Construction News
3 May 2012

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‘We must make the UK as efficient as possible’

At a time when the government is being accused of allowing green issues to slip down the political agenda, the same cannot be said of Construction Products Association chief executive Diana Montgomery.
£22m housing job offered in York

The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust is looking for a developer/ contractor to build up to 130 homes at Derwenthorpe, York.
£2bn Priority Schools announcement 'soon' says education chief

The man tasked with ensuring the £2 billion Priority Schools programme delivers value for money has insisted an announcement is imminent that will quash uncertainty in the construction industry.
£50m plan to redevelop Walthamstow Stadium gets green light

A £50 million plan to redevelop Walthamstow Stadium has been given the go-ahead by local planners.
Aecom and NBS combine to offer BIM joint venture

Aecom has announced a joint venture with National Building Specification to offer combined construction information and specification with cost and carbon data for companies adopting BIM.
Anchor appoints EC Harris for property services review

Care home and retirement housing provider Anchor has appointed build asset consultancy EC Harris to carry out a review of its property services model.
Balfour Beatty expects to see benefits of restructure next year

Balfour Beatty is expecting to see the benefits of its UK construction restructuring next year, it said this morning.
Balfour Beatty makes McNaughton deputy chief exec

Andrew McNaughton will become Balfour Beatty’s deputy chief executive at the end of next month, following the retirement of Anthony Rabin.
Bam Construct wins five schools contracts

BAM Construct has won five contracts for work on academy school projects in England.
Barratt reports strongest spring for five years

Barratt Developments has had its strongest spring selling season for five years, it said today.
Berkeley ahead in Wapping race

Housebuilder seeks former Murdoch papers’ site.
BIM hubs will aim to ‘unify’ professions

The Construction Industry Council’s chief executive has insisted that architects and contractors will not squabble to be “BIM leaders” at 11 new regional hubs.
Birse Metro wins London tube bridge contract

London Underground has awarded Birse Metro a contract to replace two bridge decks on the District Line in west London.
Bovis predicts strong profits growth

Bovis Homes Group today said that it expects strong profits growth over the next year, due to “stable” conditions in the UK housing market.
Capita Symonds appointed to MoD framework

Capita Symonds will carry out a range of management and construction functions for the Ministry of Defence after being appointed to its Framework Agreement for Technical Support.
Clugston back in profit with turnover up 34 per cent

Clugston Construction has announced it has increased turnover to £74 million, a year-on-year increase of 34 per cent.
Construction apprentices top satisfaction survey

Construction apprentices are more satisfied than their counterparts in other sectors, according to a survey published today by the government.
Construction can build for the future by going back to school

Continuing delays to the school building programme are not only constraining economic growth in the short term but they also have potential for negative impact in the long term.
Costain continues to grow support services

Costain said it will continue to grow its support services activities following two recent acquisitions.
Councils snub local project pipelines

A row is developing between the UK Contractors Group and the Local Government Association after the LGA appeared to snub a national pledge to produce local construction pipelines.
Dan Labbad promoted to global Lend Lease role

Lend Lease has today announced that it has appointed EMEA chief executive Dan Labbad as its new group chief operating officer.
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EDF "no comment" on Hinkley delay report

Energy firm EDF has refused to comment on reports that it has delayed work on earthworks to prepare for the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset.
Exclusive: Balfour Beatty confirms 650 jobs to go under restructure plans

UK’s biggest contractor will unveil a new senior leadership team for UK construction in May
From bits and bobs to major jobs

For many people, starting their own business is a lifelong ambition that is meticulously planned. But this was not quite the case for Steen Evans and his fellow directors when they started Pemb Civil and Engineering in 2008.
From clients to contractors – we’re all in this together

The impact of cuts in public sector spending has taken longer to filter through to the industry’s bottom line than expected. But now that falling construction output is being blamed, at least partially, for the descent into double-dip recession, tempers are fraying on all sides.
Further reforms and funds needed to back up NPPF

The government says that replacing more than 1,000 pages of national policy with about 50 will allow people and communities back into planning, but will it make any difference to regional development?
Galliford Try 'on track' to hit financial plans despite 'difficult' market

Galliford Try is on track to meet its financial plans despite the “difficult” construction market, it has said in an interim management statement.
Galliford Try wins £80m dual carriageway work

