Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for September 2015
30/09/2015
The second phase of the London Crossrail Project could generate £102bn for the UK economy, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) said. The £32bn Crossrail 2 programme will see 36km of twin-bore tunnels dug underground. It will run beneath the streets of the capital from Wimbledon to Tott
30/09/2015
VolkerStevin has been awarded a £23m contract by Thames Water. The contractor began to carry out enabling works last month in advance of the construction of the £4bn Thames Tideway Tunnel. Rob Coupe, managing director at VolkerStevin, said: "This is an exciting project and one we are proud to be a
30/09/2015
Highways England has announced it will carry out various road projects worth £3.8bn over the next five years. The government-owned company has met with contractors and suppliers to reveal details of its plans for the Midlands and East of England. The investment involves improvements and repairs ta
30/09/2015
Contractor Forrest has won a £9 million contract to complete a social housing refurbishment project in Manchester. The project is being carried at City West Housing Trust's Charter building in Eccles. Charter is the largest high rise residential block in Eccles. It is the seventh that Forrest has
30/09/2015
Resurfacing works are due to take place on the A64 in York, it has been announced. Contractors will resurface parts of the eastbound and westbound entry slip roads from the A1036 Tadcaster Road to the A64. New areas of high friction surfacing are to also be installed. The work is to begin on 8 Oc
30/09/2015
Local builders will need to be at the centre of the Labour Party's plans for a national house building programme, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said. Labour has recently announced it plans to build at least 100,000 publicly funded social homes per year if elected to government. Brian
30/09/2015
Workspace has announced the acquisition of a site in London. The former Mecca Bingo site in Wandsworth was purchased for £26.1m and provides nearly six acres of land. It comprises of a vacant 43,000 sq ft bingo hall and a 200 space car park. In addition, it adjoins an existing 100,000 sq ft offic
30/09/2015
A Welsh steel company has been fined after an employee was crushed to death by a two tonne steel beam. CMC UK, of Trident Industrial Park, Glass Avenue, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety at work legislation. It was fined £112,500 with £96,000 in costs. Mark Walker, 37, suffer
29/09/2015
Siemens has awarded Clugston Construction a contract to develop a service and logistics factory in Hull. The facility will support Siemen's £310m Hull wind turbine blade factory. The 12,300 sq m building will be located at the Alexandra Dock. It will house facilities for the service and maintenan
29/09/2015
Orbit Homes has reached a 'major milestone' in its development target of 12,000 new homes by 2020. The house-builder has built over 3,000 homes since April 2013. Earlier this year, Orbit announced the second largest 'affordable' housing development programme between 2015-2020, with 8,418 new homes
29/09/2015
Three housing firms are among Britain's best performing construction companies, according to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). New research has shown Barratt Developments, Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon have risen into the top ten constructions firms. CITB said the revelation has been
29/09/2015
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has released new guidelines for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems. The IET Code of Practice for Grid Connected Solar PV Systems will set out the requirements for the design, specification, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of gr
29/09/2015
Resurfacing works are due to take place on the A19 northbound carriageway in Durham, Highways England has announced. Contractors for the government-owned company will resurface three miles of the carriageway between the A179 at Sheraton to the A181 at Wellfield. Work is due to begin on 4 October a
29/09/2015
BAM Construction has appointed Adam Harding as its new South East Regional Director. He will officially take up the role on 1 October. Mr Harding trained in construction management at the University of Westminster and joined BAM as an engineer in the 1990s. His first job as a project manager was
29/09/2015
UCATT has seconded a motion for the Labour Party to carry out a 'fundamental and radical' review of its policies on employment rights. The motion was overwhelmingly supported by Conference, which commits the party to hold a working party to bring forward a "New Deal for Workers to be published in a
29/09/2015
A key milestone in Nottingham's transport infrastructure has been marked with the opening of the new £570m tram extension – and Fibrelite is delighted to have played its part: supplying bespoke, non-slip composite access covers and frames for the electrical inspection chambers on station platforms.
28/09/2015
Around 1,700 jobs are to be lost in north-east England with the closure of SSI's iron and steelmaking plant in Redcar. SSI UK have announced that the plant will be "mothballed" due to ongoing issues with the supply of raw materials and services. Production at the South Bank Coke Ovens is to be "pa
28/09/2015
Local authorities must develop more than 11,000 new classrooms over the next nine years to meet Britain's growing primary school population, according to Scape Group. Research by the company has shown 336,000 extra pupils will require additional classrooms and school buildings, the equivalent of on
28/09/2015
The owners of a power station in North Yorkshire have withdrawn their support for a £1 billion power plant with Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) capability. Drax Group has made the decision to pull out as a partner of Capture Power, the developer of the White Rose CSS project. The group said it rema
28/09/2015
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has urged more young people to consider a career in the construction industry. The Mayor made the call as he joined Lloyds Banking Group in launching the £1m Construction Skills fund. The initiative will help London house builders provide improved training various
28/09/2015
Interserve has been named as contractor to deliver £2.4m worth of road improvements in Bedfordshire. Highways England awarded the contract for upgrades on the A421, the M1 at junction 13 and the A5 through Milton Keynes and Dunstable. Works will involve road surface repairs, resurfacing, replacing
28/09/2015
