Construction News
27 October 2011
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Construction injuries down 25 pc
Major injuries per 100,000 employees in the construction industry have fallen by a quarter since 2007/08, new statistics revealed today. -
EC Harris partners approve Arcadis takeover
All but one of EC Harris’ 183 partners have voted in favour of a takeover by Dutch engineering giant Arcadis. -
‘I’m living on borrowed time’ says new Strategic Forum chair
Lord O’Neill, new head of the Strategic Forum for Construction, outlines the challenges he faces. -
£50m Wolves plan gets approval
Wolverhampton City Council’s Planning Committee has granted approval for the £50 million Compton Park development led by Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club. -
Acropolis now: what happens if Greece goes into meltdown?
Noble Francis, economics director, Construction Products Association -
Aggregates sales drop further
Aggregates sales were five per cent lower in the third quarter of 2011 than in the same period of 2010, data has revealed. -
Apollo wins £13m Brighton Academy
Apollo Education has won an £12.7 million contract to transform the Portslade Aldridge Community Academy’s facilities for Brighton and Hove City Council and the Alrdrige Foundation. -
Autumn sales up 19 pc for Persimmon
Weekly private sales rates from the start of September have been 19 per cent higher than for the same period last year, Persimmon said today. -
Balfour Beatty lands £293m US Air Force deal
Balfour Beatty has been selected to construct and manage 4,761 new homes for the American military in a £293 million ($470m) deal announced by the United States Air Force. -
Balfour Beatty Rail takes £50m London Bridge contract
Balfour Beatty Rail has been awarded a £50m contract to work alongside Costain and Network Rail to reconstruct London Bridge Station. -
Balfour Beatty to build £8m data storage facilities
Balfour Beatty has won an £8 million contract to construct two basements for underground data storage facilities in Leicestershire. -
Balfour Beatty wins £290m Scottish energy deal
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission has awarded Balfour Beatty a £290 million contract to replace the electricity transmission line between Beauly and Wharry Burn. -
Balfour Beatty wins £70m Land Securities Glasgow scheme
Land Securities has awarded Balfour Beatty a £70 million contract for the Buchanan Street mixed use project in Glasgow, Construction News can reveal. -
Balfour Beatty: The secret behind our academies success
A standardised school model prepared before the James Review was commissioned has helped Balfour Beatty secure seven of the first 17 academy projects unlocked by the coalition government. -
Balfour UK construction orders fall
Balfour Beatty has suffered a fall in UK construction orders over the past three months, it told the Stock Exchange this morning. -
Belfast subbie Alu-Fix enters admistration
Belfast based aluminium installer Alu-Fix has entered administration with the loss of all remaining jobs. -
Birse Civils takes Highways Agency £10.5m contracts
Birse Civils has been awarded two Highways Agency contracts worth £10.5 million to carry out road renewal and maintenance works. -
Boost for construction graduates
Job prospects for construction graduates improved last year, research has revealed. -
Border Demolition in liquidation
Scottish demolition firm, Border Demolition, has been wound up. -
Bovis Homes on track to eliminate debt by year end
Double digit sales and volume growth will help Bovis Homes eliminate its £31 million of debt by the end of the year, the company said today. -
Bowmer and Kirkland preferred for £90m Center Parcs job
Center Parcs has named Bowmer and Kirkland its preferred bidder to build a £90 million holiday development in Woburn Forest. -
Carillion lands National Grid, Fulcrum deals worth £445m
Carillion has been chosen to carry out support services contracts worth around £445 million by clients Fulcrum and National Grid. -
CBI calls on Chancellor to progress more than 20 road projects
The CBI has called for roads spending to be prioritised in the upcoming Autumn statement including bringing 10 publicly-funded projects forward and reinstating a further 14 delayed in the 2010 spending review. -
CBI hits out at Feed-in Tariff fiasco as legal deadline looms
The CBI has hit out at the government’s Feed-in Tariff fiasco, claiming it is the “latest in a string of government own goals”. -
CBI: Unfreezing the housing market is ‘game-changer for growth’
Leading business group calls for Mortgage Indemnity Guarantee Insurance, regulatory reform and stamp duty review -
Cities to finance own infrastructure, says former IUK chief
