Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for February 2018
28/02/2018
MPs have slammed the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) after taxpayers were left with a £122 million bill following costly mistakes surrounding the multi-billion pound Magnox nuclear reactor clean-up contract. A report from the Public Accounts Committee hit out at the non-departmental public
28/02/2018
BAM Nuttall has won an £85 million contract to install a new concrete deck extension at London City Airport. The 75,000 m2 deck forms the first part of the Airport's £480m Development Programme and works will get underway this Spring. BAM will extend the Airport's concrete deck out over the King G
28/02/2018
Heavy snow and cold weather has led to work stopping on construction sites across the UK. Sarah McMonagle, Director of External Affairs at the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), said some construction bosses have told staff to take the rest of he week off and not return to work until Monday, 06 M
28/02/2018
Plans have been unveiled to develop a new £160 million mixed-use scheme in Leeds. The Parklane Group is proposing to develop the 33-storey INC tower at a development site on Wellington Street. Features of the 45,000 sq m building will include a 198 unit aparthotel, 163 private rented sector apartm
28/02/2018
Up to 3,500 new homes are to be built in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Urban&Civic has been appointed as Master Developer to deliver the project at Manydown, a planned exemplar strategic extension to Basingstoke. In addition to the new homes, the development will include local businesses, retail and com
28/02/2018
Graham Construction has strengthened its Building Information Modelling (BIM) credentials by achieving the BSI Kitemark™ certification for both BIM Design and Construction (PAS 1192-2) and BIM Asset Management (PAS 1192-3). Having incorporated BIM right across its £565 million construction business
28/02/2018
Industry products supplier SIG has sold its Building Systems business to housing regeneration developer, Urban Splash. SIG said the £1 deal is part of the ongoing management of the Group's portfolio and "is in line with the Group strategy set out by the new management team in November last year".
28/02/2018
Gleeds has been appointed to head up a technical advisory team on the second wave of the Welsh Government's 21st Century Schools build programme. The consultancy will lead a consortium comprising specialist engineers Cundall and design practice Scott Brownrigg as technical advisors for Mutual Inves
27/02/2018
Crest Nicholson has signed a development deal with Waverley Borough Council to start work on a £115 million regeneration project in Farnham, Surrey. The Brightwells Regeneration scheme involves creating a new £40m retail and leisure hub, alongside 239 new apartments, 72 of which are 'affordable', c
27/02/2018
BAM has started work to build the second of two new office buildings in Birmingham. The 183,000 sq ft Two Chamberlain Square is being developed alongside One Chamberlain Square, providing more than 350,000 sq ft of office and retail space. Overall, the two schemes will front new public realm that w
27/02/2018
Wates has been awarded a £5 million contract to carry out improvement works at the historic Market Hall in Derby. The three-year scheme will see upgrades carried out to the building's glazed panelling, copper roof and stonework. A scaffolding structure will be erected to allow traders to operate a
27/02/2018
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called in plans for a rejected 427-home scheme in Brentford. Hounslow Council originally refused to grant permission for the scheme to be developed on the Citroen Site on Capital Interchange Way, over concerns the development would negatively impact on local her
27/02/2018
Union Unite has hit out at the Government for 'selling out' Carillion's sub-contractors and supply chain. The accusation comes after a hearing of the Public Accounts and the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee today, 27 February. MP's heard evidence from former Carillion dir
27/02/2018
Aggregate Industries has completed the acquisition of fellow aggregates and ready-mix concrete manufacturer, Kendall Group. The deal will allow Aggregate Industries, which is part of the LafargeHolcim Group, to expand its operations in the South of England, as well as enabling it to enter the dredg
27/02/2018
Work is underway to install a new sewer pipe near Doncaster Dome. Yorkshire Water's contract partners Barhale and B Jefferey Construction will lay a new section of pipe from the edge of the car park at the Dome and connecting it into the main sewer in Gliwice Way. Lane closures and traffic manageme
27/02/2018
VolkerRail has been selected to carry out rail replacement works for Sheffield's Supertram network. South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) has chosen the firm to deliver the second phase of the project, with VolkerRail having delivered the first phase between 2013 – 2015. The works
27/02/2018
Network Rail has completed demolition works on a road bridge upgrade project in Cardiff. The former Splott Road bridge has been levelled as Network Rail engineers continue work to modernise the South Wales Mainline. The structure, which has been raised and strengthened as part of the project, has
27/02/2018
A company and a director have been prosecuted after a worker fell from a roof and suffered serious injuries. Prior Homes Limited of Station Road, Gillingham, has been fined £9,334 with over £6,398 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. P
26/02/2018
Brighton & Hove City Council has struck a deal with developer U+I to deliver a £300 million regeneration scheme in Brighton. The Preston Barracks site in the Lewes Road area of the town is to be transformed into a mixed-use site featuring hundreds of new homes, student halls and business space. U+
26/02/2018
Willmott Dixon has been selected to deliver a new research centre for the Royal Free Charity in London. The contractor will develop the UCL Institute for Immunity and Transplantation in the Pears Building, next to the Royal Free Hospital. Building work is to begin in early March, with completion sc
26/02/2018
Nearly £16 million has been released by the Government to help councils speed up planning decisions on residential developments. A total of £15.8m from the Planning Delivery Fund will go towards helping local authorities process more applications, implement new reforms and also train planners to ta
26/02/2018
Broadley Group has selected Dan Doherty to become its Chief Operations Director. With more than 40 years' experience in the UK construction industry, Mr Doherty has been involved in numerous major projects including Leeds Trinity (£200 million); Barnsley Schools (£300m) Meadowhall Refurbishment (£7
26/02/2018
Morrison Utility Connections has won a £2 million contract to install new electrical infrastructure at the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Campus. The project will be carried out over a 30-week period at Sheffield Business Park. Features include the design and installation of new
