Over 3000 residents living in Perth and Kinross Council’s properties are set to benefit from newly refurbished homes after Novus were awarded a new refurbishment contract. Building contractor Novus will carry out external works to over 3,330 properties across the Perthshire North and South, Perth City, Muirton and, Latham and Hillylend areas of Scotland. The extensive refurbishments, which will include external decoration, new rendering, new fencing and guttering, will be phased over the next four years. "Committed to investing in our houses" Daniel Murray, Project Manager at Perth and Kinross Council, said: “Ensuring our region’s housing stock is high-quality is vital to both our residents’ wellbeing and the lifespan of the properties. We’re committed to investing in our houses to achieve this and we’re confident that the extensive decoration programme will have a significant impact our communities.  “Novus has an excellent knowledge of our local area and we know they will put our tenants’ needs first, as well as delivering fantastic results.” "We're looking forward to beginning" Charlie Cooley, Head of Operations at Novus, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with Perth and Kinross Council which has enabled us to develop a deeper understanding of how we can work with residents to achieve the best results for everyone. We’re looking forward to beginning the upgrades and seeing the difference the revitalised homes will make to the communities.” The value of the project will be around £2million and will take place from November 2020.

Novus are working hard to create safe working environments. To mark our commitment to covid-19 safety, we have released a safe working brochure and video. Helping clients to work safely Novus colleagues have adapted to a new way of working to ensure the safety of themselves, our clients, and customers. We are dedicated to providing the same high level of service you have come to expect from Novus, whilst following the necessary precautions to protect everyone involved from the threat of coronavirus. Our working practices and environments have been transformed in 2020 and our colleagues are embracing the ‘new normal’. To provide you with some further reassurance, we would like to share our Covid-19 secure working practices with you. For full details, click to download our "Creating safe working environments" brochure or watch our latest video:   Safely working in customers' homes We understand that this is a difficult time for everyone and that you may have concerns about Novus Operatives being in your home, which is why we would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that the safety of you and our colleagues is and always will be, our top priority. Face Coverings Our colleagues will be wearing a face covering at all times. Safe Distancing Where possible, operatives will maintain a social distance between themselves and others. We will agree with the customer the works to be completed and that they should stay in a separate room from the works with door closed Travel Where possible, operatives will travel to your home alone or in groups of two using their own transport or works vehicle. Hygiene Our operatives will regularly use anti-bacterial gel when working or changing tasks and clean down any surfaces they come into contact with - we will clean any touch-points. Tools Each operative will work with assigned tools, which (where possible) are not to be shared. If they do need to be shared, it is with one other operative only. Communication Before any work starts at your home, we will discuss with you how we will carry out the work and the measures we have in place to keep you and us safe.

Having recently completed the patio area as part of another social value project, the newly gifted park bench was the perfect finishing touch. Made from recycled materials The bench donated to the project was made from entirely recycled materials, having been manufactured by Novus supply partner Crown Paints. To make the bench, Crown Paints recycled empty paint tins that had been returned to them, which was then given to Novus. Refurbishment contract with Clarion Housing In turn, Novus donated the bench to our clients Clarion Housing to be used at one of their sheltered scheme where Novus were undertaking a full refurbishment contract. Throughout the works, the residents at the sheltered scheme have reportedly been very pleased with the work that our teams have completed. This was reflected in the generous thank you card that our Southampton office recently received from the residents once the work was completed. Laura Shotter – Contract Liaison Officer for Novus Southampton said: “The residents were so complimentary about Novus and everyone that have been involved with the work. I look forward to going through each individual response and sharing them with the team.” “We would like to extend our thanks for their patience, support, and understanding. As a token of our gratitude, Novus wanted to give something back.” The garden and patio area The residents are very proud of their garden area and love spending time in the fresh air, either socialising, gardening, or just relaxing. Novus have recently completed the patio area of the garden as part of another social value project at the sheltered scheme. As such, the bench made a logical accompaniment to the patio area and the perfect gift to say thank you to the residents. What next? Novus will be revisiting the sheltered scheme in the coming weeks to plant some trees in their new car park area as part of another social value project. Our team will be meeting on-site with members of Clarion Housing where both teams will get stuck-in to help plant the saplings. Watch this space for updates and pictures. Being Authentic is the Novus Way Our work with communities and in social value initiatives such as this one embraces the Novus value of “Be Authentic”. Novus aim to demonstrate the importance of social value in any given contract and we work closely with our clients to help make a difference in local communities. More social value projects If you are interested in finding out more about Novus social value projects, take a look at https://www.novussolutions.co.uk/our-approach/csr  

