Jon Prichard, Chief Executive of the Mineral Products Association, has written to Kemi Badenoch, who was appointed Secretary of State for the Department for Business & Trade in February, asking her to reconsider the government's stance on Geographical Indicators (GI). 

GI is a way of protecting products that are associated with a particular town or area from copies from outside that area. Melton Mowbray pork pies and Stilton cheese are protected, for example.

So far, the protection has only been given to food and drink products, but in Europe moves are afoot to extend that protection to other categories, including stone.

Debate about extending GIs goes back at least to the turn of the millennium. It is a move that has always been vigorously supported by Michael Poultney, the Managing Director of Albion Stone, which extracts and sells Portland limestone.

Imported natural stones and cast concrete products have been promoted by using the name of Portland, which Michael Poultney would like stopped. 

The extension of GIs to non food and drink products gained momentum in 2014 when the EU opened a public consultation on the subject. That was before the 2016 Brexit referendum and Stone Federation Great Britain, the Mineral Products Association and English Stone Forum joined other organisations in Europe, including the pan-European EuroRoc, of which Stone Federation GB is a member, as well as individual quarry operators and Natural Stone Specialist magazine in contributing to the public consultation by making the case for protecting the geographic name of stones such as Portland. (You can read reports from the time here.)

Europe now looks likely to extend GI to products other than food and drink, which prompted Michael Poultney to write to the British government asking it to make a similar move. A reply from George Freeman, Minister for Science, Research & Innovation, via Michael's constituency MP, eventually reached Michael. It said the government felt trade marks did the job and the government had no plans to extend GIs. (You can read more about this and see the letter from George Freeman here).

Michael Poultney sought help from the Mineral Products Association, which has a section devoted to dimension stone to which Albion Stone and many of the UK's other leading dimension stone producers belong.

Jon Prichard, Chief Executive of the Mineral Products Association, told Natural Stone Specialist in January: “The Mineral Products Association understands the concerns this issue raises for natural stone producers in the UK and intends to take this up with the relevant government department to ensure that the interests of all our member companies are properly understood and appropriately protected.”

Now, in a letter dated 16 March to the Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP as Secretary of State for the Department for Business & Trade, Jon Prichard says: "Our members have raised concerns that their products are facing unfair competition from lesser quality products that are passing themselves off as originating form [sic] specific locations across the UK, leading to loss of business for UK SMEs. For example, Portland Stone, which can only be produced on the Isle of Portland, is as geographically specific as a Melton Mowbray Pork Pie and we believe that it should be afforded similar protection against cheap imports being mis-sold using its name.

"The argument for natural products such as stone is similar to that for food. The protection afforded by the GI scheme is entirely appropriate for natural products. A trademark protects intellectual property and applies to a manufacturer who is able to distinguish their product from others in the market. It cannot be applied to a natural product that may be offered by more than one producer in a geographically defined area."

You can read the whole of Jon Prichard's letter by clicking on the link below.  

Following on from Stone Federation’s successful Local Authority Planning & Natural Stone webinars last year, the Federation hosted an update on Zoom from its consultant on planning, Sam Thistlethwaite, Director of IC Planning, on 16 March.

Sam said the consultation on the latest up-dates to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which began in December, closed early in March and will probably result in a new NPPF being published in three or four months.

The NPPF says achieving sustainable development means the planning system has three overarching objectives, which are interdependent and should support each other for net gains across each. The three objectives are:

• an economic objective – to help build a strong, responsive and competitive economy, by ensuring that sufficient land of the right types is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth, innovation and improved productivity; and by identifying and co-ordinating the provision of infrastructure
• a social objective – to support strong, vibrant and healthy communities, by ensuring that a sufficient number and range of homes can be provided to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by fostering well-designed, beautiful and safe places, with accessible services and open spaces that reflect current and future needs and support communities’ health, social and cultural well-being
• an environmental objective – to protect and enhance our natural, built and historic environment; including making effective use of land, improving biodiversity, using natural resources prudently, minimising waste and pollution, and mitigating and adapting to climate change, including moving to a low carbon economy.