26/02/2018
Work is continuing on a new £7 million care home in Lichfield, Staffordshire. 'The Spires' is being delivered for Barchester Healthcare by Manchester-based McGoff Construction and completion is scheduled for this summer. The 70-bed scheme will create around 100 jobs and provide high-quality care s
26/02/2018
More than 450 former Carillion employees have had their jobs safeguarded, the Official Receiver has revealed. A spokesperson for the agency confirmed ongoing employment has been secured for 456 employees, however a further 230 staff have been made redundant. "Work is continuing to find new supplie
26/02/2018
Building Services Design (BSD) has appointed Sean Langton as Director of its Manchester office. Having been an Associate Director at BSD for the last five years, Mr Langton's presence in the North West's engineering and construction industry has spanned almost 35 years. David White, Managing Direc
26/02/2018
Work to build 322 new homes for military families in Tidworth, Wiltshire is now complete. The homes have been developed on the Ashdown Estate as part of the £1.8 billion Army Basing Programme. In addition, over £1 billion has been invested in Salisbury Plain to accommodate the 4,000 troops and the
26/02/2018
Leading national road surfacing contractor THB (Thames Hydroblasting) has unveiled the UK's first Safe Steps for School road crossing in Croydon, south London. The Safe Steps for School programme aims to encourage children and parents to use road crossings provided during school pick-up and drop-of
23/02/2018
Willmott Dixon has been selected to deliver a £49 million transformation project at Colston Hall on Bristol. The works form the second phase of a major redevelopment programme at the venue, with a new £20 million foyer space delivered by the contractor at the iconic building in 2009. Designed by a
23/02/2018
Construction is continuing on a new major flood defence scheme in Exeter. The project, which will reduce the risk of flooding to more than 3,200 homes and businesses in the city, is on schedule to be finished by the end of this year. The scheme involves building two flood gates across Station Road
23/02/2018
A consultation has been launched on plans for a £125 million upgrade project along the A1 in north Kent. The scheme involves boosting capacity at the Bean and Ebbsfleet junctions by creating enlarged junction roundabouts with new lanes and enhanced slip roads. At Bean, a new bridge will be built o
23/02/2018
A trio of bosses at Persimmon Homes have agreed to hand back part of their bonuses following a public backlash. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Fairburn, Chief Financial Officer Mike Killoran and Group Managing Director Dave Jenkinson will have their payouts slashed by more than £50 million after the
23/02/2018
Work has started on a peatland restoration project across Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. The Environment Agency will work alongside a number of partners across six sites after £163,300 of funding was secured through the Department Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.. Both upland and
23/02/2018
Strike action has been called off at cement production company Castle Cement after drivers stuck a new two-year pay deal with management. Around 240 workers have accepted a new pay package, meaning scheduled strike action for the 26 – 27 February will not go ahead. The deal will see staff at eight
23/02/2018
A company and subcontractor have been prosecuted after a worker fell through a fragile roof at an industrial park in London. Advanced Industrial Roofing and Cladding Solutions Limited (AIRCSL), of Essex, has been fined £8,000 with £4,278 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 6 (3)
23/02/2018
Morgan Sindall has reported strong profit growth in its final results for the year ended 31 December 2017. The Group revealed pre-tax profit increased 46% to £66.1m in 2017, up from £45.3m in 2016, with revenue also rising 9% to £2,793m (2016: 2,652m). Results were driven by the performance of the
23/02/2018
Morrison Utility Services (MUS) is to begin work on a £130,000 pipe replacement scheme in Routh, Yorkshire. The contractor will replace a 300-metre section of old cast iron pipe between the village of Routh and the White Cross roundabout that has burst eight times in recent years. In addition, a ne
22/02/2018
Lendlease has been selected to lead the planning and multi-billion pound development of Euston's HS2 railway station. As Master Development Partner (MDP), the firm will work with the Greater London Authority and London Borough of Camden to develop a 'masterplan' for the 54-hectare station site, pot
22/02/2018
Muse has been selected to help deliver a £1 billion regeneration programme across Wirral. The company will become the council's 50/50 joint venture (JV) partner to create Wirral Growth Company (WGC). The council's cabinet will be asked to approve a recommendation to appoint Muse as its partner on 2
22/02/2018
Amey Rail has taken over a number of Carillion's Network Rail contracts for projects in the East Midlands, London and North West England. The deal will safeguard over 700 jobs and provide security for many other companies within the rail industry supply chain. Network Rail said it continues to wor
22/02/2018
Czero Developments is to begin work on the first ever custom build home development in Shropshire. A total of nine serviced plots for custom build homes will be delivered at Lavender Bank in Bishops Castle, Shropshire. Six of the plots have already been reserved. Shropshire Council is one of only
22/02/2018
A man has been arrested by police in connection with an investigation into modern slavery offences in London. The suspect, a Romanian national in his 20s, was detained by officers from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) in East London on Wednesday, 21 February. GLAA investigators, s
22/02/2018
Union Unite has called for an investigation into the whereabouts of pension payments made by former Carillion public sector workers. The union said while it is understood workers last paid their pension contributions in December, the money had not been received by the statutory pension schemes, and
22/02/2018
New figures have revealed builders' merchant sales rose during the final quarter of 2017. The Builders Merchants Federation's latest Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) states Q4 sales were up 6.3%, with overall merchant sales finishing 4.8% ahead of 2016 by value. Total growth was supported
22/02/2018
New figures have revealed a 35% drop in the number of apprenticeship starts in November last year. Statistics from the Department for Education show the number of new apprenticeship starts in November have decreased by more than a third. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Bui
22/02/2018
Keepmoat Homes has started work on a new £27 million housing development in County Durham. A total of 190 units are being developed at Parkhill in Coxhoe. It is forecasted up to 30,000 new homes will be needed in County Durham by 2033. Keepmoat said the development will bring new opportunities to