A £25 million retail and leisure scheme in Yorkshire has been opened by HRH the Duchess of Gloucester. The Princes Gate project was officially opened on 25 September. It was developed by Kier on the former MOD central sports ground at Catterick Garrison The 150,000 sq ft project includes a multi-
28/09/2015
EcoCurves has announced it will be exhibiting at UK Construction Week at the NEC in Birmingham. The company is one of the largest and most renowned manufacturers of glulam curves in Europe. It will display a whole range of bespoke, highest quality (GL-24h, TÜV, FSC and EC Certificate of Conformity)
28/09/2015
Stroma Group has completed the acquisition of multidisciplinary Building Control service provider, Greendoor Building Control & Specialist Services Limited ("Greendoor"). Greendoor have provided market leading support to their clients in the Building Control sector for more than 12 years, and the ac
25/09/2015
A Carillion joint venture (JV) has been selected to deliver a new hospital in the West Midlands. The Hospital Company was chosen by the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust to develop the hospital on a site off Grove Lane in Smethwick. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council granted plan
25/09/2015
House building in the UK is set to top 2014 levels this year, according to the National House Building Council (NHBC). Recent figures show the new home registrations statistics increased 11% for the rolling quarter of June and August. In total, 40,101 new homes were registered in the UK during thi
25/09/2015
Highways England has announced details on a £2.2bn investment programme to improve roads in South East England. The project will see upgrades carried out along a series of motorways and A road between 2015 and 2021. The work is part of the Government's 'Road Investment Strategy' to triple levels o
25/09/2015
Former Crossrail designer Stuart Croucher has joined Mott MacDonald as a technical director for urban design. Mr Croucher will develop the consultancy's streetscape design and urban design capabilities/services for clients. He joins Mott MacDonald from Crossrail where he worked for the past six ye
25/09/2015
HSS Hire Group has announced CEO Chris Davis is to step down from his position. He will be replaced by John Gill (pictured), the company's current chief operation officer (COO). In a statement, HSS said: "Under John's leadership the Company's strategy will continue to focus on the successful roll
25/09/2015
The construction sector has launched a new campaign to encourage more people to consider a career in the industry. The 'Go Construct' campaign was developed in response to research showing four in five people wish they had received more advice and guidance on the trade when considering their career
25/09/2015
Stroma Certification have received approved training centre status from Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance. The company will offer their industry acknowledged Legionella training courses to assessors and installers. Installers and assessors can be confident when choosing Stroma Certification's
25/09/2015
Since the year 2000, FibreGrid has been leading the way in GRP safety flooring products: stair tread covers, step nosings, flat sheets, grating and more. FibreGrid also manufactures FibreRail – the bestselling 'warm to touch handrail'. Now, to provide the ultimate one-stop shop, FibreGrid is expand
24/09/2015
The bidding process for contracts on the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project is now underway. Chancellor George Osbourne opened the bidding during a visit to China, where he is promoting the Northern Powerhouse. At least seven new contracts worth £11.8 billion will be opened up to companies for phase
24/09/2015
Morgan Sindall has won an £8.9 million contract to develop a new primary school in Cambridgeshire. The single-storey Ermine Street Church Academy is to be built for the county council in Huntingdon. It is the first school in the new Alconbury Weald development by Urban and Civic. The project is t
24/09/2015
Work is underway on a new £5.2 million solar farm in West Sussex. The 25-acre farm is being developed on Tangmere Airfield and is expected to be fully operational by October. Generating 4.85MWp of electricity, is it expected to provide enough clean energy to power over 1,500 homes. The project is
24/09/2015
A landlord services company has been fined after a joiner received an electric shock during maintenance work at a property. Berneslai Homes, based at Gateway Plaza, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 4(3). It was fined £7,500 with over £8,5
24/09/2015
Balfour Beatty Equitix Consortium (BBEC) has been appointed by Ofgem to own and operate an offshore transmission link (OTL) to a wind farm in the North Sea. The deal allows BBEC to operate the Humber Gateway wind farm for the next 20 years. The deal completes the procurement of Tender Round 3 offs
24/09/2015
Two special schools in Liverpool have been reopened following a move to a new multimillion-pound shared facility. Bank View and Redbridge High Schools have been rebuilt through the Government's £4.4bn Priority School Building Programme (PSPB). Both have had their capacity increased, with Bank View
24/09/2015
McHale Plant Sales has proposed reducing the period over which the cost of plant and machinery can be written off. The distributor is proposing the Government to reduce the write off limit from eight years to two for machinery in construction, renewals sectors, civil works and utilities repairs. I
24/09/2015
Private developer Essential Living has appointed McLaren Construction as lead contractor on a housing scheme in east London. The contractor will responsible for the design, build and enabling works of the Farrier House project in Bethnal Green. The scheme involves redeveloping two former warehouse
24/09/2015
Rolls-Royce has won major supply contracts for the new nuclear power plant, Hinkley Point C. EDF Energy, the French firm running the plant, has chosen Rolls-Royce to supply heat exchangers in a contract worth £25m, and a second partnership contract with Nuvia, to design, procure, install and commis
24/09/2015
Civil engineers Dawnus are to begin developing a new secondary school in Wokingham next month. Construction of the £32.5 million school was delayed after levels of contaminated material were discovered on the proposed site at Arborfield Garrison. As a result, the council and Bohunt Education Trust
23/09/2015
Willmott Dixon has won a £21m contract to develop three schools in Milton Keynes. The award marks the first phase of Milton Keynes Council's £160m schools investment programme. The project aims to deliver over 10,000 new school places. Willmott Dixon is to build the first three schools, Newton Le
23/09/2015
