Construction News
Rhiannon Hoyle

Rhiannon reports on all aspects of the construction industry but specialises in health and safety and legal issues.

PC Harrington plots Middle East path

17-Jun-2010
PC Harrington chairman Pat Harrington believes the specialist contractor and plant hire firm can increase Middle Eastern turnover dramatically within two years.
Contractors to vie for Westfield fit-out

10-Jun-2010
Retailers are set to begin procuring contractors for the fit-out of retail units at Westfield’s £1.45 billion Stratford City development.
MJ Gleeson in £4m battle with 12 subbies over MK school defects

10-Jun-2010
Hampshire-based contractor MJ Gleeson is in a £4 million legal tussle with 12 of its former subcontractors after “numerous defects” were allegedly found on a school project the team completed in Milton Keynes seven years ago.
Step forward for £3bn coal plant plans

10-Jun-2010
Contracting giants hungry for new energy work are expected to soon be in talks with Peel Energy over its plans for a £3 billion multi-fuel power station at Hunterston, North Ayrshire.
Oxfordshire council reviews all schemes in £500m capital budget

9-Jun-2010
Dozens of education, transport and leisure projects are at risk in Oxfordshire after the county council announced a review of its £500 million capital budget.
Bovis CEO Nick Pollard to leave group

4-Jun-2010
Bovis Lend Lease chief executive Nick Pollard is understood to be stepping down after less than two years in the role.
Contractor fined £45k over lift fatality

4-Jun-2010
Kent-based contractor J Brown Services has been ordered to pay £45,000 in fines and costs after a fitter was crushed to death in a lift accident in Mayfair in 2005.
Cornwall developer fined £4.5k over asbestos failures

4-Jun-2010
Cornwall development company Norwegian Homes has been fined £4,500 for failing to undertake a survey for the presence of toxic asbestos fibres at a demolition site in Perranporth.
ODA scraps 'key' Olympic Park turbine

3-Jun-2010
Plans for a 130m-high wind turbine at the Olympic Park site in London have been abandoned, the Olympic Delivery has announced today.
Ex-Carillion director David Hurcomb named NG Bailey's new CEO

3-Jun-2010
Former Carillion executive director David Hurcomb has been appointed as chief executive officer at building services firm NG Bailey.
Asda work expected after takeover bid

3-Jun-2010
Fit-out contractors are hoping for a surge in work after supermarket giant Asda confirmed plans to acquire the UK arm of discount retailer Netto.
Construction injuries down 15pc

3-Jun-2010
The rate of non-fatal injuries on construction projects fell by more than 15 per cent in the last nine months of 2009, indicating a significant improvement in site safety.
Housebuilding recovery under threat

3-Jun-2010
Developers were this week facing a “very concerning” hiatus in housebuilding, with Kickstart schemes at risk of collapse and regional targets set to be scrapped.
Aston Villa fined after contractor suffers 'severe' injuries in fall

1-Jun-2010
Premier League football club Aston Villa has been fined £1,350 after a worker broke bones in his heels when he fell through a roof during the redevelopment of its training ground.
Inquest into Potters Bar deaths to begin after 'extreme delay'

1-Jun-2010
An inquest into the deaths of seven people killed in a train crash at Potters Bar eight years ago, for which collapsed rail contractor Jarvis admitted liability, will start today.
Osborne takes axe to industry

27-May-2010
Chancellor George Osborne cut several swathes out of the construction industry this week as he outlined how the coalition government would achieve an extra £6.25 billion of savings this financial year. Construction News assesses the damage.
MSPs throw support behind Forth bridge in project 'milestone'

27-May-2010
Plans for the new £2 billion Forth Replacement Crossing have received overwhelming support by MSPs following a debate at Holyrood.
Milford Haven legal battle escalates

27-May-2010
Steel firm Cleveland Bridge UK is set to launch an arbitration against the Whessoe/VolkerStevin joint venture that built a £250 million gas terminal in Wales, claiming it is owed money for work on the project.
Mivan to target luxury homes market

27-May-2010
Specialist contractor Mivan is branching out into the buoyant prime residential market, with plans for the construction and refurbishment of single luxury homes to make up as much as 40 per cent of its turnover by 2012.
Court refuses to reduce Network Rail fine for Staffordshire fatals

26-May-2010
Network Rail has failed to have a £670,000 fine for the deaths of two men in Staffordshire overturned by the Court of Appeal.
M&S to increase capital expenditure by third

26-May-2010
High street retailer Marks and Spencer plans to increase its capital expenditure by more than a third in the coming year.
New planning and energy laws outlined in Queen's Speech

25-May-2010
New laws to allow councils greater control over housing and planning decisions and to secure energy supplies were announced this morning in the Queen’s Speech.
BAA withdraws application for second runway at Stansted

24-May-2010
UK airport operator BAA is withdrawing its application to build a second runway at London’s Stansted Airport.
Chancellor earmarks cash for 50 colleges and 4,000 social housing starts

24-May-2010
Colleges and social housing have today received a boost under chancellor George Osborne’s first spending review, which detailed more than £6 billion of cuts to be made across Whitehall.
Osborne unveils £6.25bn in spending cuts

24-May-2010
The new coalition Government has today unveiled £6.243 billion of public spending cuts.
BIS faces substantial cuts as Osborne unveils £6bn savings

24-May-2010
Chancellor George Osborne is preparing to set out details of the Government’s £6 billion in public spending cuts due to be made this year.
Scottish govt to unveil new housing policy

24-May-2010
Scottish ministers will today unveil new plans to tackle the effects of public spending cuts on the housing market.
Safety council launches Twitter campaign to target young workers

21-May-2010
The British Safety Council has launched a new campaign in a bid to reduce young worker injuries and deaths, with early figures showing four construction workers under the age of 30 were killed on sites last year.
Clarity demanded on Forth project

20-May-2010
An influential Holyrood committee has demanded finance minister John Swinney reveal next week exactly how the construction of the £2 billion Forth Replacement Crossing will affect the Government’s other capital budgets.
Planning body could be first victim

20-May-2010
The Infrastructure Planning Commission could be one of the first victims of the new administration as it looks to overhaul the planning system.
Candys face Qatari royals in £81m High Court battle over Chelsea Barracks

17-May-2010
An £81 million dispute between the Candy brothers and the Qatari royal family over the abandoned Chelsea Barracks project began at the High Court today.
Mark Prisk to be appointed construction minister

17-May-2010
Minister of state Mark Prisk is expected to this week be named as the government’s new construction minister.
Osborne launches audit into budget "black holes"

17-May-2010
Chancellor George Osborne has ordered an independent audit of public spending after new Government ministers claimed to have found shortfalls in their budgets.
OFT to examine infrastructure ownership

14-May-2010
The Office of Fair Trading is to conduct a stock-take of ownership and control across UK infrastructure, it revealed today.
Contractor to pay £15k after building collapse injures worker

13-May-2010
Preston contractor Jack Smith Builders has been hit with £15,000 in fines and costs after part of an office block being built in Kirkham collapsed, seriously injuring a worker.
Contractors forced to name main suppliers to win public work in NI

13-May-2010
Contractors are to be forced to name major suppliers and “stick with them” when tendering for public projects in Northern Ireland, as part of an overhaul of the pre-qualification process.
Industry deaths fall to lowest on record

13-May-2010
Construction fatalities have fallen for the third year running to what is thought to be the lowest level on record.
Mabey/Bourne to target nuclear work

13-May-2010
Steel contractors Bourne Steel and Mabey Bridge are planning to form a joint venture in a bid to become a heavyweight player in the burgeoning energy sector.
Sainsbury’s plans £1.8bn expansion

13-May-2010
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has revealed plans to sustain its ambitious capital expenditure programme throughout next year, reaching a total of almost £2 billion during 2010 and 2011.
Ceca writes to MPs to ask for 'clarity and commitment'

12-May-2010
The Civil Engineering Contractors Association has today written to MPs in a bid to secure backing for its ten key infrastructure priorities, including a commitment to maintaining the managed motorways programme and Crossrail.
Crown Estate announces further expansions in offshore wind

11-May-2010
The Crown Estate has today given its approval for the expansion of five offshore wind farms around the English coast.
Man arrested after fatally injuring worker at Cumbrian building site

11-May-2010
Police have arrested a truck driver after he fatally struck a man while reversing into a building site in Cumbria.
Balfour Beatty Construction London MD to leave group

11-May-2010
Balfour Beatty Construction board director Peter Clist is to leave the company, Construction News can reveal.
Firm and director fined £90k after worker paralysed

10-May-2010
Coventry contractor Steel Construction and the managing director of Northamptonshire-based RM Berwick Steel Erection Services have been fined a total of £90,000 after a worker was paralysed following a 9m fall.
Construction candidates win a place in Westminster

7-May-2010
Several candidates with links to the construction industry have today secured their seats in parliament as part of a new generation of MPs.
Construction ministers Lucas and Prisk both win re-election

7-May-2010
Labour’s construction minister Ian Lucas has hung onto his Wrexham seat for a third term – his majority, however, was slashed in half compared to the 2005 general election.
Fears over uncertainty grow as UK faces hung parliament

7-May-2010
The UK is this morning facing a hung parliament, with the Tories expected to secure the largest majority as the final votes in the 2010 general election are counted.
Sainsbury's launches new jobs programme with construction suppliers

6-May-2010
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has unveiled plans to create 100 new jobs within its 60 property, construction and facilities management suppliers.
Argos to refurb and rebrand estate

6-May-2010
The Home Retail Group is to ramp up capital spending with the first major overhaul of its Argos estate in more than a decade.
Candidates support industry demands

6-May-2010
Construction has won the backing of an increasing number of prospective MPs during the election campaign, with candidates speaking about the sector’s “huge benefits”.
Construction to take fight to new MPs

6-May-2010
Contractors have been urged to fight the industry’s cause with “the most influential MPs in a long time” as the results of the closely fought general election become clear over the next 24 hours.
John Doyle to pay £20k after worker struck by steel beams

4-May-2010
John Doyle Construction has been hit with fines and costs of almost £20,000 after a worker was seriously injured when he was struck by steel beams which fell from a tower crane in London in September 2007.
ELECTION: How the parties planning policies shape up

30-Apr-2010
Were the Conservatives or indeed Liberal Democrats to clinch power at the forthcoming election, it seems current planning policy would be radically overhauled in a number of areas.
HBA: PM's comments on housing industry 'outrageous'

30-Apr-2010
The House Builders Association has expressed outrage after Gordon Brown told the UK in last night’s final televised leaders’ debate that the housebuilding industry had “not served us well”.
Parties promise to kickstart housing market in final TV debate

30-Apr-2010
Plans to increase the stamp duty threshold, convert 250,000 empty properties into new homes and give tax relief to first-time buyers were among measures to kickstart the housing market pledged by party leaders in last night’s third and final TV debate.
House prices jump 10.5pc for the year

29-Apr-2010
UK house prices grew by 10.5 per cent in the year to the end of April, new figures show.
Warning of job losses in Scotland if £395m Aberdeen bypass delayed

29-Apr-2010
The civils industry has warned of further job losses in Scotland if construction of the long-awaited £395 million Aberdeen bypass is delayed by a fresh legal challenge.
Vigils held to mark Workers Memorial Day

28-Apr-2010
Vigils are to be held across the United Kingdom today to mark International Workers Memorial Day – the first time the day has been formally recognised in the UK.
Laing O'Rourke in takeover talks at Quinn Group

28-Apr-2010
Laing O’Rourke is understood to be in talks with the troubled Irish Quinn Group over a potential takeover of parts of its business.
Labour and Lib Dems launch green manifestos

26-Apr-2010
The Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats both launched environment manifestoes at the weekend, reaffirming their commitment to low carbon technologies.
Legal challenge could delay £395m Aberdeen bypass

26-Apr-2010
Construction of the £395 million Aberdeen bypass could be delayed by as long as two years following a legal challenge against the project.
Worker injured in fall from scaffold at Oxford college

26-Apr-2010
A man has suffered suspected neck and back injuries after falling from scaffolding onto a roof at a building in Oxford.
Horizon in bid to takeover Crest Nicholson

26-Apr-2010
British entrepreneur Hugh Osmond has tabled a £350 million bid to takeover Crest Nicholson.
Engineer killed at Corus steelworks

26-Apr-2010
A 26-year-old man has been killed at the Corus steelworks in Scunthorpe.
Bahrain Bay chief woos UK firms with chance of foothold in region

15-Apr-2010
The man behind the £1.7 billion Bahrain Bay redevelopment is on the hunt for UK contractors interested in breaking into the country’s market, which he describes as “a great launching pad” for work across the Middle East.
Directors escape Donaghy duty plan

8-Apr-2010
Directors of construction companies will escape onerous new safety duties and gangmasters’ rules as a result of the Donaghy review into construction deaths.
Cuts to come after 2009 cash boost

1-Apr-2010
The Government spent an extra £1.3 billion on construction in 2009/10 according to last week’s Budget - but there was nothing to dispel fears of massive cuts to come.
Green bank will focus on risky deals

1-Apr-2010
The £2 billion cash injection for sustainable infrastructure projects announced in last week’s Budget will be focused on “high risk investments”.
Jarvis - The downfall of a construction giant

1-Apr-2010
The industry this week was trying to reconstruct the process that led to Jarvis’ administration, as figures showed the value of its plant - a key asset for rail maintenance contractors - has fallen considerably.
Rivals circle the wreckage of Jarvis

1-Apr-2010
Many of the UK’s biggest contractors were this week surveying the wreckage of Jarvis, which became the most high profile victim of the recession when it was placed into administration last Thursday.
Govt dismisses key Donaghy recommendations in long-awaited inquiry response

30-Mar-2010
The Government has dismissed Rita Donaghy’s recommendations for a full-time construction minister and the extension of Gangmasters legislation in its long-awaited response to her inquiry into construction deaths.
Tower crane register to come into force next week

30-Mar-2010
The Government’s controversial new tower crane register will come into force from next week.
Horizon will build its first nuclear reactor at Wylfa

30-Mar-2010
E.On and RWE npower joint venture Horizon Nuclear Power has chosen to progress with plans for a new reactor at Wylfa, on the Isle of Anglesey, as its first nuclear project in the UK.
Balfour Beatty announces £450m contracts haul

29-Mar-2010
Balfour Beatty has secured North East Lincolnshire Council’s £250 million 10-year services contract, as well as about £200 million of support services work with the Highways Agency, Yorkshire Water and Anglian Water.
The Cube developers placed into administration

26-Mar-2010
The developers of Birmingham’s The Cube, the Birmingham Development Company and BuildAbility, have today been placed into administration after credit negotiations collapsed.
SFO investigation into Alstom intensifies after second day of searches

25-Mar-2010
The Serious Fraud Office’s investigation into directors at infrastructure giant Alstom has intensified after search operations ran into their second day today.
Bid launched to save Corus's Teeside plant

25-Mar-2010
A businessman from the North-east has launched a bid to buy Corus’s mothballed Teesside Cast Products plant in Redcar.
Network Rail 'has contingency plan' to deal with fall of Jarvis

25-Mar-2010
Network Rail today confirmed it had contingency plans in place to ensure work due to be handled by contractor Jarvis, which has been placed into administration, can continue.
Jarvis collapses into administration after fall in rail and plant work

25-Mar-2010
Railway maintenance contractor Jarvis today revealed it was calling in administrators following a plunge in rail and plant work.
Eight firms appointed to £360m Lloyds TSB framework

25-Mar-2010
Eight fit-out firms have secured a place on Lloyds TSB’s hotly-contested new £360 million, two-year construction framework.
Tories unveil energy policy paper

25-Mar-2010
Energy infrastructure climbed to the top of the political agenda this week after the Tories released their much-anticipated policy paper on the energy markets.
BUDGET 2010: Darling confirms cash injections for green infrastructure

24-Mar-2010
The Chancellor has today confirmed plans for a £2 billion cash injection into green infrastructure projects, as well as committing to increase financial support for low-carbon businesses and the development of offshore wind.
Three Alstom directors arrested over alleged bribery and money laundering

24-Mar-2010
Three UK directors of infrastructure giant Alstom have been arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption, conspiracy to pay bribes, money laundering and false accounting, following dawn raids by the Serious Fraud Office earlier this morning.
Shepherd loses appeal over 'pay-when-paid' clause on Trinity Walk

23-Mar-2010
Shepherd Construction has lost the chance to claw back more than £3 million it was forced to pay two of its subcontractors when work stalled on the Trinity Walk shopping centre in Wakefield.
ORR raises safety concerns over maintenance plans

23-Mar-2010
Britain’s railway watchdog has raised concerns over rail safety ahead of a sweeping overhaul to the way the network is maintained.
SIGN UP! CN launches petition at Number 10

22-Mar-2010
Construction News has launched a petition at Number 10 in a bid to address the poor relationship between the construction industry and Government and, in doing so, potentially improve communication lines and visibility of public sector work in the pipeline.
Darling to unveil £2bn green fund in Budget

22-Mar-2010
A £2 billion fund to encourage corporate investment in “green” projects, from high speed rail to offshore wind farms, will be one of the key measures in the Budget aimed at stimulating economic growth, Treasury sources have said..
Regenter/Wates/Pinnacle consortia secures Kirklees housing PFI

22-Mar-2010
A consortium comprising Regenter, Wates Living Space and Pinnacle Housing has been announced as preferred bidder for Kirklees Council’s Excellent Homes for Life Housing PFI project.
Tories unveil plans for green investment bank

19-Mar-2010
The Tories have today unveiled plans to establish a green investment bank, which would help fund major energy infrastructure projects, as part of a package of reforms to energy policy.
Tories: We will not cover cost overruns on nuclear

19-Mar-2010
There must be no public underwriting of construction cost overruns on nuclear projects, the Tories have said today.
Builders test parties’ foundations

18-Mar-2010
Housebuilders are understandably anxious. Firms today face demanding sustainability targets, and potentially a huge overhaul in planning if the Tories are elected.
Morrisons and John Lewis hike their expansion plans

18-Mar-2010
Supermarket chain Morrisons has promised to ramp up its store rollout programme after reporting hikes in both its turnover and profit for 2009.
MIPIM: Boris Johnson encourages new development with new company

16-Mar-2010
London mayor Boris Johnson has revealed at MIPIM he is planning to establish a new company that would hold a significant amount of land in the capital in a bid to encourage new development.
MIPIM: Kier suggests affordable housing rethink

16-Mar-2010
A “complete rethink” of the way developers and contractors deliver affordable housing may be required in the UK, including an increased focus on the use of off-site solutions, the head of Kier’s affordable housing division has told delegates at MIPIM.
E.On and ScottishPower awarded funds to compete for first CCS plant

12-Mar-2010
E.On and ScottishPower have today been awarded funding to develop designs to build the UK’s first carbon capture and storage units.
CN campaign: candidates respond

11-Mar-2010
Prospective parliamentary candidates have this week revealed exactly what they think of the industry, responding to CN’s Vote for Construction campaign.
HSE to crack down on work at height as falls incidents climb

11-Mar-2010
The Health and Safety Executive is planning a crackdown on work at height after research found the proportion of deaths from falls had increased significantly.
Tories to pursue plans to privatise H&S inspections

11-Mar-2010
The Tories will move ahead with plans to allow “low risk” companies to secure immunity from Health and Safety Executive inspections if they topple the Government at the upcoming general election.
Balfour Beatty wins first case in blacklisting scandal

8-Mar-2010
The Employment Tribunal has found in favour of Balfour Beatty in the first blacklisting case to be tried following the Information Commissioner’s probe into the practice within construction firms.
Contractor fined £3.5k after employee 'buried alive'

8-Mar-2010
A Cambridgeshire groundwork contractor has been fined £3,500 after a worker was buried alive in an excavation collapse.
Govt should abolish VAT exemptions tackle deficit, says Reform

5-Mar-2010
The Government should begin tackling its fiscal deficit by abolishing VAT exemptions, rather than planned tax rises, a right-wing think tank has today recommended.
Asda withdraws from Dover regeneration scheme

4-Mar-2010
Regeneration plans for Dover have hit a hurdle after supermarket chain Asda withdrew from the project.
John Dodds to sign off with Kier boasting increased margins

4-Mar-2010
Kier has boosted its half-year profits despite a slip in turnover, aided by increased margins across both its construction and support services divisions.
Crossrail chief open to ideas on bundling major station contracts

4-Mar-2010
The man in charge of the Government’s £16 billion Crossrail project has declared he is still open to ideas from contractors on the best ways of bundling the scheme’s major station contracts.
Worker dies in fall from scaffold

2-Mar-2010
A 26-year-old labourer has been killed after falling from scaffolding at a building site in Skegness, Lincolnshire.
VOTE FOR CONSTRUCTION - Our message to the next generation of MPs

2-Mar-2010
It is crucial tomorrow’s MPs fully appreciate the benefits of building….
Colas reports 21pc fall in profits

2-Mar-2010
The road-building unit of Bouygues SA has posted a 21 per cent drop in net profit after “almost every market” in which it operates slumped due to a sharp drop in public and private investment.
Putting the case for construction

2-Mar-2010
Construction is facing an uncertain decade.After more than 10 years of sustained growth, the industry has been struck down by the worst recession since the Second World War and now waits to find out just how hard a knock it will be forced to take when the Government moves to cut its borrowing.
HSE to blitz refurb and roofing sites across UK

1-Mar-2010
The Health and Safety Executive is launching a nationwide blitz on refurbishment and roofing work.
Northumbrian Water fined £34k after worker crashed by vehicle

26-Feb-2010
Northumbrian Water has been ordered to pay more than £34,000 in fines and costs after an employee was crushed between the loading bucket and cab of a skid steer loader.
Corporate manslaughter trial delayed over company director's health

26-Feb-2010
The trial of the first UK company charged under new corporate manslaughter laws has been adjourned after the judge was told its director needed urgent and intensive medical attention.
Osborne promises to publish 'difficult' spending cuts in autumn

25-Feb-2010
George Osborne has vowed to announce details of public spending cuts in the autumn if the Tories are successful at the upcoming general election.
Big hitters line up for first nuclear job

25-Feb-2010
Construction’s big hitters are finalising their bids for the first significant contract package at Hinkley Point, set to be the first nuclear power station built in the UK for 20 years.
CBUK recoups £3m from Multiplex

