Are site waste management plans a help or hindrance to construction best practice and minimising waste?

If you've never thought about your construction waste, then think again. CEW confidently predicts that the consultation on the Welsh Government’s policy regarding Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs) will be live in the New Year. Whilst they have not been compulsory in Wales, organisations that have applied the idea of a site waste management plan have seen some significant benefits in terms time, money, minimising waste, cutting out landfill and improving of carbon footprint.

So, when the consultation process starts after Christmas make sure you check the facts before reaching any conclusions. Some of the biggest projects in Wales have embraced the idea of SWMPs already and have seen some excellent results. Newport High School, which won the CEW 2009 Waste Minimisation Award, adopted SWMP as one of the first steps in its waste strategy.

The Leadbitter team reviewed the plan on a monthly basis and it soon helped to manage and reduce the amount of waste produced by the construction of the new school. Of the 24,607 cubic metres of waste created, over 24,000 cubic metres was reused and only 67.8 cubic metres went to landfill. That’s a diversion of 24,500 cubic metres or approximately 37,000 tonnes from landfill and a cost saving in skip hire alone of more than £900,000.

Since 2010 the same team applied the lessons learned on subsequent schools at Llanwern High School and now the Gateway to the Valleys School and is seeing even better results. We know that organisations like Carillion, Costain and many others have all made similar gains – saving materials and money as well as diverting waste away from landfill sites.

To find out more details about how SWMPs can save your projects time and money, do contact us. 

The panel consisted of Julia Kennedy, Associate Director from Scottish Futures Trust, Director BAM PPP Netherlands and Belgium Henri Witteveen and David Ward, Chief Executive Ely Bridge Development Corporation.

The SE Wales Best Practice Club hosted an event at the Wales Millennium Centre to explore potential funding models to support the development of infrastructure projects across Wales. The event that took place on the 6th December was well attended by people across public and private sectors. Altogether 52 delegates from financial, legal and construction backgrounds followed the presentations with detailed information about the funding models that we need to support and grow the economy in Wales.

Three presenters from Wales, Scotland and the Netherlands gave their experiences of different funding models to support infrastructure projects. The presentations were followed by a “Question Time” session which allowed the audience to quiz the presenters, propose alternative solutions or just listen to the debate. The whole session was hosted by Frances Donovan, BBC Wales’ news and sports presenter.

The debate was extensive and ranged from detailed questions about the funding models to what are the acceptable levels of risk and return and from the suitability of pension funds for infrastructure projects to the cultural issues in the Welsh public sector. A number of themes emerged from the debate including a likely increase in future use of public funds to “leverage” private sector funding, a need for greater understanding and acceptance of risk sharing by the public sector and the powers and appetite of the Welsh Government to embrace different funding models. 

The Club intends to host another event in the near future to extend the debate to Welsh Government so that the industry can better gauge the public sector’s approach to alternative funding models.

The presentations are available on the CEW website.


SE Club chair Tony Norris and BBC Wales’ presenter Frances Donovan hosted the event.

Make sure construction has a voice in the Sustainable Development Bill consultation.

Construction is the means that Wales can deliver a sustainable economy and provide long lasting benefits to the communities affected by capital projects. So, last week’s Welsh Government White Paper setting out its proposals to bring forward legislation to make sustainable development the central organising principle of the Welsh Government and Welsh public service organisations in Wales is crucial to our industry.

Construction plays a central role in creating a sustainable Welsh built environment and it must play its part in the consultation process. Everyone associated with CEW knows that the reach that the built environment professions have goes far beyond the actual physical delivery of roads, houses, hospitals and schools. It affects communities and the wider economy, not just by building and development, but the choice of procurement method. So, the Sustainable Development Bill is closely linked with Jane Hutt’s Procurement Policy.

CEW totally supports the Government in its approach, but it is vital that stakeholders in construction realise the role the sector plays in policymaking. The Government focus on waste, its long term approach to education; the commitment to investing in the nation’s health, with free prescription charges and move away from a ‘throw-away’ to a low carbon society is all affected by the built environment.

The consultation will end on the 4th March 2013.

Please get involved with the consultation process and work with CEW to channel industry views. If you want to learn more about the Sustainable Development Bill or just want to tell us your views then contact us. 

To view the consultation documents, see the Welsh Government website. 

The G4C Charity Christmas event took place on the 6th December. The G4C Club managed to raise £400 to Construction Youth Trust - a registered charity working with young people to help them access employment opportunities in the construction industry. The charity’s Trustees all have strong links with the construction industry at a national and senior level. They are drawn from a spectrum of professions across the industry, reflecting the diversity its employment has to offer. The Trust relies on the financial support of companies and individuals who wish to ensure that young people continue to enter into construction.