Legal & General (L&G) has entered into a joint venture (JV) with Welsh developer Rightacres Property. The financial services company will invest £400m into the Central Square regeneration scheme for Cardiff City Council. The 12-acre mixed-use development is to comprise one million sq ft of space i
23/09/2015
Student accommodation manager Unite Group has secured two development sites in central Bristol. The sites will cost £85m to develop and will provide homes for approximately 900 students. The deal is subject to obtaining necessary approvals, including planning consents. The projects are expected t
23/09/2015
Lagan Group company Whitemountain has been appointed by London Luton Airport (LLA) to deliver a £100 million redevelopment project. The Northern Irish contractor is to manage the construction and civil engineering of landslide infrastructure and transport facilities. Work is already underway and i
23/09/2015
Construction consortium Merseylink, who are developing the Mersey Gateway Project, has named the longest bridge-building machine in Europe. The movable scaffolding system (MMS) was named 'Trinity' during a special launching event at Catalyst Trade Park in Widnes. The MSS, which spans 70 metres and
23/09/2015
The UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) and John Laing Group have pledged to invest £48m into a new biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant in North East England. The £138m energy facility is to be developed by Estover Energy in Cramlington, England. It will generate 213 GWh annually and produce en
23/09/2015
Building services firm EIC has secured a contract to deliver mechanical and electrical (M&E) services for a residential development. The contract involves the design/installation of services to 144 apartments and an energy centre at Berkeley Group's Chelsea Creek development in London. The units w
23/09/2015
A Cheshire-based builder has been fined after health and safety issues were discovered at a building site in Greater Manchester. Peter Lawrence, of Kingsway, Altrincham pleaded guilty at Trafford Magistrates Court to breaching Regulations 13(2) and 41(1) of the Construction (Design and Management)
23/09/2015
JCB are to undertake a consultation over proposed redundancies following a "rapid deterioration in world construction equipment markets". The company has briefed employees that up to 400 staff positions are now at risk in the UK. JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald said: "Market conditions in the constructio
23/09/2015
CCL Wetrooms has extended its range of wetroom grills and tapered boards for use with its market leading wetroom drains. The increased range provides customers with a greater choice of grill sizes for wetroom projects. Over the last ten years, wetrooms have witnessed a phenomenal increase in popula
22/09/2015
Civil engineering students at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) have successfully built the worlds longest Meccano bridge. The 30 metre long structure was lowered by McLaughlin & Harvey across the Clarendon Dock. Officials from the Guinness Book of Records verified the record attempt in a ceremony
22/09/2015
Interserve has won a contract to develop a three-storey education facility for the University of York. The building is part of a £16m development and will be located at the University's Heslington West Campus. The development will contain wet laboratories, interactive spaces for students and a stu
22/09/2015
A broad housing strategy is needed to support the Government's plan to build one million homes over the next five years, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has stated. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said the housing target is a "great step forward" to address the current crisis. "Th
22/09/2015
Workspace Group has been granted planning permission for a redevelopment project in London. Mixed-used planning consent has been secured to transform Rainbow Industrial Estate in Raynes Park The estate is located in the London Borough of Merton and currently contains low rise industrial units and
22/09/2015
A Cheshire-based builder has been fined for health breaches and lack of welfare facilities on a building site. Phillip Affleck, of Legh Street, Golborne pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 22 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and Regulation 7 of the Control of Substa
22/09/2015
British SMEs are owed £67.4bn in unpaid invoices, according to the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA). Recent research has shown manufacturing and construction SMEs are among the sectors owed the most. The figure is an 8% increase from £62.5bn last year, and a 26% increase from £49.5bn in 2011
22/09/2015
Wates Construction has announced it is seeking sub-contractors to become part of a supply chain for a new development. The company is currently building a new £27m retirement village, on behalf of developer Audley, in Malvern, Worcestershire. The village is to be built on landscaped parkland and w
22/09/2015
A £1m project to upgrade a train station in Wiltshire has been completed. The government investment means that Trowbridge station will be more accessible and contain better facilities for passengers. The improvements include: • New waiting shelters on both platforms. • Two new ticket vend
22/09/2015
Two Midlands' based companies are marking their long-standing partnership spanning two decades with the official opening of their latest collaborative project. Wednesfield-based Edward Howell Galvanizers, part of Wedge Group Galvanizing, and Walsall-based Traditional Structures, have been working t
22/09/2015
CCL Wetrooms has unveiled its new website, designed to provide Architects, Specifiers and House Builders with comprehensive technical information to aid the wetroom specification process for their clients. The contemporary, mobile friendly website has been designed with specifiers' needs in mind an
21/09/2015
Sheffield City Council has shortlisted three developers to be considered to work on a new £480m retail quarter development. The proposed partners are Aspire Development Management, Lend Lease Europe Holdings and Queensberry Real Estate. These companies will now proceed to the next stage of the sel
21/09/2015
A heating engineer has been fined after removing asbestos lagged pipework at a property with no measures to prevent exposure to the material. Karl Locher, 48, of Minet Drive, Heyes, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. He was fined £5,000 wi
21/09/2015
Worthington Properties, part of the Marcus Worthington Group, has submitted plans for a new £70m office scheme in Manchester. The project involves developing 113,500 sq ft of Grade A office space on Deansgate. A further 12,100 sq ft of retail space over two units is also included in the proposal.
