The FMB was able to attend discussions with high level civil servants working as part of the Department of Finance in December last year. Proposed changes to building regulations and a brief consideration of the last six months highlighted the need for more consultation.
Three member companies, Moffitt & Robinson, Setanta and Nickell & Richmond, provided vital feedback on current infrastructure issues.
What was discussed?
The main discussions related to capacity challenges for the electricity network. Also discussed was the value of current energy efficiency assessments as well as experience of building control staff to approve these.
Several members are expressing the view that Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) are not able to provide site connections in a timely way at present.
Changes being discussed to encourage electric heavy initiatives such as heat pumps and car charging points are adding to concerns around site capacity and substations.
Going forward how can the FMB help?
We are so grateful to the members who attended for speaking on behalf of the industry and giving their time to help the wider membership.
Over the next few months, the FMB is in a strong position to feedback members’ views and experiences as the next raft of changes is planned for later in 2023 to building regulations.
We welcome being able to represent any of your views and will look to provide regular updates ahead of any proposals.
Have your say
If you do have any experiences of these issues that you would like us to highlight, please let me know.
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