Search Results for: change

May 9, 2013

UK authorities win exemptions from offices to homes planning changes

Following our report in February that the majority of London’s boroughs had applied to be exempt from plans to relax planning laws on the conversion of offices into homes, the government has today exempted most of central London and some UK regions from the new rules. Local authorities were asked to apply for exemptions earlier in the year and now cover areas within the jurisdiction of 17 local authorities including the City of London, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Westminster, Newham and Kensington and Chelsea. Nationwide, exemptions have been granted for parts of central Manchester, the Vale of the White Horse, Stevenage, Ashford in Kent, Sevenoaks and East Hampshire.

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May 1, 2013

Resistance to workplace change marks the passing of the old order

by Martin Brooker • Comment, Facilities management, Technology

When Vodafone announced in March that the UK’s businesses could save up to £34 billion with the more widespread application of flexible working models, the research to support the claim had two very familiar components. The first was a crystal clear business case, the second an admission that the message was still not quite getting through to those at the top. In fact, Vodafone claimed, around two-thirds of business leaders continue to insist their business can’t afford to reduce the number of workstations they use despite all evidence to the contrary. A third haven’t even considered the idea of reducing the number of workstations they use as a way of cutting costs.

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April 15, 2013

UK firms want to stay in EU but majority favour employment law changes

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Workplace

A new report from the British Chambers of Commerce shows that while the majority of businesses still favour the UK’s ongoing membership of the European Union, the majority would like to see significant changes in certain key legislative areas including employment law, health and safety regulations and regional development. The EU Business Barometer from the BCC gathered responses from around 4,400 firms of all sizes and from a range of sectors and found that over half (54 per cent) wanted changes to employment law, a similar proportion wanted changes to Health and Safety laws (46 per cent) and a third changes to policies related to regional development.

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February 21, 2013

“Groundbreaking” guidance on drivers for social change

by Sara Bean • Environment, Knowledge, News

Network for business sustainability

Businesses can play a key role in driving social change according to a groundbreaking new report. Whether through product labelling, supply chain management, employee volunteerism and partnerships with non-government organisations (NGOs), companies have the power to help people get active, eat healthy foods, use less energy and live more sustainable lives. Now a new guide based on a review of 123 studies from the last 20 years, released by the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) provides the evidence for any business interested in cause marketing, social innovation or responsible consumption. (more…)

February 15, 2013

Change of ways needed to tackle ailing UK workforce

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

Staff ill health

The best way of tackling ill health is to stop workers from getting ill in the first place, suggests new guidance from the TUC. It may seem as if the union is stating the obvious, until you reflect on the news, reported exclusively by HR magazine earlier this week that the UK was among the 10 worst performing countries for employee wellbeing last year, according to the Workforce Quality of Life Index (WQLI) report by Kenex, which measures wellbeing from the employee’s perspective. Now the TUC report, Work and well-being, provides evidence that employers who create healthy workplaces can reduce employee absence and boost productivity. (more…)

January 17, 2013

Changes to Construction and Design Regs delayed

by Sara Bean • News, Property, Workplace, Workplace design

Proposed changes to the Construction and Design Management Regulations (CDM) 2007 have been delayed. The draft changes will now only be presented to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board for consideration in March 2013 at the very earliest. The CDM regulations, apply to all construction work in the UK, comprising construction, alteration, fitting-out, commissioning, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance, decommissioning, demolition or dismantling, underwent a review last year, with industry practice found to have a significant influence on how the regulations are implemented. (more…)

January 9, 2013

Show stomping change as Maze prison site plans approved

by Sara Bean • News, Property, Workplace design

The notorious Maze Long Kesh prison site in Northern Ireland where the ‘H’ block hunger strikes took place is to be redeveloped into an international standard showground designed by London-based firm Studio Egret West.
The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) was granted planning permission to relocate the Balmoral Show, (Ireland’s largest Agricultural and Food Show) to the site of the former Maze prison, after the Balmoral show outgrew the Kings Hall site where it has been held for 100 years. (more…)

January 8, 2013

Clarification complaints on changes to EPCs

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News

Important changes to the requirements regarding Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are effective from tomorrow – 9 January 2013.

But according to RICS (The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) many of these changes have not previously been discussed and RICS has been asking the DCLG for clarification on some of the amendments, including whether or not listed buildings are now excluded. (more…)

January 8, 2013

WWF launches Green Game Changers Report

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, Facilities management, Knowledge, Legal news, Lighting

When it comes to the development of meaningful and innovative approaches to the environment, companies are often way ahead of legislation and prepared to do far more than is expected of them by Governments. Best practice is lauded by the WWF in its Green Game changers initiative which has just launched a new report highlighting those organisations that have pushed the envelope on environmental thinking. The latest Green Game Changers Report can be viewed and downloaded here. (more…)

August 15, 2025

UK office take-up reaches highest level in three years

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Office take-up across the UK has reached its highest level in three years, according to new figures from CBRE. The total for the twelve months to the end of the second quarter of 2025 stood at 20.3 million square feet, the highest rolling annual figure since the third quarter of 2022. CBRE reports that activity was strongest in the first half of 2025, with occupiers continuing to focus on high quality, well-located space. The firm says demand is being driven by a combination of business expansion, lease events, and the desire to secure the best available stock in a competitive market. (more…)

August 11, 2025

Memories of the Office Age

by Mark Eltringham • Cities, Features, Working lives

Originally published in November 2021. No author uses the built environment like J G Ballard. In his 1975 novel High-Rise, the eponymous structure is both a way of isolating the group of people who live and compete inside it and a metaphor for their personal isolation and inner struggles. Over the course of three months, the building’s services begin to fail. The 2,000 people within, detached from external realities in the 40-storey building, confronted with their true selves and those of their neighbours, descend into selfishness and – ultimately – savagery. (more…)

August 10, 2025

We need to acknowledge the role privilege plays in the ways we talk about work

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace

Over the weekend, I listened to two episodes of Andrew Keen’s podcast which feature conversations with a couple of well-known people from our own domain of work and workplaces. One was Julia Hobsbawm and the other Dror Poleg. It seemed that Julia had introduced Keen to Dror so a link between the two existed. Another link formed in my mind as I listened: the unspoken role of privilege underpinning both conversations. albeit in different ways. (more…)