March 2006 - News from the UK

Update: Timber Frame, Construction & Property News

• Introduction of Part L
  

  (08 March 2006, Home Builders Federation)
  

  The Minister for Housing, Yvette Cooper MP, announced that transitional arrangments had been cut from the three years to twelve months, and that all new buildings without full building plans approved by 6 April must comply with the new Part L Regulations from 6 April 2006. This has consequences that must be considered:
  

  1. Housebuilders intending to submit applications in the coming days and weeks under the 2002 requirements are highly unlikely to recieve approval.
  

  2. The 2006 Part L is still a draft approved document and the commerfcial software to implement it is not available. Housebuilders are therefore unable to to submit any applications under this new Part L or, of course, have these approved.
  

  
  
  

• Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004
  

  (08 March 2006, Home Builder's Federation)
  

  As an industry, we have long been demanding a greater role in policy formation and implementation. The roll out of the new planning system through the implementation of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 offers us this opportunity. Pre-application discussions, housing market assessments, housing land availability assessments and brownfield strategies will now require direct industry involvement.
  

  * This could eliminate the SME housebuilder, who may lack the resources required to consult on such topics.
  

  
  
  

News: Environment, Climate & Attitudes

• How Consumer Power Sparked a Revolution on our Streets
  

  (8 March 2006, The Guardian, p27)
  

  Terry Macalister writes that "groundbreaking" Fairtrade initiatives announced recently by high street big names such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Virgin Trains could "further propel ethically sourced products from the margins to the mainstream," while raising questions as to whether supermarkets are exploiting Fairtrade's valued charitable brand. Fairtrade executive director Harriet Lamb said: "We need to look at the motivation of why companies are doing it but that is a good news story as well. Companies are doing it because their customers want it. And you can argue to what extent it's the role of business to take on the role of sustainable development. I would say it's an essential part of their business...no one would disagree it's the business of business to do what customers want."
  

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• One Man's Rubbish...
  

  (08 March 2006, SocietyGuardian, p8)
  

  Ben Child writes that Freecycling, an American-born grassroots movement to recycle unwanted goods, is taking off in over 50 countries including the UK, each day keeping more than 200 tonnes of waste out of landfill sites around the globe. Members sign up on website Freecycle.org to receive regular messages from local people looking to dispose of or find particular items. With more than 200 Freecycle groups in the UK, the scheme is attracting interest from local authorities, whose average recycling bills are set to double next year to an average £948,000.
  

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News: Society, Community & Responsible Business

• Immigration Shakeup will bar most Unskilled Workers from Outside EU
  

  (08 March 2006, The Guardian, p4)
  

  Alan Travis writes that home secretary Charles Clarke yesterday announced a five-tier immigration scheme, modelled on the Australian points system, which will seek to attract the "best and the brightest" workers from outside the EU, closing the door to unskilled migrants from the developing world. The white paper, which proposes the biggest shakeup of the immigration system for 40 years, will require employers to ensure that migrant workers comply with visa rules. Home Office research published yesterday shows that employers perceive migrants as harder working, more reliable and motivated than domestic workers and that they would welcome the new points-based regime.
  

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• Minority Comply with Code on Good Practice
  

  (06 March 2006, Financial Times p6)
  

  Kate Burgess writes that a survey by Pirc, the shareholder voting agency, has found that only a quarter of companies fully comply with the combined code of corporate governance introduced in November 2003. Based on a survey of 44 companies, Pirc's findings will be published today and follow a 2005 survey by the Association of British Insurers showing that less than half of FTSE 100 companies fully complied with the code. The code was designed to establish best practice standards on issues such as board composition, shareholder relations and remuneration.
  

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• M&S Tops-Up Commitment to Fairtrade
  

  (03 March 2006, Guardian p29)
  

  Julia Finch writes that Marks & Spencer is extending its commitment to ethical sourcing by stocking only Fairtrade tea and coffee from next month. At the launch of the chain's "Fairtrade Fortnight," which begins today, M&S also announced it will increase sevenfold the amount of Fairtrade cotton it buys in order to develop new products. Chief executive Stuart Rose said: "Our customers have told us they care about how our products are made and we want to help them make Fairtrade part of their retail habit."
  

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News: Finance & Economy

• Campbell Backs Calls for Tougher Green Taxes
  

  (06 March 2006, The Guardian p11)
  

  Tania Branigan writes that newly-elected Liberal Democrats leader Sir Menzies Campbell has urged his party members to "think afresh" and signalled support for higher taxes on air travel. In his first major speech as party leader, Campbell also called for the tax system to "provide incentives to companies and individuals to behave in a way that sustains our environment" as well as reduce the tax burden for those on the lowest incomes. He is tipped to make Chris Huhne the party's environment spokesman, having echoed his defeated rival's emphasis on green issues.
  

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