21/09/2015
A shortage of skilled workers in housebuilding and the planning system is one of the factors hindering efforts to solve the UK's housing shortage, according to new research. The Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking 'Building for Growth' report suggests a skills shortage within the housing supply chain is
21/09/2015
The Government is to invest £350m to develop new modern public health labs in Essex. The announcement will see part of Public Health England move from its existing facilities at Porton Down into new labs at Harlow. The new facilities, based on the site currently owned by GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) in t
21/09/2015
The government has announce financial support of £2 billion for a new nuclear power station in Somerset. Announcing the government guarantee Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said that nuclear power stations are "essential to make sure the lights stay on". While on a five day tour of Ch
21/09/2015
A joint venture (JV) between Balfour Beatty and Carillion has won a £292m contract on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement project. Highways England has selected the JV to widen a 10 mile stretch of the A14 between Swavesey and Milton. Work will include expanding the existing road sections
21/09/2015
Magicman has been awarded a ground-breaking three year contract by RSA, to conduct in situ hard surface repairs across all claim perils. The new partnership recognises the incredible savings to be made, much improved claim cycle resolution time and environmental benefits achieved by performing on s
18/09/2015
Canary Wharf Group has completed the development of the Crossrail Canary Wharf station in London. The group has handed over the ticket hall and platform levels to Crossrail, who will now begin fitting out the station. Fit-out features include systems needed to operate passenger services such as co
18/09/2015
A £14.8m national park development in Northumberland has been given the green light to move into the construction phase. Members of the Northumberland National Park Authority approved the decision to move forward with The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre project. Representatives of the Au
18/09/2015
Work is underway on a new £15.7m memorial facility in Staffordshire. Contractor Stepnell is to deliver the new Remembrance Centre for the National Memorial Arboretum. The centre, designed by Glenn Howell Architects, will expand and enhance the visitor facilities at the Arboretum, the UK's year-rou
18/09/2015
Planning consent has been secured for the first of three planning applications of a redevelopment project in Birmingham. The decision marks a milestone for the £500m Paradise Birmingham scheme. Councillors gave the green light to proposals submitted by development manager Argent on behalf of Herme
18/09/2015
Work is underway to build a new housing development in Cambridgeshire. A ceremony was held at the construction site in Stretham, Ely on 17 September. The Manor Farm development includes 50 homes, a third of which will be 'affordable'. A new doctors surgery and several small business units are als
18/09/2015
Almost 40,000 new homeowners have been created in the last three years under the Right To Buy scheme, new figures from the Department of Communities and Local Government have revealed. The department said the figures are further evidence of how government-led efforts to support hard-working aspirin
18/09/2015
Highways England has completed improvements along the A14 in Cambridgeshire. The work involved adding a third lane in both directions between junctions 31 and 32. Improvements were also carried out on the westbound access roads to the M11 and A14 at the Girton interchange. Costain was the contrac
18/09/2015
An Enfield-based scaffolder has been prosecuted for repeatedly allowing unsafe work at height to take place at a site in central London. Greg Pearson, 33, trading as 'Pearsons Scaffolding', pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (6(3), 10(1)) and was given two suspend
18/09/2015
Work has begun on a £8.5m office refurbishment scheme in Berkshire. ISG is carrying out the project at Heathrow Approach in Slough. The contract was awarded by Sampension KP International, one of Denmark's largest pension management firms. Located adjacent to the M4, the project involves refurbis
18/09/2015
Metro Building Maintenance has successfully completed a number of building projects which have helped clients in central London add value to their property assets. The most recent project was the construction of a new build £3.5 million two bedroom penthouse apartment which was built on top of the
17/09/2015
EDF Energy has received planning approval to develop a new gas power plant in Lincolnshire. Proposals for a new facility at Sutton Bridge were approved by Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Bourne. The construction phase of the project will create approximately 1,500 jobs. Once operational,
17/09/2015
Network Rail has announced it will install a new telescopic level crossing barrier in north east England. The existing boom gate crossing on West Dyke Road in Redcar suffers from frequent reliability issues during strong winds. This means the barrier must be closed for periods of time until the wi
17/09/2015
Fit-out specialist Styles & Wood has been awarded a £17.7m office refurbishment contract in Manchester. The deal will see the Group's Project division redevelop the 15,000 sq m Westminster House building in Manchester for Aviva Investors. The 69-week project will include the refurbishment of the f
17/09/2015
Research has shown 72% of the general public would prefer their children go to university rather than enrolling in an apprenticeship. The study, conducted on behalf of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), also revealed that 80% of MP's agreed that 'full employment' could not be achieved
17/09/2015
The price of an average home rose to record levels in July, however the rate at which they are increasing is continuing to slow, according to government figures. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the cost of a UK home increased by £5,000 (0.8%) to £282,000 in July. Ho
17/09/2015
NG Bailey has appointed Mike Porter as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mr Porter joins the company from Shepherd Building Group where he was finance director for its Built Environment division. Working alongside NG Bailey's CEO David Hurcomb and seven other executive partners, Mr Porter will
17/09/2015
Freight trailer manufacturer Gray & Adams has been fined after a worker fell whilst working on a fragile roof. The Aberdeenshire-based company pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 6(3) of The Working at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £5,300. John Strachan, 50, suffered a fractured hand wh
17/09/2015
The owners of Battersea Power Station have agreed to pay the London Living Wage to workers, UCATT has announced. The decision will apply to all construction workers employed on phase two and three of the project. The London Living Wage is currently £9.15 an hour, higher than the lowest rate of the
17/09/2015
Stainless UK have supplied 23 giant solid round stainless steel bars with a 5" diameter and 3m long for use in the construction of an extension to the quay at Campbeltown Harbour on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland. The bars, weighing over 100kgs each, were used in the new piled wall built to fo
17/09/2015
Kitchen backsplashes are a vital part of any kitchen. They are normally a tiled area behind the sink which serves to protect the wall from unintentional splashes of water. At Tiles Porcelain, there is a huge range of mosaic tiles which are perfect for your kitchen backsplash, or even as a border aro
16/09/2015
Bouygues UK has been selected as preferred contractor for Phase 3 of the Battersea Power Station project in London. The design and built contract was awarded by the Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC). The final construction contract will have a value in excess of £1bn, making it o
16/09/2015
Galliford Try has announced "another record year" in its annual full year results. The firms revenue increased by 31% from £1,851m in 2014 to £2,431m in 2015. Overall group revenue improved from £1,768m last year to £2,348m (33%) this year. Housebuilding revenue increased 11% to £1,108m from £1,0
16/09/2015
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) has reached 1,000 members for the first time. The milestone was achieved on 14 September when DPM Industrial Roofing joined the trade association. The NFRC has experienced a steady increase in membership over the past several years. It is part
16/09/2015
Specialist contractors have started ground investigation works to determine the design and route of a flood relief channel, the Environment Agency has announced. Work is underway on digging 130 boreholes and trial pits for Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme's proposed flood channel. The works are tak
16/09/2015
WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff and Arup have been selected to carry out investigative studies on improving road links in Northern England. The consultants will investigate options to improve east to west links between the M6 in Cumbria and the A1 Motorway in the North East. The firms will also look into
16/09/2015
UCATT has welcomed new Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn's promise to support a council housebuilding programme in a future government. Speaking at a TUC Congress on 15 September, Mr Corbyn said: "The free market isn't solving the problems of housing." The new leader also committed Labour to fight
16/09/2015
Work is underway on a £19 million flood defence project in Sheffield, Mott MacDonald has announced. The consultancy has begun design work on the Sheffield Lower Don Valley flood defence scheme, one of the largest protection projects in the UK. The company is working for Carillion on its design and
16/09/2015
Planning Minister Brandon Lewis has launched a new expert panel to speed up the local plan-making process for communities. The group will provide greater certainty to communities regarding plans for new homes and infrastructure in their areas, while also speeding up the planning process so develope
16/09/2015
SP Energy Networks has completed an £8 million upgrade of underground power cables in Merseyside. The project will reinforce electricity supplies for over 40,000 homes and businesses in St Helens. It involved the complete overhaul of a key section of the electricity network between St Helens and R
16/09/2015
There is something about Natural Stone that makes it stand out from the rest. It has an incredibly luxurious feel that can transform any home, simply by being there. Tiles Porcelain supply its customers with an outstanding variety of natural stone tiles which can be used on both floor and walls.