25-Feb-2010
Steelwork contractor Cleveland Bridge has managed to claw back almost half of the £6 million it was ordered to pay Multiplex over the troubled construction of the new Wembley Stadium.
Fit-out firms compete for place on £360m Lloyds TSB framework

25-Feb-2010
As many as 40 contractors are understood to be vying for a place on Lloyds TSB’s new £360 million, two-year construction framework.
Jailed ex-Welsh Slate executives' assets confiscated

23-Feb-2010
The three former senior executives of Alfred McAlpine Slate who were jailed last September have been ordered to pay sums totalling almost £250,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
New rules pave way for tower crane register

22-Feb-2010
New legislation has today been laid before parliament which will see the introduction of a statutory tower crane register move a step closer.
Travelodge to spend £60m on building 10 new city-centre hotels

22-Feb-2010
Budget hotel chain Travelodge will spend £60 million on construction at 10 new sites as it continues to roll out aggressive expansion plans.
CBUK appeal halves amount owed to Multiplex over Wembley

22-Feb-2010
Cleveland Bridge has won a High Court appeal against Multiplex over the final ruling in their long-running Wembley Stadium litigation, slashing the amount it owed its former main contractor from £4.2 million to just £1.8 million.
Developer and contractor fined £25k over 'shocking' fatal fall

22-Feb-2010
A London developer and contractor have been fined a total £25,000 after a worker fell to his death at a construction site in Essex in March 2007.
Castle Cement fined £250k over health dangers

19-Feb-2010
Castle Cement has been fined £250,000 over dust and noise nuisances at its Flintshire factory, as well as two fires which released potentially dangerous smoke.
Further flood defence spending urged

18-Feb-2010
Government investment in flood defences will climb to £745 million over the next 12 months but the Environment Agency has warned that “more must be found” in future years.
HSE launches hazards probe

18-Feb-2010
The Health and Safety Executive has begun a fresh investigation into major hazards in the construction sector.
December growth pushes house prices up 2.9pc over 2009

17-Feb-2010
House prices have continued to climb, rising by 0.8 per cent in December, new Government figures show.
Detailed plans for Trump's £1bn Aberdeenshire golf course submitted

17-Feb-2010
A detailed masterplan for Donald Trump’s £1bn golf resort in Aberdeenshire has been submitted to the local council.
Government approves £600m gas storage project under Irish Sea

16-Feb-2010
The Government has paved the way for the construction of a £600 million gas storage facility off the Furness coast.
Hundreds of workers walk off Staythorpe site in row over safety

16-Feb-2010
Construction workers at the Staythorpe power station in Nottinghamshire have walked off the site after an alleged health and safety breach.
Demolition firms fined £115k over Paddington demolition fatality

15-Feb-2010
Two demolition companies have been fined a total of £115,000 after a labourer was killed by a falling steel prop.
Carillion fined £185k after worker hit by truck suffers life-threatening injuries

15-Feb-2010
Carillion has been fined £185,000 after an Oldham worker suffered life-threatening injuries when he was run over by a reversing truck.
Worker dies after being struck by limestone block

12-Feb-2010
A 23-year-old worker has died after he was struck by a limestone block at a construction site in Oxfordshire.
Sisk acquires design and manufacturing firm Eschmann

12-Feb-2010
Irish contractor Sisk is expected to increase its precense in the healthcare sector after purchasing an international design and manufacturing business in a deal understood to be worth about £25 million.
May Gurney development director Ian Findlater steps down

12-Feb-2010
May Gurney’s group business development director Ian Findlater will step down from the board in April, the company has revealed.
Scottish, NI and national firms compete over £350m framework

11-Feb-2010
A mixture of local, Northern Irish and national contractors have made the eight-strong shortlist for a £350 million framework covering public sector projects in southern Scotland.
Housebuilders urged to hire apprentices

11-Feb-2010
ConstructionSkills plans to target the country’s biggest housebuilders in a bid to ensure they include apprenticeships in their recruitment drives.
Govt unveils £745m plan to boost flood defences

11-Feb-2010
The Environment Agency had outlined plans to spend £745 million in the coming year on flood protection, including building and maintaining defences across England and Wales.
Client and contractor fined £22k after worker suffers two fractured vertebrae

11-Feb-2010
London-based firm Perryman Properties and self-employed contractor Demetrius Michael have been hit with a total of £22,000 in fines and costs after a labourer fell through a roof and severely injured his back.
Mansell wins £7.5m deal to redevelop London care home

11-Feb-2010
Mansell has secured the first £7.5 million phase of a contract to redevelop a London care home for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
James Wates to be appointed as new CITB ConstructionSkills chairman

11-Feb-2010
James Wates will replace Sir Michael Latham as the chairman of CITB Constructionskills.
Buildstone goes bust with £10m debt

11-Feb-2010
London contractor Buildstone has gone bust, leaving debts of more than £10 million.
Forth Road Bridge tenders this year

11-Feb-2010
The two consortia fighting it out for £1.2 billion of work on the new Forth Road Bridge have been asked to submit their tenders for the first package by December.
Shepherd quits Berners Hotel project

11-Feb-2010
Shepherd Construction has abandoned the refurbishment of the prestigious Berners Hotel after claiming it was struggling to obtain regular payments for its work.
Man killed on McAleer & Rushe Rose Bowl redevelopment

10-Feb-2010
A worker has been fatally crushed by a concrete block on the redevelopment of the Hampshire Rose Bowl cricket ground.
Gordon Brown establishes reconstruction unit for conflict and disaster zones

9-Feb-2010
The Government has today launched a new international reconstruction unit that will see more than 1,000 UK professionals deployed around the world to rebuild countries hit by conflict or disaster.
Female remains unearthed at Manchester site 'highly suspicious', police say

9-Feb-2010
A human skull has been unearthed by a digger at the site of the Co-operative Group’s new £100 million headquarters in Manchester.
Plans unveiled for 200 new homes at Girdwood Barracks

8-Feb-2010
More than 200 new affordable homes will be built on the site of a former military barracks in north Belfast, the Northern Ireland Executive has announced.
Big names line up for £200m Southampton BSF

4-Feb-2010
Wates, Kier, Bouygues, Interserve, Costain and Skanska were among a whole host of contractors eying off work in Southampton City Council’s £200 million Building Schools for the Future programme at a bidders’ event this week.
Shepherd fined £20k over cherry picker collapse at Trinity Square

4-Feb-2010
Shepherd Construction has been fined £20,000 after a mobile elevating work platform overturned at its Trinity Square site in central Nottingham in 2007, seriously injuring a worker and “putting the public at risk”.
Demolition sector’s suffering exposed

4-Feb-2010
The extent of suffering in the demolition sector has been laid bare in accounts showing significant falls in turnover and headcount.
Industry death toll sees sudden rise

4-Feb-2010
Internal Health and Safety Executive documents show a sudden spike in construction fatalities that a senior safety figure says should “raise alarm bells” across the industry.
GB Building wins place on Project Allenby/Connaught contract

3-Feb-2010
GB Building Solutions has been appointed to work on Project Allenby/Connaught, under a contract that could be worth as much as £50 million to the company over the next five years.
Protests outside offices of Alstom and Lord Mandelson over wage 'undercutting'

3-Feb-2010
Engineering workers will stage further protests in London today over problems at the Staythorpe power station construction site in Nottinghamshire.
Plans unveiled for £35m redevelopment of prominent Edinburgh building

3-Feb-2010
Plans have been announced for a £35 million upgrade of the former Royal High School building on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill.
New Forth bridge will be delivered on time and on budget, ministers assured

3-Feb-2010
Project chiefs for the £2.3 billion Forth Replacement Crossing have assured Scottish Ministers the project will be delivered on time and on budget.
Docklands Light Railway extension fatality 'an accident'

1-Feb-2010
An inquest into the fatal incident on the Docklands Light Railway extension, which sparked an industry-wide review of quick-hitch safety, has returned a verdict of accidental death.
Balfour Beatty acquires two Multibuild companies for £1.9m

1-Feb-2010
Balfour Beatty has acquired Stockport-based Multibuild Hotels and Leisure and Multibuild Interiors for £1.9 million.
Two workers killed on Scottish rail bridges in under 10 hours

28-Jan-2010
Two workers have died in falls from railway bridges - one of which was a Balfour Beatty site - in Scotland within less than 10 hours of each other.
NAO: EDF nuclear influence 'significant'

28-Jan-2010
French energy giant EDF holds a “potentially significant influence” over the success of the Government’s nuclear new-build programme, the National Audit Office has warned.
GB Building Solutions wins £4.6m deal for Bramley care home

26-Jan-2010
GB Building Solutions has secured a £4.6 million contract to build a new care home in Bramley, Basingstoke.
Government abandons planned reforms to limitation periods

26-Jan-2010
The Government has scrapped plans to overhaul the timeframes allowed for clients to sue contractors, in a move that legal experts have described as “good news for the construction industry”.
One Vision Housing's £20m Seaforth regen scheme approved

26-Jan-2010
One Vision Housing’s £20 million regeneration of Kings Park, in Seaforth, Merseyside, has been approved by the Government Office for the North-west.
Budget for mains repair and replacement in Ireland to increase five-fold

25-Jan-2010
The Irish Government has announced plans to increase its budget for mains replacement and repairs five-fold, to £263.2 million (€300 million), over the next three years.
Decision on Dooley v Balfour Beatty blacklisting case within 4 weeks

21-Jan-2010
Judgement in the first blacklisting case to be tried following the Information Commissioner’s probe into the industry has been reserved.
Balfour Beatty in blacklisting tribunal

21-Jan-2010
Balfour Beatty faced London’s Employment Tribunal this week in the first blacklisting case to be tried since the furore broke last year.
Blackwell wins first contractor job on £500m Clyde Wind Farm

21-Jan-2010
Essex-based civil engineering firm Blackwell has been appointed as the first main contractor for the £500 million Clyde Wind Farm - the largest approved onshore wind farm scheme in Europe.
Council liable in dispute over home collapse

21-Jan-2010
The High Court has backed Hampshire-based Crowley Civil Engineers in a liability dispute against Rushmoor Borough Council after a family home in Aldershot partially collapsed during public excavation works.
Housebuilders to hire up to 10,000

21-Jan-2010
As many as 10,000 workers could be re-recruited by housebuilders this year with several big firms revealing plans to increase their direct labour forces as they ramp up production.
Westfield to let £30m Stratford work

21-Jan-2010
Westfield is on the cusp of letting a further £30 million of new contracts at its major new Stratford City centre development next to the Olympic Park in east London.
Investigation underway after half-tonne girder smashes into estate agents

20-Jan-2010
The Health and Safety Executive has launched an investigation to find out what caused a half-tonne metal girder to crash through the roof of a Lancashire estate agents at the weekend.
Talks to begin on Haiti reconstruction effort after 4,000 buildings destroyed

19-Jan-2010
European Union ministers have agreed to organise an international conference on rebuilding Haiti after the devastation of the 12 January earthquake.
Dispute erupts over Staythorpe power station workers' pay gap

19-Jan-2010
A protracted row over the running of the Staythorpe Power Station construction site in Nottinghamshire has flared up again after an audit of the payroll system found Italian contractor Somi had been underpaying its employees by more than £1,000 a month.
Two men taken to hospital after Airdrie building collapse

19-Jan-2010
Two men had to be rescued from a housing development in North Lanarkshire yesterday after a building collapsed.
House prices jump 1.2pc in first week of 2010

18-Jan-2010
The housing market got off to a “buoyant start” in 2010, with property prices climbing 1.2 per cent the first week of January, new research by Rightmove has shown.
Redrow announces new finance director

18-Jan-2010
Redrow has appointed Barbara Richmond as its new group finance director following an announcement last month that David Arnold would be stepping down from the role.
Balfour Beatty faces employment tribunal over blacklisted worker claim

18-Jan-2010
Balfour Beatty will today face the Employment Tribunal in London accused of dismissing a blacklisted worker.
Welsh contractor fined £80k after young worker killed in digger accident

15-Jan-2010
Welsh construction company Macob Administration has been fined £80,000 after a 23-year-old worker suffered fatal head injuries at a site in Gloucestershire.
JCB donates diggers to Haiti relief effort

15-Jan-2010
Construction equipment manufacturer JCB has donated almost £100,000 worth of diggers to help the disaster relief effort in Haiti following Tuesday’s earthquake, which is feared to have killed as many as 100,000 people.
Govt urged to reconsider plans for HMP Grampian

14-Jan-2010
Plans for the construction of a new £100 million “super jail” in Peterhead have come under fire from MSPs.
London Assembly demands fire safety probe

14-Jan-2010
The London Assembly has called for an inquiry into fire safety in residential construction following a string of incidents, including two fires involving partially-completed timber-frame structures, in the capital.
Laing O’Rourke warns of waste crackdown

14-Jan-2010
Laing O’Rourke has warned subcontractors they must make waste minimisation a priority if they want to win work on its projects.
Multibuild to be wound up after CVA

14-Jan-2010
Construction and fit-out firm Multibuild will be wound up once its recently agreed company voluntary arrangement comes to an end, it has emerged.
Parts of planned Scottish power line could be built underground

13-Jan-2010
Sections of the proposed 137-mile power line through Scotland could be built underground, energy minister Jim Mather said today.
Fined firm whose building collapsed had 'no construction plan'

13-Jan-2010
A London clothing importer has been fined £10,000 after its building partially collapsed during construction works which had not been properly planned, according to the Health and Safety Executive.
Willmott Dixon, Styles&Wood and M&S face court over asbestos charges

13-Jan-2010
Willmott Dixon, Styles & Wood and Marks and Spencer are among five companies this week facing court accused of failing to ensure that staff and members of the public were not exposed to risks from asbestos-containing materials.
One dead, 12 injured in Commonwealth Games blaze

11-Jan-2010
One person has died and a dozen more have been injured after a fire broke out at an athletes’ village building being constructed for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, according to local media reports.
Man airlifted from site after suffering heart attack on 30m-high gantry

11-Jan-2010
A man suffered a heart attack while working on a gantry more than 30m high at a Derbyshire quarry last week.
Investigation begins after three men killed in fall

11-Jan-2010
Three men have died after falling from a multi-storey building under construction in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku.
Healey puts another £122m in pot for new council housing

11-Jan-2010
A further £122 million has been distributed to local authorities across the country for house building programmes, housing minister John Healey today announced.
Offshore wind developers unveiled

8-Jan-2010
E. On, RWE nPower and Scottish Power are among those awarded the rights to develop new offshore wind farms around the UK’s shores, the Prime Minister announced today.
Work to restart on stalled Trinity Walk scheme

8-Jan-2010
Shepherd Construction will soon restart work on the £210 million Trinity Walk scheme in Wakefield after the site was purchased by a consortium comprising the York-based contractor, Area Property Partners and Sovereign Land.
Payment row erupts over Dubai Metro works

8-Jan-2010
The completion of Dubai’s new Metro system is facing delays after contractors slowed work claiming they were owed more than £6 billion by the client.
PM to announce developers for new offshore wind

8-Jan-2010
The Crown Estate will today confirm the winning firms which will develop a string of new offshore wind farms as part of a drive for a massive expansion in renewables.
New planning body adds four new projects to its programme

8-Jan-2010
Waste combustion plants in Bedfordshire and Merthyr Tydfil are among four new projects expected to be proposed to the Infrastructure Planning Commission when it formally begins receiving applications in March.
Contractor fined £4.5k after worker crushed by telehandler

8-Jan-2010
Gateshead contractor Meldrum Construction Services has been fined £4,500 after one of its workers suffered multiple fractures when he was crushed by a forklift truck telehandler.
Govt approves £400m power line through the Highlands

7-Jan-2010
Plans to build a controversial 137-mile power line from the Highlands to central Scotland have been approved by government.
2010 PREVIEW: Courting controversy

7-Jan-2010
The fallout from the blacklisting database, the OFT cover pricing inquiry and new corporate manslaughter legislation will continue to exercise the construction industry this year. CN looks at the biggest legal issues for 2010.
Cube developer ordered to pay £1.2m

7-Jan-2010
The Cube developer Build Ability has been forced to pay more than £1.2 million to subcontractor O’Donnell Developments after a lengthy legal row involving nine adjudications over the major mixed-use development in Birmingham.
Lancashire firm fined £16k after worker suffers fractured skull

6-Jan-2010
Lancashire-based Maple Timber Frames has been fined £16,000 after a worker fractured his skull at a site in Tunbridge Wells in late 2008.
Southwark construction site fire guts five-storey building

6-Jan-2010
About 75 firefighters were this morning tackling a blaze as it tore through a construction site in Southwark, south London.
Sites stall after Brenville Construction placed in administration

6-Jan-2010
Bradford-based Brenville Construction has been placed into administration, leaving a £7.5 million development of 111 apartments in the centre of Scunthorpe unfinished.
DP World to press ahead with work on £1.5bn London Gateway

5-Jan-2010
Dubai World’s port arm has today announced it is pushing ahead with its £1.5 billion London Gateway development after buying the remaining 1,000 acres of land needed for the scheme, as well as Royal Dutch Shell’s remaining interest in the project, for more than £130 million.
Firms fined £280k after man crushed by crate on Shell refurb job

4-Jan-2010
Three companies have been fined a total of more than £280,000 after a man was paralysed from the waist down while working at a Shell oil refinery in Cheshire.
First trainees begin under scheme linking planning approvals with training

4-Jan-2010
The first trainees under the new Construction Futures scheme, the first initiative in the UK to directly tie construction training into planning applications, have started on two building sites in Northamptonshire.
Explosion destroys Shrewsbury apartment block

4-Jan-2010
A dozen people are understood to have been injured after an explosion tore through a building in Shrewsbury town centre.
Investigation underway over Kingsnorth blaze

4-Jan-2010
An investigation is underway into a fire which broke out at Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent at the weekend.
Brown to kickstart £100bn offshore wind boom

4-Jan-2010
The Prime Minister is expected to launch a £100 billion programme to build thousands of new offshore wind turbines as part of the Government’s drive to meet its renewable energy targets.
Mortgage approvals climb to highest level since March 2008

4-Jan-2010
The number of mortgages being approved by banks has more than doubled over the past year, new figures from the Bank of England show.
Seven die in overpass collapse

4-Jan-2010
Seven people died and more than 30 were left injured when an partially-constructed overpass in South-west China collapsed yesterday.
Plans for £100m south Wales wind farm abandoned

18-Dec-2009
Plans for the construction of a £100 million offshore wind farm in the Bristol Channel have been scrapped.
Planning applications and road closures will no longer require press ads

18-Dec-2009
Planning applications and road closures would no longer have to be advertised in newspapers in Scotland under a new cost-cutting plan announced by the government.
NOUGHTIES REVIEW: Feats and failures of the decade

17-Dec-2009
CN’s chief reporter Rhiannon Hoyle takes a look back at the biggest construction stories of the past decade and assesses how these defining moments will affect the years to come
NOUGHTIES REVIEW: Focus will move to BRIC economies

17-Dec-2009
Dubai’s plentiful construction market may have been the place to be during the noughties but, as 2010 approaches, eyes are turning to the burgeoning Chinese sector in the hope it will prove the goldmine for the industry in the coming decade.
Injured Stratford worker dies

16-Dec-2009
A worker injured at Westfield’s Stratford City development in east London last week, has died.
Cumbrian Industrials fined after M6 death

16-Dec-2009
Road maintenance firm Cumbrian Industrials has been fined £65,000 after a motorist was killed on the M6 in Lancashire.
White Young Green board appointment

16-Dec-2009
Consultant White Young Green has announced that former Johnston Group financial director David Jeffcoat will become chairman of its audit committee from the end of next month.
Scottish civils firm goes into administration

16-Dec-2009
Scottish construction and civil engineering group Torith has entered administration, with more than 80 jobs expected to be lost.
Worker seriously injured at Westfield Stratford

11-Dec-2009
A worker at Westfield’s Stratford City development in east London has been seriously injured in an incident believed to have involved a scissor lift.
Worker dies from ladder fall

10-Dec-2009
A Kier employee has died after falling from a ladder at a council house in Hull.
Judge warns of surge in enforcements

10-Dec-2009
A senior judge has warned that the High Court is keen to slash the number of adjudication enforcements clogging up court timetables after a significant increase in claims since the recession.
MPs urged to tighten blacklisting plans

10-Dec-2009
Unions are planning to target MPs in a bid to strengthen new blacklisting regulations, branded by one legal expert as “disgraceful”.
Surprise Crossrail bidder eyes further contracts

10-Dec-2009
Rival bidders have been taken by surprise with the emergence of a fifth consortium vying for the major tunnelling packages on the £15.9 billion Crossrail project.
Timber frame register planned in wake of south London site fire safety

10-Dec-2009
A register is to be created to keep tabs on the progress of large timber frame construction sites in the wake of the Peckham blaze last month.
PRE-BUDGET: Darling announces push on home insulation and turbines

9-Dec-2009
Chancellor Alistair Darling has used his pre-Budget report to promise additional funding for energy efficiency measures, including residential wind turbines and home insulation, but failed to announce any new measures to improve the levels of housing construction.
Welsh Water loses appeal against Barratt Homes in sewerage row

9-Dec-2009
Welsh Water has lost a Supreme Court appeal against Barratt Homes over the positioning of a public sewer connection at a site in Monmouthshire.
Environment Agency calls for Govt to increase investment in ground source heat pumps

9-Dec-2009
Ground source heat pumps systems could be installed into 320,000 homes and businesses by 2020, a report for the Environment Agency has said today.
Boris Johnson criticised over shortfall in London's social house-building programme

9-Dec-2009
London Mayor Boris Johnson has been criticised for leaving a “big shortfall” in affordable homes across the capital after it emerged he would fail to meet his manifesto pledge to build 50,000 affordable homes by 2011.
PJ Carey ordered to pay £154k after worker fatally hit by telehandler

9-Dec-2009
A Wembley contractor has been fined £54,000 and ordered to pay £100,000 in costs after a worker was killed by a reversing telehandler at a construction site in Aylesbury.
Labour bankbencher warns Govt against cutting construction spending