22/02/2018
On Monday 19th February 2018, BAM Construction Training signed the Armed Forces Covenant to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to support serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and
21/02/2018
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has struck a deal with housing developer L&Q to inject £500 million of cash into the Barking Riverside development. As one of the UK's largest regeneration schemes, Barking Riverside will deliver new transport links, parkland, community facilities and almost 11,000
21/02/2018
More than 380 new apartments are to be built along Liverpool's waterfront. Graham Construction has been appointed to deliver the 383-unit Build to Rent (BtR) scheme on The Strand. Designed by Leach Rhodes Walker architects, the 16-storey project will include a private gym and roof terrace, alongsi
21/02/2018
Barratt Developments has reported a record rise in pre-tax profits for the six-month period ended 31 December 2017. In its latest half-year results, the housebuilder recorded revenue increasing 9.5% to £1,988 million compared with £1,816.2m during the same period last year. In addition, pre-tax pr
21/02/2018
Anglesey Council has secured £374,000 of government funding to repair damage caused by flash flooding across Ynys Mon last year. In November, heavy rainfall resulted in damage being caused to roads, footpaths, structures and properties. The worst effected area was the A545 between Menai and Beaumar
21/02/2018
A scaffolder has been prosecuted for carrying out unsafe work at height in Manchester. Terrance Murray, 28, of Largs Road, Blackburn, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for one year, after pleading guilty to breaching Section 7(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. In addit
21/02/2018
Property consultancy Sanderson Weatherall has relocated to a new office in Leeds city centre. The company's 80-strong team has moved to the £100 million Central Square development on Wellington Street, taking up grade A office space on the sixth floor of the building. In addition, the businesses r
21/02/2018
Revised plans have been approved to develop new headquarters (HQ) for Deutsche Bank in London. The 564,000 sq ft development will be built by Landsec at 21 Moorfields in the city. In July last year, both Landsec and Deutsche Bank exchanged a pre-let agreement for the project, with the Bank agreein
21/02/2018
Dyer & Butler has secured a number of contracts with Network Rail to replace footbridges in Sussex. The deals are part of a wider, rolling programme of maintenance work Dyer & Butler's southern rail division is carrying out on behalf of Network Rail to ensure that its network remains safe and relia
21/02/2018
ECS Engineering Services (ECS) has been selected to carry out work for the Environment Agency (EA) in the South East. Under the mechanical, electrical, instrumentation control and automation (MEICA) framework, ECS can be assigned directly to projects at EA's s 600+ sites in the region. As Principa
21/02/2018
Work is continuing on a multi-million pound residential development in Ashford, Kent. A total of 235 apartments and 26 riverside houses are being built on the former Powergen brownfield site at Victoria Way. Designed by Guy Hollaway Architects, the Riverside Park scheme is being taken forward by Q
20/02/2018
Ground investigations and site surveys are to be carried out ahead of construction starting on a £700 million riverside suburb in Liverpool. The city council has approved a £1m schedule of enabling works to take place on the former International Festival Gardens and Southern Grasslands zones, which
20/02/2018
Union Unite has warned the UK's construction industry is facing a 'skills black hole' after the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) confirmed it is ending all directing training by 2020. In a blog post to staff last week, Chief Executive Sarah Beale spelled out the ramifications for the ind
20/02/2018
Mace has been appointed to carry out the first phase of a £350 million town centre regeneration project in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The scheme involves developing the western side of the town centre where the council offices, the Plaza, bus station and several surface car parks are currently locat
20/02/2018
A new power depot facility has been created in Middlewich, Cheshire. The 14,000 sq ft depot was developed for SP Energy Networks on a two-acre site in the Magnitude Business Park. Featuring warehouse space and offices, as well as yard facilities, the facility will help ensure a reliable power netw
20/02/2018
Up to £5 million is to be invested at one of Hertfordshire's oldest cricket clubs. Improvement works at Hitchin Town Cricket Ground (HTCG) will be carried out by Morgan Sindall. Features include building a new cricket pavilion, scorebox and hockey pitch at the ground on Lucas Lane. In addition, th
20/02/2018
Approximately 200 jobs are at risk after administrators were appointed to a number of companies within Lagan Construction Group. Four of the Group's 30 firms have gone into administration: Lagan Construction Group Holdings Limited, Lagan Construction Group Limited, Lagan Building Contractors Limite
20/02/2018
Workers at Essex-based Tarmac Building Products are to take fresh strike action in a dispute over pay. Members of union Unite are taking industrial action today, 20 February in protest at the company's decision to impose a new contract on new workers, which will result in them receiving lower rates
20/02/2018
Stewart Milne Group has revealed its Timber Systems business is on track to generate £100 million of turnover by 2021. With robust growth predicted for this year, the division has witnessed its business double in the last four years due to securing new contracts with private housebuilders, as well
20/02/2018
A company has been prosecuted after a worker fell through the roof of a farm building in Liverpool. Fine Dimensions Limited of Higher Whitley, Warrington has been fined £3,000 with over £5,256 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulations 4 and 9 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. L
20/02/2018
Balfour Beatty has sold a further 5% stake in Connect Plus to Equitix Investment Management. The deal, which is worth £42 million, marks the third partial sale of the business, a joint venture (JV) with Skanska responsible for providing highway network, asset operation and maintenance on the M25 mo
19/02/2018
MPs have revealed a major shareholder in Carillion considered suing the firm before it collapsed last month. Kiltearn Partners, which held 10% of Carillion's shares in February and May last year, told the joint Parliamentary enquiry it would have "considered participation in civil legal action agai
19/02/2018
A large blaze has badly damaged a building under refurbishment in central London. London Fire Brigade (LFB) were called to reports of a fire at the building site on Great Portland Street, near Oxford Street, just before 12.45pm on Saturday, 17 February. More than 70 firefighters and 10 fire engine
