Construction News
8 September 2011
View all stories from this issue.
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Cyntra awards £400m framework
Social housing procurement organisation Cyntra has named the winners on a £400 million framework deal for specialist contractors. -
Gov rules out defining sustainable development
Ministers have turned down calls from MPs to introduce a legally binding definition of sustainable development as part of their overhaul of the planning system. -
£90m Center Parcs tender down to four
The race to build a £90 million Center Parcs holiday development in Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire, is now down to four contractors, Construction News has learned. -
A2Dominion £300m framework winners: full list
A2Dominion has selected 8 contractors to join the top lot of a new £300 million main contractor framework for jobs worth over £10m. -
Academies race hots up
The race for the first round of academies was hotting up this week as cnplus revealed the final shortlists for the next phase of schemes. -
A-Plant revenue up 16pc
Plant hire giant A-Plant has seen its revenues climb 16 per cent in the three months to the end of July, according to the latest trading update from owner Ashstead. -
Apollo revenue increases
Social housing specialist Apollo saw revenues increase in the year to March 2011, despite “increasing resistance” from institutional lenders and banks to invest in housing schemes. -
Assessing the challenge of infrastructure funding
In recent years upgrading the UK’s infrastructure networks has moved towards the centre of the political agenda. -
Balfour Beatty ends Forth Bridge paint myth
The modern myth that the Forth Bridge requires constant repainting will finally be squashed this December when Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering completes the job.The main contractor is coming to the end of a 10-year, £130 million project which will leave the bridge free of scaffolding and unlikely to need a full paint job for another 20 years.The current contract will be completed ahead of schedule on Friday 9 December 2011.A celebration event to mark the end of -
Balfour lands £14.3m of BSF contracts
Balfour Beatty - the number one firm in this year’s CN100 - has landed two Building Schools for the Future contracts worth £14.3 million. -
Bam wins main contract on £25m Jewish centre
Bam Construction has won the main contract to build a £25m Jewish community centre in North London for JCC Ventures. -
Bank board set to boost Green Deal
The make-up of the Green Investment Bank advisory group suggests the Green Deal will be a priority, experts told CN this week. -
Barratt heralds return to profit
Barratt Developments has made a return to profit, posting £42.7 million before tax and exceptional items, recovering from a loss of £33m last year. -
Billington warns of 'casualties' as it reports six month loss
Steel firm Billington Holdings has warned of “more casualties” in the industry as the firm reported a £0.6m loss for the first six months of the year. -
Bournemouth Development Company LABV
Bournemouth Borough Council and Morgan Sindall Investments signed a deal to create the country’s second-largest Local Asset Backed Vehicle earlier this year.BCC plans to commit up to 16 publicly owned car parks to the LABV, which will be developed into a mix of housing, business and leisure facilities.The agreement is set to last for up to 20 years and represents a development value worth up to £500 million.The deal is structured as a series of interlinking and -
BPF hits back at planning collusion accusations
The British Property Federation has issued a stern response to accusations made in the Daily Telegraph that it is colluding with ministers of proposed planning reforms. -
British Land closes $480m US bond
British Land has closed a $480 million (£300m) US private placement bond issue, the largest US private placement transaction by a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). -
Carillion faces major repairs bill for Bournemouth Pier
Carillion is facing substantial losses on a £2.4 million contract to repair the Boscombe pier in Bournemouth after hair line cracks appeared along every pile supporting it, just three years after work was completed. -
CBI announces John McDonough’s replacement
Midas chairman Steve Hindley to take the helm -
CLG Committe announce housing finance enquiry
The Communities and Local Government Committee has announced plans to launch an inquiry into the financing of new housing supply. -
Clinton transport sec joins Atkins board
Atkins has appointed Rodney Slater, US secretary of transportation under Bill Clinton, to its non-executive board. -
CNinsight 100: latest updates to top 100 contractors