15/09/2015
Design and construction specialist Pick Everard has been appointed to lead a cattle market redevelopment project in Leicestershire. The consultancy will provide cost and project management services for the £5 million scheme in Melton Mowbray. The contractor for the project is Morgan Sindall. The
15/09/2015
Developer Knight Dragon has selected Mace as its preferred bidder for the next phase of an £8.4 billion project in London. The project involves the construction of Knight Dragon's NO205 scheme in the Upper Riverside District on Greenwich Peninsula. The development is to comprise of two buildings w
15/09/2015
Housebuilder Larkfleet has appointed Adrian Brotherton as its Director of Special Projects. Mr Brotherton will oversee development schemes which could transform the building of homes across flood risk areas in the UK. Originally an architectural technician, Mr Brotherton spent over a decade with A
15/09/2015
The Pickstock Group has appointed Simon Underwood as Managing Director of its off-site building solutions company, Elements Europe. Mr Underwood joins the group from Mace where he was a Director for five years. Roland Pickstock, Chairman of The Pickstock Group, said: "We are really pleased to have
15/09/2015
Work to replace important bridge components at a junction on the M25 will begin later this month, Highways England has announced. The work at junction 29 in Essex involves the replacement of bridge expansion joints which have reached the end of their serviceable life. The joints help to protect th
15/09/2015
A multimillion project in Chester has reached a major milestone. Muse Developments' One City Place marks the first of seven buildings for the £100 million Central Business Quarter scheme. A topping out ceremony was recently held as the building reached its highest point. One City Place features 7
15/09/2015
A new partnership to promote the recognition of quality builders has been launched by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and Local Authority Building Control (LABC). Both organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which sets outs a series of joint aims. These include suppor
15/09/2015
A housing company and builder have both been prosecuted for safety failings after incorrect work was carried out on chimneys at two properties. Cornwall Housing, of Higher Tenant Road, Wadebridge, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £6,660 with £69
15/09/2015
Magicman has been awarded a three year contract by insurance giant RSA, to conduct in situ hard surface repairs across all claim perils. The new partnership recognises the incredible savings to be made, much improved claim cycle resolution time and environmental benefits achieved by performing on
15/09/2015
At more than 1,000m in height, the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will be the tallest building in the world after its scheduled completion in 2020. The publicly accessible observation deck, which offers a breathtaking view over the kingdom at a height of 630 m, will break another world recor
14/09/2015
Mace has been appointed to deliver a £123 million scheme for the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The contractor is to build LSE's new Centre Buildings Redevelopment (CBR). The scheme involves the development of connected thirteen-storey and six-storey towers, along with lec
14/09/2015
Transport Minister Andrew Jones has reopened a Grade II listed railway station after it underwent a £5.6m restoration project. The Wakefield Kirkgate Station in West Yorkshire was officially reopened today, 14 September. The transformed station, backed by nearly £1.5m of funding from the Departmen
14/09/2015
Work will begin this week at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm along the Sussex coast, E.ON has announced. The work is taking place in preparation for the first foundation installation in January. It will include clearing boulders on the seabed along the cable route and around each of the 116 foundat
14/09/2015
Recent government figures have revealed the first annual decline in construction industry output for more than two years. Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows in July 2015, output in the construction industry decreased by 1% after increasing by 0.9% in June. All new work decreas
14/09/2015
Medium-sized construction companies can play a role in driving the economy and working in partnership with the public sector, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The FMB has called on the Government to embrace the role SME's can play in delivering the Prime Minister David Cameron'
14/09/2015
Willmott Dixon Interiors has been awarded a £20m refurbishment contract by Network Rail. The company will redevelop the six-storey building near Blackfriars Station at 1 Puddle Dock, London. The project will create a new home for nearly 400 Network Rail Staff. The 100,000 sq ft modernisation and
14/09/2015
Support services group Lakehouse has acquired Sure Maintenance Group in a £6.5 million deal. Sure provides gas servicing, maintenance and installations to social housing in the North of England and Midlands. Depending on the company's performance, Lakehouse could pay an additional £2.35m. The dea
14/09/2015
Fronius UK has announced it will host a Commercial Solar PV Day at its Technology Centre in Milton Keynes. The informative day, in collaboration with Tigo Energy, Zep Solar and Q Cells, will provide commercial PV system installers/specifiers, or those wanting to start installing commercial PV syste
11/09/2015
Galliford Try has secured two refurbishment contracts worth £37.8m with the University of Leeds. The group has been contracted to refurbish the Engineering Building at the University's main Woodhouse campus. The £22.5m project involves refurbishing levels three, four and five of the 1960s building
11/09/2015
The Environment Agency (EA) is due to begin work this week to repair a flood defence along a river in Suffolk. The defence along the River Deben reduces the risk of flooding to 416 homes and businesses in Woodbridge. The first stage of work will involve the EA replacing the existing defence wall f
11/09/2015
Highways England is to close a slip road on the M56 motorway later this month. The closure is part of construction work on a new £192m A556 link road between the M56 and M6. The first closure at junction 8 will take place overnight on 18 September between 9pm and 6am. The junction will then close
11/09/2015
Procurement body Fusion21 has appointed contractors to its specialist framework for housing and commercial building retrofits. A total of 68 contractors have earned a place on the Fusion21 Retrofit Framework, including a mix of national contractors, SME's and social enterprises. It will supply ser
11/09/2015
Two men who conned £2.6m from the States of Guernsey have been jailed at the Old Bailey in London. John Woodhatch, 58, from Epping, Essex, was sentenced to five years in prison and Adrian Taylor, 44, from Swanley, Kent, was handed a six year sentence after both pleading guilty to charges of money l
