Diesel No More at Laing O’Rourke
The engineering company has taken the urgent step to replace diesel with vegetable oil in all its plants. In stark contrast to companies who make 30-year commitments, Laing O’Rourke has committed to complete the project by the end of this March! Hydrotreated vegetable oil is a temporary measure whilst the firm replaces its equipment with electric & hydrogen equipment. Red diesel won’t be available from 1 April 2022 at a rebated rate for many commercial applications due to Government reform. There is some confusion about which companies are still eligible for rebate. The move for this firm will reduce emissions by 90%. Firms can move to white diesel but the impact on emissions is not so great, Laing O’Rourke is setting a positive example for the construction industry.
£1.5bn Cash for 20 Towns
The Levelling Up White Paper will be published this week focusing on investment for derelict town centres to create homes, jobs and communities. £1.5bn of the total £1.8bn is dedicated to brownfield regeneration. There is also £1.5bn available to SME builders & developers to deliver 42,000 homes in London & the South-East. Wolverhampton and Sheffield are the first recipients of the cash.
Internet Connectivity for New, Temporary and Challenging locations…
For new, temporary and challenging locations why not consider the EMS i-MO OptiBond solution? Delivers fast / resilient aggregated 4G and / or fixed line services to site in days. Delivers fast no-fail internet instantly. The system is widely used on difficult to serve and new commercial and infrastructure projects. See www.ems-imo.com
£140m London College
United Colleges Group has bought the Olympic offices in Wembley to build the block in Brent. The College wills specialise in the built environment and green engineering. United Colleges is a result of the merger between the City of Westminster College and the College of North West London.
Award-winning wearable technology
North London Heat and Power Project deployed beable® Wearable to keep workers safe and productive; it facilitates physical distancing as well as interaction tracking. Co-developed by Electronic Media Services and COMIT Projects and funded by Innovate UK, the new technology has been well received and plans to further rollout with greater functionality are underway.
McLaren Plans £85m Leeds Tower
Part of the South Bank Regeneration Scheme, McLaren intends to build 375 built to rent homes on the site of a car park in Holbeck including gardens, shared and co-working spaces. McLaren appointed Allsop as investment partner.
Public Transport Inquiry
The Lords Built Environment Committee is asking for contributions to a consultation on public transport throughout England as part of a review announced by the Government.
The Committee wants to hear from as many people as possible on topics such as:
- Current & anticipated level of public transport demand
- What does the future look like for example in the next 10 years
- How can connections be improved
- Urban transport – what innovations are likely to matter
- Do local authorities get appropriate levels of funding
- Would better coordination between state departments help (seems obvious)
To have your say click here. Deadline to submit is 22 March 2022.
UK Construction Week Role Models
Call for entries from talented professionals and unsung heroes to share their stories, inspire others and celebrate the fact that construction can provide so many varied and wonderful opportunities for #ConstructionRoleModels 2022 campaign.
The shortlist will be announced at UK Construction Week London (3-5 May, ExCeL London) Enter here.