National news MSCP fire safety concerns Structural Safetys CROSS (Confident Reporting on Structural Safety scheme) has received a strongly worded anonymous report that says designers should proactively go beyond the minimum standards to reduce fire risk in multi-storey car parks. It listed a number of concerns, from damaged fire doors not being maintained to structural steelwork not having adequate fire resistance. Russell Simmons, chair of the BPA Structures group, said: In a perfect world, standards should be surpassed to reduce risk even further, but projects are almost always driven by commercial factors with minimumrequired standards being adopted by designers following their clients brief. In our view, and we have reported this to government, any increase in standards should be driven by statute or via the approved documents. The approved documents set out a way that designers can comply, so if these dont go far enough, they should be revised. First of all, however, we have called on government to do further research and testing, as our evidence shows there is insufficient data available to make informed decisions on the adequacy of the approved documents. Our current opinion is there is a strong chance the approved documents dont go far enough. Hospital parking update The BPA is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to get some clarity around the four vulnerable groups that are expected to receive free parking concessions from 1 January 2021. However, the definitions of the groups have not yet been published. We have made it clear that both trusts and operators need time to make the necessary arrangements in order to implement them after the group definitions are fully defined, said Sarah Greenslade, BPA public affairs and communications officer. For more information, see bit.ly/PNDec20N1 Round-up of stories affecting the profession across the UK 49m for EV initiatives The government has announced it will provide funding of 49m to low-carbon automotive projects across the UK. Thirty-one schemes are receiving a portion of 10m from the governments Automotive Transformation Fund, to support development of low-carbon emission technologies for vehicles, such as state-of-the-art motors and high-performing batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) . One winning project, Thurso+, will look at upscaling a battery cell production facility in Scotland. Meanwhile, 29m is being awarded to six projects through the governments APC16 competition. One project will develop infrastructure to collect and recycle EVs and their batteries. This is expected to create more than 500 jobs and boost UK capability to re-use materials from vehicles at the end of their life, with the potential to save vehicle manufacturers thousands of pounds shipping battery packs abroad for recycling. Twelve projects have been selected as part of the governments 10m Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator (ARMD) competition, including a project led by Nissan that will implement automation technologies to quickly charge EV batteries in the factory, increasing productivity and reducing costs on its EV production line. Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said: The 49m investment in projects from retro electric motorcycles to highpower batteries will boost our transition to zero-emission vehicles, helping us meet our greenhouse gas reduction goals and driving growth by increasing skilled jobs in the UK automotive sector. Council decides to directly employ CEOs Hackney Council has made the decision to bring its more than 130 civil enforcement officers (CEOs) back in house. The CEOs, currently employed by APCOA Parking (UK), will come back under the local authority control when the contract ends at the end of March 2022. Cllr Jon Burke, Hackney Council cabinet member for energy, waste, transport and public realm, said: By bringing parking enforcement in house, officers can look forward to increased opportunities for progression, which will help tackle inequality and support the local economy. Hackney Councils decision supports its manifesto to review all outsourced services with a view to bringing them in house. It has already insourced some parking services and APCOA views this as the final stage in that process, said a spokesperson for APCOA. We would like to thank Hackney Council and the trade union, Unite, for their support throughout the 16-year partnership, and will work together to ensure a smooth transition in 2022. Report on sustainable transport planning A new report launched by the Transport Planning Society and featuring research conducted by the University of Hertfordshire makes key recommendations for achieving a low-carbon transport system and better places for people to live and work. State of the Nations: Transport Planning for a Sustainable Future highlights how the pandemic has created an opportunity for the transport-planning profession and policy-makers to pause and consider what changes could be made to create an ecient, integrated and sustainable transport system. Its recommendations include making transport policy more inclusive, unhooking people from car dependence and giving individuals more travel choices, including travelling less. It concludes that transport spending and taxation needs to support decarbonisation, with objectives set out in transport strategies and spending priorities to address these important national aims. 8 britishparking.co.uk PN Dec 2020 pp08-09 News.indd 8 23/11/2020 16:02 m195