A by-election result spells potential trouble for the UK government’s plans for planning reform, says Jane Embury It was interesting that the Liberal Democrats won the recent Chesham and Amersham by-election. They took the seat from the Conservatives. They won the Buckinghamshire constituency which has been a Tory stronghold since its creation in 1974. Their victory […]
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Testing for fire safety
Jane Embury looks at the importance of third-party fire testing Fire safety in modern buildings is a multi-layered issue that starts at the design stage. It involves determining a building’s capacity to withstand fire, and therefore the appropriate strategies to mitigate against it. That includes everything from appropriate suppression measures such as sprinkler systems to […]
The price of education
Jane Embury looks at fire safety in schools The price of education has just gone up, according to a group of consultants. Remediation work to repair or replace defective elements in English schools has risen to an estimated £11.4 billion. The figure is contained in the Department for Education’s latest Condition of School Buildings Survey. […]
The architecture of old threats
Jane Embury reminds us that some threats haven’t gone away We’re slowly emerging from one national threat and, maybe, forgetting about another. That’s hardly surprising, because it’s easy to forget about terrorism when Covid-19 has been uppermost in our minds. But as we redouble efforts to build for the future, it’s worth remembering the past. […]
A culture of safety
Jane Embury looks at the culture of fire safety Over the years, fire deaths in the UK have decreased dramatically. In 2001/02 there were 583 deaths. In 2018/19, 318. Last year, during lockdown, it was 243. Many of those deaths happened in residential properties, but not all. That’s why we must keep a clear focus on […]