Jane Embury looks at proposed new government legislation The UK government published the long-awaited Building Safety Bill this week. It’s expected that its passage through parliament will take at least nine months. The government says that the Bill’s provisions for buildings over 18 metres will all come into force in about 18 months from now. […]
curtain walling
Election turnaround and planning backlash?
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 […]
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. […]
Simpler planning = better planning?
Jane Embury asks whether a rush to build will lead to a better built environment The UK government has announced major reform to the planning system. Critics of the current system say that it’s unwieldy, cumbersome and takes too long time for decisions to be made. In response, the government wants significant deregulation, something that […]
Designing in fire safety
In a two-part article, Jane Embury looks at fire safety. In this first part, she welcomes a new culture to put safety first. A safe building, particularly a complex one, will have been designed from the outset with safety firmly in mind. Responsible designers and contractors will have responsible people in place to ensure that […]
