ProCon Events

WEBINAR - Legal and Contractual Impact of COVID-19 - Lessons Learnt

This year has been testing for everybody in every walk of their lives. The impact of COVID-19 has been, and is still, far reaching. We have all had to adapt and yet still try to work and live our lives as best we can.

For many in the property and construction industries, work has carried on but under very different circumstances and with a considerable number of challenges to overcome.

Contracts have had to be re-negotiated, payment terms and additional costs discussed, supply chain issues overcome, new health and safety challenges to make sure the workforce is as safe as possible from COVID and customer expectations and deadlines still to be met.

The Future of the City Centre

The city centre plays a fundamental role in enabling exchange and interaction. It is the site of exchange not only of goods and services but also information and ideas, a place where work interacts with leisure and play, and where people’s lives intersect.

But that role has been under immense and sustained pressure as new ways of conducting retail have eroded the functions of the city centre and now with COVID-19 new ways of working. So what is the future of the City Centre?

Using Leicester as an example, Louise Seymour will look at recent development trends, increased city centre living, the focus on public realm, the office market (and its critical importance to the city centre), and take us up to where we were before COVID, and where Leicester City Council are focusing their investment going forward.

Sarah Harrison will then focus on retail; where we are now, future trends, but she will also pick up on tourism and leisure and what next in these aspects.

WEBINAR - Building Safety Regulations – a review of changes and the implications

On 20 January 2020 Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick announced new measures to improve building safety standards, described as: ‘the biggest change in building safety for a generation’.

The changes, following the Grenfell Tower fire, include:
• The immediate creation of a new Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive.
• Clarified and consolidated advice for building owners.
• An update on fire sprinklers.
• A consultation on extending the ban on combustible materials to buildings below 18 metres.
• A response to Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry.
• Naming building owners where remediation has not started to remove unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding.

We have put together a panel of experts who will give an insight into these changes and the impact on the building industry.

Paul Meadows from Salus Approved Inspectors will provide an overview of current Building Regulations and highlight the proposed changes with a focus on fire regulations. Whilst Kanti Chhapi from architects, Stephen George + Partners and Darren Wallace from contractor, Stepnell will provide their insights and how the changes will impact on current and future planning and developments.

There will be a Q&A session after the presentations.

WEBINAR - Public Consultation - Leicester Local Plan 2020-2036

Leicester City Council has now produced a draft local plan which sets out the vision and objectives for growth of the city over the next 15 years. They have commenced public consultation for 12 weeks (14 September till 7 December 2020) on the draft Local Plan, which will:

- Identify locations for potential development sites
- Set clear policies that guide decisions on planning applications.

This webinar will be an opportunity to find out more about the draft local plan consultation and ask questions prior to submitting your comments formally via the consultation hub. It will start with a presentation, followed by a Q & A session. Your comments will help us to shape the future of Leicester and will be used to produce a final plan next year.