Construction News
December 2005

View all stories from this issue.

£1 billion cancellation that no one's to blame for

2005 REVIEW
£1.6bn boost for local transport

Local authorities are to get £1.6 billion to improve transport in 2006-07, the Government announced today.
£53m hotel deals up for grabs

CONTRACTS - CENTRAL L ONDON
4u has a gas

PLANT - BUSINESS
60 second interview - Jones sees a long future in modular recycling

NEWS
A family affair

STEEL
A wealth of contenders worthy of the top prize

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
Act decisively and business will prosper

AGENDA - Don't avoid making decisions ? it could be catastrophic, warns Jo Causon
Aircraft order 'may be scrapped'

A £31 billion project to replace Royal Navy aircraft carriers and strike aircraft may be falling 'seriously behind schedule', a Commons committee warned today.
All eyes on nuclear prize

AGENDA - As a decision on the future of nuclear power in the UK rises to the forefront of the energy debate, Stephanie Hendries assesses the issues surrounding the development of new plants and what it means for the construction industry
Allmass Cladding

SPECIALIST CONTRACTS
Alumet

SPECIALIST CONTRACTS
Amec buys French minnow

Amec has bought the assets of French heating and ventilation business Domec SA and a 37 per cent equity stake in its subsidiary, Domec Dax SARL, for £440,000.
Amec construction to disappear in break-up

NEWS - Group could be split into energy and UK infrastructure businesses Amec Spie for sale
Amec flies off with air deal

CONTRACTS - BROUGHTON
Amec waves goodbye to construction

2005 REVIEW
Anglian Water ponders Morrison sale

The owner of a construction company at the centre of a £130 million lawsuit was today said to have appointed advisers to consider the sale of the business.
Anti-terror operations up 75pct since bombs

Britain's most senior police chief revealed today that there has been a 75 per cent increase in the number of anti-terrorism operations carried out by Scotland Yard since the London bombings.
Ape restart

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Arcelor in bid for steel firm Dofasco

MATERIALS
Arcomet to become UK dealer for Potain cranes

PLANT
Are big losses too hot to handle?

2005 REVIEW
Asbestos fury

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Asda be HBG

CONTRACTS START
Ashtead and JCB deny speculation

PLANT
Atkins nabs £300m Gloucestershire highways partnership

WS Atkins has won a slice of a £300 million highways management and maintenance contract for Gloucestershire County Council.
Atlas bullish after acquisition success

PLANT - Up to 40 firms possible targets JCB commissions Atlas to build breakers
Auctioneer spots stolen JCB

PLANT
BAA plan 'greener and cheaper' second Stansted runway

Airport operator BAA today released plans for a 'greener and cheaper' second runway at Stansted airport in Essex.
Babcock in £260m bid for ports operator

Support services firm Babcock & Brown has made a £260 million takeover offer for ports operator PD Ports.
Bachy cuts more jobs

Foundations contractor restructures to deliver regional focus as big projects dive
Baggeridge feels energy price pain

Brick manufacturer Baggeridge has warned that high energy prices will make a big dent in its interim results next year.
Balfour bags £120m M&E work

Balfour Beatty's M&E subsidiary Balfour Kilpatrick has clinched seven contracts worth a total of £120 million.
Balfour Beatty set for Mowlem bid

Balfour Beatty has waded into the fight for Mowlem after coming forward as a potential bidder for the firm.
Balfour set to oust Carillion

Balfour Beatty will decide next week whether to shell out the £320 million for Mowlem analysts believe it needs to offer to create the UK's biggest contractor.
Balfour shines for PFI lighting contract

Balfour Beatty has sealed a PFI deal for street lighting with South Tyneside Council worth £63 million.
BARNSTORMING

NEWS
Battle for the new king of contracting

2005 REVIEW - COMMENT
Belfast leads the way down the gay 'aisle'

The first 'gay marriages' in Britain take place in Northern Ireland today.
Best to be laid to rest in Belfast

The body of football legend George Best will today make its final journey back to his native city of Belfast.
Bid to break EU budget deadlock

Britain will unveil its latest bid to break the deadlock in negotiations over the EU budget today, ahead of a crunch summit.
Bids rigged on contracts worth £500m

The Office of Fair Trading has uncovered evidence that bids for construction contracts worth £500m have been rigged and believes the scale of the anti-competitive practices could be much greater.
Biffa centre speeds earth remediation

MATERIALS
Big boys line up for huge M25 contract

The race for the M25 mega-contract is gathering pace as international giants look for UK partners to tender for the multibillion pound Highways Agency deal.
Big down sarf

CONTRACTS START
BIG FOOT

North Midland Construction used the largest crane in the UK to carry out overnight safety work on a footbridge on the A38, near Alfreton, Derbyshire, close to junction 28 of the M1. The Liebherr LTM1800 1,000-tonne crane ? the largest telescopic crane in the country ? is shown replacing the three spans of the footbridge onto their supports after being removed and refurbished.
Billions of pounds being squandered by Government

Billions of pounds are being squandered because Government departments have failed to learn lessons from the past, Parliament's spending watchdog warned today.
Birse losses spiral

Birse has lost nearly £10 million after closing down most of its building division and settling litigation with Citibank on a troublesome construction project.
Biwater profits rise to £6.2m

FINANCE
Blair accused over EU budget

Prime Minister Tony Blair was today accused of squandering a 'tremendous opportunity' to reform EU finances as he sought to secure a last-ditch budget deal in the dying days of Britain's European presidency.
Blair flies into Basra

Prime Minister Tony Blair flew into Basra today for a surprise Christmas visit to British troops in Iraq.
Blair prepares for battle to clinch EU budget deal

Tony Blair flies to Brussels later today, battling to broker a European budget deal and end his EU presidency in triumph.
Blair under pressure to drop nuclear plans

Labour MPs are mounting a campaign to persuade Tony Blair not to go ahead with a new generation of nuclear power stations.
Blair urges Europe to accept 'best deal on offer'

Tony Blair will today urge the European Parliament to back his new EU budget deal as the best on offer.
Blair's final round of budget pleading

Tony Blair will today begin a final round of diplomatic pleading and arm-twisting in an effort to break the deadlock in the European Union's stalled budget talks.
Blair's last-ditch bid to reach EU budget deal

Tony Blair will today embark on a last-ditch attempt to secure a deal on the EU budget.
Bluestone in Oxford win