The UK’s largest cities will finance their own infrastructure to stem a shortfall in central government funding, the former chief executive of Infrastructure UK has predicted. -
CLG Committee slams regeneration strategy
Government has failed to produce a new regeneration strategy after forcing through massive budget cuts, according to a damning report published by an influential select committee. -
Construction failures up 38pc
The number of construction companies entering administration is 38 per cent higher than it was in the same period last year. -
Construction falls in September, says ONS
The value of construction work fell by 1.5 per cent in September compared with the previous month, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show. -
Construction News & Autodesk BIM Round Table
Building information modelling is being touted as the future of construction, allowing the whole supply chain to produce more for less. Until now, uptake has been sporadic. -
Construction output rises, PMI says
Construction output rose to a five-month high in October, buoyed by commercial and civil engineering projects, a survey of purchasing managers says. -
Construction Parliamentary Update - 28 October 2011
A round-up of all the construction news from Westminster this week, brought to you by the Madano Partnership -
Construction recession hits North-east economy hardest
The North-east has been shown to have been hardest hit in a report setting out the region-by-region impact of the construction downturn - and the areas where kick-starting projects would bring the fastest economic returns. -
Construction worst hit industry in Q3, says ONS
Construction output declined by 0.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2011, making it the industry with the biggest contraction in the period. -
Contractor energy efficiency league table published
Contractors have discovered their position on the first CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme league table with Tarmac and Skanska among those leading the way. -
Contractor fined £145k as worker dies after fall
A Trafford contractor has been fined £145,000 after an employee died from his injuries, two years after falling ten metres through a fragile roof. -
Contractors lined up to work with ex Partnership for Schools boss
Morgan Sindall, Willmott Dixon and Bouygues have all been lined up to work with Cornerstone, the development firm set up by ex-Partnership for Schools boss, Tim Byles. -
Cornerstone hopes to sign first deal this year
Public-private developer Cornerstone hopes to sign its first deal before Christmas, Construction News understands. -
Costain lands £400m London Bridge contract
Costain has been awarded the £400 million London Bridge station redevelopment contract, fending off competition from tier one rivals including Carillion and Skanska. -
Council to assess Mouchel finances - then outsource its finance division to the firm
Bournemouth Borough Council will seek a special risk assessment into Mouchel’s annual results next month after councillors agreed to outsource the local authority’s finance division to the consultancy firm. -
Crane drivers warn of strike action over low rates of pay
Crane drivers have warned they are ready to stop work and picket a site in London in a dispute over low rates of pay which could disrupt developments in the capital. -
CSCS chief Brian Adams postpones retirement to deal with crisis
The chief executive of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme Brian Adams is to postpone his retirement as the organisation looks to deal with its ongoing leadership crisis. -
David Cameron promises 'all-out mission' to revive construction
The government is “on an all-out mission” to unblock funding, planning and regulation to get critical construction projects underway, the Prime Minister said today. -
Developer submits plans for £350m Croydon tower
Guildhouse and Rosepride Properties have submitted a planning application for a £350 million, 55-storey skyscraper in Croydon. -
Download Contract Leads - 31 October 2011
Download the latest contract leads here -
Download Contract Leads - 7 November 2011
Download the latest contract leads here -
EDF submits 30,000-page application for Hinkley Point C
The Infrastructure Planning Commission will decide before the end of November whether to validate EDF Energy’s application for a development consent order for Hinkley Point C. -
Edinburgh asks public for planning input
Edinburgh residents have been given the chance to shape their Local Development Plan, which will influence planning decisions in the Scottish capital. -
EN Procure awards 98 firms place on £975m framework