8-Dec-2009
The Government was yesterday warned against cutting budgets for labour-intensive public services, like construction, in its pre-Budget report.
EU nations sign up to build new offshore wind electricity grid

8-Dec-2009
The UK was one of nine European nations to this week pledge to develop an offshore wind electricity grid spanning the North and Irish seas.
Heathrow expansion passes carbon test, says climate change advisers

8-Dec-2009
Plans for a major building programme at Heathrow, including the construction of a third runway, have been given the go-ahead by climate change advisers who say the extension could be completed without jeopardising the Government’s carbon emissions targets.
Sellafield fined £75k after contractors exposed to radiation

7-Dec-2009
The company that runs the Sellafield decommissioning has been fined £75,000 and ordered to pay £26,100 in costs after two workers were exposed to radiation.
Corus' Teesside plant to close next month

4-Dec-2009
Steel giant Corus has announced it will close its Redcar plant on Teesside next month, with the loss of 1,700 jobs.
Taylor Wimpey chairman Norman Askew stands down

4-Dec-2009
Taylor Wimpey chairman Norman Askew has today confirmed he will stand down from the board before the end of next year.
Westfield London and Liverpool One take home top retail development award

4-Dec-2009
Grosvenor’s Liverpool One and Westfield’s White City London retail schemes have jointly secured the top accolade at the British Council of Shopping Centre’s 2009 Awards.
Sellafield faces unlimited fine after contractors exposed to radiation

4-Dec-2009
The company that runs the Sellafield decommissioning site is facing an unlimited fine over health and safety breaches after two workers were exposed to radiation.
£1.7bn shortfall prompts fears of water crunch

3-Dec-2009
Water and waste contractors are gearing up for “substantial challenges” after Ofwat’s final budget allowances for capital expenditure fell almost £2 billion short of what the largest clients claimed to need for the next five years.
Double blow dents confidence in £40bn nuclear programme

3-Dec-2009
Contractors are facing uncertainty about the Government’s £40 billion nuclear programme after blows to both the decommissioning and new build programmes this week.
Euro 2012 helps draw Sisk to Poland

3-Dec-2009
Irish contractor Sisk is tendering for four major Polish road jobs after setting up an office in the central European nation with regular joint venture partner Roadbridge in a bid to escape its turbulent homeland market.
HSE will review register after a year

3-Dec-2009
The Health and Safety Executive will review the Government’s tower crane register just 12 months after its implementation in April, giving it an early opportunity to extend – or scrap – the controversial system.
Thames Water warns of funding gap as CEO steps down

1-Dec-2009
The UK’s biggest water company has confirmed it is facing “significant challenges” amid the recession, warning contractors it is expecting a potential funding gap in its infrastructure plans.
Wembley and White City labour supply trio jailed over £771k tax fraud

30-Nov-2009
Three family members who ran a company supplying labour to the contractors that built Wembley Stadium, Canary Wharf and White City have been jailed for a total of seven-and-a-half years over a £771,000 tax fraud.
House prices climb for fifth consecutive month

30-Nov-2009
House prices across England and Wales climbed for the fifth month in a row in October, according to new figures from the Land Registry.
Labour MP calls for Govt to U-turn on Everton FC decision

27-Nov-2009
A former Labour Home Office minister has criticised the Government for refusing to back the £400 million Everton Football Club stadium development, saying he was “astonished” it had turned away a major investment for “one of the most deprived towns in Britain”.
Nuclear designs still have 'significant' number of flaws, says HSE

27-Nov-2009
The Government’s £30 billion nuclear programme was dealt a blow today after the Health and Safety Executive raised a string of concerns over the two proposed reactor designs.
Builder's Profile and CHAS link up to help eradicate PQQ duplication

26-Nov-2009
Further progress is being made in the standardisation of pre-qualification systems after the Builder’s Profile this week announced a new link up with the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme.
Construction tsar: I’m not here to beg for cash

26-Nov-2009
The Government’s first ever chief construction adviser has warned he is not in Whitehall to “hold a begging bowl out on the industry’s behalf”.
Tower crane register regulations passed by HSE

25-Nov-2009
Details of exactly how the new statutory tower crane register will work have today been agreed by the board of the Health and Safety Executive, including a decision to restrict the register to only conventional tower cranes and to introduce an administration fee.
CIOB: Safety compliance not wavering in recession

25-Nov-2009
Four in five senior construction professionals do not believe the recession has affected the level of health and safety compliance in their company, new research from the Chartered Institute of Building has found.
Leaders welcome new chief adviser, but warn of 'significant challenges'

24-Nov-2009
The Government’s first ever chief construction adviser, Paul Morrell, is facing “significant challenges” on key issues such as low carbon and infrastructure spending, trade bodies have warned, adding that carrying out the role in a three-day week would “be a hugely demanding task”.
ISG confirms appeal over £5m OFT cover pricing penalty

24-Nov-2009
Interior Services Group has announced it will appeal the £5 million fine levied against its subsidiary Pearce Construction in the Office of Fair Trading’s cover pricing inquiry.
Firms fined £126k over fatal Milton Keynes scaffold collapse

24-Nov-2009
Two contractors involved in a major scaffolding collapse in Milton Keynes three years ago have been fined a total of £126,000 over the incident, which left one worker dead and two others seriously injured.
Galliford Try and Renew Holdings launch appeals against OFT fines

24-Nov-2009
Galliford Try has announced it will appeal the £8.3 million fine levied against it by the Office of Fair Trading following its major cover pricing inquiry.
QS Paul Morrell tipped to land chief construction adviser role

23-Nov-2009
Former senior partner at Davis Langdon and deputy chair of CABE, Paul Morrell, is tipped to be the Government’s first chief construction adviser.
Builder in court charged over fatal stabbing

23-Nov-2009
A Kent builder will appear in court charged with fatally stabbing a woman last week.
Safety review of Cumbrian bridges begins as claims set to hit £100m

23-Nov-2009
Structural engineers are conducting an urgent safety review of Cumbria’s 1,800 bridges following devastating floods in the region, claims for which are now being valued at as much as £100 million.
HSE to recruit councils to test plans

19-Nov-2009
The Health and Safety Executive aims to next year recruit a “critical mass” of local authorities to pilot new safety schemes.
Sainsbury's and Land Securities given green light for store extension

13-Nov-2009
A joint venture between Sainsbury’s and Land Securities has been given approval to extend and improve Lincoln’s Tritton Road supermarket.
Self-employed worker deaths climb despite huge fall in total fatality numbers

13-Nov-2009
The number of self-employed workers killed last year increased, despite a 26 per cent fall in the industry’s death toll, analysis from construction union Ucatt has shown.
New chair named for National Housing and Planning Advice Unit

13-Nov-2009
Housing expert Peter Williams has been appointed as interim chairman for the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit, the Department for Communities and Local Government announced today.
Contractor fined after wall collapses on worker

13-Nov-2009
A construction company in Leigh has been fined £8,000 after one of its workers was seriously injured when a wall collapsed on him in Wigan.
Contractors urge early involvement on nuclear

12-Nov-2009
Contractors will urge energy companies to engage them early on plans for nuclear new build following the publication of the draft national policy statements for the energy sector, which was described as a “defining moment” in the Government’s £40 billion nuclear programme.
Brookfield plans Scottish expansion

12-Nov-2009
Brookfield Construction is optimistic its win on the new £840 million South Glasgow Hospitals Complex will give it more clout north of the border and open the door for it to significantly expand its presence across Scotland.
Councils to ask for firms with SSIP approval

12-Nov-2009
Local authorities in Lambeth, Doncaster and Wigan will be the first to demand their contractors be accredited by a new body established to standardise safety pre-qualification questionnaires.
Fresh talks over Donaghy report as implementation fears emerge

12-Nov-2009
Work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper will meet trade bodies and lobby groups next week to discuss how recommendations from the Donaghy report can be implemented across the industry.
Lovell Partnerships fined £75k after child plummets to death

11-Nov-2009
London house builder Lovell Partnerships has been fined £75,000 after a seven-year-old child fell to his death from a scaffold structure that had been left erected for days longer than it was required.
New loans totalling £1.4bn on offer to build onshore wind farms

11-Nov-2009
About £1.4 billion could be pumped into the construction of new onshore wind projects over the next three years after a group of banks announced they would be offering new loans to eligible developers.
Anonymous system to boost near-miss reporting on 2012 site

11-Nov-2009
The team carrying out the enabling works at London’s 2012 Olympic Park is examining the introduction of an anonymous system for reporting potential incidents in a bid to combat low levels of near miss reporting.
Rok to make relationship with unions 'a priority'

11-Nov-2009
Regional contractor Rok will put a significant focus on developing strong links with the trade unions next year, head of health and safety Shaun Davis has revealed.
IMAGE: Aquatics centre roof lowered into place in 2012 milestone

11-Nov-2009
The aquatics centre’s wave-shaped roof – the most difficult engineering task at the Olympic Park – has been lowered into place.
Laing O'Rourke and SGB fined £105k over fatal Heathrow incident

9-Nov-2009
Laing O’Rourke and construction equipment supplier SGB Services have been fined a total of £105,000 after one man died and another was seriously injured when a concrete slab collapsed at Heathrow Airport in 2005.
Govt to unveil plans for future direction energy infrastructure

9-Nov-2009
Plans for fast-tracking a new fleet of nuclear reactors is to be announced by the Government today.
Hammerson's Bishops Place project approved by planners

6-Nov-2009
Hammerson’s Bishops Place regeneration project in London has been approved by planners.
RICS: Education and health schemes 'important crutch' for industry

6-Nov-2009
Non-housing public works were the only area of construction in which workloads did not fall in the third quarter, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said today, describing the sector as “an important crutch” for the industry.
'Cautiously optimistic' Galliford Try moves to significantly grow housing arm

6-Nov-2009
Galliford Try is pressing ahead with plans to deliver significant growth in its housebuilding business over the next three years after raising £119 million through its rights issue and adding 800 units to its land bank since the start it its financial year.
New Bristol City FC stadium closer to approval

5-Nov-2009
Bristol City Football Club is a step closer to the construction of a new stadium after the local council last night agreed a “minded to approve” decision.
Westfield faces White City legal battle

5-Nov-2009
Westfield is facing a multi-million pound legal battle with a major US entertainment group that claims it was forced to pull out of a deal at the £1.7 billion White City development because the cinema complex was not built to agreed specifications.
Government backs move to standardise safety PQQs

4-Nov-2009
Contractors are being urged to get involved in an industry-led scheme to standardise safety pre-qualification questionnaires, with smaller firms in particular being told the initiative could open the door for them to tender for a much wider range of work.
Six arrested over tax evasion and money laundering

4-Nov-2009
Six people have been arrested in regard to a suspected £4 million tax fraud following raids by HM Revenue and Customs.
Asbestos diseases a 'hell of a burden' as death toll continues to rise

4-Nov-2009
Former chief construction inspector Stephen Williams has described the effects of asbestos-related diseases as “a hell of a burden on society”, and said he hopes the safety regulator’s new awareness campaign will help drive down risks for workers handling the deadly substance.
Westlink consortium will have to fix motorway if probe reveals real flood threat

4-Nov-2009
The consortium responsible for a £186 million scheme to improve Belfast’s Westlink motorway could have to carry out major repairs to the road if it is found that the drainage system cannot take the contractual design requirement of a “one-in-100-year” flood.
Covent Garden Market masterplan unveiled

2-Nov-2009
A masterplan for the redevelopment of London’s Covent Garden Market has been revealed, including a proposal to building three new residential blocks at the Nine Elms site.
New asbestos campaign warns risks are still high on building sites

2-Nov-2009
The risk of asbestos can not be “written off as a 20th-century problem”, as the deadly substance may be present in any building constructed or refurbished before 2000, safety campaigners warned today.
External safety audits plan may not be incident-free for Tories

29-Oct-2009
The Conservative party will face opposition from sections of the construction industry next month as it consults on plans to privatise health and safety site inspections.
Liverpool crane collapse driver left paralysed

23-Oct-2009
The operator of an HTC crane which collapsed into a block of flats in Liverpool earlier this year has been left paralysed.
LDA funding to fall by one-fifth after Olympic land overspend

23-Oct-2009
The London Development Agency’s financial outlook is “bleak”, a new report said today, revealing its resources for the coming years would be 20 per cent less than previously projected.
St David's 2 opens doors after three years in construction

22-Oct-2009
The major new extension of St David’s shopping centre, constructed by Bovis Lend Lease, has opened its doors today.
Imtech, Balfour Beatty and Wessex Engineering honoured at safety awards

22-Oct-2009
M&E contractor Imtech Process secured the highest construction safety accolade at last night’s Institute of Occupational Safety and Health annual awards, with judges describing the firm as having set an “excellent example” for the industry.
Bomb squad sent to Glasgow construction site

22-Oct-2009
Police were forced to send a bomb disposal team out to a Glasgow construction site yesterday after a cylindrical object was discovered by builders.
Further delays hit N Ireland spending

22-Oct-2009
Concerns about a lack of public spending in Northern Ireland have been exacerbated after the Court of Appeal delayed a hearing into an £800 million construction framework for another two months.
Payment changes please neither side

22-Oct-2009
Both main contractors and subcontractors have been left unsatisfied with payment legislation that was passed by the Government last week after five years of discussions.
Tories outline plan to privatise HSE inspections

22-Oct-2009
Contractors could be the “masters of their own destiny” under Tory plans that would let them secure immunity from Health and Safety Executive inspections.
Power company refused injuntion against protesting electrician

21-Oct-2009
An energy company has been refused an injunction against a blacklisted electrician demonstrating outside its power station in Warrington.
OGC's new procurement guidance will let developers 'press ahead' with new schemes

21-Oct-2009
The pace at which new development comes to market is expected to improve after the Government released new guidelines for councils on how to interpret a legal ruling that had been derailing projects around the UK.
Greggs to double rate of refits in new expansion campaign

20-Oct-2009
High street baker Greggs has unveiled plans to double the number of shop refits it undertakes to about 120 a year as part of an aggressive new expansion campaign.
Tory plan would let contractors ban HSE inspectors from sites

20-Oct-2009
New plans drawn up by the Conservatives would allow contractors to arrange their own externally audited safety inspections, and ban Health and Safety Executive inspectors from their sites if they have already passed strict standards.
Plans for £5.5bn Battersea Power Station scheme submitted

19-Oct-2009
A planning application has finally been submitted for a £5.5 billion scheme to redevelop London’s Battersea Power Station.
Step forward for new Hatfield power station as EU commits £165m in funding

19-Oct-2009
The European Commission has announced it plans to invest £165 million of EU funding into the construction of the proposed coal-fired plant and carbon capture and storage in Hatfield, near Doncaster.
House prices higher than a year ago after 2.8 pc jump

19-Oct-2009
House prices are now higher than they were a year ago after a 2.8 per cent hike in the past month.
New finance strategy to replace 'flawed' PFI unveiled

16-Oct-2009
A new scheme that could replace “flawed” private finance initiatives has today been unveiled by think tank Reform Scotland.
'I've lost my soulmate' says partner of fatally injured Morris & Spottiswood worker

16-Oct-2009
The long-term girlfriend of a building worker who was killed on a Morris & Spottiswood building site yesterday has described her devastation at losing her “soulmate”.
Firms fined after electocuted worker suffers burns to 52pc of body

16-Oct-2009
Two Redditch firms and a company director have been fined a total of more than £20,000 after a scaffolder suffered burns to 52 per cent of his body and had to have his heart re-started when a metal tube he was carrying came into contact with power lines.
New £200m Stockton biomass plant approved

16-Oct-2009
Plans for a new £200 million biomass power plant at near Stockton have been approved.
Value of frozen food market surpasses £5.1bn

15-Oct-2009
The retail frozen food market is now worth more than £5.1 billion, new figures show.
Worker fatally crushed by steel frame at Morris & Spottiswood site

15-Oct-2009
A man has died today after being crushed by a steel frame at a Morris & Spottiswood site in Glasgow.
Sisk wins £39m civils deal on Pembrokeshire power station

15-Oct-2009
Sisk has secured the £39 million civils contract on the new gas-fired power station in Pembrokeshire.
Fears Kingsnorth could be retendered

15-Oct-2009
Bidders fear that construction of the £1.5 billion coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth could be put on the back burner and will eventually need to be retendered.
Industry death toll falls 50pc in first half

15-Oct-2009
The number of construction deaths reported in the six months to 30 September was almost half the number in the same period last year, early figures from the Health and Safety Executive show.
Speculation surrounds Laing O'Rourke cuts

15-Oct-2009
Laing O’Rourke is remaining tight-lipped on the details of its European restructuring, with members of staff themselves left in the dark over where the cuts will be made.
US plans carbon capture technology before 2018

14-Oct-2009
The US wants to have carbon capture and storage technology ready to deploy across its coal-fired power stations within a decade, President Obama’s top climate change official has announced.
Teachers' union complains about 'catalogue of issues' on new build schools

14-Oct-2009
The British teachers’ trade union has slated the quality of some new build schools, claiming many are not fully fit for purpose.
CIOB slams proposed tower crane register as 'pointless'

13-Oct-2009
The Chartered Institute of Building has slated the plans for a mandatory tower crane register, describing the current proposals as pointless.
Public inquiry for South-east freight depot begins

13-Oct-2009
A public inquiry has begun into controversial plans to construct a large rail and road freight interchange near Maidstone, Kent.
Dong Energy walks out of £2bn Hunterston coal power station deal

12-Oct-2009
Danish energy firm Dong Energy has pulled out of a scheme to build a significant new coal-fired power station in Scotland.
Speedy Hire turnover to fall almost 30pc

12-Oct-2009
Plant group Speedy Hire has warned its first-half turnover for this year is likely to fall about 29 per cent on 2008.
Olympic scheme to inspire young engineers launched

12-Oct-2009
An educational programme aimed at inspiring the next generation of British engineers will today be launched at the Olympic Park construction site in London.
Carillion to sell Enviros for £27m

12-Oct-2009
Carillion has sold off its environmental consultancy business Enviros to Sinclair Knight Merz for £27 million.
John Doyle to pay £16k over worker fall at Liverpool One

9-Oct-2009
John Doyle has been ordered to pay over £15,000 in fines and costs after a worker fractured his pelvis and chest when fell from unstable scaffolding at the Hilton Hotel site at Liverpool One in July 2007.
Tower crane register consultation closes

9-Oct-2009
The Health and Safety Executive’s consultation for a mandatory tower crane register closes today.
Lagan Homes reveals plan to build 1,000 homes in Belfast

9-Oct-2009
Plans for a £180 million residential development in the hills above Belfast have been unveiled.
UKTI asks contractors to explore multi-billion pound Turkish market

9-Oct-2009
Contractors are being encouraged to take advantage of the multi-billion pound infrastructure opportunities in Turkey, Europe’s sixth largest economy.
E.On's Kingsnorth station on hold for 'two to three years'

8-Oct-2009
E.On will put its plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth on hold for as long as three years.
Tesco to accelerate expansion – but Asia may be main beneficiary

8-Oct-2009
Supermarket giant Tesco looks set to ramp up its expansion plans during the next six months, but contractors may have to start travelling farther afield if they want to secure a piece of the action.
Big names in £1bn Forth Bridge duel

8-Oct-2009
Two heavyweight consortiums will compete for the main construction package for Scotland’s largest infrastructure project: the £2.3 billion Forth Replacement Crossing.
Dragon warns of wait for funding

8-Oct-2009
Dragons’ Den star and property portfolio holder James Caan has warned that it will remain very difficult to secure funds for development projects for “another two to three years”.
Contractor and client hit with £115k bill over unsafe asbestos removal

7-Oct-2009
Two Middlesex firms have been fined a total of £65,000 and ordered to pay a total of more than £50,000 in legal costs, after an unlicensed asbestos contractor put workers and members of the public at “serious risk” by exposing them to high levels of the toxic material.
Hunt begins for new ConstructionSkills chair as Sir Michael Latham steps down

7-Oct-2009
Applications are now being sought for a new ConstructionSkills chairman, with current leader Sir Michael Latham due to finish up in the role early next year.
Cyril Sweett and Anagennao's Express LIFT team secures Cumbria contract

7-Oct-2009
Cyril Sweett’s Express LIFT Investments consortium has won the first contract under the Government’s national Express LIFT procurement framework: a 20-year deal to deliver a series of health projects across Cumbria.
Sir Robert McAlpine project wins British Council for Offices' top prize

7-Oct-2009
The Sir Robert McAlpine-built Kings Place development in central London last night secured the highest accolade at the British Council for Offices’ annual awards.
Row over scrapped Glasgow rail link to resurface at Holyrood committee

6-Oct-2009
The row between Glasgow city councillors and the Scottish Government over the cancellation of the £400 million Glasgow Airport Rail Link is expected to resurface today as Labour council leader Steven Purcell faces Holyrood’s transport committee.
Carillion fined £40k after worker sustains serious injuries at E.On plant

6-Oct-2009
Carillion has been fined £40,000 after a worker suffered a broken femur, 11 broken ribs and a bruised lung in a fall at the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire.
Workers reject 'final offer' on pay and conditions

5-Oct-2009
Thousands of engineering construction workers have refused proposals on pay and conditions aimed at averting strike action, following a long-running row at power stations and other sites across the UK.
Companies face court over Buncefield explosion

5-Oct-2009
Five companies, including Total UK and TAV engineering, will today appear in court charged in connection with the 2005 Buncefield oil depot disaster.
Construction firms take lead on pay freezes

5-Oct-2009
One third of all British companies have frozen their pay rates this year, with an above average number of construction firms making the choice to put off wage increases, new research suggests.
Former contracts manager faces trial after trying to sell Ritz Hotel

2-Oct-2009
Three men, including a retired construction company contracts manager, have today been ordered to stand trial for trying to sell London’s famous Ritz Hotel for £250 million.
Competition watchdog recommends new hurdles to supermarket development

2-Oct-2009
The Competition Commission today revealed it would press ahead with tough new planning rules to make it more difficult for the country’s largest supermarket brands to roll out their aggressive expansion plans.
Safety lobbyists angry over further Donaghy report talks

1-Oct-2009
Safety lobbyists have reacted angrily over news that the Government will hold further talks with industry before announcing its response to the Donaghy report.
Eden Brown may appeal cartel fine, says Dragons' Den star James Caan

