Morgan Sindall Professional Services (MSPS) is looking to strengthen its capabilities in engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm).

It has recruited Fluor operations manager Peter Chenery to be project control and programme director for EPCm work.

At Fluor he headed up multi-million pound, global projects from concept, through to design, procurement and construction.

Mr Chenery said that his immediate priorities were to boost the project controls focus of MSPS. “Working within a multidisciplinary, design and engineering consultancy I will be able to use the full breadth of my skills and experience to centralise project management, ensuring further efficiency in planning, scheduling and budget control,” he said.

MSPS managing director Richard Webster said: “This new role, coupled with Peter’s extensive experience, particularly with leading pharmaceutical and life-science clients, will provide our clients with clear, reliable and efficient project delivery programmes.”

Morgan Sindall has specialist engineering and process design skills in biotechnology, R&D and manufacturing.  MSPS has offices in Manchester, London, Glasgow, Stratford-upon-Avon and Switzerland.

Andy Sneyd of Crown House Technologies has been elected president of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) for 2014/15.

Mr Sneyd is a chartered engineer and a fellow of the Chartered Institution of Building. As head of design at Crown House Technologies, a subsidiary of Laing O’Rourke, he manages the design and engineering aspects of mechanical, electrical and plumbing projects worth £300m annually and controls a design budget of more than £20m.

The B&ES said that he brought to the presidency “a profound understanding of a range of professional cultures, along with an ability to build and maintain complex stakeholder relationships”.

Jim Marner of Shepherd Engineering Services has become president elect and Malcolm Thomson of Enigma Environmental Services is vice president. Bruce Bisset of Galloway Group will serve as immediate past president for the next 12 months.

The Treasury has approved construction of a new £353m hospital in Smethwick, to be funded by both the public and private sector through the new PF2 private finance route.

The announcement coincided with a visit today by chancellor George Osborne to Rowley Regis Hospital – part of Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mr Osborne has approved £100m of state funding upfront for the project and sanctioned the trust to seek a PF2 partner to take it forward.

The new Midland Metropolitan Hospital will bring together acute services on to one site, promoting better patient safety and a patient experience while ensuring the best value for money for the taxpayer.

The 670-bed hospital in Grove Lane, Smethwick, is being built over 16 acres on a former heavy industrial site. It will have approximately 80,000 square metres of floor space and will replace Sandwell Hospital in West Bromwich and City Hospital in Winson Green.

The trust expects to select a private sector partner next year, which will in turn select its main contractor for the building works.

Construction of is expected to start in 2016 and be completed by 2019.

Imposing lending restrictions on the buy to let mortgage market in the UK could have damaging consequences for landlords and the supply of rental properties, it is claimed.

According to tenant eviction and rent recovery firm Landlord Assist, changes to the mortgage lenders conditions could make it more difficult to find a buy to let loan or to remortgage an existing deal.

The Bank of England recently told banks not to give more than 15% of new home loans to home buyers borrowing more than 4.5 times their annual income. It also told lenders to perform stricter tests to ensure borrowers can repay their loans when interest rates start to rise.

Although lending in the buy to let market wasn’t covered by the tougher rules announced by the Bank of England, it is believed that the rental sector is to be closely monitored to ensure private landlords don’t take on debts they may struggle to repay.

‘The banks are being asked not to provide a loan of greater than 4.5 times income for the vast majority of their loans and being asked to stress test applications to see if people can afford the mortgage if interest rates were to go up by 3%,’ said Graham Kinnear, managing director at Landlord Assist.

‘Whilst this is in place for the owner occupier market we can see a situation where this is, in some form or another, extended to the buy to let market as well. Clearly, we do not advocate landlords taking loans out which they can’t afford when interest rates go up but it is important that the income those properties generate is included within any affordability calculations,’ he added.

Stephen Parry, commercial director at Landlord Assist, pointed out that many landlords have no employed income but have a property portfolio which pays the mortgages and provides them with a surplus as an income. ‘We would not want to see these people struggling to remortgage onto competitive rates should they wish to do so,’ he said.