The CNinsight 100 table has been updated with the latest financial results of 21 companies since its publication last month, revealing significant movements in the rankings of the top 100 contractors. -
CNinsight100 Specialists: Building Envelope
Solaglas, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain Group, is leading the CNinsight building envelope table with a turnover of £97.1 million, although this was based on 2009 figures. -
CNinsight100 Specialists: Concrete
The concrete contractors’ CNinsight top 10 has seen the most movement in 2011, perhaps reflected by the sharp dips in turnover over the year. -
CNinsight100 Specialists: Demolition
Keltbray continues to dominate the demolition sector with turnover of £87 million, although profits slid from £5.8 million to £200,000 in the year to October 2010. -
CNinsight100 Specialists: M&E
All the companies in the CNinsight 100 top 10 M&E table, or their parent firms, appear in the main CNinsight 100 contractors table. Unlike other specialist sub-sectors, turnover of more than £170m was required to make the top 10. -
CNinsight100 Specialists: Piling
A notable exit from this year’s table of CNinsight 100 top piling contractors is Expanded Piling, part of the Expanded Group ultimately owned by Laing O’Rourke, which recorded a turnover of just £3.7m, a dramatic 77 per cent fall from the £16m the previous year. -
CNinsight100 Specialists: Scaffolding
Cape Industrial Services remains at the top of the scaffolding table for the 2011 CNinsight 100, though results are for the year end to December 2009. -
CNinsight100 Specialists: Steel
Severfield Rowen remained the top UK steel contractor, with turnover of £266.7m for the 2010 financial year. -
CNinsight100: A drop for directors
Directors at companies in the CNinsight 100 saw their earnings drop by almost 3 per cent, according to latest financial results. -
CNinsight100: Atkins extends its lead
The top three in 2011’s CNinsight top engineering consultants remain unchanged from last year, with Atkins and Mott MacDonald the only two firms to have recorded more than £1 billion in turnover. -
CNinsight100: Crucial time in year ahead
Policy debates will shape the ability of developers to grow their own businesses and provide the homes the country desperately needs. -
CNinsight100: Diverse trend for quantity surveyor consultant firms
A global outlook will be vital to the success of consultancies in 2012, according to one of the firms at the top of the CNinsight 100 quantity surveyor consultant list. -
CNinsight100: Housebuilding’s players err on the side of caution
The lack of change at the top of the CNinsight housebuilders table reflects a stabilised market, albeit at a significantly lower level than before the recession. -
CNinsight100: Top construction companies solid on debt
The CNinsight 100 companies are generally able to cover short-term debts with the current assets they hold, according to research by CNinsight. -
CNinsight100: Turnover muted in uncertain year for contractors
Turnover levels to qualify for a place in the 2011 CNinsight 100 were almost 10 per cent lower than the year before. -
Commercial work declines at sharpest rate since September 2010
Almost a third of commercial developers recorded a fall in work in August after a Savills report showed commercial work contracted by its sharpest level for 11 months. -
Competition looms for ‘usual suspects’
New entrants may soon break into to the top tier of commercial contractors, according to the authors of a supply chain survey illustrating how the industry’s largest players have weathered the recession. -
Construction Parliamentary Update
A round-up of all the construction news from Westminster this week, brought to by the Madano Partnership -
Contractor picks up £15k bill after wedding scaffold collapse
A Surrey based contractors has been ordered to pay more than £15,000 after the floor of a marquee collapsed as 150 guests sat down to eat a wedding breakfast. -
Contractors called for £60m A2Dominion solar framework
Housing provider A2Dominion has begun the hunt for contractors to join a four-year framework to provide, install and maintain solar panels, worth up to £60 million. -
CSCS leadership crisis continues
The ongoing crisis at the ConstructionSkills Certification Scheme will not be resolved until well into the autumn as stakeholders struggle to agree a succession plan for embattled chairman Trevor Walker. -
Detail demanded on infrastructure strategy
Businesses have called on the government to produce a clear infrastructure strategy in order to boost international investment. -
Developer wins planning for London office scheme
Rockspring Property Investment Managers and Charterfield Asset Management have secured a resolution to grant planning permission for the redevelopment of Centurion House, EC3, into a new 80,000 sq ft grade A office building. -
