The UK Construction Blog

The long drawn out saga of Liverpool’s plans to build a new stadium are back on again with the Premiership club’s US owners believed to be looking at plans first drawn up nine years ago.

Their owners, Fenway Sports Group has been working with specialist Manchester practice AFL on a brand new ground for the club in the city’s Stanley Park next door to the club’s current Anfield home.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the news will mean that futuristic designs (pictured) unveiled by US firm HKS in 2006 will now be scrapped for good. The £400 million plans were already in limbo after the previous Liverpool board said they were too expensive.

AFL, which declined to comment, first drew up plans for a new stadium in the early 2000s. These were put forward for planning in 2003 and given the all-clear a year later.

The new plans are dependent on the club raising the £300 million required to build the 60,000-seat ground, with at least half of this required before construction can begin.

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The Telegraph Business Club today is confirmed as the official Media Partner of what is being dubbed “the UK’s Greatest Business Event” Business 2012.

Two of the UK’s best-known and most admired entrepreneurs, Sir Richard Branson and Lord Sugar, have already been confirmed as keynote speakers.

Dedicated to entrepreneurs, owner-managers and dynamic professionals, the Telegraph Business Club features articles, expert views and case studies to help people to grow their business. As such, it is the perfect Media Partner for this event, as the organiser’s Managing Director, Vishal Misal of Blak Pearl Ltd explains:

“We are obviously delighted to have such a prestigious brand associated with the event and feel that we are perfectly aligned with the Telegraph Business Club in terms of our goals, so this is a fantastic opportunity for both parties.

“Telegraph Business Club Members are serious business people who are like-minded and determined to put the UK economy back on a positive path. All 50,000 members of the Club are most welcome at Business 2012 and will be able to network with other similarly focussed, driven and inspired entrepreneurs and business owners from across the country and indeed the world.”

Running from 18TH – 20TH March at The O2 in London, Business 2012 www.business2012.com is free to attend, with over 600 workshops, seminars and exhibitors available to learn from and speak to for anyone serious about setting up or developing their business.

Speaking about Business 2012, Sir Richard Branson said:

“I can confirm that I will be at Business 2012, being interviewed live on stage and answering questions and tweets. No one has a monopoly on good ideas and events like this can open the door to greater connections and business opportunities: something we all need during these challenging times.”

Confirming that he too will be a keynote speaker at Business 2012, Lord Sugar said:

‘I’ve always encouraged entrepreneurs and hopefully this event will really help people to grow bigger and better businesses. Encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs is something I’ve always believed in. I have always said they are the business people of tomorrow and we need to encourage and support them all we can. This event is for serious business people and will help small businesses at the time they need it.”

Business 2012 is for people in the early stage of starting up as well as for established businesses. To help visitors tailor their visit and make the best use of their time, you can register as a Start Up, SME and Mid-Market business.  To see the range of confirmed speakers and exhibitors and register for a free ticket, go to www.business2012.com.

Energyflo Insulation Technologies has completed a cutting-edge carbon reduction retrofit project for Willmott Dixon and South Cambridgeshire Council.

The Edinburgh-based company’s Dynamic Insulation product has been retrofitted to homes in Longstanton, Cambridgeshire as part of the Rampton Drift project, and the monitoring phase of development is now underway.

The project aims to identify the costs, effects and benefits of a range of low-carbon, sustainable technologies by refurbishing existing homes on the estate.

Energyflo’s patented Dynamic Insulation product enables builders and designers to meet today’s ever-increasing demands for energy-efficiency and carbon reduction.

The technology easily integrates the insulation and ventilation system to capture the heat energy escaping through the building fabric and pre-warm incoming air. By recycling this heat energy the energy efficiency of a property can be improved by 25 per cent when compared to traditional insulation products.

The homes, which were built in the 1950s and 70s, have been upgraded with Dynamic Insulation and it is hoped that the development will become a model for the construction industry as the Green Deal comes into force next year.

The Green Deal supports the implementation of energy efficiency measures to households and businesses to reduce energy usage and save fuel costs.

Alan Cochrane, Principal Consultant (Energy Services) for Willmott Dixon, main contractor for the Rampton Drift project, said: “Dynamic Insulation was selected because it is one simple solution that easily integrates the insulation and ventilation system to improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality.”

Leading the design consultation was PRP Architects, which specified Energyflo’s Dynamic Insulation to be retrofitted to the properties’ external walls. Nuaire was appointed to provide the ventilation solution to meet the carbon reduction objectives of the project.

Andrew Peacock, technical director from Energyflo, said: “One of the key aspects of our unique technology is that we can deliver the solid wall U-values in hard to treat buildings well beyond any other external wall insulation from a thinner and less intrusive build footprint.

“We are delighted that our market-leading Dynamic Insulation product has been selected to be retrofitted in the homes at Rampton Drift. As around half of homes in Great Britain do not have sufficient insulation and around 50 per cent more energy is used to heat and power homes than is used to power UK industry, this project has the potential to be an important template for the industry. It is also an opportunity to learn about the positive impact which insulation can have on homeowner’s bills.”