1-Oct-2009
Dragons’ Den star James Caan has revealed his recruitment agency Eden Brown is likely to appeal a £1.07 million fine against it, after the firm was yesterday found guilty of participating in a cartel that set fee rates for certain construction companies.
Cover pricing still exists, CN poll suggests

1-Oct-2009
Contractors express anger over level of fines from OFT, while poll suggests practice still goes on
Corruption fines painful for Mabey

1-Oct-2009
A senior figure at Mabey & Johnson has admitted that the massive fines levied against it for breaching UN sanctions and bribing foreign officials “will hurt the company”.
Councillors call on Bolton to scrap deal after OFT fines two suppliers

1-Oct-2009
Councillors are calling for Bolton’s three-year contractor framework to be abandoned after two of its four contractors were fined by the Office of Fair Trading for cover pricing.
Lucas: ‘We will make investment now’

1-Oct-2009
Construction minister Ian Lucas has warned contractors he can live no assurances about public sector capital expenditure, admitting that “difficult decisions on spending” lie ahead.
Minister: firms can shape deaths review changes

1-Oct-2009
Government plans to hold further talks with the industry before making a final decision on the Donaghy report have been seized upon by the country’s biggest contractors.
New planning chief vows to more than halve time spent in planning

1-Oct-2009
The Infrastructure Planning Commission, which will officially open its doors today, could cut the time it takes to push major projects through planning by more than half, chairman Sir Michael Pitt has said, as he vowed the powerful new body “has a future”.
LABOUR FIRMS FINED: Hays considering appeal for 'disproportionate' penalty

30-Sep-2009
Hays Recruitment has announced it is “actively considering” an appeal against its £30 million fine by the Office of Fair Trading today, claiming the investigation was “an isolated matter arising from the conduct of a single employee”.
Only two consortia bid for new Forth Road bridge

30-Sep-2009
Only two teams will battle it out for the main package on the £2.3 billion new Forth Road bridge.
Concerns over fall in air con assessments

30-Sep-2009
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers has launched an awareness campaign over new building energy performance regulations after contractors raised concerns over a fall in the number of air conditioning system assessments being carried out.
LABOUR FIRMS FINED BY OFT: The penalties

30-Sep-2009
The Office of Fair Trading has today fined six recruitment firms that supplied labour to the construction sector after they were found to have been price-fixing and collectively boycotted a new labour business. See the list of individual penalties here.
Labour firms fined £40m for collective boycott and price-fixing cartel

30-Sep-2009
Six recruitment firms who supplied labour to the construction industry and formed a cartel to fix prices and freeze out competition have been hit with fines of almost £40 million by the Office of Fair Trading.
Company and director fined £7K after worker falls through rooflight

29-Sep-2009
A Burnley-based contractor and its director have today been fined a total of £7,000 after a worker suffered serious injuries when he plunged through an unprotected fragile plastic rooflight.
Healey unveils £180m second wave of Housing Pledge funds

29-Sep-2009
Housing minister John Healey has this week written to all council leaders across England asking them to submit bids for some £180 million worth of investment, which he claimed could be used to build as many as 1,200 new council homes.
Govt plans more talks before Donaghy report recommendations implemented

28-Sep-2009
Work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper has told the Labour Party Conference she plans to have further discussions with unions and contractors before implementing any recommendations from the recent inquiry into construction deaths.
Wolseley reports pre-tax loss of £766m

28-Sep-2009
Builders’ merchant Wolseley has plunged into the red, reporting annual losses of £766 million.
Mabey & Johnson to pay £6.6m for bribing officials and UN breaches

28-Sep-2009
Bridge builder Mabey & Johnson has been ordered to pay £6.6 million for breaching UN sanctions and bribing foreign officials with what have been described as “white man’s handshakes”.
Builder who won £3.3m from accident to have case re-examined

24-Sep-2009
A builder from Dorset who was awarded £3.3 million after claiming a motorcycle accident left him almost wheelchair-bound is having his case re-examined after he was filmed lifting weights and driving machinery.
Interserve wins £20m contract for module evaporator plant

24-Sep-2009
Interserve has won a £20 million deal to build an evaporator plant at Sellafield.
OFT fines “could be just the start”

24-Sep-2009
Contractors have been warned that the £130 million in fines handed down by the Office of Fair Trading could be “just the start” for implicated firms, as fears rise about potential blacklisting and damages claims from angry clients.
IMAGES: Select Plant Hire fined £100k over crane collapse

24-Sep-2009
Select Plant Hire has been fined £100,000 after part of a tower crane crashed into a south London hotel two years ago, causing £4.8 million worth of damage and loss of business.
Project bank accounts consultation launched

24-Sep-2009
The Joint Contracts Tribunal has launched a consultation aimed at increasing the use of project bank accounts and improving prompt payment practices across the industry.
Contractors seek assurances after £400m Glasgow rail job scrapped

24-Sep-2009
The Scottish government is under increasing pressure to guarantee the future of major infrastructure projects after scrapping plans for a £400 million Glasgow Airport Rail Link.
Contractors positive about low carbon review

24-Sep-2009
The imminent review of the impact construction has on the UK economy will give contractors “a very important opportunity” to air their views to Government, the UK Contractors Group has said.
The massive fraud at Welsh Slate

24-Sep-2009
More than £10 million of worthless debts were built up by the former Alfred McAlpine subsidiary in little over three years
OFT INTERVIEW: Fines could have been 'much higher', says OFT

23-Sep-2009
One of the Office of Fair Trading’s senior directors has defended the watchdog’s decision to hand down almost £130 million in fines to English contractors for anti-competitive behaviour, describing the fines as “perfectly reasonable” and warning industry it now needs to “put its house in order”.
'Misleading' HSE asbestos safety ad banned

23-Sep-2009
The Health and Safety Executive’s radio advertising about the number of people killed by asbestos has been ruled as misleading and banned following an objection to the fatality statistics used.
OFT REACTION: Contractors should apologise and give us back our cash, say councils

22-Sep-2009
The Local Government Association today demanded the construction firms hit with £129.5 million in fines for anti-competitive behaviour apologise and called on the Office of Fair Trading to hand the money from the penalties back to councils.
Rok fined £20k after worker suffers severe injuries on Heathrow T4

22-Sep-2009
Rok Building has been fined £20,000 at the Old Bailey after a worker suffered severe leg injuries while working on an airbridge at Heathrow Terminal 4.
OFT FINES: OGC urges clients not to exclude guilty contractors 'automatically'

22-Sep-2009
The Office of Fair Trading and the Office of Government Commerce have released new guidance to clients recommending contractors found guilty of cover pricing are not automatically excluded from future tenders.
OFT REACTION: Balfour Beatty claims full compliance as Mansell fined £5.2m

22-Sep-2009
Balfour Beatty carried out a “thorough and detailed audit” of all its businesses after it was informed it would be investigated for cover pricing, the company said this morning as subsidiary Mansell was fined £5.2 million by the Office of Fair Trading.
OFT REACTION: NFB condemns firms punishment of 'small, random selection'

22-Sep-2009
The National Federation of Builders expressed disappointment that “small, random selection of companies” has been severely punished for cover pricing activities “as an example to the wider industry”.
OFT FINES: UKCG writes to clients in bid to curb potential blacklisting

22-Sep-2009
The UK Contractors Group has written to public sector clients, including all local authorities, to put forward the industry’s view on the investigation in a bid to ensure companies involved are not discriminated against on future projects.
OFT REACTION: Fines 'perverse and unfair', says UKCG

22-Sep-2009
The UK Contractors Group has condemned the fines handed down by the Office of Fair Trading to construction companies found guilty of cover pricing, describing them as “perverse and unfair”.
OFT FINES: 103 firms found guilty of cover pricing fined £130m

22-Sep-2009
The Office of Fair Trading has fined 103 construction companies a total of £129.5 million after they were found to have colluded on building contracts, it revealed this morning.
New National Skills Academy for Power appoints CEO

21-Sep-2009
The proposed National Skills Academy for Power has appointed Steve Davies as its chief executive.
OFT to reveal fines from cover pricing investigation tomorrow

21-Sep-2009
Construction companies involved in the Office of Fair Trading’s cover pricing and bid-rigging investigations will tomorrow learn what fines they will face.
Treasury Holdings wins approval for £700m Ballymun redevelopment

21-Sep-2009
Developer Treasury Holdings has secured full planning permission for its £700 million redevelopment of Ballymun town centre in north Dublin.
Former Alfred McAlpine executives jailed for fraudulent trading

18-Sep-2009
Three former senior executives of Alfred McAlpine Slate have today been jailed after pleading guilty to overstating the company’s production and sales figures.
Industrial action may be averted after new wage rises unveiled

18-Sep-2009
A deal that would increase the pay of engineering construction workers by 2 per cent next year has been recommended for acceptance by unions.
Boris Johnson urges US firms to bid against Brits for 2012 work

18-Sep-2009
London mayor Boris Johnson has called on US companies to compete against home-grown firms for upcoming contracts on the Olympic Park, telling them it was an “unrivalled opportunity to invest” in the English capital.
Anger over scrapping of £400m Glasgow Airport Rail Link

18-Sep-2009
Glasgow City Council has accused the Scottish government of a “clear anti-Glasgow agenda” after the £400 million Glasgow Airport Rail Link project was axed by finance secretary John Swinney.
Waitrose invests £200m into new stores

18-Sep-2009
Waitrose has confirmed it will “maintain the momentum” in its store roll-out plans after investing almost £200 million on new stores and refits in the first half of the year.
Firms fined £44k after worker 'fortunate to survive' electric shock

17-Sep-2009
Three firms have been fined a total of £44,000 after a worker “was fortunate to survive” a shock from an 11kV overhead power line while building a property in Wales in 2006.
Decision expected on power station strike action

17-Sep-2009
Further talks will be held today over the long-running dispute between unions and the Britain’s power station contractors, with a decision expected as to whether a deal can be struck to avert nationwide strikes.
Balfour Beatty reveals plans for 'significant acquisition'

17-Sep-2009
Balfour Beatty has today confirmed it is planning a rights issue to fund “a significant and complementary acquisition”.
N Ireland procurement in new overhaul

17-Sep-2009
Northern Irish public bodies have been warned of the need to tackle their “underlying cultures” of procurement after a damming report into the country’s construction record.
Greater Manchester waste client calms PFI legal claim delay fears

17-Sep-2009
The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority has played down fears that its £3.8 billion PFI scheme could be affected by legal action from a failed bidder.
Calls for more direct labour after raids

17-Sep-2009
Construction Industry Council chief executive Graham Watts has urged the construction sector “to start employing the people that work for it” after dawn raids by HM Revenue & Customs officers uncovered a multi-million pound tax fraud.
Maintenance worker killed on Scottish wind farm

16-Sep-2009
A man has been killed carrying out maintenance work at a wind farm near Thurso in Scotland.
Covent Garden Market Authority to tender for development partner

16-Sep-2009
Plans for the redevelopment of the 23 ha New Covent Garden Market site in London have been unveiled, with tenders for a private development partner expected to be requested early in the new year.
Planners give green light to £532m Wales-Ireland electricity link

16-Sep-2009
The construction of a £532 million electricity interconnector between Ireland and Wales was this week approved by planning chiefs.
Builders should have no say on Irish assets Bill, demands charity

16-Sep-2009
Ireland’s top house builders and developers should be kept out of consultations on the State’s bad bank scheme, the country’s largest housing charity has urged.
LDA criticised over 'monumental' failure in 2012 land overspend

15-Sep-2009
The London Development Agency faced criticism over its transparency today as it was grilled by members of the London Assembly over the £160 million Olympic land overspend.
Shepherd signs £90m refinancing deal

15-Sep-2009
Shepherd Building Group has signed a £90 million refinancing deal with HSBC, which it claims will allow it to take advantage of opportunities in the market place as the economy recovers.
Herbert T Forest announced third CEO in 54 years

15-Sep-2009
Northern social housing contractor Herbert T Forest has appointed its third chief executive officer in 54 years as the company targets substantial growth in public sector building services.
John Tutte takes Redrow helm

15-Sep-2009
John Tutte has been appointed as Redrow group managing director in a board reshuffle that sees director Colin Lewis depart after 18 years.
Recovery in the south boosts average house prices, say RICS

15-Sep-2009
House prices climbed during August, driven by a lack of supply in the market, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said today.
House prices will take five years to climb back to 2007 peak

14-Sep-2009
Recent house prices rises are a “false dawn”, a report by Ernst & Young has claimed.
Govt unveils crackdown on corruption in public sector construction

11-Sep-2009
A new international anti-corruption initiative targeting public sector construction schemes is to be piloted in the United Kingdom.
Insurance hike fears over legal time limits

11-Sep-2009
The Government is planning an overhaul of the time allowed for clients to sue contractors, which could leave companies facing greatly extended and “overly onerous” liability periods.
Westinghouse in talks over 'significant investment' at nuclear site

11-Sep-2009
Energy giant Westinghouse Electric Company has revealed it is in “advanced discussions” with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority over plans for the Springfields nuclear fuel site near Preston.
Chief construction adviser role already filled, industry fears

10-Sep-2009
The industry has two weeks left to nominate candidates for the Government’s new chief construction adviser role – amid rumours a candidate may already have been chosen.
Bone Steel set to lay off 40 workers

10-Sep-2009
Scottish steel contractor Bone Steel has put more than 80 of its factory workers on consultation as it faces a severe drop off in demand.
Failed Manchester waste bidder launches claim for 'unlimited' damages

9-Sep-2009
Recycling and waste management company Sita UK has launched legal action against the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority after it missed out on securing the contract for the £3.8 billion Greater Manchester Waste PFI, Europe’s largest waste contract.
Councils too focused on new build, says Audit Commission

9-Sep-2009
A new report by the public spending watchdog is urging local councils to shift their focus from new build housing to upgrading existing stock.
Scaffold firm fined for unsecured structure collapse

9-Sep-2009
Cardiff firm Linmar Scaffolding has been ordered to pay more than £7,000 in fines and legal costs after an unsecured scaffold collapsed at an industrial unit in Caerphilly in 2006.
Contract corruption case thrown out of court

7-Sep-2009
Two men accused of public contract corruption have walked free from court after a six-year investigation against them collapsed.
Protesters to flood Newport power station site

7-Sep-2009
A demonstration is today being held at the Uskmouth power station construction site in the long-running row over contracts being awarded to foreign companies.
Contractors may be forced to 'advertise UK jobs in UK'

7-Sep-2009
Companies could be required to advertise posts in UK JobCentres for a month before recruiting from overseas, home secretary Alan Johnson said today.
Talks resume in bid to avert widespread strikes

4-Sep-2009
Fresh talks are underway today to resolve a dispute over pay which could result in thousands of engineering construction workers taking strike action at power station schemes around the country.
Darling to warn G20 ministers not to take recovery for granted

4-Sep-2009
Chancellor Alistair Darling is expected to today urge G20 governments to continue with plans for global fiscal stimulus as the world’s finance ministers gather in London for talks.
Gordon Brown tells Olympic workers country is 'proud' of their efforts

4-Sep-2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has convened his Cabinet for their first meeting since parliamentary recess at the Olympic Park site, where he told workers the country was “proud” of their efforts.
Shepherd Engineering Services appoints new FD

4-Sep-2009
Building services group Shepherd Engineering Services has appointed Paul Nichol as finance director.
UKCG to implement supervisor training standard

3-Sep-2009
The UK Contractors Group has moved to implement a new supervisor training standard that has been under discussion since the organisation was formed at the start of the year.
ODA chief John Armitt appointed to Siemens board

3-Sep-2009
Olympic Delivery Authority chairman John Armitt has been appointed as an advisory board member of energy and infrastructure group Siemens Holdings.
ICE launches new training programmes

3-Sep-2009
New training courses in ground engineering, Eurocodes, project cost management and understanding construction contracts have been launched by the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Aberdeen man killed in scaffold fall named

3-Sep-2009
The 63-year-old man killed when he fell from scaffolding at an Aberdeen site earlier this week has been named.
Procurement could be imminent for 63-storey Columbus Tower

3-Sep-2009
Contractors could soon be sought to build a proposed tower in Canary Wharf that would become one of the tallest buildings in London.
OFT proposes greater duties for directors over competition law

3-Sep-2009
Contractors have been warned they may soon face “aggressive” new regulations after the Office of Fair Trading announced plans to widen the use of its director disqualification powers.
Tube Lines builds solid safety platform

3-Sep-2009
The division of Tube Lines responsible for delivering its capital works programme has achieved a full year without a lost time injury.
Prohibition notices served at site where Aberdeen worker killed

2-Sep-2009
Two prohibition notices had previously been served at the Aberdeen site where a man was killed yesterday.
Worker suffers 'serious injuries' in second Aberdeen fall

2-Sep-2009
A man in Aberdeen suffered severe injuries when he fell more than 15m through a fragile roof just hours after another local died in a fall from scaffolding.
HMRC and Companies House move to cut red tape

1-Sep-2009
HM Revenue & Customs and Companies House have today announced a common approach to filing company accounts online in a bid to cut down red tape for business.
Man dies in scaffold fall

1-Sep-2009
An Aberdeen man has died in a scaffolding accident while renovating a block of flats.
Milton Keynes school ceiling collapses

1-Sep-2009
Emergency repairs have had to be carried out at a school in Milton Keynes after part of the ceiling collapsed during the school holidays.
EDF Energy Contracting fined £160k over worker death

27-Aug-2009
EDF Energy Contracting has been fined £160,000 after a maintenance worker fell to his death at a school in West Sussex.
HSE to clamp down on house builders, major refurb and asbestos

27-Aug-2009
Health and Safety Executive chief construction inspector has unveiled his plans for the coming year to the board.
Pairings emerge for £1.2bn Forth Bridge

27-Aug-2009
Two more heavyweight joint ventures have emerged to compete for the £1.2 billion contract to build the replacement Forth Bridge in Scotland.
HSE plans to overhaul public sector construction procurement

27-Aug-2009
The Health and Safety Executive is to demand that Government bodies increase their focus on safety when awarding construction contracts.
MoD warns of construction efficiencies

27-Aug-2009
The Ministry of Defence is under pressure to improve the efficiency of its building and maintenance programme as it faces “tighter financial constraints” and increasingly complex estate-consolidation projects.
Carillion announces £121m private sector contract haul

26-Aug-2009
Carillion has secured three new UK private sector building projects worth £121 million, including a £50 million office complex for Segro in Farnborough, it informed shareholders today.
Lovell wins £20m housing regeneration

26-Aug-2009
Morgan Sindall’s affordable housing arm Lovell has secured a £20 million redevelopment of a Hampshire estate by social housing provider Atlantic Housing.
Worker's legs 'crushed' at Staythorpe construction site

25-Aug-2009
A worker on the construction of a power station in Nottinghamshire was yesterday airlifted to hospital after he suffered injuries to his legs.
GB Building JV wins approval for £30m Leeds hotel

24-Aug-2009
A joint venture between GB Building Solutions and hotel consultancy Oxford Hotel Projects has obtained planning permission to build a £30 million hotel in the centre of Leeds.
CBI calls on Govt to pour more money into apprenticeships

24-Aug-2009
Influential trade body CBI is today calling on the Government to do more to tackle youth unemployment, including funding thousands of extra apprenticeship places.
Petition against new Kingsnorth station to be handed to Govt

24-Aug-2009
A petition of some 1,600 names opposed to the new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent is to be handed to the Government.
Crane topples onto supermarket

21-Aug-2009
A crane has collapsed onto a supermarket in Northern Ireland.
Unions continue ballot as contractors stand firm on pay freeze

21-Aug-2009
A row over plans to freeze wages of engineering construction workers next year is stalling any agreement between the contractor representatives and trade unions, and could cause further strikes at Britain’s power station sites.
Housing market 'past the low point' says property group

21-Aug-2009
The toughest housing market conditions in a generation may be over, property website Rightmove has claimed, after it reported record buyer activity.
Kier claims complete compliance

21-Aug-2009
So, just what has this top 5 contractor been doing to ensure its hands are clean in the competition department?
OFT inquiry: UKCG and NFB launch new code of conduct

20-Aug-2009
Firms urged to sign competition Code of Conduct to show industry has ‘understood OFT’s message’
We’re now ‘squeaky clean’, says Kier chief

20-Aug-2009
John Dodds has started using terms such as “water tight” and “squeaky clean” to describe Bedfordshire-based Kier Group, a company he has worked at for almost 40 years and headed for more than six.
Mandatory code can ‘only help industry’

20-Aug-2009
The managing director of Nottingham-based building and civils group Clegg Construction has called on all construction trade bodies to adopt and help promote a new code of conduct on competition laws, saying it is the only way small companies in the industry will fully understand their legal responsibilities.
OFT backs ‘positive’ industry code

20-Aug-2009
The Office of Fair Trading has welcomed a new code of conduct launched by industry leaders today, describing it as a “positive signal” that the construction sector wants to stamp out any potential breaches of competition law.
HSE issues safety alert after top cutting machine fatality

19-Aug-2009
The Health and Safety Executive has issued a safety alert in regards to top cutting machines after a fatal accident in Wiltshire last month.
Council to appeal ruling that reclamation work caused birth defects

19-Aug-2009
Corby Borough Council is to appeal a High Court ruling which said it was liable over reclamation work at a former British Steel site that was found to have caused a series of birth defects in the town.
First corporate manslaughter trial to begin in February

19-Aug-2009
The UK’s first corporate manslaughter case is expected to be tried next February, a crown court was told today.
Contractor fined £10k after employee injured in fall

19-Aug-2009
Wiltshire building firm F Dewey has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £7,500 in costs after a worker fell through the roof of a building he was demolishing.
Blacklist lobbyists demand strict penalties in consultation submission

18-Aug-2009
A new lobby group for blacklisted workers has urged Government to introduce retrospective regulations and laws that make blacklisting a criminal offence, punishable with a jail sentence.
Arup, EC Harris and HLM win Magilligan Prison contract

18-Aug-2009
Consultancies Arup and EC Harris have been appointed to design and administer the construction contract for the 800-bed Magilligan Prison, which is to be built on the existing prison site.
Corby council to consider appeal on reclamation works ruling