Sam pointed out a couple of changes that could help the stone industry: the heading to chapter 12 has been changed so it now reads 'Achieving well-designed and beautiful places', putting beauty right to the forefront; and paragraph 135 now includes the phrase 'the primary means of [improving design] should be through the preparation and use of local design codes'.

A problem with including the word ‘beauty’, of course, is that it is in the eye of the beholder and does not have an objective definition.

There is also a significant change to paragraph 137 that is intended to try to stop so-called value engineering that results in specified materials being substituted on-site for cheaper materials. It will mean there will have to be real clarity about what will be used on-site, said Sam.

With Sam, Stone Federation has been involved in the development of Design Codes, which come under the auspices of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC). Design Codes require design quality appropriate for the area where the development is taking place.

The Lake District National Park, which is also a World Heritage Site, is one of the 21 ‘Pathfinder’ authorities involved in the development of Design Codes, and a particularly sensitive one in terms of materials because of the importance of slate and limestone in building in the area to maintain its essential character.

Building stone suppliers in the area have been involved in the development of the Design Code there. There is a lot of information about the Design Code on the Lake District National Park website. The 200-page Design Code is going to affect every development in the Lake District.

Feedback from the Pathfinder authorities developing Design Codes is intended to lead to a National Model Design Code that can be adopted by any planning authority (and there are about 400 of them in the UK). Consultation on the National Model Design Code is expected to open in April.

Because Design Codes include concerns about meeting the UK’s targets for the reduction of greenhouse gasses, the low carbon credentials of locally sourced stone is significant and Sam said the stone industry needs to be clearer about the carbon benefits of using local stones and present more information about it.

For more about the Lake District National Park Design Code, click here

• The Natural Stone Directory lists 300 dimension stone quarries currently in production and 200 quarry operators in the UK and Ireland. It includes full contact details. To order your copy, click here.

Hard landscaping giant Marshalls saw profits fall last year although revenue grew as a result of eight months contribution from the purchase of roofing product manufacturer the Marley Group.

Figures in Marshalls’ annual report show the natural stone and concrete manufacturer based in West Yorkshire saw profit fall 46% in 2022 to £37.2million from £69.3million in 2021. Revenue was £719.4million, up 22%.

Marshalls described the purchase of the Marley Group as ‘transformational’, diversifying and boosting trade.

Marshalls proposed a final dividend of 9.9p, bringing the total dividend for the year to 15.6p, up 9.1% on a year earlier. However, the share price fell 2% to 293p but was back at 301p on 16 March.

Marshalls says it is well placed to deliver profitable long term growth in spite of anticipated challenges in the UK economy in 2023.

Chief Executive Martyn Coffey said: "Our strategy is underpinned by our strong market positions, established brands and focused investment plans to drive ongoing operational improvement.

“Notwithstanding short-term challenges, the Board remains confident that the group is well-placed to deliver profitable long-term growth when market conditions improve and continues to focus on its key strategic initiatives."

With so many glues, sealers, enhancers and cleaners to choose from it can be difficult to know which product to use for which application, so sometimes people just use what is familiar. But it is not necessarily the best solution. Here is advice from some of the suppliers about choosing the right product for the job.

Lithofin makes specialist products for cleaning, sealing, and maintaining internal and external natural and artificial stone, ceramics, porcelain, terracotta, quarry and quartz composite.

Lithofin Products are produced by Lithofin AG in Germany, an internationally recognised authority on cleaning, protecting, and maintaining stone and tile surfaces. Its products are relied upon by professionals and domestic customers alike, who testify to the quality of the long-lasting, easily maintained results they achieve.

So let’s look at some of the specific products from Lithofin.

External Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tiles are made of fine ceramic materials fired at high temperatures. They are hard wearing and dense. The surface can be matt and often textured to give extra slip protection. But despite the outstanding properties of porcelain tiles, contamination can still adhere to the surface causing marking or staining, so correct maintenance is required.

The three products below will remove most types of contamination.

Lithofin KF Intensive Cleaner  is a light alkaline product that will remove contamination of general grease and dirt.

Test one tile at a dilution of 1:10 with water and apply generously to the tile. Work the product every 1-2 minutes with a stiff deck brush or white pad and after 10-15 minutes (depending on the degree of contamination being treated) rinse several times. If the contamination is lifted, work through the area to be cleaned in small, controlled sections in the same way.