Galliford Try has won an £80 million contract to build a 5km dual carriageway between Newton Abbot and Torquay.
Glasgow building services firm seeks supplier for £100m of materials

Glasgow City Council’s arms-length building services company is looking to appoint a contractor to supply up to £100 million of building materials.
Go-ahead for £109m Devon bypass as contract finalised

The Department for Transport has given the go-ahead for the £109 million Kingskerswell Bypass.
Go-ahead for Vauxhall student scheme

CLS Holdings has secured planning permission for a 20,763 sq m hotel and student flats at Vauxhall, south London, and is progressing an application to build a further 154,000 sq m in two residential towers at nearby Vauxhall Square.
Government poised to extend PBAs to FM contracts

The government is considering rolling out project bank accounts across its £3 billion-worth of facilities management services, Construction News can reveal.
Government seeks new construction advisor

The government has officially launched the search for a successor to Paul Morrell as the Government’s chief construction adviser.
Green Party leader to step down in September

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas will step down from her position in September.
Greg Barker: July Feed-in Tariff cuts could be delayed

Energy and climate change minister Greg Barker has confirmed the government is planning to delay proposed cuts to Feed-in Tariffs in July.
Growth and aquisitions boost Imtech turnover

Engineering firm Imtech UK announced today that its turnover rose 51 per cent to £514.6 million during 2011.
Guide published on Green Deal commercial opportunities

Construction firms need to start preparations in order to make the most of commercial opportunities presented by the government’s Green Deal, according to a new guidance document.
Horizon nuclear sale vital to avoid skills drain

The energy minister has admitted the Horizon nuclear consortia must be bought within months to avoid a skills drain, despite insisting UK new nuclear plans are “world-leading”.
Housing trust seeks developer for urban extension

Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust is seeking a contractor to build the second phase of its Derwenthorpe community which it is building on the edge of York.
Interserve secures £1bn 2013 pipeline

Interserve has revealed it has a £1 billion revenue pipeline for 2013 after winning more than £600m in work to-date this year.
Kevin McCloud appointed self-build champion

TV presenter Kevin McCloud has been appointed by the government to champion the self-build housing sector.
Kier to meet expectations with "robust" construction and services order books

Kier has reported that it is on course to meet expectations for its current financial year, with “robust” order books for its construction and services divisions.
Lambeth £150m PFI housing scheme reaches financial close

A £150m housing PFI project in London will go ahead after the consortium which includes Higgins Construction and E.ON, reached financial close on the 25-year scheme.
Land Secs profits plummet due to weak office market

Land Securities suffered a drop in pre-tax profits of 58 per cent during the last financial year, it announced today.
Leadbitter wins on £196m London housing deal

Catalyst Housing and Leadbitter have been chosen to deliver a 904 home regeneration project in Southwall worth £196 million.
Lend Lease uses HQ as marketing tool

Lend Lease’s London HQ has excellent sustainability credentials, a green roof terrace that has been created from bare concrete decking and has almost 100 per cent Forest Stewardship Council-accredited timber.
Lovell starts at former hospital

Lovell is working with not-for-profit housing manager United Welsh to deliver a £9.6m scheme at the historic former Caerphilly Miners’ Hospital.
Lovell wins housing association repairs contract

Affordable housing builder Lovell has won a £50 million repairs contract from West Midlands housing association Accord Group.
M&S buys into sustainable future

Manchester-based energy-management company NCS has been working with Marks and Spencer for more than seven years, and recently has been working to achieve its energy-saving targets under Plan A.
Major variations in PFI returns found across govt departments

Significant variations in the rates of return enjoyed by companies involved in private finance initiative contracts across different government departments is set out in research published today.
McGee Group posts revenue rise

McGee Group today announced a 56 per cent leap in revenue for the year ending 30 November 2011.
Mears on target to meet social housing forecasts

Social housing maintenance and repairs provider Mears says it anticipates a solid operating margin despite the winding down of the government’s Decent Homes programme.
Miller secures first ProCure21+ design and build deal

Miller hps has won a £22m emergency care contract in its first lead contractor win under ProCure21+.
NHS sitting on 800 ha of land ripe for development

More than 400 parcels of NHS land totalling more than 800 hectares have been identified as potentially ripe for development.
North-east Green Deal partnership launched

A group of North-east authorities are seeking contractors as part of a new regional partnership to be established in advance of the launch of the Green Deal.
Northern Ireland on track to meet homes target