18-Aug-2009
A council found liable for negligence over reclamation works at a British Steel plant will meet today to decide its next move.
Balfour Beatty director Stephen Howard stands down

17-Aug-2009
Balfour Beatty non-executive director Stephen Howard will today stand down from the company’s board.
Unions urged to call off strike ballot

13-Aug-2009
Engineering contractors have urged unions to call a halt to ballots for nationwide industrial action after the row over working conditions and pay escalated last week.
Man fatally crushed by steel frame

12-Aug-2009
A man has been killed after becoming trapped under machinery at a construction products plant in Northern Ireland.
GB Building wins £7m Chesterfield hospital works

12-Aug-2009
GB Building Solutions has secured a £7 million contract with the Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to build a new hospital wing.
New inflation report expected to predict further gloom

12-Aug-2009
Bank of England governor Mervyn King is today expected to warn that Britain is facing a long road out of recession.
Worker arrested after hitting colleague with vehicle

12-Aug-2009
The driver of a roadsweeping vehicle on a Highways Agency resurfacing scheme in the North-west has been arrested after he collided with a fellow worker, fatally injuring him.
Strike ballot begins today

11-Aug-2009
Ballot papers have this morning been sent out to thousands of engineering construction workers employed on the building and maintenance of power stations nationwide.
Villa Park out of Olympic line up

11-Aug-2009
Planned construction work at Villa Park has ended hopes to include the stadium on the Olympic list for London 2012.
Morgan Sindall optimistic despite 28pc drop in profits

10-Aug-2009
Morgan Sindall has recorded an 8 per cent drop in revenue and a 28 per cent slide in pre-tax profits for the first half of the year.
Industry faces huge race challenge

6-Aug-2009
The UK Contractors Croup has warned that that the industry faces a huge challenge trying to increase its number of ethnic minority workers during the recession.
Wembley battle is “paralysing” Mott

6-Aug-2009
The £253 million battle over Wembley Stadium is “paralysing” Mott MacDonald, the engineering giant’s lawyers have admitted.
Wembley: Multiplex v CBUK appeal delayed

31-Jul-2009
An appeal against the ruling in the Multiplex and Cleveland Bridge case has been put on hold for at least two months after a hearing date last week was postponed.
Multiplex v Mott MacDonald Wembley legal fees to hit £65m

30-Jul-2009
More than £65 million is expected to be spent on legal fees alone in the high profile Wembley trial between builders Multiplex and engineers Mott MacDonald.
Multiplex v Mott MacDonald trial to start in Jan 2011

30-Jul-2009
The long-awaited trial between Multiplex and Mott MacDonald over the troubled construction of Wembley stadium will be heard from January 2011 and could take up to a year for a final ruling to be handed down, the High court has been told today.
Slump prompts apprentices overhaul

30-Jul-2009
ConstructionSkills is to overhaul industry apprenticeships after 30 per cent fall in recruitment to programmes
N Ireland procurement plan published

30-Jul-2009
Capped shortlists, simplified pre-qualification questionnaires and work towards a fair payment charter are among 25 measures on the Northern Ireland Executive’s new public procurement strategy.
Reclamation works at British Steel site blamed for birth defects

29-Jul-2009
The High Court has ruled that reclamation works on the former British Steel complex in Corby were capable of leading to some, or all, of the birth defects displayed in more than a dozen children in the local area.
ODA dismisses 'radioactive bunker' reports

29-Jul-2009
The Olympic Delivery Authority and Environment Agency have moved to reassure workers and the public of their safety at London’s Olympic Park after it was today reported that thousands of tonnes of radioactive waste would be buried at a bunker next to the 2012 site.
China State Construction soars on debut

29-Jul-2009
Shares in China’s biggest housing contractor jumped by almost 70 per cent on their first day on the stock market following the world’s largest share issue earlier this year.
Ulster American Folk Park set for £2.4m expansion

28-Jul-2009
A £2.4 million project has been unveiled to build an extension at the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh, in Northern Ireland.
Plans to overhaul NI public procurement formally unveiled

27-Jul-2009
The Northern Ireland Executive has today unveiled potential changes to its public procurement strategy which ministers claim will simplify the bidding process and make it easier for firms struggling in the recession.
GB Building win £11.5m Chesterfield FC stadium job

27-Jul-2009
GB Building Solutions has secured a £11.5 million design and build contract for a new all-seater stadium for league two club Chesterfield FC.
Stalled schemes to benefit from £1bn Govt package

27-Jul-2009
The Government will today unveil plans for a £1 billion package to kick-start building projects stalled in the recession.
Govt to unveils plans to mark Workers' Memorial Day

27-Jul-2009
A new bank holiday could be announced by the Government to commemorate those killed at work.
Jurys Inn secures £60m for new building projects

27-Jul-2009
Hotels chain Jurys Inn has secured £60 million of new funds to underpin future developments in the UK.
New worker involvement guidance unveiled by Strategic Forum

24-Jul-2009
A new guide to improve worker involvement and help reduce accidents has been published today.
Iraq worker loses compensation claim against Mott Macdonald

24-Jul-2009
A British engineer who lost his shoulder in a roadside bomb blast in Iraq has lost his High Court case against Mott MacDonald and the Ministry of Justice.
OFT case against Crest Nicholson 'infringed the principle of equal treatment'

24-Jul-2009
But the High Court has also ruled, aside from its dealings with Crest Nicholson, the OFT acted fairly by implementing a fast track offer in its major cover pricing investigation.
Planning chiefs approve £28m Leeds airport expansion

24-Jul-2009
Plans to expand Leeds Bradford International Airport have been approved.
Turner & Townsend increase revenue but suffer blow to profits

24-Jul-2009
Project management and consultancy services firm Turner & Townsend increased revenues by almost 18 per cent last year but suffered a fall in pre-tax profit, which was dragged down by restructuring costs.
ONS data expected to reveal fifth quarter of decline

24-Jul-2009
Government figures due out today after expected to show a fifth successive quarter of decline in the UK economy.
OFT's Simon Williams moved off 'bid rigging' investigation in reshuffle

24-Jul-2009
The man who spearheaded the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation into alleged construction sector cover pricing is being redeployed as part of a senior team reshuffle within the regulator.
Gas fitter convicted of manslaughter over double fatality

23-Jul-2009
A self-employed gas fitter has been found guilty of causing the death of two elderly friends, killed by carbon monoxide poisoning after he failed to fix a boiler at one of their homes.
SFO: Bosses who self-report corruption could escape criminal prosecution

23-Jul-2009
The Serious Fraud Office has released new guidelines that would encourage companies to proactively report suspected bribery offences within their own organisation.
Contractor fined £25k over worker fall death

23-Jul-2009
Birkenhead-based CRN Contracts has been fined £25,000 after a worker was killed when he fell through the roof of a retail outlet in Wigan in 2005.
Urvasco's mothballed Strand scheme in receivership

23-Jul-2009
A stalled hotel project on the Strand, central London, has been put into receivership after months of inactivity and legal disputes.
New blacklist support group to investigate potential class action

23-Jul-2009
An informal support network for blacklisted building workers has been established following a meeting this week at Westminster.
Govt reveals £1bn plan to electrify major train lines

23-Jul-2009
A £1.1 billion plan to electrify two major rail lines has been formally unveiled by the Government today.
Blacklist: firms’ invoices revealed

23-Jul-2009
Skanska and Sir Robert McAlpine were both invoiced more than £25,000 by blacklist firm during 2008
Firms distance themselves from data

23-Jul-2009
Contractors Morgan Est and Bam Construct are among a host of contractors trying to distance themselves from the blacklisting scandal, with claims they were “non-active members” of the Consulting Association.
Ian Kerr's £5,000 fine met with industry shock

23-Jul-2009
The £5,000 fine handed down to Ian Kerr, who controlled a construction worker blacklist accessed by some of the industry’s biggest companies, has been met with shock by legal experts and safety lobbyists alike
Contractors escape FOI extension – for now

23-Jul-2009
Contractors in the public sector have this week escaped an extension of the Freedom of Information Act to cover their work, but the Government has not ruled out their possible inclusion under the laws in the future.
Wall fall boss jailed for three years over teenager’s death

23-Jul-2009
Safety lobbyists have welcomed the jailing of building site employer Colin Holtom, who was this week sentenced to three years in prison for the manslaughter of a teenage labourer.
Tenders open on £500m Tees energy plant

23-Jul-2009
The construction of the £500 million Tees Renewable Energy Plant has been approved by the Government.
Funding for £2.3bn Forth bridge remains up in the air

23-Jul-2009
Doubts remain as to who will fund the construction of the £2.3 billion Forth River crossing, with Westminster urged to “stand firm” and resist demands for extra money for the new bridge.
Cardiff Airport link road and £1bn M4 relief route shelved by govt

23-Jul-2009
Plans to build a major new access road to Cardiff Airport have been scrapped.
Plans unveiled for Plymouth city redevelopment

22-Jul-2009
Plans to overhaul Plymouth city centre, including the development of a new retail quarter, are being unveiled by the council this week.
Scottish construction sector shrinks a further 6.6 per cent

22-Jul-2009
The Scottish construction sector shrunk by 6.6 per cent in the first three months of the year, according to new government figures.
Exeter university to build £48m extension

22-Jul-2009
Plans for a £48 million development at the University of Exeter have been approved by the local authority.
Another death on the construction of the Delhi Metro

22-Jul-2009
A worker has been killed in the third accident in just 10 days on a Delhi Metro rail construction site.
Worker dies on Scottish cafe job

21-Jul-2009
A labourer has been killed while carrying out work at a cafe in Scotland.
E.On applies for EU funding for Kingsnorth CCS

21-Jul-2009
Energy giant E.On has this week submitted an entry for European funding in support of its proposed carbon capture and storage development at Kingsnorth, in Kent.
Firm fined £127k after worker paralysed in fall

20-Jul-2009
Wirral-based contractor Property People has been fined £127,000 after a builder was paralysed in a fall.
Site boss jailed for three years for manslaughter

20-Jul-2009
Building site employer Colin Holtom has been jailed for three years for the manslaughter of 15-year-old construction worker Adam Gosling.
Wall fall boss to be sentenced for manslaughter today

20-Jul-2009
A building site manager is to be sentenced over the death of a teenage worker today after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence.
Plans for £1bn M4 extension at Newport dropped

17-Jul-2009
Plans to divert the M4 motorway south of Newport have been abandoned after the cost tripled to almost £1 billion.
North Midland Construction win £3.4m Severn Water job

17-Jul-2009
Civil engineering and building firm North Midland Construction has secured a contract worth over £3.4 million to redevelop Severn Trent Water’s derby site.
Power station building workers to be balloted for strikes

17-Jul-2009
Thousands of engineering construction workers will be balloted for strikes following a continuing feud over pay and the recruitment of staff.
Colleges funding crisis caused by 'catastrophic' mismanagement, claim MPs

17-Jul-2009
A lack of direction and “catastrophic” mismanagement by the Government led to the collapse of its college rebuilding programme, a group of MPs has said.
Highways Agency to 'introduce better performance measures' as spending climbs

16-Jul-2009
The Highways Agency increased its capital expenditure by almost £100 million, to £1.15 billion, in 2008/09 compared with the year prior.
Ucatt: Blacklist fine is 'slap in face'

16-Jul-2009
Ucatt has described the £5,000 fine handed down to blacklister Ian Kerr today as “a slap in the face” for construction workers.
Pay deal sees workers back on World Cup sites

16-Jul-2009
Construction labourers have returned to work at South Africa’s World Cup stadiums following a week-long strike.
ICO to use 'strongest powers' against 17 firms that accessed blacklist

16-Jul-2009
Enforcement action is being taken against 17 construction companies involved in the blacklisting scandal.
Blacklister Ian Kerr fined £5k

16-Jul-2009
The man who established a construction worker blacklist accessed by some of the industry’s biggest companies has today been given a £5,000 fine.
Four eco-town projects to go-ahead in 'first wave'

16-Jul-2009
The Government has today announced plans to progress with four eco-town schemes across England.
Plans for £500m Tees energy plant approved

16-Jul-2009
Construction of the £500 million Tees Renewable Energy Plant has been approved by the Government.
Almost £1bn of new BSF projects to start in 2009/10

16-Jul-2009
The Government has set out proposals to start new Building Schools for the Future programmes in 18 more local authority areas over the next nine months, at a value of almost £1 billion.
Donaghy warns of 'dark corners' in the industry

16-Jul-2009
The chair of the inquiry into construction deaths has defended her decision to recommend an extension of gangmasters legislation, claiming construction leaders may not “be as aware of what goes on in the dark corners of the industry as they think they are”.
PfS “bullying” criticised by “Cameron’s favourite think-tank”

16-Jul-2009
The £55 billion Building Schools for the Future programme must be fundamentally overhauled, a right-wing think-tank has claimed, accusing Partnerships for Schools of “bullying” local authorities and micromanaging projects “to an unacceptable degree”.
EDF assures design issues won’t delay nuclear plans

16-Jul-2009
EDF Energy has moved to reassure contractors that questions over the safety of the nuclear reactor it plans to roll out in the UK have been addressed.
PC Harrington ‘failed’ to fully review crane safety

16-Jul-2009
PC Harrington has been dressed down by an Old Bailey judge for failing to hold a tool box talk on tower crane safety prior to the death of a worker on Wembley Stadium, despite having experienced a near-miss on one of its other sites only two months earlier.
Laing O’Rourke faces Oz court in October over cyclone safety

16-Jul-2009
Laing O’Rourke will be the first of seven companies to stand trial over allegations it failed to maintain a safe work environment when a deadly cyclone tore through one of its regional Western Australian base camps in 2007.
IPC will have power over major infrastructure projects from March

15-Jul-2009
The Infrastructure Planning Commission will be up and running from October and accepting applications from the energy and transport sectors from March 2010.
Deaths inquiry: Donaghy demands better working with unions

15-Jul-2009
Construction deaths inquiry chair speaks to Construction News about the industry’s poor relationship with unions, blacklisting and her frustrations with under-reporting.
Under-budgeted Olympic land may cause LDA cutbacks

15-Jul-2009
A multi-million pound shortfall is being investigated at the London Development Agency after it was found the group had failed to make provisions for some payments to former land owners at the Olympic Park.
Government to unveil renewables energy strategy

15-Jul-2009
The Government will today outline plans for a major expansion in renewable energy, including measures to boost green investment in homes and commercial property.
Building boss could face prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter

14-Jul-2009
A building site employer may face a prison sentence after admitting the manslaughter of a teenage labourer killed when a wall collapsed on him in north London two years ago.
Work stalled on World Cup stadiums as strikes continue

13-Jul-2009
The construction workers’ strike in South Africa has entered its sixth day, with 35 building sites – including stadiums for the 2010 World Cup – stalled by the action.
Bovis to roll out new multi-purpose lifting cage across all sites

13-Jul-2009
Bovis Lend Lease and HTC Plant have developed a multi-purpose lifting cage which will now be used across all the contractor’s sites in the UK.
Electricians' crippling strike suspended

13-Jul-2009
A crippling strike by more than 10,000 electricians across Ireland has been suspended.
CBI: Govt's plans for energy infrastructure 'disjointed'

13-Jul-2009
Business leaders have slammed the Government’s energy policy, describing it as “disjointed” and saying more money needs to be invested in the construction of new nuclear and coal plants.
Mabey & Johnson to plead guilty over corruption charges

10-Jul-2009
Bridge building firm Mabey & Johnson has today indicated it plans to plead guilty to charges of overseas corruption and breaching United Nations sanctions.
Fourteen dead after partially-constructed building collapses

10-Jul-2009
At least 14 workers have been killed and 40 injured after a building under construction in Burundi, eastern Africa, collapsed.
PC Harrington fined £150k over Wembley death

9-Jul-2009
Concrete contractor PC Harrington has been given 12 months to pay a £150,000 fine for the death of a worker on the Wembley construction site after an Old Bailey judge acknowledged the contractor had been “very greatly affected by the downturn”.
Injuries fall as Bovis Lend Lease bans quick hitches

9-Jul-2009
Bovis Lend Lease is to ban all semi-automatic and single pin fully-automatic excavator quick hitches from its sites from next year.
Strikes stall work on South Africa's World Cup stadiums

9-Jul-2009
Some 70,000 construction workers in South Africa could strike for a second day today in a pay dispute between unions and contractors on the stadiums for the 2010 World Cup.
Firms eye multi-billion pound Chinese market

9-Jul-2009
China is emerging as a key prospect for rail infrastructure projects, with 42,000 km of tracks slated for construction over the next 10 years.
Mott Macdonald awaits Iraq ruling

9-Jul-2009
Engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald has defended accusations that it put employees working on the reconstruction effort in Iraq at risk, claiming “there is no evidence to prove” construction workers in Iraq are safer travelling in armoured cars than in ordinary vehicles.
Willmott Dixon and Arup sued over flooded labs

9-Jul-2009
The Imperial Cancer Research Fund and Cancer Research UK are suing Willmott Dixon Construction and consultancy group Arup over “severe leaks” found in one of their laboratories in Hertfordshire.
Shepherd stalls work on Berners Hotel amid payment row

9-Jul-2009
The refurbishment of The Berners Hotel in central London has hit the skids in recent weeks after a multi-million pound payment row broke out between the venue owner and contractor Shepherd Construction.
Mott MacDonald hits back in huge Wembley row

9-Jul-2009
Engineering giant Mott MacDonald has filed its defence against the largest legal claim in UK construction history, saying that Multiplex’s case against it over the troubled Wembley stadium construction is based on “irrelevant and inconsistent” information.
PC Harrington to face court tomorrow over Wembley death

8-Jul-2009
PC Harrington will face court tomorrow over the death of a worker on the construction of Wembley stadium five years ago.
UKCG: Construction does not need gangmasters regulations

8-Jul-2009
The UK Contractors Group says there is “no justification” for the extension of the Gangmasters Licensing Act to include the construction sector.
Deaths inquiry calls for investigation into conviction delays

8-Jul-2009
Final recommendations also urge safety benchmarks in pre-qualification schemes be standardised.
Deaths inquiry report: Rita's Recommendations

8-Jul-2009
Below are the recommendations as published in the final report into the construction deaths inquiry, One Death Too Many - released this morning.
Deaths inquiry report: Govt needs a full-time construction minister

8-Jul-2009
Much-anticipated inquiry report also calls for increased HSE resources in the capital, all construction workers to become union members and an extension of building regulations to include safety provisions.
Operation starts to move collapsed Liverpool crane

8-Jul-2009
Work to move the crane which collapsed on a block of flats in Liverpool on Monday will begin today.
FACK demands 'full unedited' inquiry report be released immediately

7-Jul-2009
Lobby group Families Against Corporate Killers has mirrored Ucatt’s concerns over the decision to delay the release of the construction deaths inquiry final recommendations, calling for the “full unedited, unwatered down report” to be released immediately.
Delayed inquiry report to demand extension of gangmasters legislation

7-Jul-2009
Unions and trade bodies, who had been told the report would be released today, confused after Department for Work and Pensions fails to publish recommendations.
Builder regains sight after tooth transplanted into eye

6-Jul-2009
A British builder who was blinded in a workplace accident has had his sight restored after having one of his teeth transplanted into his eye.
Morrison starts work on 2012 canoe centre

3-Jul-2009
Morrison Construction today started work on the white water canoe centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Human skull uncovered on school construction site

3-Jul-2009
Construction workers carrying out excavation work for a new school have uncovered a human skull.
Balfour Beatty: Close imminent on Carlisle Development Route

3-Jul-2009
Balfour Beatty has this morning told shareholders that it expects to reach financial close on the much-delayed the £147 million Carlisle Northern Development Route project “shortly”.
Bovis and Cadbury head for courts

2-Jul-2009
Construction giant is embroiled in a row over a sweets factory in Pontefract, West Yorkshire
Skanska dragged into Bath Spa battle

2-Jul-2009
Carillion has dragged Skanska into the multi-million pound row over the Bath Spa development, which opened five years late and three times over its original budget.
Legislation could enforce use of local labour

2-Jul-2009
Legislation forcing employers to take on as much local labour as possible could soon be introduced in Parliament.
Safety chief frustrated by refurb deaths

2-Jul-2009
Health and Safety Executive chief inspector for construction Philip White has admitted he is “frustrated” that a crackdown on refurbishment sites has done little to curb the number of deaths in the sector.
Persimmon finally wins case on £4m profit-share appeal

1-Jul-2009
House builder Persimmon has won a House of Lords appeal against a court order which demanded it pay £4.1 million to former development partner Chartbrook.
House price rise in East Anglia outstrips other regions

1-Jul-2009
House prices in East Anglia have climbed by the largest amount of any region in the country, according to new figures from Nationwide Building Society.
Berkeley's Tony Pidgley 'saddened' over JV troubles

1-Jul-2009
Berkeley Group co-founder Tony Pidgley said he is “saddened” over the speculation that its long-term joint venture partner Saad Investments is debt-laden and potentially financially unviable.
Cyril Sweett profits squeezed despite jump in revenue

1-Jul-2009
Consultant Cyril Sweett today recorded a 26 per cent rise in revenues for the year – but has had its profits cut in half.
PICTURES: Construction worker saves drowning woman

1-Jul-2009
A heroic construction worker has rescued a drowning woman from in a dam in Iowa, in the USA.
Inquiry chair Rita Donaghy has 'handed over' final report

30-Jun-2009
The publication of the final report into the construction deaths inquiry is imminent, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed.
Gas fitter faces manslaughter charges over carbon monoxide deaths

30-Jun-2009
An elderly man and woman died of carbon monoxide poisoning when a gas fitter failed to properly repair the boiler at one of their homes, a court has heard.
Govt urged to use Corus Redcar steel in public projects

30-Jun-2009
Three Teesside MPs are lobbying the Government to use Corus’ Redcar steel in upcoming projects in a bid to save jobs at the troubled plant.
Mott MacDonald 'made no assessment of risk' court told

29-Jun-2009
International engineering consultant Mott MacDonald “made no assessment of the risk” in Iraq which led to the serious injury of one of its employees in late 2003, the High Court heard today.
New laws tabled to help local firms win work on major projects

