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Government proposes changes to MEES to help implement EPC band B by 2030

19 Apr 2021

Buildings are responsible for around 31% of carbon emissions in the UK. Reducing their energy consumption is therefore one of the major challenges in the race to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Last month the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) issued two consultations concerning the energy efficiency of non-domestic property. Here we bring you up to date on the latest proposals relating to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES).

UK firms face rising costs for hiring overseas staff

15 Apr 2021

Supporting housing delivery through new planning powers

14 Apr 2021

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the government created a new use Class E 'commercial, business and service' category from 1 September 2020, to make it easier for high street premises to change use without the need for a planning application. The aim was to facilitate a wider range of commercial, retail and leisure uses commonly found in town centres adapting to changing circumstances and respond to the needs of their local communities.

What fire safety duties do contractors have?

07 Apr 2021

A constructive conference: construction claims, building and site safety, and more

23 Mar 2021

Hot topics in the construction industry at the moment are legal developments affecting claims, time and cost claims, loss and expense claims, building safety, and health and safety. We covered all of these in our construction update on 11 March, where our speakers and contributors from Decipher, 4 Pump Court Chambers, and Womble Bond Dickinson highlighted challenges for the industry, and offered practical advice on addressing these.

Adjudication enforcement: pay up or pay the price

22 Mar 2021

In a recent case, a defendant was ordered to pay a claimant's costs of enforcement proceedings on an indemnity basis following an adjudicator's decision in the claimant's favour (Faithdean Plc v Bedford House Ltd (No.1) [2021] 3 WLUK 62). This is a salient reminder of the Technology and Construction Court's (TCC) robust approach to the enforcement of adjudicators’ decisions and the consequences of failing to pay.

Construction, women, and celebration

08 Mar 2021

"We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements". These words are on the International Women's Day website, and really resonated with us. We often see articles about how few women there are in the construction industry, and how few girls engage in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). But we don't see enough actually celebrating the achievements that women have made in the industry and the progress which the industry itself has made.

Scotland: building and fire safety regulation post-Grenfell

22 Feb 2021

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the UK Government has been reviewing and taking steps to reform our building and fire safety regimes.

However, one thing that is often overlooked in discussions around building and fire safety is the fact that the starting points for reviewing and improving this around the UK, particularly England and Scotland, are different.