Construction News
12 November 2009

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Balfour Beatty and Osborne win £300m Midlands roads packages

Balfour Beatty and Geoffrey Osborne will share the main civils package on the £300 million Highways Agency construction management framework for the Midlands and North-west.
Aberdeen £6.4m health

Early planning
Aberystwyth £1.8m education

Plans approved
Andover £25m commercial

Plans approved
Anonymous system to boost near-miss reporting on 2012 site

The team carrying out the enabling works at London’s 2012 Olympic Park is examining the introduction of an anonymous system for reporting potential incidents in a bid to combat low levels of near miss reporting.
Ashbourne £20m health

Plans approved
Augean takes on four Liebherr

Hazardous waste management company Augean has recently taken delivery of the first Liebherr machines to join their large materials handling fleet – four LR 634 Litronic fully hydrostatic crawler loaders, which are specifically designed and factory-built for landfill operations.
Aylesbury £20m commercial

Plans approved
BAA construction director Rob Stewart steps down for MoD job

BAA construction director Rob Stewart is to step down from the airport operator at the end of November to oversee the construction of the Ministry of Defence’s new technical college in South Wales.
Balfour Beatty reports strong performance in both UK and US

Balfour Beatty today reported it has enjoyed a strong overall performance in the building sector in both the UK and US over the past three months.
Balfour Beatty/Carillion/Kier and Willmott Dixon fight for academy job

Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Kier and Willmott Dixon are in the running for two South coast academy jobs after Southampton City Council received government approval to appoint a contractor.
Barnsley £25m education

Plans approved
Basildon £10m infrastructure

Plans approved
Bathgate £3.9m education

Early planning
Bilston £25m infrastructure

Plans approved
Birmingham £20m education

Plans approved
Birmingham £22m commercial

Plans approved
Birmingham £7.5m health

Plans approved
Bolton £30.6m education

Plans approved
Bradford £23.9m residential

Plans approved
Bristol £27m commercial

Plans approved
Bristol £4bn energy

Plans approved
Brookfield plans Scottish expansion

Brookfield Construction is optimistic its win on the new £840 million South Glasgow Hospitals Complex will give it more clout north of the border and open the door for it to significantly expand its presence across Scotland.
Cardiff £30m residential & commercial

Plans approved
Cardiff £5.4m residential

Plans approved
Cardiff £6.1m commercial

Plans approved
Case has a dig at Westminster Abbey

A Case mini-excavator has been used to help Channel Four’s famous Time Team conduct an archaeological dig in the grounds of Westminster Abbey.
Cemaes Bay £2bn energy

Plans approved
Chester £10.1m retail

Plans approved
Chesterfield £10m health

Plans approved
College £18m refurb out to tender

An £18 million construction contract at Banff and Buchan College in Fraserburgh will be the building’s biggest revamp since it opened 40 years ago.
Contractors urge early involvement on nuclear

Contractors will urge energy companies to engage them early on plans for nuclear new build following the publication of the draft national policy statements for the energy sector, which was described as a “defining moment” in the Government’s £40 billion nuclear programme.
Conwy £750m energy

Plans approved
Corby £14m residential

Plans approved
Costain/Lafarge JV win share of £250m Highways Agency work

Costain has been appointed to a £250 million Highways Agency maintenance framework in the Midlands.
Councils to ask for firms with SSIP approval

Local authorities in Lambeth, Doncaster and Wigan will be the first to demand their contractors be accredited by a new body established to standardise safety pre-qualification questionnaires.
Coventry £29m education

Plans approved
Crossrail advertises station tunnels work

Crossrail has advertised a contract for tunnels, shafts and subways work relating to Liverpool Street and Whitechapel Station tunnels.
Dagenham £8.8m commercial

Plans approved
Doncaster £25m infrastructure

Plans approved
Dungeness dropped from list of new nuclear reactors

Dungeness in Kent has been dropped from a Government list of potential locations for new nuclear power stations.
Durham £4.5m education

Plans approved
Durham £4m residential

Plans approved
Eastleigh £47m commercial

Plans approved
Edinburgh £45.7m residential

Early planning
Ellesmere Port £73m education

Plans approved
Enhanced product line for Bobcat

Bobcat has announced a number of new product launches together with enhancements to existing products in the company’s grading range for use by asphalt, concrete, landscaping, specialist sports and flooring contractors.
Exeter £73m residential

Plans approved
Fakenham £2.6m retail

Plans approved
First Bobcat E32 excavator in UK at Willmar Hire

Kidderminster-based Willmar Hire has bought the first Bobcat E32 mini-excavator in the UK.
Fresh talks over Donaghy report as implementation fears emerge