Water can often sit on porcelain and produce salts or water marks. To remove these use Lithofin KF Ceramic Clean. Again, test on one tile in a discreet area. If the joints are cement based, wet them with fresh water. Test/apply Lithofin Ceramic Clean diluted 1:3 with water and work the full tile to be cleaned. Keep scrubbing and activating with a stiff brush and white cleaning pad for several minutes, then rinse.

Some areas may require a second application and others may need extra attention with a stronger dilution to remove a thicker contamination of salts.

Once the test tile is satisfactorily cleaned, work through in small controlled sections of possibly only 1-2m2 at a time.

Lithofin KF Ceramic Cleaner can also be used to test for the removal of stains such as those caused by fertilizer pellets that have fallen on to the paved area or rust from metal furniture.

Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner can be used for the removal of contamination such as algae, leaf staining, stubborn tea, coffee and wine stains and coloured bird dropping stains.

As ever, first test this product on one or two tiles in a discreet area. Because of porcelain’s low porosity, Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner can be applied neat to the tiles. Leave it for 10-20 minutes, scrubbing with a stiff brush every 1-2 minutes. It can be left working for longer if there is more stubborn contamination.

To finish, rinse several times to remove the contaminated water and product.

External Natural Stone

Stone can be simple to maintain, but how simple depends on the stone’s texture.

More textured stones can be prone to contaminants and dirt sitting in the small pores and capillaries of the stone, which can  lead to the stone looking grubby and requiring deeper cleaning.

It is possible to impregnate stone surfaces for water and oil repellence and ease of maintenance, and you can use one of Lithofin’s natural stone-specific impregnating or colour enhancing sealers for this purpose. But before the surface is impregnated, ensure that the stone is completely dry and released of all moisture. And ensure a test has been completed on a spare stone or in a discreet area to test for suitability and any colour change that may occur.

For thorough cleaning of Natural Stone outdoor areas, Lithofin MN Power-Clean is ideal for an overall deep clean, removing grease and general and ingrained dirt residues.

It is also suitable for an initial clean of newly laid surfaces to remove dusting.

This mild alkaline cleaning product is recommended for all types of natural and artificial stone, including acid sensitive limestones and marbles.

For effective cleaning of patios and outdoor paving, Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner is ideal for removing the marks left by leaf and plant tannins, black spores, bird droppings, and other contaminants.

It works fast and thoroughly with the highly active ingredients providing impressive results. Surfaces can be jet washed initially to remove loose surface debris and then allowed to dry before applying the product. It is ideal for both concrete and natural stone surfaces.

For removing all kinds of rust stains and residues of metal oxides caused by fertilisers and metal garden furniture, Lithofin Rust-Ex can be used on individual areas. Allow it to  work for about 5-10 minutes maximum and then rinse off with clean water.

The reaction becomes visible through a purple discolouration that will disappear naturally of its own accord. This product is suitable for acid sensitive natural stone and concrete surfaces.

If algae is an issue, Lithofin Algex will resolve it. And it contains an inhibitor to stop spores re-colonising the area for 6-12 months afterwards.

This product is self-acting and can be used on surfaces such as natural stone, concrete, quarry tiles and wood, making them thoroughly cleaned and brightened.

If the deposits have turned black, clean the surface with Lithofin MN Outdoor Cleaner.

Spray Lithofin Algex as a preventive treatment a few days after cleaning, and thereafter once a year, to maintain the appearance.

Sealing and Impregnating External Natural Stone

Lithofin’s two external sealers are ideal for protecting absorbent natural and engineered stone surfaces against staining.

Lithofin Stainstop W is a water-based impregnator that largely prevents penetration of water, oil, and grease to make maintenance easier. It is UV resistant and does not yellow, but penetrates the surface to form an invisible film in the materials’ capillaries.

The solvent-based option is Lithofin MN Stain Stop, although surfaces must be fully dry before it is applied, so an eye on the weather forecast is essential.

Lithofin Products are available nationwide and to find your nearest stockist and for further product information visit www.casdron.co.uk.

Lithofin UK’s YouTube Channel

When people want to know how to do something the first port of call is likely to be YouTube, which is why Lithofin has introduced the Lithofin UK channel on YouTube that you can subscribe to.