Developers’ unified voice sets right tone
The combined might of the National Trust and the Daily Telegraph, allied in trying to take down the government’s proposed planning reforms, is a force to be reckoned with. -
DIO’s £400m capital framework attracts industry’s biggest names
Almost every major UK contractor has submitted an expression of interest for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s £400 million National Capital Works Framework. -
Download Contract Leads - 12 September 2011
Download the latest contract leads here -
Empty pipeline sparks revenue fears
UK construction faces staggering over-capacity in the coming months unless there is a significant increase in confirmed work. -
Exclusive: Big names make shortlists for next four academies
Sir Robert McAlpine, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Kier, Bam Construction and Wates are fighting it out for the next wave of academy projects, worth more than £70 million, Construction News understands. -
Fit out firm fined after worker catches fire
Fit out contractor Pineview Interiors has been hit with nearly £15,000 in fines and costs after a worker suffered a massive electric shock and caught fire. -
Framework offers a port in the storm
In the 12 months since its launch, NHS building framework ProCure21+ has provided its winning contractors with £640 million in work. -
Galliford Try and Lanes' legal saga moves to court of appeal
Judge to consider closing “pick your own adjudicator” loophole -
Galliford Try bags £350m of framework places
Galliford Try has been appointed to three new frameworks worth a total of £350 million. -
Galliford Try on track to double housebuilding after strong 2010
Galliford Try said it is on track to double its house building arm by next year as it reported a surge in full-year profits this morning. -
Galliford Try wins £80m NEC casino
Galliford Try has been selected as preferred bidder for an £80 million contract to build a casino and leisure complex at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre. -
Glass ceiling panel falls and smashes near Boris Johnson at Westfield opening
Construction Safety Campaign brands shopping centre “unacceptable” -
Government report slams infrastructure procurement
A government report into infrastructure supply chains has slated the UK’s public procurement landscape and identified five cross-sector performance barriers. -
Government to select 40 priority infrastructure projects
The government will select 40 major infrastructure projects, including schemes like Crossrail and Great Western Electrification, to be given a new priority status to ensure speedy investment and development. -
Graham Construction wins £44m Glasgow campus boost
Graham Construction has landed a £44 million contract to deliver a shared campus on Glasgow as the contractor ramps up its presence in the Scottish education sector. -
Great Portland plans major West End mixed use scheme
Great Portland Estates has acquired a 2.3 acre freehold site in the core of London’s West End, paving the way for it to start on a major mixed use redevelopment in 2013. -
Highways contractor sought for £120m job
Calderdale Borough Council has begun its search for a highways contractor to deliver work worth up to £120 million. -
Hotel giant reveals £800m of work
The hotel sector is set for £800 million-worth of investment as Whitbread expands its Premier Inn stock by 50 per cent. -
Housebuilder exodus feared in Wales
Housebuilders are considering abandoning Wales due to regulatory burdens, while a lack of collaboration between local authorities could be holding back infrastructure finance. -
Houses prices hit by wider economic gloom
Fears of another global economic crisis hit house prices in August, according to the latest survey from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. -
HSE incident reporting goes online only
Changes to the health and safety reporting regime mean only fatal and major injuries can now be reported over the phone to the Health and Safety Executive. -
HSE pledges 4000 hours of training to match asbestos death toll
The Health and Safety Executive has launched an initiative to help provide 4,000 hours of free asbestos awareness training for tradesmen, equivalent to one hour per asbestos related death each year. -
Industry breaks new ground on finance
SPECIAL REPORT: Funding for construction projects is being squeezed from all sides, threatening the future pipeline of work that the industry needs to sustain itself. -
ISG benefits from supermarket 'frameworks'
ISG is continuing to benefit from a steady supermarket workload through “informal frameworks”, its chief executive told CN today. -
