Pistolpete2

I agree with you.

I have a problem with the fact that in order to get the job done the UK has to go to the Chinese and France because the UK sadly it seems isn't capable of delivering the job itself and that is in part because in spite of infrastructure spending being a good way to stimulate the economy the UK seems incapable of doing infrastructure these days - check the Rail link to the North and anticipated timeline and costs let alone the debate time beforehand / London airport runways / the cost of converting the Olympic Stadium

Of course there is also the issue of spent fuels disposals which we are only at the tip of the iceberg with right now - as is France for that matter.

Pistolpete2

I had an interest in Canterbury for several reasons until I upped-sticks last year.

About eighteen years or so ago there was a lot going on work-wise locally as Pfizers enlarged their manufacturing and research facilities at nearby Sandwich. This has died off now and any prospects for development of the airport at Manston died with it.

Not much going on locally now industry-wise apart from agriculture (fruit growing) and tourism but building in the residential developments in St Dunstans and the Tannery area, plus the Land Securities retail development at Whitefriars and Marlow Theatre regeneration helped breathe new life into the place so that there are many more interesting restaurants to aid the upped shopping experience.

I always regard Canterbury as a centre for academia as there are so many quality schools (both private and state, boys and girls) and two unis (actually three incl the art college). This helps to underpin the local economy.

Property prices have jumped due to the service into St Pancras taking less than an hour.

Canterbury had the luxury of having plenty of brownfield to build on. Nearby Chartham was not so lucky. Even the former Canterbury jail is supposedly going to be turned into (student) housing.

An added bonus is the proximity to Whitstable, which is an attractive seaside arty seemingly ex-Londoner community which won the 'award' for least cloned town a couple of years back meaning it has the highest density of independent shops in the surveyed group and least density of standard brand shops that seem to pervade so many high streets. The Tesco superstore is 'conveniently' well outside the town.

conron

Unfortunately, not many job offers when you not in the country, especially for construction, they want you to be there, and we are coming in January, so anyone willing to consider Mike for jobs wont do it until closer to the time and i cannot wait until then to decide on a place to live- so its a little difficult.
but thanks for the advice- and we are looking for jobs in the areas we looking at and the money we can earn too.

conron

lol--maybe one day

conron

Ok thanks i will definatly look into those 2 areas!! yes like you said Devon is a little tricky- not much construction work. and looks a little more complicated to commute to the bigger cities- correct me if im wrong.

conron

do you know what the time frame for them to start that, or are they still waiting approval?

Pistolpete2

Final investment decision is awaited.

I got onto the fact that the construction was getting close now based upon the positioning of a catering venture intended to provide food for the contract workers and the local colleges such as Bridgwater College just yesterday announcing that they becoming centres for skills development.

This thing has dragged on and on already but indications were there that we are close now - next year??

Poking around further, the ANTI Hinkley Point Group hinted just last week that the planned signing of the investment agreement in October between the UK and China will not go ahead now, so who knows. Sorry!

EDF Energy has this open, so go figure:

Jobs at Hinkley Point C | Nuclear New Build | EDF Energy

and there's this:

Hinkley Construction Jobs - Register for Hinkley Construction Jobs

Pistolpete2

Don't write off all of Devon regarding construction, as indicated, there is a lot going on around Exeter these days what with a very progressive local city council that is trying to turn the area into a significant sustainable employment 'hub'. Exeter could work for your other needs as well.

conron

ok will do some looking into it. What about Plymouth as an alternative? there much going on there?

Pistolpete2

I 'think' it's pretty much like anywhere else - residential / regeneration property development.

Plymouth is the Royal Navy's principal dockyard and there is some work associated with the trident submarine fleet overhauls but that is more military-associated.

This week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced funding the upgrade to the main trident submarine facility at Faslane in Scotland but no mention of Plymouth in that regard. There is no intention of moving trident to Plymouth if there are further rumblings of Scottish independence.

The Ministry of Defence tinkers with various military establishments in the West Country from time to time but it seems a lot of what they desire for the longer term is already in place.

There is rail work associated with the electrification of First Great Western's lines into the West Country and Wales which will take quite a few years from now - the work is ongoing.

Then there is always road work. Right now the biggest job is between Newton Abbot and Torquay, on a bipass.

The West Country is always an area IN NEED because there is such a shortage of quality employment, such that regional representatives are constantly pushing London to apply funding for worthwhile projects be they better road rail air links, infrastructure, major regeneration, local unis (such as Falmouth) ....

Hence the excitement when Hinkley Point came to the fore ????

This obviously provides opportunities in construction as projects actually come on stream and it also provides opportunities for those who are looking to buy property to get into a relatively depressed area ahead of time if they find out that something major is happening which will turn that depressed area 'around', which is exactly what happened with Falmouth.

The image of Plymouth has improved since it went through its major regeneration of former military establishments into residential. Unfortunately, most of that construction work is now complete.

Plymouth did have an airport until a few years ago. Not sure what is happening with that now in terms of development.

Pistolpete2

This from Bloomberg today - it's a hot topic (no pun intended):

Ballooning costs and a further postponement in the start up of an Electricite de France SA nuclear plant in Normandy will increase the pressure on already delayed plans to build two facilities using the same technology at Hinkley Point in the U.K.

The startup of the atomic generator being built at Flamanville on the French side of the English Channel has been pushed back to the end of 2018, 11 years after construction began, and costs have more than tripled to 10.5 billion euros ($11.7 billion), the state-run utility said Thursday. The latest overrun came after the French regulator ordered tests earlier this year on possible weaknesses in the structure of the reactor vessel.

“There is clearly increased risk to the Hinkley Point C project,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Martin Young wrote in a note to clients on Thursday. “No visibility was given on potential cost uplifts, although the possibility of a revised timetable was alluded to.”

EDF is still working toward the final decision on a plan for two of the reactor models, known as EPRs, at Hinkley Point in the English county of Somerset. Another two plants are proposed for a site at Sizewell in Suffolk, underpinning a U.K. government plan to lower carbon dioxide emissions by replacing aging power plants reliant on fossil fuels.