Bluestone has notched a £5 million contract to build a School of Technology for Oxford Brookes University.
Bly wins appeal on holiday pay

NEWS
Bomb site requires care

LETTERS
Booming Atkins seeks new recruits

NEWS
Botes boost

FINANCE IN BRIEF
Bottling it

CONTRACTS START
Bourne Parking

SPECIALIST CONTRACTS
Bournemouth shopping centre shut over safety fears

A £200 million shopping centre in Bournemouth which was built by Kier has been shut following fears over the safety of the car park structure.
Boustead appointment

London Stock Exchange-listed Asian contractor Boustead has appointed Alfred Robertson and John Strachan as non-executive directors.
Bouygues fined £39m for flouting competition rules

French construction giant Bouygues's telecoms arm has been fined £39.4 million after it illegally shared information and conspired to undermine its competition.
Bradford £350m revamp to go before planners

A £350 million plan to build apartments, shops and a hotel as part of a scheme to revamp the centre of Bradford is due to go before planners.
BRE testing

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Bridging funds

CONTRACTS ROUND -UP
Briggs & Forrester

SPECIALIST CONTRACTS
Briggs's driving Poole

PEOPLE
Brown plans £3bn land windfall tax

Landowners who sell sites for property development could be required to pay a new tax to help pay for the Government's plans to build tens of thousands of new homes.
Brown slashes growth forecast

Chancellor Gordon Brown was tonight banking on a strong economic bounce back after admitting that the economy had endured its 'toughest and most challenging year'.
Brown to downgrade growth forecast in pre-budget report

Chancellor Gordon Brown will today set out the prospects for the economy, after being forced to admit he had over-estimated how strongly it was growing.
Brown wants 50,000 extra homes each year

Chancellor Gordon Brown called for an extra 50,000 homes to be built every year as fears grew over future public spending plans following his pre-Budget report on Monday.
Brown wants 50,000 extra homes each year

NEWS - Consultation starts on tax plan to lift house building as public spending fears grow
Brown's levy claims 'fail Govt test'

MATERIALS
BSS buys product firm for £14m

Plant hirer BSS has snapped up industrial products supplier A Warren and Sons for £14 million in cash.
BSS rises

FINANCE IN BRIEF
Buro Happold enlists new managing director

Buro Happold has enlisted Gavin Thompson as managing director replacing Padraic Kelly who held the position for nine years.
Cadbury unwraps plans for new factory

Cadbury Schweppes today unveiled plans for a new £70 million chewing gum factory in Poland.
Cambridge plans £86m guided bus scheme

Cambridgeshire County Council has been given the go-ahead for a £86 million project to create the world's longest guided bus.
Cameron tells Liberal Democrats 'join us'

David Cameron will appeal to Liberal Democrat voters today to switch to the Conservatives.
CANAL TURN

CONTRACTS
Cancer is 'epidemic'

NEWS - Deaths from occupational cancer could be as high as 30,000 a year, half of them in construction
Cannock do

CONTRACTS START
Capacity rise

PLANT - BUSINESS
Capital's housing associations join forces to increase efficiency in the supply chain

NEWS
Carillion agrees £291m swoop for Mowlem

Carillion has agreed to buy rival Mowlem for £291 million in a deal which will create one of the UK's biggest construction companies with an annual turnover of £4.1 billion.
Carillion increases offer for Mowlem - Breaking News

Carillion has pre-empted an offer for Mowlem from rival Balfour Beatty by upping its own to 220p a share valuing the company at £313 million, just two days after Balfour's made its intentions known.
Carillion on stand-by for £1.1bn PPP hospital financial close

Mowlem suitor Carillion is due to reach financial close on a £1.1 billion PPP deal to build the 1,200-bed Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
Carillion win hot off the press

Carillion has scooped a £230 million deal with media corporation News International to build three new printing plants in Glasgow, Liverpool and London.
Carillion wins £73m Scottish PPP

A Carillion joint venture is preferred bidder to build six new schools in South Ayrshire for £73 million under a Public Private Partnership deal.
Cash glee

NEWS IN BRIEF
CBI attacks failing planning shake-up

The Government's shake-up of the planning system was attacked as complicated and costly by business chiefs today.
Centre stage

CONTRACTS START
Century Casinos unveils first UK project

US firm Century Casinos has unveiled plans to build a casino in Croydon, greater London, its first move into the UK.
Century moves

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Chancellor sets out measures to increase housing supply

Chancellor Gordon Brown set out a series of measures to help increase the supply of homes for both buyers and tenants in his Pre-Budget statement yesterday.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
Charlton plan training ground revamp

Charlton have received a £600,000 grant from Barclays and the Football Foundation to help redevelop their training ground.
CIPS rise

NEWS - IN BRIEF
City Airport rail link opens

A busy city airport will today finally get its own train station - after more than 18 years.
City Site - A bold solution to Amec's debt problem

FINANCE
Cleveland Bridge eyes Chernobyl

CLEVELAND Bridge is hoping to win work at Chernobyl where the Russian government is planning to build a giant cover over the nuclear power station.
Cleveland Bridge gets over troubled waters

STEEL
Close competition for old police HQ

CONTRACTS - CHESHIRE
Cold steel for a Cold War

STEEL
College seeks okay for campus revamp

CONTRACTS - ESSEX
Commercial projects prop up construction

Commercial building projects propped up the construction sector as activity in housebuilding and civil engineering fell away, figures published by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply showed.
Commercial work boosts WSP

WSP Group will look to a strengthening commercial property sector in the UK, US and Sweden for two thirds of its revenue in 2006 as well as further improvements in its pipeline of prospective work.
Concrete cancer

2005 REVIEW
Concrete head

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Consider girlfriend's evidence, Judge urges murder trial jury

The judge in the Peter Falconio murder trial today asked jurors to consider whether they believed the British backpacker's girlfriend's account of how she was put into the rear of her attacker's vehicle.
Consortium picked for £350m Coventry regeneration

A consortium including Keepmoat, Westbury and Bovis Homes has been appointed preferred developer for the £350 million redevelopment of the Wood End, Deedmore, Henley Green and Manor Farm areas of Coventry.
Construction order up 7pct in the year

Construction orders increased 7 per cent in the year to October compared to the previous 12 months, figures published today by the Department of Trade and Industry showed.
Construction output set to fall