Some 98 firms have been awarded places on a social housing framework worth up to £975 million for works in the Yorkshire and Humber region. -
Erosion of margins sees 211 jobs lost at major UK glazier
One of Britain’s biggest glaziers, AC Yule, has been put into administration with the loss of 211 jobs. -
Exclusive: Apollo and Balfour Beatty lead free school charge
Seven contractors have won free school jobs through the academies framework, Construction News can reveal. -
Exclusive: Balfour dominates academies battles
Balfour Beatty has won seven of the first 16 academy projects unlocked by the coalition government, Construction News can reveal. -
Experience crucial for leisure work
Track records are vital for clients operating in the leisure sector, who say there is little substitute for experience when they are choosing a contractor to build community facilities. -
Extend HS2 to Manchester and Leeds, transport committee warns
There is a good business case for a high speed rail link between London and Scotland according to a House of Commons Transport Select Committee report issued today. -
Fireball engulfs worker at Macclesfield Town training ground
A Cheshire builder has been ordered to pay £6,000 after a labourer was badly burned in a gas explosion at Macclesfield Town’s training ground. -
FMB director general on 'indeterminate leave' after budget dispute
The director general of the Federation of Master Builders Richard Diment has taken leave from the organisation after a budget dispute, Construction News understands. -
Foreign investors welcome Thames Hub vision, report claims
Foreign investors have already shown “significant interest” in the ambitious vision for a £50 billion Thames Hub, its creators claimed today. -
Galliford Try close to filling order book
Galliford Try has filled 95 per cent of its projected construction order book to 30 June 2012 and secured 58 per cent for year to 30 June 2013. -
Galliford Try secures £12m Manchester job
Galliford Try has been awarded a £12 million contract by Royal London Asset Management to build a hotel and office complex on the east side of Manchester. -
GMI wins costs from OFT
Costs judge to evaluate how much should be repaid -
Gove announces £500m schools allocations but rejects BSF challenge
Education secretary Michael Gove has today allocated £500 million of funding to more than 100 local authorities to address the shortage of pupil places this year. -
Gove’s £500m schools fund is a ‘plaster for a wound’
Contractors raise concerns over allocations as London dominates list for extra school places -
Government is finally listening to calls for infrastructure investment
Tarmac national contracting managing director Paul Fleetham -
Government offers £950 million to help regional businesses
The government is releasing £950 million to help boost economic growth through direct investment in businesses. -
Green light for two new power stations to bring 1,150 construction jobs
The government has given the green light to two new power stations in Yorkshire which will create 1,150 construction jobs. -
Green MEP urges European investigation into UK Feed-in Tariffs
The European Commission is being urged to investigate whether changes to Feed-in Tariff rates will weaken the UK’s ability to meet EU targets on renewable energy. -
Half of specialists have no contract plans past 3 months
Half of specialist contractors do not know where their work will come from after the next three months, research has found. -
Henry Boot secures 95pc of 2011 contracting work
Henry Boot has secured 95 per cent of its budgeted construction turnover for 2011, it told the Stock Exchange this morning. -
Here are the figures to put to local politicians
How many times have you heard construction industry professionals cite the fact that every £1 spent on construction in the UK brings £2.84-worth of economic benefit? Or that the industry contributes 7 per cent of GDP? -
HMRC to crack down on North-west tax dodgers
Builders in North Wales and the North-west of England are being targeted in a government tax-dodging crackdown aimed at raising £7 billion a year. -
House prices fall again in September
House prices dropped to an average £162,109 in September, according to the latest Land Registry figures. -
Interserve joins standardised school market
Interserve has become the latest construction firm to launch a standardised school model in response to the James Review. -
Irish government unveils a five-year, £15bn capital investment plan
The Irish government has announced a £15bn (€17bn) capital investment plan over the next five years including a £4bn spend in 2012. -
IUK chairman: Time to prioritise economic infrastructure
