Monday, 24 March 2014

Scaffolding - New Start Date



To keep you up to date, I received an email today (Monday) from David Burrup at DM Hall advising that the new scaffolding start date would be Wednesday 26th March 2014.


I have still not had any direct communication from Brecks, but have asked David for more detail as to when they might need access to any properties.  As soon as I hear anything more I'll get it posted here.


Catriona
for
BSORA   

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

...Scaffolding Update...


Well, the sharp eyed amongst you will no doubt have noticed the significant absence so far of any scaffold.....the revised date for this to be constructed is now next week, Tuesday 25 or Wednesday 26 March 2014. 

I have been advised by DM Hall that we can expect a letter from James Breck apologising and explaining the delay.

We also have a new primary contact at DM Hall.  David Burrup will receive a handover from Greig when the inspection prior to work starting is carried out.

We'll continue to aim to keep you as up to date as possible, and in the meantime, any questions please contact bsora@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks,

Catriona
for
BSORA

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Scaffolding Starts this Monday 17th March 2014

Hi everyone,


Just a quick reminder that our contractor, James Breck Ltd, will be here this coming Monday, 17th March 2014 to start constructing the scaffold for our building maintenance project.


If you haven't already done so, please do remember to let your insurance companies know.


Also, access is likely to be required to affected properties in this first week to make sure chimneys are blocked up etc, so to avoid any delay to the schedule please be prepared to make suitable arrangements for this.


If you have any questions, you can join us at our meeting at 5pm on Sunday 30th March 2014.  RSVP to bsora@hotmail.co.uk to let us know for numbers that you intend to come along please. 


Thanks,


Catriona
for
BSORA


Friday, 21 February 2014

Project Update, AGM Meeting Notes and Next Meeting 30th March 2014

 
Dear all,

 
Please find the meeting notes from the AGM held on 2 February 2014 here.

 
As indicated our next meeting will be at 5pm on Sunday 30 March 2014. Please RSVP to bsora@hotmail.co.uk.

 
In the meantime, Greig Adams of DM Hall has confirmed that this project is notifiable to the Health and Safety Executive, and he attached the following:

 


He also said:

"There are some duties for the co-proprietors under the CDM Regulations and these are listed below. Most of these are common sense items and have been dealt with already. The Health and Safety File is prepared once we are on-site and throughout the contract works. DM Hall are appointed to act as CDM Coordinator on the project, we will therefore send the F10 form to the HSE. Basically, we are at point 7 on the list now".
 
Client Duties under CDM Regulations
1.     Check competence and resources of all appointees
2.     Ensure there are suitable management arrangements for the project welfare facilities
3.     Allow sufficient time and resources for all stages
4.     Provide pre-construction information to designers and contractors
5.     Appoint a CDM co-ordinator
6.     Appoint a principal contractor
7.     Make sure that construction work does not start unless a construction phase plan is in place and there are adequate welfare facilities on site
8.     Provide information relating to the health and safety file to the CDM co-ordinator
9.     Retain and provide access to the health and safety file
 
The key points  for us to note are really the dates the scaffolding will be up, i.e. 17 March 2014 until Mid July 2014. 

Also, if you have not already done so, please remember to contact your home insurance provider.

We'll aim to keep you posted as we go, and if you have any questions, please contact bsora@hotmail.co.uk  or Greig directly.

Kind regards,

Catriona
for
BSORA


Thursday, 6 February 2014

It's a date! 17th March 2014

 
Dear all,
 
You should by now each have received a letter from DM Hall (dated 3 Feb 2014) outlining some of the preparations we are required to attend to before our project finally gets started.  One of the most important of these will be for us to each contact our respective insurers to inform them of the work to be carried out and giving the dates.  (A separate letter from DM Hall will have been included to make it easy for you to simply send it on.) 
 
The letter also includes an outline timescale that confirms: 
  • Proposed start date for erection of scaffolding  - 17th March 2014
  • Proposed start date for works to commence - 24th March 2014
  • Envisaged completion date - 16th May 2014

Please note that access to properties will be required by the contractors (James Breck) to make sure that the chimneys are appropriately blocked up etc.  This is to avoid any excessive soot coming in to our homes, although we must all be prepared for there to be at least some dust.  The letter also gives some guidance on what we can each be doing to seal window frames, and check that they all have locks fitted.

Access is likely to be required in the first week, i.e. week commencing 17th March 2014, so please be prepared to make suitable arrangements for this.
 
The work will generally take place between 0800 and 1630hrs, Monday to Friday, although there may be a requirement for a bit of Saturday work.


We've also been advised that as TV aerials and satellite dishes may have to be moved, this might mean a slight disruption to reception, so you have been warned!  This should be minimal and they will all be put back afterwards.


Key contacts are all included in the letter. 


If you are the owner, please make sure that your tenants are informed of all this.  We'll aim to keep you posted here, and if anyone has any other questions, please contact us on bsora@hotmail.com.  


Kind regards,


BSORA Committee







 
 
 


Thursday, 23 January 2014

AGM to be held 5pm Sunday 2nd February 2014





I'm sure you will all be as pleased as I am to know that James Breck Ltd. have finally been instructed by DM Hall (on our behalf) to carry out the repair works as scoped in the original survey carried out on the building in November 2011.


This is a significant milestone, and a great way to start the new year.  Further information will be coming shortly, and it is hoped that within the next week or so we may even have a schedule of dates to work to. 


As we move into this new phase, there is plenty to discuss and we want you to feel involved so please join us at our next meeting, which shall also be our second Annual General Meeting. 


This will be held at 5pm on Sunday 2 February 2014, in the lounge at Number 11 Brunswick Street (venue still to be confirmed).


Please rsvp to bsora@hotmail.co.uk so that we can anticipate the numbers accordingly.


In the meantime, as a committee we would be grateful if you would please take a moment to provide some feedback and comment using the short survey you will find at this link(Please note that this survey will close on Friday 31 Jan 2014 to enable the feedback to be collated and presented on Sunday 2 Feb 2014).




Thanks for your input and we look forward to seeing you,


Catriona
for
BSORA








ITV's "Tonight Programme": Do You Know Your Neighbours?





Worth a watch:


Jonathan Maitland looks back at a golden age of neighbourliness - and tries to bring an entire street together to celebrate their community for the very first time.


Originally screened at 7:30pm, Thursday 2 January 2014 Duration: 29 minutes

But still available for a while on itvplayer here:


https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/tonight/series-19/episode-4-do-you-know-your-neighbours-tonight




Catriona