ISG reports 'best ever' revenue as construction profits halve
ISG reported its ‘best ever revenue’ despite construction profits being sliced in half by its struggling South west division. -
Jackson, Kier and Wates make top lot for £500m Suffolk framework
Suffolk County Council has awarded places on the top lot of its £500 million property construction framework to four contractors. -
John Graham wins Aberdeen swimming pool with half price bid
Aberdeen Sports Village has awarded a contract for the construction of a 50m swimming pool for John Graham of Dromore after the contractor’s tender came in at almost half the original estimated price. -
Keep your friends close, your supply chain closer
CN’s annual CNinsight 100 special issue gives a snapshot of the health of the industry and an opportunity for contractors to benchmark themselves against their peers. -
Kier named sole contractor for £1bn framework
Kier has been selected to deliver up to £1bn worth of work in new build and refurbishment work under the Scape National Minor Work framework. -
Kier profits rocket by 24 pc
Kier saw pre-tax profit soar by a quarter in 2010/11 despite a significant drop in public sector work. -
Land Sec and McAlpine launch London jobs drive
Construction firms have teamed up with the UK’s largest commercial property developer as it launches an initiative to get thousands of unemployed people into work. -
Luton's tax increment financing
A £77m TIF scheme has been proposed by Luton Borough Council and CBRE.The proposed scheme at Century Park is adjacent to Luton airport and involves a new road, improvements to junction 10A on the M1 motorway and access improvements to the north of the Luton Parkway railway station.The development has been stalled since being zoned for employment 30 years ago and has been bought three times, in 1989, 1999 and 2009, most recently by ProLogis.Each developer has ob -
Mace 'on track' to become £1bn company after strong 2010
Mace is on track to become a £1 billion turnover company after seeing revenues increase by 17 per cent in 2010, the firm said today. -
Mace plans for post-Olympic dip
Mace is bracing itself for a post-Olympic construction slump by curtailing its growth forecast for 2013, its chief executive has told Construction News. -
Mace will bring in £950m in 2011, says CEO
Mace will shoot up the next CN100 list by bringing in £950 million of revenue by the end of 2011, its chief executive told CN today. -
Ministers meet National Trust as planning row rages
Planning minster Greg Clarke is today meeting representatives from the National Trust to discuss the government’s draft National Planning Policy Framework. -
Mitie bags £16m of hospital maintenance work
Mitie has won £16 million worth of facilities management contracts with Royal Berkshire and St Georges Healthcare NHS Trusts. -
Mitie plugged in for £11m Cambridge University M&E contract
Outsourcing giant Mitie has been awarded an £11 million contract to provide mechanical, electrical, public health and specialist services for the University of Cambridge. -
Mitie wins £500m Essex Country Council FM job
Outsourcer Mitie has won a £500 million contract to deliver a major facilities and property management contract for Essex Country Council. -
Mitie wins place on £350m framework
Mitie has won a place on a four-year minor works and maintenance contract with the West Midlands Construction Framework, valued up to £350 million. -
Mott MacDonald to investigate Kier school canopy collapse
Contractor could fit the bill for late opening of £35m academy -
Multi-million Redhill regeneration project approved
WYG wins approval for Sainsbury’s led mixed-use scheme. -
National Trust rejects government talks on planning detail
The National Trust has turned down the offer of ministerial talks to discuss the detail of the National Planning Policy Framework until government issues a clarifying statement. -
New Asda and Sainsbury’s stores to be granted planning
A 60,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s in Sunderland and a 25,000 sq ft Asda in Skelton at set to be granted planning approval, according to property developer Terrace Hill Group. -
New Strategic Forum chairman outlines priorities
The new chairman of the Strategic Forum Lord Martin O’Neil has set out the group’s priorities for the coming year after chairing his first meeting this week. -
ONS reveals 'extremely concerning' output fall in July
Construction output fell by 3.3 per cent in July compared with the same period last year, with commercial dropping by 4.1 per cent. -
Persimmon secures planning agreement for 450 Cornish homes
Planning consultant Turley Associates has secured a resolution to grant outline planning permission for 450 homes in Liskeard, Cornwall on behalf of housebuilder Persimmon. -