NEWS
Controlled Demolition & other disasters

2005 REVIEW
Coroner questions Potters Bar rail crash inquiry decision

A coroner today became the latest person to question the decision not to hold a public inquiry into the Potters Bar train crash.
Corus Rail gets new MD

Steel giant Corus has appointed Joe Guérin as managing director of its rail businesses.
Costs back on the rise af ter six-month drop

COSTS - Prices start to grow but are still below the first quarter of this year
Costs hit Berkeley profits

Higher construction costs and increased land prices have hit profits at urban regeneration and development firm Berkeley.
Crispin fits in

CONTRACTS START
Crossing study

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Crucial commons test for Cameron

David Cameron faces his first test as Tory leader today when he goes head-to-head with Tony Blair at Prime Minister's questions.
CSCS card is backed by the majors

LETTERS
Cuffe's Hyland keeps his chin up

PEOPLE
Cutting Edge - Fuel cell could cut carbon emissions

MATERIALS
Cutting Edge - TunnelAlert takes over airwaves

MATERIALS
'Cutting hospital waiting lists public priority'

Britons still think the Government is failing on hospital waiting times, according to research out today.
Déjà vu for the steel sector

STEEL erectors in London are planning their own late '80s revival ? but an acid house rave and a sea of smiley faces is the last thing on their minds.
Date for Amec case

THE CASE of the former Amec construction boss suing the company for unfair dismissal will begin next spring.
Death dues

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Decision next week on rail crash inquiry

A decision on whether there will be a public inquiry into the Potters Bar rail crash will be made by the end of next week, the Department for Transport said today.
Demand for green homes code delay

MATERIALS
Demolition firm fined £35k for training failure

Welsh firm Walters Demolition was hit with a £35,000 fine at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court today after a parked 20-ton load shovel rolled back without a driver injuring three people.
Diamond Synchrotron

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
DIG THIS

PEOPLE
Domestic and foreign horrors

2005 REVIEW
DOUBLE CROSSING

NEWS
Dubai giant

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Duo seal £500 million defence deal

Alfred McAlpine and Babcock have signed the Ministry of Defence's £500 million regional prime contract for eastern England.
Dust regulations leave industry under a cloud

Proposed regulations for silica dust control are set to have a profound impact on the construction industry, requiring new practices, equipment and techniques right across the sector.
Dust regulations leave industry under a cloud

Proposed regulations for silica dust control are set to have a profound impact on the construction industry, requiring new practices, equipment and techniques right across the sector.
Dust regulations leave industry under a cloud

Proposed regulations for silica dust control are set to have a profound impact on the construction industry, requiring new practices, equipment and techniques right across the sector.
E.On submits plans for £350m power plant

Powergen owner E.On UK has submitted plans for a gas-fired power plant in the Isle of Grain on the Kent coast to the Department of Trade and Industry.
Early morning care in nurseries 'failing' say Ofsted

One in three nurseries are failing to look after young children well enough early in the morning, according to a report from inspectors today.
East London line £450m loan signed

A £450 million European Union loan towards the cost of improved East London transport links for the 2012 Olympics was signed in London yesterday.
Eden Project

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
Eden Project is UK's favourite

The Eden Project is the UK's best-loved modern building, according to a new survey.
Elephant & Castle runners unveiled

CONTRACTS - SOUTH LONDON
Employee to face court over £26.5m bank robbery

A bank employee will today appear before magistrates in Belfast, facing charges in connection with the biggest cash theft in UK history.
Energy giant warns of more price rises

Millions of Britons face another year of energy bill increases after the UK's largest power supplier warned today that further price hikes were inevitable.
Engineers expected to back Tube strikes

Hundreds of London Underground engineers and workers are expected to back a series of one-day strikes in a row over pensions and working conditions.
England awaits world cup draw

Millions of England fans will find out today who Sven Goran Eriksson's men will face in the first phase of next year's World Cup.
Everton await Reds' decision over new stadium

Everton are playing down claims they are considering new plans to move from Goodison Park to a new stadium.
Experts draw up £30bn London to Scotland rail link plans

A £30 billion rail link, reducing London to Scotland journey times to three hours, should be built, a report compile by the Institution of Civil Engineers has recommended.
Failed plumber blames its dem ise on Multiplex

NEWS - Dispute over payment seen as first of many as Wembley deadline approaches
Falconio murder jury considers verdict

The jury trying a drug runner over the murder of Peter Falconio retired today to consider its verdict.
Falkirk Wheel

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
Fans say farewell to routemaster bus

Bus enthusiasts will queue from early today for the chance to be on the last jump on, jump off double-decker Routemaster bus ever to run in London.
Fees incent ive

NEWS - IN BRIEF
FELT UP

MATERIALS
Fending off fraudsters

LAW - With fraud in the industry coming under greater scrutiny, what actions can companies take to prevent employees, suppliers or subcontractors siphoning off assets? asks Catriona Dodsworth
Firefighters resume battle to put out fuel depot inferno

Fire crews hope to extinguish an 'apocalyptic' blaze at an oil depot today.
Fire-resistance of concrete is proven in BRE's research

LETTERS
Firms live on the edge with unsafe ramps

LAW - With site dumpers accounting for a large number of site accidents, it is vital to carry out risk assessment, writes James Bell
First class stamp to go up 2p

First class stamp prices are set to rise by 2p to 32p next April under plans unveiled by the postal regulator today.
Fit-out and M&E problems set back Mowlem's £95m schools PFI project

NEWS
Five combine to bid monster M25 deal

PFI investor John Laing has announced the formation of a five-strong Anglo-French consortium to bid £1.5 billion of widening work on the M25 motorway.
Five firms dial in to Network Rail's £600m

NEWS
Flat lands

CONTRACTS START
Flu pandemic 'could cause food shortages'

A flu pandemic could spark food shortages and panic buying, an all-party committee of peers said today.
Football chief doubts Wembley completion

Football League chairman Sir Brian Mawhinney said he does not believe the new Wembley stadium will be open for this season's showpiece finals.
Former Guantanamo detainee pleads for British hostage

A former detainee at the American military base at Guantanamo Bay has called for the release of British hostage Norman Kember.
Forth faults

NEWS IN BRIEF
Foster chosen to build ground zero tower

Lord Foster has been chosen to build an office tower at the World Trade Center site in New York for developer Larry Silverstein it was announced last night.
Four firms chase Holborn retender

