Very few rights attach to land automatically; probably the only one is a right of support to the bare soil. Thereafter rights have to be acquired, mostly by the common law route. The Access to Neighbouring Land Act 1992, a response to a particular case, attempts to codify the law concerning an owner's right to enter next door's land in order to carry out necessary repairs to their own property.

This CPD module outlines the principles underlying the CDM Regulations, and the latest update CDM 2007. It examines the duties and responsibilities of different parties in the elimination and minimisation of safety hazards and risk under CDM, and the prescribed procedure for monitoring compliance with health and safety legislation throughout the building life-cycle.

The purpose and content of the prescribed documentation is also described with the emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of different parties in the application of the updated regulations.

By 4th January 2009 throughout the UK an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will be required for all domestic property, (both existing and new build) whether a marketed sale or rental, as well as most commercial buildings and in addition public buildings will require a Display Energy Certificate (DEC).

This module provides guidelines on producing EPCs and DECs in the UK. It includes details on the legal requirements and administrative framework for commissioning and issuing both EPCs and DECs.

Our current patterns of resource consumption and urban lifestyles not only raise significant economic issues regarding affordability but also social concerns such as equity and poverty and environmental impacts such as deforestation and reductions in biodiversity. Inevitably, in resolving any one of these issues there are likely to be implications for the remaining areas of concern. Therefore, it is incumbent on everybody involved with the design, construction and operation of assets within the built environment to ensure that the implications of their choices across a broad spectrum of economic, social and environmental considerations are made explicit. Only in this way can the impacts of any necessary compromises and trade-offs be understood fully and a balance be achieved.

Clearly, achieving such a balance requires a systematic approach to be adopted that recognises both the nature and process of construction activity. This not only includes a need to understand the routes by which different impacts arise and their potential effect, but also at what point in the life cycle of a built asset they are likely to occur. This module provides an introduction to these issues and their potential consequences, and outlines approaches and tools that enable their relative significance to be evaluated.

It is likely that all readers of this CPD module will already be fully aware of the commonly used definition of sustainable development as that which: “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”, published in the report ”Our Common Future” in 1987.

This module will find its focus within the social and environmental impact of the processes of design and physical construction. As such, there will be little discussion of the economic aspect of sustainability. The focus of this work will confine itself to construction. To some extent there will be consideration of the legacy of the building beyond its useful life and in relation to waste and re-use, while the impact of maintenance on sustainable construction will likewise be given a brief acknowledgement.

Developing a scale of values and designing and testing quality indicators for sustainable development is extremely important. An effective measurement standard needs to address all possible aspects, all physical, biological, health, social and cultural components which routinely influences the lives of individuals and communities.

This module will discuss the currently used measurement models for sustainable construction, and how this information is provided and analysed.

The objectives of the CPD module are as follows:

• To explain the process of evaluating the alternative design and construction options against pre-determined criteria in order to arrive to optimal solution. The premise is that the project appraisal should show how different design options address external factors (e.g. environmental, social and economic) as well as the client’s brief.
• To explain the skills required of a project manager for the successful completion of a construction project
• To explain the characteristics of contracts, types of contract, their interpretation and the legal remedies that are available for a breach of contract
• To explain the different forms of contractual arrangement available for determining price for executing a construction project, including the advantages and disadvantages of each form from the clients and contractors point of view.
• To explain how the construction projects are planned. The premise is that early planning of resources and processes will eliminate or reduce delays.