Landlord Assist is concerned that imposing restrictions on lending in the buy to let market could reduce the supply of rental accommodation in the UK at a time when it is most needed.

‘There is a strong and growing rental sector and there is a clear need for the amount of available property to rent to increase to meet this growing demand. Making buy to let borrowing more difficult could have the reverse effect and leave the market in a painful cycle of increasing rents and reduced choice,’ added Kinnear.

Prime property prices in Scotland were 2.8% higher in the second quarter of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013, according to the latest data to be published.

At the end of June 2014, there were six potential buyers registered for each available property and stock levels were 36% higher than at the end of the first quarter, the data from Knight Frank shows.

It also shows that the volume of prime property for sale in Scotland has increased steadily through 2014 but warns that buyers are becoming more cautious in the run up to the referendum on independence in September.

Overall country house prices were unchanged in the second quarter of the year, following three consecutive quarters of price growth but on an annual basis prime property values in Scotland are 2.8% higher.

The greater choice available to buyers ensured that the number of property viewings taking place between April and June was 3% higher year on year.

However, there are signs that buyers are becoming more reluctant to enter the market with the referendum just around the corner. The number of individuals looking to purchase a prime country home in Scotland was 25% lower at the end of the second quarter compared to the same time last year, reflecting the uncertainty caused by the referendum.

‘There is some hesitancy on the part of buyers to get involved with the market until the question over Scottish independence has been answered. This is especially true for buyers from outside of Scotland, who are waiting until after the result of the referendum is announced in September,’ said Ran Morgan, head of Knight Frank’s Scottish residential department.

‘However, an increase in the number of homes available for sale is good news for those who are looking to move as it affords them greater choice in their home search. And while activity and interest from buyers has been greatest for homes worth up to £1 million, we have noticed a rise in interest for properties priced above this, with the sale of the Auch and Invermearan Estate in Argyllshire and Perthshire for over £10 million a particular highlight,’ he added.

While prices remained static across all regions over the course of the quarter, there are regional variations in price performance for prime Scottish homes over the year to June 2014. The Scottish Borders and the Central region lead the way with growth of 5.8% and 3.2% respectively.

The luxury property market in Spain’s Balearic Islands has seen an encouraging start to the year with demand from wealthy buyers reported as being well up on 2013.

Ibiza is seeing the biggest upswing, according to Glynn Evans, managing director of Ibiza Sotheby's International Realty, with interest being generated by a constant stream of luxury lifestyle news items relating to the island.

He pointed out that Ibiza is now thought to have the most expensive restaurant in the world with the Sublimotion restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel charging €1,500 euros per head for 20 courses. Also Michelin star chefs Ferran and Albert Adria of elBulli fame, have just announced that they're opening a new restaurant in Ibiza in 2015.

The 16th edition of the annual Gumball 3000 Rally concluded in Ibiza in June bringing supercars and supermodels to the island, the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship is on its way for a three day Grand Prix in September and the port of Ibiza it so have an €8 million facelift to create a much improved super yacht haven.

‘It's not just hearsay anymore that the island can rival the French Riviera in terms of cuisine, ambience and cool factors. ‘We're attracting buyers who have previously had homes in the South of France but are selling up and moving to Ibiza. The celebrities are also coming early this year, we've had Naomi Campbell, Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Moss, Enrique Iglesias, David Silva, Paz Vega, all in the past few weeks, and it all adds up to Ibiza being a very desirable place to own a second home,’ explained Evans.

‘Halfway through 2014 the island's luxury property market is in a very encouraging state. At the high end, there have already been in excess of 25 transactions for villas priced over €2 million, some with which we've had direct involvement, others where we have gained specific knowledge. There will undoubtedly be further high end sales that haven't been openly publicised,’ he said.

The firm is seeing unprecedented demand, up more than 50% on 2013, and Evans said it has already sold its target number of €2 million plus villas for the whole of 2014.

‘Although it's hard to evidence, particularly with the notoriety of Spanish statistics, prices are on an upward trajectory. The volume is really too low at the high end to draw proper year on year comparisons, but recently we had two parties fighting over the same house and one offered €150,000 over the asking price to seal the deal. Likewise, I would very much love to have some of last year's sold property still on our books, as I am sure they would achieve higher prices today,’ he pointed out.