A high-profile job in central London has been retendered after two of the three shortlisted bidders pulled out.
Four killed in Indonesian mosque collapse

The minaret of a mosque under construction collapsed today in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, killing four workers and injuring five others.
Four picked for £140m affordable housing partnership

Bovis, Bellway, Persimmon and London firm First Base have become the first non-registered social landlords to receive grants from the Housing Corporation under a £200 million programme called the New Partnership in Affordable Housing.
Friendly Carillion moves to reassure 'good fit' Mowlem

NEWS
Friendly rivalry drives subbies big and small

STEEL
FSL Groundworks

SPECIALIST CONTRACTS
Fury as Home Office rejects inquiry into July 7 bombings

Politicians and victims have criticised the Government's decision not to hold a public inquiry into the July 7 terrorist atrocities.
Galliford Try bags £6m bypass

Gallford Try has bagged a £6 million roads contract for Warwickshire County Council.
Galliford Try enlists three managers

The contractor has strengthened its senior management team with three key appointments.
Gas price rise to hit plastic pipe output

MATERIALS - Producers call on Government to axe Climate Change Levy to offset gas hike
Gas workers strike in pensions row

British Gas engineers today launched the first of a planned wave of strikes in the run-up to Christmas and in the New Year.
Gateway mired in complexity

NEWS - Leading consultant calls for central organisation to assess Thames Gateway firms to avoid 'endless prequalification'
GERMAN MIGHT

PLANT
Get prepped

CONTRACTS START
Gleeson top of the class

Gleeson has clinched another City Academy scheme with a £13 million scheme in Leicester.
GMB hits out at Wembley redundancies

General union the GMB has hit out at news that there will be 22 redundancies at the £450 million Wembley National Stadium project.
Good business

CONTRACTS START
Govt stands firm on Part L deadline

MATERIALS
Govt urged to tackle homes crisis with treasury windfall

Billions of pounds that have gone to the Treasury following the scrapping of mortgage tax relief, and other policy changes linked to housing, should be used to tackle the homes crisis, according to a report out today.
Grafton snaps up two regional merchants

Irish materials group Grafton has snapped up two builders' merchants for an undisclosed sum.
Green award

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Green light

A-Plant Traffic Systems has won a £400,000 contract to supply traffic management equipment to Mowlem for its work on the A206 Thames Road improvements.
Greenwich Millennium Dome

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
Growth factor

CONTRACTS ROUND -UP
Gurney grows

FINANCE IN BRIEF
H+H award

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Hanson warns increased energy costs could hit 2006 earnings

Hanson, the world's largest supplier of sand and gravel, is expecting pre-tax profits to rise by up to 13 per cent in 2005 when it announces its figures for the year ended December 31, but it warned that increased energy costs could affect profits in the first half of 2006.
Hardie boycott

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Hatfield trial concludes

2005 REVIEW
Haymills hits heights with tower

CONTRACTS - CROYDON
Heads row overshadows school league results

Record results in this year's primary school league tables were overshadowed today when the heads of two top schools attacked key Government policies.
Heathrow builders stage second walk out

Workers building the new £4.2 billion terminal at Heathrow airport staged the second of a series of 24-hour strikes today.
Henry Boot FD to retire

The contractor has announced that its group finance director Tony Cooper will retire as of June 2006.
Heywood Williams' hurricane success

Products outfit Heywood Williams is expecting to storm back into the black in the year ending December 31, 2005 with pre-tax profits of £9 million well ahead of market expectations thanks to its North American business which cashed in on the worst hurricane season on record.
High Gloucs

CONTRACTS START
Hirers call for LGV sk ills card exemption

PLANT - European law to require drivers of heavy trucks to have extra competence card
Hirers fight to retain their red diesel rights

PLANT - Revenue under fire over plans to remove truck-mounted access platforms from Excepted Vehicle list
Home win

CONTRACTS START
HOT AIR

Mansell is installing a 1,110 sq m inflatable roof above its £2.5 million redevelopment of Heathrow's central bus and coach station. The roof was engineered in conjunction with adventure balloonist Per Lindstrand.
Housebuilding share rise on positive Wilson Bowden update

Share in house builders gained this morning led by Wilson Bowden after an upbeat trading statement from the company lifted shares 7 per cent or 97p to 1487p.
HSE forum

PLANT BUSINESS
Hull port project gets go-ahead

Transport minister Derek Twigg announced today that Associated British Ports' proposed £40 million Quay 2005 container terminal on the riverside in front of the Alexandra Dock in Hull has received final approval.
Hyder booms

NEWS IN BRIEF
I won't quit, says defiant Kennedy

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy is under continued pressure today amid widespread reports that some of his party's most senior MPs have urged him to quit.
Illegals raid

NEWS IN BRIEF
Impregilo wraps up £150m Oxford cancer hospital

Italian contractor Impregilo has reached financial close on a £150 million deal to build and manage a new 220-bed cancer hospital in Oxford for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.
IN STOCK

MATERIALS
IN STOCK

MATERIALS
In training

CONTRACTS START
India plans second international airport in Mumbai

India plans to build a second international airport in the western city of Mumbai, its financial capital, as part of a £5 billion plan to improve the country's airport infrastructure over the next five years.
Industry survives a taxing year

2005 REVIEW
Inquest into British Tsunami victims to re-open

A mass inquest into the deaths of 93 British victims of the devastating Asian tsunami will re-open today at an exhibition centre.
Interest rates kept on hold

The Bank of England kept interest rates on hold at 4.5 per cent four the fourth month in a row today as it kept a watchful eye on inflationary pressures triggered by the rapid rise in energy bills.
InteriorExterior predicts jump in profits

InteriorExterior owner ISG expects profits in first half of the financial year to be well ahead of the same stage last year thanks to strong demand in all its markets.
Investigation launched into train near miss

An investigation has been launched after a train skidded on slippery tracks through two red lights before stopping just 300 yards from another train.
It's good to talk, says McCormack

STEEL - As the British Constructional Steelwork Association ticks over towards its centenary, newly installed president Donal McCormack looks forward to the future, both of the organisation and the sector it serves. Alasdair Reisner spoke to him
John Laing to bid for £300m waste upgrade PFI

A joint venture including John Laing subsidiary Laing Roads & Utilities and Viridor Waste Management are set to bid for a £300 million contract to upgrade waste facilities for the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
John Lewis to refurb with Styles

