Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for January 2009
30/01/2009
The Highways Agency has awarded Costain a design and construction contract to strengthen the M53 Bidston Moss Viaduct and restore the network to full capacity loading requirements. The project will be managed by the Highways Agency with a total value of the project of £85m. Bidston Moss Viaduct
30/01/2009
Tackling poverty, promoting sustainability and ensuring affordability will be central to Wales' new National Housing Strategy, the priorities for the Assembly Government have revealed. Deputy Minister for Housing, Jocelyn Davies AM launched the National Housing Strategy for Wales for consultation a
30/01/2009
The construction of the Olympic Stadium's roof has begun this week, as the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) publishes an update on progress made against its milestones. The first 30m-long steel section of the roof compression truss has been lifted into place, taking the height of the Stadium to alm
30/01/2009
The Government is being urged to compel Northern Rock to make mortgages available to people on lower incomes now that it has been fully nationalised. The National Housing Federation (NHF) has told ministers that the bank should be instructed to make mortgages available to those eligible to buy thro
30/01/2009
The landscape architects Latz + Partner have been appointed to lead a team to design a section of the Lea River Park. This is a major regeneration project to create a new continuous area of parkland and parks stretching from the River Thames through to the Olympic Park and beyond to the existing p
30/01/2009
Over 2.3 million people are employed by the UK's construction sector, making it one of the country's biggest industries. A recent survey indicates the largest single group of migrant workers is from Poland, accounting for 2% of the workforce. Robert Rusiecki Embassy 1st Counsellor to the Polish Emb
30/01/2009
Community engagement and planning experts have been appointed to create plans for the multi-million re-development of housing at a prominent south Bristol site. Their first step will be a major consultation exercise, starting in mid-February, on the future of the City of Bristol College site at Mar
30/01/2009
After significant investment in both time and money the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has now launched the long awaiting guidance note TG20:08 - A Guide to good Practice for Scaffolding with Tubes and Fittings. The combination of detailed testing, calculations and advice on b
30/01/2009
Our name is mud; or it should be, but we struggled to make it catchy or write a strap line – what could it stand for?: "Minimising Urban Detritus" or "Muck U Don't" or "Minus Unsightly Deposits" none of which worked so if MUD's the game Dryve Thru Systems is the name. We help our customers prevent
29/01/2009
Interserve, the services, maintenance and building group, in a joint venture with United Utilities, has been named preferred bidder for a waste-treatment contract in Derbyshire. The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contract will be worth in the region of £500 million. The provisions of the EU Landf
29/01/2009
E.ON has today announced it is to cut its workforce by 450 people, largely from its Retail division. The company said it will make every effort to achieve this reduction by voluntary redundancies wherever possible. The proposed reduction is part of an ongoing programme to introduce leaner and mor
29/01/2009
Three big energy companies are set to charge their prepayment meter customers £103m more for their gas than those on quarterly bills during 2009, according to the National Housing Federation (NHF). The NHF has calculated that, although prepayment meter customers tend to come from low income backgro
29/01/2009
Cherwell District and Oxfordshire County Councils are disappointed to learn the Judicial Review of the eco town planning process has found in favour of the Government. Leader of Cherwell District Council Barry Wood said: "Cherwell District Council has always maintained the Government's process is f
29/01/2009
Three key housing organisations have come together to form the South East Housing Coalition and will provide a united voice for housing in regional economic planning. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) South East, Shelter and the National Housing Federation (NHF) will pool their extensive reg
29/01/2009
In a major speech on fuel poverty, Environment Minister Jane Davidson outlined that £270 million in funding could be available to Wales over the next three years, but significant challenges still lay ahead. Speaking at the National Energy Association Cymru Annual Conference in Cardiff, the Minister
29/01/2009
House prices are continuing to fall during January, by a further 1.3% according to figures released by the Nationwide. January's decline leaves the average price of a typical house at £150,501, down 16.6% from a year ago. Mortgage approvals for house purchase also fell to a record low of 27,000 i
29/01/2009
HSS Hire, the national tool and equipment hire company, has this week released its 2009 Tool and Equipment Hire Guide. The 328 page full-colour Hire Guide features a host of brand new and revised products as well as colour coded indexing, an improved branch directory and a comprehensive range of s
28/01/2009
Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, services and investment group, has announced that it has been selected as a preferred provider, in joint venture, to support the delivery of National Grid's US electricity transmission capital investment programme in New England. The five
28/01/2009
The Chief Executive of the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) has told property professionals that ensuring the financial position of housing associations, encouraging the supply of new homes and promoting choice in affordable housing were top of the agenda for the new social housing regulator. Speaki
28/01/2009
An £11m scheme to improve public transport between Solihull, Birmingham International Airport (BIA) and the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) was announced today by Transport Minister Paul Clark. The scheme includes enhanced bus services and improved facilities for passengers to reduce journey times
28/01/2009
Three key housing organisations have come together to form the South East Housing Coalition and will provide a united voice for housing in regional economic planning. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) South East, Shelter and the National Housing Federation (NHF) will pool their extensive reg
28/01/2009