He also explained that British buyers are still predominant, followed by a more even spread of Germans, French and Dutch. Generally interest is from Europe, and there has not been a rise in buyers from China and Russia attracted by Spain’s golden visa programme which grants citizenship…

Developer Lateral Property Group has submitted plans for a £135m retail development and stadium complex with Wakefield Council.

The 10,000 capacity stadium will be home to Castleford Tigers Rugby League Club. The shops will pay for it.

Lateral Property is looking to develop a site at Glasshoughton, next to Junction 32 of the M62.

GMI Construction is already lined up as contractor for the project. The aim is to start construction in summer 2015, subject to planning permission.

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Average house prices across the UK now exceed 2007 levels, however some indicators suggest that the pace of growth may be set to slow with new mortgage rules adding a dampener.

UK house prices rose by 1% in June, and are now 11.8% higher on an annual basis but the latest house price sentiment index from Knight Frank and Markit suggests there is an easing of expectations for future price growth.

The value of an average home has risen by £20,000 or 11.8% over the last year. Data from Nationwide shows that the value of an average property in the UK is now £188,903, above the pre-crisis peak levels seen in 2007.

However there are still large regional variations in the pace of growth, with London prices up 26% over the year while property in Yorkshire and Humberside has risen in value by 7% over the same period, Knight Frank says in its latest UK residential update report.

This rapid rise in prices has been identified by Sir John Cunliffe, deputy governor of the Bank of England, as the biggest threat to the UK economy. He said that prices rising faster than earnings led to the risk of rising consumer debt which the bank sees as a threat to stability.

His colleagues have been active around mortgage credit in recent weeks, with a much anticipated announcement by the central bank’s Financial Policy Committee that it would step in and apply curbs on new home loans. From October, lenders will have to limit the number of loans they advance where the value of the mortgage exceeds 4.5 times a borrower’s annual income.

Lenders will have to ensure than 85% of their loans are under this 4.5 limit. It added that lenders should apply stress testing to ensure that borrowers can still afford their monthly mortgage repayments if interest rates climbed by 3%.

The impact of the changes may be limited on a national level, coming shortly after the new MMR mortgage rules which had already tightened up the application process. In addition, many mortgage lenders already carry out ‘stress tests’ to check that new borrowers can still make repayments. However, the limiting of loans advanced at 4.5 times income could have an effect on the London market, which has seen a sharp rise in the number of loans advanced at this level.

The report also points out that the measure of the price growth anticipated by households across the UK fell by the biggest margin since 2011 in June this year. Londoners’ expectations for growth moderated for the second month in a row.

‘There is increasing expectation that interest rates will start to rise before the end of the year, and this, coupled with more downbeat economic news from Europe, has helped push sterling to near six year highs against a basket of currencies. Indeed, the UK’s economic growth is looking fairly solid on the global stage. The size of the UK economy will overtake that of France before…

One in five people in Briton is planning or considering a property purchase in the next two years and 77% will share the purchase with a partner, relative or friend, according to new research.

Affordability is the main reason for a joint purchase cited by one in four, the research by Santander Insurance has found. It also found that 39% of these transactions will be between friends, family members, and unmarried couples.

Some 22% of those who are planning or considering a joint purchase in the next two years are doing so with their unmarried partner while 13% will share the purchase with their parents and 4% expect their home purchase to be made jointly with someone else such as a friend or other relative.

This contrasts with current figures where just 7% of people own a home with an unmarried partner, 3% with their parents and 2% with a friend or other relative.

Santander’s study highlights that almost half, some 44% of existing joint home owners have no life insurance cover and a further 27% of those who are planning or considering joint home ownership have no plans to buy it.

The research also shows that of those planning a joint purchase, unmarried couples are almost twice as likely as married couples, 39% versus 21%, to do so without life insurance.

Santander is reminding all joint home owners, regardless of their relationship, of the importance of life cover, to ensure co-owners, family and dependents are protected, should something happen to either party.