On the channel, you can watch Lithofin Technical Manager Bob Sewell introducing informative Lithofin UK ‘How To’ videos covering product applications of the Lithofin range for professional results. See for yourself at tinyurl.com/Lithofinvideos.

Lithofin also invites you to go and chat with its team at the Natural Stone Show in London ExCel on 6-8 June 2023. The company will be on Stand F35.

If you need help before then, the Lithofin Technical Support Line is available from 8.30am to 5pm weekdays with Technical Experts available to advise on all your stone cleaning, protection, and maintenance queries. Just call the Lithofin Technical Support Line: 01962 732126.

Part of the beauty of stone is that it just looks better as it ages. But it can benefit from a helping hand to keep it looking its best.

In this case study, we visit a Blue Lias flooring renovation project and discuss the work out by stone maintenance specialist Silex UK using the products of manufacturer LTP.

Original flagstones are a beautiful feature in a period property, but keeping the stones looking their best can be helped by an occasional clean and sympathetic treatment.

In many cases, stones in old properties are laid directly onto the ground, with no damp-proof membrane underneath. This installation method allowed the stone to ‘breathe’, absorbing and evaporating moisture freely through the its natural porosity. 

For a successful renovation, it is essential that this ability to ‘breathe’ is not compromised. That means using the correct treatments and methods.

About Blue Lias limestone

The sediments that form the basis of Blue Lias limestone were deposited in the late Triassic and early Jurassic geolical periods, some 195-200 million years ago. The resulting stone gets its name from the quarrymen’s dialect for layers – ‘lias’. The stone is made up of layers of limestone and shale. It has a distinct blue/grey tinge due to its fossils, ores and iron content. It is mainly found in Somerset and Dorset.

Renovation cleaning

In a Grade II Listed property in Sparkford, near Castle Carey in Somerset, around 100m² of Blue Lias has been laid when the house was built. It formed the floor in an area that includes the side entrance, kitchen and a narrow corridor leading into the main open hall area, including the dining area and lounge.

LTP advised the Silex UK team on the best cleaning and protection method, in view of the stone’s age and environment.

Being in a historic installation, the floor was laid directly on to the earth, without a damp-proof membrane.

Before the floor was cleaned, Alastair Niddrie from Silex UK carefully removed salts, flaky residue and paint deposits by hand using LTP Grimex to clean the limestone and remove greasy residue.

Grimex is an intensive cleaner that removes oil, grease, ingrained dirt, water-based paint and old layers of wax.

It is safe to use on all types of natural stone and it can be used at different dilutions to suit the particular project.

Alastair used a 1:3 dilution, applying the cleaner to the flagstones with a broad brush. The treatment was left to react for 5-10minutes, during which time the floor was kept wet with additional solution. It was then agitated with a brush, residue was removed and the surface was rinsed thoroughly with clean water.

LTP Solvex – an intensive cleaner/stripper – can be used alongside Grimex to remove oil-based paint, wax, oil, silicone, acrylic, polyurethane sealer and residual epoxy grout. Like Grimex, it is safe to use on natural stone.

Phase II – protection

Flagstone floors are often enhanced and protected using wax-based treatments, but this is only suitable for a floor laid above a damp-proof membrane and should not be used on a floor without such a membrane as it seals the stone and prevents the passage of moisture and salts through it.

If the stone is not able to ‘breathe’ it will eventually break up. Walls can also be compromised as moisture looks for other ways to escape.

At the privately-owned property that is the subject of this case study, Silex used LTP’s Ecoprotec Colour Enhancing Stone Sealer, a water-based non-film forming impregnating treatment that enhances the surface as well as protecting it from water, oil and grease spilled on to it, while allowing moisture from below that permeates the stone to escape. It also helps to reduce efflorescence.

The first coat was applied after the stone had dried out from the intensive cleaning (after about 24 hours) and before re-pointing. A further coat was applied 24 hours after the stone had been re-grouted and any residual grout had been removed, the final coat covering the re-pointed joints as well.