Andrew Gibson, Associate Director at DTZ and Chairman of the G4C Wales stated: “This G4C Christmas Event was an excellent opportunity for young people in the construction industry to come together and support Construction Youth Trust, a charity which is very relevant to all of our professions. By wearing Christmas jumpers and entering a variety of competitions, it was very pleasing to see so many of these young professionals digging deep to raise £400. G4C Wales holds a number of events throughout the year from lectures, question time style meetings with leaders of industry and interactive business development seminars. These events provide an invaluable networking opportunity that brings together the future of the construction industry to increase the awareness of the importance of sustainable construction and collaborative working for years to come. Our next event will be held on the 21st February 2013 - please find us on LinkedIn for further details.”

The G4C board members handed the cheque to Laura-Anne Butler from Construction Youth Trust. She said: “Thank you very much for the kind donation. The Construction Youth Trust will be able to continue its work through the South Wales area. We hope to continue to help disadvantaged young people in Wales and aid them to access the opportunities within the construction industry. “

The G4C board members handing the cheque to Laura-Anne Butler from Construction Youth Trust

Construction needs to react and add detail to the Welsh Procurement Policy.

Jane Hutt, AM, Minister for Finance and Leader of the House issued the Wales Procurement Policy Statement last week, clearly setting out the practices and the specific actions that will be required of every public sector organisation in Wales - namely Local Authorities, the NHS, Education, Fire and Rescue and Welsh Government Sponsored Bodies.

The minister gave a clear message to anyone procuring construction services across Wales, that as well as processing efficiently, they must also deliver added value to our communities through local employment, training and supply chain opportunities. Further detail is being developed by the Value Wales Procurement Steering Group whose strategy will be launched shortly. This means that now is the time for the construction industry to get behind the drive for an agreed policy on collaborative procurement in construction and not just in the public sector, but across the private sector as well.

It’s worth noting that n the accompanying written statement the Jane Hutt said: “I do not consider adoption of this Statement’s policies to be optional and the potential of legislating to ensure the progress the Welsh economy and public services require is being considered.”

The full text of the Minister’s statement and the Wales Procurement Policy can be found on the Welsh Government website. Meanwhile, if you have any comments to make or want to help refine the Construction Procurement Strategy do let us know.

The sixth annual Constructing Excellence National Awards took place on the 30th November in London. The awards were attended by over 450 people from across the UK, celebrating achievements in the built environment sector.

CEW Awards winners went on to represent Wales at the national CE Awards. Throughout the year similar regional Constructing Excellence Awards have been held across the country and the winners from the East Midlands, London and South East, North East, North West, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber then went forward to the short list for the national awards.

Torfaen County Borough Council won the Client of the year national award. Its novel approach to procurement, best practice, community involvement and collaborative working impressed the judges. In 2005 it formalised a single contractor framework agreement with Kier Construction, based in Newport and Kier’s design team partners (architects Powell Dobson and engineering consultants Bingham Hall and Hoare Lea).

The framework has delivered a total of 12 educational and community regeneration projects worth nearly £80 million. All projects were delivered within budget and schedule, and all showed improved customer satisfaction. The council defined a number of performance measures, including reportable accident rates, client satisfaction and number of local workers employed. Over the seven-year period, the framework team improved and exceeded all KPI requirements.


Blaenavon Community campus scored 10/10 in client satisfaction.

The Minster for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage Huw Lewis has launched a consultation on a proposed new regeneration framework – “Vibrant and Viable Places”.

This consultation document is the result of a policy review of approaches to regeneration instigated by the Minister in February 2012. The suggested approach going forward will be much more holistic than previously undertaken, and will be ensuring all sectors of Welsh society, the key mainstream areas, to consider regeneration in both their spend and approach.

The Welsh Government is committed to investing in areas of Wales to help their economy thrive and regenerate communities, particularly in areas where there is high deprivation. Its approach aims to increase skills and employment opportunities, and improve communities so they are better for people and the environment. 

The Government has identified a number of areas across Wales that they are regenerating. The aim is to help them achieve long-lasting economic, environmental and social change.

The consultation ends on 14th January 2013.

For more information and the consultation documents see the Welsh Government website. 

The Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network (MBEKTN) Showcase Group is a sub-group providing information and a dedicated networking space on the MBEKTN's Innovation Showcase Group.

The Modern Built Environment KTN has set up this group in order to facilitate effective engagement of their members, leading to an increase in new collaborations and partnerships to develop, promote or exploit innovation.

There are now two opportunities to support new and emerging innovations for SMEs and universities in the built environment. The Innovation Zone at Ecobuild is actively seeking new or near to market technologies to showcase at Ecobuild 2013. The Modern Built Environment KTN is running a competition to allow 25 finalists the opportunity to showcase their innovation at the world’s largest built environment event.

The Innovation Vouchers is a scheme from the Technology Strategy Board, which provides funding so SMEs can work with a university or knowledge base expert for the first time. Start-ups, micro, small or medium-sized businesses located in the UK are eligible for up to £5,000 to obtain the help of an external expert to develop ideas and improve performance. The vouchers are issued quarterly and Built Environment is one of three themes. The next round opens in mid-December.

For more information see the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network website.