Construction News
8 December 2011
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Landlords welcome Mary Portas' plans for high street investment
The property industry has welcomed a key recommendation from a major report by retail guru Mary Portas that would free them to deliver “significant extra investment” in the country’s high streets. -
A five-point growth plan for the construction sector in 2012
As the veil draws over another turbulent year for infrastructure and construction, thoughts turn to 2012. What might be the key differentiators in the challenging economy to come? -
Academies chief Howell to leave PfS
Academies framework chief Colin Howell will leave Partnerships for Schools in January, Construction News has learnt. -
Administrators take control of Battersea Power Station site
The Battersea Power Station site is set to be sold after a High Court judge placed its owners into administration this morning. -
Analysis: Government plots project bank accounts roll out
Alongside the Chancellor’s autumn statement came the announcement from the Cabinet Office that at least £4 billion of government spending will be paid directly to the supply chain through the increased use of project bank accounts. -
Arup group profits rise after UK job cull
Arup saw a 6.5 per cent rise in group profit in 2010/11 despite a difficult year in the UK where 670 jobs were axed. -
Balfour Beatty joint venture wins £414m Irish deal
A Balfour Beatty joint venture has been awarded a £414 million contract for installation and maintenance of gas transmission and distribution networks in Ireland. -
Balfour Beatty scoops £500m waste PPP in Gloucestershire
Balfour Beatty has been appointed as preferred bidder for a £500 million Gloucestershire PPP project. -
Balfour Beatty seals £65m city office for billionaire backer
Britain’s largest contractor Balfour Beatty has been awarded the contract to build the Bath House office development on Holborn Viaduct in central London. -
Berkeley, Barratt and Taylor Wimpey in race for Olympic homes
The Olympic Park Legacy Company has announced a shortlist of six developers to build the first neighbourhood on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. -
Bilfinger infra fund secures £212m in a week
A £212 million Bilfinger Berger infrastructure fund launched last week has now closed after being oversubscribed. -
Bristol Aiport seeks civil, construction contractors for £150m expansion
Bristol Airport is seeking up to 12 contractors for a four-year, £150m framework. -
British Land appoints Mace for Broadgate
Mace has been awarded the contract to build a new headquarters for financial firm UBS at 5 Broadgate. -
Construction firm MD fined £80,000 for dad-of-two's crane death
The managing director of Siteweld Construction Ltd has been fined £80,000 after a father-of-two was crushed to death when a crane overturned in Liverpool. -
Consultation for A14 improvement launched after £1.2bn scheme scrapped
The Department for Transport has published a consultation to find proposals to improve the A14 after the £1.2bn Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme was scrapped. -
Contractors to help raise cash for £1.4bn Welsh schools programme
Contractors have offered to help Welsh councils raise the funding they need to unlock £1.4 billion of schools projects. -
Costain FD positive on PFI
The success of the private finance initiative in managing construction costs shows infrastructure can be a safe investment for pension funds, Costain finance director Tony Bickerstaff has told Construction News. -
Crossrail awards £50m materials contract to Bam Nuttall joint venture
Crossrail has awarded a £50m contract to a Bam Nuttall/Van Oord UK joint venture to ship excavated material to create a new nature reserve. -
Desperate measures will cost the industry
Times are tough. The construction industry needs to decide how it will conduct itself through this difficult period. -
Download Contract Leads - 12 December 2011
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EDF Energy confirms Kier/Bam for £100m Hinkley contract
EDF Energy has confirmed that a Kier and Bam Nuttall joint venture is preferred bidder for its £100 million site preparation works at Hinkley Point C, as reported by CN in March. -
EDF says UK contractors should seek international help when bidding for work
EDF Energy’s head of procurement Alan Cumming has called on UK contractors to work with international firms in order to win contracts on their new nuclear sites in the UK. -
Environment Agency seeks six for £750m civils work under £1bn framework
Up to £750 million in civils work will be contracted under a new £1bn framework from the Environment Agency. -
