All Letters articles – Page 81
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Comment
The right mix
Your interview with the energy minister Malcolm Wicks (28 October) reinforced the view that we should move away from much of the current media debate on which energy source is “best” – a debate somewhat hijacked by nuclear energy.
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Comment
Mining other rich seams
I am writing in reponse to Malcolm Taylor’s etter on the Woodhorn Colliery in Northumberland (9 September).
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Comment
Mall mauling
I am compelled to comment on the latest addition to the infamous Arndale Centre by Chapman Taylor (21 October).
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Comment
The lesson of Leeds
Your lead story on the CASPAR housing scheme in Leeds (28 October) illustrates perfectly the folly of the prescriptive approach to specifying how houses and flats should be built.
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Comment
It’s too late to be reasonable
You are absolutely right that “if construction is to deliver, it needs the rules spilling out of Whitehall to follow the three Cs: they must be clear, concise and consistent” (leader).
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Comment
Help for Gus
Of course the answer to Gus Alexander’s problem with the lowest price tender (28 October) would be for the client to employ a quantity surveyor at the outset of the project.
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Comment
L’s grannies
Images of little old ladies controlling their central heating by getting to grips with chapter 11 of the CIBSE Energy Efficiency Guide have faded away.
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Comment
More fuel to the fire
I read with interest the features on energy in this week’s issue. Of particular interest was the article “Homeowners want cheaper bills not greener measures” (page 23).
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Comment
Why the long face?
Was I the only one cheered up by all your dire warnings of a future without hydrocarbons, uranium, cars and so on?
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Comment
Bring on the Euro-directive
We are delighted that you devoted a whole publication to “the energy issue”.
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Comment
An economic argument
You are trying to have it both ways: our industry moaning about energy price rises while pressing the government to make us more “sustainable”.
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Comment
After the endgame
In the leader column in today’s issue of Building (28 October) you say: “Without a doubt energy is the most important problem we face as an industry and a society.” None of your readers, unless they had some kind of axe to grind, could disagree with the points you make. ...
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Comment
The race still running
Your article “Four housebuilders pull out of ‘onerous’ grant process” (28 October, page 22) took a somewhat sensational line and missed at least some of the point as a result. Opening bidding to private developers for the first time was always going to be about testing the market. We expected ...
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CommentTales from the pit
Our thanks to George Fordyce, head of engineering policy at the National Home Building Council, for sharing this fine example of ladder craft.
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Comment
Hold your horses
It was interesting to note Christopher Linnett’s comments on the increasingly short periods of time being allowed for contractors to tender for design-and-build enquiries (14 October).
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Comment
Credit control where it’s due
Colin Harding and fellow travellers should remember one important fact before attempting to have retentions outlawed: contractors usually get paid 95% or 97% of work done to date in advance of completion, once a month.
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Comment
The rise and rise of consultation
Jon Rouse sensibly sees the pursuit of consensus through interminable consultation as a failure of nerve among those politically or professionally charged with planning (30 September). This serves as an apology from the man who established the corrosive influence of the unelected CABE.
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Comment
Completion equals confidence
Congratulations to Trevor Hursthouse for defending the indefensible – that is, retentions – (7 October) but I suppose as chairman of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group he had no alternative.
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Comment
If you can’t stand the heat …
Perhaps, as Mr Linnett considers it bad practice to tender within such periods, he should stop working in the hot kitchen and retire to the dining room immediately.As a front-line contractor’s estimator, I’m the first to agree that a contractor’s bid team is up against it when undertaking such a ...