Fit-out specialist Styles and Wood is set to bag a £100 million contract to refurbish the flagship London store of retailer John Lewis.
John Lewis to refurb with Styles

CONTRACTS - LONDON
Judge examines Van Hoogstraten's part in rival's 'assassination'

A High Court judge is to rule today on a claim that property baron Nicholas van Hoogstraten was behind the 'assassination' of one of his business rivals.
Kelly faces commons grilling on school reforms

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly will face a public grilling over school reform plans today after they were thrown into doubt by John Prescott.
Kidnapped Briton deadline extended

Foreign secretary Jack Straw renewed calls for the release of hostage Norman Kember after reports that the deadline for his execution had been extended.
Kier battles to cure car park

Kier has called in three specialist firms to work around the clock to prop up the car park on Bournemouth's £200 million Castlepoint shopping centre after it was closed due to safety fears last week.
Kier battles to cure car park

Retailers furious after safety concerns see specialists called in to prop up building
Kier in concert

CONTRACTS START
Knowles plans job cuts

Dispute specialist prepares staff for redundancies after praising 'marvellous team'
Labour rebels draw battlelines over education

The battlelines in the row over the Government's education policy will be laid down today by Labour MPs convinced they will mean a return to selection.
Lafarge reveals quarry building plans

Cement giant Lafarge has unveiled plans for a sports facility on the former Blue Circle quarry site in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Laing ends bid talks

PFI investor John Laing has ended talks with a potential bidder for the firm.
Laing sells PFI stakes for £26.7 million

Laing has sold its 50 per cent stake in four PFI projects to Allianz PFI Holdings - a subsidiary of insurance giant Allianz AG - for £26.7 million.
Laing share price hits four-year high on takeover talks

Shares in John Laing jumped 17 per cent to a four year high on Friday after the company said it had received a takeover approach for the company.
Lancsville is cast in O'Rourke's mould

Concrete subcontractor Lancsville has grown fast by picking up contracts that no longer interest its giant rivals. As it moves into main contracting it is not hard to guess who the role model is. Phil Bishop reports
Lewishaw £110m scheme gets go-ahead

Plans for a £110 million fourth phase of the Silwood Estate regeneration project for the London Borough of Lewisham and Southwark in south London got the green light this week.
Lighting guide

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Little Xmas cheer for Amec's staff

AGENDA - COMMENT
Liverpool John Moores University plans get go-ahead

Plans for a £23.5 million art and design academy at Liverpool John Moores University got the green light this week.
Local authorities struggle to meet housing targets

The majority of local authorities do not think they will be able to meet the demand for affordable housing by 2007 - despite £3.3 billion being invested in providing it, a report warned today.
Local hero takes on the nationals for police deal

CONTRACTS - SOUTH WALES
London's local authorities review plans for cutting emissions on capital's sites

PLANT
Lovell wins £8m homes modernisation

Lovell has secured an £8 million contract to revamp former council homes in Shrewsbury for registered social landlord Severnside Housing.
M&E alarms

NEWS IN BRIEF
Mainlands

SPECIALIST CONTRACTS
Man held over July 21 bomb attempts

Anti-terror officers were tonight questioning a British man suspected of providing logistical support for those accused of involvement in the July 21 alleged attempted bombings.
Man in court over Pc killing

A 24-year-old man will appear in court today charged with the murder of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky.
Mansell bags £14m Tottenham arts centre

Mansell, the Balfour Beatty owned contractor, has won a £14 million deal to build the Bernie Grant Arts Centre at the disused Tottenham swimming baths in north London.
Market Watch

FINANCE
Market Watch

FINANCE
Mastenbroek trencher packs a hard punch

PLANT
Mayor suspended for planning rules breach

A town mayor has been suspended for improperly trying to block a planning application near his home.
McCarthy & Stone margins under pressure

Retirement home builder McCarthy & Stone warned that its margins are set to decline further amid the rising cost of construction and land and little movement in house prices.
McNicholas pair to fight £1.4 million

A LONG-running feud between McNicholas Con - struction and sacked chief executive Colin McNicholas is expected to reignite in the New Year.
MEGA-MOSQUE

CONTRACTS
Merseytram fights DfT axe decision

NEWS
Merseytram scheme axed

NEWS
Michelmersh in £10m land sale

Brickmaker Michelmersh will make £10 million by cashing in land at its Telford headquarters after giving house builder Persimmon an option over the site.
Midas strikes gold in Reading

Midas Construction has notched a £3.1million scheme to revamp Brunel Retail Park in Reading for Norwich Union and financial services firm Morley Fund Management.
Mini-piling rigs to the rescue in a tight spot

Major groundworks have been needed to support a 5 m basement within a Grade II listed London Hotel. But Cementation Foundations Skanska's challenge was to drive big piles without the aid of big rigs. Damian Arnold reports
Mitie social fund

FINANCE
MoD report praises PFI contracts

Private Finance Initiative projects are delivering defence procurements on time, to budget, and to specification according to a review published today undertaken by the Ministry of Defence.
Montpellier boss to change firm's name to Renew

NEWS
Moorhouse, City of London

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
More Grafton

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Morgan Sindall propelled by affordable housing demand

Morgan Sindall benefited from strong demand for fit-out and affordable housing in 2005 and is on course to produce results towards the top end of market expectations when it reports its figures for the year ended December 31 in February next year.
Morrison case delayed as judge is told to quit

NEWS - Court of Appeal tells judge to go because of friendship with witness
Morrison profits jump ten fold

Operating profits at AWG-owned contractor Morrison increased more than ten-fold to £14.5 million in the six months to September 30 from £1.3 million a year earlier.
Mowlem lands £10m Coventry car park refurb

Mowlem has nabbed a £10 million deal to refurbish and extend a multi-storey car park in Coventry for developer Oakmoor Deeley.
MPs fear threat to postal service

Fears that Royal Mail deliveries to every address in Britain could be threatened by opening the postal service to competition were voiced by senior MPs today.
MPs round on home office over police force mergers

The Home Office will come under renewed attack today from MPs angry at plans to merge police forces.
Much smoke but still no concrete fire tests

LETTERS
Multiplex losses spiral further on Wembley

Wembley stadium contractor Multiplex warned today that it faced a further increase in losses on the project.
Multiplex unveils plan for 'green' apartments

NEWS
Multiplex wins £168m Dubai tower

Wembley National Stadium builder Multiplex has won a £168 million deal to build a 68-storey skyscraper in Dubai's financial centre for Union Properties as part of a complex designed by Foster and Partners.
Multiplex's Wembley headaches

2005 REVIEW
Murder law shake-up plans unveiled

The number of killers charged with manslaughter rather than murder could rocket under legal reforms being published today.
Nailed down

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Nazis haunt 2012 park

CONTRACTORS involved in the clean-up of London's 2012 Olympic park could have to remove hundreds of unexploded bombs buried on the site.
NBA drop

FINANCE IN BRIEF
Ness is war

NEWS IN BRIEF
Network Rail lets bumper rail contract

Network Rail has awarded a bumper seven year steel contract to Corus and Austrian steel firm Voestalpine to provide up to 100,000 tonnes of rail a year.
New fears over deadly hospital bug

Hospitals are not doing enough to prevent the spread of a killer bug, the Government's health watchdog warned today.
New strategy

NEWS IN BRIEF
NHS reform could lead to patient charges

The reform programme currently being rolled out across the NHS could lead to patients being charged for care, experts warned today.
NI £250m road scheme given go ahead

Plans for Northern Ireland's biggest road scheme, to upgrade the A6 to dual carriageway standard was given the green light by the Government today.
Nick of time

CONTRACTS START
No 'Punch and Judy politics' says Cameron

David Cameron has again pledged not to play 'Punch and Judy politics' if, as expected, he is named Tory leader later today.
No upturn for Artisan in regions

NEWS
North Midland £9.5m water win

North Midland Construction has clinched a £9.5 million project to build a new water treatment works in Bridlington for Yorkshire Water.
Norwest Holst bags £5.9m scheme

Vinci-owned Norwest Holst has clinched a £5.9 million contract to build a distribution centre for cosmetic firm L'Oréal at Sherwood Park in Nottingham for London-based developer Highbridge.
Nuclear countdown

AGENDA
Off-site house building 'can quadruple output'

MATERIALS
Oil blast bosses deny leaks at depot

Oil bosses denied today that there had been leaks before yesterday's massive depot explosion.
Oil inferno fire services 'desperately stretched'

The fire service leading the battle against the inferno at an oil terminal today was 'desperately stretched', the Fire Brigades' Union said today.
Olympic debate postponed

The Lords' first debate on the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill, which prepares the ground for the 2012 events, has been delayed until early next year, Government Chief Whip Lord Grocott announced yesterday.
Olympic dream comes true

2005 REVIEW
Olympic pool busts budget

Architect Zaha Hadid is forced to redesign £75m aquatic centre as costs double
Olympic pool's seat numbers may halve

THE OLYMPIC aquatic centre for London's 2012 Games could have to halve its 20,000 capacity to meet its £75 million budget.
Olympics chief named

The man who is to run London's 2012 Olympic Games was named today.
On the brink

STEEL
On the road

CONTRACTS START
ON TOP

MATERIALS
On-site assembly

STEEL
Output falls but growth in jobs bucks the trend

ECOCOMY - Construction faces a tricky period with fi gures pointing to a flat 12 months ahead, but employment in the industry is on the rise. How can this be, asks Brian Green?
PANE RELIEVER

NEWS
Panel storey

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Paul Gascoigne arrested after alleged assault

Paul Gascoigne has been arrested after an alleged assault outside a city centre hotel.
Pay rises dip

NEWS IN BRIEF
Pension increases unaffordable for contractors

More than half of construction firms said that pension schemes would be unaffordable if contributions increase by as little 5 per cent, a survey carried out by accountants RSM Robson Rhodes showed.
Persimmon bullish on prospects

House builder Persimmon is expecting strong 2005 results following a strong autumn sales performance and recent acquisitions.
Persimmon swoops for Senator

Persimmon has hit the acquisition trail again after buying regional house builder Senator Homes for £25 million.
PFI buckles up for a turbulent ride

2005 REVIEW
Pilkington rejects Japanese takeover

Glass maker Pilkington today spurned the advances of its biggest shareholder for a second time by rejecting a new takeover proposal worth £2.08 billion.
Planning delays hit Center Parc's fifth resort

Planning delays on Center Parc's fifth resort -proposed for a site in Warren Wood near Woburn, Bedfordshire - cost the holiday operator £765,000.
Plans for Poundbury flats thrown out

A developer has lost its appeal to build a controversial block of flats at the Prince of Wale's model village in Poundbury, Dorset.
Plant 2006

PLANT BUSINESS
Plant headaches

2005 REVIEW
Plastic vans

PLANT BUSINESS
Police forces merger plans outlined today

Plans to merge four West Midlands police forces will be outlined today, according to reports.
Polish warning

NEWS IN BRIEF
Polyglot lot held in raid

NEWS
Posh digs

CONTRACTS START
Potters Bar rail crash inquiry ruled out

The Government today ruled out a public inquiry into the May 2002 Potters Bar rail crash which claimed seven lives and injured eleven.
Power plant options up for review

NEWS
Power play

PLANT - BUSINESS
PP Screeds

SPECIALIST CONTRACTS
Prescott announces second wave of £60k home builders

Westbury, William Verry and the Countryside Consortium have been picked by English Partnerships under the second wave of John Prescott's Design for Manufacturecontest - better known as the £60K house competition.
Prezza and his £60,000 house

2005 REVIEW
Primark job

CONTRACTS START
Private consultant swoops for James R Knowles

James R Knowles, the AIM-listed legal and construction cost consultant, has received a cash offer for the entire business from rival Systech Group.
Profits fall

FINANCE IN BRIEF
Property market to remain subdued

The property market will remain subdued during 2006, with prices edging ahead by just 3 per cent, Britain's biggest mortgage lender predicted today.
Pukka plans

PLANT BUSINESS
Pupil appeal

PLANT BUSINESS
Quality drive holds up police stations

Construction work on new police stations is being delayed because civil servants want their design to be more 'inspirational'.
Quarriers blast site inspection charges

MATERIALS - Government plans for checks costing over £1,000 a year are ‘a slap in the face’
Quarriers hit out at slashed roads budget