11/09/2015
Barhale has been awarded a multi-million pound contract by Severn Trent Water. The civil engineering company will deliver three tunnelling projects and one pipeline project on the Elan Valley Aqueduct in Birmingham. The works will be delivered through a joint venture with North Midland Constructio
11/09/2015
A new range of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite access covers has been developed by Fibrelite. The new covers, an industry-first, will replace traditional heavy concrete infill covers. The FRP range includes D400, E600 and F900 load ratings and is designed to be installed into existing fra
11/09/2015
The basic concept behind bunding above-ground outdoor oil storage tanks is quite simple. Oil that leaks out of a tank – including petrol, diesel, vegetable, mineral, and synthetic oil – poses a serious pollution hazard, particularly if it reaches groundwater or watercourses such as rivers and canals
10/09/2015
Balfour Beatty has been appointed to create a new £350m engineering campus for the University of Manchester. The Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) will be one of the largest, single construction projects ever undertaken by a higher education institution in the UK. The MECD will be l
10/09/2015
A Cheltenham firm has been fined for repeatedly ignoring an important safety law. Welsted Joinery of 31 Cutlers Road, pleaded guilty to two breaches of Regulation 9(3) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 and one breach of Regulation 9(2) of the Control of Substances Haz
10/09/2015
The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) has announced it is to invest £20 million in public parks and cemeteries in England. £10m will be invested in 2016/17, and another £10m in 2017/18. Combined with the Heritage Lottery Fund's (HLF) commitment of £20m per year under the Parks for People programme, the total
10/09/2015
Highways England is to invest over £3 million to improve a stretch of the A194 motorway in Tyneside. Contractors for Highways England are currently resurfacing almost four miles of the northbound motorway from the A1 (M) at junction 65 to the Whitemarepool junction. Lanes 1 and 2, the hard shoulde
10/09/2015
A former primary school, previously known as the most run down school in England, is to be officially reopened. Schools Minister Nick Gibb will reopen Coventry's Richard Lee Primary School later today, 10 September. The school recently underwent a £7m refurbishment project which was completed thro
10/09/2015
Transport for London (TfL) has completed strengthening work on a flyover in west London. The £100m refurbishment of the Hammersmith Flyover has fully restored and strengthened the structure. TfL has been carrying out restoration works on 11 of the flyover's 16 spans after an initial five were stre
10/09/2015
BAM Construction has secured a £16 million contract to develop a new teaching block for the University of Lincoln. The company will build the Isaac Newton Building on the University's Brayford Pool Campus. The work involves creating a four-story extension to the University's existing Engineering H
10/09/2015
Bouygues UK has been awarded a £190 million contract to design and build a new specialist cancer treatment hospital in central London. The new hospital will be one of the first of its kind in the country and is being delivered for The University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust.
09/09/2015
New plans to rebuild a train station in central London and unlock the site for potential regeneration are to be submitted to Parliament next week. High speed rail company, HS2, has announced proposals to redevelop Euston station. Eleven new platforms are to be built at the station in two stages as
09/09/2015
Highways England is to carry out a £1.2m improvements programme on a five mile stretch of the A1 carriageway in Northumberland. Resurfacing work will begin from the B6525 Oxford junction to Scremerston, where the A1 meets with the A1167, on 15 September. Further works include replacing thirteen ro
09/09/2015
A new six-point charter for firms who want to build in Liverpool has been drawn up by construction unions. The charter, devised by Ucatt, Unite and the GMB, is designed to stamp out 'notorious' industry practices on any construction site within the city limits. It was drawn up in association with
09/09/2015
Interserve has been awarded a £12.3 million contract to improve and refurbish a historic building in Leeds. The company will redevelop the Kirkgate Market in Leeds City Centre. The project will modernise the Grade One listed building. Specifics of the project include: • Development of a new even
09/09/2015
Amey has appointed James Haluch as its new Strategic Highways Business Director. Mr Haluch is a Chartered civil engineer and joins Amey from EM Highway Services where he was a Service Director. He previously worked for parent company Mouchel for over 25 years. His experience includes private fina
09/09/2015
Muse Developments has appointed a contractor to deliver the second phase of a project in Greater Manchester. Eric Wright Construction will develop the next stage of the Stockport Exchange development in the town centre. The works will include a new 115 bed hotel, a 50,000 sq ft, five-storey office
09/09/2015
Access to funds for small house builders is improving, according to a recent survey. The latest survey by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) shows access to finance for SME house builders is increasing. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said the house builders' survey showed "increased
09/09/2015
Leeds City Council is seeking to form a partnership with a contractor to deliver the next stage of its plans for council housing. The new approach will see a building firm design and build 71 units across three sites at a cost of £10m. A total of 25 homes are to be developed at the Garnets site in
08/09/2015
Britcon Engineering Services (BES) has completed a refurbishment contract to install supporting steelwork at a listed building in London. D&D London is currently transforming the 10,000 sq ft 'Germany Gymnasium' in King's Cross. The project will redevelop the 19th century building into a complex o
08/09/2015
Network Rail has completed a £50m project to lower and replace tracks as part of the electrification of the Great Western main line. The six-week scheme was the single biggest track renewals project ever undertaken by the company. The project was delivered with Network Rails' S&C South Alliance pa
08/09/2015
ISG posted a £27.8m loss in its final yearly results in what was described as a "challenging year" for the contractor. David Lawther, CEO of ISG, said the Group's performance was "significantly impacted" in the first half of the year by losses to the company's UK Construction division. "We deliver
08/09/2015