19/02/2018
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a new campaign targeting illegal business cartels across a range of industries. Following a 30% rise in the number of tip-offs last year following CMA's first digital campaign, whistleblowers are now being offered a reward of up to £100,000 f
19/02/2018
Workers employed by Mears in Manchester have struck a deal with the company to end more than 80 days of strike action. A total of 180 staff, who were employed by Manchester Mears and Manchester Working (a joint venture company operated by Mears), began taking industrial action in May last year due
19/02/2018
Breedon is in talks to acquire a "substantial part" of Belfast-based construction materials business, Lagan Group. In a statement this morning, 19 February, Breedon confirmed it was in discussions with Lagan and its major shareholders "in connection with a possible acquisition of a substantial part
19/02/2018
More than 940 former Carillion jobs have been secured, the Official Receiver (OR) has confirmed. A spokesperson for the agency said agreements entered into over the past week to purchase contracts held by Carillion has resulted in ongoing employment being confirmed for 942 employees. "Most employe
19/02/2018
A milestone has been reached on Highways England's £1.5 billion A14 major improvement scheme. The second of 34 bridges on the project, connecting Brampton and Grafham in Cambridgeshire, has been completed by the A14 Integrated Delivery Team (Balfour Beatty, Skanska and Costain). The new bridge is
19/02/2018
Keepmoat Homes has appointed Dan Haines as its new Land & Partnerships Director in the South West. Having working in real estate for more than 13 years, Mr Haines has experience in land acquisition, planning, open market sale and the Private Rented Sector. He joins Keepmoat from Sovereign Housing
19/02/2018
The UK Government has reiterated its commitment towards the Welsh oil industry. Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns will emphasis the UK Government's support for the sector during a visit to Valero's refinery in Pembroke later today, 19 February. After being updated on the company's operations, Mr Cairns
19/02/2018
Work is to begin on a £260,000 road resurfacing project in Bolton. Improvement works between Stanrose Close and Brierholme at the junction of Blackburn Road and Darwen Road in Egerton will get underway on 05 March. Resurfacing will be carried out during the weekends of 10, 11, 17 and 18 March. Som
16/02/2018
The former directors of Carillion are being put under more pressure to further explain their testimonies over how the UK's second largest construction firm collapsed. A joint inquiry into the company's demise is being led by the The Work & Pensions and the Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy sel
16/02/2018
The UK Government has revealed a £45 million cash injection to support the construction of thousands of new homes on council-owned land. A total of 79 community projects will receive Land Release funding to help deliver up to 7,280 homes. The projects – which aim to support building strong communi
16/02/2018
Severe flooding incidents across the UK are set to increase due to the impact of climate change, the Environment Agency has warned. The organisation has today, 16 February, launched its Flood Action Campaign targeting younger people through social media and online advertising to encourage them to c
16/02/2018
A scaffolding company has been prosecuted for safety failings after a pedestrian was struck by a falling piece of equipment in Islington, London. Alandale Plant & Scaffolding Ltd of Beckenham, Kent has been fined £160,000 with over £7,059 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of
16/02/2018
North Yorkshire Timber (NY Timber) is to merge with leading Scottish timber merchant, Thornbridge Sawmills. The move comes following the acquisition of NY Timber by Cairngorm Capital Partners in November last year. Headquartered in Northallerton, the company offers a range of timber, sheet and joi
16/02/2018
Robertson Construction has been appointed to build a new £9.8 million care home and library in Belper, Derbyshire. The facility will be built on the former Thornton's factory site and will replace the Ada Belfield Home for Older People. Work on Derwent Street is expected to start in April. Feature
16/02/2018
Local residents are being invited to find out more information about a £2 million road bridge upgrade project in the Compton area near Guildford. Network Rail said the current Compton road bridge has reached the end of its design life and must be replaced for safety reasons. The scheme, which is s
16/02/2018
Industry materials supplier SIG has teamed up with Ultimate Finance to help tackle poor funding for construction SMEs. The partnership will see SIG customers offered a discounted rate on Ultimate Finance's Cash Advance. Businesses will be able to use a bespoke portal where they can apply for a l
16/02/2018
Drivers working for a Maidenhead-based cement production company are gearing up to take strike action in a dispute over pay. Around 240 workers at Castle Cement, which is part of the Hanson HeidelbergCement Group, have voted in favour of staging industrial action later this month due to a "very uns
16/02/2018
Nearly 2,000 streetlights across south Derbyshire are to be replaced with LED bulbs as part of a £23 million improvement programme. A total of 1,918 street lights are set to be upgraded in Castle Gresley, Catton, Cauldwell, Coton-in-the-Elms, Drakelow, Linton, Lullington, Netherseal, Overseal, Rosl
15/02/2018
Construction work has started on a new £22.3 million research, teaching and training facility for Teesside University. The National Horizons Centre is being built by Wates Construction at Central Park in Darlington. It will support the bioscience sector for both the regional and national industries
15/02/2018
MPs have raised concerns over the timescales of redundancy payments to former Carillion workers. Since the company's collapse last month, over 6,600 jobs have been saved while nearly 990 have been made redundant. In a letter to Sarah Albon, Chief Executive of the Insolvency Service, Committee Chai
15/02/2018
AHR Architects has been selected to design four new primary schools across the South East, London and Midlands. The architectural practice has been appointed via the £95 million Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) framework. The first set of schools will be delivered in partnership with Spatial
15/02/2018
Plans have been approved for 140 new homes to be built in Skipton, Leeds. Outline planning permission has been secured for the development on fields off Harrogate Road, stretching down to Otley Road, which will include 30% 'affordable' housing as well as cycle/pedestrian links and public open space
15/02/2018
Canadian real estate firm BGIS has struck a deal to acquire a large portfolio of Carillion facility management (FM) contracts in the UK. The deal will see the Ontario-based firm purchase a portfolio of UK contracts for the delivery of services in the hospital, education, justice, transport and emer
