approval has now been given.

Sir Philip will take up the £100,000-a-year post in September, when the term in office ends of Lord Smith of Finsbury, the former culture secretary.

The committee questioned the civil engineer about his previous experience and suitability for the role, considering his business skills, dealings with government and media-facing experience.

Sir Philip Dilley is expected to spend two or three days a week on the job, which employs around 10,600 staff and is the frontline service for flood protection, environmental regulation and water resource management.

Committee chair Anne McIntosh said: “We are satisfied that Philip Dilley has the professional competence and personal independence required for the post of chair of the Environment Agency. We wish Mr Dilley every success in his new post.”

Network Rail is planning the biggest transformation of Cardiff Central station since it was first built in the 1850s.

Options are being explored for a major redevelopment of the station during its next five-year funding period, which starts in 2019. The plans are likely to see an extension to the Grade II listed building.

Signalling technology in the Cardiff area is already being upgraded and work has also started to electrify the line from Swansea to London.

But with passenger numbers forecast to grow 69% over the next decade and 145% by 2043, the station is not ready for the rising demand.

The remit for the initial design work, by Powell Dobson Architects, has been to integrate the historic elements of the station into a new building with a bigger concourse and improved connectivity to platforms. There will also be more shops, cafes and sandwich bars.

Network Rail says its wants the station to be not just a place people travel through on their way to somewhere else but “a destination in its own right serving the local community emerging around it”.

The site redevelopment proposals also envisage a new multi-storey car park, commercial developments on the existing south side and Saunders Road car parks and an enhanced transport interchange and public realm.

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Morgan Sindall’s housing development arm, Lovell, has opened a new office in Hampshire as part of a southern expansion drive.

Headed by newly-appointed area manager Bob Birch, who joins the company from residential developer Mansell, Lovell’s new office is on the Solent Business Park in Whiteley, Fareham.

The southern area team expects to build in the region of 150 homes in the next 12 months, with numbers set to increase over the next five years as it consolidates its market presence in Hampshire, Dorset, West Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and Wiltshire. Lovell currently has 25 office- and site-based workers operating out of the Fareham office and more than 150 subcontractor staff working on its local sites.

Schemes for Lovell in the region include a £30m regeneration programme for Southampton City Council at three city estates where the company is building 221 homes.

“As the housing market continues to recover, we are in an excellent position to build on that success and help deliver the quality new homes which are so badly needed across the South of England,” said Mr Birch, who has also previously worked for Barratt and St George.

He added: “Alongside building new open market and affordable homes, we see major opportunities in the development of new housing for armed forces personnel and in the field of extra care housing where we have considerable expertise. There will also be opportunities to work with our sister company Morgan Sindall Investments on its large-scale joint venture regeneration partnership projects in Bournemouth and Slough.”

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has introduced a new system for employers to complete their levy returns.

The new levy calculation process, designed to make life easier for companies, was approved by the CITB board yesterday.

Following an 18-month consultation with industry and  research with employers, the new process has been designed  by a levy working party (LWP) – a group of industry representatives tasked with looking at how to simplify the levy process.

The new scheme:

• maintains PAYE levy at 0.5%
• brings to an end the raising of levy on payments to labour-only subcontractors
• introduces a levy on payments made to net (taxed) CIS subcontractors, using figures already provided by employers to HMRC
• increases the size of the small business levy reduction from £100,000 to £300,000
• removes the labour-only payments received offset mechanism, which CITB says affects fewer than 10% of all employers.

The CITB says that all registered employers will receive a letter from next week, explaining the changes and the possible impact on their business.

CITB head of levy and grant Douglas Matthew said: “The changes have come in response to feedback from employers. They told us that the current process is complicated, time-consuming and can lead to extra administration costs.

“More than 22,000 employers currently pay the levy so it is important that we have the right system in place. Using figures provided by employers on their 2014 levy returns, we believe that under the new arrangements 84% of employers are likely to pay the same or less levy. Where companies face an increase in their payments, we will work closely with them to help them through the transition.

“To give all employers time to prepare for the new arrangements, the changes will not be implemented until 2017.”

For full details on the levy changes, see the CITB website.