29-Jun-2009
New legislation could be introduced that would place a legal obligation on employers to take on as much local labour as possible, provide training where skills gaps exist and to use local supply chains.
Nearly-completed apartment tower topples almost intact

29-Jun-2009
A nearly-completed 13-storey apartment building has toppled - almost intact - in the Chinese city of Shanghai.
Birmingham City FC directors pour own cash into stadium refurb

29-Jun-2009
Millionaire businessman David Sullivan has ploughed another £1.5 million into Birmingham City Football Club, with much of the cash earmarked for a stadium refurbishment for the newly promoted team.
Construction worker injured in Iraq sues Mott MacDonald and MoD

26-Jun-2009
A British civil engineer who was seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq has launched a landmark case against engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald, his employer, and the Ministry of Defence.
Tony Pidgley to leave Berkeley MD role after 33 years

26-Jun-2009
Berkeley group finance director Rob Perrins will soon take the helm of the company, with the board today announcing he will take over as managing director from September.
Berkeley profits down 40pc as revenue falls by £300m

26-Jun-2009
Residential developer Berkeley has suffered a 30 per cent fall in revenues and close-to 40 per cent drop in pre-tax profit over the past year.
Refinery deal to be put to workers after bitter protests

26-Jun-2009
A deal to end the bitter dispute over jobs at Lindsey oil refinery in North Lincolnshire is understood to have been agreed.
Think tank calls for £25bn Scotland transport hub

26-Jun-2009
Around £25 billion should be spent on building a new integrated road, rail and air hub, a think tank has urged today.
Scottish govt to pour a further £9m into new social housing

26-Jun-2009
Local authorities across Scotland are to share a £9 million pot created today to build more council houses.
CBT: Roads programme as much as £3.9bn over budget

25-Jun-2009
The Highways Agency’s road building programme is “significantly over budget”, with three quarters of the roads completed in the past year more expensive than expected.
Ucatt: Too early to backslap over safety improvement

25-Jun-2009
Construction union Ucatt has warned it is “premature” for the industry to claim an achievement in its safety standards after the regulator yesterday announced a 26 per cent fall in fatalities.
Carillion wins payment fight on £70m Swansea tower

25-Jun-2009
Construction giant Carillion has not only won back its position on the stalled £70 million Median Quay tower in Swansea, but the contractor also appears to have emerged victorious in a payment argument while doing so.
Northern Ireland in procurement overhaul

25-Jun-2009
Public procurement across Northern Ireland is to be significantly overhauled, including initiatives to reduce bidding costs, increase opportunities for small business and standardise PQQs, following two successful legal challenges to major government frameworks.
Lindsey project “£100m over budget”

25-Jun-2009
Mass protests by construction workers at the Lindsey oil refinery have pushed the project six months behind schedule and some £100m over budget, French oil giant Total has revealed, claiming the expansion scheme is now “on thin ice”.
Manslaughter case plea adjourned until August

25-Jun-2009
The first corporate manslaughter case to go to court in the UK has been adjourned until August, when pleas will be heard.
Costain and McAlpine join forces in £40bn nuclear new build plan

25-Jun-2009
British contractors Costain and Sir Robert McAlpine are expected join forces with two international construction giants in a bid to secure a significant portion of the UK’s £40 billion nuclear new build market.
Cardy Construction faces £500k sewage claim

25-Jun-2009
Kent-based Cardy Construction has been hit with a legal claim for more than £500,000 after a piling exercise gone-wrong blocked a sewage system with concrete.
Worthing crane collapse judge has no regrets

25-Jun-2009
A crown court judge has expressed his satisfaction that tower crane firm Eurolift has stopped trading following the 2005 Worthing crane collapse.
Total 'encouraging' dispute talks as mass protests continue

23-Jun-2009
French oil giant Total has said it is “actively encouraging” talks between contractors and workers in the dispute over jobs on its North Lincolnshire oil refinery project.
Carillion finally back on site of Wales' tallest apartment tower

22-Jun-2009
Carillion will today start back on site at Wales’ tallest residential tower, almost three months after abandoning the project in a row over payment.
Jobs dispute garners more support as sacked workers burn letters

22-Jun-2009
Sacked contractors protesting outside the Lindsey oil refinery site in Lincolnshire have been joined by dozens of workers from a neighbouring plant.
Eurolift fined £50k over Worthing crane collapse

19-Jun-2009
Meanwhile, the sentencing of parent company WD Bennett has to be adjourned after no-one appears in court to represent the firm.
Crane companies to be sentenced over Worthing collapse

19-Jun-2009
Two crane companies will be sentenced today over the deaths of two workers in Worthing in 2005.
Total sacks 900 workers after wildcat strikes

19-Jun-2009
The dispute over jobs on a scheme to build an oil refinery in Lincolnshire has turned ugly after hundreds of protesting workers were sacked.
Cemex fined over £30k over dust incident

18-Jun-2009
Cemex UK has been hit with more than £30,000 in fines and costs after homes, businesses and vehicles in Warwickshire were covered in dust from one of its plants.
Housing hit as lending figures fall further

18-Jun-2009
The housing sector has taken a hit today with news that mortgage lending has slipped again, despite recent signs the market may have been beginning to recover.
Inquiry for new Stansted runway construction delayed again

18-Jun-2009
The proposed public inquiry into the construction of a new runway at Stansted Airport has been delayed for the second time.
EDF to invite tenders for nuclear job

18-Jun-2009
Tenders will be invited this summer for two major jobs on the new £4 billion Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station, despite the controversial scheme not having planning approval.
N.Ireland exec calls for social housing boost

18-Jun-2009
Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly have called on the Executive to increase investment in social housing, describing its current strategy as “short sighted” and saying a massive cash injection into the sector was “undoubtedly one of the best things that we can do” during the recession.
Carillion looks set to return to Wales’ tallest residential tower

18-Jun-2009
Carillion will win back its position as main contractor on Wales’ tallest residential tower if it can agree payment terms with the developer next week, Construction News understands
HSE could add safety rules to building regulations in crackdown

18-Jun-2009
The Health and Safety Executive may introduce strict safety criteria to local building regulations and step up its publicising of convictions as it bids to curb the industry’s death toll.
Welsh Water to maintain record investment levels despite losses

18-Jun-2009
Welsh Water will spend about £350 million maintaining and upgrading its network over the coming year – sustaining record levels of investment despite posting an £11m pre-tax loss last week.
Travelodge to buy and rebrand sites of struggling competitors

17-Jun-2009
Budget hotel chain Travelodge has launched a £100 million property fund to help it snap up hotel assets from operators struggling in the recession.
Magistrate commits first corporate manslaughter case to crown court

17-Jun-2009
The country’s first corporate manslaughter case has today been committed to crown court.
First firm charged under Corporate Manslaughter Act faces court today

17-Jun-2009
The first company to be prosecuted under new corporate manslaughter laws will appear in court today, charged over the death of a young geologist.
Firefighters battle chemical plant blaze

17-Jun-2009
More than 80 firefighters are battling a blaze that has broken out at a chemical plant in Herefordshire.
CPA: Water companies achieving targets... for now

17-Jun-2009
The nation’s water companies are generally on target to deliver their AMP4 programmes by the end of 2010, according a new report by the Construction Products Association.
Alan Ritchie re-elected as Ucatt chief

16-Jun-2009
Ucatt general secretary Alan Ritchie has been re-elected to head the construction union for a second term.
Land Securities' MD Mike Hussey to leave at end of month

16-Jun-2009
Land Securities London managing director, Mike Hussey, is leaving the company.
CBI: Recovery will be 'slow and gradual'

15-Jun-2009
Leading business body CBI has warned that improvements in the nation’s economic health will be “slow and gradual”, forecasting no growth until at least the start of next year.
Up to 10,000 jobs could go in Irish civils sector, CECA claims

15-Jun-2009
As many as 10,000 jobs are at risk of being lost in Ireland’s construction sector in the coming year as the slowdown hits road building, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association has warned.
Lindsey oil refinery scheme hit by further strike action

11-Jun-2009
Hundreds of workers have walked out again at the Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire project in a fresh row over jobs.
MPs slam 'over-optimistic' and disappointing BSF programme

11-Jun-2009
The Government’s Building Schools for the Future programme has been described as “over-optimistic” and “poorly planned” by a cross-party group of MPs.
Amec in talks to buy Aussie engineering firm

11-Jun-2009
Amec has today confirmed plans to acquire Australian engineering services company GRD.
Forth Bridge tender due “this month”

11-Jun-2009
The main construction package for Scotland’s biggest infrastructure project, the £2 billion Forth replacement crossing, will go out to tender later this month.
Company profitability climbs as contractors get recession boost

11-Jun-2009
Company profitability continued to climb last year despite the ravaging effects of the global economic crisis, new data from Constructing Excellence has revealed.
Unions look for safety pledge in wake of Govt reshuffle

11-Jun-2009
Construction union Ucatt has requested “an urgent meeting” with new work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper to ensure the Government’s drive for better safety in the construction sector continues.
HSE chief Judith Hackitt comes out fighting on new strategy

11-Jun-2009
Health and Safety Executive chairwoman Judith Hackitt has been forced to defend the watchdog’s five-year strategy, which many believe will need to be changed when the construction deaths inquiry reports later this month.
M&S slashes spend by £400m

11-Jun-2009
Marks & Spencer has slashed capital expenditure by more than £400 million in the past year, it emerged last week – and the high street giant plans further cuts this year.
Contractors with top safety records double in eight years

11-Jun-2009
The percentage of UK contractors achieving a zero accident incidence rate has more than doubled over the past eight years, according to new information from Constructing Excellence.
Council to retender Newport site after Friars Walk scheme runs ground

10-Jun-2009
Newport City Council is expected to call for tenders for a new city centre development after Modus Corovest, the developers of Friars Walk, revealed they are not in position to deliver their proposed scheme.
Bouygues describes safety convictions as 'deeply regrettable'

10-Jun-2009
Bouygues UK has today commented on the two safety convictions it received in court over the past week – including one for the death of a worker – describing them as “deeply regrettable”.
Bones uncovered at site where severed foot was found

10-Jun-2009
Bones have been dug up at a construction site in Washington after the discovery of a severed foot at the weekend.
Plans unveiled for £100m Bangor redevelopment

10-Jun-2009
A £100 million scheme to redevelop the seafront at one of Northern Ireland’s most popular coastal towns has been unveiled.
Bouygues fined £160k over worker death

9-Jun-2009
Bouygues UK has been fined £160,000 over the death of a worker on a London school building site - the second fine the company has been hit with over safety-related breaches in just one week.
Discovery Homes and its director fined less than £10k after employee death

8-Jun-2009
But the Health and Safety Executive secures just the second successful prosecution of a Scottish company director over health and safety issues in six years.
Heathrow Airport fined £10k after worker falls from Terminal 1 roof

8-Jun-2009
Heathrow Airport has been fined £10,000 after a contractor suffered “life-changing injuries” when he fell into a 2.2 m deep gully while working on the roof at Terminal 1 in March 2007.
Yvette Cooper takes work and pensions role in Govt reshuffle

8-Jun-2009
Gordon Brown’s golden girl Yvette Cooper will start work this week in her new role of work and pensions secretary after James Purnell’s dramatic resignation on Thursday night.
Ex-Alfred McAlpine director pleads guilty to fraudulent trading

5-Jun-2009
A former sales director of Alfred McAlpine Slate today pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading, following guilty pleas last month from two other former directors.
Two children die in demolition incident

5-Jun-2009
Two children have died, and a further four were injured, when demolition works caused an abandoned culvert to collapse near a construction site in central China.
Gordon Brown tipped to announce reshuffle today

5-Jun-2009
Speculation is rife that Gordon Brown could reshuffle the Cabinet as early as this morning after the shock resignation of work and pensions secretary James Purnell.
Lobbyists lambast HSE's 'damp squib' strategy

5-Jun-2009
Lobby groups Hazards Campaign and Families Against Corporate Killers have slammed the Health and Safety Executive’s new five-year strategy, describing it as a “damp squib”.
Scottish govt adds £12m more to college building budget

5-Jun-2009
Some £12 million of extra funding has today been earmarked for improvements at Scottish colleges.
Ministers 'disappointed' by Purnell resignation

5-Jun-2009
Ministers and MPs have revealed their shock and disappointment over James Purnell’s dramatic resignation, but have this morning turned out in numbers throw their support behind embattled leader Gordon Brown.
Work and pensions secretary James Purnell resigns - and warns PM to stand down

5-Jun-2009
The man who ordered the current inquiry into construction deaths, work and pensions secretary James Purnell, has resigned from Cabinet.
HSE's safety guidance and codes to be made free online

4-Jun-2009
More than £1 million of health and safety publications and guidance will now be free to access on the Health and Safety Executive’s website.
Bouygues fined £18k after worker sustains 'life-changing injuries'

4-Jun-2009
Bouygues UK has been fined £18,000 after a carpenter suffered a fractured collarbone and ribs in a 5m fall in Waltham Forest in 2007.
Interest rates expected to be held at record low

4-Jun-2009
Interest rates are likely to be left at their 0.5 per cent record low today following last month’s surprise £50 billion boost for the recession-hit UK economy.
KPMG runs rule over Modus developments

4-Jun-2009
Administrators are to scrutinise all projects under the umbrella of developer Modus Ventures
Carillion made to sweat over Meridian Quay tower

4-Jun-2009
Contractor faces stiff competition from Welsh firm Opco to win back work on Swansea tower scheme
Laing O’Rourke pilots tender feedback form

4-Jun-2009
Construction giant Laing O’Rourke has begun piloting a feedback scheme which will inform all future unsuccessful subcontractors where they have fallen short in the tender process
Olympics: £40m shooting venue project comes under fire

3-Jun-2009
Olympics organisers have come under fire over the construction of a £40 million shooting venue at Woolwich.
ICE: Let's pump excess power station heat to homes

3-Jun-2009
New coal-fired power stations should be fitted with technology to capture waste heat, the Institution of Civil Engineers has recommended.
Bam Construct fined £15k over 'serious' incident at Willow Place

3-Jun-2009
Bam Construct has been fined £15,000 after a subcontractor was hit by a forklift truck during the building of the new £22.5 million Willow Place Shopping Centre in Corby.
HSE raises concerns over safety cuts as five-year strategy is released

3-Jun-2009
More than one quarter of business leaders say their company will face pressure to cut health and safety spending this year, according to new research by the Health and Safety Executive which will today launch its new five-year strategy.
Network Rail posts fall in profits and rising debt levels

3-Jun-2009
Rail infrastructure operator Network Rail has posted a dip in annual profits, to £1.52 billion, and an increase in its debt levels.
Quarry firms fined after worker trapped in conveyor

1-Jun-2009
Newcastle firms North East Concrete and North East Plant Sales have been fined a total of more than £8,000 after a worker became trapped in the head drum of a conveyor at a Northumberland quarry.
Modus Ventures 'another casualty' as it enters administration

1-Jun-2009
Modus Ventures has been placed into administration in what KPMG has described as “one of the first in a long line of commercial real estate casualties”.
Film studio applies for £200m extension

1-Jun-2009
British studio owner Pinewood Shepperton will this week submit a planning application to construct a new film set in Buckinghamshire, including up to 1,500 new homes.
Vital banking deal throws lifeline to Corus

1-Jun-2009
The parent company of Corus has secured a crucial deal with its lenders which will relax its banking covenants, boost its balance sheet and could potentially throw out a lifeline to its troubled Teesside operations.
Family of crane collapse victim hold anniversary vigil

1-Jun-2009
The parents of a New York City construction worker killed in a crane collapse a year ago have travelled to the US from Kosovo to hold a vigil for their son.
Industry slams Government silence over procurement contracts

28-May-2009
Industry figures have slammed the Office of Government Commerce’s continued endorsement of only one type of construction contract for public procurement.
John Lewis development chief sees long road to retail recovery

28-May-2009
John Lewis head of development Jeremy Collins has spoken of the depth of the difficulties being faced by the retail construction and fit out markets.
Mediation is key to saving thousands

27-May-2009
Lord Justice Jackson says mediation is the key to curbing a potential explosion of construction litigation relating to the issue of costly legal fee
Plymouth council fined for not maintaining school gas fittings

22-May-2009
A South-west council has been fined £5,000 for failing to maintain gas fittings within its local schools.
Sellafield charged after workers exposed to radiation

22-May-2009
Nuclear company Sellafield Limited will be prosecuted for alleged breaches of health and safety law after two site workers were exposed to airborne radioactive contamination.
Wessex Water construction arm hit as 200 jobs slashed

21-May-2009
South-west utilities provider Wessex Water will slash up to 200 staff from its workforce by the end of the year, with the majority of cuts to be made in its engineering and construction division.
Treasury faces lawsuit on national framework

21-May-2009
A major fit-out contractor has launched a legal battle worth more than £11 million against Her Majesty’s Treasury, claiming it breached procurement regulations when tendering a major new nationwide framework.
Industry death toll plummets as downturn reduces firms’ workloads

21-May-2009
The industry’s death toll plummeted by more than 20 per cent in the year to the end of March, with about 55 workers and two members of the public killed in construction-related incidents.
£20m lawsuit over nightclub floor

21-May-2009
Entertainment giant X-Leisure is suing the contractors behind its major Riverside regeneration in Norwich for more than £20 million after a new nightclub and bowling alley were found “not fit for purpose” and closed down indefinitely.
Sainsbury’s to spend £900m on building and refitting stores in 2010

21-May-2009
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s will spend up to £900 million building, refitting, and extending stores in 2010 – sustaining its capital expenditure despite the economic climate.
JCT unveils new 'sustainable' contracts

20-May-2009
The Joint Contracts Tribunal has amended its contracts to include new sustainability provisions.
Council fined £10k over injury of untrained worker

20-May-2009
A London council has been fined £10,000 after an untrained worker suffered an electric shock from an 11,000-volt cable while installing a new bench in Romford.
Govt approves extension of £300m Whitelee Windfarm

20-May-2009
The Scottish Government has approved plans for the £300 million Whitelee Windfarm in East Renfrewshire to be extended, announcing its decision as its turbines were officially switched on for the first time.
Unregistered gas fitter jailed after 'ignoring warnings'

20-May-2009
A 39-year-old unregistered gas fitter who “repeatedly put lives at risk” has been jailed for 12 months.
Wildcat stikes spread over local labour row

20-May-2009
Hundreds of contract workers have staged wildcat strikes at sites across the country today in a row over the hiring of local labour.
Styles & Wood predicts 40pc fall in revenue

20-May-2009
Fit out specialist Styles & Wood has admitted it expects to post revenues of around £74 million for the first half of 2009 – down almost 40 per cent on last year’s figures.
Memorial held for workers killed building Settle-Carlisle rail line

19-May-2009
A memorial service has been held in Cumbria to remember the 26 people killed during the construction of the Settle-Carlisle rail line.
Development Securities project setback as council pulls out

18-May-2009
Development Securities’ £400 million Heart of Slough regeneration scheme has suffered a setback after the local authority decided not to proceed with its proposal for a new headquarters due to the economic climate.
White Young Green cut another 324 jobs as more offices close

18-May-2009
Consultant White Young Green has slashed a further 324 jobs this year and is expected to close another five offices before the end of 2009, the group has revealed.
London playhouse razed by fire to be rebuilt

15-May-2009
Plans to build a new theatre on the site of a London playhouse destroyed in a blaze have been approved by Westminster City Council.
Edgbaston cricket ground's £30m redevelopment approved

15-May-2009
A £30 million proposal to redevelop Birmingham’s Edgbaston cricket ground has been approved.
Work begins on £16bn Crossrail project

15-May-2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, rail minister Lord Adonis and London mayor Boris Johnson today gathered at Canary Wharf, in London Docklands, as the first foundations for a new Crossrail station were laid.
Welsh Govt looks for new private capital for housing

14-May-2009
The Welsh Assembly government is looking at new ways for housing associations to access private funding and unlock up to £200 million of capital, deputy housing minister Jocelyn Davies announced today.
Gifford appointed on £11.5m Kensington Palace project

14-May-2009
Engineering consultancy Gifford has secured a contract from Historic Royal Palaces to carry out a £11.5 million building scheme at Kensington Palace.
Subcontractor Supershield hit with £2.7m bill after law firm flood

14-May-2009
Fire protection subcontractor Supershield has been found liable for the flooded basement of an international law firm’s London office eight years ago after a tangled legal battle involving seven parties.
Network Rail chief forgoes annual bonus

14-May-2009
Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher has today announced he will be forgoing his annual bonus for 2008/09.
Volker wins 2012 path

14-May-2009
A new 2012 contract to improve the 2.3 km Greenway cycle and walking route from Olympic Park to Victoria Park and West Ham station has been awarded to Volker Fitzpatrick.
Carillion back in ring on Welsh tower

14-May-2009
Contractor may be looking to patch up its relationship with developer of Meridian Quay
Ucatt gathers forces in blacklist battle

14-May-2009
Union holding discussions with solicitors over a civil suit as government plans to outlaw practice
Kier chief says worst of recession yet to come

14-May-2009
Kier director Paul Sheffield has warned that the worst of the construction recession could be to come – and revealed a new focus on civils work.
Wembley judge calls for reforms to legal system

14-May-2009
Former head of the Technology and Construction Court Lord Justice Jackson has called for reforms to curb the “explosion” of litigation over costs issues.
Land Securities reports £4.77 billion pre-tax loss

13-May-2009
Britain’s biggest property company Land Securities has illustrated the sheer depth of the slump in the nation’s property market, today revealing the value of its portfolio fell by £4.74 billion in the year to end-March.
Slash corporation tax, Tories demand

13-May-2009
The Tories are putting pressure on the Government to cut the headline rate of corporation tax for businesses from 28 per cent to 25 per cent.
One-in-five sites found to take 'serious risks' in HSE blitz

12-May-2009
One-in-five construction sites failed health and safety checks during the Health and Safety Executive’s national March blitz on refurbishment schemes, the safety regulator has revealed.
Firm fined £15,000 after worker paralysed

12-May-2009
Surrey firm Fine Construction has been fined £15,000 after an employee was paralysed in a 3 metre fall.
Further £60m allocated in higher education spending spree