Novus were already working on a building refurbishment contract at Horton Lodge Special School in Rudyard, where 3 respite overnight bedrooms were in need of redecoration. Novus and supply partner Dulux were happy to donate materials to the cause.  Horton Lodge Community Special School Situated in the picturesque lakeside village of Rudyard in Staffordshire, lies Horton Lodge School. As a special school, it aims to "provide high-quality teaching and learning where children are challenged and every individual is valued." The school caters for children aged from 2 to 11 years with physical disabilities, with many of the pupils experiencing additional learning difficulties, complex communication needs, and visual and / or hearing impairments. As the Stoke Sentinel reported in September, Horton Lodge was one of five Staffordshire schools that stood to lose funding for children’s overnight stays from this term before the funding cuts were ultimately put on hold. The refurbishment contract Horton Lodge has a residential provision known as "Kiplings" so named due to its proximity to Lake Rudyard. Kiplings is designed and managed to provide a homely environment for the school's children and young people.  The provision is designed to help build independent living skills as children learn to feed and bathe themselves, read to each other, and take part in creative activities. As part of the works, 3 bedrooms within Kiplings were in desperate need of refurbishment and redecoration, as the windows tended to leak into the rooms causing damp damage to the flooring and skirting. Novus were awarded the contract to carry out the refurbishments on the school, these works included: Refitting windows and doors to bedrooms Replacing the carpets Roof repairs Boiler replacement Shower refurbishments When complete, the refurbishments were described as a "real boost" to the school by the Headteacher. Donation of materials At the time, Horton Lodge were asking for donations of paint and curtains to redecorate their bedrooms in time for the return of the children after the summer break. Novus sourced the curtains and window tracks from a local Staffordshire supplier and donated them for use in the bedrooms. Supply partners Dulux also kindly donated the paint required to redecorate the bedrooms, which equated to over 65 litres free of charge. The school caretaker then decorated the bedrooms himself. Chris Lear, Senior Quantity Surveyor at Novus Property Solutions said: "It was our pleasure to donate these materials to Horton Lodge, the work they do with young people here is inspirational and we hope the children enjoy their new bedrooms."

