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Removing barriers to small house builders will deliver better quality homes and happier people, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to a national design audit conducted by UCL for CPRE, the countryside charity, and the Place Alliance, recently published.

Plumbing and heating professionals across the UK are calling on politicians to make room amid the Brexit tumult to focus on critical changes needed to create a resilient and sustainable construction sector.
 
A joint election manifesto issued by the leading trade bodies for plumbing and heating professionals in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales has highlighted four key areas where change is required: payment abuse; pensions; green economy targets; and skills. The changes are aimed at creating a fairer competitive landscape where firms can develop and thrive.
 
The call to the incoming government has been issued by SNIPEF– the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation – and APHC, the equivalent trade body for the industry in England and Wales. Together they represent 1,770 businesses and 25,155 plumbing and heating operatives.

Orbit has announced its intention to move away from fixed-term tenancy agreements in favour of assured tenancy, also known as lifetime tenancy, by 1 April 2020.

Since 2012, Orbit has offered all general needs customers fixed-term tenancy agreements for a period of five years. In the fifth year, customers undergo a formal review to assess whether to extend or end the tenancy agreement.

To encourage sustainable, thriving communities and reduce short term rentals, Orbit has decided to end the use of fixed-term tenancy.

One of the latest grand designs built by Lincolnshire based Belvin Construction has been named ‘Best Individual New Home’ at the 2019 LABC Building Excellence Awards.

Barrow House, at Hatcliffe, is a bespoke, contemporary home that’s set within the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The house was designed by ID Architects in Grimsby and built by Belvin Construction.

The LABC Building Excellence Awards focus on the very best in technical innovation and construction quality, helping to raise the level of construction quality across England and Wales.

A new brick made from domestic plastic waste has been proven to provide 10 times better insulation than traditional bricks made from clay.
Dr Karthikeyan Kandan, senior lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), has created a novel brick made entirely from upcycled plastic waste.
Believed to be the first of its kind, the brick is constructed using 3D printing and lattice architecture technologies, which involves criss-crossing strips of the plastic materials to form a grid or weave.
The design is inspired by nature, after Dr Kandan examined the structure of the Baya weaver bird’s nest; renowned for its elaborately woven construction.

Airtech, the ventilation specialists, is supporting UK Radon Awareness Week (4-10 November 2019.) Run by the UK Radon Association, this year the campaign is focusing on recent research from Public Health England (PHE) and University College London (UCL) that reveals that home energy efficiency measures, such as double glazing and insulation, are linked to increasing indoor radon levels. This in turn is raising the risk of lung cancer caused by exposure to the gas. Since landlords have a Duty of Care under the Homes Act to provide a safe home, radon is therefore a major consideration for social housing providers.

Housing Association magazine presents a round-up of new appointments, promotions and vacancies in HAs, LAs and the housebuilding arena.