INDUSTRYNEWS
PART Q - SECURITY – DWELLINGS
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THE WINDOW FOR SITES TO HAVE commenced to meet the transitional provisions for Part Q – Security ( England only ) ended on the 30th September 2016 . Sites with Initial Notices submitted before 1st October 2015 can still meet the transitional provisions if a commencement was recorded before 1st October 2016 .
From 1st October 2015 , in England , a new building regulation , Part Q ( Security – Dwellings ), has been introduced . This applies to all new dwellings on a site , including those formed by a material change of use . The new provisions are broadly similar to those under Secured by Design and NHBC Standards .
TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR ENGLAND
The new Part Q does not apply to building work that is subject of an initial notice , amendment notice , building notice or full plans submission served before 1st October 2015 , provided that the work is commenced on site before 1st October 2016 .
WHAT CONSTITUTES A COMMENCEMENT OF WORK ?
The English Government has confirmed that , in their opinion , commencement of work would usually be marked by work such as :
• Excavation for strip or trench foundations or for pad footings .
• Drainage work specific to the building ( s ) concerned .
• Digging out and preparation of ground for raft foundations .
• Vibroflotation ( stone columns ) piling , boring for piles or pile driving .
In their opinion , the following sorts of work would not be likely to constitute the commencement of work :
• Removal of vegetation , top soil or removal / treatment of contaminated soil .
• General site servicing works ( e . g . roadways ).
• Demolition of any previous buildings on the site .
• Excavation of trial holes .
• Dynamic compaction .
‘ Sites with Initial Notices submitted before 1st October 2015 can still meet the transitional provisions if a commencement was recorded before 1st October 2016 ’
In some cases , applications will be in respect of a number of buildings on a site , for example a number of houses . In such cases it is the commencement of work on the first of the buildings within the application that determines whether all the building work can take advantage of the transitional provisions , not each individual building .
Source : www . nhbc . co . uk
Jury ’ s out on impact of Brexit
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MORE THAN HALF OF SMES ( 56 %) say they have felt no impact on levels of business from the UK ’ s decision to leave the EU , according to the Close Brothers Business Barometer , a quarterly survey of UK SME owners and senior management across a range of sectors and regions .
Nationally , 24 % of those surveyed said Brexit had had a direct effect on their company , while a further 20 % felt that it was too early to tell .
Regionally , businesses in Greater London felt the most affected by Brexit , with 46 % answering ‘ yes ’ to the question ‘ have you seen an impact on your business caused by Britain ’ s decision to leave the EU ?’, 38 % answered ‘ no ’.
Least affected was the North East ( no – 71 %; yes – 20 %) and East Anglia ( no – 69 %; yes – 12 %). Wales was similarly bullish , with 63 % answering ‘ no ’ and 12 % saying ‘ yes ’.
Of those companies who felt that there had been an impact on their business , 40 % have seen an improvement in business while 43 % have seen a decrease . The remainder ( 17 %) said business had stayed about the same . Engineering firms were the most positive , with 65 % of firms surveyed saying the impact of Brexit has been beneficial .
“ It ’ s clear that the majority of UK SMEs are yet to feel any real and tangible effect from Brexit ,” said Neil Davies , CEO , Close Brothers Asset Finance .
SPENDING DECISIONS More than three quarters ( 76 %) of businesses have not delayed spending or investment decisions because of the EU Referendum .
Regions most likely to answer ‘ no ’ to the question ‘ have you delayed any spending or investment decisions because of the EU referendum ?’, were East Anglia ( 87 %), Wales ( 90 %) and Northern Ireland ( 90 %).
Greater London was the region most likely to delay spending , with 48 % or respondents suggesting that Brexit had prevented them from investing .
“ It ’ s interesting to note that 88 % of smaller firms – those with a turnover of between £ 250k to £ 500k - were the least liable to allow the EU referendum stop them from pushing their business forward ,” continued Neil . “ Experience tells us that these organisations aren ’ t sitting on large reserves of cash . In order to maintain business levels , they typically don ’ t have a choice but to spend and invest to ensure a sustainable flow of cash .”
Companies that said they had delayed spending cited the economic uncertainty created by Brexit as the primary reason ( 62 %) for holding back .
OPPORTUNITIES
Only 18 % of business owners are of the view that the decision to leave the EU will lead to fewer opportunities . Tellingly , however , 49 % feel they anticipate no change and that it is likely to be ‘ business as usual ’. The remaining 33 % are looking forward to better prospects in the future .”
6 » OCT 2016 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM