Construction News
6 October 2011
View all stories from this issue.
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55 new free schools unveiled in 'education revolution'
The government has announced another 55 new free schools and 13 University Technical Colleges will open by September 2012. -
Aecom masterplan wins Rio 2016 Olympic games
The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games will use Aecom’s Sports Group’s masterplan for stadia and other venues. -
Balfour and Tata in Indian tie up
A new force in Indian infrastructure was created today after the Tata Group and Balfour Beatty signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on emerging opportunities. -
Barratt, Kier and Morgan Sindall line up for Northern Gateway regen scheme
Chesterfield Borough Council has shortlisted three developers for the Northern Gateway project, a major regeneration scheme. -
C Spencer awarded £11m Glasgow station deal
Network Rail has awarded an £11 million contract to C Spencer to build Glasgow’s new Dalmarnock Station. -
Canada provides PPP lessons for UK
Carillion has urged the government to heed the lessons of Canadian public private partnerships (PPPs) to create a quicker and more efficient procurement model in the UK. -
Carillion urges government to heed Canadian PPP lessons
Carillion has urged the government to heed the lessons of Canadian public private partnerships to create a quicker and more efficient procurement model in the UK. -
Carillion wins £60m One St Peter's Square contract
Carillion has won the £60m contract to build the One St Peter’s Square mixed-use development in Manchester. -
Concern raised over HSE cost recovery plan
Plans for the Health and Safety Executive to introduce charges for inspections on firms found to be breaking the rules must not be open to abuse, the construction industry has warned. -
Construction Parliamentary Update - 7 October 2011
A round-up of all the construction news from Westminster this week, brought to you by the Madano Partnership -
Contractors defend school savings role
Contractors have defended the industry against accusations it cannot provide the cost efficiencies required to warrant major government investment, as the James Review consultation closed this week. -
Costain wins first Northumbrian Water project
Northumbrian Water has appointed Costain to build a duplicate rail crossing, the first project the contractor has won under the Infrastructure Framework agreement. -
Covenant negotiations at Mouchel as new CEO arrives
Grant Rumbles has been appointed new chief executive of Mouchel, as it negotiates with banks over anticipated breaches of covenants. -
Developers eye Crossrail boom
The development boom due to be ushered in by the £14.8 billion Crossrail project is gathering pace this week as plans for a 500,000 sq ft scheme around Tottenham Court Road are due to be submitted. -
Download Contract Leads - 10 October 2011
Download the latest contract leads here -
Educated view needed on standardisation
All contractors are sold on the need to demonstrate efficiency and deliver value for money. But the extent to which buildings such as schools should be standardised still excites debate. -
Engineers investigate Holyrood roof fixings
The Scottish Parliament has called in structural engineers to investigate potential failures of the fixings used for its Holyrood headquarter’s roof access system. -
Exclusive: The tCn Products Twitter 100
Construction News is today exclusively revealing the results of the tCnProducts100 – a list of the most influential building product manufacturers and suppliers using the social media platform Twitter. -
First Choice Homes appoints contractors to £90m framework
First Choice Homes Oldham today announced the list of 14 contractors that will undertake £90 million of improvements to its housing portfolio over the next four years. -
Grainger and Bouygues fund to build 1,000 rented homes
Bouygues development and Grainger have launched a new build to let investment fund they hope will deliver over 1,000 new homes. -
Groundworks firm takes off
When Brian Morrisroe began his business in 1983, the economic climate was similar to the way it is at the moment - difficult. But as Mr Morrisroe explains, it is not just the economic situation that determines success but the way you approach your business. -
Harrow offers up to £25m maintenance work
Harrow Council has issued a contract notice for maintenance services for its housing and corporate property portfolio in a framework deal worth up to £25 million. -
HBF: government risks ‘housebuilding ice age’ unless it stands firm on NPPF
Home Builders Federation chief fires warning shot to government -
HCA signs £67m Affordable Rent deals
The Homes and Communities Agency has signed Affordable Rent contracts with six more housing providers worth around £67 million. -
Highways Agency seeks ten contractors for £1.12bn framework
Up to 10 contractors are set to vie for a slice of a new £1.12 billion Highways Agency framework. -
Hilary Benn takes Shadow Communities brief
Former environment minister to oversee Labour’s housing policy review -
Inspector approves nuclear build programme
The chief nuclear inspector has backed new nuclear development in the UK as he publishes his final report on industry safety. -
Interserve and Costain give Mouchel the cold shoulder
Interserve and Costain are showing little interest in Mouchel, despite the troubled outsourcing firm reiterating that it is open to “serious” acquisition approaches. -
Jack Dromey takes shadow housing brief
Labour MP Jack Dromey has been appointed shadow housing minister as leader of the opposition Ed Miliband completed his reshuffle today. -
Leeds sees 'modest' office market comeback
The Leeds office market is making a modest comeback, according to the latest regional crane survey from Drivers Jonas Deloitte. -