The main reason for buying jointly, cited by 23%, was that shared ownership is the only way they can get a foot on the ladder. Only a fifth, 21%, of those planning a joint purchase will do so simply because they want to live with the other person and 16% will buy jointly because it will leave them less financially stretched.

Also, some 15% will do so in order to afford a bigger property and 9% of those hoping to buy jointly in the next two years say their main motivation is taking advantage of a good investment opportunity.

‘Sharing the purchase of a property, whether that’s with friends, family or a partner, is a great way to spread the financial burden of home ownership. Most people entering into a home purchase will be looking to keep costs down, but we’d urge people not to cut corners when it comes to life cover, as it provides a vital safety net for those around you,’ said Alan Mathewson, head of Santander Insurance.

When asked how they would cover the remaining financial commitments in the event that the person they own a home with was unable to make them, only 38% said they would do so through their own financial means. A quarter say they would rely on the other person’s life insurance, 17% would be forced to sell the property and 9% would seek financial help from family and friends while 6% of those questioned…

Plans for a new Tottenham Hotspur Football Club stadium have moved forward after the government approved the site acquisition deal.

Ministers have agreed with a compulsory purchase order (CPO) made by the London Borough of Haringey, which will enable the project to go ahead.

Building a new 56,000-seater stadium next door to its current White Hart Lane home is part of a wider regeneration plan for the area – the £400m Northumberland Development Project.

More than 95% of the three hectare site has already been acquired by agreement and work has already begun on the first of three phases of the redevelopment plan. The order was requested to allow the final two phases to proceed and follows a public inquiry.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles said: “This scheme is supported by the locally determined development plan for the area and has received strong local support.

“The redevelopment proposals have had far reaching support from local MPs, the London Mayor’s champion for Tottenham and the chairman of the Independent Tottenham Taskforce.

“They all consider the project important for bringing much needed private investment into one of the most disadvantaged areas of London.”

Construction industry output fell by 1.1% in May 2014 but remains around 3.5% higher than in May 2013, according to latest official estimates.

Having increased by 1.2% in April, output dropped back again the following month, latest data from the Office for National Statistics reveal. Both new work and repair & maintenance fell by 1.1% in May 2014.

Compared with May 2013, output in the construction industry increased by 3.5%. Year-on-year all new work and repair & maintenance both increased by 3.7% and 3.1% respectively.

The main driver of this recent growth is housing construction which has increased by 19.4%.

There were notable year-on-year falls in infrastructure, public other new work and private commercial.

Housing new work provided the largest contribution to the increase in all new work compared with May 2013, with both public and private housing seeing substantial increases of 29.3% and 16.8% respectively. This resulted in all new housing increasing by 19.4%. Private industrial new work also increased compared with 2013.

While output has fluctuated from month to month, the industry has now seen year-on-year growth for 12 consecutive months

Month-on-month, the fall in construction output in May was driven mainly by private commercial work which fell by 3.6%, and repair & maintenance which fell by 1.1%. New housing output, which includes both public and private housing, increased for the third consecutive month, experiencing growth of 1.1% driven entirely by the public housing component.

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Commenting on the data, Turner & Townsend UK managing director Steve McGuckin said: "The surprise reversal of April's growth comes as a timely reality check for the construction industry. Order books and levels of confidence are both strong, but despite the great progress made in the past year, no-one should take the momentum for granted.

"Month-on-month figures are notoriously volatile and should be taken with a healthy pinch of salt; but the sustained fall in infrastructure output – down more than 8% in a year – cannot be explained away so easily.

 "The booming residential sector has been the engine of the wider construction industry's growth, and with demand still strong it has plenty of road left to run. Even if house prices are close to peaking in the southeast, sales are robust and housebuilders are unlikely to suffer much in the short-term. Many construction firms have over two years' worth of orders on their books, and more than enough momentum to keep building.

"In fact a plateauing of house prices could be a good thing – it should reduce the inflationary pressure of off-plan speculative purchases and allow the industry to rebalance to build a wider range of properties.

