Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for December 2009
18/12/2009
The latest edition of the most authoritative guide to the UK housing market calls for the government to extend the safety net for home owners to ensure that repossessions do not continue to rise in 2010 with growing unemployment. The UK Housing Review 2009/10 published by the Chartered Institute of
18/12/2009
A record 143,400 people completed their apprenticeship in the 2008/09 academic year, according to data on vocational qualifications released by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. This increase of 27.4% compared to 2007/08 smashes all previous records, and means the government has
18/12/2009
Doors for Less in Sheffield is England's premier door stockist. They provide a wide range of internal and external doors in different types and sizes to suit all needs. Their most popular product is a six-panel internal door for only £12. The prices they charge are the lowest possible and they pro
18/12/2009
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson's proposals to secure contributions from developers towards the cost of Crossrail were restated at a public examination, which has opened at City Hall. Crossrail, the capital's first new major railway in a generation, will employ some 14,000 people at its peak, pro
17/12/2009
Housing and Planning Minister John Healey has launched proposals for a more consumer-friendly green rating for homes that will help green-proof properties and reduce future utility bills by up to nearly £1,500 a year in the most energy efficient homes. The Code for Sustainable Homes was introduced
17/12/2009
New research has highlighted that only half of households facing repossession orders actually attend their court hearings. There is also an indication that repossessions are not being considered the option of last resort by the courts. The research, undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Housin
17/12/2009
The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) and the Audit Commission has signalled a fundamental review of the approach to inspections to better target landlords with performance challenges and where tenants may be getting unsatisfactory services from their landlord. The TSA, as the social housing regulato
17/12/2009
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has shortlisted 265 bids totalling nearly £550 million in Round 2 of its Kickstart housing delivery programme. Shortlisted bidders include a mix of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) along with national and local developers, aiming to unlock up to 22,000 home
17/12/2009
Construction union UCATT has discovered that government claims that the 1999 Employment Relations Act did not intend to make blacklisting a criminal offence are at odds with what the then Secretary of State said on the matter. Following the construction blacklisting scandal which was uncovered in M
17/12/2009
A revised masterplan for West Gorton in east Manchester has been approved by Manchester City Council's Executive. The regeneration work, phased over 10 years, will be undertaken by New East Manchester together with Manchester City Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and housing association, G
17/12/2009
Work has begun on building a four classroom extension to Woodston Primary School to create new places for children from the Hempsted development. The extension is being part funded by the developer, with the remainder being paid for by Peterborough City Council's children's services capital program
17/12/2009
A newly-qualified carpenter working on a major housing improvement scheme in Liverpool has been given a permanent job with Lovell after completing his apprenticeship with the company. Mike Jellicoe has been honing his skills with affordable housing and regeneration specialist Lovell, under the comp
17/12/2009
Welcome to the Promotional Merchandise website. We have compiled, what we believe to be the most concise and fully comprehensive corporate gift collection brought together in this user-friendly site. This selection of business gifts covers eight featured sections containing an exciting range of pr
16/12/2009
Housing Minister John Healey today announced a further 265 stalled housing developments shortlisted for a share of up to £550m to help get building work on over 22,400 homes back on track and support up to 12,000 jobs, including 1,000 apprentices. This is the second round of special Kickstart fundi
16/12/2009
A road maintenance company has been fined £65,000 after a motorist was killed on the M6 in Lancashire. Cumbrian Industrials Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in relation to the incident and appeared before Preston Crown Court yesterday. Graham Campbell died after hitting
16/12/2009
David Cameron's pledge that a Conservative government would kick start £20 billion of investment to makes homes greener and more energy efficient, in a green partnership with Marks & Spencer and Tesco, is a welcome boost to help transform Britain's existing housing stock as well as creating much nee