Construction union UCATT have welcomed skills secretary John Denham's decision to appoint a senior trouble-shooter to get the Government's £5 billion college rebuilding programme back on track. The college rebuilding project is a key part of the Government's infrastructure programme. In recent week
28/01/2009
The nuclear industry has two months to nominate sites for the first wave of new nuclear power stations in the UK, the Government has announced. The call for nominations came alongside publication of the criteria against which potential sites will be assessed. The criteria include conditions that
28/01/2009
A new Engineering Training Centre will open it's doors in Sheffield next week providing 250 places to ensure young engineers have a state of the art training environment in which to learn. Sheffield Engineering Centre, on Brightside Lane in Attercliffe, will teach engineers training courses in Engi
28/01/2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is demanding that companies follow safe working practices when using mechanical equipment. The call follows HSE's prosecution of Trains (Rochdale) Limited after a worker received burns to his left hand and arm when he hit a live electrical cable. The company w
28/01/2009
As most people receive their quarterly energy bill for the winter period, a survey of more than 6,000 Which? members, by Switch with Which?, reveals that only 15% have switched energy supplier in the last 12 months. Around three in ten of those who hadn't switched said it was because they didn't th
28/01/2009
HSS Hire is the original tool and equipment hire company, providing hire solutions for our customers for over 50 years. Today, our 250 strong network of massive supercentres and hire centres - many with 24 hour or extended opening - ensure easy access to an extensive range of tools and equipment bac
27/01/2009
Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, services and investment Group, has announced that it has been selected by BAA to provide both pre-construction advice and construction services for a major part of the works associated with the Eastern Campus Development Programme at Heath
27/01/2009
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced that the new entrance to Stratford International Station has been successfully lifted into place ready for the official opening in December for high speed domestic services. The new 36 metre bridge was lifted, fully glazed, 13 metres above the dome
27/01/2009
Finance, economics, health and housing leaders will address over 1,000 delegates at the largest housing conference in the South East in Brighton from 3 March. Leading economist Roger Bootle, Richard McCarthy, Director of Housing and Planning at Communities and Local Government and Professor Peter W
27/01/2009
The latest figures from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on repossessions point to a year of misery ahead for many homeowners. In the last three months of 2008 repossessions were up by 92% compared with the previous year. Over the same period another 60,000 households went into arrears with t
27/01/2009
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has urged politicians to look seriously at the option of a new airport in the Thames Estuary, after he visited the potential site with distinguished engineers and Labour MP Nick Raynsford, chair of a new cross-party parliamentary group on the proposal. The group sail
27/01/2009
Thousands of passengers will benefit from more convenient rail services thanks to a new 'greener' railway station designed to get drivers out of their cars and into trains, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has announced. East Midlands Parkway station will be served by more than 100 trains a day trave
27/01/2009
Construction Union UCATT have cautiously welcomed the announcement by Housing Minister Margaret Beckett that councils will be given greater control of their funds, allowing them to build a greater number of council houses. However the union are calling on the Government to take more radical measure
27/01/2009
Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Vice President James Wates attended an emergency private summit between Government officials and senior construction industry leaders, regarding the industry's current shortage of apprentices due to the recession. Over 600 apprentices have been made redundant
27/01/2009
In the current economic climate it is increasingly difficult for construction companies to maintain profit and activity levels. However, it is possible to significantly reduce the impact of the downturn by careful management of costs, improved competitive advantage and effective strategic planning.
26/01/2009
Steel giant Corus has confirmed it is to axe around 3,500 jobs around the world, 2,500 of these to be cut in the UK. The Anglo-Dutch company made the decision following a series of strategic measures sparked by the recession. Corus CEO Philippe Varin said: "The structural changes we are proposing
26/01/2009
NHBC new house-building statistics show that the number of applications from house builders to start new homes in the UK fell by almost half during 2008 compared to the previous year. NHBC's year end figures show that they received just 106,894 applications to start new homes in the combined privat
26/01/2009
Housing Minister Margaret Beckett's announcement of greater freedoms for local councils to build homes is likely to have only a limited effect on the numbers of affordable homes built until more fundamental reform of the funding of council housing is addressed according to the Chartered Institute of
26/01/2009
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has assured the property industry that he is "a friend to business" by putting his weight behind the fight against empty rates and offering support for new methods of funding. Mr Johnson said he would welcome discussions on innovative funding methods. The British Prope
26/01/2009
Up to 150,000 new jobs could be created through investment in the low-carbon economy, according to a new report published by the Local Government Association (LGA). As the economy slides towards recession and unemployment continues to rise, the LGA will today unveil plans for a 'Green New Deal' th
26/01/2009
A proposed shortlist of schemes to generate clean, green electricity from the power of the tides in the Severn estuary has been unveiled by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The shortlist includes a mixture of barrages and innovative lagoon schemes. The five projects, on the proposed s
26/01/2009
Sheffield residents are set to benefit from a £2.8m deal to close out-dated hostel establishments and move into new purpose-built homes within the local community. Under a Sheffield City Council proposal, up to 92 hostel tenants with learning disabilities are to move into more independent accommoda
