INDUSTRYNEWS
FROMTHEEDITOR
‘Making a show
of themselves’
» WE’VE HAD THE RESPONSE TO
lockdown, the back to business, the guidance for
workers, the help for homeowners, the new normal,
the newer normal, and the newest normal, but what
about the postponed or permanently cancelled events,
expos, and exhibitions that make up such a significant
part of the industry when it comes to new designs and
developments, demonstrations, and that annual catch up
with colleagues (and competitors)?
As I sat down to type up this month’s editor’s letter;
a notification popped up with my ‘ticket’ to a virtual
event, which is set to include an exhibition stand, live
discussions, and even a business panel; everything you’d
want (or wouldn’t want) from a real life event but
without the travel, parking, and possibly the hangover -
plus we’ll have to provide our own sausage rolls.
There have been so many work-arounds during
lockdown, in all industries and sectors, to keep factories
in production, sites up and running, and ‘bread and
butter’ businesses ticking over - where possible - that
the events and expos that are peppered into our
calendar (I can’t stop think-ing about buffets now) were
assumed by many to be automatically deferred until
further notice.
But as one brand mentions later - in this very
magazine - ‘as an event takes many months of planning
and significant investment, we didn’t see any value in
holding this content [which was created for a nowpostponed
international exhibition] back for a new date’.
Indeed, it makes perfect sense for customers that a) may
have some more time on their hands, b) are rethinking
the way they do/have done business before, c) are
genuinely missing the time they spend with their peers
throughout the year, to attend a virtual event in place of
real-life attendance.
Futhermore, another contributor to this month’s issue
has suggested that customers will be actively looking to
those suppliers who are committing to future events for
proof of ‘leaner, fitter, better funded’ companies in the
weeks, months, and years to come; so absence will not
make the heart (or the head for business) grow fonder,
as the old adage suggests.
Virtual exhibitions are certainly a way to bridge the
gap and broaden the audience in the interim, but for all
the changes the coronavirus crisis has brought upon us,
and for every new normal we’ve already experienced
and still have to expect, will exhibitions still hold a place
in industry? My inclination says ‘yes’; because if lockdown
has taught us anything, it’s that we all need a weekend
away every now and again.
See you soon, virtually…
Gemma, Editor
GGF WELCOMES NEW
GOVERNMENT PLANS TO
BOOST CONSTRUCTION
» NEW MEASURES TO HELP
the construction industry
boost building and return to
work safely will be introduced,
Housing Secretary Robert
Jenrick MP announced on 22
June 2020). The key measures
include:
Planning permission
deadlines will be extended
The government estimates
that by the end of this month
alone, more than 400 residential
permissions providing more than
24,000 new homes would have
expired. Planning permission
usually expires after three years
if work has not started onsite.
Sites with consent that have an
expiry date between the start of
lockdown and the end of this
year will now see their consent
extended to 1 April 2021. This
will prevent work that has
been temporarily disrupted by
the pandemic from stopping
altogether.
Planning appeals
will be sped up
New measures will also
permanently grant the Planning
Inspectorate (PINS) the ability
to use more than one procedure -
written representations, hearings
and inquiries - at the same time,
enabling appeals to happen much
faster.
Builders will be allowed
more flexible working
hours following agreement
with their local council
This will also make it easier for
construction worked to follow
public health guidance onsite
and by staggering builders’ arrival
times, public transport will be less
busy and the risk of infection will
be reduced.
The new plans build on existing
measures, including;
• Introducing more than £330
billion of loans and
guarantees to help firms
continue operating
• Deferring self-assessment
payments until 2021 –
crucial for a sector in which
many are self-employed
• Providing households across
the country with reassurance
such as 3-month mortgage
holidays, including for
landlords, alongside a ban on
tenant evictions which has
been extended to 5 months
• Safely reopening the
housing market, helping
estate agents, conveyancers,
removals firms and the wider
construction and property
industry to return to work
while following social
distancing guidelines
• Launching a Charter with
the Home Builders
Federation, helping
construction sites reopen in
line with health and safety
guidance
The GGF continues to
communicate with key
Government departments on a
regular basis to raise the industry’s
concerns and to ensure the latest
Government information is
relayed to GGF Members and the
wider industry.
www.ggf.org.uk
4 » JUL 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK.COM