15/02/2018
Construction insurance specialist CRL has appointed Richard Tamayo as a new Non-Executive Director. With more than 20 years' experience in the construction and insurance industries, Mr Tamayo has held multiple Finance Director roles at a number of companies, including the National House-Building Co
15/02/2018
Highways England has launched a consultation over plans to upgrade the A417 near Birdlip in Gloucestershire. The scheme involves upgrading a three-mile stretch of single carriageway road at Air Balloon roundabout between the Brockworth bypass and Cowley roundabout, helping to boost future growth an
15/02/2018
Work on a £2.6 million school expansion project in Wiltshire is now complete. The scheme at Old Sarum Primary School was delivered by Morgan Sindall as part of the local authority's £93 million three-year school places investment programme. The project has included the creation of a two-storey ste
15/02/2018
Wates has strengthened its senior team by appointing Richard Shroll as Managing Director of its Residential business in the North. The move follows a recent internal restructure of the business, which saw Wates Residential North move into Wates Construction Group. Mr Shroll joined the company in 1
15/02/2018
In response to CPCS's recent announcement about retiring the Telescopic Handler – All Sizes inc 360 Slew (A17D) category from the scheme on 28 March 2018, BAM Construction Training have released additional course dates to give operatives the opportunity to renew their tickets before changes take eff
14/02/2018
Up to £47 billion is to be invested in Britain's railway over the next five years, Network Rail has announced. The company has published its Control Period 6 (CP6) plan, which includes a 25% increase in funding in CP5 (2014 - 19) to reduce delays and improve infrastructure reliability across the ne
14/02/2018
Serco Group has successfully renegotiated the purchase of Carillion's UK health facilities management business. In December, it was announced a £50 million deal had been signed for Serco to acquire a portfolio of selected UK health facilities management contracts from the now-defunct industry servi
14/02/2018
Birmingham City Council has approved plans to use Compulsory Purchase powers to unlock space for a new office development scheme in the city centre. London and Continental Railways's (LCR) plans to redevelop The Axis building on Holliday Street will create one million sq ft of new Grade A office ac
14/02/2018
Specialist contractor Quadriga has started repair works on a historic building in Liverpool. The 202-year-old Wellington Rooms building is undergoing urgent repairs funded by Liverpool City Council and Historic England. Work is expected to take six weeks to complete. The Grade II-listed neo-classi
14/02/2018
A builder in Birmingham has been prosecuted after a worker suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a tipper truck at a construction site. MV Kelly Ltd of Tyseley, Birmingham, has been fined £500,000 with £30,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 27(1) of the Constructio
14/02/2018
Work is continuing on a £1 million project to reduce the risk of sewer fooding in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Yorkshire Water and its contract partners, Barhale and Indepth Civils, have been inspecting and surveying sewers in the town and repairing them if they find problems. The project involves rel
14/02/2018
Workers at a property maintenance firm in Rotherham are preparing to take strike action after the company announced it had derecognised Unite the Union. Fortem, a subsidiary of Willmott Dixon which undertakes council housing maintenance and repair work, revealed it was derecognising the union as we
14/02/2018
McLaren Construction has strengthened its senior team by appointing a new Public Sector Director. Keith Raynor joins the company after spending 23 years at BAM Construction, most recently as a Framework Director. The new appointment follows McLaren's aims to secure work on a number of high level P
14/02/2018
Residents, businesses and motorists are being invited to submit their views on future improvements to a road junction in Winchester. Plans by Highways England include redesigning junction 9 to create dedicated free flow lanes which will allow drivers travelling between the M3 and the A34 to avoid u
14/02/2018
Work is to continue on a £7 million project to replace thousands of street lights in Liverpool. A total of 15,000 lights serving 1,890 streets are to be fitted with new LED bulbs, helping to save energy as well as ongoing maintenance costs. Phase one of the programme, which is being carried out by
13/02/2018
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has approved plans for a new 153-home development in Croydon. The 21-storey scheme at Addiscombe Grove will feature over 70% 'affordable' housing, with developer Pocket Living having agreed in principle to make the remaining homes available for shared ownership. Last year,
13/02/2018
MPs have accused Britain's 'Big Four' accountancy and audit firms of "feasting" on the carcass of collapsed industry services firm, Carillion. A joint inquiry by two Select Committees has published the fees collected by KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and EY from the company over the last 10 years, which revea
13/02/2018
Around 550 new homes are to be built in Southall, Ealing. Stanhope has signed a new £200 million joint venture deal with Network Homes to regenerate a large light industrial site next to Southall railway station. The scheme will be built by the JV's construction partner Laing O'Rourke and work is s
13/02/2018
A new diversity guide has been unveiled for exhibitors at the UK's largest event for the built environment, UK Construction Week (UKCW). Organisers Media 10 have released a guide for its 600+ exhibitors to promote greater equality, diversity and inclusion in their marketing at the show. Concerns w
13/02/2018
Formation Design and Build has been appointed to deliver 38 new homes in north west London. The company will develop the 'affordable' apartments on the site of a former car park in Wembley Central in Brent. Work is already underway and completion is scheduled for October. The overall development w
13/02/2018
Workers at Merseyside-based firm IQA Knowsley are to vote over taking potential strike action in a dispute over pay and proposed redundancies. A total of 34 workers will be balloted for strike action and/or industrial action short of a strike from Monday, 19 Februayr. Union Unite said employees at
13/02/2018
A new housing repairs and maintenance company has been established in Stoke-on-Trent. Unitas Stoke-on-Trent Limited has been created by the city council to carry out around £17 million worth of work across 18,500 council homes and 600 public buildings each year. The new company takes over the work
13/02/2018