26/01/2009
A bid for the Bushfield Community College in Peterborough to be transformed into an academy in time for the new school year in September has been approved by ministers at the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Now parents, residents, community groups and others are being invited
26/01/2009
First Minister Rhodri Morgan visited the North East Wales base of Hawker Beechcraft, an aviation company which is flying high despite the current challenging economic climate. The First Minister opened Hawker Beechcraft's new paint facility in Broughton, Flintshire. Mr Morgan said: "This huge inve
26/01/2009
Liverpool Direct Limited (LDL) is helping to heat up the homes of some of the city's poorest families. The council's joint venture with BT, which assists people with a vast array of inquiries, is helping more than 4,000 families access 'Warm Front' grants worth up to a staggering £5.5 million. The
23/01/2009
The need to transform the country's most deprived areas does not disappear during a recession. Delegates at the Sustainable Communities and Regeneration Masterclass which starts on 25-26 February will learn how to develop their negotiation and project management skills to get a better deal for res
23/01/2009
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is set to announce its plans to develop Institute activity in Abu Dhabi, which is the capital of the UAE and tipped to be the future hub of economic activity in the Middle East, on Tuesday 10 February at the InterContintental Hotel, Abu Dhabi. Despite rumo
23/01/2009
More than 100 pieces of local mining history will be going on display for the first time later this year after a County Durham developer gave a five-figure grant to Beamish Museum. The Banks Group has donated £11,000 to Beamish, via its Banks Community Fund, to help fund a new exhibition of miners'
23/01/2009
Responding to the new Government figures that almost 1.8 million households, or 4.5 million people, are now on social housing waiting lists. Local Government Association (LGA) Housing spokesman, Cllr Paul Bettison, said: "With the banks overstretching their credit facilities it could well mean that
23/01/2009
Residents have begun moving into new homes built as part of Sheffield's largest ever multi-million pound housing regeneration scheme. The first of over 1,000 new homes planned for the former crumbling estates of Scowerdons, Weakland and Newstead, (SWaN) in south east Sheffield, have now been built
23/01/2009
E.ON has officially opened its new Engineering Academy, a training centre designed to overcome the skills shortage within the UK's power and engineering industry to deliver the workforce needed to keep the country's lights on and homes warm for years to come. The Academy, open to applicants from ac
23/01/2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning that firms exposing workers to asbestos would be penalised. It added that electrical contracting companies and other building and refurbishment trades must provide suitable asbestos awareness training to employees or face prosecution. This move fol
23/01/2009
Builder named 'Master Builder of the Year' by the largest trade association in the UK building industry, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has received the keys to a £20K Nissan Navara as his prize. Kevin Ellis of Ellis and Hughes in Leicester beat the cream of Britain's builders to be crown
22/01/2009
British Gas has announced it will reduce its gas prices by 10%, from February 19. The energy provider's reductions will apply to all customers on British gas standard tariff. This will benefit more than 7.5 million homes - 75% of it's client base. British Gas - part of the Centrica group, trading
22/01/2009
A stark contrast will emerge across the construction industry over the next two years, with public sector construction continuing to grow while the commercial sector faces a rapid decline, according to the latest National Construction Forecast report from Experian, the global information services co
22/01/2009
An engineering firm is being taken to the High Court in a damages claim worth over £6 million. Welsh Assembly Government ministers are taking Morgan Est to court claiming £6.6m damages, for repairs needed between Dinmael, Conwy and Ty Nant, Denbighshire. The dispute centres around the failure of r
22/01/2009
Work is scheduled to begin early this summer on the £1.6 million extension of the Millennium Greenway in Chester to include Guilden Sutton and Mickle Trafford, creating links through to Chester and beyond into North Wales. It is expected the extension – a partnership between Cheshire County Council
22/01/2009
Construction and Management Consultants, Turner & Townsend has recently been appointed to the Technical Advisory Framework for Partnerships for Schools, the agency responsible for delivery of the nationwide Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The BSF programme is the largest single sch
22/01/2009
Regen SW, the region's sustainable energy agency, has received a £2 million investment to continue its work with businesses across the South West. The cash boost, which extends Regen SW's funding by two years until March 2011, comes from the South West RDA, which has now invested more than £5.3 mil
22/01/2009
Further funding from the £9.3 billion London 2012 Olympic budget has been allocated to support the building of the Olympic Village and media centres, the Government has announced. The Games' overall £9.3 billion budget remains unchanged and the contingency remains sufficient to cover the remaining
22/01/2009
Packexe® has announced the launch of its latest editions to the suite-Glass & Glazing film and the 1250mm dispenser. Glass & Glazing has been introduced to address the issues of internal and external glazing protection. This highly durable film holds securely to the glass for up to 6 weeks and the
21/01/2009
Four bidders are in the running to construct the Lee Tunnel - the first of two major infrastructure projects that make up Thames Water's proposed London Tideway Tunnels. The bidders are: FCC; Laing O'Rourke / Impregilo Joint Venture; Morgan Est / Vinci / Bachy Joint Venture and Murphy / Hochtief Jo
21/01/2009
Councils may soon have greater freedom to build more homes under plans going out to consultation today. Under the proposals announced by Housing Minister Margaret Beckett, councils would be able to keep all the rental income from any homes they build, as well as keep the receipts from any of those
21/01/2009