Plans approved for £25m Welwyn hospital
Outline plans to build the new £25 million Queen Elizabeth Hospital have been given the go ahead. -
Plans submitted for £100m Yorkshire housing project
Plans for 800 new homes have been submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council by developers Horncastle Group, Redrow Homes, Riplingham Estates and BAE Systems. -
Plans submitted for £1bn new town in Aberdeen
Elsick Development Company has submitted a planning application for a £1 billion Chapelton of Elsick new town scheme near Aberdeen. -
Projects director leaves Highways Agency
Nirmal Kotecha, major projects director of the Highways Agency, is set to depart from his role next month. -
Redrow profits and revenue rocket in 2010
House builder Redrow saw profits and income rocket in the year that it sold its Scottish business and opened a London division. -
RJ Mcleod win £17m Scottish pier upgrade
Scrabster Harbour Trust has appointed RJ Mcleod to redevelop and upgrade the Old Fish Market Pier, a job worth nearly £17 million. -
Scaffolding accidents down 20pc
Drop comes despite increase in scaffolders -
Scottish MPs urged to prevent skills shortage
The Scottish Parliament has been urged to boost funding for colleges to ensure construction departments can stay open to meet training demands. -
Seven shortlisted for east London Silvertown Quays development
The London Development Agency has shortlisted seven developer teams to come up with proposals for the 50 acre Silvertown Quays site in Newham east London -
Sir Robert McAlpine joins Land Secs on youth plan
The UK’s largest commercial developer has launched an initiative to get unemployed people back into work, advising contractors to comply with the scheme if they want to win work. -
Social housing firm tenders for refit worth £14 million
Housing association Family Mosaic is tendering for refit and renovation work worth around £14 million. -
South-east construction SMEs to receive free green advice
The Institute for Sustainability is set to launch a programme to support SME firms in the South-east hoping to win work through green design and technology. -
Strategy still lacking for UK infrastructure investment
Businesses have called on the government to produce a clear infrastructure strategy in order to boost international investment, research from the CBI and KPMG says. -
Stunnell announces affordable homes programme contracts
Communities minister Andrew Stunnell today announced details of the first four contracts signed by the Homes and Communities Agency and providers under the 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme. -
Taking Sustainability to the Consumer
The Green Deal will be launched in just over a year, promising major business opportunities for the construction industry. -
Tender prices to fall for another year
Tender prices are set to fall for another 12 months before finally recovering in early 2013, according to new research. -
Tesco wins planning for Harrogate superstore
Contractor due to be appointed later this year. -
There’s no shortage of buyers but we need more lenders too
First-time buyers used to be able to buy a home with a deposit of just 5 per cent of the market value. -
Tories split as planning row deepens
The fate of the draft National Planning Policy Framework could be determined at the Conservative Party Conference next month after the stakes of the debate were ratcheted ever higher. -
Transport Scotland step in to save flailing Edinburgh Tram scheme
The Scottish government has confirmed £72million will be reinstated to the Edinburgh tram project while Transport Scotland project managers will be appointed to the troubled scheme. -
UK firms vie for £650m US embassy
Five UK firms are lining up for a chance to build the new $1 billion (£650 million) US embassy in Battersea despite widespread reports the job would be available only to American contractors. -
VAT cut is crucial to ensure Green Deal success
The Energy Bill report stage begins tomorrow with campaigners warning that the government’s Green Deal proposals will only succeed if the rate of VAT for energy efficiency improvements is cut. -
Waste infrastructure needed to avoid EU fines
The UK needs to spend £8 billion on waste infrastructure by 2020, a report from a group of MPs and business leaders has found. -
West Midlands to lead Green Deal under £600m scheme
The West Midlands looks set to lead a Green Deal revolution after Birmingham Energy Savers issued a tender notice for works, exclusively revealed by CN, which they say could eventually be worth up to £1.5 billion. -
What you need to know about the CNinsight100
The tables and statistics in the 2011 CNinsight 100 table were compiled using data supplied by Company Search, with additional research byConstruction News.