Two companies have been prosecuted after a scaffolder was crushed to death at a construction site in Liverpool. Redrow Homes Limited of Ewlowe, Flintshire and WPI Civil Engineering Limited of King Street Trading Estate, Middlewich, Cheshire both pleaded guilty to Section 3(1) and Section 33(1)(c) o
13/02/2018
Plans have been unveiled for a motorway upgrade project near Wisley in Surrey. Proposals involve redesigning the interchange between the M25 and the A3 to create four dedicated link roads for all drivers making left turns at the junction. Motorists turning right will use a new enlarged junction rou
13/02/2018
IndustrialMachines.net has announced the launch of its new auction website. The firm, which has over 20 years' experience in buying and selling equipment for manufacturing purposes, has confirmed that a selection of conventional and CNC woodworking machinery is now available for sale following the
12/02/2018
BAM has won an £80 million contract to build a new office development in Birmingham. Site surveys and pre-construction design work are now underway for 103 Colmore Row, the city's first purpose-built private rental scheme. Designed by architects Doone Silver Kerr, the 223,631 sq ft scheme will be
12/02/2018
Styles & Wood has secured a £38 million contract to fit-out the iconic India Buildings in Liverpool. The Grade II listed building will be refurbished to feature new office space, with remedial works and major external repairs also being carried out. The project will be delivered for Shelborn Asset
12/02/2018
Output in the UK's construction industry fell for a third straight quarter between October and December last year. The latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) data reveals output declined by 0.7% in the three-months to December 2017, representing the most sustained fail in quarterly construction
12/02/2018
Former AECOM Director, Martin Eason, has been appointed as the new UK & International Business Development Manager at Cleveland Bridge UK. Mr Eason has more than 25 years' engineering consultancy experience in infrastructure development, having developed a successful career implementing business de
12/02/2018
A further 59 former Carillion employees have lost their jobs. A spokesperson for the Official Receiver (OR) confirmed 59 workers who were employed on paused construction projects will leave the business later this week. The spokesperson said: "Arrangements have now been finalised to transfer priso
12/02/2018
Work is continuing on a £7.1 million road and bridge project in Middlesbrough. The Middlehaven Dock Bridge and Road scheme is being delivered by Balfour Beatty as part of Middlesbrough Council's £68m regeneration programme. The new 30-metre 'lifting' bridge and 750-metre long link road will suppor
12/02/2018
Transport for London (TfL) is bringing forward 10 small sites to boost the number of 'affordable' housing in the capital. The sites are being made available through Mayor Sadiq Khan's 'Small Sites, Small Builders' programme and have capacity ranging from between two to 42 homes. The land will be ma
12/02/2018
Construction work is to begin on a new £104 million road junction on the M20 in Kent. The new junction 10a near Ashford is being delivered by Vinci and main works are scheduled to get underway this spring. Vinci secured the £39.1m contract to deliver the new junction in December 2016. The scheme i
09/02/2018
Funding has been secured for a £120 million flood alleviation scheme in Oxford. The development will include at least five hectares of new habitat creation, seven new bridges and 2.6kms of new defences to reduce flood risk to homes, businesses, and transport in Oxford and the surrounding area. Wit
09/02/2018
G F Tomlinson has been appointed to three major public sector frameworks in England. The contractor has secured a space on the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Construction Framework, as well as Scape's Regional Construction framework and Staffordshire County Council's Construction Proj
09/02/2018
A further 101 former Carillion staff have been made redundant, the Official Receiver (OR) has confirmed. A spokesperson for the body said the roles to be axed are a mix of back-office functions and engineering support roles "that new suppliers no longer require". The latest loss means to date, a t
09/02/2018
Residents are being invited to submit their views over a planned carriageway upgrade scheme near Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The 2.5-mile improvement scheme on the A1 will see the extra lanes added between Birtley (junction 65) and Coal House (junction 67). In addition, Allerdene Railway Bridge will
09/02/2018
Up to £100 million is to be invested into a schools improvement programme over the next three years in Wales. The 21st Century Schools and Education Programme is a long-term strategic capital investment programme to modernise education infrastructure. The Welsh Government has now allocated an extr
09/02/2018
Unite has warned workers at Tarmac Building Products are to take further strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions. The union said four work stoppages are scheduled to take place at the Stanford Le Hope-based company later this month and into March as the company plans to introduce a 'two
09/02/2018
Heathrow has started a tour of 65 nationwide sites shortlisted to potentially become new off-site construction centres for the Airport's expansion. The 'Logistics Hubs' sites will be used to pre-assemble components for the multi-billion pound expansion before being transported to the Airport. The
09/02/2018
Stand S90, KBB 2018, 4th-7th March at the NEC Birmingham. Only a few weeks until UK’s largest kitchen, bedroom and bathroom exhibition, KBB 2018! We at Häfele UK are extremely excited to bring to you our largest stand to date! Our two-storey stand will feature the latest innovations in kitchen func
08/02/2018
A total of 15,000 new LED street lights are to be installed throughout Liverpool over the next year. Phase one of the £7m programme began in Fazakerley, in June 2014, with 12,000 lights changed across 1,800 streets reducing carbon emissions by 1,500 tonnes and saving the city more than half a milli
08/02/2018
Construction work on the new Yaxley Link Road in Peterborough is to begin in 2019 and is expected to take a year to complete. The Government has approved to fund the development and Peterborough Highway Services is to design and build link road. The £4.57 million funding from the Housing Infrastru
08/02/2018
Design work on six new cycle routes in London is to begin immediately. The six routes, across nine London boroughs, have some of the highest potential for cycling, however they currently lack safe infrastructure. Transport for London's (TfL's) Strategic Cycling Analysis identified the top 25 conne
08/02/2018
A contractor appointed to build and install a gas main at a property in Lesmahagow near Lanark has been fined following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Turriff Contractors Limited was fined £80,000 following a gas explosion at a property in the area. The firm pleaded gui
08/02/2018