Cherwell District Council could face the Government in court if plans for an eco town at Weston Otmoor are given the green light. The council believes the Government would flout planning legislation if it allowed the Weston proposal to proceed and has written to the Treasury Solicitor outlining its
21/01/2009
Gross mortgage lending reached an estimated £12.6 billion in December, down 11% from £14.2 billion in November and 47% on December 2008, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). This is the lowest monthly figure since April 2001. Lending totalled £256.4 billion over 2008 as a whole, do
21/01/2009
An appeal against a decision by Arun District Council to refuse planning permission for a block of flats has been dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate, on the grounds that other sites with a lower risk of flooding are available in Bognor Regis. The Planning Inspectorate upheld the decision take
21/01/2009
Longsight Library in Manchester is undergoing a major refurbishment to create a state-of-the-art library and brand new Adult Learning Centre, all under one roof. While the work is carried out a temporary library will be available at the Longsight Youth Centre on Stockport Road, and there will be ad
21/01/2009
Work has now started on the three residential blocks paving the way for 70 apartments within St Austell's £75 million town centre regeneration scheme, which is due to open this autumn. Sir Robert McAlpine, the main contractor appointed by the South West RDA for White River Place, has begun to ere
21/01/2009
Deva has added to its extensive range of thermostatic shower valves with the launch of the exquisite Vision 7000. Complete with TMV2 Buildcert approval, the new Vision 7000 guarantees a safe showering experience and prevents scalding by accurately controlling the water temperature, which makes it p
21/01/2009
Construction union UCATT have described a breakfast meeting planned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to educate employment agencies and gangmasters about their health and safety duties as "window dressing". The HSE have invited employment agencies to attend a breakfast meeting at the Belfry
20/01/2009
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has highlighted a distinct lack of construction industry representation on the new Panel on Fair Access to Professions, announced by Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne as part of the Government's New Opportunities White Paper. The Panel aims to identify op
20/01/2009
Northumberland County Council (NCC) has appointed GB Building Solutions to build a library with community facilities in the Northumberland market town of Haltwhistle. Haltwhistle's Victorian Mechanics Institute,which currently houses the library and other community services,will be partly demolish
20/01/2009
Coastal towns across four different English regions are to benefit from £12 million from the Government's Sea Change programme. Southport, Great Yarmouth, Bridlington and Hastings are the latest towns to receive grants from the scheme which aims to boost regeneration in coastal areas through investm
20/01/2009
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has welcomed the announcement by the government to extend the credit guarantee scheme, something it has been demanding for a number of months. The HBF said the key to the success of the measures will be the bank's reaction and the extent to which they take up the
20/01/2009
The Greater London Authority has appointed Fiona Fletcher-Smith as Director of Development and Environment. This post will help to deliver some of the Mayor's key priorities including major projects like Crossrail and the Thames Gateway, aiding London's economic recovery through the current downtur
20/01/2009
A celebration of learning was held on Monday, to mark the end of Carlisle's first ever construction course for young women. A special event at Carlisle College was organised to congratulate the ten women who took part in the project. In addition to achieving a Key Skills qualification in Improving
20/01/2009
Six teenagers from across the nation have won a Welsh Assembly Government competition to become representatives for young people on climate change. Anna Surridge, 15, from Cardiff, Dafydd Richards, 14, from Merthyr Tydfil, Ffion Roberts, 14, from Gwynedd, Cerith Rhys Jones, 15, from Ammanford, Jord
20/01/2009
Central government departments and local authorities face a busy year as they work towards compliance with the confusing flurry of new laws on energy certification and public sector carbonemission reductions. And even though many local authority building managers are now aware of the need for Ener
19/01/2009
The British Property Federation (BPF) has called for action to deal with the heart of the nation's housing problem, rather than solutions that 'tinker around the edges'. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Wake Up To Money programme, BPF spokesman Andrew Teacher welcomed a new £200m mortgage rescue sche
19/01/2009
The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has appointed Atkins as the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The company will provide multidisciplinary engineering design consultancy for the temporary venues and ove
19/01/2009
A mortgage rescue scheme to help vulnerable families at risk of repossession to stay in their homes is being rolled out across England. The £200 million scheme is one of a range of measures the Government is putting in place to help ensure repossession is always a last resort. The scheme is target
19/01/2009
A large majority of UK landlords refuse to be forced into selling properties as a result of the 'credit crunch'. Some 89% are planning to hang onto their residential portfolio and only 10% anticipate a need to sell any of them. And 44% are actually planning to increase their rental properties over
19/01/2009
The National Construction College (NCC) has been given the green light to begin £26 million worth of redevelopment work at its main site in Bircham Newton, Norfolk after its detailed planning application was accepted by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk on 14 January. The redevelo
19/01/2009
The planning application for a proposed new Energy from Waste facility is available for public viewing. Lincolnshire County Council's Waste Services Department has submitted the application for assessment and a consultation is now underway, with views invited for formal consideration. The Lincolns
19/01/2009
Tony Blair's former press chief David Hill will be one of the keynote speakers at this year's National Housing Federation (NHF) communications and marketing conference in central London, on Tuesday 24 February. Mr Hill, who replaced Alastair Campbell as the then Prime Minister's director of communi
