Government announces £30 million government boost to capture and store more renewable energy.
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero announced a £30 million boost to capture and store more renewable energy. The funding was part of the Longer Duration Energy Storage Demonstration competition with £69 million being awarded to businesses so far who have demonstrated innovative ways to store renewable energy.
Independent Review on Construction Product Testing, conducted by Anneliese Day KC, published Today.
On Thursday (20th April) Anneliese Day KC, published her review on Construction Product Testing which was commissioned by the Government to consider how confidence can be placed back into the testing regime in the future, and what changes need to happen in order to achieve this. The review doesn’t ascribe failings for recent product testing failings, but clearly assigns responsibilities to product manufacturers, Conformity Assessment Bodies, designers, constructors, regulators and enforcement authorities, and regulators. It recommends that future reforms should ensure that these distinctions are reiterated and reinforced.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities gives update on Building Safety
Prior to the publication of Day’s report, Michael Gove MP gave an update on Building Safety to Parliament this week in which he re-stated the Government’s commitment to “transforming the built environment through a culture of safety and high standards”. The Secretary of State also added that he would be setting out proposals for reform of the UK’s construction product regime “in due course”.
Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund: Call for Evidence and Expression of Interest
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has launched a Call for Evidence which is seeking to create a comprehensive view of the impact of nutrient neutrality advice on development. It invites all local planning authorities (LPAs) affected by nutrient neutrality to :
- Provide evidence as to the impact of nutrient neutrality; and
- Provide information and views about the scale of the impact, forthcoming solutions, and on-going work at a catchment level.
The Department is also interested in hearing from others who have evidenced proposals which could reduce nutrient pollution and unlock housing.
The expression of interest invites LPAs affected by nutrient neutrality to:
- Submit costed expressions of interest for projects or strategies for delivering nutrient mitigation to unlock housing delivery in catchments of Habitats Sites affected by nutrient pollution.
The Call for Evidence and Expression of interest will close at 11:45pm on 24 May 2023. More information can be found here.
CLC’s Skills Plan for 2023-24
The Construction Leadership Council has published its 2023-24 skills plan for construction and the built environment.
The plan offers solutions to short and long-term skills challenges in England and includes details of:
- A pilot project to give schoolchildren a chance to learn about a career in construction and built environment.
- The launch of a new competence approach to ensure there is an accepted, accredited definition of competence for all construction and built environment occupations.
- Expanding the new entrant apprenticeship brokerage service and introducing a new apprenticeship mentoring standard to increase apprenticeship starts, continuation and completions.
- The launch of Phase 1 of the Career Pathway Hub, an online portal aimed at defining high value career pathways for net zero, digitalisation, smart construction and repair maintenance and improvement.
This plan outlines how industry can deliver its objectives through shared, aligned priorities namely: culture change; routes into construction and built environment; competence and future skills.
Download the plan here.
Download the accompanying press release here.