The Northern Ireland Executive has said it is on target to meet its target of 8,000 new social and affordable homes by 2015.
Olympic stadium tender process reopened

The bidding process for the contract to convert London’s Olympic Stadium following the 2012 Games has been extended, following problems with the original invitation to tender.
ONS figures show UK recession may deepen

Construction output dropped by 4.8 per cent in 2012 Q1 according to revised ONS data - a fall of 1.8 per cent more than the original estimates released last month.
Paper aims to get measure of embodied carbon

RICS presented the first information paper for the measurement of embodied carbon at Ecobuild 2012, acting on recommendations set out in the government’s Low Carbon Construction action plan.
Parsons Brinckerhoff wins HS2 design work

Infrastructure firm Parsons Brinckerhoff has won two design contracts worth a total of £8 million for design work on the HS2 rail line.
Partnership to improve contractor and utility communication

The National Federation of Builders has announced it will work with npower to find ways to improve gas and power connection process for new builds.
Ploughing into renewables

With a national network of roof training academies, an MD on the Green Construction Board and a long-standing interest in solar and renewables, Ploughcroft seems ideally placed to take advantage of the Green Deal.
Queen outlines energy legislation to parliament

The Queen has outlined government plans to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses, establish a Green Investment Bank and reform the water and electricity sectors.
RICS reports most positive construction forecast for four years

Construction activity levels edged up in the first three months of the year while predicitions for the year ahead are at their most optimistic in four years, according to the latest RICS survey.
Sainsbury's targets the north and west but slows overall expansion

Sainsbury’s will focus its store expansion in the north and the west of the UK in the year ahead but will also slow its rate of expansion, it said this morning.
Savills reports second month's rise in development activity

Commercial development activity rose for a second successive month in April, according to research by property consultant Savills.
Scottish construction bosses seek answers at government meeting

Scottish construction industry bosses will call for clarity on affordable housing resources from government ministers at a meeting in Inverness today.
Shapps bows to pressure on Right to Buy timescales

Housing minister Grant Shapps has announced the government is to give councils extra time to use money raised through its revived Right to Buy policy.
Six post-2015 priority Highways Agency schemes announced

Roads minister Mike Penning has announced six roads schemes will go under development to be considered for funding in the next spending review period.
Speedy Hire returns to profit

Speedy Hire has moved back into the black, today posting a pre-tax profit of £12.4 million for last financial year.
Surplus land to create 102,000 homes as Build Now, Pay Later extended

Housing minister Grant Shapps has pledged to extend the ‘Build Now, Pay Later’ scheme to “as many sites as possible” after revealing surplus government land will lead to more than 100,000 new homes.
Sweett Group and VVA form US joint venture

Property and infrastructure consultancy Sweett Group has formed a joint venture with VVA to deliver project and cost management services in the Americas.
T Clarke reports 11pc boost to order book

T Clarke has seen an 11 per cent increase to its order book in the last 12 months, it said today.
Ten rules for creating an infectious viral video

Viral videos can be great fun, great for branding and great for reach without necessarily having access to spectacular budgets.
Third schools director joins Byles at Cornerstone

A third former Partnership for Schools director has joined Tim Byles’ new operation Cornerstone.
Travis Perkins reports revenue rise

Building materials supplier Travis Perkins has announced a 4.4 per cent year-on-year rise in revenue for the first four months of the year.
Two in fight for £110m Building Schools for the Future work

Shepherd Construction and Willmott Dixon are set to fight it out for work worth more than £100m under one of the final BSF programmes to be completed, Construction News has learned.
Wates is top of the sustainability class

Wates Construction has begun work on the £29m Dixons Allerton Academy in Allerton, Bradford, which will cater for 1,886 students and aims to become a highly sustainable part of the local community.
Winners to take all in £2bn schools programme

Only around half a dozen contractors will win work each year from the £2 billion Priority Schools Building Programme under plans being considered by the government.
Work schedule for post-Olympics transformation revealed

Plans for the transformation of the Olympic Park post-games have been revealed, with the first phase set to be completed exactly a year after the games begin.
Yorkshire firm wins affordable homes work

Yorkshire based contractor Strategic Team Group has won a £15 million contract to build 144 new homes at “affordable” rent levels.

Construction News3 May 2012

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Construction News
3 May 2012