16/01/2009
At the half way point between London winning the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Opening Ceremony in 2012 the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today released new figures showing that a total of up to 30,000 people will help build the London 2012 Olympic Park and Olympic Village over
16/01/2009
Over half of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) construction companies have made people redundant in the last three months of 2008, but even more alarming is the news that 52% of all FMB companies plan to make further redundancies in the first six months of 2009. If this is repeated across
16/01/2009
A new mortgage rescue scheme which will help thousands of vulnerable people from losing their homes and avoid the nightmare of repossession will be officially launched today. Under the nationwide scheme not-for-profit housing associations will buy homes from people struggling to pay their mortgage
16/01/2009
Liverpool City Council's Executive Board is being asked to give the green light to a groundbreaking school partnership - the first of its kind in the city. The city council is putting forward proposals for Parklands High School in Speke which would see it team up with one of the country's most succ
16/01/2009
Communities across Wales in need of regeneration have received more than £25 million in housing renewal aid, Deputy Housing Minister Jocelyn Davies announced. The money will go to 36 renewal areas in 19 local authorities across the country. Renewal areas enable councils to focus activity and invest
16/01/2009
Faithful+Gould has teamed up with the University of Teesside to produce its latest technological development, which heralds a dramatic breakthrough in project planning. The multi-dimensional project management tool incorporates the dimensions of time and cost with 3D models, such as Plant Design Ma
16/01/2009
Bitts Park tennis air dome in Carlisle is out of operation after it was damaged following high winds. The extent of the damage is currently being assessed but may result in the new facility being out of use for several weeks. Carlisle City Council spokesperson said: "We are in contact with our co
16/01/2009
E.ON has welcomed the news that it has received planning consent for its Camster wind farm in Caithness. The proposed wind farm, located between Lybster and Watten, will bring substantial construction contract opportunities to the Highlands region. The site will have 25 turbines and be capable of
16/01/2009
John Swinney, Pinnacle psg's Chief Executive, has announced he is to leave the firm to seek a new challenge. His decision has been made after 14 years of excellent service to Pinnacle psg. The business is now well-established in its market place and has a strong reputation for doing things differ
15/01/2009
In the first installation of its kind in the UK drivers and rail users in the North West are to benefit from a new barrier system that will prevent bridge strikes along the M6 motorway. As part of the £3.2m overhaul of Rose Whittle Bridge near junction 28 of the M6 at Leyland, a new Delta Bloc Syst
15/01/2009
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) welcomes the government's consultation on the proposed home-owner mortgage support scheme. This is the scheme that would enable some borrowers to defer a proportion of their interest payments for up to two years, with the government underwriting a proportion o
15/01/2009
The Government announcement guaranteeing up to 50% of the risk on loans for small businesses, up to £20 billion, is welcome news but needs to go further in order to secure the future of many small to medium sized (SME) construction businesses and the hundreds of thousands that they employ, says the
15/01/2009
Thirty three trailblazers from across the country have been recruited to support the delivery of the local conversations which will form part of the Tenant Services Authority's (TSA) National Conversation with tenants. The National Conversation is the largest-ever consultation with tenants of socia
15/01/2009
Harrogate Borough Council has announced that plans for a £3m swimming pool for Ripon have been put on hold. In December 2007, the council envisaged providing a new pool funded from the sale of the existing Spa Baths and the council undertaking prudential borrowing. Like any other major organisatio
15/01/2009
Manchester City Council has vowed to reduce its carbon emissions by a third - the equivalent of driving an average new car more than 3.4 billion miles. The Manchester Climate Change Call To Action, approved by the City Council's Executive committee, is the latest step in its goal of reducing Manche
15/01/2009
RWE AG and E.ON AG have announced the creation of a joint venture to develop new nuclear power stations in the UK. The 50:50 joint venture between E.ON UK and RWE npower will have a long-term focus on seeking to secure sites being sold by the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA) and taking them thr
15/01/2009
Leading Building Chemicals manufacturer, Adomast, is increasing sales growth thanks to the success of its SAFELEASE water-based release agent for on-site concrete formwork. SAFELEASE uses the latest water soluble polymer technology to produce an environmentally friendly mould release emulsion that i
14/01/2009
A National Audit Office (NAO) report shows that the Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) was too slow to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, with few new PFI waste facilities being built in England. Local authorities have also experienced delays in completing deals and bring
14/01/2009
Marriott Construction has been appointed by Twycross Zoo to build their new £6m visitor welcome centre which will replace the existing café facilities at the zoo. The visitors centre, designed by Alan Newton Associates, will comprise of a 300 seat restaurant area, a gift shop and a large function a
14/01/2009
The demolition of London's famous Astoria Theatre, to make way for the Crossrail development, is due to begin in the coming weeks. A glittering 'Demolition Ball' is to be held later today before the iconic building closes its doors for good. The Astoria is one of 13 buildings in the Tottenham Cour
14/01/2009
Scott Wilson Group, the multi-disciplinary international design and engineering consultancy for the built and natural environments, has confirmed that, following the recent announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon, it will provide the detailed design and site supervision serv
14/01/2009