16/12/2009
Peterborough city councillors will discuss the possibility of buying the Peterborough United football ground and surrounding land on the city's South Bank at a special meeting of the full council meeting held on Monday 21 December 2009. Peterborough City Council leader councillor Marco Cereste will
16/12/2009
More key decision-makers for the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) have been appointed. Three additional Commissioners were appointed - Gideon Amos, Katherine Bryan and Emrys Parry - to ensure that the IPC hits the ground running when it starts to take applications from 1 March 2010. They wi
16/12/2009
Surrey County Council has announced that there are no longer plans to build Energy from Waste (EfW) incinerators in Surrey. Outlining the council's new waste strategy plans, Leader of the Council Dr Andrew Povey said: "I am very pleased to announce that we are scrapping plans for any EfW incinerato
16/12/2009
Housing experts are encouraging as many people as possible around the UK to make their views known on the future of housing benefit in the government consultation that has been launched. Over 80% of government funding for housing in the UK is in the form of housing benefit, which is currently paid
16/12/2009
Liverpool City Council has appointed three new framework contractors for the City Centre Movement Strategy - North Midland Construction plc, D.Morgan plc and Galliford Try Infrastructure Ltd. The three-year framework agreement will include contracts to upgrade and regenerate key city centre streets
16/12/2009
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) anticipates significant fundraising activity to be undertaken in the first quarter of 2010 by lead consortia in its Private Rental Sector Initiative. The HCA is in active discussion with four front-running consortia and expects this to lead to new funds, in th
16/12/2009
Energy and technical Services provider, MCL Energy Ltd has been awarded a long term contract with Stamford Endowed School to provide a comprehensive M&E services to the 3 sites situated around the historic town of Stamford, Lincolnshire. The SES Group comprises of the Stamford School, The Stamford
16/12/2009
A trio of self-propelled heavy-duty transport systems made by specialist heavy haulage trailer manufacturer Goldhofer has been used by the Central Nippon Expressway company to move a 545 tonne bridge section forming part of the new Higashi-Meihan-Highway between Nagoya City and Osaka in Japan. Cons
15/12/2009
The cable-net roof of the Olympic Stadium has been lifted into place, continuing the strong progress being made to build the London 2012 venue. The net will be covered with material next spring to provide the correct conditions for athletes on the field of play. It will cover two-thirds of spectato
15/12/2009
A quarry owner has been fined £10,000 after a teenage trespasser was seriously injured in Bridgend last year. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted Tarmac Ltd of Wolverhampton - the owners of Cornelly Quarry - after a 15-year-old boy easily gained access to the site and fell around 5
15/12/2009
This week at the International Metalworkers Federation executive meeting in Geneva, Workers Uniting is calling for support for the 1,700 Corus steelworkers from Teesside in the UK facing redundancy. The global union also called for more government intervention to support the steel industry in the U
15/12/2009
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is failing tenants and landlords in its current form, new research from Shelter shows. Shelter surveyed more than 450 LHA claimants for their report 'For whose benefit?' and the results reveal a series of systematic flaws with the implementation of LHA. This has left t
15/12/2009
Housing Minister John Healey has today extended free advice for families facing the threat of repossession, with an extra £4m to ensure this vital lifeline continues into the New Year. The Government funding will go to debt advice agencies, as well as 80 court desks across the country. The service
15/12/2009
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has launched a consultation around options for the recovery and recycling of grant funding that would make it an investor in affordable housing, sharing risk with providers but also benefitting when property values rise. Such a move – allowable under new power
15/12/2009
Rail passengers will benefit from greener, more comfortable and reliable rail journeys as Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis announced details of plans to electrify three major rail routes in the North West. The £200 million electrification programme, combined with other improvements to track and si
15/12/2009
Deep cuts to the housing budget expected from 2011 threaten to jeopardise the excellent progress that was being made in housing policy during this spending period with high levels of investment and high priority placed on housing as a key driver of economic recovery, according to the Chartered Insti