Energy firm E.ON has donated a £2,000 grant to a primary school in Bridgend, Wales. The money for Oldcastle Primary School has been used to install energy efficient lighting in classrooms. The funding has been used to upgrade the light fittings throughout the school as part of its 'Nursery and Rec
08/02/2018
Unite the union is getting ready to take legal action in the Crossrail dispute. Balfour Beatty has stopped paying agreed bonuses and Unite described the firm as acting like "guttersnipes and common thieves". The dispute involves 76 electricians employed by Balfour Beatty on the Woolwich Crossrail
07/02/2018
Morgan Sindall has been appointed to deliver Manchester Metropolitan University's (MMU) new £46 million Arts & Humanities building. The new facility will be built at the corner of Oxford Road and Cavendish Street, on the site of the former Mabel Tylecote Building. Completion is scheduled for early
07/02/2018
J. Murphy & Sons has announced the acquisition of Carillion's UK power framework business, taking over its position on National Grid's electricity overhead lines, substation and underground cable framework contracts. Former employees of now defunct industry services firm will join Murphy, which has
07/02/2018
MPs have agreed to vacate the Palace of Westminster as essential multi-billion pound restoration works are carried out to the building. A decision this week by the House of Lords to temporarily vacate the building means Parliament now backs a move out of the Palace, following the vote in the Common
07/02/2018
Property finance lender LendInvest has agreed a £16 million deal to fund the part-conversion and rebuild of a historic building in Enfield, North London. The deal with Yogo Group will see LendInvest back the redevelopment of the Grade II listed former Thomas Lipton Care Home in Southgate, as well a
07/02/2018
Wates Smartspace's facilities management (FM) business has won a new three-year contract with Horder Healthcare. The deal will see the company deliver Integrated FM services including building and grounds maintenance at The Horder Centre in East Sussex, in addition to three outreach clinics and ano
07/02/2018
Eric Wright Construction has strengthened its senior team by appointing four new Directors. Dan Gosling has been promoted to Commercial Director, while Steve Reid has been named Pre-Construction Director. Elsewhere, John Harnett has been selected as Operations Director while James Eager becomes Sur
07/02/2018
Work is to begin on a £300,000 water infrastructure improvement project at a village in North Yorkshire. A new sewer is to laid by Yorkshire Water through the village of Coneythorpe near Knaresborough. The current sewer runs through nearby woodland and is at risk of bursting due to its age. The ne
07/02/2018
Leading national road surfacing contractor THB (Thames Hydroblasting) has unveiled the UK's first Safe Steps for School road crossing in Croydon, south London. The Safe Steps for School programme aims to encourage children and parents to use road crossings provided during school pick-up and drop-of
06/02/2018
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has unveiled plans to develop 1,500 new homes in Newham, East London. Mayor Khan is proposing to transform the 12.3 acre Limmo Peninsula site, which is currently being used to build the new Elizabeth Line, into a new residential-led neighbourhood. With plans to mak
06/02/2018
Morgan Sindall's specialist Ridham Precast Facility has been appointed to help deliver the £4.2 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel in London. The Kent-based factory has secured a £17 million deal to supply almost 7kms of tunnel rings for west section of the major infrastructure scheme. A total of 4,086
06/02/2018
Graham Construction has been started work to upgrade Queen Mary University of London's (QMUL) School of Mathematical Sciences Building. The project will see the existing facility at the Mile End campus refurbished and extended to provide suitable accommodation for both staff and students. In additi
06/02/2018
Willmott Dixon Interiors has been appointed to carry out a boutique hotel refurbishment project in central London. Designed by EPR Architects, the scheme will see the company convert an existing five-storey office block at 7-8 Martins Place into the 136-room St Martins Place Hotel on behalf of Best
06/02/2018
Work on a £10 million flood alleviation scheme in Salford is now complete. A new 28-acre flood basin has been developed within a meander loop of the River Irwell, helping to protect almost 2,000 homes/businesses from flooding by holding up to 650 million litres of water. As well as working in tand
06/02/2018
Network Rail has revealed its Chief Executive, Mark Carne, is to retire. Having joined the company in 2014, Mr Carne will step down from his position later this year. A new Chief Executive will be stablished before the start of the next five year regulatory control period, which begins in April 20
06/02/2018
Union Unite has hit out at the developer of a Welsh £800 million energy from waste (EfW) project for undermining pay, conditions and safety. The EfW facility at Park Adfer is being delivered by French company CNIM, who were contracted by the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Partnership to deliv
06/02/2018
Work on a refurbishment and extension project at Merrion House building in Leeds is now complete. The project was delivered by BAM Construction for London-based property development and investment company, Town Centre Securities (TCS) and Leeds City Council The city centre office building offers 1
05/02/2018
More than 450 former Carillion staff are to be made redundant, the Official Receiver (OR) has confirmed. Despite a further 100 roles linked to public sector contracts being safeguarded, a spokesperson for the OR said 452 people will lose their jobs. The posts cover a variety of roles connected wit
05/02/2018
Skanska has taken over from Carillion to deliver the £20 million second phase of a new relief road project in Hampshire. The now-defunct industry services group had previously been appointed to develop the two-mile southern section of the Whitehill and Bordon Relief Road. The project will join up
05/02/2018
Balfour Beatty has secured a new contract worth over £40 million to maintain Network Rail's 'Stoneblowers' track maintenance machines. The four-year deal will see the company provide the operations and maintenance to 14 operational machines; 11 Plain Line machines allocated to specific geographical
05/02/2018
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is remaining upbeat over the sector's future prospects despite uncertainty over the collapse of Carillion and Brexit. The organisation's new 'Construction Skills Network UK report for 2018 – 2022' report is forecasting a total of 158,000 new jobs will
05/02/2018
Legal & General (L&G) has acquired a new development site in the centre of Brighton. Subject to planning approval, the company plans to deliver up to 200 new Build to Rent (BTR) homes as well as 3,000 sq m of commercial space arranged as incubator space to support start-ups and SMEs. L&G's BTR pla
05/02/2018