Archie Ferguson, chair of Construction Scotland, said: “Carbon reduction targets present an important challenge to the construction industry.  The need to demonstrate compliance with these targets has never been greater.”

Construction Scotland is tasked with providing leadership and directing the Scottish Construction sector and will engage with Scottish Government Ministers, key stakeholder groups and the wider industry to fulfil this role.

Archie added: “This is an excellent example of a Scottish company delivering an innovative solution to help construction companies across the UK to meet these targets and enable homeowners to reduce their energy costs.

“It is of increasing importance for construction companies to collaborate and share ideas so that we may identify even more forward-thinking ideas which can benefit the industry.”

Clerkenwell Design Week returns to London for its third year. Taking place across Clerkenwell, and sponsored for the second year running by Jaguar, the three-day festival brings a vibrant programme of events – spanning product launches, parties, auctions, debates, pop-ups, exhibitions, installations, open studios and workshops.

More than 50,000 people have now signed a petition that will be sent to David Cameron calling on the Government to make it easier for individuals to get empty homes back into use. The campaign is part of Channel 4′s series the Great British Property Scandal.

The Great Property Scandal is a week-long series of programmes that highlight the consequences of the housing crisis. Architect and TV presenter George Clarke’s segment on empty homes that aired recently, threw the spotlight on the million homes lying empty in the UK, at a time when two million families are on the waiting list.

He argued that bringing the 350,000 long-term empty properties back into use would be a cheap way to house thousands of families.

Recently Mr Clarke tried to convince the Government to launch a low-cost borrowing fund that would allow tenants and landlords to get some money to do a property up and offset the costs with rent income. In an interview with, he said: “So if you’ve got an empty property that needs work done to it, you can personally apply to get some of those funds at a low cost borrowing.

“If that was a long-term scheme and people borrowed against it, they could just do the property up and offset the costs with the slight increase in rent to pay the loan back. Which basically means the money goes back into the system.”

The show featured a young couple who convinced their council to let an empty home below the market rent. Thanks to that, the couple spent a few months and just £3,000 to do the property up.

Mr Clarke also took the campaign to the Tory party conference where he tried to convince the country’s top politicians to sign his empty homes petition. Housing minister Grant Shapps gladly accepted while secretary of state for communities and local government Eric Pickles refused instead offering George Clarke a hug instead.

Channel 4 cameras also followed a young veteran who struggled to find a council home and was forced to sleep on a couch in his mother’s house while his visiting son slept on an armchair. The show ended with a family of ten who moved into a large, previously empty home in Birmingham. Mr Clarke and his team spent seven weeks deconverting the house from three flats to a large family home with six bedrooms to fit the demand in the area.

Mr Clarke has argued that building a new house of that size would have cost a housing association more than £200,000, when it cost only half of that to refurbish the property to good, energy-efficient standards.

Final chance:

Parts of Oxford Street were closed to traffic last weekend amid fears that Christmas shoppers could be crushed on pavements that have been narrowed due to building work near Bond Street London Underground station.

Major building work is taking place near the station as part of its major redevelopment and the ongoing work has narrowed the pavements in the surrounding areas.

Fearing a Christmas crush, Westminster City Council transport commissioner Martin Low said the decision was made by the council to apply for a traffic management order in consultation with the Metropolitan Police.

The area from Oxford Circus to Portman Street was closed for eight hours on Saturday and the same stretch of road was closed on Sunday too.

It is unlikely to be a one-off either. As Christmas draws nearer and the roads get busier, similar closures could happen on future weekends and possibly even weekdays.

Commenting on closure, Low said: “This was a pre-emptive decision in response to concerns about possible crushing on the pavements as a result of narrower walkways, which are being caused by ongoing construction works.

“The council is hopeful that a redesign of the building site will be possible going forward, but cannot rule out further weekend traffic closures at this stage.

“Our paramount concern is to ensure the safety of pedestrians during this busy weekend of Christmas shopping in Oxford Street.”

Similar work is ongoing on the other end of Oxford Street near the Tottenham Court Road Tube station.

New Crossrail stations are being built along the central route of the line at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Canary Wharf.

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Checking roofing tiles for damage is one precautionary measure homeowners should take to ensure their property is in good condition prior to the Christmas season.

Editor of Build It magazine Anna-Marie DeSouza explained many potential problems should be addressed ahead of the festive period and advised people to replace any roof tiles that are found to be broken.

Gutters should also be cleared of debris such as leaves of moss to reduce the risk of any blockages occurring, she suggested, adding exterior window sills ought to also be examined and repaired or replaced if found to be rotten.

Having the chimney checked and cleaned by a professional sweep is important for those who own a property featuring an open fire, Ms DeSouza concluded.

Following these precautionary measures may help prevent homeowners from having to make a claim on their home insurance, something that, according to research from M&S Money, has become more commonplace in recent years.

The data revealed a 200 per cent increase over the last three years in the number of claims submitted relating to damage caused by winter weather.