Work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper will meet trade bodies and lobby groups next week to discuss how recommendations from the Donaghy report can be implemented across the industry.
Games legacy company names new board

The Olympic Park Legacy company has named its first board members, including Tessa Sanderson, former Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman, and HCA chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake.
Glasgow £5.1m commercial

Early planning
Gloucester £60m residential

Plans approved
Goole £4.3m commercial

Plans approved
Govt needs to knock down hurdles to development, retail expert demands

The Government and Public Private Partnerships are hampering development and changes must be made if more work is to come online in the next few years, an industry chief has warned.
Govt to unveil plans for future direction energy infrastructure

Plans for fast-tracking a new fleet of nuclear reactors is to be announced by the Government today.
Grafton turnover falls 28pc in first 10 months of 2009

Irish builders merchants and DIY firm Grafton Group said its turnover for the 10 months to the end of October is 28 per cent down on the same period a year ago.
Hammerson's Bishops Place project approved by planners

Hammerson’s Bishops Place regeneration project in London has been approved by planners.
HCA achieves key year one targets including 53,000 new homes

The Homes and Communities Agency has met its key targets in its first year of operation including delivering 53,000 new homes.
HCA changes focus to regeneration

The Homes and Communities Agency is planning to focus on kick-starting stalled regeneration projects this year, particularly in the Midlands.
Hebburn £9.4m education

Plans approved
Hinckley £4.1m commercial

Plans approved
Houghton-Le-Spring £4.1m residential

Plans approved
Hounslow £21m residential

Plans approved
Hull £400m education

Plans approved
IMAGE: Aquatics centre roof lowered into place in 2012 milestone

The aquatics centre’s wave-shaped roof – the most difficult engineering task at the Olympic Park – has been lowered into place.
JCB chief executive Matthew Taylor resigns

JCB chief executive officer Matthew Taylor has resigned.
John Lord Flooring enhances safety with Hilti

John Lord specialist flooring has recently purchased seven of Hilti’s TE 1000 breakers, which provide a number of health and safety benefits.
Kettering £4m education

Plans approved
Kickstart funds given to builds

An £8 million cash injection will be handed to three stalled housing builds in East Manchester, putting construction back on track.
Kier trading in line with expectations

Kier has made a good start to the financial year with first quarter trading in line with its expectations with cash balances at healthy levels, the firm announced today.
Kirkwall £3.5m residential

Early planning
Kirkwell £3.1m residential

Early planning
Laing O'Rourke and SGB fined £105k over fatal Heathrow incident

Laing O’Rourke and construction equipment supplier SGB Services have been fined a total of £105,000 after one man died and another was seriously injured when a concrete slab collapsed at Heathrow Airport in 2005.
Lanark £5.6m residential

Early planning
Leeds £300m infrastructure

Plans approved
Leicester £13m residential & retail

Plans approved
Leicester £13m residential & retail

Plans approved
Leiston £2bn energy

Plans approved
Less work for Irish surveyors

Northern Ireland’s construction industry remains mired in recession despite improving conditions in mainland UK, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has claimed.
Liverpool £5.5m education

Plans approved
Liverpool £60m residential

Plans approved
London £11m commercial

Plans approved
London £2.2m residential

Plans approved
London £3.1m residential

Plans approved
London £75.2m residential & commercial

Early planning
London £8.5m residential

Early planning
London £80m residential

Early planning
Lovell Partnerships fined £75k after child plummets to death

London house builder Lovell Partnerships has been fined £75,000 after a seven-year-old child fell to his death from a scaffold structure that had been left erected for days longer than it was required.
Major housing project gets go-ahead

Vale of Glamorgan councillors have given planning permission for a major housing development to be built on the outskirts of a South Wales town.
Man hurt when bus hits scaffolding

A workman was seriously when scafolding collapsed after being hit by a Stagecoach bus in Louth, Lincolnshire.
Manchester £21m education

Plans approved
Manchester £25m commercial

Plans approved
Masternaut Three X recovers stolen pick-up

Thatcham Category 5 device improves tracking record
Melton Mowbray £12.2m commercial

Plans approved
Merthyr Tydfil £22m health

Plans approved
Morgan Est scoops £7m National Grid substation job

Morgan Est has been awarded a £7 million contract from National Grid to extend an existing substation in Cottam, Nottinghamshire.
Morgan Est starts piling work on £217m Wigan Life Centre