Glasgow-based developer Structured House Group (SHG) has signed a £500 million joint venture (JV) deal with US company Harrison Street Real Estate to build new student accommodation across the UK. Plans involve building 5,000 new apartments over the next five years, with SHG to source land and gain
05/02/2018
McLaren Construction has reported strong growth and a 25% rise in revenue in its 2016/2017 annual results. With turnover growing from £119.8 million to £600.3m, overall company revenue increased at an average rate of 9.8% per annum in the past five years. In addition, operating profit hit £4.4m (2
05/02/2018
Tata Steel UK has been prosecuted after a 26-year-old maintenance electrician was killed while examining a crane. The steel producer pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 and Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It has been fined £1.4 million with £140,000 in costs. Hull Crown Cour
05/02/2018
Mace is to begin work on a £23.8 million shopping outlet expansion project in Cheshire. The contractor will start building a 40,000 sq ft extension to the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet Shopping Centre later this month. Completion is scheduled for autumn this year. Features include developing an ex
05/02/2018
Renew has sold its gas infrastructure specialist business, Forefront, to asphalt contractor Ferns Group. The division was sold as part of Renew's plans to exit the gas utility infrastructure services market. The engineering services group said: "As previously announced, the Group made the decision
02/02/2018
HS2 Ltd has unveiled the architects, designers and engineers who will draw up plans to deliver four major stations as part of the multi-billion pound infrastructure project. The following firms will be awarded contracts to develop and refine details plans for each station; • Birmingham Curzon Stre
02/02/2018
More than 370 former Carillion staff are to be made redundant, the Official Receiver has confirmed. Despite the roles of 919 employees being safeguarded, a spokesperson for the body said it has not be possible to secure the jobs of 377 other staff. Employees whose jobs have been safeguarded work o
02/02/2018
New figures have revealed a muted start to 2018 for the UK's construction industry. The latest IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) posted 50.2 in January, down from 52.2 in December and easing to an overall four-month low. With only marginal growth in commercial and ci
02/02/2018
Plans have been unveiled to create a new £100 million campus for the University of Wolverhampton. The 12-acre Springfield Campus development will become home to the University's School of Architecture and the Built Environment. Previously proposals for the scheme have been altered after pre-constr
02/02/2018
Willmott Dixon has secured an £80 million contract to deliver a town centre regeneration project in Rochdale. The Rochdale Riverside scheme will see 200,000 sq ft of retail/leisure accommodation developed in the centre of the town, featuring a six-screen cinema sitting above the retail units, with
02/02/2018
Utility contractor Fulcrum has announced the acquisition of electrical infrastructure services company, Dunamis Group. The £22 million deal will allow Fulcrum to expand and extends its capabilities and specialist knowledge in the electrical infrastructure services sector, as well as creating on the
02/02/2018
A construction contractor has been prosecuted for badly damaging a market stall in Walthamstow. Flex D B Construction Ltd, of Rydal Gardens, London was found guilty of breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. He was fined £45,000 with costs of £4,064
02/02/2018
Stepnell has been appointed to deliver two care homes schemes worth £16 million in Bedfordshire. Developer Frontier has chosen the contractor build deliver both 75-bed projects at Ampthill Road, Flitwick and Hitchin Road, Stotfold. Each project is scheduled to be completed in May next eyar. Design
01/02/2018
More than £860 million is being invested to help deliver hundreds of thousands of homes across England. Housing Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Philip Hammond have today, 01 February, announced the government is boosting 133 council-led projects with an £866m investment, helping to unlock up t
01/02/2018
Up to 200 new homes are to be built in Hampshire, England. Wates Residential has joined forces with Homes England to deliver the new residential development at the former Royal Naval Air Station at Lee-on-Solent. The Daedalus Waterfront will see £25 million invested to regenerate the site, with th
01/02/2018
Kier has been appointed to build the new Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Knowsley. The £19 million scheme will be developed in the town centre and work is scheduled to get underway in April, with completion set for April 2020. Features will include a 350-seat theatre, performance studio, e
01/02/2018
London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is backing a new scheme to make up to more than 300 properties available for homeless people in London. The Mayor is investing £15 million to help purchase 330 existing private properties that are in good condition, and then let them at genuinely 'affordable' rents to vuln
01/02/2018
Wates Living Space has secured a new contract to refurbish hundreds of properties in Thurrock, Essex. The three-year deal is part of the Transforming Homes programme and involves hundreds of council homes being revamped across Grays and Stifford, with works including kitchen and bathroom renewal, e
01/02/2018
A new £40 million student accommodation project is to be built in Birmingham. The 435-bed scheme will be developed in the city centre and construction is scheduled to get underway in April this year. The project is part of Harrison Street Real Estate Capital'sjoint venture (JV) with developer Uliv
01/02/2018
The UK's infrastructure sector has slipped into its first quarterly decline since 2013 due to a drop in railways workloads, according to new figures. The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)'s Workload Trends Survey for 2017 Q4 reveals for the first time in five years 4% of British firm
01/02/2018
Building services group T Clarke has announced its Finance Director, Martin Walton, is to step down from his position. In a trading update, the company revealed Mr Walton will be succeeded by Trevor Mitchell, who will take up the post on an interim term of one year from today, 01 February. Mr Mitc
01/02/2018
UK waste management company, Cory Riverside Energy, has purchased shipping maintenance company Thames Ship Repair Service. The deal will allow Cory to accommodate the expansion of its existing 55 vessel fleet in serving the planned Riverside Energy Park, as well as facilitating modal transfer of ro
01/02/2018
A construction company has been prosecuted after an employee fell from height and died during work to install roof sheets on a new agricultural building. C & R Construction (SW) Ltd of Lower Park, Crediton, Devon pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 2 (1) of The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
