NEWS

Paul Finch addressed Council at the July awayday. Here is some of what he said to us Wherever we look currently, it seems that com- plaints culture rules the roost. As soon as somebody makes an allegation, whether current or historical, up pops somebody else (responsible or not) to apologise profusely, to promise to investigate, and the ensure that what is being complained of ‘never happens again’. Complaints culture [...]

Guidance for design and construction to support building safety Among the housing safety measures announced in Parliament by Secretary of State Michael Gove recently was publication of ‘Collaborative Procurement Guidance for Design and Construction to Support Building Safety’. This guidance seeks to learn from the Grenfell Tower disaster and was co-authored by me on behalf of the King’s College London Centre of Construction Law with Russell Poynter-Brown of On [...]

The status of the profession of Architecture isunique in the UK. Nowhere else in the world dothey recognize “title” as distinct from function….inother words, what we are called as distinct fromwhat we do, writes Alfred Munkenbeck.The education of an architect takes approximatelyseven years and is very thorough. Most architecturaleducation is paid for with public tax money as withmost tertiary education in the UK. If the architect isnot being prepared [...]

WHERE IS PLANNING GOING? The system is broken – but it can be mended KEY POINTS Three levels of development should be considered: Outline, Full and Approved for construction Compliance could be certified by an ‘Approved Agent’ who would also confirm compliance on completion of development All objective, measurable issues should be removed from planning to building regulation control and simply require compliance Approved Agents or planning authority officers [...]

The progress of much in the government’s programme of changes to the planning system depends on the timing of the planning bill, confirmed in the Queen’s Speech on 11 May. The government will respond to the planning white paper consultation in the autumn with the Planning Bill published "as soon as we can thereafter", housing minister Robert Jenrick announced on 6th July. Sarah Bevan, planning and development programme director [...]

The December 2020 Construction Playbook provides government guidance on improving performance and outcomes from the procurement of public sector construction projects. It states that the ACA’s FAC-1 Framework Alliance Contract ‘is a good example of a standard form framework contract that can achieve… many of the ambitions set out in this Playbook’. The Playbook shows how construction procurement can deliver the outcomes required by clients, including improved value and [...]