Morgan Est has begun piling works on Wigan Council’s £217 million Wigan Life Centre, a public services hub which is being constructed by Morgan Est’s sister company Morgan Ashurst.
Morgan Sindall on target but remaining mindful of year ahead

Morgan Sindall is on target to achieve expectations but remains mindful of the challenges facing the industry and is shaping its business accordingly, the firm revealed today.
Multibuild avoids administration after successful CVA

Multibuild has successfully avoided administration after creditors allowed the firm to enter into a Company Voluntary Arrangement in a bid to reduce its debts.
Muse registers £3.9m pre-tax profit

Muse Developments has revealed a pre-tax profit of £3.9 million in its first full year of trading since being taken over.
NAO: lack of procurement skills in government

A lack of procurement skills means the Government may not be getting the best value for £200 billion worth of projects, according to a National Audit office report today.
New loans totalling £1.4bn on offer to build onshore wind farms

About £1.4 billion could be pumped into the construction of new onshore wind projects over the next three years after a group of banks announced they would be offering new loans to eligible developers.
Newmarket £16.6m commercial

Plans approved
NG Bailey: CEO departure was pre-planned

NG Bailey chief executive Mark Andrews left at the end of a pre-planned six year term, the company said today as it also revealed it was going through a restructuring process to deal with the recession.
North Midland Construction turnover is 30pc below budget

Turnover at North Midland Construction is currently 30 per cent below budget, but year end profit is expected to be on target, the firm said today.
North Shields £5m water

Plans approved
Northwich £18m education

Plans approved
Norwich £200m energy

Plans approved
Norwich £21m infrastructure

Plans approved
ODA denies Athletes’ Village cost cut

Olympics chief John Armitt has rubbished speculation that aggressive tendering has slashed the cost of the Athletes’ Village.
Penarth £10.1m health

Plans approved
Peterborough £250m energy

Plans approved
Peterborough £6m commercial

Plans approved
Portsmouth £35m commercial

Plans approved
Rand Group administration costs 150 jobs

The £40 million-turnover Rand Group has ceased trading, with the loss of up to 150 jobs.
Renfrew £1.2m residential

Plans approved
Rickmansworth £15.5m commercial

Plans approved
Rickmansworth £15.5m commercial

Plans approved
Rok to make relationship with unions 'a priority'

Regional contractor Rok will put a significant focus on developing strong links with the trade unions next year, head of health and safety Shaun Davis has revealed.
Scunthorpe £18m commercial

Plans approved
Sheffield £3.4m education

Plans approved
Sisk wins Rugby Police Station refurbishment job worth £3.5m

John Sisk has won the contract from Warwickshire Police to renovate and refurbish Rugby Police Station.
Skene Group signs up to Volvo's Blue agreement

Skene Group has signed up to Volvo’s Blue customer support agreements for all its twenty two Volvo machines.
State of the Market

I am one of those in favour of keeping Christmas in December, but as I searched in vain for a decent selection of birthday cards last weekend I had to admit Christmas has arrived.
Stratford-On-Avon £8m commercial

Plans approved
Sunderland £3.3m retail

Plans approved
Swindon £7.5m commercial

Plans approved
Taunton £8m infrastructure

Plans approved
Teignmouth £25m retail

Plans approved
Telford £9.6m residential

Plans approved
Tony Douglas leaves Laing O'Rourke

Laing O’Rourke chief operating officer Tony Douglas is to step down from the board and will now leave the contractor.
Tories to review infrastructure levy

The Tories have indicated they would not go ahead with current Government plans for a new Community Infrastructure Levy if they are successful at next year’s election.
Vinci Construction lands £25m deal with Liverpool City Council

Vinci Construction has won a £25 million deal with Liverpool City Council to create a new learning and community facility for the Jewish community.
Volvo launches powered pavers for precise mat

The new Volvo ABG7820B and ABG8820B tracked pavers lay a smooth, even mat with precision and efficiency. Powered by Volvo engines, both feature the latest electronic paver management system.
Watford £7.5m residential

Plans approved
Willenhall £7.4m residential

Plans approved
Willmott Dixon unveils revamp plans to simplify its brand

Willmott Dixon has unveiled plans to reshape its group structure and simplify its trading brands following its re-acquisition of Inspace in 2008.
Wimborne £7m retail

Plans approved
Windermere £3.5m commercial

Plans approved
Workington £10.1m residential

Plans approved
Wymondham £10m commercial

Plans approved

Construction News12 November 2009

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Construction News
12 November 2009