Interserve, the services, maintenance and building group, has won a set of major new contracts worth a total of £140 million across a number of service streams and geographies. The Mapeley framework agreement involves construction, refurbishment, fit out and life-cycle replacement works, over a fou
14/01/2009
Construction work has began on a new £2.5 million bridge between King Street and Riverside in Norwich. The project is planned to connect Riverside with the city centre, as well as catalysing the development of other brownfield sites in King Street. Councillor Brian Morrey, Executive Member for sus
14/01/2009
Magnets (UK) Ltd are delighted to announce the appointment of Julie Branfoot as their Northern Area Sales Representative. This addition to our sales team reinforces the company's commitment to the market and forms a part of its strategy to expand the business. We are pleased to welcome Julie to Ma
14/01/2009
A Derbyshire County Council library is being upgraded as part of a major refurbishment programme. The authority is spending £11,500 giving Hadfield Library a facelift including putting in new shelving and redecorating. A new central heating boiler will also be installed along with new furniture at
13/01/2009
Construction and agricultural equipment company JCB is to axe nearly 700 jobs blaming lack of credit from banks and not enough machinery sales. Several sites will be hit by the cuts, including plants in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham in North Wales. JCB expects production in the UK in the f
13/01/2009
Protesters occupying a dangerous derelict building on the Morlands site in Glastonbury have agreed to leave the building by midday today following a private meeting with the South West RDA yesterday. At the meeting, the RDA, which owns the site, reiterated its commitment to attend a Glastonbury To
13/01/2009
Greenpeace has bought a piece of land, earmarked for the proposed site of the Heathrow third runway, as Ministers near a decision whether to approve the controversial expansion. Land the size of a football pitch near Sipson Village, was bought by a coalition of the environmental campaign group. Th
13/01/2009
The Orb, a stunning new high specification £8.4m office development in Newport city centre is nearing completion and attracting interest from the market despite the current economic climate. It is the largest new office building in the city centre and at 48,000 sq ft it has the capacity to accommod
13/01/2009
A review of construction contracts commissioned by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has found that three contract forms satisfy the principles of its Achieving Excellence in Construction initiative. Completed by Arup in September, the review found that the Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) Cons
13/01/2009
Two new advisors will help more housing organisations throughout the UK support their tenants through financial difficulties thanks to a new injection of funding from Barclays and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has recruited two new Financial Incl
13/01/2009
An important north-south transport link that will be used by thousands of spectators during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has opened ahead of schedule. Passengers are now using the Docklands Light Railway's (DLR's) 2.5km extension from King George V north of the River Thames to Woolw
13/01/2009
Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese has welcomed a new superstore which will help power the regeneration of North Manchester. The new 50,000 sq ft Tesco supermarket in Crumpsall opened on Monday and it will employ 230 people with more than half of the jobs going to local people who hav
13/01/2009
Proposals to transform part of Peterborough's South Bank with zero carbon homes are to be unveiled at the Executive Suite of Peterborough United Football Ground tomorrow, 14 January, between 11 am and 7 pm. The pPod Consortium a partnership comprising Morris Homes and Gentoo Group and Browne Smith
13/01/2009
A new range of decorative column casings has been launched by Peterborough based casing system specialist, Encasement Limited, which provides architects, contractors and specifiers with a cost effective, aesthetic and versatile solution for concealing interior and exterior structural columns. The '
12/01/2009
Leicester Tigers have unveiled plans for a £100 million development on the former Granby Halls and Fosse Day Centre sites adjacent to the club's Welford Road stadium. An outline planning application submitted to Leicester City Council incorporates a four-star hotel, together with new facilities for
12/01/2009
The Mayor of Carlisle, Cllr Jacquelyne Geddes, has officially opened Belah's new £330,000 community building. The work on the new Belah Centre was carried out by the City Council on behalf of the Belah Community Association, who were given a £250,000 grant from the City Council and a £80,000 grant
12/01/2009
The South West RDA will meet today in Glastonbury with protestors occupying a dangerous derelict building on the Morlands site. At the end of last year the Agency announced it needed to demolish the red brick buildings at the Morlands development site because of serious concerns for the safety of
12/01/2009
Pupils at Newbury's Winchcombe School could be in line for a brand new set of buildings, following a feasibility study which gets under way this month. The existing structure, which dates from the 1950s, has done sterling service but new purpose-built, modern facilities could see children and staff
12/01/2009
The Welsh Assembly Government has confirmed that it is ready to introduce the draft Affordable Housing Legislative Competence Order with the support of the Westminster Government. The new powers that would be provided by the Order could enable local authorities to preserve their social housing stoc
12/01/2009
Hillingdon Council has launched a consultation asking for residents' views on an exciting new programme to rebuild, remodel and refurbish secondary schools in the south of the borough. Building Schools for the 21st Century is a programme designed to transform education in Hillingdon for future gene
12/01/2009
Charities and organisations like schools and hospitals have until June to apply for grants through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme to install green energy generating equipment like solar panels, wind turbines or biomass boilers. Homeowners have until June next year to apply. Already 7820 homes i
12/01/2009
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is urging all builders to vote for 'Builder’s Breakfast' crisps in Walkers' "Do us a flavour" competition, which invited members of the public to come up with a new flavour of crisps. The six finalist flavours, Chilli & Chocolate; Fish & Chips; Onion Bhaji; C
09/01/2009