Wates Construction has appointed Mark Jones as its Operations Director for the Midlands region. Mr Jones joined the company in 1992 as a construction manager. He was responsible for Wates' activities on Scape's East Midlands Property Alliance (empa) Provincial and Intermediate frameworks. As Oper
08/09/2015
A construction company has been fined for gas safety failings after incorrectly working on a gas flue. Wedgewood Design and Build, of Ballards Lane, London was fined £9,000 with costs of £7,500 after pleading guilty to an offence under Regulation 8 (3) of the Gas Safety(Installation and Use) Regula
08/09/2015
Morgan Sindall has been appointed to build a £8.5m student accommodation block for Leeds Trinity University. The part six, part seven-storey building will include 228 en-suite bedrooms within its 29 'cluster' apartments and will be built at the University's Brownberrie Lane campus. The development
08/09/2015
Gatwick Airport is inviting firms to apply for places on two major construction and engineering frameworks. The work is part of Gatwick's transformation programme, with projects totalling up to £750m. The airport has published contract notices for two of the four construction frameworks it is putt
08/09/2015
Logistics specialists Wilson James has appointed Peter Jacobs as Managing Director (MD) of construction and integrated solutions. Previously, Mr Jacobs was the MD of Morgan Sindall's London and Airports division. He spent 24 years at Bovis Lend Lease were he was director for ten years and has also
07/09/2015
Willmott Dixon has won a £20m contract to build a home for the Met Office's new supercomputer. Located at Exeter Science Park, the supercomputer will be able to predict better weather forecasts. Willmott Dixon will build a facility over the next 14 months to house the final part of the supercomput
07/09/2015
Work to replace important components of a bridge along the M25 will take place later this month, the Highways England has announced. The work, between junction 16 and junction 17 in Hertfordshire will involve replacing bridge expansion joints. The joints help to protect the structural integrity of
07/09/2015
A new national structure has been announced by Wates Living Space to support its four-year growth plans. A Maintenance division and a Homes division will be created under the Living Space arm of the business. The restructure will took effect from 1 September. The two divisions will offer Wates Li
07/09/2015
Intu Group has been granted planning permission for a retail development project in Buckinghamshire. Approval was granted for the redevelopment by Milton Keynes Council on 3 September. The proposed work is part of a £1.5bn development pipeline in the UK over the next ten years by intu. Designed b
07/09/2015
The Coastal Communities Minister Mark Francois is urging communities to bid for the £3m Coastal Revival Fund. The money can be used to restart delayed restoration work and bring back into use derelict buildings, landscapes, facilities and amusements. The National Piers Society has said that Weston
07/09/2015
Salford City Council has given the green light for the development of almost 2,000 new houses. Seven developments have been granted approval to meet demand for new homes in the city. It brings the total number of homes granted planning permission to over 17,800 as part of an estimated £3.5bn inves
07/09/2015
Contractor J Tomlinson has secured a £30m contract with Ashfield Homes. The Nottingham-based company has been appointed to carry out investment works to Ashfield District Council's housing stock over the next five years. The deal represents J Tomlinson's largest ever single contract. Ashfield Hom
07/09/2015
A landlord has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a mother and her son were put at risk by a faulty gas boiler. Rent4U, of Christie Way, Christie Fields, Manchester was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £7,000 in costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Gas Safet
04/09/2015
ISG has been awarded a £8.4m contract to deliver a new University Technical College (UTC) in Warrington. The college will be built for Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) as part of the town's £10m Stadium Quarter regeneration scheme. The company is already developing an £8.5m Incubator facil
04/09/2015
Highways England has announced bridge repairs will take place on a stretch of the M53 carriageway in Cheshire. Works will involve resurfacing and re-proofing the bridges which carry the northbound carriageway over the roundabout at junction 7. Contractors for Highways England need to close a half-
04/09/2015
Work is underway to build a £1m visitor centre at a nature reserve in Lincolnshire. The new building at Gilbralter Point Nature Reserve will include a café and educational information. It will replace the former visitor centre which suffered flood damage during a storm surge in December 2013. Wor
04/09/2015
Housebuilder Miller Homes has been granted planning permission to develop a new housing project. Telford & Wrekin Council has given the green light towards the creating a new community on the eastern edge of Telford in Priorslee. Plans include building 1,100 new homes, a local centre featuring a p
04/09/2015
Network Rail has announced a complex tunnelling project has been delayed due to exceptionally poor ground conditions. Engineers enlarging the Farnworth Tunnel to enable electric trains to run between Bolton and Manchester have encountered large swathes of sand during excavation. Rather than firm m
04/09/2015
Construction company Seddon has opened a new office in Wales. The builder and developer added its new base in Mold, Flintshire. As part of the expansion, Seddon has appointed Nikki Waud as its business development manager in North Wales and the North West of England. Ms Waud joins the firm from B
04/09/2015
The Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has called on the country's young people to consider a career in construction. Mr Lewis made the appeal as he attended an open day at the Hodgkinson Brickwork Academy at Derby College. He added the industry was improving again due to the Government putting houseb
04/09/2015
A new £82m train manufacturing facility has been opened in Durham. The factory was developed by Hitachi and opened on 3 September in Newton Aycliffe. Prime Minister David Cameron helped open the facility along with the Chancellor George Osbourne and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin. Hitachi
03/09/2015
Wates Construction has scooped an £11 million deal to build a three storey school building in Newcastle upon Tyne. The firm has been appointed to remodel the Girls' Day School Trust's Victorian buildings at Tankerville Terrace. The new extension, designed by architects Ellis Williams, will include
03/09/2015
NG Bailey is to work as Carillion's building services partner to help develop the Midland Metropolitan Hospital Public Private Partnership scheme. The new hospital, which is part of the £430m construction and support services contract, is to include around 670 beds and 15 operating theatre suites.