Let’s not delay in helping small firms get the help they need
Across all sectors, confidence in business prospects is low. In the Q2 Federation of Small Businesses Voice of Small Business Index, 29 per cent of small firms in the construction sector believed their prospects would be worse in Q3. -
Linford Group ceases trading
Midlands contractor The Linford Group yesterday announced it would cease trading immediately and all of its 240 staff be made redundant. -
Market fears hit housing supply
The number of homes on the market fell during September as fears of global economic meltdown hit consumer confidence. -
Market turmoil hits commercial sector confidence
Confidence in the commercial property sector has fallen for the first time in almost a year as the impact of the European sovereign debt crisis is felt, according to a Lloyds bank survey. -
Marketing in tough times
Marketing in tough times is not just about cutting expenditure; it is about getting the most from what you already have. -
Middlesex Hospital £750m revamp: full list of bidders revealed
Four more contractors are in the race to build the £750 million mixed use scheme on the site of the former Middlesex Hospital, Construction News can reveal. -
Morgan Sindall and NG Bailey announce £9m scheme wins
Morgan Sindall has been awarded a £9 million student accommodation contract with Jesus College in Cambridge. -
Mouchel fails to attract buy-out bids
Interserve and Costain showed no sign of re-launching their Mouchel takeover bids this week, despite the firm confirming it is open to “serious” acquisition approaches and a dramatic fall in its shareprice. -
Network Rail slashes payment terms by five weeks
Network Rail says it will reduce the time it takes to pay its contractors by five weeks after implementing a new regime this month. -
'One bad contract' kills Holloway White Allom
Luxury fit-out contractor goes under after 129 years -
Pickles gives go ahead to £24m Durham retail park
Communities secretary Eric Pickles has given the go-ahead for a £24m expansion of a retail park in Durham. -
Planning spat to be hauled in front of select commitee
The Environmental Audit Committee has summoned ministers, developers and the National Trust to discuss the controversial National Planning Policy Framework. -
Scottish confidence in future work falls
Scottish construction firms’ confidence in business prospects over the next 12 months has fallen for the first time this year, according to a report published today. -
SIG appoints new finance director
Construction products firm SIG has announced Doug Robertson as its new finance director. -
Skanska lands £30m London refurb scheme
Skanska has been awarded a £30 million refurb contract for a central London scheme that is expected to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating. -
SME Project Report: An Art Deco redecoration
The renovation and extension of a 1920s property was a test for Sporn Construction -
Sparks take protest to Sellafield nuclear plant
Sellafield nuclear power station is set to be the next battleground in an ongoing war between electrical contractors and employees over plans to leave current pay agreements. -
Specialists Award winners have their say
CN asks what it meant to take home a Specialists Award earlier this year -
Speedy Hire signs five year partnership with Morgan Sindall
Speedy Hire has announced a five-year strategic partnership with Morgan Sindall. -
Tax hikes could undermine NPPF
Remediation experts have accused the government of a lack of joined-up thinking over the proposed National Planning Policy Framework, as the consultation draws to a close next week. -
Tesco considers shelving BIM mandate
Construction News understands Tesco is considering dropping plans to mandate building information modelling across its new build construction projects. -
Tesco gets go ahead for new Hounslow store
Supermarket giant Tesco has been awarded planning permission for a new 57,000 sq ft store in Hounslow, West London. -
TfL launches £1.8 billion framework deal
Transport for London has published a tender notice for an eight-year framework agreement for highway maintenance worth up to £1.8 billion. -
TfL posts notice for £1.8bn roads framework
Transport for London has published a contract notice for an eight-year framework agreement for highway maintenance worth up to £1.8 billion. -
Thee line up with London waste proposals
Details have been released of the three shortlisted plans to process up to 300,000 tonnes of solid recovered fuel in North London. -
Tower Hamlets plans £60m Poplar Baths conversion
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is seeking a development partner as it plans a £60 million revamp of two publicly owned sites. -
Travis Perkins merchanting sales up 11.4pc
Travis Perkins has reported an 11.4 per cent increase in revenue in its merchanting division in the first nine months of 2011. -
University seeks partner in build programme worth up to £1bn
The University of Hertfordshire has issued a contract notice for construction work worth up to £1 billion. -
Value of UK M&As rockets to £434m
The value of UK construction mergers and acquisitions reached £434 million in the third quarter of 2011, compared with just £20m in the same period last year, according to the latest research from Grant Thornton. -
We can tackle inefficiency at the root
It is, I think, a matter of consensus that we can get better value out of the public construction programme. This is the message of both the Government Construction Strategy and the IUK Cost of Delivery Study. -
West Ham Olympic deal collapses
The BBC is reporting that West Ham’s bid to make the Olympic Stadium its new home has collapsed amid concerns over the ongoing legal delay with Tottenham Hotspur.