Exclusive: Constructing Excellence goes international
Constructing Excellence is set to go global as it seeks to use best construction practice from the UK to help members win work abroad. -
EXCLUSIVE: Scammers lodge fake administration notice for J Reddington
“Malicious” scammers lodged a fake notice with Companies House saying Olympics contractor John Reddington had been placed into administration. -
Exposed: Clients and contractors change terms to cope with 'commercial anarchy'
Major clients and contractors including BMW, Vodafone, Emcor, Carillion and Laing O’Rourke are increasingly squeezing suppliers in an effort to protect their businesses as financial pressure mounts on the entire industry. -
Five target £20m Bank of England refit
The Bank of England has shortlisted five contractors to carry out a £20m refurbishment of its offices in the City of London, close to its Threadneedle Street home. -
Four shortlisted for £130m Beacon Barracks upgrade
The Ministry of Defence has shortlisted four contractors for the chance to redevelop its Stafford-based Beacon Barracks, a contract worth £130 million. -
Friends of the Earth in final Feed-in Tariff plea before court showdown
The government’s cuts to the Feed-in Tariff rates kick-in today as environmental charity Friends of the Earth made a last plea before it starts court proceedings asking the government to reverse their cuts. -
Gate opens for more REITs as rules are relaxed
Changes to real estate investment trusts under the government’s Finance Bill could open up funding for a range of sectors, from housing to infrastructure, it was claimed this week. -
GB Building Solutions beats four to bag £30m Leeds student digs
The University of Leeds has appointed GB Building Solutions to build accommodation for 525 students, a job worth just under £30 million. -
Geothermal International receives £12.1m investment boost
Geothermal International has been boosted with a £12.1 million investment which will be used to fund the acquisition of a US company and support growth in both the UK and international markets. -
Government places TIF at heart of local infrastructure growth
Councils will be given more powers to retain business rates and use tax increment financing to fund local infrastructure, it was announced today. -
Government to consider ‘third way’ on procurement
The Government Construction Board will today hear of a “third way” for procurement reform as the procurement and lean client task group presents its interim findings in a new report. -
Hacked off by House policies
Concrete contractor J Reddington was unsurprisingly furious when it discovered it had been the victim of a “malicious” hoax in which no less than 23 false notices about it were lodged with Companies House - creating the false impression the firm had gone into administration. -
Half of contractors positive about 2012 despite spending cut drag
Nearly half of contractors are positive about 2012, despite nine out of ten firms saying they expect public spending cuts to drag on the industry, the Confederation of British Industry said today. -
HCA nears completion on £1.8bn affordable homes contracts
The Homes and Communities Agency is nearing the finish line in the race to sign contracts worth £1.8 billion to provide new affordable homes. -
Housing biggest contributor to fall in project starts
Housing project starts fell by almost a quarter in the three months to November compared to 2010, spiralling overall construction starts downwards by 10 per cent, according to the latest Glenigan index figures. -
Industry leaders hit out as Olympics VIP car park forces closure of construction training centre
The chief executives of the UK’s major construction companies have signed an impassioned letter appealing to the government to intervene over LOCOG’s ‘wrong’ decision to serve notice on a skills training centre to provide parking for Olympics VIPs. -
Judicial review date set on government's Feed-in Tariff cuts
The High Court has given permission to Friends of the Earth and solar firms Solarcentury and HomeSun to challenge the government’s plans to slash financial incentives for solar electricity. -
Kier sells stake in two PFI projects for £8.1m
Kier has announced the sale of its 50 per cent PFI shares in the West Berkshire Hospital project and Hinchingbrooke Hospital project for £8.1 million. -
Laing O’Rourke procurement manager joins Costain’s London Bridge team
Contractor Costain has poached a senior procurement manager from Laing O’Rourke to join its team working on London Bridge as project procurement manager. -
McLaren checks out £41m Asda depot
Supermarket giant Asda has appointed McLaren to build a £41 million distribution warehouse in Kingsway Business Park, Rochdale. -
Miller poaches Willmott Dixon business development manager
Miller Construction has appointed Karen Vigar as strategy and development director. -
Morgan Sindall looks forward to new private finance models
Morgan Sindall has welcomed government efforts to find alternative ways to secure private finance as the company continues its focus on urban regeneration. -
Mouchel loses £130m Rochdale Council regen deal
Mouchel is set to lose a £130 million regeneration partnership with Rochdale Council after also taking a £400m hit to its pipeline. -
New Ucatt chief targets 'rogue employers'
The new general secretary of the country’s largest construction union Ucatt has pledged to tackle “rogue employers” while in office. -
Peterborough station gets £43m upgrade
Network Rail has announced a £43 million upgrade of Peterborough station with a new station footbridge, platform extensions and lifts to be installed. -
Picture exclusive: London's 'Walkie-Talkie' takes shape
Less than one year into the construction of the £350 million ‘Walkie-Talkie’ by Canary Wharf Contractors, the development is already beginning to soar. -
Plans go in for £400m Vauxhall twin towers
Property investor CLS holdings has submitted plans for a £400 million project to build two 50 story residential towers in London’s Vauxhall. -
Plans submitted for Green Port Hull
Associated British Ports and Siemens will today submit applications to Hull City Council for the development of the proposed Green Port Hull facility. -
Private equity giant Blackstone takes 50pc stake in Miller Group
A subsidiary of US investment giant Blackstone has taken a 50 per cent share in the family-owned Miller Group through an £160 million five-year credit facility. -
Reactor decision hailed as 'milestone' for UK new nuclear construction
Nuclear reactors proposed for the UK have been given interim acceptance today marking the latest milestone in the UK’s new nuclear plans. -
Reddington issues warning after saboteurs lodge 23 fake notices with Companies House
A “malicious” saboteur lodged 23 documents with Companies House last week claiming Olympics contractor John Reddington had gone into administration. -
Retailors play loyalty card
The major retailors are growing but getting on their books is tough -
Shepherd lands £17m Birmingham Uni contract
Shepherd Construction has won a £17 million contract to build the first phase of a new campus development for University College Birmingham. -
Shortlist down to three for £750m Middlesex Hospital revamp
The shortlist for the main construction package on the £750 million redevelopment of the former Middlesex Hospital site is down to three after four contractors were eliminated. -
Simons Group posts 43 per cent turnover dip
Simons Group has reported a fall in turnover of 43 per cent amid contraction in its core sectors. -
Six in the frame for £40m Bradford College
Six contractors are eagerly awaiting a contract award for the £40m Bradford College redevelopment. -
Skanska bags £25m Bath Spa contract
Bath Spa University has signed a contract with Skanska for the first phase of a £40 million to redevelopment plan for its Newton Park campus. -
Three gear up for £35m Rolls Royce factory
Rolls Royce has shortlisted three contractors for the chance to build a £35 million factory in Rotherham. -
Three shoot it out for Manchester United’s training centre
At least three companies have been shortlisted for a £12 million contract to redevelop parts of Manchester United’s Trafford Training Centre at Carrington. -
Transport secretary gives green light to 21 schemes worth £854m
More than £850m in transport schemes has been unlocked after the Department for Transport released details of £586m in funding for 21 local authority projects. -
Travis Perkins COO John Carter made dep chief exec
Travis Perkins’ chief operating officer John Carter will become deputy chief executive in the new year. -
Trevor Walker resigns from Constructing Better Health
Trevor Walker has announced he is standing down as chairman of Constructing Better Health. -
Vinci lands second Tesco deal in three weeks with £11.4m win
Vinci has been awarded an £11.4m contract from Tesco to undertake the enabling work for a proposed store in Eston, Teesside. -
Wates and Mitie win Essex council schools and outsourcing deals
Essex County Council has awarded Mitie a 10-year outsourcing deal worth up to £100m, while Wates has been chosen to design and build three schools. -
West Midlands panel firm employed on Heathrow and Wembley to close
A West Midlands panel manufacturer has been forced to cease trading after becoming ‘a victim of the tough economic climate’.