03/09/2015
Construction company Seddon has been selected to carry out improvement and extension work to Bradford Metropolitan District Council's existing primary and secondary schools. The work, worth up to £4 million, is part of the Council's schools framework. The three year Building Works in Live Educatio
03/09/2015
Construction work is underway to develop a new London office for Saatchi & Saatchi. ISG has been selected for the multi-million fit-out contract. The Cat-B fit-out of the newly-constructed 100,000 sq ft, six-storey building at 40 Chancery Lane in Midtown, will see ISG deliver an open plan commerci
03/09/2015
Willmott Dixon has been awarded a £20 million deal through the Scape Group's National Major Works framework. The scheme is to create a new Teaching and Learning Building at the University of Warwick. One of six frameworks offered by Scape, the development is the start of a comprehensive redevelopm
03/09/2015
The General Secretary of UCATT, the construction union, has resigned. Steve Murphy has been on sick leave from April this year. His resignation will come into effect on 08 September. Brian Rye, UCATT's National Secretary, said: "We wish Steve and his family all the best for the future." (CD/JP)
03/09/2015
Muse Developments, part of the Morgan Sindall Group, been given the go-ahead for a project in Lambeth. The project will provide around 600 construction jobs, including 35 apprenticeships and work placements. The 'Your New Town Hall' project is part of a drive to transform civic facilities and buil
03/09/2015
Regeneration specialist Keepmoat and Sheffield City Council has appointed two apprentices to work on a £12.4 million roofing project. Keepmoat is working to deliver the project over a three year period, which will see more than 500 flat roofs in the Gleadless, Batemoor and Jordanthorpe areas of She
02/09/2015
Rydon has been appointed to a series of new-build, refurbishment and redevelopment contracts worth £20m. The projects for Paradigm Housing and The Hyde Group will cover a variety of works to deliver affordable and sheltered housing developments across London, East Sussex and Kent. The first scheme
02/09/2015
M&E firms have experienced a rise in order, enquiry and turnover levels during the past six months, according to research by the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES). The Associations latest state of trade survey, which covers the period from January to June this year, reveals a posit
02/09/2015
The Prime Minister (PM) David Cameron has given the green light to a further 18 school proposals in the first wave of new free schools. The PM pledged today, 2 September to deliver two waves of new schools every year until 2020. Mr Cameron vowed he will 'not waiver' in his commitment to open 500 n
02/09/2015
A new energy company owned by Bristol City Council has appointed its first Managing Director (MD). Peter Haigh has been selected as Bristol Energy's first MD. He was formerly Chief Executive of Elexon, the electricity balancing and settlement company. He was also previously Director of Business Re
02/09/2015
A contractor has been announced for the improvement programme to the A19/A1058 Coast Road in North Tyneside. John Sisk & Son and Lagan Construction Group will enter into a joint venture to deliver the £40m contract. The works are part of a £15bn investment by the Government in road improvements ov
02/09/2015
SSE has announced work is underway to install a new energy efficient heating system at a leisure centre in Doncaster. The community owned Epworth Leisure Centre is undergoing the upgrade following a £100,000 boost from SSE's Keadby Wind Farm Sustainable Development Fund. The ground source heat pum
02/09/2015
Building firm Bardsley has secured to its sixth major project with property developer X1 Developments. The company has been appointed to develop 147 apartments at X1 Aire, East Street in Leeds. The £13.85m project will involve building the one and two-bed apartments, office space and residents' gy
02/09/2015
High Speed Two (HS2) has confirmed it will go ahead with an extension to the Chilterns tunnel in Buckinghamshire. The Government has agreed to propose an amendment to the HS2 hybrid bill which will extend the 2.6km tunnel to a new portal just past the village of South Heath. HS2, the company behin
01/09/2015
The University of Wolverhampton has announced work is due to begin on the redevelopment of a derelict brewery site into a new construction and skills campus. Plans for the West Midlands Construction University Technical College (WMCUTC) have been approved by the city council. Principal contractors
01/09/2015
Wates Developments has announced the appointment of three new members to its team. David Bowen has been appointed Finance Director, Natalie Flint has joined as Residential Investment Director and Emily Bloor as Senior Land Manager. Mr Bowen is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants and
01/09/2015
Highways England has announced overnight closures will take place next week due to planned resurfacing works on the A19 carriageway in North Yorkshire. The closures will be in place while over five miles of the carriageway between Osmotherley and South Kilvinton is resurfaced. The road will be clo
01/09/2015
The number of new homes being registered to be built across the UK is continuing to outperform last years levels. According to the latest National House Building Council (NHBC) figures, statistics reveal a 14% rise for the rolling quarter May - July, with 43,684 new homes registered. Out of those
01/09/2015
Willmott Dixon has been awarded a £12m contract to build 44 extra care apartments for people over the age of 55. The company was chosen by Brighton and Hove City Council through Scape Group's Major Works framework. It has been appointed to deliver the Brooke Mead Extra Care Housing development in
01/09/2015
Highways England has announced a £480,000 project will begin next week to tackle flooding along the A595 in Cumbria. The six week scheme will improve verge drainage and footpaths along the route between the junction with the A66 at Bridgefoot and further south at Winscales. The work will begin on
01/09/2015
Two brothers have been fined after allowing employees to work at height unsafely in East Sussex. Jason and Gary White, both directors of G E White & Sons, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for failure to comply with Section 4 1(c) of the Work at Hei
01/09/2015
The new industry trade body Build UK has been officially launched. Formed as a result of the merger between UKCG and NSCC, Build UK was launched today Tuesday, 1 September. To mark the occasion, the trade body has published an Action Plan to address 'key' industry issues and in turn, improve the d