To ensure a good application into the uneven surface, Alastair applied the treatment with a broad paint brush. Once cured, the floors were buffed using a rotary machine fitted with white pads to give the surface a beautiful lustre. The flagstones were then polished by hand with woollen pads.

A court has ordered that a Grade II Listed pub in Lancashire demolished without permission must be rebuilt with as much material reclaimed from the rubble as possible, reports the Guardian newspaper. 

The Punch Bowl Inn at Hurst Green is said to have been haunted by the ghosts of highwaymen Dick Turpin and Ned King.

An entry on Wikipedia says the inn was originally two 18th century cottages with an eastern portion added in the 19th century and a western portion that was originally a barn.

The walls of the two-storey 18th-century portion were of sandstone laid in watershot pattern with courses angled slightly outwards to shed water. The roof was slate. There were two plain stone door surrounds, one of which was blocked up and the windows also had plain stone surrounds.

The original building was joined to the 19th-century eastern addition by a two-storey single bay structure which appeared to be of similar construction to the 18th-century part. The 19th-century addition was made of larger sandstone blocks and had a moulded stone cornice. It again had windows with plain stone surrounds.

Last year, a trial at Burnley magistrates court found five people guilty of the illegal demolition of the 300-year-old pub in June 2021.

Now a judge has ordered that the pub must be rebuilt at a cost developers have put at £1.5million, and Andrew Donelan, Nicola Donelan, Rebecca Donelan, David Cotterell and Brian Ingleby are required to pay a combined £70,000 in fines and court costs.

During the court case last year the court heard how there had been no need to demolish the building, although the defence claimed the defendants were concerned the pub, which had been closed since 2012, could collapse and fall into the road.

They said they had spoken to the council, Historic England and experts about what to do but “nobody was helping”.

In the years before the demolition, emergency services had been called a number of times when fires were started inside the building.

District Judge Alex Boyd said: “The purpose of these requirements is to protect the building for current and future generations to enjoy.” The ruling to rebuild the pub would act as a deterrent to others considering illegal demolitions, said the Judge.

This is not the first time a pub demolished without planning permission has had to be rebuilt.

Carlton Tavern in London was re-built and re-opened six years after being demolished thanks to 5,300 locals, including several councillors, mobilising to persuade Westminster council to take action against the demolition.

A planning inquiry the year after the council had told the owners to rebuild the pub confirmed the decision, ruling that it should be rebuilt “in facsimile”, from the red bricks to the distinctive tiled pub name.

Polly Robertson, a leading member of the Rebuild the Carlton Tavern campaign, said once the Carlton had been rebuilt “to be fair… they have done amazing work. It looks fantastic.”

The pub re-opened on 12 April 2021, the day that Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in England to let pubs and restaurants serve drinks and meals outdoors.

It had last served customers before that in April 2015, when it closed after being denied planning permission for conversion into 10 flats. Two days before it was due to be Listed Grade-II, the owners ordered its demolition.

The Guardian newspaper spoke to James Watson when the pub re-opened. He is a pub protection adviser for the Campaign for Pubs who advised the Carlton campaigners. He told the newspaper: “I never imagined that I would see a planning inspector order a developer to put back what he’d just knocked down, to look exactly as it was. I thought the developer would get a slap on the wrist, a £6,000 fine. But I was flabbergasted. And it has set an incredibly useful precedent: other planning inspectors will remember it – and so will developers.”

On the evening of 8 March, International Women's Day, the Women In Natural Stone (WINS) group  welcomed 60 women to The Building Society in London for the launch of a new mentoring programme.

Tamsin Napier-Munn, Manager & Host of Women in Business at The Business Magazine was the guest speaker, inspiring and enthusing those present.

Co-Chairs of WINS, Becca Cranfield of Athena Stonecare and Tamsin Pickeral of Szerelmey, explained how the mentoring scheme will work.

It has been developed to help connect women in the earlier years of their career in the industry with women who have more experience and can offer guidance and advice.

Any woman in the stone industry, in whatever role, interested in being mentored should contact the Stone Federation, which is managing the scheme, by contacting [email protected].

Once Stone Federation has received an application from someone wanting to be mentored, the applicant will be matched with a mentor and an introductory email sent.

From there it will be up to the mentor and the person being mentored to arrange their first meeting, in person or online as they see fit.

