The project will involve the construction of over two hundred and forty new affordable homes in Wiltshire together with the possibility of a second phase involving a further one hundred new homes. Wiltshire Council entered into the contract for the project with the Silbury Housing consortium which is wholly owned by Sarsen Housing Association. Persimmon Homes will construct the new homes and, once built, they will be managed and maintained by Sarsen Housing Association. 

For further information, please contact Elen Storey on 020 7880 4389 or elen.storey@devonshires.co.uk 

The briefing focussed on a pioneering project called ‘Greenwatt Way’, built by SSE with which Adrian Pike was closely involved in delivering.  The development contains a mixture of ten homes built to Code 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and is one of the first ‘zero-carbon’ developments in the UK.  Adrian took us through all the features of the development from the solar PV tiles which cover the entire roof and the district heating system powered by four different renewable sources to the shared electric car for the occupants of the development.  The project was a fascinating insight into the future of zero-carbon homes. 

During the interactive session, we discussed how Registered Providers may be able to implement some of the new technologies and Adrian pointed out the pitfalls of a one size fits all approach and the need to look to a blended technologies approach to provide the most appropriate energy solutions for housing.  Topics of interest included the key issue of financing new technology and in particular how this is going to work in the context of the Green Deal, the practical aspects of implementing new technology including the need for educating tenants how to use the technology and the importance of getting the maintenance and monitoring arrangements right from the outset of a new build or retrofit scheme.

If we can assist you with any of your energy and climate change matters or if you're interested in attending any of our upcoming Energy and Climate Change Briefings please contact Caroline Mostowfi on caroline.mostowfi@devonshires.co.uk or 020 7065 1855.

In very general terms, if a contracting authority wants to award a contract with a value in excess of the relevant threshold it must advertise it in the Official Journal of the European Union and competitively tender it in accordance with the Regulations.

If you have any queries in relation to the field of public procurement please contact:

Paul Buckland, Partner
020 7880 4346

Kris Kelliher, Solicitor
020 7880 4372

The judgment, by Mr Justice Owen, unreservedly rejected Ms Farnon’s claim, “In my judgment, the claimant has failed to establish that Ms Philip was in breach of her duties, and the claim must be dismissed.”  [105]

The following are further extracts from the judgment;

“I have come unhesitatingly to the conclusion that on this aspect of the case, as in other areas where there is a conflict of evidence, the evidence of Ms Philp is to be preferred…Ms Philp impressed as a reliable witness who gave evidence in a careful and straightforward manner”.  [54]

“I found the claimant’s assertion … wholly unconvincing.”  [60]

Referring to Ms Farnon: “Her explanation for not doing so does not ring true.     It further demonstrates her unreliability as a witness.”  [61]

Referring to Ms Farnon: “She was prepared to give a false impression in order to secure a job.  Such evidence does little to install confidence in her credibility.”  [84]

“I unhesitatingly accept the evidence of Ms Philip supported as it is by the contemporaneous documentation, which serves fatally to undermine the account given by the claimant.” [102]

Devonshires’ Senior Partner, Allan Hudson, commented, “This judgment confirms the quality of Nicola Philp’s advice and of her professionalism in the face of an ill-advised and unfounded claim.”

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council entered into the 25 year contract for the project with the Inspiral consortium which is made up of Great Places Housing Group, Wates Living Space and Regenter.

The judging took place on Tuesday 29th November 2011 at the Guildhall where Devonshires had to make a short presentation to a panel of five judges, describing the waste minimisation, reuse and recycling initiatives that we have in place, our achievements so far this year, reasons why we deserve to win the Chairman's Cup and also answer any questions the judges had.

There are around 1,600 small, medium and large businesses signed up to the scheme of which there are four levels of awards for each business size - Merit, Gold, Platinum and the Chairman's Cup award for an overall winner. The top four businesses from each category were selected to attend the Final Judging for the Chairman's Cup Award.

Devonshires has been awarded a Gold Award (2008) and Platinum Awards (2009, 2010), and last year we were short-listed for the Chairman's Cup but missed out on the top award. We hope our efforts this year have put us in a good position to win this time round.

The winners will be announced in the new year.

City of London Clean City Awards Scheme