social housing

Watford Community Housing has upgraded two of their 16 storey tower blocks to a Grade D, LD1 fire detection system using Aico’s revolutionary technology. Watford Community Housing own and manage over 5,000 homes and are always striving to implement all the necessary measures to keep their tenants safe.

Recently, their Abbey View and Munden View high rise blocks were chosen for mandated safety audits under Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue supervision. After an initial review of their housing stock, they decided to upgrade these buildings’ safety systems, working closely with Aico they began work to install Multi-Sensor fire alarms giving them complete coverage.

The Church of England is taking steps to set up a national housing association which will enable the Church to become a major provider of social housing. It will pioneer a shared land management and development service to develop skills and capacity across its network of dioceses.
In February 2021, the Archbishop’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community published The Coming Home Report, naming the scandal that around 8 million people in England live in overcrowded, unaffordable or unsuitable homes. One year on from that report, Church and industry leaders gathered to review progress and set out plans.

It is an inconvenient truth, but some developers do not want or like to build affordable homes. Many claim they will suffer from significantly reduced profit margins – taking their earnings below 20% - and this is the prime excuse given at the planning stage to try and avoid the issue, according to Global, the country’s fastest growing supplier of home warranties – but says the company - it does not have to be like that.
Most developers do not have a choice and planners will insist that they will have to include some element of affordable properties into the mix, but with the pressure on margins it is inevitable that some will cut corners and deliver poor quality. This in turn can put even more of a strain on margins – a situation, claims Global, that could be avoided by getting it right first time.
Current planning conditions state that developers building between five and nine homes must ensure 20 per cent of them are affordable - more than nine, then this figure rises to 30 per cent. That figure can further rise to 40 per cent for greenfield sites.

As we drive towards reducing our carbon footprint, the inference to insulate Britain is a topical encounter. However, it should be understood how this status could be met with such a myriad of dwelling periods and styles throughout the United Kingdom.

Similar constructions built in opposing ends of the country can and do, behave differently due to their geographical location and indeed, their orientation. This therefore makes the process of insulating homes a more complex issue such that, without due understanding and individual assessments of each dwelling, we will have to be mindful of Ventilating Britain.

The Pendock Profiles range is one of the most comprehensive available for concealing exposed pipework or services quickly & easily in a range of applications for social housing projects.

For interior pipework, MX and TK pipe boxing can be used in most general applications, such as heating system or waste pipework, while MXF boxing is a dedicated concealment solution for fire sprinkler systems, where its widespread use is helping speed fire safety improvement projects across the UK.

Aluminium has been increasingly recognised as a viable material for construction products over recent years. We spoke with Richard Izzard, manging director of AliDeck, about a recent major roof terrace refurbishment project for Hyde Housing.

With concerns over fire-safety in external wall systems shifting industry towards non-combustible solutions, the benefits of extruded aluminium profiles, such as decking or cladding boards, have answered many of these new challenges.

The benefits of using aluminium products in new-build construction go beyond simple compliance with regulations, though. Its lightweight, cost-effectiveness, striking aesthetics, sustainability and versatility are all key contributing factors to aluminium’s uptake. These benefits, of course, apply for the retrofit and remediation market and aluminium building products are routinely now sought by specifiers in the housing sector.

When it comes to fire doors, forget the aesthetics – it’s all about the compliance and technicalities of the product. Since launching its fully compliant Fireshel 30-minure fire, smoke and security resistant door in 2020, Birmingham window and door manufacturer Shelforce has been inundated. Here, the company’s Business Manager Howard Trotter talks to Housing Association Magazine about why the testing behind the product is vital for Local Authorities, why they need to understand what they are specifying – and why the Fireshel is proving so popular.