11-May-2009
More than £60 million of capital projects funding has been brought forward by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to help boost the building sector.
Govt moves to ban blacklisting with new consultation

11-May-2009
A consultation with be held over plans to outlaw blacklisting, the Government announced today.
Buncefield trial committed to a higher court

11-May-2009
The trial of five companies charged over the 2005 Buncefield oil fire in Hertfordshire has been committed to crown court.
Former Alfred McAlpine directors plead guilty to fraudulent trading

11-May-2009
Two former directors of Alfred McAlpine Slate have pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading following an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office and the North Wales Police.
Centrica to buy 20 pc stake in British Energy

11-May-2009
British Gas owner Centrica has today clinched a £2.3 billion deal for a 20 per cent stake in British Energy.
Lord Mandelson: We can't let Corus plant close

8-May-2009
Business secretary Peter Mandelson has described the potential mothballing of the Corus Teesside Cast Products in the north east as “unacceptable” and says the Government will do everything it can to keep the site in operation.
Laing O'Rourke case may affect deaths probe

8-May-2009
Deaths inquiry chair Rita Donaghy was present at last week’s court judgement against construction giant Laing O’Rourke, suggesting the case might strongly influence her final recommendations.
Major Corus site may be mothballed

8-May-2009
One of the UK’s largest steel plants could be mothballed, it was revealed today.
Five companies face court over £750m Buncefield explosion

8-May-2009
Five firms will today face charges over the Buncefield oil fire in Hertfordshire which caused widespread damage and injured more than 40 people.
Almost one-in-10 cut safety budgets to save cash, report claims

8-May-2009
Around 8 per cent of UK businesses have slashed their safety budgets amid the recession, according to a new study by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.
School and builder fined after worker suffers burns

7-May-2009
A Lincolnshire school has been fined £2,000 after a man was burned by flaming sawdust while removing an oil tank at the premises.
Welsh Govt unveils 'green standards' for new build

7-May-2009
The Welsh Assembly has today issued increased environmental standards for new buildings in an attempt to combat climate change.
Row erupts over maintenance spend on council buildings

7-May-2009
A scrap has erupted over a new report into the state of local authority buildings, which found almost one quarter of Scottish council buildings were in a “poor or bad” condition despite a maintenance bill last year of more than £136 million.
Exeter road works secure £12m Govt funding

7-May-2009
A £12 million funding package has been earmarked for road improvements in the east of Exeter, transport minister Paul Clark has announced.
Interest rates unlikely to change, economists predict

7-May-2009
The Bank of England is expected to leave interest rates unchanged today.
Bourne: Recession will mean 20pc turnover cut

7-May-2009
Construction and engineering firm Bourne Group has predicted a 20 per cent reduction in turnover for the coming year because of the recession.
Styles & Wood focuses on the future

7-May-2009
Contractor hopes refinancing deal will draw a line under months of uncertainty and a nosedive into the red
Hammerson puts off procurement for £150m Southampton scheme

7-May-2009
Hammerson will hold off from the construction of its £150 million Watermark WestQuay scheme in Southampton until “economic conditions improve”, it has confirmed.
New strategy plans to deliver 650,000 homes for south east

6-May-2009
More than 650,000 homes should be built in the south east over the next 17 years under a new strategy announced today by Communities Minister Sadiq Khan.
Let us build football terraces again, beg fans

6-May-2009
The return of football terraces at top-flight Scottish clubs should not be ruled out because of safety fears sparked by past incidents, a fans’ campaign group has urged.
HCA pours £16m into two struggling London schemes

6-May-2009
Over £16 million has been pledged by the Homes and Communities Agency to support two affordable housing projects in London.
Hundreds to protest at 2012 Olympics site

6-May-2009
Hundreds of construction workers will today gather outside the 2012 Olympic Park project in Stratford, east London, to protest the use of agency workers on the site.
Business leaders revolt against Heathrow expansion

5-May-2009
The Government’s claim that UK business has backed the Heathrow expansion has been proven false, according to the Tories.
Keen Construction fined £6k after worker breaks ribs in fall

1-May-2009
Salisbury-based firm Keen Construction has been fined £6,600 after a self-employed worker fell through a fragile roof while replacing of leaking roof lights.
Styles & Wood unveils re-financing deal after announcing pre-tax loss

1-May-2009
Styles & Wood has unveiled a significant re-financing deal after its full year results revealed a dive into the red with a pre-tax loss of almost £1 million.
NI planning fees to rise by 20pc

1-May-2009
Fees for planning applications will rise by 20 per cent in Northern Ireland, government officials have revealed.
Battersea MP: Bring back London height restrictions

1-May-2009
The Labour MP for Battersea has urged Whitehall to reinstate height restrictions on new towers in London, describing the removal of guidelines as “a disaster”.
Cyril Sweett records £11m savings through slashing staff and salaries

1-May-2009
Consultant Cyril Sweett has achieved an annual cost saving of £11 million through headcount and salary reductions, it has revealed in a trading update to the London Stock Exchange.
HCA calls on pension fund investment to boost housing

1-May-2009
The Homes and Communities Agency is calling on pension funds to invest in the private rental sector in a bid to help boost the housing market.
Balfour Beatty seals deal for £170m Fife hospital PPP

1-May-2009
Balfour Beatty has reached financial close on the £170 million Fife General Hospital and Maternity Services PPP project for NHS Fife.
Laing O'Rourke fined £135k over newlywed death

30-Apr-2009
Laing O’Rourke was today told it should be “thoroughly ashamed” as it was fined £135,000 over the death of a newlywed worker almost five years ago.
Tories attack 'severe' cuts to apprenticeship providers

30-Apr-2009
The Tories have slammed the Government over its plans on training, claiming apprentices were losing their places because of cuts in Whitehall funding.
Nuclear land auction raises £400m for clean-up work

30-Apr-2009
Almost £400 million has been raised from foreign investors in an auction of three potential UK nuclear power station sites.
Hammerson 'substantially stronger' following rights issue

30-Apr-2009
Hammerson’s successful £584 million rights issue has strengthened the company’s financial position “substantially”, it announced today.
House values fall 0.4pc for the month

30-Apr-2009
House prices have dropped by 0.4 per cent this month, following a surprise hike in March, Nationwide Building Society figures show.
Kill Bill could be blunted by economy

30-Apr-2009
Court may steer clear of a big fine even if the first Corporate Manslaughter Act prosecution leads to conviction
Govt carbon capture announcement fails to end Kingsnorth stand-off

30-Apr-2009
The £1.5 billion Kingsnorth rebuild remained some way from going out to tender this week, despite the Government’s announcement on carbon capture and storage schemes
Alstom vows to use UK firms on £900m Welsh power plant win

30-Apr-2009
The French engineering giant at the centre of a foreign worker row earlier this year has been awarded a £900 million contract for a new Welsh power plant, on which it has admitted it will likely dish out one third of its work to European subcontractors.
Up to 2,000 places available annually in new skills academy

30-Apr-2009
The National Skills Academy for Construction, which is expected to offer up to 2,000 training places annually, opened in London this week.
Keltbray fined £18k over Slough retail fire

30-Apr-2009
Keltbray has been fined £18,000 after a sub-contractor cut through a live gas pipe at a site in Slough, causing a fire.
Grafton Group turnover falls by almost £200m

29-Apr-2009
Builders merchant Grafton Group suffered plummeting revenues during the first three months of the year, which it has attributed to lower spend on housing repairs, poor weather and the falling value of the pound.
Welsh govt announce affordable housing review

29-Apr-2009
In a move to improve the delivery of social housing, the Welsh Assembly has today announced a new consultation on housing association regulations.
Tower crane register limited to hit deadline

29-Apr-2009
The impending statutory tower crane register may only apply to “assisted-erected” tower cranes to ensure it can be established quickly enough to meet its April 2010 deadline.
NI investment 'difficult to find' admits local development agency

29-Apr-2009
Northern Ireland’s economic development agency is facing challenging times ahead to attract inward investment, its chairman has admitted.
Budget 2009 Analysis: Five off-shore wind farms will go ahead after Budget cash boost

29-Apr-2009
Construction of five off-shore wind farms and dozens of on-shore turbines has been secured by Alistair Darling’s promise to pump hundreds of millions of pounds into the industry.
Could Workers Memorial Day become a new bank holiday?

28-Apr-2009
The UK Government has today announced a new consultation to look at officially recognising Workers Memorial Day.
New laws proposed to make compensation quicker and fairer

28-Apr-2009
Scottish parliament will today hear a proposal to reform the law on compensation for wrongful deaths – an announcement which is being made to coincide with International Workers’ Memorial Day.
Ucatt report: Deaths 'disproportionately far higher' at small firms

28-Apr-2009
At least 50 per cent of workers killed in construction last year were self-employed or worked for a company which employs five people or less, according to a new report released to coincide with International Workers Memorial Day.
Lobbyists turn out to mark International Workers Memorial Day

28-Apr-2009
Unions and lobby groups will today stage a series of protests and marches as part of a day of action to mark International Workers Memorial Day.
Developer fined £10k over building collapse

27-Apr-2009
A Leicestershire developer has been fined £10,000 after a building he was refurbishing collapsed.
'Unacceptable' safety standards on London sites, says HSE

24-Apr-2009
More than 20 enforcement notices have been served across 47 sites during a safety blitz in North-west London.
Pinnacle Scaffolding fined £27k over worker fall

24-Apr-2009
Cleveland-based Pinnacle Scaffolding has been fined £27,000 after a self-employed roofer suffered a broken arm and facial injuries in a 7.5m fall at a building site.
Worker pleads not guilty over Kier Western death

24-Apr-2009
A construction worker has pleased not guilty to manslaughter over the death of a colleague on a Kier Western site 18 months ago.
Construction contracts by 2.4 pc as recession worse than feared

24-Apr-2009
The UK economy has plunged further into recession than expected, with a 1.9 per cent contraction in the first quarter of the year.
Geotechnical firm first to be charged with corporate manslaughter

23-Apr-2009
Director faces life imprisonment and firm faces unlimited fine if convicted under new laws.
Miliband: No new coal power stations without carbon capture

23-Apr-2009
No new coal fired power stations will be built in the United Kingdom without cabon capture and storage under new proposals unveiled today by energy secretary Ed Miliband.
Budget 2009 REACTION: Renewables industry welcomes 'carbon budget'

23-Apr-2009
The UK renewables industry has welcomed the 2009 Budget, claiming the newly announced measures address “the short-term economic hurdles” faced by the sector.
Persimmon reduces debt levels by £300m

23-Apr-2009
Persimmon has reduced its debt levels by more than £300 million over the past year.
Budget 2009 REACTION: John Lewis development head 'disappointed' with Budget

23-Apr-2009
The head of retail development at John Lewis and chair of the British Council of Shopping Centres Jeremy Collinshas slammed the 2009 Budget, saying it provided not real help to the retail property industry.
Rok to drug test employees and suppliers

23-Apr-2009
Rok’s employees and supply chain will face drug and alcohol tests from this autumn.
Tesco plans to slash store spending

23-Apr-2009
Tesco plans to slash its spend on new stores and refits in the coming year despite posting a record annual profit of more than £3 billion.
Scotland stands firm against nuclear

23-Apr-2009
The Scottish Government’s determination to resist pressure from Westminster to build two nuclear reactors has been boosted by an independent report.
Budget 2009 REACTION: Timber industry says measures neither 'positive nor new'

23-Apr-2009
The UK Timber Frame Association has criticised the 2009 Budget, saying it has “not proved to be either positive or new”
Carbon capture 'cluster' scheme proposed by E. On

23-Apr-2009
Power giant E.On has proposed a national grid-style network connecting major emitters of carbon dioxide in the Thames Estuary to a central pipeline which would trap and store their emissions.
Scotland: Officially in recession, new GDP data shows

23-Apr-2009
Scotland is today officially in recession, after the country’s economic output fell for two successive quarters.
Sainsbury's wins development approval for three Manchester sites

22-Apr-2009
Retail giant Sainsbury’s has secured planning consents for three new schemes in greater Manchester.
Budget 2009: Planners warn housing money must also go into infrastructure

22-Apr-2009
The planning industry has welcomed chancellor Alistair Darling’s £1 billion housing package, but warned a proportionate stimulus was necessary to provide the essential economic, social and environmental infrastructure needed to deliver “genuinely sustainable” development.
Budget 2009: £1.4bn earmarked for green projects

22-Apr-2009
Almost £1.4 billion has been earmarked for various “green” initiatives, from off-shore wind to new technology, in what has been described as the “world’s first ever carbon budget”.
Budget 2009: Economy will recover in 2009, and grow by 1.25pc in 2010

22-Apr-2009
Chancellor Alistair Darling believes the economy will begin to grow again before the end of the year, he said today while handing down the 2009 Budget.
Budget 2009: £260m for training young people in 'strong demand' sectors

22-Apr-2009
Chancellor Alistair Darling has earmarked more than £260 million for training and subsidies to provide young people with training to work in sectors “with strong future demand”.
Budget 2009: No overnight solution, says Darling

22-Apr-2009
Alistair Darling has warned in today’s Budget that there are “no overnight solutions” to the economic crisis.
Operations halted at major hospital after asbestos discovered

22-Apr-2009
One of the country’s biggest hospitals was forced into partial lockdown while asbestos was removed from one of its rooms.
High speed rail progress 'woeful', says Bishop of Carlisle

22-Apr-2009
The Bishop of Carlisle has criticised the Government’s progress in developing a high-speed rail network, describing its efforts as “woeful”.
ACE: Tesco slashed fees by up to 40pc

21-Apr-2009
Tesco has today had to defend claims that it has dramatically cut fees to its construction suppliers.
HSE slaps notices on one quarter of south London sites

21-Apr-2009
Enforcement action has been taken against a quarter of sites blitzed by the Health and Safety Executive in south London.
Insurance claims skyrocket as more firms collapse

21-Apr-2009
Insurance claims from firms left unpaid for goods supplied to companies that went bust soared more than 50 per cent in the last three months of 2008.
Budget: An extra £500m to be spent on 'green initiatives'

20-Apr-2009
A further £500 million of green initiatives are expected to be announced by Alistair Darling in this week’s Budget in an attempt to shore up low carbon industries hit by the recession.
Obama unveils multi-billion pound overhaul of US rail network

17-Apr-2009
US President Barack Obama has outlined plans worth billions of pounds to overhaul the country’s rail infrastructure.
Inquiry into construction of second runway at Stansted delayed

17-Apr-2009
A date for the inquiry into the construction of a second runway at Stansted Airport will not be announced until the end of next month, the Government has confirmed.
Teen killed after boss told him to prop up falling wall, court told

16-Apr-2009
A teenage labourer who was crushed to death by a falling wall in April 2007 had been ordered by his boss to try and prop it up, a court has been told.
UK Lift Company fined after manager breaks pelvis in fall

16-Apr-2009
Northampton-based UK Lift Company has been ordered to pay out £10,000 after an employee was seriously injured in a 6.5m fall down a lift shaft in February 2008.
Grosvenor's £600m pre-tax loss 'resilient'

16-Apr-2009
The Duke of Westminster’s property company Grosvenor has posted a pre-tax loss of almost £600 million for last year after the real estate slump wiped more than £500 million from the value of its portfolio.
Public protests ignored in modern mansion row

16-Apr-2009
Public demands to scale back a modern mansion built on the site of a traditional wooden shack in a Welsh beauty spot have been rejected.
Contractor lined up to finish Welsh tower abandoned by Carillion

16-Apr-2009
The developer of Wales’ tallest residential tower, which was abandoned by Carillion this month in a payment bust-up, is already in discussions with another contractor to get the project completed.
HS Works loses £7m water dispute

16-Apr-2009
Civil engineering contractor HS Works has walked away virtually empty-handed from a £7 million legal dispute with infrastructure maintenance group Enterprise over thousands of projects it carried out on Thames Water’s London network between 2006 and 2008.
Atkins 1,200 redundancies cost the group £10m

15-Apr-2009
Atkins spent about £10 million on 1,200 staff redundancies in the last quarter of the financial year, the firm revealed today.
Atkins appoints British Airways head as new finance director

15-Apr-2009
British Airways’ head of business performance Heath Drewett has been appointed to the role of group finance director for Atkins.
Pay up £20k or face one-year behind bars, guilty landlord told

15-Apr-2009
A former landlord who admitted five breaches of the gas safety regulations has been ordered to pay £20,000 in fines and legal costs within 56 days or face a 12-month jail term.
Government unveils 11 potential nuclear sites

15-Apr-2009
A list of potential locations for new nuclear reactors has been unveiled by the Government.
Belfast loses funding for £50m training facilities after it's three minutes late

14-Apr-2009
Two funding applications to build Olympic training camps in Northern Ireland have been rejected because they were submitted three minutes late.
Hemp for homes - the new construction material

10-Apr-2009
A form of cannabis could be used to construct carbon-neutral homes, a group of researchers has said.
Company director fined £18k for ignoring asbestos laws

9-Apr-2009
The head of a West Midlands sheet metal laser-cutting firm has been hit with almost £18,000 in fines and costs for the unlicensed removal of asbestos insulation boards at his company premises.
Carillion walks off Wales' tallest tower in payment row

9-Apr-2009
Carillion has walked off the construction of the tallest residential building in Wales in a dispute over payment.
Tessa Jowell: Construct me the 'great British garden'

8-Apr-2009
A nation-wide competition has been launched by Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell to design a “great British garden” at the London 2012 Olympic Park.
BLOG: Are we safer than we were a year ago?

8-Apr-2009
Safety reporter Rhiannon Hoyle on the Health and Safety Executive’s latest fatality figures, and whether the industry has actually done anything to achieve them…
Trade questions Tory plans to devolve housing delivery

8-Apr-2009
Trade bodies have questioned Conservative Party plans to devolve power for housing delivery to a local level.
Record £674m PFI announced to maintain Sheffield roads

8-Apr-2009
More than £670 million will be spent on upgrading roads in Sheffield over the next 25 years, under the largest Private Finance Initiative to ever be granted to a local authority.
Baroness Ford to head 2012 legacy organisation

8-Apr-2009
Royal Bank of Canada executive Baroness Ford will lead the company established to deliver legacy for the London 2012 Olympics.
HSE records fatalities drop

8-Apr-2009
Forty-six workers and two members of the public were killed in construction-related accidents during the last nine months of 2008, new figures from the Health and Safety Executive have revealed.
Accidental death verdict reached in fall fatality

7-Apr-2009
An inquest into the death of a joiner who died when he fell 6m from a faulty scaffold structure has recorded a verdict of accidental death.
DWP's deaths inquiry report delayed for two months

7-Apr-2009
The final report for the Government’s inquiry into construction fatalities has been delayed until late June.
Govt ploughs on as critics slam Scottish Futures Trust

6-Apr-2009
The Scottish Government has said it will continue to press on with plans to fund large-scale projects through the troubled Scottish Futures Trust, despite widespread criticism and accusations of “political treachery”.
Give new inspectors full powers, urges Ucatt

3-Apr-2009
Construction union Ucatt has warned that the Health and Safety Executive’s plans to increase its frontline force could cause major problems unless the new inspectors are given full powers and long-term contracts.
Five killed by falling crane parts

2-Apr-2009
Five construction workers have been killed after they were hit by falling objects from a crane at a building site in the east of China.
Wembley battle to go another round as parties win leave to appeal

2-Apr-2009
The court battle between Brookfield Multiplex and Cleveland Bridge over problems at Wembley Stadium is set to go another round, after the Court of Appeal granted permission for both sides to contest last year’s ruling.
HSE beefs up safety crackdown

2-Apr-2009
The Health and Safety Executive is to massively increase its supervision of healthy and safety on construction sites, hiking the number of inspectors it has by a third.
Ceca calls for £600m for save road jobs

2-Apr-2009
The Civil Engineering Contractors Association is calling on the chancellor to earmark £600 million in this month’s budget for roads repair and maintenance over the next two years in an attempt to save jobs in the sector.
Connaught steps back from housing contract over pension row

1-Apr-2009
Connaught has had to step back from the Glasgow Housing Association’s repair and maintenance contract after a pension row left more than 200 workers effectively without an employer.
Donaghy: under-reporting is “scandal”

1-Apr-2009
The chair of an inquiry into construction-related deaths has described occupational health issues in the industry as “horrendous” and says the levels of underreporting of safety incidents “is nothing short of a scandal”.
Contractor fined for letting Polish workers sleep on 'fire risk' site

1-Apr-2009
A Hull contractor has been fined £1,000 for allowing an area of a construction site to be used as sleeping accommodation for migrant Polish workers.
Govt defers 5pc business rates hike

1-Apr-2009
Business leaders have welcomed a Government decision to defer its planned business rates hike of 5 per cent, which has been instead limited to just 2 per cent.
One in five south Yorkshire sites shut down in blitz

1-Apr-2009
Almost one in five construction sites in south Yorkshire have been slapped with a prohibition notice in the Health and Safety Executive’s most recent string of blitzes.
Network Rail unveils £35bn spending plan

31-Mar-2009
Billions of pounds will go into replacing old sections of railway under a five-year £35 billion spending programme announced today by Network Rail.
Connaught sends 225 workers home after pension row

31-Mar-2009
A pension row between social housing firm Connaught and the Glasgow Housing Association has led to more than 200 workers being sent home indefinitely.
ABB wins contract as Irish give £560m interconnector green light

30-Mar-2009
Swedish engineering firm ABB will build a new £560 million electricity interconnector between Ireland and Britain, it has been revealed.
Crane firms found guilty over Worthing collapse

30-Mar-2009
Crane hire company Eurolift Tower Cranes and its parent WD Bennett Plant & Services have been found guilty of two health and safety breaches over the 2005 Worthing crane collapse.
Enterprise Group win Tube power contract

30-Mar-2009
Infrastructure maintenance support services firm Enterprise has been awarded a contract to maintain and renew power supply systems on the London Underground as a part of the Metropolitan line upgrade.
Alstom announces local jobs at Staythorpe

30-Mar-2009
French-owned contractor Alstom, which is controversially using foreign workers to build the new Staythorpe power station, has today said it will “actively look” to hire more British staff.
Ceca urges Darling: Give us £600m for road repairs