The transformation of Osprey Quay on Portland has taken another step forward with planning approval for a £5 million project to redevelop the former oil tank farm into employment space. The 10-acre Mere Tank Farm site occupies a prominent position at the entrance to Portland and was cleared last ye
09/01/2009
A new clampdown on the growing problem of metal theft, estimated to cost the country £360 million each year, was announced today by Home Office Minister Alan Campbell. The new National Metal Theft Crime Unit is being piloted for six weeks to clamp down on rogue scrap metal dealers who are illegally
09/01/2009
The latest details released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Lend Lease today show the significant progress being made on the construction of the Olympic Village with the foundations of several buildings complete and structural work now underway on the ground-floor level of the first resi
09/01/2009
Residents will have chance to see plans for three new schools to be built as part of a £750m transformation of secondary education in Derbyshire. Six schools will be replaced or rebuilt by Derbyshire County Council in phase one of the Government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. T
09/01/2009
Tenant Services Authority (TSA) board member Dennis Rees has been awarded the OBE for his services to housing in the New Year Honours List. Dennis is the Chair of arm's length management organisation Derby Homes, Chair of the National Federation of Almo's, a director of the Tenant Participation Adv
09/01/2009
Surrey County Council is responding to public concerns about safety by installing new pavements under Pirbright Arch on the Guildford/Woking border. The pavements will be constructed in February 2009, when maintenance work is already scheduled for the site. Pirbright Arch lies on the A324 to the n
09/01/2009
Sheffield council bosses have listened to local residents and plan to give people more time to consider buying the freehold land their property stands on under new guidelines. Residents have been concerned about how much time they were given to decide whether or not to buy the freehold of their pro
09/01/2009
Passengers and businesses will reap the rewards of a new multi-million pound upgrade to Manchester Airport's railway station, just officially opened by Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon. The £15 million project to build a new platform, completed as part of the wider modernisation of the West Coast Mai
09/01/2009
The total value of new construction projects in the UK has fallen by 21% over the last year according to the November edition of the Glenigan Index, with residential projects down by more than 30%. Published monthly by Glenigan, the leading providers of business intelligence on the UK construction i
09/01/2009
Deva is proud to announce the introduction of a lifetime guarantee for its range of multi award winning Awatea and Kiri Satinjet showerheads for products displaying proof of purchase acquired on or after 18 December 2008. The comprehensive guarantee for these remarkable showerheads, which feature r
08/01/2009
The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) is bringing together top executives from across the housing, economic and finance sectors in an attempt to tackle the rural housing crisis sparked by the recession. The 'Rural Experience' event is being led by Sir Bob Kerslake, Chief Executive of the Home
08/01/2009
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has congratulated more than 160 leading London organisations for actively 'going green', saving £1,000s off energy bills and cutting carbon emissions to boost the capital's global competitive edge. The Mayor was hosting a City Hall event for members of the Green5
08/01/2009
Land Securities Group has announced that it has reached agreement to sell Land Securities Trillium ('Trillium') to Telereal, the property investment and services company, for a total headline consideration of £750 million. The sale does not include the Accor hotel portfolio which will remain wit
08/01/2009
Lovell is set to start work on a £1.8 million programme of extensive refurbishment for 83 homes in Bath and North East Somerset for Somer Community Housing Trust. Lovell will be carrying out work to precast reinforced concrete (PRC) homes in Keynsham and Bath for the Housing Trust. The improvements
08/01/2009
The Government's new housing benefit system has been heavily criticised for housing claimants in expensive houses. But it is in danger of creating poverty traps in towns, cities and rural areas throughout the country, Shelter has warned. Local Housing Allowance (LHA), which is replacing housing ben
08/01/2009
Vandals have damaged two electricity substations in Long Eaton in the past month, cutting power to local homes and leaving themselves at risk of serious injury or death, according to Central Networks. The latest incident was in the early hours of New Year's Day in the Manor House Road area of Long
08/01/2009
First-time buyers could be offered interest-free deposits as Liverpool pioneers a new system to help people buy homes in the credit crunch. Known as the 'Equity Loans for Purchase' scheme, the council is hoping to help buyers with a deposit of up to 25% of the property price. The owner would then p
07/01/2009
The UK's construction industry has reached a new milestone, contracting at its fastest rate in over a decade. The industry is worth 6% of the nations economy and recent figures show. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) construction index fell by for the tenth consecutive month
07/01/2009
Pioneering Technology has brought to life an interactive semi-detached house which offers internet users help and guidance on planning and building regulations. Manchester and Aberdeen-based Second Places, which specialises in developing presences in online virtual worlds for corporate clients, was
07/01/2009
McTavish Ramsay, the leading UK door specialist, has just signed off on a £300,000 contract at one of Manchester’s most stylish residential developments. Working alongside privately owned developer Dandara, McTavish Ramsay supplied door sets for its award winning Spectrum project, based in the hear
07/01/2009
As the credit crunch bites, even the biggest companies are struggling to make ends meet. The worlds largest heavy construction equipment manufacturer has announced plans to cut white collar pay by up to 50%. It has emerged that Caterpillar will be reducing its executive compensation by half, while
07/01/2009
A portable airship shed frame in Farnborough, Hampshire has been listed today at Grade II by Culture Minister Barbara Follett. Built around 1892-93, the shed in Farnborough was erected in 1910-11 on the site of what is now Farnborough Airport. It was known as 'Beta Shed' and was one of four airship