NEWS
Quoin UK

SPECIALIST CONTRACTS
RECYCLE IT

MATERIALS
Recycled soil

PLANT - BUSINESS
Red reprieve

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Red tape hope

NEWS IN BRIEF
Report casts doubt on bird flu drug

A 'frightening' report has cast fresh doubts over the drug used to combat bird flu, after two people died after failing to respond to the treatment.
Retailers cash in on 'gay marriage' products

Retailers are gearing up for the first civil partnerships with new 'gay marriage' products.
Revenue delays tax status tool for tests

NEWS
RICS forecasts housing market upturn

Interest rate cuts and growth in employment will help speed up growth in UK house prices next year, research carried out by the Royal Institution of Chartered has predicted.
RICS says house prices rising

House prices rose for the first time in 15 months, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said today.
Road invite

CONTRACTS ROUND -UP
Roof light fall

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Rowecord on the spot for River Usk bridge

STEEL
Royal Bank of Scotland HQ, Gogarburn

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
Safety alert as EU sticks boot in over imports from China

NEWS
Safety checks for rail tragedy crossing

Network Rail today promised to look at possible improvements to safety at a level crossing where two teenage girls were killed on Saturday.
Safety hotline

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Saint Gobain unveils BPB board overhaul

Saint Gobain has unveiled major changes on the board of BPB following its £4 billion acquisition of the plasterboard manufacturer last month.
School place

CONTRACTS ROUND -UP
Scots civils face big funding shortfall

NEWS - Water watchdog turns down utility's bid for extra cash to fund new schemes
Scots threaten to block nuclear plants

THE SCOTTISH Executive's first minister Jack McConnell will try to prevent the building of nuclear power plants in Scotland by attempting to block the planning process.
Scottish procurement reform to boost SMEs

The Scottish Executive is planning to reform procurement rules to make it easier for small and medium sized companies to bid for public sector work.
Scottish school revamp up for grabs

Plans for an £11.5 million schools revamp in Paisley, near Glasgow have been flagged up to contractors in the Official Journal of the European Unionas a prior information notice.
Second new tax imposed on oil firms

Gordon Brown imposed a new tax on oil companies for the second time in less than a year today.
Second Severn Crossing

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
Service charge

FINANCE IN BRIEF
Settled up

FINANCE IN BRIEF
SFO probes Mabey and Johnson corruption claims

The Serious Fraud Office is examining allegations of possible corruption involving the British bridge-building firm Mabey and Johnson in both the Philippines and Iraq, according to The Guardiannewspaper.
Shepherd lifts steel at Picketts Lock

Shepherd is lifting 12 steel trusses into place to complete the shell of the £13.5 million indoor sports facility at the site of the ill-fated Picketts Lock stadium project in north London.
Signoff: David Taylor

THERE are plenty of good reasons to want to change your name.
Signoff: David Taylor

I'M A GREAT believer in renewable energy ? except when it comes to wind farms. My opposition is based on the unsophisticated and therefore solid and unshakable grounds that wind farms are stupid.
Sir Elton ties the knot

Sir Elton John and his long-term partner David Furnish are among nearly 700 gay couples expected to 'tie the knot' in England and Wales today.
Six firms chosen for Staffordshire housing revamp

Balfour Beatty, The Casey Group, Keepmoat, Thomas Vale, local firm Toft Johnson and Wates have all been picked to regenerate neighbourhoods and renovate rundown homes under a housing pathfinder for RENEW North Staffordshire.
Six firms nab bumper £195m rail deal

A line up of six contractors will share a £195 million on-track plant deal checking the track position for Network Rail over three years.
Six firms share £195m rail plant bonanza

A line up of six contractors will share a bumper on-track plant deal for Network Rail worth up to £195 million over three years.
Skanska wins £113m Bristol schools programme

Skanska is preferred bidder for Bristol City Council's £113 million 10-year Building Schools for the Future programme, the first to be let under the Government-backed scheme.
Skanska wins £55.4m US rail project

Skanska has won a £55.4 million contract with US public transport operator New Jersey Transit to revamp train maintenance facility.
Skills card scheme 'doomed to failure'

LETTERS
Slough Estates appointment

Developer Slough Estates has appointed David Sleath as its new finance director.
South Bank Uni set for £17m extension

Contractors are invited to tender for a £17 million eight storey teaching block for London South Bank University.
South London home revamp worth £570m

Housing association London & Quadrant Group is looking for contractors to bid for a deal worth up to £570 million to build and refurbish homes in south London.
Space 4 to grow

FINANCE
Speedy cells

Speedy Hire has ordered 300 power tool chargers based on hydrogen technology from fuel cell specialist Voller Energy.
Speedy Hire predicts massive expansion

PLANT - Hirer unveils plans to triple its turnover to grab 30 per cent market share
Sporting veteran Henry brings stadium expertise

NEWS - 60 second interview
Spotlight: Crest Nicholson

FINANCE
Stadium headaches, horrors in the laboratory and other nightmares

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
STAYING PUT

Stay cables for a £2.8 million cycle and pedestrian crossing of the River Towy in Carmar then designed by consultant Gifford are being connected by steelwork contractor Rowecord for Mowlem. The 150m-long, cable stayed steel bridge will have a total of 24 cables supporting its 70m span over the Towy.
Stepnell gets slice of schools framework

CONTRACTS - DORSET
strange but true

PEOPLE
strange but true

PEOPLE
strange but true

PEOPLE
strange but true

PEOPLE
Strife at Wembley stadium

STEEL
Strike decision due in T5 pay row

Union leaders will meet today to decide whether to call a strike among 900 workers building the new £4.2 million Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport - Britain's biggest building site.
STUDENT DIG

CONTRACTS
Study calls for construction of regional mega-depots

A series of gigantic distribution depots with vast warehouses must be built to meet future market demands, a study said today.
Sunley down

NEWS IN BRIEF
Sunset for steel standard?

