Alan Ambrose

Do get the ends sorted promptly - induction hob on extension lead on indeterminate fusing is a recipe for fire.

While I’m sure I might be inclined to head down this rabbit hole as well when the time comes, it occurs to me that a standard consumer UPS for anything computery plus a couple of standard battery-backed emergency lights (like they have in offices and blocks of flats) would be v cheap and simple and cope with the majority of the power cut risk. Do you really need to plan for the 2nd order risk of power cut plus rain storm and therefore need battery backup of the sump pumps?

>>> There response was that I could take a full size digger on But leaving it there Or storing it onsite would constitute a commencement BTW these detailed rules are made up by the LPA (and therefore different between LPAs) - they’re not in the statute. So, you could argue them in court if you need.

Interesting to forever change thinking about kitchens though.

Ah, some delivery drivers are super-aggresive and angry, especially at this time of year. They could have called you on the way or texted beforehand with their eta. It would have taken them less than a minute. They could have carefully moved the builder’s tools and made their delivery. That would have been kind, calm and effective. But no, they chose to go ballistic and crazy with you. Tell them they can either redeliver for free or cancel the order. We really don’t want to encourage this kind of nonsense.

Also guide to cable sizes here: https://www.cse-distributors.co.uk/cable/power-cable/swa-armoured-power-cable.html That also has the nominal current rating, which is a ball park for short lengths in open air, and the resistance for calculating voltage drop. (Should come up with the same results as the TLC calculator - but that doesn’t seem to be working for me atm.) You really want to check the actual conductor sizes with some calipers though. In all cases you’ll fuse/mcb the house end to lower than the calculated rated current.

Unless there’s some local power restrictions you want 100A single phase or 66 or 80A per phase (I forget which) 3P. That’s it. If there are local problems then you will still want those numbers but you may not get them. p.s. I found Octopus best for 3P meter installation. Allow 3 or 4 months though.

Fairly simple. Yes, a 24 or 48way hub. Plug all the wires into the hub, doesn't matter where. You may need to crimp plugs on them if they don't already have them (or call a nerdy teenager). Use the 'B' wiring scheme ( https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Networking/Networking.htm ). Buy a cheap cable tester unless you've done similar crimping before. Plug one similar network cable in from the router. Label the wires with a shrink wrap labeller if you're keen - invent your own labelling scheme. Assuming you have full fibre and an OpenReach-installed ONT - plug that into the external port of the router with a shortish network cable. Or if you have FTTC etc plug the phone cable into the external port of the router. Now you need to set-up the router with your external ISP logon (you have ordered internet service right?). The same nerdy teenage will help. Then test the basic firewall operation: https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 choose proceed and all service ports and check they all show up green. Run a speed test ( https://broadbandtest.which.co.uk/ or similar) and check what you've got.

Yeah the friends thing is a problem. But, the good thing is that he's put his head above the parapet - he could have just kept quiet and politicked behind the scenes.

Well it must be a thing now because it was mentioned on The Archers a couple of days ago.

This also makes our builds look easy: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/12/style/hurricane-resistant-homes-deltec-dfi/index.html

Yes, that’s v sweet and it makes doing a single self build look easy by comparison. Wonder what happens if you find later that you don’t like your neighbours much?

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/nov/12/damned-kitchen-inventor-fitted-frankfurt-margarete-schutte-lihotzky

So, eating bacon sandwiches, while watching the F1, in front of the log burner - is very bad... That's me done for then.

duh, silly me, you're right, something like this then: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/councillor-and-officer-development/councillor-hub/role-councillor/code-conduct-and In accordance with the public trust placed in me, on all occasions: I act with integrity and honesty I act lawfully I treat all persons fairly and with respect; and I lead by example and act in a way that secures public confidence in the role of councillor. In undertaking my role: I impartially exercise my responsibilities in the interests of the local community I do not improperly seek to confer an advantage, or disadvantage, on any person I avoid conflicts of interest I exercise reasonable care and diligence; and I ensure that public resources are used prudently in accordance with my local authority’s requirements and in the public interest.

That’s interesting, this is what mine looks like. I am careful not to access it for long.

There is also the general civil service code re ethics etc. Short letter to individual also copied to head of planning asking that the person is not involved in your application?

Well no, if you remember I’m dealing with one of the bottom 20 LPAs in the country - a few points above special measures … if you believe that the stats are accurate. So stats give some clue re LPA behaviour, expectations, likely quality level (if they’re struggling, they’re probably cutting corners too). That is, the stats provide some useful context.

Yeah totally agree, and the payoff for all the work is having things as you want them.

Congrats. There are some quite pretty colours fyi 😀.

Thanks, I wonder how '8 weeks or EoT' works its way into the .gov stats, which has a '% decided in 8 weeks' as a metric. That's theoretically used for special measures status? Do the LPAs self-report for consolidation do you think?

>>> we will see 6 plinth bricks We have a similar situation with levels that go down towards the back and to one side. The plinth has a level top and, yes, you can see more bricks from some sides. Not a problem visually for me, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Feel free to check this aspect out at my gaff if you need.

I've never noticed this before. An alternative to the Excel tables: https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMDQ1MmRlMjEtMThlMy00MWIxLThmNTEtMzU4M2I5ODNmYTJlIiwidCI6ImJmMzQ2ODEwLTljN2QtNDNkZS1hODcyLTI0YTJlZjM5OTVhOCJ9 I'm looking at PS2 / District Matters / Minor Dwellings e.g. ...

I have a bunch of Reolink cameras. All good except for one that I dropped - and I mean to take that one apart sometime to see if I can fix it. My latest acquisition on a whim was a 'Go Ranger PT' for the plot - there's no services there atm. Battery and solar panel and 4G and pan and tilt. The battery seems to be held up fine by the solar panel, pan and tilt covers the whole plot (I was thinking I might need two) and the recognition of cars and people is very good. Modern day magic if you ask me. I took care to check the best provider for 4G signal and bought the camera when there was a special offer.

So, the LPA comes back to you before (or after 8 weeks) and says they want more time. What are the options and what are the limits in practice (a month?, 6 months?, a year?) How accurate / precise should the LPA's request be - e.g. 'a few more weeks' or 'by 5th November'? At what point do you say 'no' and what happens then?