Some ice-breaker questions will be suggested to ease the flow of conversation, but it is up to the people involved whether they use these or take an alternative approach. The scheme is very much geared to the requirements of those involved and is not proscriptive.

Both the mentor and the person being mentored will be asked to commit to an initial six-month connection, although it will not be binding and if either party feels it is not working out can end the arrangement at any time.

During the first six months the mentor and the person being mentored are expected to meet at least twice, either in person or online, and should be prepared to communicate by email and/or phone at least once a month.

The mentors come from across the natural stone, architectural and construction sectors. All the mentors are experienced in their professions and well-placed to support and encourage those who want to further their careers.

As well as WINS co-Chairs Becca Cranfield and Tamsin Pickeral, the mentors are: Mirander McCabe, an Associate at Purcell; Iris Chan, Supply Chain Manager at Multiplex; Valerie Bergeron, Director of Business Development Europe at Polycor; Regina Vitorio, Chair of LSI Stone; Nicky Rance, Project Director at Sir Robert McAlpine; Jane Buxey, Chief Executive of Stone Federation; Lisa Nunn, Senior Geologist at FNDC; Lyndsey Gallagher, COO at Gallagher Group; Maria Amparo Asenjo, Associate Director of Mace.

If any other woman would like to volunteer as a mentor, they should contact Sara by email at [email protected] to express their interest.

With women making up just 14% of the people working in the construction industry, International Women’s Day on 8 March each year highlights the opportunities for increasing diversity in construction.

It is less uncommon these days to see women working in stone companies actually on the bankers, in the machine shops or on-site rather than in the office, but after more than 100 years of International Women’s Days they are still a small minority.

On Women’s Day this year the Women in Natural Stone Group is launching a new mentoring initiative, so that those in the industry can help those new to it develop a career in the speciality.

And to mark International Women’s Day, Kay Rizouki, Assistant Project Manager of stone and conservation specialist DBR London Ltd, talks about her experience of the industry.

Kay has a background in civil engineering, joining DBR as Assistant Project Manager at the Liberty of London restoration project. She has a BSc in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Structural Engineering & Design. Here, she answers some questions about her move into construction and the stone industry.

Q: How did you get into the construction industry?

Kate: I completed my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in civil and structural engineering and applied to work as a site engineer for a year before deciding to work as a construction manager.

What is a typical day in your job like?

I start at 8am and quickly skim through unread emails for a few minutes to make sure I am up to date. The most important part of this short task is that any operations that I need to organise for the rest of the day are sorted first thing. Then I go for a walk around site to make sure the right job tasks are being prioritised and ensuring health & safety is being practiced.

Normally my walk ends with a to-do list for my colleagues and myself. I then get on with Teams calls and on-site meetings to discuss design and delivery. Throughout the day, I will keep checking-in onsite to ensure everything runs smoothly, which involves a lot of telephone calls and WhatsApp group messages!

Towards the end of the day, site operations would have been completed and I get a good opportunity to close out my to-do list through some quiet time in the site office.

What's your favourite project among those you have worked on?

My favourite would be my current project at the Natural History Museum, which is a one-year, £10million-plus restoration and conservation project involving the replacement of roofing, glazing, flooring, M&E, and terracotta cleaning & repair works – an extremely interesting project that keeps on giving and is perfect for DBR.

Do you feel women are fairly represented in the industry? Have perceptions changed?

I believe there has been an increase in the number of women working in construction over the past 10 years and I think that events that promote 'women in construction' play a big role in this. I have witnessed this by attending events and seeing influential posts on LinkedIn, which both play a huge role in giving a more fair and accurate representation of women's achievements in construction.

How could the industry attract more women?

By practicing gender-equal opportunities in each and every construction company. By hosting and attending 'women in construction' events, which will give the company an opportunity to meet women working in the field and be able to witness their achievements.

What are your views on events like International Women's Day?

This is such an important event because as women who work in construction, we can share our experiences to enable younger females to believe that, actually, their gender should not limit their opportunities and career options.

What's the one piece of advice you would give to women thinking about pursuing a career in the construction industry?

Give it a go. You never know until you try! I was a little nervous at first, but I turned out to enjoy it very much.