“Green Investment should play a key role in the UK’s economic recovery” states a new report by the Environment Audit Committee published today.

The new report, “A Green Economy” reinforces calls by the Renewable Energy Association (REA) for the Government to put renewable energy at the heart of its economic recovery and employment strategy.

The Report on employment and skills in the UK renewable energy published last month showed that there were over 100,000 people employed in renewable sector across Britain, generating a turnover of £12.5 billion last year alone.

However, the REA is warning that there is a danger for Britain not to fulfil its full potential because of serious skills shortages and uncertainties in the policy framework.

The organisation which represents renewable energy producers in the UK, says that 400,000 people will be needed in the sector by 2020 to meet binding EU targets, suggesting that the renewable industry will need a skilful workforce to deal with continually increasing demand.

Chief Executive of the REA, Gaynor Hartnell, said that the government needs to understand the potential benefits of renewable energy investment.

Ms Hartnell said: “Several countries, from America to Japan to Germany, have realised that taking the long-term view and investing in renewables is a significant step on the route out of economic malaise. The UK renewables industry wants to work with the Coalition Government to realise the huge contribution our sector can make to jobs, growth and prosperity.”

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One of the UK’s largest water suppliers, United Utilities, has announced plans to build a £2.6 billion water pipe alongside the proposed HS2 high-speed rail line.

The water giant has projected a cost of £7 million per mile to install the 6 ft in diameter pipe which will boost water supply to London and the South of England. United Utilities has made a rough estimate the project will cost £1.1 billion to build the pipeline from London to Birmingham and another £1.5 billion to complete the entire project from Birmingham to Leeds.

Sustainability Director of Thames Water, Richard Aylard, welcomed United Utilities’ plans to build a water pipe alongside the HS2. He said: “It’s well worth looking at and makes sense to do so as part of the HS2 project.” However, Mr Aylard questioned who would bear the cost of the project saying that the scheme is likely to affect water consumers paying higher bills.

The government recently backed the £32 billion investment for the high-speed railway which will create new jobs in the building construction sector, boost the economy and cut the journey time between London and Birmingham to 49 minutes.

United Utilities’ Chief Financial Officer, Russ Houlden, said that England is facing drought challenges and the HS2 is an opportunity to run a water pipeline between the North and South of England which will tackle concerns regarding water shortages in the future.

Mr Houlden said: “The current drought emphasises what we have known for some time – that there is more water available in the North than the South and that this issue will become more acute as climate change impacts hits us over the next 50 years. A North-South pipeline could be built to address that. Typically, the objections to such an idea have been build cost, operational cost, planning difficulties and environmental impact.

“HS2 offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to minimise planning difficulties and environmental impact.” Mr Houlden added.

United Utilities is expected to present its proposals to the House of Commons Select Committee on the 7^th March this year. Further details about the construction work and who might be running the scheme will be announced at a later date.

What is your opinion to the proposal of United Utilities to build a £2.6 billion pipeline along the HS2 high-speed rail line?  Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below: 

The UK’s largest employers group, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), has appealed to the government to stimulate economic growth by investing more into infrastructure projects.

Although the building construction sector remains one of the most stable industries in the UK, the CBI thinks greater investment is needed for infrastructure projects to encourage continual growth and business confidence.

The CBI has proposed a number of measures for the government as an opportunity to provide real boost for private sector investments in infrastructure schemes and give more support to small and medium businesses.

General Director at CBI, John Cridland, explained that the government should use Chancellor’s budget statement next month to deliver significant financial stimulus to make mortgages more affordable to the housing market.

Mr Cridland thinks future growth through reforms of the UK’s tax system is essential for businesses to invest in Britain. He is calling on the government to make some changes into the current system which will create new opportunities for growth.

Mr Cridland highlighted the significance of infrastructure investment as one of the most important priorities which the government needs to support in order to encourage industry’s growth and create permanent jobs.

He said: “Delivering private sector investment in infrastructure, supporting mid-sized businesses, hammering out the details on credit easing, extending the Youth Contract to 16 and 17-year-olds, and introducing the New Build Indemnity Scheme for mortgages at the earliest opportunity will all provide a real boost for UK growth and jobs.”