The pay deal that has guaranteed relative peace on major steel jobs for nearly 25 years is facing a massive threat as employers and unions prepare to lock horns in the latest round of negotiations.
Sussex Uni £10m accommodation scheme

Sussex University is looking for a contractor to build a £10 million 250-bed student residence in Brighton.
Swimming body wades in to Aquatics centre debate

The Amateur Swimming Association have expressed concern following suggestions the London 2012 Olympic Games aquatics centre could have its intended capacity halved.
SWP caps losses following restructure

SWP Group, which produces specialist construction products, narrowed losses to £521,000 in the year ended June 30, 2005 compared to a £2.7 million deficit at the same stage in 2004, following a review and restructure of its three businesses.
System scaffolder card

PLANT
T5 leaders meet at last minute to avert strike

Union leaders were meeting Laing O'Rourke bosses last night (Wednesday) in a bid to head off strike action at Heathrow's Terminal 5 site.
T5 row is payback for years of abuse

LETTERS
T5's pay saga

2005 REVIEW
Taking office

CONTRACTS START
Talking trends

MATERIALS - IN BRIEF
Teaching reading goes 'back to basics'

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly today announced a major overhaul of the way young children are taught to read, using a so-called 'back to basics' teaching method.
Team players

STEEL
Terror shooting police chief faces grilling

Britain's most senior police chief will today face police authority members for the first time since it emerged his conduct over the Stockwell shooting is to be investigated.
TESL sold

FINANCE IN BRIEF
The alternative year in pictures

2005 REVIEW
The campaign for safety remains critical

2005 REVIEW
The future is nuclear

AGENDA - COMMENT
There's an imaginative and popular alternative to Stonehenge tunnel

LETTERS
Thomas Vale growth is ahead of schedule

FINANCE - Contractor's turnover rises £36.9 million in 2005 but acquisitions dent margins
Three charged with supporting terrorists

Three men will appear in court today charged with terrorism offences.
Tide is turning for steel-framed homes

STEEL
Titon braced for falling consumer confidence

Building products manufacturer Titon increased pre-tax profits 11 per cent through cost cutting and improving its manufacturing processes to weather a fall in demand and weakening consumer confidence.
Titon rise

FINANCE IN BRIEF
Tony's nuclear future

2005 REVIEW
Tool figures

PLANT BUSINESS
TOP TEN CONTRACTS 2005

2005 REVIEW
TOWER FALL

NEWS
Treasury climbs down over new CIS tax scheme

2005 REVIEW
Tricorn boosts profits with cost cutting

Aim-listed products firm Tricorn boosted net profits to £265,000 in the six months to September 30 up from £6,000 last year after benefiting from an increase in sales and cost cutting to improve margins.
Troubled Ultraframe appoints advisor to undertake business review

Ailing building products specialist Ultraframe has appointed an advisor to run the rule over the business after it reported a 57 per cent slump in pre-tax profits today for the year ended September 30, 2005.
Tube strike called off

A Christmas strike on the London Underground by 1,800 staff working for private infrastructure firm Metronet has been called off by rail union the RMT after the two sides reached an agreement over outsourcing, redundancies and pensions.
Two to be sentenced over racist axe murder

Two relatives of a Premiership footballer will be sentenced today for the racist murder of black teenager Anthony Walker.
Two-thirds of hospitals failing highest cleaning standards

Two-thirds of hospitals are failing to meet the highest standards of cleanliness, the results of spot-checks revealed today.
Tyneside twins

PROJECT OF THE DECADE
Ucatt joins ranks of T5 strike - update

Ucatt members will join a series of strikes planned at the new £4.2 billion Heathrow Terminal 5 construction site in a row over pay.
Unions aim high for Blue Book pay review

NEWS - Both sides seek dispute-free talks as union officials avoid specific figures for rises in 'buoyant' sector
Unions strike on T5 over bonus row

Nearly 1,000 workers on Heathrow's £4.2 billion Terminal 5 project went on a 24-hour strike today.
UPLIFTING

PLANT
US army order

PLANT BUSINESS
US performance boosts Ashtead

Strong US trading conditions have helped rental group Ashtead more than double pre-tax profits for the first half of the year.
Valla on call

PLANT BUSINESS
Veteran retires

NEWS IN BRIEF
Volvo revamps graders, backhoes and haulers

PLANT
Vp acquires Dudley Vale in £3.5m deal

PLANT
Vp expands

NEWS IN BRIEF
Vp prospers after spending spree

Equipment hirer Vp has lifted pre-tax profits by 19 per cent after a buoyant six months of acquisitions.
Ware away

CONTRACTS START
Warks on Try

CONTRACTS START
WATER WORK

MATERIALS
Waterman boosts environmental business with JPE swoop

Consultant Waterman has bought environmental management consultant JP Envirosystems for £250,000.
Wates slams Govt building programme plans

Most of the Government's building programmes - designed to deal with the UK's housing shortage - are pre-programmed to fail, a report produced by Wates said.
Wates warns rundown revamps will fail

NEWS
We win aga in

NEWS IN BRIEF
Weatherwise wins £1.8m cladding contract

Curtain walling and cladding firm Weatherwise has secured a £1.8 million cladding contract for a residential project in Manchester for developer Dandara.
Wedgwood museum gets go-ahead

Plans for a £10 million museum in Stoke-on-Trent for pottery giant Wedgwood got the green light today with a cash injection of £6 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Wembley may be late - updated

Multiplex today admitted that work on the new £375 million Wembley national stadium may not be completed in time for the 2006 FA Cup final - the first football fixture at the venue.
Wembley steel lawsuit could run until 2007

The multi-million pound Wembley stadium court battle between Multiplex and Cleveland Bridge is expected to drag on until 2007.
Wembley steel lawsuit could run until 2007

Case split into two after amendments prevent Multiplex meeting submissions deadline
Wilson Bowden reports sales boost

House builder Wilson Bowden reported an upturn in buyer confidence today after a boost in sales.
Wind problem

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Wolseley appointed chief executive for North America

Builders' merchant Wolseley has appointed Frank Roach as chief executive of the North American operation.
Workers at Terminal 5 underpaid

LETTERS
Workers back off from strike at T5

NEWS - Less than 30 per cent of Heathrow workforce voted for action, say employers
WWWay to go

CONTRACTS START
WWWay to go

Glasgow firm WWW Electrical Contractors has clinched a £5 million deal to upgrade local authority houses over five years for Newcastle City Council.
WWWay to go

Glasgow firm WWW Electrical Contractors has clinched a £5 million deal to upgrade local authority houses over five years for Newcastle City Council.
Xmas cheer

NEWS - IN BRIEF
Zac Goldsmith is the new blue green

New Conservative leader David Cameron today named anti-capitalist campaigner Zac Goldsmith as joint head of a new group charged with developing policy ideas on the environment for the party.

Construction NewsDecember 2005

Construction News
December 2005