Newsletter No. 44

 HALCROW PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION 

 Newsletter No. 44 : March 2021

This is a newsletter of the Halcrow Pensioners Association. More details of HPA's objectives, organisation and its activities are here. You have been sent this newsletter because you may be a member of the Halcrow Pension Scheme or its successor, HPS2 or be a former member of HPS who has transferred to the PPF. Membership of HPA is open to all interested HPS / HPS2 members and currently costs £10/year (only for those joining in 2021 as those who paid during 2020 have been given a subscription holiday as explained in Newsletter No. 43).  If you do not wish to receive the HPA newsletters then please email the webmaster to remove your name from the mailing list.

Notice of 2021 Annual General Meeting
In accordance with HPA's constitution, the Annual General Meeting shall take place in April. It is proposed to adopt the format used previously of a virtual meeting in a sub-forum of the HPA forum to which only paid-up members of HPA will be given access. The meeting will be the member's annual opportunity to contribute to the direction and operation of HPA. The 2021 AGM will be held in the HPA forum between 24th and 30th April. The proposed schedule, which has been based on the pace of previous AGMs, for the meeting is:

The agenda is here and links to the other documents will be posted in the HPA forum prior to the commencement of the AGM. Nominations or proposed items to be discussed at the AGM can be posted in the 2021 AGM forum to provide opportunity for others to view and, if appropriate, comment on them. Alternatively, please email them (also any apologies) to the secretary. An updated agenda will be issued before the meeting. The AGM is the opportunity for the members to provide their views on the direction and strategy of HPA. Please attend and provide your input.

The HPS2 Triennial Review
We recently checked the status of the HPS2 Triennial Review with the Trustee and were advised that discussions with Jacobs were continuing. The latest formal date for the required submission of the 2019 triennial to TPR passes at the end of this month and we have yet to be advised of any reasons for the delay. Given the previous experience with the failed review after the CH2M takeover, we are concerned that pensioners may be worried. We understand that Jacobs UK (which is now the scheme sponsor as reported in Newsletter No 39) continues to meet its financial obligations to the scheme as agreed for the 2016 valuation. We have on several occasions during 2020 and 2021 asked the Jacobs pensions team for the reasons for such delay.  No explanation has been forthcoming as yet although we have just recently been informed by the pensions team that our request for circulation of a holding statement to all the HPS2 membership will be considered at the next imminent Trustee meeting in March 2021. We are aware that there are many unworrying reasons that can cause such a delay and also that TPR is offering some latitude to such company submission dates due to the pandemic disruption to businesses. The Trustee should have informed the TPR of the delay circumstances and TPR should be monitoring the situation. We will inform HPA members as soon as we know anything more and will comment on the triennial review once it is available.

The 2019 Halcrow Group Ltd Annual Report and Financial Statements
The 2019 Halcrow Group Ltd Annual Report is is not yet available at Companies House and is marked as "overdue" (companies appear to have been allowed an extra 3 months to submit their paperwork) but that has passed. The 2018 annual report was also delayed but that was the first since Jacobs had taken over the business. The 2019 annual report will be of interest as the period includes the transfer of the HPS2 sponsorship to Jacobs UK and should clarify what remained of HGL at the end of 2019.

Tribute to Geoffrey Derek Hillier
HPA has been asked to include a tribute to Geoff Hillier who died on 5th March 2021 at the age of 82. He joined Sir William Halcrow and Partners in 1963 and  ultimately became director in charge of London Transportation (Highways and Airports) Group. In the 1990’s, in probably his most significant and valuable achievement, he directed the Halcrow and Malaysian team which project managed the civil works on the 100 sq. km site for the new replacement Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).  In recognition of his work on KLIA he was one of five individuals nominated in 1995 by The Times for the award of Consultant of the Year. A more comprehensive description of his career is here. If anyone wishes to contact his family then they can do so via the HPA webmaster.

Tribute to Rab Brown
HPA has been asked to include a tribute to Rab Brown who died aged 76 on 12th March 2021, in Dubai after a short illness.  Rab Brown was a man who stood out from the crowd.  He was a giant of a man, which goes with the territory for someone who used to play first class rugby union at No 8.  He overcame a career change that meant he only took up civil engineering in his mid 20s to rise to a world superstar of civil engineering having been involved in many well-known international mega-projects.  Both Orange Fish Tunnel and Dubai Docks were recognised in the Guinness Book of Records.  Even more famous was the Channel Tunnel.

Rab's aspirations out-grew what Halcrow could offer and he continued to work when most would have retired and only stopped working three months before his death.  Rab lived most of the last 10 years of his life in the Middle East (see his linkedin profile for more details). He leaves a wife, Wendy (whom some may remember worked for Dubai TV in the late 1970s, reading the daily news) and two sons, Ross and Neil. He can remembered here and, if anyone wishes to contact his family then they may do so via the HPA secretary.

Update on Burderop Park
One former occupant of Burderop Park remembered that there used to be a memorial bench to John Bedwell. He contacted the site foreman who located the bench and put it to one side pending rehoming. Can any reader think of other memoribilia which should be located and retrieved?

Reconnaissance was recently made of Burderop Park which has become a building site with the only trace of the pavilions now being a pile of rubble. Here are some photographs to illustrate the change. More will be taken in due course. Click on the photos to see larger images.

	Perhaps the "Burderop Park" sign will remain as the address.
	A view across the sports field. The mansion and a pile of rubble can be seen through the trees. This part of the sports field should remain as an open space (see planning application layout below).
	Rubble for house foundations on the southern part of the sports field and tennis courts.
	A new block of terraced houses, the cottage and the corner of the mansion.
	Demolition equipment on the site of the north pavilion.
	The layout submitted with the planning application approved in July 2020

 The Future of HPA
The need for HPA continues and among the possible ongoing tasks to look after HPA members' interests are:
1.    To keep HPA members informed about HPS2 and other pension-related matters.
2.    To closely monitor HPS2, the HPS2 Trustee and Jacobs UK (the scheme sponsoring company) to ensure that adequate contributions are made to the pension schemes. This could soon become a significant risk as the ongoing HPS2 triennial review could identify the need for increased company contributions.
3.    To examine or comment on proposals for changes to pension-related laws or regulations.
4.    Take opportunities to press for better supervision of pension schemes and their sponsoring companies.
5.    To follow the potential changes in pension scheme rules arising from the Hampshire vs PPF and Bauer court decisions.

Previous Newsletters
If you haven't been with HPA from the start or want to remind yourself of previous events then you can browse through the previous newsletters for which there is a full list here.