07/01/2009
A workshop to draw attention to the dangers of handling tyres is to be held in Warrington, Cheshire next month. The workshop is one of six being organised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) working with the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) and the British Tyre Manufacturers Asso
07/01/2009
A team of six volunteers from management and construction specialists Turner & Townsend's Newcastle office joined forces with the North Tyneside branch of Mental Health Matters to help rejuvenate their Phoenix Centre allotment and garden, which had become unusable due to the poor weather the UK suff
07/01/2009
To compliment the popular Trend Hinge Jig and Lock Jig, Trend has now launched a Snappy 22 piece Door Hanging Kit. This new addition to the most popular Quick Change System in the UK, contains all the required Snappy accessories to hang a door, such as drill bit guides, screwdriver bits, flat bits,
07/01/2009
Trend Machinery has launched a 110-volt version of its popular T20K biscuit jointer with a number of new features, it has been revealed. The new version features a spindle lock making the changing of the blades quicker and easier together with a smaller body to improve the user’s grip and comfort
06/01/2009
House prices in the UK have fallen by a staggering 14.7% according to the Nationwide. Nationwide said prices fell by another 2.5% in December taking the average house price down to £153,048. The company said that prices have now fallen for 14 months and they are 18% lower than their peak in October
06/01/2009
The Government has welcomed the completion of EDF's £12.5 billion purchase of British Energy Group. The purchase is a significant step in EDF's plans to build four new nuclear reactors in the UK. In 2002 the Government stepped in to support a restructuring of the company in order to ensure the saf
06/01/2009
Galliford Try, the construction and housebuilding group, has announced the award, in partnership with Earth Tech, of three contracts with a total value of £29 million under Yorkshire Water's large schemes programme. The contracts encompass the refurbishment of East and West Hull pumping stations, i
06/01/2009
Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, services and investment group, has announced that Balfour Beatty Communities, its US PPP concession subsidiary, has acquired the interests in both Phases I and II of the 50-year military housing privatisation project at Lackland Air Force
06/01/2009
Costain, in a joint venture with consultants Halcrow and contractor Colas, has been awarded by the Highways Agency a five-year £220 million Managing Agent Contractor ('MAC') contract. Under the contract, the joint venture will carry out a range of operational and routine maintenance services and
06/01/2009
Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has delivered a major boost to the future of Bicester town centre by upping its stake in a proposed £70m redevelopment. Despite gloom over many of the nation's High Streets, the retailer is keen to press ahead with the scheme to provide a new superstore, cinema, shops,
06/01/2009
Year 6 pupil Laura Goodbun and Oliver Rash from Year 5 of Town Close House Preparatory School in Norwich are celebrating after scooping top honours in an art competition run by ISG Jackson Special Projects to highlight site safety. The contractor is currently building a £2.3 million new sports ha
06/01/2009
Icynene, the leading North American manufacturer of soft foam insulation, which has recently been awarded BBA (British Board of Agrément) Certification, is exhibiting at Ecobuild in the Canadian Pavilion stand 1465. Founded in Canada in 1986, Icynene is the largest supplier of soft foam insulation
06/01/2009
More than 100 top designers from across the globe have entered the race to win the design contract for a stunning new £1.5 million public square in the heart of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. Being developed as one of the first new projects within the Council's Big City Plan, the 'Golden Square'
05/01/2009
House prices look set to fall further this year, resulting in a peak to trough price decline of at least 25%, according to Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors' (RICS) housing market forecast. The on-going caution of lenders and the worsening economic climate is likely to result in a decline in h
05/01/2009
Construction union UCATT has reacted with disappointment to the Government's announcement that migrant workers from Romania and Bulgaria will continue to be barred from being directly employed. Since Romania and Bulgaria's entry into the European Union in 2007, their citizens have had the right to
05/01/2009
News that contractors under investigation for bid rigging by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) will have to wait a further six months for a decision on whether they are found guilty and fined is totally unacceptable, said the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Director of External
05/01/2009
Health Minister Edwina Hart has announced that she has approved a bid from Conwy Local Health Board (LHB) for Assembly funding for a new primary care centre to be constructed in Llanrwst. The new centre, bringing together a range of healthcare services, will be based on the site of the former gramm
05/01/2009
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has launched a free online broadcast on how to manage the risk of delayed completion in the 21st Centrury. The launch of the broadcast follows research earlier this year by the CIOB which revelaed a high proportion of complex construction projects are like
05/01/2009
The National Housing Federation (NHF) said the financial health of the social housing sector remains robust and believes it will weather the current economic downturn. Some recent national press reports have claimed the sector is experiencing financial problems, stating that six associations are be
05/01/2009
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is urging construction industry leaders to take advantage of a free guide that could bring significant benefits to their business. The guidance, entitled, 'Leading health and safety at work', is issued jointly by the Institute of Directors & HSE. The call comes
05/01/2009
There's no hiding from it: professional negligence claims against the surveying profession have increased dramatically over the past year or so, particularly against those surveyors who provide valuations for lenders. This worrying trend has been exacerbated by the significant reductions in property