Infrastructure UK’s chairman Paul Skinner has claimed it is time to prioritise economic infrastructure after high levels of spending on social infrastructure in recent years. -
JT Atkinson set to expand further in the North-east backed by RBS funding
Independent builders merchants JT Atkinson has opened five new branches in the North of England increasing its estate to 13. -
Lafarge wins £35m Network Rail deal
Network Rail has awarded Lafarge a £35 million contract to supply ballast and crushed rock for the next five years. -
Land Secs' Victoria developments continue to gain pace
Westminster City Council has granted planning permission for Land Securities to develop more than 30,000 sq m of office space and residential apartments in London. -
Land Securities profit and turnover drop
Developer Land Securities has suffered revenue and profit falls in the first half of its financial year, it revealed today. -
Lend Lease’s £700m Preston Tithebarn scheme scrapped
Lend Lease’s planned £700m Tithebarn regeneration scheme for Preston city centre has been abandoned after John Lewis pulled out. -
Liquidated damages and the duty to mitigate
Olswang construction group associate Charlotte Heywood -
London weakness hits house prices
House prices fell for the sixth month in a row in October, with even London’s market grinding to a halt, according to housing research firm, Hometrack. -
Low carbon appetite is here to stay so supply chains must gear up
EC Harris head of sustainability Nick Hayes -
Major contract wins push Costain order book to £2.6bn
Substantial new contract wins including the £400 million London Bridge redevelopment have helped swell Costain’s order book to £2.6 billion, the company said today. -
Manchester University launches £60m development
The University of Manchester is creating a £60 million development project, including a new hotel, conference centre and executive education centre. -
May Gurney to offer 'bundled' tenders through £35m TransLinc purchase
May Gurney has bought specialist fleet services provider TransLinc for a fee of £34.9 million in a bid to offer a greater all-round tender solution. -
Mears withdraws from solar market
Mears has withdrawn from the solar photovoltaic market in the wake of the government decision to halve the Feed-in Tariff from December. -
Ministers unveil £500m Growing Places fund allocations
Communities secretary Eric Pickles has announced the regional allocations for the government’s £500 million Growing Places Fund designed to unlock stalled developments by funding local infrastructure projects. -
Moody's gives Lancashire council credit boost
Lancashire County Council has been deemed a very low credit risk by ratings agency Moody’s, strengthening the local authority’s capacity to access funding. -
Morgan Sindall JV wins £500m National Grid deal
Morgan Sindall joint venture MSVE Transmission has been named preferred bidder for a potential £500 million contract to build and upgrade National Grid’s overhead lines for the next five years. -
Morgan Sindall order book at £3.3bn with regeneration strong
Morgan Sindall has revealed it has a £3.3 billion forward order book and has hailed opportunities in infrastructure, regeneration and social housing as being key to boosting it in the coming year. -
Network Rail alliance model hailed, but concern over new project unit
Network Rail is holding talks with contractors to ensure it addresses concerns about its new investment projects business unit, due to launch in April. -
Network Rail investment projects director Simon Kirby
Network Rail’s vision for its supply chain is set to change dramatically over the coming years and contractors will need to look to joint ventures and acquisitions as part of that. -
New £200m BSF plans unveiled by West Midlands council
A West Midlands council has unveiled a new £200m schools programme with changes to its Building Schools for the Future programme. -
One year on: The impact of Rok's demise
One year after the demise of Rok and Connaught hit the headlines, how far has the repairs and maintenance industry changed? -
Public sector property revolution could unlock £8bn
Rationalisation of the public sector property portfolio could help unlock £8 billion a year according to a new report published today. -
Put your money where your mouth is, Cameron
This week David Cameron promised the government was embarking on an “all-out mission” to get construction projects off the ground. -
Redrow hits out at NPPF planning hiatus
Redrow has more than 5,000 homes stuck in planning as local authorities use the planning hiatus to stall development, chairman Steve Morgan will told the annual general meeting today. -
Robertson confirmed for East Central hub as value climbs to £500m