27-Mar-2009
The Civil Engineering Contractors Association is calling on the Chancellor to earmark £600 million in his upcoming budget for roads repair and maintenance over the next two years in an attempt to improve workloads and save jobs in the sector.
MPs "shocked" at Govt's lack of engineering advice

27-Mar-2009
The Government’s plans to build a new generation of nuclear power plants could be seriously impacted by the lack of engineering experience in the civil service, a group of MPs have warned.
Long-awaited £300m Peacehaven water scheme nears start after 12-year wait

26-Mar-2009
A £300 million deal to build a wastewater treatment plant in East Sussex may finally come to fruition after campaigners were rebuffed at the High Court.
Planning restrictions to be eased for affordable rural homes

26-Mar-2009
Restrictions on planning in villages and small market towns in England will be eased to allow the construction of more affordable homes and create new jobs.
HSE's Cambridge blitz stops work on almost every second site

25-Mar-2009
Almost half of construction sites blitzed by the Health and Safety Executive in Cambridge this month were shut down for poor safety standards.
Man dies on Sir Robert McAlpine site

25-Mar-2009
The 30-year-old man killed in London last week was a worker on a Sir Robert McAlpine site.
Minister insists blacklisting should be tackled “diligently”

25-Mar-2009
Pressure has mounted on the Government to ban contractors embroiled in the blacklisting scandal from public works, after a debate in Parliament on Monday.
Race inquiry puts focus on state work

25-Mar-2009
Industry leaders are expected to call on the Government to use public sector contracts to promote ethnic equality in construction, as the inquiry into racial discrimination moves up a gear.
Eon may be 12 months away from handing out Kingsnorth contracts

25-Mar-2009
Contractors could be waiting another year for the chance to win work on the £1.5 billion Kingsnorth power station in Kent.
Firm fined £3k for inaccurate asbestos survey

24-Mar-2009
Hertfordshire contractor Bestoff Services has been fined £3,000 for unwittingly exposing two workers to asbestos while they carried out refurbishment work at a site in Oxford last year.
Contractor slapped with £4k fine for insufficient scaffolding

24-Mar-2009
North Yorkshire contractor Richard Moulton has been fined £4,000 for failing to erect sufficient scaffolding around a building under repair at Embsay Mills.
HSE's West Midlands blitz shuts down 39 sites

24-Mar-2009
A blitz on 200 principal contractors across the West Midlands has 39 construction sites shut down over poor safety standards.
Sky Scaffolding fined £4k after pedestrian injured by pole

24-Mar-2009
West Midlands-based Sky Scaffolding has been fined £4,000 after an incident last year in which a metal pole fell from a site and gashed the leg of a pedestrian.
MPs move to stamp out blacklisting

24-Mar-2009
Employment Minister Pat McFadden has told fellow MPs the matter of blacklisting in the construction industry needs to be dealt with “diligently and speedily”.
Camden Council fined £40k for scaffolder death

24-Mar-2009
A north London council has been fined £40,000 after a 24-year-old scaffolder was fatally electrocuted by a faulty security light while working on a local authority housing estate.
Man killed on east London site

24-Mar-2009
A worker was fatally injured at the end of last week on a construction site in east London.
Aggregates boss fined £4k over 2001 death

23-Mar-2009
The former director of an aggregates firm has been fined £4,000 over the death of a lorry driver in east London in 2001.
Committee approves Sir Michael Pitt appointment

23-Mar-2009
Whitehall’s Communities and Local Government Committee has given civil engineer Sir Michael Pitt the thumbs up to head the new Infrastructure Planning Commission.
One in three Aberdeen sites shut down by HSE

23-Mar-2009
A Scottish construction worker has had a lucky escape after surviving a 7.5m fall through a fragile roof in Turrif earlier this month.
Scottish Government brings forward £20m for schools

23-Mar-2009
An extra £20 million will be spent on university and college facilities in Scotland to help boster the economy during the recession.
Hammerson achieves 98.6pc rights issue take up

23-Mar-2009
Developer and investment firm Hammerson has revealed that it received valid acceptances for almost 400 million new shares – 98.6 per cent of the total number offered pursuant to its £584 million rights issue.
Southend and Rayleigh firms praised for safety improvement

20-Mar-2009
The Health and Safety Executive has praised contractors in Southend and Rayleigh for rising standards after an inspection campaign last week resulted in only two enforcement notices issued across 27 sites.
Man crushed by forklift

20-Mar-2009
A man has suffered serious leg injuries after being crushed by a forklift in Stockton yesterday.
Modus' £200m Trinity Walk enters administration

20-Mar-2009
Administrators have been called in for Modus’ £200 million Trinity Walk retail scheme in Wakefield.
Eight killed in wall collapse

20-Mar-2009
Eight people died when a wall collapsed on a construction site in north west China yesterday.
Row over foreign labour continues with protests in Kent

20-Mar-2009
Unemployed construction workers and union members have rallied in Kent to call for an end to the “exclusion” of British workers from jobs in the continued row over the use of foreign labour.
Contractor fined £7k over dump truck accident

20-Mar-2009
An Isle of Wight firm has been fined £7,000 after a worker was injured when his dumper truck overturned.
Payment bill threat to PFI projects

19-Mar-2009
Government legislation to reform payments between contractors could derail major PFI schemes, just as the Treasury is bidding to rescue the funding method through its £2 billion bail-out.
Travelodge to spend £77m on 12 new hotels

18-Mar-2009
Budget hotel chain Travelodge has announced plans to build a further 12 hotels as part its aggresive expansion campaign.
Pitt urges Govt to finalise planning policies

18-Mar-2009
The chairman of a new national planning commission has urged the Government to finalise its policies on major projects “as soon as possible”, claiming Britons would be anxious to see the £10 million-a-year body making decisions straight away.
'Mistake' by untrained worker caused Worthing crane deaths

17-Mar-2009
Two construction workers fell to their death after an unsupervised colleague mistakenly loosened the bolts of the crane they were working on in West Sussex, a court has been told.
Morgan Sindall signs £220m Blackpool redevelopment

17-Mar-2009
Morgan Sindall has secured a £220 million deal to redevelop the town centre of Blackpool.
HSE's 'encouraging' Teesside blitz sees one quarter given black mark

16-Mar-2009
One quarter of the refurbishment sites blitzed by the Health and Safety Executive in Teesside last week were issued with an enforcement notice, which has been described by the regulator as “encouraging”.
Elderly woman injured in scaffold collapse

16-Mar-2009
An elderly woman has been injured after scaffolding collapsed into a pedestrian walkway in Tyneside last weekend.
Blaze destroys Seeco premises

16-Mar-2009
More than 40 firefighters spent last night tackling a blaze which gutted the headquarters of a roofing firm in Essex.
Vigil for NY crane collapse anniversary

16-Mar-2009
A vigil has been held to mark the anniversary of a crane collapse that killed seven people in New York last year.
Plans for £30m Western-super-Mare pier upgrade

16-Mar-2009
New plans have been unveiled for a £30 million building, including a 90 m-high tower with moving viewing deck, to replace the burnt-out pier at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.
Polish firm wins Severn Power deal

24-Feb-2009
Polish contractor Polimex-Mostostal has secured the multi-million pound steelworks package for the Severn Power station in South Wales.
Peak in empty London property to boost refit work

12-Feb-2009
A peak in empty office space in London will help drive the refurbishment market in 2009 as landlords aim to make its buildings more appealing to tenants, a leading consultancy said this week.
Peak in empty London buildings to boost refit work, says Knight Frank

12-Feb-2009
A peak in empty office space in London will help drive the refurbishment market in 2009 as landlords aim to make their buildings more appealing to tenants, a leading consultancy has said.
East London Line phase two funding finally agreed

12-Feb-2009
The planned extension of the East London Line has this morning been given the go-ahead after funding was agreed by London mayor Boris Johnson and transport secretary Geoff Hoon.
SCF to host pre-Glasgow Games safety seminar

11-Feb-2009
A safety seminar looking at best practice on the London 2012 site and how the lessons learned can be transferred to construction on the Glasgow 2014 Games will be held in Scotland next week.
Bats thwart Phil Vickery's plans for a dream home

11-Feb-2009
England rugby union star Phil Vickery may have to abandon plans to knock down a Gloucestershire farmhouse and build his dream home after bats were discovered in the building.
John Magnier eyes his money as Laing O’Rourke vehicle is wound up

11-Feb-2009
Irish tycoon John Magnier is said to be “planning the next steps” against construction giant Laing O’Rourke as the bitter dispute over a failed Spanish property development escalates.
Time is up for B of the Bang

11-Feb-2009
Manchester’s controversial public sculpture B of the Bang has finally been scrapped.
Northern Ireland education U-turn prompts delay fears

11-Feb-2009
Long delays are feared on Northern Ireland’s £650 million schools modernisation project after the Executive decided to appeal a High Court decision to scrap the major framework.
Ballenwood Properties fined for not reporting serious worker injuries

11-Feb-2009
West Yorkshire contractor Ballenwood Properties has been fined £4,000 after a bricklayer suffered serious head injuries on one of its sites.
Pre-Christmas fatalities hamper safety progress

11-Feb-2009
An encouraging set of construction safety results for last summer has been marred by fresh data showing that the number of fatal injuries subsequently spiked.
UCS Civils and Pochin Concrete fined £80k over worker death

11-Feb-2009
Two contractors have been fined a total of £80,000 over the death of a worker in Doncaster in 2003.
Solar panels? No planning required...

11-Feb-2009
Domestic solar panels will no longer need planning permission, the Scottish Government has announced.
Fresh rows emerge over 'British jobs for British workers'

11-Feb-2009
Hundreds of unemployed construction workers are planning to protest at the Isle of Grain power station in Kent amid claims that Britons are still being denied access to contracts.
GB Building Solutions secures £2m extra work on Hillingdon project

9-Feb-2009
Contractor GB Building Solutions has been awarded a £2 million gym extension as an addition to its £14 million contract to build the Botwell Green leisure centre in Hillingdon.
Everton stadium plans up in the air until next season

9-Feb-2009
Everton Football Club may not know whether they have the go-ahead to build its proposed new stadium in Kirkby until the beginning of next season.
Refurb deal awarded to Carillion, Interserve, Mansell and Styles & Wood

9-Feb-2009
Carillion, Interserve, Mansell and Styles & Wood have all won a place on a four-year framework for Mapeley Estates.
Land Securities’ Victoria Transport Interchange gets green light

6-Feb-2009
Land Securities’ Victoria Transport Interchange has finally been approved after it was put before Westminster Council for the third time.
Land Securities director leaves following Network Rail nomination

6-Feb-2009
Rick Haythornthwaite has stepped down from the Land Securities board after he was nominated as designate chairman at Network Rail.
New jail will be built in north Wales, Government reveals

6-Feb-2009
The Government has unveiled plans to build a new prison in north Wales.
Three new UK power stations get go-ahead

6-Feb-2009
The Brown Government has granted consent for the construction of three new power stations.
Steven Allen inquest records verdict of accidental death

5-Feb-2009
The inquest into the death of a young worker who died on the construction of a new waste recycling plant in Bradford in 2007 has recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Strikes over as deal signed

5-Feb-2009
Workers who walked off a job in Yorkshire in a dispute over foreign labour agreed to return to work today.
Dorchester refurbishment leads to £1.5m ‘ambush’

5-Feb-2009
London’s Dorchester Hotel has been hit with a £1.5 million legal claim by fit-out firm Vivid Interiors in an adjudication described as an “ambush”.
Foreign workers protest ‘could be just the start’

4-Feb-2009
Passionate nationwide protests over the use of foreign construction workers on a £200 million refinery in north Lincolnshire could be just the start of tensions during the recession, industry sources have warned.
Mandelson: There is plenty of public sector work, so come get it

4-Feb-2009
The Government has called on small construction companies to sign up to one of its websites which provides an up to the minute database of Government contracts for small businesses wishing to supply to the public sector.
No employee trained on machine that killed Steven Allen, inquest told

4-Feb-2009
None of contractor JN Bentley’s employees had read the safety manual for the machine that killed a younger worker in Bradford in 2007, an inquest into the fatality has heard.
Carillion could be forced to wait to defend £21m claim

4-Feb-2009
The £21 million dispute over the troubled Thermae Bath Spa scheme could drag on through the courts, the judge has warned the parties.
Bovis Lend Lease wins £4m High Court claim

4-Feb-2009
Bovis Lend Lease has won a £4 million High Court claim to claw back liquidated damages it was forced to pay when a refurbishment scheme for the trustees of the London Clinic overran.
GB Building Solutions secures £46m mental health facility

3-Feb-2009
GB Building Solutions has won the contract to build a £46 million mental health facility in Northampton for St Andrew’s Healthcare.
Magnier hires investigators in bitter row with Laing O'Rourke

3-Feb-2009
Irish businessman John Magnier has hired corporate investigators to look into the finances of Laing O’Rourke and its chairman Ray O’Rourke in a bitter battle over a failed property deal, The Times has reported.
Talks resume over foreign labour row

3-Feb-2009
Crucial talks aimed at resolving the bitter row over foreign labour resumed today as workers continued to take wildcat industrial action at sites across the country.
BAE and Bam Construct: A fence for defence

2-Feb-2009
BAE is developing a site so sensitive that it needs fences to protect… other fences
Work on sites frozen as snow blankets Britain

2-Feb-2009
Many construction sites across Britain have been brought to a standstill after the heaviest snow for almost two decades snow blanketed the nation.
CEBR: Value of housing to plummet 40pc

2-Feb-2009
House prices will tumble by 40 per cent from their 2007 peak unless the Government succeeds in boosting mortgage lending, a new report has said.
Gordon Brown condemns wildcat strikes

2-Feb-2009
The Prime Minister has condemned the recent strikes across the nation as indefensible and said his 'British jobs for British workers' pledge had only meant people would be given the skills to compete against other nationalities.
SEC contacts 100 peers after Bill amendments pulled

30-Jan-2009
Specialist Engineering Contractors Group chief executive Rudi Klein has written to more than 100 peers to garner support for amendments to the Construction Bill which were thrown out this week amidst the 'cash-for-influence' scandal.
Car crash overshadows refinery demonstration

30-Jan-2009
A mass demonstration at an oil refinery over the use of foreign workers on a multi-million pound construction project got off to a subdued start today when a serious road accident happened right outside the plant.
Foreign labour at refinery project leads to mass demonstration

29-Jan-2009
An MP has described the decision to bring in hundreds of European contractors to work on an oil refinery construction project as being 'like a red rag to a bull' for unemployed British skilled workers.
New tower crane register plans put to Government

29-Jan-2009
An official tower crane register is now a step closer after the Health and Safety Executive put its new proposal to the Secretary of State this week.
HSE calls on Poles to dob in rogue bosses

29-Jan-2009
The Health and Safety Executive has called on Polish construction workers to anonymously report poor site safety and employment conditions.
More bad housing news: values drop again

29-Jan-2009
House prices fell again during January, wiping a further £2,500 off the average value of a home, figures from Nationwide Building Society showed today.
John Lewis calls for regen action

29-Jan-2009
John Lewis head of retail development Jeremy Collins has called for the public sector to invest in regeneration schemes as the recession squeezes retailers.
Eon talks with contractors over £1.5bn Kingsnorth job

29-Jan-2009
Energy giant Eon has been meeting with contractors to determine exactly how funds for the £1.5 billion Kingsnorth power station rebuild will be spent – as the Government continues to debate approval for the key scheme.
Lord O'Neill withdraws proposed construction law ammendments

28-Jan-2009
Specialist Engineering Contractors Group president Lord O’Neill of Clackmannan has been dragged into the “cash-for-influence” scandal today, amid claims he used his position in Westminster to try to make changes to construction law.
Powerscreen to cut 90 more staff

28-Jan-2009
Northern Ireland engineering firm Powerscreen will make more than 90 people redundant, it has revealed.
More flak for deaths inquiry as MPs question HSE role

28-Jan-2009
The Department for Work and Pensions select committee has criticised the Health and Safety Executive’s heavy involvement in the construction deaths inquiry, likening it to the “guilty providing their own evidence”.
Ennstone pulls shares amid debt talks

28-Jan-2009
Materials firm Ennstone has withdrawn from the stock market amid crisis talks over its financial position.
Jailed director had ignored prohibition notices

28-Jan-2009
The Health and Safety Executive has branded the death of a young roofer as an “easily preventable” incident and says it hopes the imprisonment of his former boss serves as a wake up call for all construction companies.
Eco town legal challenge fails

28-Jan-2009
Campaigners have lost their High Court challenge over the Government's proposed eco-towns project.
Plans unveiled for £225m scheme at Chester Zoo

28-Jan-2009
A giant dome containing a rainforest ecosystem is to be built as part of a £225 million transformation of the Chester Zoo.
Thumbs up for £18m centre at Giant's Causeway

28-Jan-2009
A proposal to build an £18 million visitors' centre at the world famous Giant's Causeway, in Northern Ireland, has been approved.
Roofing boss jailed for manslaughter

27-Jan-2009
A roofing company director found guilty of manslaughter after one of his employees was killed in a 6m fall has been jailed for 12 months.
Manager fined after worker sustains serious leg injuries

27-Jan-2009
A self-employed Welsh construction manager has been fined £10,000 after one of his subcontractors suffered serious injuries in a fall on Swansea site in 2006.
Deaths inquiry chair defends investigation to Whitehall

27-Jan-2009
The chair of the Government’s inquiry into construction deaths has dismissed claims that her investigation may not be thorough enough to have any impact on the level of fatalities in the industry.
Construction worker injured in 6m fall

26-Jan-2009
A construction worker has been injured after falling more than 6 m at an apartment complex in Leicestershire.
Five make shortlist for Severn estuary

26-Jan-2009
Five proposed schemes have made the Government’s shortlist for the multi-billion pound redevelopment of the Severn estuary.
Lost time incidents drop 70 pc in cement industry

26-Jan-2009
Lost time incidents have dropped by 70 per cent in the cement industry over the past five years.
SFHA launches campaign to build 10,000 affordable homes

26-Jan-2009
A Scottish trade body has today started a year-long campaign to build 10,000 new affordable homes for rent.
Government to unveil Severn estuary shortlist

26-Jan-2009
A shortlist of proposed schemes to harness renewable energy from the tides of the Severn estuary will be announced by the Brown Government today.
Oakdene Homes calls in the administrators

23-Jan-2009
Oakdene Homes has been put into administration after it failed to agree its future banking terms with lenders.
Worker dies two months after incident on London site

23-Jan-2009
A man has died in hospital after an incident on a London construction site last November.
IC Roofing director found guilty of manslaughter

23-Jan-2009
A South-east roofing boss has been found guilty of manslaughter due to gross negligence after an employee fell 6m to his death through a skylight.
Safety blog: 25 + 25 = a whole lot of confusion

22-Jan-2009
CN's safety reporter Rhiannon Hoyle takes a look the Government's inquiry into the causes of construction deaths and asks whether having such a significant focus on migrant fatalities is the right way to go.
Cracks appear in DWP deaths inquiry

22-Jan-2009
The government’s inquiry into construction deaths has run into criticism, as doubts are raised over its analysis of health and safety data.
Northern Ireland to select school builders individually

22-Jan-2009
The Northern Ireland Executive will procure all future schools projects individually after the £650 million framework it spent two years setting up was scrapped by the High Court.
Hundreds attend Boris Johnson's 'question time' on Heathrow plans

22-Jan-2009
Hundreds of angry residents attended a question time session arranged by mayor Boris Johnson last night to air their views over the proposed third Heathrow runway.
Eco-towns challenge launched in the High Court

22-Jan-2009
Campaigners from the shires will today launch their High Court challenge over the Government's eco-towns project.
John Lewis director takes on president's role at BCSC

22-Jan-2009
John Lewis’s head of retail development Jeremy Collins has taken over the helm of retail property trade body the British Council of Shopping Centres.
Funeral today for Accorp owner Patrick Rocca after suspected suicide

21-Jan-2009
The funeral of wealthy Irish property developer Patrick Rocca will be held today after he was found dead at his home earlier this week.
Govt unveils plan for councils to build more housing

21-Jan-2009
Plans which could see thousands of affordable homes built by local authorities have been announced by the Government today.
GB Building and Willmott Dixon on £105m Manchester council framework

20-Jan-2009
GB Building Solutions and Willmott Dixon have won places on a £105 million education-led framework for Manchester City Council.
Land Securities has no plans for London until 2012

20-Jan-2009
Land Securities has today said that maximising income from its multi-billion pound portfolio will be crucial as it battles what it described as “one of the most challenging periods in generations”.
Murphy’s £4m burst pipe claim fails

19-Jan-2009
The High Court has thrown out a £4.2 million claim from civil engineer J Murphy against pipe manufacturer Johnston Precast over a burst water main in the prestigious London district of Holland Park in 2004.
Firm fined £3k over asbestos ignorance

19-Jan-2009
West Bromwich-based Scriven Electrical Contractors has been fined £3,000 for failing to provide employees working with asbestos with appropriate training.
Arrested worker re-bailed over DLR death

19-Jan-2009
A man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a worker died at east London's £211 million Docklands Light Railway extension has been re-bailed until next month.
Tricon fined £10k after workers fall down lift shaft

19-Jan-2009
Dundee firm Tricon Construction has been fined £10,000 after a “very serious incident” in which two workers fell down a lift shaft and narrowly avoided being hit by a 110kg concrete lintel.
GB Building Solutions awarded £2.2m library job

16-Jan-2009
GB Building Solutions has secured a £2.2 million contract to build a new library and offices for the Northumberland County Council.
REPORT: Economic crisis to drive sustainability

16-Jan-2009
The United Kingdom’s economic crisis could potentially act as a spur towards the development of sustainable buildings, according to a new report published by international law firm Taylor Wessing.
Five directors admit guilt over £80m fraud case

16-Jan-2009
Five directors of a now-defunct property investment group have admitted their involvement in an £80 million fraud following an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.
Imprisonment and larger fines a threat for firms from today

16-Jan-2009
New health and safety legislation which increases the power of the courts to hand down larger fines and prison sentences comes into effect today.

Construction NewsRhiannon Hoyle

Construction News
Rhiannon Hoyle