 "But while sectors other than residential are showing some encouraging signs, the construction industry as a whole is still worryingly reliant on housebuilding. That leaves it exposed to the impact of inevitable interest rate rises. The construction industry is responding well to Britain's urgent need for more homes, but its growth must become more broadly based if it is to ride out any bumps on the road ahead."

The proportion of part time UK landlords who supplement their day job with rental income has reached its highest ever level according to new research.

The National Landlords Association, (NLA) says that part time landlords now make up more than 70% of the sector.

A fifth of these landlords are so encouraged by the current rental market that they intend to add to their property portfolio this year.

A typical part time landlord has on average four properties and generates an annual gross rental income of £31,000. However, a quarter of this income is spent on property or portfolio related maintenance costs.

More than four in 10 of these landlords have used buy to let finance to fund their lettings portfolio, and almost 40% of all landlords agree that it’s getting easier to access buy to let mortgages.

However, four in five landlords agree that the market would benefit from more buy to let lenders and greater competition.
The NLA has launched new guidance to support the growing number of part time or amateur landlords who are considering a new investment or planning to expand their portfolio.

‘Private landlords put an estimated £20 billion into providing homes the UK and we know that more and more people are looking to buy to let as an alternative means of saving for the future,’ said Carolyn Uphill, chairman of the NLA.

‘Being a landlord can be very rewarding but it’s vital that anyone considering a move in to buy to let, or indeed looking to expand their portfolio, is thoroughly researched and aware of what it involves. A part time landlord typically has a day job so it can be a very challenging task to keep on top of managing and maintaining homes for people whilst juggling the demands of daily life,’ she explained.

‘As the leading landlord association we have a duty to ensure that new and prospective investors identify as landlords and know they can rely on us as a source of valuable information and advice. Our new guidance does just that and will provide everything you need to consider when looking for a new investment or expanding your portfolio, as well as tips on how to run your lettings business effectively and profitably,’ she added.

£200,000 • ERECTION OF 3NO. CONNECTED STORAGE UNITS TO THE REAR OF THE PROPERTY FOR TEMPORARY PERIOD DURING REFURBISHMENT OF EXISTING BUILDING.

£100,000 • Installation of new shopfront. Erection of infill extension over ground to third floor levels to house new lift shaft and stairwell. Installation of glazed roof over existing courtyard and use of flat roofs as terraces. Extension to existing plant room at

£300,000 • Erection of commercial building (B1,B2,B8) car dealership with trade counter and formation of associated car parking area

£100,000 • Demolition of existing house and proposed erection of two new detached dwellings.

£100,000 • Change of use from offices to 2 flats.

£100,000 • Demolish existing store on south elevation and erect part single/part two storey extension to form office (Class B1) at ground floor and office (Class B1) at first floor with 1.8m high screen to first floor balcony area, Demolish shed to north elevation a

£100,000 • Convert stable/garage building into dwellinghouse and erect single strorey extension to front and rear elevations, dormer extension to side elevation with canopy

£5,000,000 • Erection of 69 two, three and four bedroom dwelling houses with associated parking, landscaping and boundary treatments

£1,400,000 • Sub-division and extension to existing DIY retail warehouse to create new format B and Q DIY retail warehouse and new Morrisions foodstore with associated external alterations.

£400,000 • Erection of 5, four-bedroom homes, with associated gardens, garages, landscaping and access.

£100,000 • Installation of new shopfronts and roller shutters

£100,000 • Conversion of agricultural building to 2 holiday units

£400,000 • Change of use from offices to 8 dwellings

£200,000 • Demolition of ancillary buildings erection of a two storey extension to the main office building reconfiguration of parking provision of landscaping and other associated works.

£100,000 • Erection of a two storey side extension and division of Saxondown Farm into 2 x detached dwellings.

£100,000 • Demolition of hospital and former ambulance station and redevelopment for offices (with associated car parking and landscaping), housing and ancillary retail unit [Outline].

£600,000 • Construction of building for warehouse and distribution purposes

£400,000 • Approval of reserved matters access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of planning permission 2014/1262

£100,000 • Conversion of existing single family dwellinghouse into 1 x one bedroom and 1 x three bedroom self-contained flats.