Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for January 2010
29/01/2010
A Carillion-led Local Education Partnership (LEP) has been appointed as the preferred bidder for the £370 million Wolverhampton Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, part of the UK Government's £65 billion BSF programme. This latest success means that Carillion has now secured, or been a
29/01/2010
AMEC, the international engineering and project management company, has announced the acquisition of Currie & Brown (Australia) Pty Ltd, a leading Australian cost and commercial management consultancy from its shareholders for AU$36.4 million in cash. Currie & Brown (Australia) is a provider of ind
29/01/2010
Construction union UCATT have welcomed the announcement that the Government will formally recognise Workers Memorial Day, as an important step forward. UCATT has long campaigned for Workers Memorial Day (28th April) to become a bank holiday. Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "The Go
29/01/2010
Eamonn Boylan, Deputy Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), is to leave to take up the role of Chief Executive at Stockport Council at the end of March. Commenting on his departure, Chief Executive of the HCA, Sir Bob Kerslake, said: "Eamonn has been an excellent deputy chief e
29/01/2010
Two of Europe's biggest regeneration projects cleared the final hurdle last night at Southwark Council's full Assembly. The £2.4 billion regeneration of the Aylesbury estate is completely endorsed, as members agreed the Area Action Plan (AAP). The Canada Water AAP also reached a major milestone,
29/01/2010
Housing Minister John Healey MP recently paid a visit to Durkan's £70 million regeneration project in Clapham to meet with local residents. He discussed the current improvements to the Clapham Park Estate and asked residents what they expect to see in the future around the Estate. Durkan's involv
29/01/2010
A school building in Lambeth has been hailed as a great example of how to refurbish historical buildings and make them fit for modern education. The Elm Court School in Brixton Hill is now housed in the Edwardian building which was once the Strand Grammar School. The building, brought back to lif
29/01/2010
A project which could ultimately see all homes in Birmingham retrofitted with energy efficient improvements, will be considered today by Birmingham City Council. To be launched initially as a pilot project within Aston, Lozells, Newtown and Northfield, the Green New Deal will see up to 25,000 homeo
29/01/2010
KE Fibertec UK has promoted Adam Taylor as contact person and product manager for distributing the Euro Air textile ducting in the UK. After a couple of months transition period KE Fibertec UK is now ready to take over the distribution of Euro Air in the UK and Adam Taylor is promoted to be product
29/01/2010
L.D. Leigh & Co. Limited have secured for a limited time, four special offers from Senco - one of the largest manufacturers of collated fastenings and tools, which comprises of two battery powered finishing tools and two gas powered tools. Battery technology tools The cordless finisher-32 tool is
28/01/2010
A Bristol-based company has been fined for putting its workers at risk of asbestos-related diseases while working on a property in the city. Frank Bruce and Company Ltd, of St George, Bristol pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates in relation to refurbishment work at Lawrence Hill Industrial Park in
28/01/2010
Housing Benefit Minister Helen Goodman MP will attend an open event organised by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) on 4 February to invite views on the future of Housing Benefit. Housing Benefit accounts for over 80% of government funding for housing in the UK. It is currently paid to 5 mill
28/01/2010
The social housing watchdog plans to cut its running costs by about 10% next year (2010-11), while doubling its remit when it takes on responsibility for regulating local authorities. The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) will reduce its budget to £35m – down from £38.5m this year. The TSA has alread
28/01/2010
More than £300,000 has been released to youth centre Open 24/7 and a new visitor centre at the Cathedral of St John The Baptist as part of a partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). The HCA's partnership with Norwich City Council, called the Single Conversation, has seen £8 million
28/01/2010
Jamie Staff, gold medallist in the Team Sprint at the Beijing 2008 Games, visited the London 2012 Velodrome this week to mark the completion of the venue's steel structure. The 6,000-seat Velodrome will host the Olympic and Paralympic Track Cycling events in 2012 and is on track to be one of the fi
28/01/2010
The Mount Pleasant corridor of Liverpool City Centre is to be transformed with a £6m scheme due to start on site in March 2010. The project will deliver improvements along Mount Pleasant, Upper Mount Pleasant, Rodney Street, Clarence Street, Oxford Street and create a new public space in front of t
28/01/2010
The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, today saw the first school Energy Display Meter in action as part of a £12 million energy efficiency initiative to help schools and pupils to become more aware of energy use. In a visit to Pimlico Academy in Westmins
28/01/2010
Celtic Landscaping Ltd has been established for many years with all its personnel having over 20 years experience in both hard and soft landscaping projects. All its staff are qualified to City and Guilds and NVQ level and the firms vast expertise covers the full spectrum of work ranges from ground
28/01/2010
SAS International bespoke metalwork comprising of a striking waveform shaped ceiling was designed by architects Arup Associates to feature in the construction of Ropemaker Place, London EC2 for British Land. Simon Anson, architect at Arup Associates commented: "The purpose of the ceiling was to pro
28/01/2010
Management Construction Ltd is a one man one wife business, established in 1988 to deliver mainly commercial projects by a collaborative management route in competition with both Traditional and Design and Build contracting. Approaching retirement age we are now winding down. Large commercial proj
28/01/2010
Leeds based company, Décor Grille, is going high-tech in 2010, as it launches its new
27/01/2010
Plans for a new prison on the site of the former Runwell Hospital have been submitted to Chelmsford Borough Council by the Ministry of Justice. The proposed 1,500-place prison at Runwell should create more than 800 new jobs and generate approximately £17.1 million in annual revenue for the local ec
27/01/2010
Members of the Armed Forces looking to buy their own home could benefit from a new home ownership scheme launched by the Ministry Of Defence (MOD) and the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Under the pilot scheme, the Government will provide members of the Armed Forces with up t
27/01/2010
The blueprint for the new €30m Ferencváros FC (also known as 'Fradi') stadium in Budapest, Hungary has been unveiled. Capita Symonds is providing multidisciplinary services on the scheme on behalf of leading property development, investment and leisure company Scarborough Group International (SGI).
27/01/2010
A new centre for the National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC) has launched at the National Construction College East London campus at Beckton Park in Newham, to provide hundreds of training opportunities. The new Construction Plant Training School will help Londoners develop the right skil
27/01/2010
A trainee construction engineer is building a career in the housebuilding industry as he works on a major project to build new affordable homes in Leeds. Matthew Anderton has been taken on by Lovell as a trainee site engineer. Matthew, 36, is honing his skills working on a £5.6 million project to b
27/01/2010
Revised proposals which will transform part of Peterborough's South Bank with zero carbon homes are to be unveiled today at the executive suite at Peterborough United Football Ground. The pPod Consortium – a partnership comprising Morris Homes and Gentoo Group and Browne Smith Baker architects – wi
27/01/2010
Socomec UPS to show delegates the first glimpse of the new Delphys MX 800/900 kVA UPS System at this year's Data Centre World. The Delphys MX 800 and 900 kVA is specifically designed for large demanding data centre applications, such as banks, insurances, telecommunications, semiconductor productio
27/01/2010
Paint brand Leyland Trade has moved into the 'fast lane' after it lent 12 helping hands to a high-octane charity event at the biggest show on the motorsport calendar, Autosport International. Organised by former Formula One driver David Brabham's Racing4Charity organisation, the Celebrity Karting C
27/01/2010
Health and Safety professionals are bombarded with data from all kinds of monitoring technology. Interpreting, disseminating and archiving this information are vital parts of the job. Now Casella CEL has simplified the task with its new data management software package that downloads and manages e
26/01/2010
The construction industry has a long way to go before a sustained recovery sets in, warns the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to its latest survey of members for the last three months of 2009. Figures from the FMB's State of Trade Survey, the only survey of SMEs in the constructio
26/01/2010
Housing Minister John Healey has extended the Government's campaign to help struggling homeowners get a grip on their finances and avoid repossession. In a major extension of the campaign to promote the free help and advice available the Minister today announced a new advertising drive and local mo
26/01/2010
Taylor Wimpey's workers are back on site this week at the Kings Reach development in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The final phase of the development which had stalled since November 2007 is back on track after the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) agreed £533,000 of Gap Funding through Kickstart. Planni
26/01/2010
A new finish line bridge has been lifted into place at Dorney Lake, the venue for the London 2012 Rowing events. Construction work is well underway to enhance the venue's existing facilities to bring it up to the required standards for hosting events during the London 2012 Games. A key part of this
26/01/2010
A new guidance document to support local authorities decisions in relation to historic school buildings has been published today by English Heritage, in conjunction with Partnerships for Schools (PfS) and the Department for Children, School and Families (DCSF). Refurbishing Historic School Building
26/01/2010
Six teenagers from across the country are set to become figureheads for young people on climate change after winning a Welsh Assembly Government competition. Nathan Sutcliffe, 16, from Dolgellau, Huda Zahid, 17, from Bangor, Sebastian Giraud, 14, from Porthmadog, Rose Stevens, 15, from Barry, Cyril
26/01/2010
HSS Hire, the UK's award-winning tool and equipment hire company, has opened a new Supercentre in Newtown Rd, Hove. The new branch opens only a few months after HSS launched a number of new Supercentres in Camberley, Liverpool and Leeds in the latter part of 2009, complementing their nationwide net
26/01/2010
With Radon being a threat to many parts of the UK, Delta Membrane Systems offers an effective barrier to this deadly gas in the form of Delta-Gas Barrier System. Natural, inert and radioactive, Radon gas has the potential of causing lung cancer in humans. It comes from the minute amounts of uranium
25/01/2010
Morrison Construction, part of the Galliford Try group, has been awarded a £3.5 million contract to build a new learning disability resource centre in Livingston on behalf of West Lothian Council. The 1,550 sqm, purpose-built centre will be located on Craigshill East Road and will replace the exist
25/01/2010
Nationwide Building Society is supporting Shelter with a new scheme that plans to raise £20,000 for its work with homeless and badly housed people. From today, Nationwide will be donating £2 to Shelter for every quotation they make for Mortgage Life Assurance and Level Term Life Assurance. Nationw
25/01/2010
Construction union UCATT have described proposals, which would deny compensation to pleural plaques victims as "disgraceful". The decision not to compensate pleural plaques victims is due to the Government's unwillingness to pay compensation to public sector workers exposed to asbestos whilst empl
25/01/2010
More than half a million affordable homes could be axed from the Government's building plans if earmarked public spending cuts are implemented, a campaign group warned today. The National Housing Federation said figures set out in the Pre-Budget Report imply spending cuts to the housing budget of 1
25/01/2010
Lovell is set to build two new developments of energy-efficient council homes for Birmingham City Council's Municipal Housing Trust. The schemes, together worth £4.3 million, are part of a major new-build programme for council homes, which is going ahead with investment from the City Council and th
25/01/2010
City centre hotels are saving thousands of pounds on energy bills after joining an award-winning Manchester City Council environmental scheme. Hotels across the city are reaping the rewards of signing up to the Environmental Business Pledge scheme, which offers businesses free environmental resourc
25/01/2010
It has been another winter where the physical and emotional impact of severe flooding has yet again made the headlines, and those directly affected by the record-breaking rainfalls are now facing the long task ahead of them – refurbishment. Delta Membrane Systems has, in recent years, supplied prod
25/01/2010
As well as its pleasing appearance, Stainless Steel is often specified for its hardwearing, resilient properties. At a Secondary School project in the North East, Jtech Services have supplied 10no Polished Stainless Steel Column Casings. The specification called for these casings to be as smoot
22/01/2010
Cardiff Airport has proposed plans to develop the terminal building as part of an on going programme to enhance Wales's national airport. The development which was announced last year has now reached the planning stage and works are intended to start in late 2010. The development works will includ
22/01/2010
Plans to develop one of the most sustainable office buildings in the country were given the green light as Network Rail's new national centre received the stamp of approval from Milton Keynes' planning authority. The centre will bring together teams spread across numerous sites under one eco-friend
22/01/2010
Kier Western has been awarded a £6 million design & build contract for Bridgwater College's new Energy Skills Centre in Somerset. The new centre will focus on two specific areas: science and engineering, where students will be trained in subjects including robotics, electronics and material science
22/01/2010
Over £8 million will be made available to help community organisations in Wales invest in new technology to generate clean, renewable energy, Environment Minister Jane Davidson has announced. The funding is expected to create up to 22 jobs. Ms Davidson made the announcement during a visit to the
22/01/2010
First time buyers are being offered a new home at an affordable price by Middlesbrough's largest landlord. Erimus Housing has a range of contemporary two bedroom apartments available in the heart of Middlesbrough on its St Paul’s development in Newport. A range of tenure options are available on t
22/01/2010
National fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA) says latest government figures are a worrying sign of the toll colder weather could be having on the nation's health. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics estimate that 11,013 people aged over 65 died during the first week
22/01/2010
Maintenance and cleansing works to keep The Exchange at St Nicholas Market in tip-top condition are now complete. St Nicholas Market, one of Bristol's best-loved shopping areas, now boasts a fresh look to the external elevations of the Exchange building following a £150,000 makeover. The stonewor
22/01/2010
Szerelmey Restoration Limited, the specialist in restoration and conservation of buildings has advised the owner of Cannon Bridge House, London, EC4, on repairs after its facade was struck by a high loaded lorry. On the back of Szerelmey's advice a 12 week, £175,000 contract commenced which include
22/01/2010
A Northamptonshire-based plant hirer has used a cross-hired Dig A Crusher 700 bucket to tackle some vital construction and demolition waste recycling duties at Rutland's Uppingham School. The 2.25 tonne attachment played a key role in the ongoing extension of the school’s multi-million pound spo
22/01/2010
Proform Bending Services has been bending PVC products for more than 20 years. Set up originally to produce arched and shaped products for the window industry, the firm now bends all manner of PVC sections, notably electrical trunking sections, guttering and rainwater goods. One of Proform Bending'
21/01/2010
Energy company E.ON has announced it intends to close its Rayleigh site in Essex with the expected loss of 600 jobs. At the same time, in order to ensure that the new centres of excellence can offer the best possible assistance, the company is to create a substantial number of additional roles in c
21/01/2010
Planning Minister John Healey today pledged to freeze planning fees on applications to help developers through the economic recovery and keep builders on construction sites by saving them up to £23 million a year. To help companies generate jobs and homeowners make improvements to their homes, plan
21/01/2010
A National Audit Office (NAO) report to Parliament has found that the Government's Decent Homes Programme has made progress, however there is "much left still to do". As of April 2009, 86% of homes in the social sector were classed as decent and the Programme also brought wider benefits such as imp
21/01/2010
Construction union UCATT are preparing to take a series of employment tribunal cases in support of hundreds of workers in Wales and South West England who formerly worked for Quadron Property Services Ltd. Trouble started when the company based in Somerset, which undertook housing maintenance servi
21/01/2010
Gross mortgage lending reached an estimated £13.7 billion in December, a 14% rise from £12.1 billion in November and up 3% on December 2008, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). This is the first time the annual monthly comparison has been in positive territory since October 2007. Ho
21/01/2010
The latest employment and skills figures for the Olympic Park and employment figures for the Olympic Village have been published by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today. 20% of the Olympic Park workers live in the five Host Boroughs – Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Greenwi
21/01/2010
Construction firm Balfour Beatty has been approved as the main contractor for Plymouth's Life Centre scheme. Cabinet members have given the green light to award the City Council's biggest ever leisure build contract to the UK company following a detailed evaluation of five bids. Contracts are due
21/01/2010
Peterborough residents are helping to cut the city's carbon emissions and saving money on electricity bills thanks to an innovative scheme allowing them to borrow home energy monitors from Peterborough libraries. The scheme has been so successful that Peterborough City Council is now doubling the
21/01/2010
Established in 1959 Matchams Plumbing & Heating have brought the highest standards in boiler servicing for over 50 years. Based in Folkestone, Matchams Plumbing & Heating work across across all of South East Kent including Thanet, Whitstable, Ashford, Canterbury & Dover offering expertise in all as
20/01/2010
An in-depth investigation, called for by the Unite trade union, has revealed that non-UK workers at Staythorpe power station in the East Midlands have been losing out on thousands of pounds in pay, due to a subcontractor paying them significantly below the agreed rates for the engineering constructi
20/01/2010
The ExtraCare Charitable Trust confirmed that construction work on Milton Keynes' second retirement village would be off to a swift start this month after contracts were signed to hand over the scheme's ten acre site in Shenley Woods. The second scheme follows the success of ExtraCare's Lovat Field
20/01/2010
Lovell has been appointed to the new Delivery Partner Panel announced by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the national housing and regeneration agency for England. The three-year delivery panel has been set up to streamline the development of new homes on public land by the HCA and other pub
20/01/2010
Final preparations are being made to return waste from the Sellafield site in the UK to overseas customers, which will leave later today. A single 113te flask, containing 28 stainless steel containers of solid Highly Active Waste (HAW), is being transported from the Sellafield site, on a specially
20/01/2010
Energy regulator Ofgem has published final proposals for funding the first tranche of projects from a potential £1 billion package of extra investment in Britain's high-voltage networks. The first tranche, totalling £319 million, will help connect Great Britain's growing amount of renewable electr
20/01/2010
Work begins this week on the construction of Nottingham's multi million pound Primary Capital Programme. A turf cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, 22 January at Robin Hood Primary in Bestwood, one of first schools being remodelled as part of the Primary Capital programme (PCP). Pupils fro
20/01/2010
Fire station refurbishments in London could be delayed because the sale of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority's (LFEPA) old headquarters has been held up, the London Assembly has heard. The Assembly's Budget and Performance Committee heard that fire station upgrades at Kentish Town, N
20/01/2010
Housing and Planning Minister John Healey has published new, independent research that shows inappropriate building on back gardens is not a widespread, national problem and is often linked to councils' failure to have local policies in place. He told the small minority of councils who reported iss
20/01/2010
Saturday 30th January will see Malcolm Harrison Auctions holding its latest auction, "The London Plant & Truck Auction". The auction will be held at Killoughery Group, Beacon Hill Ind Est, Botany Quarry, Purfleet, Essex. Established in 1975, Malcolm Harrison is a family owned Commercial Vehicles
20/01/2010
Electric heating and ventilation distributor DEALEC have established a new team to assist with enquiries for Whole House and Heat Recovery Ventilation Systems. With assistance from leading manufacturers Xpelair, Vent-Axia, Vortice and Itho the team will offer everything from informal advice to a fu
20/01/2010
Geo-Development Services (GDS) has launched its new 3D Laser Scanning Service. With the utilisation of the latest technology that is capable of capturing nearly a million measurements a second with an accuracy of 2 millimetres, which creates 3-Dimensional images. The 3D images known as Point Cloud
19/01/2010
Severn Trent Water has advised Ofwat that it can meet the requirements of the regulator's Final Determination, setting out investment levels and prices for the next five years from 2010-15. The company's customers will benefit from new investment totalling £2.5 billion – an average of £800 per prop
19/01/2010
Construction union UCATT are said to be "severely disappointed" that the Government has failed to strengthen their blacklisting regulations, after UCATT alerted them to the fact the regulations were not sufficient to end blacklisting. The regulations fail to make blacklisting a criminal offence, de
19/01/2010
A property developer has been fined £5,400 and ordered to pay £1,190 costs for illegally fly-posting on lampposts across Bolton. Bolton Council brought the case against Barratt Manchester Limited which trades as Barratt Homes. The company pleaded guilty to nine offences of displaying unlawful adver
19/01/2010
Land Securities has today announced the start of a £655 million West End development programme with construction contracts agreed for three schemes, all due to complete by the Summer 2013. Park House, the largest development on Oxford Street for 40 years, along with Wellington House and Selborne Ho
19/01/2010
The National Landlords Association (NLA) has announced the resignation of Board Director Sussanne Chambers as she takes up her new role as Managing Director at HomeXperts Ltd, a property franchise business for landlords and property professionals. Sussanne was appointed to the Board in May 2009. He
19/01/2010
The Welsh Assembly Government is considering introducing a boiler scrappage scheme in Wales, Environment Minister Jane Davidson has announced. Wales will receive £4.074m from UK Government following the announcement of the scheme by the Chancellor. Environment Minister Jane Davidson said: "There h
19/01/2010
John Sisk & Son Ltd (Sisk), one of the largest construction groups in the UK and Ireland, has been awarded a £1.3m package of works in Liverpool and Manchester by Network Rail to refurbish and update a number of bridges across this important part of the national rail network. Carl Hendry, Director,
19/01/2010
Kent-based construction and plant hire specialist, Skelton Group, has taken delivery of an additional Daf 8x2 rigid mounted with an Andover Trailers plant body. With a maximum payload of 18 tonnes, the bespoke body is the third to be supplied by Andover Trailers and will be used to deliver a range
19/01/2010
Doors for Less in Sheffield is England's premier door stockist. They provide a wide range of internal and external doors in different types and sizes to suit all needs. Their most popular product is a six-panel internal door for only £12. The prices they charge are the lowest possible and they pro
18/01/2010
With freezing temperatures hitting the UK in the last few weeks, many consumers are worried about paying their energy bills, reveals a new survey from Which? Switch revealed. Around two thirds (65%) of consumers quizzed by the independent energy switching service said they'd been thinking more abou
18/01/2010
A multi-million pound building project that will improve policing in north Manchester looks set to be approved by Greater Manchester Police Authority (GMPA). The £56 million scheme includes the creation of a new divisional headquarters at Central Park, Newton Heath, north east Manchester. In addi
18/01/2010
New research released today by Shelter shows that people are being forced to delay having children because of the lack of affordable housing. The research reveals that 18% of 18–44 year olds, equivalent to 2.4 million people nationwide, are actively putting off having children because of high housi
18/01/2010
A new utilities building, that takes waste from venues in the Olympic Park, is now in use. The building's outside features Sir Joseph Bazalgette's designs of London's first sewer network, which was built in the 19th Century. Olympic Delivery Authority Director of Infrastructure and Utilities Simon
18/01/2010
A Wales construction company has been fined after one of its employees had his head crushed at a site in Gloucestershire. Macob Administration Limited, based in Bridgend, was charged by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after 23-year-old Lance Taylor from Thornbury, Bristol, was killed while wo
18/01/2010
Work is due to begin on a new children's building and adult toilets in Myatt's Fields Park, Lambeth, on 25 January 2010. Workmen will break the ground in a ceremony attended by Lambeth's Mayor, Councillor Christopher Wellbelove, on 1 February. The work is the latest investment in the much loved pa
18/01/2010
Residents are invited to discuss plans for a new primary school in south Stanground at a public meeting taking place at St Michael's church hall, Mace Road, Stanground, Peterborough, on Thursday 21 January 2010 at 7pm. A 1.2 hectare site is set aside as part of the development of south Stanground f
18/01/2010
Fourteen British communities will go head-to-head, competing to become Britain's most innovative 'green community', as British Gas kicks off its Green Streets community energy challenge today. British Gas has committed £2 million worth of microgeneration and energy efficiency measures to the Green
18/01/2010
United Tools and Fixings (UTF), the UK's leading supplier of power tools and welding equipment, has teamed up with the UK's award-winning tool and equipment hire company, HSS Hire. UTF's Takeley branch has just opened an HSS Hire Trade Counter and, working together, the partnership will offer custo
15/01/2010
Laing O'Rourke, in a joint venture with O'Donnell Griffin, has been awarded the A $270 million Sunbury Rail Electrification Project, a major rail infrastructure upgrade in the State of Victoria, Australia. Victorian State Premier, John Brumby said: "I am delighted to announce that the O'Donnell G
15/01/2010
Willmott Dixon has been appointed by ExtraCare Charitable Trust for the main element of a 300 home retirement village in Milton Keynes. The initial phase of the contract is worth £26 million and will see the company create 184 units at Shenley Wood which will be handed over in October 2011. The ho
15/01/2010
Jarvis has announced that Jarvis Rail, its multi-disciplinary railway engineering business has successfully secured a contract worth in the region of £55 million to undertake the rail elements of the Mainline phase of Chiltern Railway's Project Evergreen 3. Following a successful joint bid Jarvis R
15/01/2010
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and Inside Housing magazine have today launched a joint campaign to raise the profile of housing in the run-up to the Westminster general election. Called House Proud – Making the Case for Housing – the campaign will emphasise the ways in which good housing
15/01/2010
The Liberal Democrat housing manifesto pledge fails to address the urgent need to retrofit the UK's existing housing stock to make it greener and more energy efficient, warned the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said: "It is very disappointi
15/01/2010
A total of 26 new council homes are set to be built in Newark and Sherwood thanks to a successful bid for funding to the Homes and Communities Agency. The homes, which will be a mixture of houses as well as apartments and bungalows, will be provided by the council in partnership with its housing ma
15/01/2010
Durkan Limited has scooped the £3 million construction contract by Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association to provide a 27 unit development in East London. The project is situated in Hoxton, one of London's most vibrant areas. The development will involve the demolition of existing buildings
15/01/2010
Lou Lewis the former UCATT Regional Secretary for the union's London and South East Region died on Monday 11 January 2010. Aged 71, Lou was a leading figure in the rank and file builders' movement in the 1960s and 1970s who later rose to become a highly effective and respected UCATT Regional Secre
15/01/2010
A Conservative election victory would reshape future UK investment in the built environment according to a new report, Building a Conservative Britain. The report from Glenigan - a well known source of construction industry data - examines how the party's policies, in the current economic climate,
15/01/2010
One of the most important historical buildings in south east England - and one often used as a TV and cinema location - has announced its 12th Century Keep is to be fully restored. Farnham Castle will undergo the rebuilding work from May, thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of over £700,000.
15/01/2010
The UK Glued Laminated Timber Association – GLTA – has new recommendations for buildings to protect road salt. During prolonged periods of severe weather, crushed rock salt, commonly known as "grit", is the most economical and effective anti-icing material. It is required in vast quantities - to
14/01/2010
Clothing importer, Citytex UK Ltd, has been fined £10,000 after part of its building collapsed in February 2007, with more than 20 people inside. Citytex UK, of Greatorex Street, Tower Hamlets, East London, was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to breaching sections
14/01/2010
The European Commission's 'EU 2020 Strategy' consultation which is seeking views on the future direction of the European Union’s policy for the next ten years fails to address the important role that small businesses can, and should, provide to assist Europe’s economic recovery, warned the Federatio
14/01/2010
E.ON UK, one of the country's leading power and gas companies, has become a Recognised Supplier of the National Landlords Association (NLA), the leading representative body for private-residential landlords in the UK. The NLA recognises that with the rise in environmental awareness and the current
14/01/2010
Home buyers in November needed to use less of their income to cover their mortgage interest than at any time for more than five years, according to new data released today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). In particular, home movers are experiencing a low debt burden by historical standards
14/01/2010
The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) will set out how it plans to promote equality and good relations for social housing landlords and tenants in England with the launch of its first ever Single equalities scheme and supporting action plan. The consultation document sets out the TSA's approach to pr
14/01/2010
David Leishman has been appointed as BAM FM's new Director. BAM FM manages facilities for around 30 UK schools and is part of Britain's largest health and education contractor, BAM Construct UK. It has appointed David Leishman who was previously Commercial Director for BAM Construction in Scotland.
14/01/2010
CityWest Homes has selected Lovell to work on its major new-build and housing refurbishment framework. The company is one of 13 firms to be selected for the four-year framework by CityWest Homes, which manages 22,000 homes on behalf of Westminster City Council. As part of the agreement, Lovell will
14/01/2010
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) will be one of the main sponsors at this year's Ecobuild exhibition, taking place at Earl's Court from 2-4 March 2010. As well as sponsoring the VIP/speaker area and the key information points throughout the exhibition, staff from the CIOB's membership tea
14/01/2010
With more snow and cold weather forecast for the next few days, Environment Minister Jane Davidson is urging people to keep warm during the current severe weather conditions. While keeping warm in very cold temperatures is bound to impact on fuel bills Ms Davidson said she wanted to highlight the h
14/01/2010
After a gap of over 40 years, new Council houses will be built again in Bolsover district, thanks to government funding of almost £1million. The cash, from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), will help to replace pre-fab bungalows on Oxcroft Lane, Bolsover with more up to date, modern and energ
13/01/2010
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group operating in construction services, professional services, support services and infrastructure investments, has announced that it has reached financial close for the £450 million Blackburn with Darwen and Bolton Councils Building Schools for the
13/01/2010
Transport for London (TfL) today confirmed that it has issued the invitation to tender for the redevelopment of Bond Street Tube station. The £300 million redevelopment of Bond Street Tube station, coupled with the new Crossrail station, will transform the Bond Street area. The following pre-quali
13/01/2010
Warrington Borough Council has given final planning permission for the £30 million Orford Park Project, the UK's first sustainable community sports hub. The Orford Park Project, located in a Super Output Area, is already widely regarded as an example of best practice in promoting joint service deli
13/01/2010
Construction union UCATT have learnt that a major new campaign, which is trying to block Treasury proposals to change the way construction companies operate, is being directed by leading PR Lobbyists Brunswick Group. Last summer the Treasury opened a consultation on proposals to end bogus self-empl
13/01/2010
A development Framework for the Edge Lane Central area, including the Edge Lane Retail Park, has been drawn up following positive talks between landowners Derwent Holdings Ltd, Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Vision. The City Council's Executive Board is being asked to support the Framework at
13/01/2010
The Olympic Park Legacy Company, the company responsible for the long term planning, development and management of the Olympic Park, has announced its first three appointments to its Executive Management team. Chief Executive Andrew Altman said: "I am delighted to announce these appointments. Each
13/01/2010
A housing scheme built by Lovell in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, Greater Manchester, for The Regenda Group has received two major awards. The development was a winner in the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) awards for its transformation of four sites with 43 affordable homes. The Regenda Gr
13/01/2010
Thirteen more schools from Knowsley in the north to Southwark in the south will open in new or refurbished learning environments in January 2010 as part of the national Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and Academies programmes. This brings the total number of pupils to benefit from BSF invest
13/01/2010
E.ON has welcomed the news that it has been awarded the exclusive right to develop a large-scale offshore wind farm off the Sussex coastline by The Crown Estate. The company which already has three offshore wind farms in UK waters and is a partner in the London Array, has been awarded Zone 6, locat
13/01/2010
A new IPAF training course Push Around Vertical (PAV) will be offered by Kingfisher Access from January 2010. IPAF has introduced this course in response to market developments and the need for appropriate training on this new type of machine. Push Around Verticals are essentially small, uncomplica
12/01/2010
The appetite for council house building is stronger than ever, according to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which confirmed that 73 local councils in England will have access to over £230m of funding under Round II of its Local Authority New Build Programme. The funding, made up of £122.6m
12/01/2010
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group operating in construction services, has announced it has been awarded two AMP 5 capital programme contracts worth in the region of £600 million in total. The two contracts are:
12/01/2010
Galliford Try, the housebuilding and construction group, has been appointed preferred bidder on a £24 million project to redevelop Edgbaston International Stadium for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. Galliford Try will undertake the design & construction of a new section of the stadium to provide
12/01/2010
More than one million householders have used credit cards to pay their mortgage or rent in the last 12 months, a new survey by Shelter has revealed. Despite restrictions on credit and reports of many people paying off personal debt, an exclusive YouGov poll for Shelter's ROOF magazine reveals a dis
12/01/2010
The trend for all things miniature is set to hit The West End as plans for a new hotel at the Trocadero with bijous 'pod style' rooms have been given the go ahead. Westminster Council granted permission last night for a 495 bedroom hotel whose small hotel rooms take their inspiration from Japanese
12/01/2010
The government's commitment to boosting council housing is in stark contrast to the Tories' plans aimed at the better-off, Unite, the largest union in the country, has announced. Unite was commenting on the announcement by Housing Minister, John Healey, which doubled government cash for new council
12/01/2010
A new way of letting council and housing association homes in Plymouth called Devon Home Choice will be introduced tomorrow, 13 January. Plymouth City Council has been advertising homes to let to give customers more choice for the past three years, but has now joined a partnership of all local coun
12/01/2010
Heavy-haulage specialist Potteries Heavy Haulage (PHH) has taken delivery of a pair of Goldhofer trailers for the transport of construction machinery, plus long and oversized loads across the UK and Europe. Supplied through Goldhofer's UK partner, Andover Trailers, the Goldhofer tri-axle wafer deck
12/01/2010
Over 1,580m of active Integrated Service Modules (ISMs), providing both cooling and heating, were supplied and installed by SAS International at the refurbishment of Lewins Place in Bristol. Working closely with M&E Consultants, Hulley & Kirkwood, and architects, Stride Treglown, the active ISMs
12/01/2010
Kingfisher Access is a multi disciplined provider of Work At Height training. It is a member of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), PASMALadder Association (formerly the British Ladder Manufacturers Association - BLMA), so can offer training courses leading to nationally recognised q
11/01/2010
A company has been given a partial go-ahead for a huge contract to build the UK's defence college. The Metrix consortium, which will build and run the new academy, said the "early works" contract would ready the site for full-scale construction once the final go-ahead was given. The company in cha
11/01/2010
Cornwall Council has approved plans for a new £16.5 million state of the art building, designed by HLM Architects, for the specialist performing arts Brannel School in St Stephen near St Austell. The new school is needed to replace existing Brannel School buildings, which have aged beyond economic
11/01/2010
The Marianne North Gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has officially reopened following a two year, £3.7m renovation and conservation project encompassing both the fabric of the building and its unique painting collection. Taking centre stage is the geometric tiled floor, complete with int
11/01/2010
Peter Collis, Chief Land Registrar and Chief Executive of Land Registry, has announced that he will be stepping down after 10 years in the role. Peter said: "It has been an enormous privilege to lead Land Registry for the last 10 years and I am immensely proud of all that has been achieved during t
11/01/2010
FM Conway, the highways maintenance, civil engineering and construction services provider, is expanding its operations near its hometown of Dartford with the acquisition of a 5.5 acre site at Erith. The former Henkel Surface Technologies site, off Mulberry Way, will house the transportation, plant
11/01/2010
A building site on which construction originally began in 2007 and has been virtually 'mothballed' since last summer is to spring back into action shortly. Shepherd Construction will soon restart work on the £210m Trinity Walk scheme in Wakefield after the site was purchased by a consortium compris
08/01/2010
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, today welcomed the news that it has been successful in The Crown Estate's Round Three offshore wind tendering process, having been awarded exclusive rights to develop the Irish Sea zone. The zone, which is located 15 kilometres off the coast of Anglese
08/01/2010
Carillion has been awarded a contract to manage and deliver a range of facilities services to Moody’s Investors Service. The contract has been signed for an initial three-year term to deliver a range of facilities services to Moody's at its brand new office comprising 165,000 sq ft over six floors
08/01/2010
A variety of house builders, contractors and development consortia have been appointed to the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) new Delivery Partner Panel, it was announced today. Aimed at streamlining development on publicly-owned land, the panel is divided into three clusters, northern, centra
08/01/2010
A construction company from Gateshead has been ordered to pay £4,500 after one of its workers was seriously injured when a forklift truck telehandler he was operating overturned. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Meldrum Construction Services Ltd following the incident at its site at
08/01/2010
The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) is urging communities in England and Wales to have their say as the details of further proposed projects were added to its programme. The IPC's Programme of Projects highlights 17 project proposals the IPC expects to receive after 1 March 2010 when it st
08/01/2010
Organisers of the SED show have taken the decision to call it off in 2010. The next National Event for Construction will now take place from 17, 18 and 19 May 2011, from which point it will continue to run as an annual event at its Rockingham Motor Speedway home. A spokesperson from the show sa
08/01/2010
Hundreds of England's village churches could be revived and up to 10,000 affordable homes built for local families – if churches sold land and buildings to housing associations, it has been revealed. New research by the National Housing Federation shows that if each of the 9,600 rural Anglican chur
08/01/2010
Geo-Development Services Ltd (GDS) based in Hampshire UK continues to expand its overseas business with new opportunities in Africa, Turkey, Mexico and the United States. To assist in this expansion GDS has joined forces with Geo-Development Services Nigeria Ltd towards the development and support
08/01/2010
HSS Hire, the award-winning tool and equipment hire company, has released its 2010 Tool and Equipment Hire Guide. As well as a full range of tools and equipment, many now packaged in handy 'hire packs' and an extensive range of specialist kit, the 328 page full-colour Hire Guide also features a h
08/01/2010
More than 30 miles of motorway roadworks on the M6, M3 are being lit up using an innovative lighting system developed by a West Midlands based equipment supply firm. The LinkLite temporary lighting system has been pioneered by Maxmax Limited, which has manufacturing and distribution operations in D
08/01/2010
The Brooks (Forgings) Ltd website launched in 2007 has been so successful the company has revisited and streamlined it to make it even easier for clients to access products and services information online. "Having been involved in the manufacturing of steel components and sub assemblies since 196
07/01/2010
Inflation-beating house price growth will continue to be a feature of the coming decade, though at a lower rate than seen over the past ten years, according to new analysis from Savills Research. The property consultancy forecasts that demand will be sustained by stock shortages, but price growth w
07/01/2010
Willmott Dixon has beeen appointed as preferred bidder for a new Academy in Tamworth that will be worth around £35 million. The company has been chosen by Staffordshire County Council for the Landau Forte Academy, Tamworth, which replaces Woodhouse Business and Enterprise College in its existing fa
07/01/2010
Work is still underway at the area of land in Cwmaman, Wales, where a culvert collapsed last week. Excavation work has now been carried out in the vicinity of the culvert to ascertain the extent of the damage. However, given the depth of the culvert, engineers have brought in an extended reach 360
07/01/2010
As the cold snap continues across Britain, Shelter has released new research showing that one in four people are having to reduce the amount they spend on heating because of high housing costs. In a survey, Shelter found that 27% of respondents said they are spending less on fuel bills to help pay
07/01/2010
Plans for a national register of social housing tower blocks in England are being outlined today by the Tenant Services Authority (TSA). The social housing regulator's national register will hold details on ownership, the number of properties and the age of the tower block. It will also list the da
07/01/2010
More than seven million households in Britain are living in fuel poverty, more than double the official figures, according to a new poll. The YouGov survey, which was commissioned by the National Housing Federation, also found that 63% of people were heating their homes less than they would like in
07/01/2010
More than 150 residents fled from their homes after a huge fire broke out at a construction site in London. About 75 firefighters and 15 fire engines battled to stop the blaze in Camberwell Station Road, and to prevent it from spreading to the Crawford Estate, at around 2.30am yesterday morning. T
07/01/2010
Each year 50-60 workers are killed as a result of a fall from height and around 4,000 workers suffer serious injury. This is the biggest cause of death and the second largest cause of serious injury at work. It accounts for a large proportion of the cost of employers liability claims especially i
07/01/2010
Companies that think ahead of their time are the ones that scoop larger profits and set examples as leaders for their rivals to follow, says research. Today companies are not outsourcing just for cost benefits but have well realised the fact that there is much more beyond cost savings. Studies rev
06/01/2010
Speedy has announced that it has signed a five year Strategic Services Agreement with Al Futtaim Carillion (AFC), Carillion's long standing joint venture in the Middle East and North Africa with the Al-Futtaim Group. The entering into of a formal agreement follows on from the announcement of thesi
06/01/2010
Crossrail has announced its intention to award the remaining set of contracts for detailed design work. These five awards conclude the competitions for the design of Crossrail under the framework agreement phase announced in December 2008. The contracts are as follows:
06/01/2010
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has reinforced its commitment to health and safety as the project enters its toughest year so far. Since the project started, the ODA has achieved a health and safety record better than the industry average with a total of eight sets of a million hours worked wi
06/01/2010
More details about the eco park proposed as the centrepiece of Surrey County Council's new waste strategy have now been released. The new information provides more details about the park and a full size artist's impression of the planned development. Lynne Hack, Surrey's Cabinet Member for the Env
06/01/2010
A young construction management trainee from Liverpool is being earmarked by Lovell as one of its stars of the future. John Roach has joined the company's national Lovell Management Development Academy training programme and is being prepared for a senior role. During his two-year traineeship, 25-
06/01/2010
Richard Kitson, former Head of the Aster Group and past President of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) was awarded an OBE in the New Years Honours for services to the housing sector. Richard, who is a housing and management consultant, was Housing Director at Bath City Council and Test Valle
06/01/2010
The £13 million new school project on the Isles of Scilly has taken a huge step forward and successfully gained full planning approval. Kier Western's Devon and Cornwall team has spent the last year working closely with Grainge Architects to develop a design to deliver a school which will benefit c
06/01/2010
Leading trade paint brand Leyland has once again made life that little bit easier for professional painters and decorators with the launch of its new handy pocket-sized substrate guide. Designed to provide a quick and easy reference point for professional tradespeople on the job, the guide provides
05/01/2010
May Gurney has renewed its long-term maintenance contract with South West Water for integrated water distribution services. The contract is valued at up to £170 million over a period of up to 10 years and includes an expanded geographical area. Beginning in April 2010, the contract covers repair a
05/01/2010
Galliford Try, the construction and housebuilding group, has announced it has been confirmed as a construction partner of the Equitix consortium, which has been appointed as the preferred bidder on the Cambridgeshire Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Following financial close, Gallif
05/01/2010
Hackney Homes has chosen Lovell to carry out a £2.9 million programme of insulation work for flats across the east London borough. Lovell will install cavity wall insulation in around 50 blocks of flats in Hackney. Hackney Homes, which manages council housing in Hackney, secured a grant from the H
05/01/2010
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group operating in construction services, professional services, support services and infrastructure investments, has announced that Gammon Construction, the market-leading infrastructure contractor in Hong Kong, in which Balfour Beatty has a 50% shar
05/01/2010
A new link into the Olympic Park underneath the busy A12 dual carriageway has been finished on schedule. The underpass was constructed beneath the busy six-lane dual carriageway, while it remained fully operational to daily traffic. Fifty workers were involved in the installation of the underpass
05/01/2010
The Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson visited London Gateway's port construction site to mark the start of work on one of the UK's largest infrastructure projects. DP World is behind the £1.5 billion development, which will be Europe's largest combined deep-sea port
05/01/2010
British Gas has announced it will match-fund the Government's £400 boiler scrappage allowance. This means customers buying a new boiler from British Gas can cut the cost by £800 this winter. The announcement came as British Gas welcomed the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Energy &
05/01/2010
Construction work on the new Crossrail rail network serving London and the south east will continue apace next year, creating the first of thousands of new jobs in construction. Starting with preparatory work at Royal Oak station in west London next month, construction work is expected to begin at
04/01/2010
Housing Minister John Healey has hailed the start of the largest council house building programme in nearly two decades as work began today on the first of over 2,000 new homes to help tackle waiting list pressures. Mr Healey saw work get underway today in Tyneside on the first new site for Governm
04/01/2010
Housing Minister John Healey has urged struggling homeowners to make it their New Year's Resolution to seek early help, take control of their finances and avoid repossession - and pledged extra Government support to help them stay in their homes. In a message to homeowners, he has highlighted the c
04/01/2010
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group operating in construction services, professional services, support services and infrastructure investments, has announced that it has acquired Strata Construction, a Doncaster-based company specialising in the construction of affordable housing.
04/01/2010
Employers need to work harder at keeping their workers safe in 2010, as Britain's safety watchdog urges improvement on last year. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), last year 47 work related incidents occurred across East Yorkshire, North Lincs and North East Lincs each week - an a
04/01/2010
Energy company E.ON has awarded £4,800 to Watnall Women's Institute Hall to improve the energy efficiency of the building, a grant that will also benefit the local community. The hall, near Nottingham, provides a meeting place for both the WI and for local groups for leisure and educational activit
04/01/2010
The November data from Land Registry's House Price Index shows a positive monthly house price change of 0.9%, which is the sixth month in a row in which the movement has been above 0%. The annual house price change stands at -0.3%. This is the seventh month in a row in which the annual rate of decl
04/01/2010
Hydropath, manufacturers of water conditioners for removing and preventing the build-up of limescale in pipes, has launched a new extended range of products aimed at the UK commercial sector. The Nottingham-based firm has taken the decision to revise its Hydroflow 'C' range and extend it from five
04/01/2010
The BRE Trust has carried out a unique data analysis project which interrogated the Display Energy Certificate (DEC) statistics of more than 28,000 public sector buildings. Results show that while DECs are valuable they do not provide evidence of real energy efficiency improvements and carbon emis
04/01/2010
Blue Star Design & Engineering has received a repeat order from a reputed M&E consultant in UK for providing outsourced M&E CAD Services for a prestigious Educational Institute in UK. The institute is a £90 million project of one of the largest providers of educational institutes in Southeast Engla
