Phil the Builder

It should come as no surprise after this week’s news of £5billion of backing for the stalled home building sector that Chancellor Philip Hammond has his own strong ties with the building industry, having set up Castlemead Homes back in the 80s. Nonetheless, the announcement, or more accurately two announcements of £3bn and £2bn, do seem to reflect, as the FMB points out, a renewed focus by the new Government on housebuilding. After many past reports, here and elsewhere, on various initiatives to tackle the desperate shortage of new homes in this country, dare we look on this new shift of priority as a sign of hope? Read Story

Palmer, by contrast, is far from optimistic about the new home sector, having revised last year’s bullish growth forecast to one of contraction until 2020. However, amid a generally flat forecast for the whole domestic window, door and conservatory market, he does highlight a number of growth areas, especially at the high value end. Read Story

Meanwhile, how many of us would choose high security locks, doors and windows, then forget to lock them, or even leave the key under the mat? The answer is more than you might think, according to a survey released this week to mark Home Security Month. Read Story

Hopeful, fearful secure or simply forgetful, we hope you enjoy this week’s issue.

Chris Church Editor

Please send all your news stories to news@the-glazine.com

This Week's News

Ali and high-value shine in flat market – Palmer

High-end products, high value installations and a resurgence of aluminium have provided the only glimmer of growth in an otherwise flat window, door and conservatory market, according to the latest report from Palmer Market Research.

Total volume dropped by 0.7% in 2015, according to The Window, Door and Conservatory Markets in Housing in Great Britain, but, it continues: “This was offset by a shift towards higher-end products and higher value installations, which delivered a 2% increase in installed value to £4.20 billion.”

The domestic retrofit sector continues to dominate, with a value of £3.242bn, a figure that the report forecasts will put on 1.5% to £3.28bn by the end of this year. But, by contrast, Palmer has massively revised last year’s forecast of 32% growth in the new build sector by 2020 to 3% contraction in the same period.

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Builders applaud £5bn building boost
– and surveyors call for build-to-rent tax breaks

This week’s announcement of a £3billion loan fund to small housebuilders, as part of a £5billion support package to stimulate new home building, was immediately welcomed by the Federation of Master Builders.

Chancellor Philip Hammond and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid unveiled the plans at the Conservative Party Conference, where Javid said the Government had a ‘moral duty’ to tackle the housing crisis.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: "We welcome the Government’s renewed focus on house building and its recognition that without a resurgent SME sector, there’s little prospect of the country tackling its chronic under-supply of new homes.

“The launch of a £3 billion Home Builders Fund, a significant part of which will be specifically targeted at supporting small scale developers, will tackle one of the key barriers to SME house builders – a lack of access to finance. One in two local house builders cite difficulty accessing finance as a major barrier to their ability to build more homes, demonstrating the latent potential of a sector that can play a much larger role in tackling the gap between supply and demand of new homes.”

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Processors bullish despite Brexit - poll

UK glass processors are confident about the future, with nearly half expecting ‘significant growth’ into 2018 and two-thirds planning investment in machinery within the next two years, according to a poll conducted by Promac Group among visitors to Glasstec.

A further 14 per cent said that they expected to see ‘sustained’ if more modest growth, while 32 per cent, said that they were ‘unsure’. Five per cent suggested that the market would start to contract by 2018.

Of the total of those polled 68 per cent of respondents said that they expected to make investment in new machinery within the next 12-months.

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Survey highlights security goofs

Doors and windows left unlocked ...keys left in the door …even windows held shut with a piece of string – however intruder-proof we make our doors and windows, many homeowners still make it all too easy for burglars just to walk in, according to a survey by Winlock Security.

Nearly half of homeowners admitted to mistakes like leaving their house keys in the front door – and half of those doing it more than once – more than one in ten leave a spare key under a mat or plant pot instead of with a neighbour. Nearly half deliberately leave windows open when they go out and 7% even do the same with their doors.

Winlock, which conducted the survey of 754 households to mark Home Security Month as well as the introduction of the new ‘Doc Q’ security regulations, also records a catalogue of gaffes by installers including door locks fitted inside out, the wrong hand latch being used and door hinges being accessible from outside where hinge pins can be slipped out in seconds.

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Parnaby is new BWF President

Sean Parnaby, the nominated Vice President of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) has been appointed as acting President following the departure this week of Cliff Thrumble owing to a restructuring by the Boyland Groiup, his employer.

Paul Bailey of European Doorsets Ltd is to assume the dual role of treasurer and vice president.

Cliff Thrumble said: “It is with sincere regret that I am forced to stand-down as president of the BWF.  I am a joiner at heart and have been a longstanding supporter of the BWF and very much value all of the work that its team delivers and the industry we represent. I would have been very proud to represent the industry and I was very much looking forward to my time in office and working with the BWF members.”

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2017 Safety Awards launched

British Safety Council has launched the International Safety Awards 2017 which will be celebrated at the organisation’s 60th Anniversary and ISA Gala Dinner.

The awards are open to businesses and organisations of all sizes, types and sectors – both members of the British Safety Council and non-members, in the UK and internationally. Last year, 443 organisations from a wide range of industries, countries and continents won an International Safety Award.

Launching the awards, Mike Robinson, the British Safety Council’s Chief Executive, said: “The British Safety Council’s vision is that no one should be injured or made ill at work – anywhere in the world – and the International Safety Awards celebrate organisations that are taking effective steps to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workers and others who could be harmed by their activities.

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