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Heathrow Airport has unveiled its plans for dealing with high volume of extra passengers expected to arrive ahead of this summer’s London Olympics, which could fuel civil engineering recruitment.

As reported earlier this week, Heathrow Airport has announced to build a new terminal for the London Olympic Games to ease the increased traffic of people at one of the busiest airports in the world.

Building work at London Heathrow will create new jobs, transport networks and regenerate 6th runway in Heathrow Airport, which expects nearly 50% more passengers arriving on July 26, the day before the opening ceremony.

As part of preparations for the new terminal at Heathrow, building construction work will take place to build specialist lifts for Paralympians and improve facilities from which participating athletes will depart.

Nick Cole, Heathrow’s head of Olympic and Paralympic planning, asserted: “The London 2012 Games will be a unique operational task and a massive challenge for Heathrow.

“The airport is one of the most popular international airports in the world and already operates close to capacity.”- Mr Cole added.

Work is also currently underway on Heathrow’s new £2.2 billion terminal two, which will replace its existing terminals one and two once completed in 2014, with around 5,000 people to be employed on the site of this project.

 

What is your opinion about the plan of building a new Olympic Terminal at Heathrow Airport? If you are working in the building construction sector, do you think that could be a good opportunity for you/your business?  Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below:    

 

 

Planning permission has been granted to the biggest North East housing redevelopment on the banks of the Tyne which will create hundreds of jobs in the building construction industry.

The project is part of the government’s scheme to build 16, 000 new homes across England to deal with the current shortage of affordable houses as well as to help first time buyers with lower interest rates.

The government has recently argued that making homes more affordable for first time buyers will increase demand in the housing market and will help the building industry to generate more revenue.

The North East housing redevelopment will bring more jobs to the region as more than 1,800 homes will be built over the next 15 years in the Scotswood area of Newcastle.

Key developers and house builders involved in the project include Barratt, Keepmoat and Yuill; they expect to start building work on the first 400 homes this summer.   The housing development will comply with Level 4 of the government’s Code for Sustainable Homes, which is higher than the currently required standard.

The government has said it will support first time buyers in their efforts to get on the housing ladder easier which will increase housing demand and generate more money in the building construction sector.

First time buyers will get support and funding from the Homes and Communities Agency’s FirstBuy scheme, which is part of the Government’s wider proposals to boost growth by simultaneously stimulating demand, tackling supply-side barriers and supporting local building priorities.

The New Tyne West Development Company, the private-public partnership formed by the builders and the city council, will be running workshops in coming months to help local firms and builders to bid for work on the development.

Businesses and building companies interested in the bidding process can contact Amanda Senior on 0191 226 7943 or email Amanda.senior@ntwdc.co.uk for further information.

New development worth £400 million will be build close to Vauxhall Square, South West London. The scheme will include two 50-storey residential towers with 513 flats, shopping center, cinema and cafes.

The huge Vauxhall Square redevelopment on the 3-acre site in the Nine Elms area of London will also include 416 student rooms and a large hotel. The new development will create hundreds of jobs in the building industry and benefit the construction sector.

Key developer in the project, CLS, has already submitted plans for the scheme which aim is to start building work in 2014, with phases being completed from 2017 onwards.

Richard Tice, chief executive Officer of CLS Holdings plc, said: “This substantial mixed-use scheme is a key element to the Vauxhall Nine Elms regeneration plans.

“It will create a new vibrant heart for Vauxhall and over 1,000 additional full-time jobs across a broad range of skills, both during and after construction.

“The investment of over £400m will bring substantial benefits to a wide range of stakeholders and is not dependent on the Northern Line extension.”

A survey revealed today by the CBI showed that the outlook for the building, engendering and the construction sector is more positive following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement which gave priority to economic recovery and financial boost for building sector.

What is your reaction on the new development in South West London? Will the fresh investment provide you with better employment opportunities? Share your thoughts with us by commenting below: