Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for February 2015
27/02/2015
The preferred bidders for Thames Tideway Tunnel have been selected. The contractors for the preferred main works tenderers are: • BMB JV (Joint Venture of BAM Nuttall Ltd, Morgan Sindall Plc and Balfour Beatty Group Limited) for the West contract • FLO JV (Joint Venture of Ferrovial Agroman UK Lt
27/02/2015
Construction firm, Laing O'Rourke, has scooped a £22.1m government grant, as part of its Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI). Administered by Finance Birmingham, the four-year grant is towards a £104m scheme for the advanced manufacturing of homes, buildings and infrastructure, s
27/02/2015
Plans to build 1,000 new homes in Bracknell have been announced by Legal & General Capital (LGC). The firm is also providing additional funding for infrastructure projects at the Crowthorne site, including a primary school, community centre, care home and over 100 acres of public green open spaces.
27/02/2015
Workspace has received planning approval for a mixed use redevelopment in London. The redevelopment, at Arches Business Centre, is adjacent to the new Crossrail station at Southall. The consent includes 110 apartments and 18,000 sq ft of new commercial space, replacing 41,000 sq ft of existing lig
27/02/2015
Derby Homes has announced it has completed two new build houses in Normanton. The two-bedroom properties are situated next to a health clinic and local school, and located on a former car park on Hastings Street, which was previously subject to fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. The build is p
27/02/2015
Mace has completed demolition work at the Birmingham New Street Station to create the new atrium. Over 6,000 tonnes of concrete has been removed from under the new atrium allowing natural light to flood the new concourse for the first time. The atrium was created using a JCB machine which was use
27/02/2015
A public exhibition is to be held to discuss the planned development of a new leisure centre in Eastleigh. A range of artists' impressions of some of the new facilities at Fleming Park will also be on display. The exhibition will run from Monday 2 March to Saturday 7 March 2015. AHR have been app
27/02/2015
Developer, Riduna Holdings, has been appointed to build new headquarters for Suffolk Coastal Council. The new development, located on a brown field site facing Melton railway station, is expected to be completed in late 2016. The Council has purchased part of the former Girdlestones site, owned by
26/02/2015
Builder Thomas Vale has completed eight new homes in Nuneaton. The development located on Elder Close off Sycamore Road, comprises of seven 2 bedroom houses and one 2 bedroom fully adapted bungalow. The level gives a higher energy efficiency rating than normal market new build homes and contribut
26/02/2015
Network Rail has announced it has acquired a new £50m ballast cleaner. The move represents part of Network Rail's commitment to minimise passenger disruption, reduce the cost of running the railway by 20% over the next five years, and improve sustainability. Network Rail maintains more than 20,000
26/02/2015
An engineering firm has been fined £12,000 after a worker suffered severe injuries when he was struck by a metal frame. The 21-year-old from Carlisle, who has not been named, sustained multiple cuts and fractures to his left foot and leg, and has been unable to return to work almost a year on from
26/02/2015
Construction work has started to build a new housing development in Totnes, Devon for Westward Housing. The 3.41-hectare Follaton Oak site, next to the Plymouth Road, will provide half of the homes as open market sale housing and the remainder as affordable housing. Linden Homes are currently on s
26/02/2015
Swansea Council has announced it is to invest £8m to transform just under 1,000 Penlan and Gendros homes over the next year. Kitchen works will include new storage units, sinks, floor coverings and decorations. Bathrooms will benefit from new suites, anti-slip floor covering and better showers. Ne
26/02/2015
Essential gas main replacement work is to start in Liverpool city centre. The work on Hanover Street will see the Victorian cast-iron gas mains replaced with plastic mains to resolve a number of historic leaks on the main, and an ongoing leak at the junction with Seel Street. The aim of the proje
26/02/2015
Construction firm Interserve has announced that Lord Blackwell is to step down as Non-Executive Chairman. He intends to leave his role no later than the 2016 annual general meeting. The Board will now undertake a comprehensive external search process for a new Non-Executive Chairman. The search w
26/02/2015
The Chief Executive of Balfour Beatty has hosted a talk to give students at Northampton Business School a real-life insight into project management. Nick Pollard aimed the talk at those studying Project Management on Business, Information Sciences, Construction and Civil Engineering, as well as MBA
25/02/2015
Santander is to introduce a £100 million scheme to help SME housebuilders. The scheme, which will launch on 25th March 2015, is aimed at existing housebuilders with a successful track record. It will be headed up by Andrew Whelan, Managing Director, Regional Real Estate at Santander. Steve Pateman
25/02/2015
Carillion has been awarded two contracts in Dubai valued at around £380 million. Meraas, a Dubai-based holding company, selected the Carillion Joint Venture (JV) in the United Arab Emirates and Al Futtaim Carillion (AFC). AFC has been named as the preferred bidder for a £225 million contract to bu
25/02/2015
Contractor Forrest has recruited former Balfour Beatty employee Neil Ashworth as its new Head of new build housing. Mr Ashworth has over 25 years' experience in the housing and construction sectors and previously held roles at Richardson Projects and Rok. Joining from Mansell Construction Services
25/02/2015
Argent and its partner Related is to be recommended as development partner on the Brent Cross South scheme. The 78-hectare project is expected to be recommended to Barnet Council. The scheme sits alongside Hammerson and Standard Life's Investments redevelopment of the Brent Cross Shopping Centre.
25/02/2015
A £400,000 scheme to install and provide a new roof for the Chesham Building at the University of Bradford is now complete. Britcon finished the work which included improving the thermal properties of the roof and the installation of a single ply membrane. Numerous glazed northlights were also upgr
25/02/2015
A housing development in Birmingham is almost complete. The 22 new homes in Lozells Street is being constructed in partnership between Birmingham City Council's Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust (BMHT) and housebuilder Lovell. The City Reach Development is divided equally between rental and sale
25/02/2015
Energy firm E.ON is to launch a £2m fund for its Humber Gateway Offshore Wind Farm. The firm has identified four key areas that will benefit from the Humber Gateway Community Fund which include improving rural transport in South Holderness, supporting the development of a new apprenticeship program
25/02/2015
QS Supplies, Britain's leading bathroom supplier, launched its new website to provide a better shopping experience to its huge customer base. The new website is responsive and includes the look-book feature. The entire bathroom catalogue includes photographs and important technical diagrams along
25/02/2015
In the last decade Hague Fasteners have seen massive growth in the supply of British Manufactured, European origin material Critical Bolting manufactured to Aker, VGS and other OEM specifications specifically written to ensure the Prevention of failures of high strength fasteners in use in offshore
24/02/2015
Construction firm Willmott Dixon is to develop a £25 million transport hub in Lincoln. The project will see Willmott Dixon construct a new bus station, improve the current train station, create a dual-purpose footbridge to link St Mary’s Street and Tentercroft Street and deliver a space multi-store
24/02/2015
The Highways Agency has awarded Balfour Beatty an £11.6m contract. The scheme is to improve safety at Junction 12 of the M40 in Warwickshire. The junction serves the nearby Jaguar Landrover headquarters and Heritage Motor Centre and can get extremely busy, with queues of up to 1.2 miles forming on
24/02/2015
Camden Council has approved planning permission for a £42m building to be developed in partnership between the Royal Free Charity, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and the University College London (UCL). Subject to completion of a S106 legal agreement and a range of planning conditions
24/02/2015
Vinci Environment UK has been selected to design and build an energy from waste unit for AmeyCespa. Taylor Woodrow will be responsible for overall site development and the civil engineering element of the facility in Allerton, North Yorkshire. Vinci Environment will be responsible for designing an
24/02/2015
Bardsley Construction Yorkshire is to begin work on a £6.4m archive building in Wakefield. The West Yorkshire Archive Building is to be built in Kirkgate and it will store over 10 million records over three floors. The project is being jointly funded by the five West Yorkshire Councils, West Yorks
24/02/2015
Wandsworth Council has unveiled 74 designs for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Thames. The bridge would span the river between Nine Elms and Pimlico, plugging the wide gap between the Vauxhall and Chelsea bridges. 74 teams have entered the contest including some of the biggest names i
24/02/2015
Over 33,000 new homeowners have signed up to the governments 'Right to Buy' scheme since 2012. £2.4bn is being raised in new affordable housing investment as a result, new figures have revealed. Housing Minister Brandon Lewis welcomed the news as a further sign of how government action is helping
24/02/2015
A construction union has slammed Walkers Crisps latest advertisement as "insensitive and offensive". UCATT is calling for the advert, which shows ex-footballer Gary Lineker having wet concrete poured on him from a height, to be pulled immediately. The advert coincided with the opening of the inqu
23/02/2015
Wakefield Council has approved planning permission for the development of a new sports stadium in Castleford. The stadium is expected to be used by Castleford Tigers, as part of a mixed-use development in an area known as the Five Towns Park bounded by Park Road, M62, Stainburn Avenue and Spittal H
23/02/2015
Sweett Group has appointed Douglas McCormick as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 2 March 2015. Mr John Dodds will revert to being Non-Executive Chairman. Douglas has over 30 years' experience in the construction industry and was until recently Group Managing Director, Rail, Atkins (UK), ma
23/02/2015
A protest is to be held tomorrow, Tuesday 24th February, outside Land Securities office over the firm's failure to ensure that construction workers on their sites are paid the London Living Wage. Construction union UCATT, who is holding the protest, said there is no requirement for construction wor
23/02/2015
Construction activity is continuing to rise, according to a recent survey. The Construction Trade Survey, carried out by the Construction Products Association (CPA), shows another quarter of growth and its strongest performance in over six years. Dr Noble Francis, Economics Director at the Constru
23/02/2015
Willmott Dixon is to deliver a £25 million transport hub in Lincoln. The firm will start work on the transport hub towards the end of this year. As part of the project Willmott Dixon will construct a new bus station, improve the current train station, create a dual-purpose footbridge to link St M
23/02/2015
£5 million has been secured to boost town centres in Wales. The capital funding will be loaned to seven Local Authorities for up to 15 years to be spent on town centres in Tredegar, Rhymney, Grangetown, Llanelli, Rhyl, Caernarfon and Barry. During this time, the council can recycle and re-invest th
23/02/2015
A builder from Plymouth has been fined £10,000 after a worker plunged nearly six metres to the ground falling through a fragile roof light and sustaining multiple injuries. A partner in a building and roofing company, Przemyslaw Borkiewicz, 24, of Mutley, Plymouth, was carrying out the work at the
23/02/2015
Construction firm Balfour Beatty and William Hare have started installing the new floodlight towers to the former Olympic stadium. The lights, for the London Legacy Development Corporation and LB Newham, will illuminate a wide variety of events at the venue in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Each of
20/02/2015
A £1.5m solar panel installation at Fleetwood Water Treatment Works (WTW) is now complete. Contractor Forrest installed a 1.32 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) system covering the roofs of four commercial buildings at the site, equating to one and a half football pitches, on behalf of United Utilities.
20/02/2015
Government funding has been secured to improve school buildings in Surrey. Applications to upgrade facilities have been approved as part of the Priority Schools Building Programme. Surrey was awarded more than £41 million in extra funding over the next two years for an increase in demand for schoo
20/02/2015
Mr Peter Baker has been announced as the new Chief Inspector of construction for the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). Mr Baker, who is currently Head of HSE's Chemicals, Explosives and Microbiological Hazards Division, will replace Philip White on 1st April 2015. Mr Baker, who has been acting inte
20/02/2015
A £4.5 million housing development in Leek is expected to be complete next month, March. The development of 36 new homes is located on the site of the former Horsecroft Farm on Tittesworth Avenue is to be known as Nightingale Gardens. The project is by Ascent, a joint venture between Your Housing
20/02/2015
£260 million is to be invested to deliver 28,000 new homes across London. London's first Housing Zones will unlock the redevelopment of 1897.42 hectares of brownfield land across the capital, the equivalent of 2,656 football pitches. The special status has been awarded to areas identified by London
20/02/2015
Skanska UK has promoted two members of staff to its Executive Management Team. Greg Craig will remain managing director of Skanska's infrastructure services division, however he will also take executive responsibility for civil engineering and health and safety. Kelly Gangotra will now assume the
20/02/2015
Trade store Screwfix has recently leased a newly refurbished energy efficiency unit in Hastings. Hastings Borough Council was the lead partner in a project within the EU Interreg IVA 2 Seas Programme, called Answers to the Carbon Economy (ACE). ACE explores options for creating low carbon industria
20/02/2015
The application for the Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm has been accepted for examination. The application for the proposed offshore wind farm was submitted on 30 January 2015. The application is the second offshore wind farm SMart Wind is proposing to develop in the Hornsea Zone. It would be up to 360
19/02/2015
Westminster City Council has approved planning permission for Marble Arch Tower in London. The existing tower will be demolished and developers Alamacantar will replace it with a residential building and an office building, both providing retail and leisure facilities on basement, ground and first
19/02/2015
Mott MacDonald has won an £88.5m contract to provide engineering, procurement and construction management services for the Shanghai Foxconn Plaza in China. Appointed by Foxconn (Shanghai), the 50,000 sq m plaza will be the headquarters of Hong Hai Technology Group. It will comprise 21 stories and f
19/02/2015
Planning consultancy firm Terence O'Rourke has made two senior level appointments. Nigel Pugsley joins the Bournemouth office as an associate director, having formerly held the associate director title at BNP Paribas Real Estate, Southampton. He brings to the team extensive experience in planning s
19/02/2015
A £5.5m specialist business park, built by construction firm Willmott Dixon, has officially opened in Leicester. The Leicester Food Park scheme received £3.4m in funding from the European Regional Development Fund with additional funding provided by Leicester City Council. The new food park is com
19/02/2015
The building of new homes last year was 10% higher than in 2013, new figures have revealed. In London, starts in 2013 to 2014 were the highest since 2005 to 2006. Overall, 700,000 new homes have been delivered since the end of 2009, and over 200,000 of which have been since the launch of the Help
19/02/2015
95 per cent of dual-fuel customers of the largest energy firms have missed out on savings of more than £200 a year by not switching tariffs or suppliers between 2012 and 2014, according to an investigation by the Competition Markets Authority (CMA). Citizens Advice is calling for the investigation
19/02/2015
Construction firm Balfour Beatty has been selected to carry out an £11.6 million motorway improvement scheme. The firm will be required to make improvements to junction 12 of the M40 near Gaydon. Highways Agency project manager Shah Hussain said: "We've worked hard with Warwickshire County Council
19/02/2015
As part of the construction of its new £7 million Academy and Arena, Championship club, Wolverhampton Wanderers has invested in a new indoor artificial pitch, produced and supplied by TigerTurf, the UK's leading manufacturer of synthetic sports surfaces. The new 3G surface, which has been installed
19/02/2015
An inquest into the death of a Crossrail worker after he was struck by a section of shotcrete is to begin on Monday 23rd February. René Tkacik, 44, died at Crosrail's Fisher Street site on 7th March last year. During the 8 day hearing, the Coronoer will hear how Mr Tkacik was crushed to death as h
19/02/2015
A former YMCA building in Wallasey has been transformed into new homes. The original building on Manor Road has been converted into nine apartments, with six houses also being built on the site by housing provider Magenta Living. The scheme has cost around £1.2 million to complete. The building wa
18/02/2015
Construction firm BAM has been appointed to refurbish a Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The contractor will deliver the transformation of the RSC's studio theatre, The Other Place. The work includes remodelling the internal space of the temporary Courtyard Theatre t
18/02/2015
Thames Water has been fined over £200,000 for polluting the River Blackwater, a tributary of the River London in Surrey. The firm was fined £220,000 and ordered to pay costs of £27,500 at Guildford Crown Court. Thames Water was found guilty of breaching its environmental permit by allowing partial
18/02/2015
A further £1.5 million is to be invested on a regeneration scheme in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. In total the Welsh Government has invested £5.7m in the project. Based on the site of the old Merthyr Vale Colliery, Project Riverside will see the creation of 230 new homes, with the potential for other de
18/02/2015
Contractor Britcon has announced a turnover of £31.5 million for 2014, a 17% increase on trading for 2013. Headquartered in North Lincolnshire, Britcon directly employs 70 people on its project sites across the UK. Paul Clarkson, Managing Director at Britcon said: "We are pleased to report a retu
18/02/2015
The first consent approval for offshore wind energy at Dogger Bank in the North Sea has been granted. The consent order is the result of more than four years of comprehensive assessments, stakeholder consultation and planning by the Forewind consortium, owned equally by the four international energ
18/02/2015
The John Lewis Partnership has awarded a contract worth over £6 million to Mitie. The contract will see Mitie install all mechanical and electrical services in the 250,000 sq ft Birmingham store. The store, which will open in the autumn, is part of the multimillion pound redevelopment of Birmingham
18/02/2015
Home improvement and garden centre retailer, B&Q, has chosen to extend its contract with Interserve. The £35 million, three-year contract extension, includes all 361 B&Q stores throughout the UK and Ireland. Included in the service provision is a new LEAN cleaning model introducing innovations, eq
18/02/2015
Willmott Dixon has started pre-construction work on a £7.5 million Sustainable Energy Visitor Centre in Kent. Project founder, Hadlow College, selected Scape to choose a sole contractor. Willmott Dixon is Scape's sole contractor on its Major Works Framework and the firm aims to sign a contract for
18/02/2015
Dr Nicola Hodson has been appointed to Ofgem's governing authority, the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (GEMA). Dr Hodson is the general manager of Marketing and Operations at Microsoft UK, and will take up a non-executive role for the next five years. GEMA Chairman, David Gray, said: "We a
18/02/2015
BEW Electrical Services Ltd has announced it has completed the purchase of AMP Electrical Distributors Ltd. The AMP Branch based in Leicester is perfectly located to connect with its Birmingham and Peterborough branches and is a welcome addition as the firm continues to expand and improve its Midla
17/02/2015
ISG has completed fit-out work for Cycle Republic in London. The work, on two of the specialist bike chain's outlets at Euston Tower and Margaret Street, have a contemporary urban interior design, with exposed brick walls and an unpainted concrete soffit. Timber elements have been used extensivel
17/02/2015
The Lakesmere Group has opened a new metal fabrication manufacturing facility in Winchester. Operating from its new Innovation Technology Centre, Lakesmere will produce a range of roofing and cladding sheets in addition to fabrications, gutters and panels for use on a number of its own contracts ac
17/02/2015
Plans to invest £57.35m on new schools, roads and street lighting in Somerset are to be discussed by the council tomorrow, 18 February. £19.5m will be spent on maintaining the county's highways network. The figure also includes £6.5m for a new primary school at Lufton in Yeovil and a further £6.5m
17/02/2015
Plans to redevelop a pub in Coalville into 14 new homes are progressing significantly. Social housing and care provider, emh group, has purchesed the Pick and Shovel pub in the town after planning was approved by the North West Leicestershire District Council in December. Demolition of the pub wil
17/02/2015
Clivedale Properties has been appointed to build over 20 new apartments in London in a £27m contract with McAleer & Rushe. The 22 apartments are to be developed on the former central London headquarters of property firm Colliers. The development at 9 Marylebone Lane, includes studios, one- to thr
17/02/2015
Balfour Beatty has won a £12.5 million deal on behalf of Bomardier in Derby. The contract is to create a production, testing and office facility for the new Crossrail trains on Bombardier's Litchurch Lane site. The work includes the construction of four multi-functional train lines, each with full
17/02/2015
Construction firm Interserve has started building work to develop a new primary school in Salford. Mesne Lea Primary School is one of 39 in the North West to be rebuilt under the first phase of the government's priority school building programme (PSBP). The new two-storey primary school will incl
17/02/2015
1,500 new homes are to be developed and a further 1,000 properties are to be brought back into use in Liverpool. The deal has been officially signed by Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, Assistant Mayor Cllr Ann O’Byrne, Liverpool Housing Partnership (LMH) Chief Executive Steve Coffey and Redrow Home
17/02/2015
Workers employed by Sanctuary Maintenance Contractors have been exposed to asbestos in Bicester. Construction union UCATT confirmed the workers were instructed to undertake work on an empty Sanctuary home in Withington Road, Bicester, Oxfordshire. The employees asked management whether asbestos was
17/02/2015
Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) was originally developed by Transport for London (TfL) in 2008. The scheme was designed to be a recognised voluntary standard for all operators of a commercial fleet from small builders operating a fleet of vans to large haulage companies with hundreds or HGV
16/02/2015
Construction and development firm Osborne has announced its Chief Executive is to step down. Mr David Fison will step down at the end of March 2015. He will retire and hand over the role of Chief Executive to Andy Steele, an Executive Director of Geoffrey Osborne Ltd and currently Managing Director
16/02/2015
AC Lloyd has been appointed to develop new European headquarters for Tata Technologies in Warwick. The building represents a £16 million investment from Tata Technologies in the company's operations in the UK and Europe. The expanded headquarters will create 200 additional jobs in Tata Technologi
16/02/2015
Funding has been approved for improvement works to be carried out at a primary school in Haringey. The money for Earlham Primary School will be used to make repairs required at the school which includes modernising the Earlha's drainage system and renovating the roof of the school hall. The counci
16/02/2015
Shepherd Construction has started building work on a new primary school in Lawley. Lawley Village Academy is the last in the series 13 of schools procured through the Telford & Wrekin Council's £200m Building Schools for the Future legacy programme. The new academy is due to open to pupils in Janu
16/02/2015
Work on protecting St Luke's Church in Liverpool is expected to begin soon. A detailed survey carried out last year estimated the cost of urgent repairs needed to preserve the grade II* listed building at £500,000 and recommended that work be carried out in three phases, according to the Liverpool
16/02/2015
Stonewater has started construction work on a new development in Oxfordshire. The £4m scheme includes 28 village homes to be built in Faringdon Road in Stadforn in the Vale. The project is in partnership with Vale of the White Horse District Council, Stanford in the Vale Parish Council and contrac
16/02/2015
Story Homes has confirmed it will not be appealing Chorley Borough Council's decision to refuse permission to develop new homes on the Camelot Theme Park site. John Jackson, Planning Manager for Story Homes said: "We have taken the decision not to appeal the planning refusal for Camelot. Instead,
16/02/2015
Unite the union is supporting a week of action across the capital designed to stop the further destruction of London's council housing stock. With housing now the third most important issue for voters in London, yet housing insecurity growing, Unite will help roll out events across the city, which
16/02/2015
An engineering firm has been fined £16,000 after a worker fell from scaffolding and suffered serious injuries. Motherwell Bridge Ltd, which designs and builds storage tanks, heat exchangers and gasholders, had been contracted to build a gasholder at the Tata Steelworks in Port Talbot, Swansea Magi
16/02/2015
Kier has won a £33 million highways contract to dual the A30 between Temple and Higher Carblake in Cornwall. Cornwall Council will part-fund and deliver the project in conjunction with the Highways Agency. Work will begin in March 2015 and is expected to take 22 months, with the new road open to th
13/02/2015
Construction firm Kier has scooped a £63m redevelopment contract. The contract, to refurbish Birmingham Women's Hospital, also incorporates a new build. The four-year P21+ project will provide a new gynaecology ambulatory care unit, an expanded maternity unit and new in-patient accommodation, whic
13/02/2015
Raymond Brown Construction is to begin a £1m refurbishment project on a bridge in Bath and North East Somerset later this month. The work to refurbish the Midland Bridge involves removing the existing paint coating to all steelwork, undertaking any necessary repairs and re-painting to restore the s
13/02/2015
Henry Boot Construction have started work on a new town centre development in north Sheffield. The £42m Fox Valley scheme is expected to be complete by Spring 2016. The firm has started on the main retail and office buildings on the 28-acre former steelworks site. It is estimated that the develop
13/02/2015
Amey has been selected as the new service provider to run four of Central Bedfordshire Council's waste recycling centres. From 1st April, Amey will assume responsibility for the management of the four sites, to maintain and improve standards at each household waste recycling centre. The contract,
13/02/2015
An improvement scheme on High Street in Swansea is continuing. The project, scheduled for completion by the end of March, includes an upgrade of the pedestrian crossing at the College Street junction that will allow people to cross the road diagonally in addition to the current arrangement. The pr
13/02/2015
The government has been accused of not doing enough to help UK firms improve their energy efficiency, a report has revealed. The report, released by the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) said the failures are saddling UK businesses with higher-than-necessary energy bills, costing companies millions of po
13/02/2015
Galliford Try has commenced building work on 240 new homes in Ramsgate. The homes, across seven separate sites, will provide five Extra Care schemes and two supported housing schemes for vulnerable adults which incorporate a Mental Health facility and a Move On facility. The new building will pro
13/02/2015
British Land is now on site to redevelop an office building in Paddington Central. Architects Allies and Morrison were selected to update the design of the 146,000 sq ft development on 4 Kingdom Street. The re-designed nine-storey building will have floorplates of 15,000 sq ft, with each floor hav
13/02/2015
ISG has been selected to build a new facility at the new Clay Farm development in Cambridge. The contract, worth around £10 million, is for a range of stakeholders including Cambridge City Council, Cambridge County Council, and housing and health partners. The centre will serve a community of arou
13/02/2015
Mulbury Homes has completed construction work on a new housing development in Hindley, Wigan. The homes in Borsdane Avenue were built for Great Places Housing Group, who will make the homes available for rent. The scheme, which comprises a mix of two- and three-bedroom properties, is based next to
12/02/2015
John Lewis has selected ISG to fit-out its new store in Birmingham. The £15.5m project involves fitting out four floors of retail space at the Grand Central development, which, following a £150m transformation, replaces the former Pallasades shopping centre. ISG will install raised access floors a
12/02/2015
Morgan Sindall has scooped a £2m school extension contract. The scheme at Wellington Community School in Aldershot, for Hampshire County Council, involves the construction of six new purpose-built classrooms. A new multi-purpose community room will also be constructed. Photovoltaic panels will be
12/02/2015
Construction firm Galliford Try has reached an agreement on a £40m contract to develop headquarters for Northampshire County Council. The new 17,600 sq m four-storey building is part of a strategy to consolidate the Council's existing offices, and regenerate an area on the south side of Northampton
12/02/2015
There has been a sharp increase in construction fatalities in the North West, union UCATT has revealed. The construction union found out through a Freedom of Information request that there was also a major fall in the number of construction inspections in the same region last year. In 2013/14, th
12/02/2015
Construction firm Willmott Dixon is to trial an electric van for two months as part of its sustainability plans. The firm is using the Nissan e-NV200 on its repairs and maintenance contract with Birmingham City Council. The van has a range, when fully charged, of approximately 85 miles. Charging po
12/02/2015
£2.95m in central government funding has been granted to develop a new Creative Quarter in Tamworth town centre. The £5.5m project, led by Tamworth Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council, is expected to be complete by 2017. It will see the refurbishment of Tamworth Assembly Rooms, the t
12/02/2015
Lambeth Council has appointed a new Director of Housing Management. Neil Wightman, who is the council's Programme Director for housing delivery, will be leading the housing service and overseeing its reintegration into the council. Councillor Matthew Bennett, Cabinet member for Housing said: "Neil
12/02/2015
A firm has been fined £130,000 and ordered to pay £70,000 in costs after a workman was killed by a piece of flying timber which struck him on the head while laying sewerage pipes in Swindon. Fredric March, 52, from Croydon, was working at the site in Galton Way for Cappagh Contractors Construction
11/02/2015
Balfour Beatty has been appointed to design and construct a coastal protection scheme in Sandsend. The £7 million contract, along the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast, is needed to protect a section of the A174 road which is heavily relied on by the community of Sandsend to reach nearby
11/02/2015
A Welsh housing association has pledged to build 600 new homes over the next two years, after borrowing £50 million from M&G Investments. The long term financial deal will bring United Welsh's total housing stock to around 6,000 properties across South Wales. The deal follows a £30 million loan Un
11/02/2015
Almost 800 homes for private rent are to be developed in Manchester and Salford. Housing Minister Brandon Lewis announced the multi-million pound deal through the government's £1 billion Build to Rent scheme. Under the terms of the agreement, developers Renaker will receive £55 million to build 77
11/02/2015
Building contractor Britcon has signed a deal to design and build a £4.2m technical centre in Sheffield. The centre, to be located at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), supports businesses that provide technology solutions for use in precision industries including aerospace, defence, constructi
11/02/2015
The Mayor of London has published a blueprint for thousands of new homes to be developed along the River Thames. Mr Boris Johnson launched the draft London Riverside Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF), which sets out planning, regeneration and design guidance that will lead to the creation
11/02/2015
Wates Construction is making significant progress on the New Homes for Luton (NH4L) programme. Wates, began building work on the scheme in 2011, and is expected to be complete later on this year. Once complete, NH4L will comprise 360 high quality and affordable family homes across six sites in Lut
11/02/2015
Eric Wright Civil Engineering (EWCE) has secured projects worth over £2m after being selected to three local authority frameworks. EWCE has been appointed as a framework civil engineering contractor by Bolton Council for highways works up to the value of £2m. The two-year framework comprises four l
11/02/2015
An £800,000 resurfacing project in Gloucester is to begin next week. The scheme will require full night-time closures, Monday to Friday, on the A40 between M5 junction 11 and the Elmbridge Court roundabout. Work starts on the night of Thursday 19 February, and is expected to be complete by Friday
10/02/2015
Nottingham architects CPMG has won a contract worth £6 million to design a new secondary school in Doncaster. Planning has been approved for the school to be built on land at the Lakeside site which will be open in September this year. The location was chosen by the XP School. Senior architect Ka
10/02/2015
Laing O'Rourke has been appointed to redevelop an office building, Two St Peters Square, on Mosley Street in Manchester. The contractor has already started work on the project for Mosley Street Ventures which is due to be complete by January 2017. Two St Peter's Square will comprise of 161,113 sq
10/02/2015
Civil engineering contractor, O'Brien, has scooped three contracts worth around £7 million. Appointed by principal contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine, O'Brien will deliver a host of groundworks on LondonMetric Property's £60.5m Thunderbird 2 scheme. Two further projects have been secured with John Si
10/02/2015
The UK's first new straw homes are to go on sale in Bristol. A new factory-built straw panel design developed at the University of Bath has received BM Trada's Q mark certification, meaning developers and house buyers can now insure and secure mortgages against homes, schools and offices built usin
10/02/2015
Planning permission has been approved to develop a new sports health and science research facility in Manchester. The Manchester Institute of Health and Performance (MIHP) will be a multi-disciplinary diagnostic, education, research and development facility, and will be located in the Etihad Campus
10/02/2015
Housebuilding firm Lovell has appointed a new business development manager (BDM) for its North West and North Wales region. Based at the firm's regional office in Altrincham, Tahreen Shad will help drive the continuing expansion of the company's open market and affordable housing business across th
10/02/2015
A further £5.8 million is to be invested towards social housing in Wales. The funding will support the Social Housing Grant Programme and will support the delivery of 70-90 new affordable homes. Finance Minister Jane Hutt said: "Investing in housing is a key part of our Wales Infrastructure Invest
10/02/2015
Plant hiring firm Hewden has appointed the former Chief Operating Officer of Speedy Services as its new Chief Executive. Adrian Murphy who was confirmed as CEO in January has now started his new post. He is based at Hewden's Manchester Head Office. Mr Murphy said: "I am delighted to be joining Hew
10/02/2015
Sentinel Housing Association is redeveloping two empty office buildings in Basingstoke and Camberley. Both buildings are being remodelled through the use of 'Permitted Development Rights' which allow for redundant commercial properties to be converted to a residential use without the need for a fu
10/02/2015
Located in the historic Eyre Square, the focal point of Galway, is Dunnes Stores. The Georgian facade of the building required extensive repair and refurbishment to the render which was suffering with a high degree of cracking. Repairs to the render were carried out using Betofix RM. This advanc
09/02/2015
The Peel Group has selected Morgan Sindall as the main contractor to develop the new £8 million Wirral Met College Campus in Birkenhead. The Morgan Sindall team will be led by area director Barry Roberts from the Wirral. The new campus will deliver training and education for construction and the b
09/02/2015
Construction work is to begin on the £440 million Westgate Oxford development. A joint venture (JV) between Land Securities and The Crown Estate preparatory works are to begin imminently and construction set to start in spring 2015. The new 800,000 sq. ft. retail and leisure scheme in the heart of
09/02/2015
Contractor Buoygues UK has won two Welsh contracts worth a combined £36.4 million. One of the contracts, worth just over £21.1m, with The City & Council of Swansea is for the internal and external refurbishment of 238 flats spread out across two high rise towers and a residential block, in the dist
09/02/2015
Construction firm Kier has appointed a new managing director of its facilities management business. Experienced sector specialist Steve Davies joins from Compass Group UK & Ireland where he held the position of managing director of support services, and brings with him over 20 years' experience acr
09/02/2015
The Mayor of London has revealed further details of proposals for the city's road network. Boris Johnson, who is in Boston as part of a trade mission to build economic and cultural ties with key cities in the United States, unveiled plans to redesign a number of road networks in the capital in ord
09/02/2015
Cheshire East Council has blocked plans for two housing developments to be built near Banbury. Planning inspectors rejected developers' appeals for permission to build a total of 78 homes at housing developments in Shavington, near Crewe, and Spurstow, near Bunbury. Cheshire East Leader, Councillo
09/02/2015
The Construction Industry Trading Board (CITB) has launched a new app to help small and medium-sized firms put together health and safety plans. The free CDM Wizard app, developed with the support of the HSE, will help businesses to write construction phase plans, following the introduction of new
09/02/2015
In an ever competitive world it is important that your business stands out against others within the same industry. With this in mind it is extremely important to establish strong branding for your company through a multitude of different methods and this includes aesthetics of the company building/
06/02/2015
The Green Party has pledged to build 500,000 social rented homes by 2020. The Party plans to increase the social housing budget from £1.5bn per year to £6bn by 2017. It will reform landlord tax allowances to incentivise good practice rather than profits, and scrap buy-to-let mortgage interest relie
06/02/2015
Social housing contractor Forrest has selected Carillion's Ian McGillivary as commercial director. Ian has over 20 years of experience in the construction sector and was responsible for the commercial performance of Carillion's facilities management business. The appointment will see Mr McGillivar
06/02/2015
The Welsh Government is to allocate funding for a main highway to be built across the 420 acre Northern Gateway site. The funding is in addition to the £2.2m which the Welsh Government is currently spending on flood improvement works on a section of river bank which runs along the southern boundary
06/02/2015
The Highways Agency has started work on a £2.8 million scheme to restore junction 2 of the M53 at Moreton. The work involves removing weight restrictions and reinstating lanes at the junction. Highways Agency project sponsor Louise Baxendale said: "There will be some disruption to journeys while w
06/02/2015
Enfield Council has launched a Smart Homes scheme which aims to improve the energy efficiency of privately owned homes. The scheme offers government grants of up to 75% of costs towards energy improvements in homes to a maximum of £6,000. The grants are open to both owner occupiers, private tenant
06/02/2015
A planning application has been submitted by Cheshire East Council to demolish part of a derelict factory in Middlewich. The council, which owns the site of the former Ideal Standard factory on Cledford Lane, plans to retain some structures, including the offices and the building which runs alongsi
06/02/2015
A Suffolk building firm has been fined £10,000 after removing asbestos insulation board without a licence and failing to protect its workers from falls of up to four metres at a farm building in Waltham, Essex. Chelmsford Magistrates' Court heard the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was alerted by
06/02/2015
Two leading firms in their respective fields have teamed up to provide an enhanced home for Everton Football Club. Merseyside Galvanizing and Shawton Engineering Ltd have fabricated and galvanized steelwork which has been used to create a walkway to access, install, and maintain new floodlighting
05/02/2015
Plans to extend London City Airport have been approved. The decision clears the way for a £200 million investment that will enable the airport to operate up to a permitted 111,000 annual flights, from the 70,000 currently flying. The plans include developing existing infrastructure to increase ru
05/02/2015
Proposals to build 144 new homes in Cornwall have been given the go-ahead by the Council. The Carillion-Igloo and Coastline Housing's planning applications beside the Heartlands regeneration project at Trevenson Park, Pool, enables construction work and marketing to start later this year. The deve
05/02/2015
The Chief Executive of the Miller Group is to step down. Mr Keith Miller is to leave at the end of March this year. Mr Miller said: "We have strong management teams in place in Miller Homes, Miller Developments and Miller Mining, each of which is led by its own Chief Executive. I am looking forwar
05/02/2015
A housing association operating across south Wales is to build 600 new properties over the next two years. United Welsh borrowed £50m from M&G Investments to fund the developments. The deal follows a £30m loan United Welsh borrowed from M&G last year, through an initiative led by the Welsh Governm
05/02/2015
Almost a third of small and medium sized (SME's) businesses across Great Britain believe HS2 high speed rail project will benefit their business. 52% also expect it to increase their growth potential. The figures are drawn from the results of the latest quarterly Close Brothers Business Barometer.
05/02/2015
A new Regional Secretary for the Midlands has been appointed by construction union UCATT. Shaun Lee formally took up the post as UCATT Midlands Regional Secretary last month. Mr Lee had been acting Regional Secretary since September 2014. Mr Lee said: "I am delighted to have been appointed Region
05/02/2015
The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has welcomed new rules announced by the government making it illegal for landlords to rent out the most energy inefficient homes. From April 2018, landlords will be required by law to get their leakiest properties to an energy efficiency rating of at least Band
05/02/2015
We are extremely excited to announce that twelve members of our team have signed themselves up and will be running the Chester Half Marathon, representing DCM Surfaces they will be raising money all in aid of charity. Throughout our time in business we have supported a wide range of charities, name
04/02/2015
Willmott Dixon has been appointed as the main contractor to develop a new life science incubator facility in Nottingham. The facility, which will be located close to BioCity, will provide more space for expanding bioscience businesses. The project was designed by architects CPMG, with Gleeds as pr
04/02/2015
Birmingham Council has revealed a £600m masterplan which will generate over 200,000 sq m of new office space and create new jobs in the city. The 20-year Snow Hill Masterplan, which covers the Snow Hill and Colmore areas of the city, was launched by Birmingham City Council and Colmore Business Dist
04/02/2015
Planning permission has been approved for a new office building at Canary Wharf in London. The new 27-storey commercial scheme, at 1 Bank Street, includes three levels of trading floors, a retail unit at ground level, a free-standing retail kiosk on South Dock Promenade, public realm, planting and
04/02/2015
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of £7.8 million to build the first national landscape discovery centre in Northumberland. The Northumberland National Park project, to be named The Sill, will deliver a comprehensive programme of interpretation, education, research and events that
04/02/2015
Construction output is expected to rise by 5.3% in 2015 and 17.8% by 2018 according to the latest forecasts from the Construction Products Association (CPA). However, the growth is expected to slow in the medium-term due to election uncertainty and capacity constraints. Dr Noble Francis, Economics
04/02/2015
The installation of a 500KW wind turbine in Derbyshire has been completed by regeneration firm Harworth Estates in partnership with Energy Prospects Co-operative Ltd. Based at the former Arkwright surface mine, near Chesterfield, the wind turbine, which is now operating, generates sufficient energy
04/02/2015
Bristol City Council has selected Balfour Beatty to build a £26 million guided busway. The 'Metrobus' scheme will link the Long Ashton Park and Ride to Cumberland Road on the south side of the city centre through a 3.5 kilometre route. Martyn Osborne, Balfour Beatty Wales & West Managing Director,
04/02/2015
Images have been unveiled of a new £20 million high school to be built in Liverpool. St Julie's Catholic High School will benefit around 1,000 young people and their families in Woolton. The three and four storey buildings are being designed in line with the Woolton Village Conservation Area, and
03/02/2015
Vinci Stadium, a subsidiary of Vinci Concessions, has been selected to manage the former Olympic Stadium. The stadium, at Queen Elizabeth Park, is currently being transformed into a multi-use stadium. It will host five matches of Rugby World Cup 2015 before fully re-opening in 2016 when it will bec
03/02/2015
Development plans to transform a campus at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) have been unveiled. The new Preston campus will integrate with the rest of the City, benefitting current and future generations of students, staff, visitors and the wider community. Subject to planning approva
03/02/2015
An empty building in Ipswich has been transformed into 55 town centre properties for Suffolk Housing. The renovation work at Anton House in Grimwade Street was been managed by Iceni Homes, and has seen 35 one-bedroom and 17 two-bedroom flats created over four floors, together with three wheelchair-
03/02/2015
Energy bills could have been cut further and sooner, according to new research. A report by Which? revealed the failure of retail prices to align with wholesale costs has cost consumers £2.9bn over the last year, an equivalent of £145 per household on standard energy tariffs. The recent cuts in Bi
03/02/2015
Jones Bros and Balfour Beatty have scooped a £65.5 million 50:50 joint venture (JV) contract. The contract involves the design and construction of the 9.8km Caernarfon to Bontnewydd bypass in North Wales. The project for the Welsh Government will realign the A487 to improve journey time reliabilit
03/02/2015
Turner & Townsend is to provide masterplanning, procurement strategy and risk management services for the development of the new three-runway system (3RS) at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). The 3RS will include the formation of 650 hectares of land north of the existing airport island, the
03/02/2015
Two new retirement living schemes in Chester are nearing completion. The multi-million pound projects, built by Your Housing Group, includes a total of 159 new extra care apartments for local people aged 55 years and over, and are available for affordable rent, shared ownership and outright sale.
03/02/2015
It is a common miss-conception that artificial grass will not be enjoyed as much as real grass by pets. In actual fact pets absolutely love artificial grass; they will treat it no differently to natural grass and everyone can benefit from artificial grass installation. For the most part it is dog o
02/02/2015
Tower Hamlets has approved a design plans for 53-storey, mixed-use tower at Meridian Gate on the Isle of Dogs. Designed by Make, Tower Hamlets described the scheme in their planning committee report as "an elegant tower which makes a positive contribution to the skyline". The scheme, devised for L
02/02/2015
Construction work has started on a £9m redevelopment of a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school in Hounslow. Plans have been submitted for the Lindon Bennett SEN school as part of a multi-million pound schools expansion programme being carried out by Hounslow Council in conjunction with leading in
02/02/2015
A road improvement scheme worth almost £55m has been announced for the West Midlands. The £317m national programme will cut congestion, increase safety and improve journey times. The plans were drawn up by the Highways Agency, working with local councils and communities. The 121 schemes are distri
02/02/2015
Small construction firms are finding it difficult to recruit carpenters, joiners and bricklayers, according to a survey by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Results from the FMB's latest State of Trade Survey for Q4 2014 show 42% of firms are struggling to recruit bricklayers, compared to 27
02/02/2015
Plans have been unveiled for a potential £75m investment in social and affordable housing in Dover by 2028. The plans are outlined in the Council Budget and Medium Term Financial Plan, which also recommends a District Council Tax freeze for 2015/16, the second successive year in which the district'
02/02/2015
Construction firm Gilbert-Ash is to carry out £20m refurbishment work on the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. Ray Hutchinson, Managing Director of Gilbert-Ash, commented: "This will be a fantastic project to work on. The Bartlett School of Architecture is very prestigio