Speaking at the CIH Housing 2020 Conference yesterday, Government Housing Minister Christopher Pincher spent time ‘myth busting’ the criticisms of his planning reforms. Praise for Key Workers At 1.30pm on Monday, virtual delegates eagerly awaited the live keynote session from Mr. Pincher, keen to learn what news and additional insights the Government were prepared to share on the Housing sector. Before addressing the merits of the Government’s “Planning for the Future” white paper, the Minister took time to praise the people that “have shown resilience in face of the coronavirus emergency,” applauding doctors, nurses, teachers, and key workers of all descriptions. There was praise too for social landlords and housing associations, and the housing and construction sectors who Mr. Pincher said had “stepped up” to embrace change to ensure the needs of the community were met. Overhauling the current Planning System “We are overhauling our antiquated planning system” said the Housing Minister of the “Planning for the Future” white paper published on 6th August 2020. He outlined that the far-reaching reforms proposed in the 84-page document will make it “quicker, easier, and more affordable” than ever before to build homes by reducing burdens on house builders and developers. The emphasis of the reforms will be centred around reducing “risks, delays, and costs”, and accelerating the planning process through digitisation of the process. Read the Planning for the Future white paper on the Government website. Busting the “3 myths” As to be expected with any significant restructure to established legislation, there have been criticisms of the proposed reforms since publication. The housing minister was keen to set the record straight in response to those criticisms, describing them as “baseless myths,” whilst he addressed each in turn. 1.      The changes will diminish local government decision making New proposals set out by the white paper propose a zonal planning system that places land into 3 categories protected, renewal and growth. Plans also remove current methods of developer contributions for affordable housing by replacing Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy payments with a new system that is based on a nationally fixed levy based on predicted market value once the project is completed. Chrisopher Pincher dismissed the view that the changes would diminish local Government decision-making, arguing that they would actually “ensure real consultation with local communities from the very beginning of the planning process”. He also stressed the importance of involving local communities in planning, making the process more strategic and proactive, rather than the costly reactionary behaviour of the past. 2.      The reforms sweep away environmental protection and undermine green belt “We categorically are not weakening environmental protections,” Mr. Pincher affirmed to the watching virtual audience. As part of this, local developers will be asked to commit to ‘green’ infrastructure in their projects. He cited such as examples as community orchards, green roofs, and tree lined streets as methods of integrating nature into urban design, replicating World leading examples such as the tree lined streets of Paris. 3.      Too much focus on the South of England, not enough on the North The third and final myth identified by Mr Pincher was that changes to the way local housing need is assessed would benefit the South of England far more than the North, contrary to the government’s “levelling-up” agenda outlined in the Conservative election campaign back in 2019. This levelling up agenda attempts to address the apparent inequality between areas of the North when compared to the South of England, underperforming and left-behind parts of the UK are provided with the means to reach parity. An “increase in the number of homes being built across the whole country” will be realised in the longer term, said Mr. Pincher. There will also be a sharp focus on “delivering more homes in the least affordable areas.” Housing 2020 Christopher Pincher’s keynote speech was just one of the highlights of the Housing 2020 conference taking place between 7th – 11th September. Be sure to register for the event and check out some of the great speaker sessions that the event has to offer.    

The annual Housing 2020 Conference is the must-attend event for anyone connected with the Housing sector. For the first year ever, the conference moves online in a virtual experience like no other. What is Housing 2020? Operated annually by the Chartered Institute of Housing, its Housing Conference is Europe's largest. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, 2020 sees the conference become a virtual for one year only.  This online festival encompasses all the best components of the annual Housing conference from your own choice of venue – problem-solving, best practice, and the opportunity to network with peers in the sector. Speakers include government ministers such as the secretary of state for housing, the housing minister, welfare reform minister, alongside some of the leading and most influential names in housing today. Plus, 200 national and international speakers, thousands of delegates, and 5 days of innovation and solutions. Here are our top picks of the speaker sessions at Housing 2020.  When is it? The conference takes place between Monday 7th of September and concludes on Friday 11th, starting each day at 8 am and concluding (officially) at 5 pm. There are plenty of social engagement opportunities both in the morning and evenings, however, including breakfast briefings, housing quizzes, karaoke, and morning yoga classes. Will Novus be there? Yes, Novus are one of the main sponsors of the even and have a stand located at the conference, which you can view by following this link (if you have already signed up) This year, Novus will be donating £2 (up to a maximum of £1000) for every passport stamped when visiting the Novus stand to Crisis, the homeless charity. We're also really excited to be part of a speaking event at the conference, where our own Sophie Seddon and John Palfreyman will take centre stage to discuss the benefits of agile working for housing associations. If you're interested, just sign up and join them at the Fringe virtual theatre on Tuesday 8th September at 11.45am. How do I sign up for Housing 2020? Signing up is easy and free (for visitors). Just follow this registration link and follow the instructions! We hope to see you there.