The Scottish Future’s Trust has confirmed the Amber Blue constortium – comprised of Robertson Group, Amber Infrastructure and FES – as preferred bidder for the East Central Hub, a deal that could now be worth £500 million. -
Roofing firm fined for unsafe work
Roofing contractor SPV Road Carpet has been fined £14,000 after three workers were spotted on top of a Nottingham cash and carry store without any safety equipment. -
Sheffield looks at reducing contractor's share in £1.2bn PFI
Sheffield City Council is proposing to increase its share of the borrowing needed for its £1.2 billion highways maintenance private finance initiative, reducing the financial commitment of the contractor that lands the scheme. -
Shepherd scoops Lincolnshire academies
Shepherd Construction has won the deal to build two academies in Lincolnshire worth a combined £21 million. -
Six line up for £65m housing job after Mansell pulls out
Six contractors are vying for the chance to build a £65 million housing development after preferred bidder Mansell “failed to agree commercial terms” with developer Catalyst Housing Group. -
Specialist awards deadline extended
The deadline to enter the 2012 Construction News Specialists Awards has been extended to 18 November. -
'Spend £1bn on construction for 32,000 jobs', new research reveals
Chancellor told ‘shovel-ready’ projects would bring quick wins as regional analysis quantifies benefits -
Spirit offers £445m framework
North East social housing partnership, Spirit, is seeking contractors for a £445 million framework deal. -
T Clarke boosts order book
Building services firm T Clarke has increased its order book slightly in the past 12 months, it revealed today. -
Tarmac Ltd back in profit after European business sales
Tarmac Ltd has reported a £75 million pre tax profit for 2010 after the sale of its European businesses. -
Tata Steel Construction Products business to close in Wales
Tata Steel has announced it will close its Tata Steel Construction Products business in South Wales due to the economic downturn. -
Taylor Wimpey sees early signs of strong autumn selling season
The first signs of a significantly stronger autumn selling season were revealed by Taylor Wimpey today after the group issued a strong trading update. -
TfL plans forward work pipeline from 2012 to entice new bidders
Transport for London will publish a forward contract pipeline of work online from 2012 as it seeks new contractors to enter its supply chain. -
TV presenter Noel Edmonds faces £1m loss after failed property claim
Television presenter Noel Edmonds is facing losses of up to £1 million pounds after a judge ruled against him on two claims in the construction court. -
UCATT candidate launches legal challenge over election ban
A serious contender for the leadership of construction union UCATT has mounted a legal challenge against a ban preventing him from running for election. -
Ucatt confirms candidates for general secretary election
Construction union Ucatt has confirmed that just two candidates will be on the ballot paper when members vote to elect a new general secretary on 11 November. -
United House bags two London deals
Social housing contractor United House has won two London contracts worth a combined £11 million. -
United House seals £120m mixed use deal
United House and private equity firm JER Partners have signed a £120 million deal to deliver the Paynes and Borthwick Wharves development in West Greenwich, London. -
Vinci to develop £16.5m scheme at Walthamstow station
Vinci has been awarded a £16.5 million contract to build a mixed-use scheme at Walthamstow Central Station in London. -
Wates chief places right before might
Paul Drechsler’s condition of giving Construction News an interview is that we agree not to use any images of him pictured on his own. -
We may not have heard the last of the OFT's cover pricing fiasco
Costs orders in excess of £1.5 million in favour of about half of the 25 successful appellants were made against the OFT by the Competition Appeal Tribunal over the past week and there are more costs applications yet to be determined. -
West Cumbria new nuclear plans boosted with site investigation permission
NuGen has been granted planning approval to start site investigation at the home of its proposed new nuclear power station in West Cumbria. -
Willmott Dixon healthcare centre breaks Breeam record
A new Willmott Dixon primary care centre has been awarded a Breeam Outstanding rating – becoming the first healthcare building to do so at post construction stage. -
WSP reports steady progress in tough markets
Design and engineering consultancy WSP is performing as expected in difficult market conditions, it said today.
