Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council have announced a resolution to the dispute over plans for the Sinfin New Waste Treatment Facility. Following a period of “constructive dialogue,” the councils have addressed the key issues that led to the dispute. Agreement on the terms of a new Inter Authority Agreement has been reached in full – which means both organisations can move forward in partnership with the confidence and certainty required to successfully complete the project. Both councils remain committed to the original decision, made in February 2023, to progress option one: fix and operate the existing plant and have completed soft market testing throughout 2023 with positive engagement from the waste industry which confirmed there was capability, capacity and appetite in the market to deliver the project. The councils will now move forward with the procurement exercise to rectify defects at the facility and bring it into use. A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council said: “We’re pleased to confirm that the dispute has been fully resolved and both councils have reaffirmed their commitment to working in partnership to get the waste treatment centre at Sinfin operational. “This is in line with the decisions to fix and operate the facility which were taken by Cabinet Members at both councils at their respective meetings in February 2023. “We look forward with confidence to moving the project forward to provide both councils with the most viable and cost-effective, long-term solution for the management of household waste, to benefit residents in both the city and county.”

With the nomination deadline nearing for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024, shining a light on the region’s property and construction industry, there are 10 categories open for entry, offering a prime opportunity to showcase outstanding businesses, teams and projects at the prestigious event. One such category is Residential Development of the Year, which can be entered here. The winner of this category will be the scheme that has displayed a true commitment to providing much-needed housing in the East Midlands. There is no size limit, but schemes must have been completed over the last 12 months. Last year the award was won by Lincoln’s St Marks student accommodation (Phoenix Brickwork UK Ltd), with Elms Phase Two Ltd (Elms Developments) and The Condor, Derby (St James Securities and Grainger) runners up. Upon winning, Jamie Duerden, Brickwork Managing Director at Phoenix Brickwork UK Ltd, said: “I am overwhelmed with gratitude that Phoenix have been chosen to win this award. St Marks was a fantastic project and a huge accomplishment for our team being our largest masonry scheme to date. A big thank you to Bowmer and Kirkland Ltd for trusting us to deliver this prestigious project and a special thank you to our Phoenix team for all their efforts!” A further statement from the business added: “This project holds a special place for Phoenix as one of our highest-valued and most spectacular builds. The impressive scheme of 10 blocks has provided homes for 1372 students at The University of Lincoln. A big thanks to East Midlands Business Link for recognising our project within these awards.” Submit your nominations for Residential Development of the Year here before entries close on Thursday 5th September. Winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 3rd October, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground (4:30pm – 7:30pm) – an evening also offering an opportunity to establish new connections with property and construction professionals from across the region, and hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby. Other award categories open for entry include: Most Active Estate Agent, Commercial Development of the Year, Responsible Business of the Year, Contractor of the Year, Developer of the Year, Deal of the Year, Architects of the Year, Excellence in Design, and Sustainable Development of the Year. All entry forms can be accessed here. The Overall Winner award will also be presented at the event. This award cannot be entered, with the winner selected from those nominated for the event’s other awards. The Overall Winner of the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 will also receive a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000.

A rural consultancy has enabled a pioneering arable farm to sell ‘carbon credits’ generated from sequestered carbon in its soil to a top Formula 1 team to offset their emissions. Blaston Farm in Leicestershire, owned by Philipson Estates, has been at the forefront of regenerative farming for many years and has worked with Fisher German to help turn the farm into one that sequesters and stores a surplus of carbon. With Fisher German’s advice alongside agronomists Indigro and soil monitoring firm Ecometric, it has recently produced a detailed soil organic matter testing methodology and moved to a more regenerative style of farming. If a farm’s captured carbon is more than its yearly emissions, it means the surplus can be sold on the open market to private buyers looking to offset their emissions in the form of carbon credits. After vigorous analysis from Ecometric, credits were listed on the Regen Network platform. Blaston Farm was able to sell credits to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 team via carbon finance specialist Respira International. Vicky Povey, agribusiness graduate at Fisher German, said: “Creating carbon credits in this way is relatively new, and the market is very much an emerging one. “But if a farm can demonstrate that it is sequestering carbon in its soils over time via detailed analysis from companies such as Ecometric, then it is looking more and more like a viable way of generating extra income, particularly as BPS declines to zero in 2027, and helping the environment. “Blaston Farm and Philipson Estates are very much pioneers in this regard and have shown that for the right farm, carbon credits are valued by the market. “For a company such as the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 team to be purchasing credits, it shows the blue-chip firms hold them in high regard when it comes to offsetting emissions. “It’s fair to say that this method isn’t foolproof. The number of credits generated can depend on the type of soil a farm has and weather conditions. When assessing farm suitability for carbon sequestration, it is worth assessing fields individually and bearing in mind the trade-offs associated with reduced cultivation. “In addition, the longevity of these practices is somewhat unknown. We know the soil cannot store infinite amounts of carbon, so it is uncertain exactly how long we can continue to increase soil organic matter. “But farmers who are already trying regenerative farming methods ought to think about having their soil carbon levels measured against their emissions to generate credits. The market is only growing, and as companies are increasingly looking for ways to offset their emissions, it could be a great way to make extra money when farms are often under pressure. “For farmers thinking about generating carbon credits, it is vital to get expert advice so they can be sure it is a viable option for them.” Blaston Farm has engaged with regenerative farming practices for several years, including the creation of wildlife habitats alongside arable land, the use of renewable energy such as solar panels and air-source heat pumps, and participation in SFI schemes. Hylton Murray-Philipson, owner of Philipson Estates, believes that having exhausted the soil through years of continuous arable cropping, the heavy clay at Blaston has a 20-year journey of sequestration and recovery ahead. Hylton added: “Soil organic matter is a much more immediate form of sequestered carbon compared to trees or peatland. “At Blaston Farm, we have worked to improve soil quality by diversifying our crops and focusing on a more natural way of farming, which has enabled the soil to take in more carbon. “We felt the creation of highly audited carbon credits would be valued by the market, and the fact that we’ve sold a number of them to Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 has proved us to be right. “We’re looking forward to continuing to capture more carbon to generate more credits, which are currently listed on the Regen Network platform, and show that other farms – and of course, the environment – could benefit from this practice too.”