NEWS

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 [...]

The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 with the loss of 72 lives generated considerable public concern about safety in all buildings in occupation. The fire spawned a number of high profile inquiries undertaken by Government as well as by the construction sector with the conclusion that our structures and systems for the management of building safety were not fit for purpose. In July 2021, the Government published the Building [...]

Collaborative procurement using FAC-1, TAC-1 and PPC2000 We were preoccupied with many challenges during 2020 but at the same time we saw the adoption of ACA collaborative contracts on many projects and in many jurisdictions. We saw how Central Bedfordshire Council, Engie and Savills used the TAC-1 ‘Core Group’ to agree actions in response to Covid-19, including help for vulnerable residents during lockdown. We saw the Arcadis 2020 Global [...]

Some proposed changes to the planning system come into force on 21st April: commercial buildings (in Class E for two years) up to 1,500 sq m that have been vacant for at least 3 months can be changed into residential homes using new permitted development rights, subject only to prior approval; and public buildings, including schools, colleges, universities and hospitals, will be able to build additional facilities more easily [...]

Was it not always the Architect’s role to certify compliance of a completed project with the Building Regulations? Have we more recently been re-designated as the ‘master draughtsperson’? Under the proposed legislation, the Building Regulator may permit/require the proposed appointment of “prescribed persons”, including designers for building projects. This would be managed by Local Authority Building Control, under an amendment to the Building Regulations in Draft Building Safety Bill [...]