15/12/2009
Work has been completed on a new entrance to Scraptoft Valley Primary School. The existing entrance had not been changed since it was originally built over 50 years ago. Built during the summer of 2009 by Phillip James, the new entrance now allows easy disabled access for all wheelchair users and
15/12/2009
Eurohypo AG, one of the leading international specialist banks for real estate and public finance, has announced the shortlist for the International Urban Landscape Award (IULA 2009) to find the UK's and Germany's most ground breaking urban architecture concept and project. The awards come with a
15/12/2009
Increasingly, specifiers are looking to use monolithic, flexible grid solutions to integrate services such as lighting, air-conditioning and sprinklers. Armstrong's latest Trulok brochure offers a complete range of interior grid solutions to meet current architectural trends. Armstrong's designer
14/12/2009
The number of loans for house purchases in the UK reached 55,000 in October, its highest level since December 2007, according to new data released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The amount of buyers has risen from a trough in January 2009, when only 23,000 loans were advanced. It is now
14/12/2009
Construction unions from around the world have overwhelmingly endorsed proposals to stamp out blacklisting wherever it occurs. The decision was taken by the Building and Wood Workers International (BWI), the worldwide confederation of construction unions, at their conference in Lille, France. Uni
14/12/2009
Skanska has been contracted by MultiCare Health Systems for the final phase of construction management work for a hospital expansion. The contract amounts to USD 71.4 M, about SEK 500 M, which is included in order bookings for the fourth quarter. The contract covers the continued expansion of th
14/12/2009
DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar have today announced that six major supply and installation contracts for London Array have now been signed, paving the way for construction of the world's largest offshore wind farm. Contracts totalling almost €2bn have been agreed with seven European suppliers, which
14/12/2009
More funding for housing in the Deane Valley area of Barnsley has been agreed by Barnsley Council. In total, a further £4.705 million is to be spent this year on various Housing Market Renewal projects - £560k more than originally envisaged. Cabinet Spokesperson for Development, Cllr Bill Newman,
14/12/2009
The National Housing Federation has warned that Conservative plans to require a 90% positive vote by local people for affordable village homes to be delivered through local housing trusts (LHTs) could hand a veto to rumps of local Nimbys. The Conservatives are proposing the creation of LHTs, which
14/12/2009
Proposals aimed at resolving the future of hundreds of Bristol's ageing pre-cast reinforced houses (PRCs) has been unveiled by the city council. A project aimed at providing a solution to the future of 557 homes in Lawrence Weston; Sea Mills; Henbury and Lockleaze had been agreed by Cabinet in Dece
14/12/2009
The project to create the Lea River Park has been short-listed for the International Urban Landscape Award. The Lea River Park is the plan to put park space at the heart the regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley. The park will consist of six new park areas between the Olympic Park and the River
14/12/2009
Strong progress is being made on the world-class White Water Canoe Centre in Broxbourne for the London 2012 Games, with the foundations now complete. More than 500 concrete piles have been driven up to 16 metres into the ground to form the foundations of the venue facilities building and Olympic co
11/12/2009
A development company that exposed both employees and others to the risks of asbestos during renovation work has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Stonehouse Design and Build Limited, based in Houndiscombe Road, Mutley, Plymouth, Devon, was charged with health and safety bre
11/12/2009
An agreement has been launched by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA). The Local Investment Agreement means that HCA and AGMA will agree future housing and regeneration priorities that bring together over £370 million of investment acr
11/12/2009
The National Construction College (NCC) and the Construction Plant-Hire Association (CPA) have joined forces to launch a brand new course, designed to help depot plant managers and supervisors who are new to the role, get to grips with their responsibilities as managers. The NCC developed the 'Depo
11/12/2009
Construction union UCATT have warned that a campaign by construction bosses to preserve secret tax subsidies is simply a bid to 'rob' the Treasury. Last week a coalition of construction companies, led by major house builders, launched a campaign Stop the Unfair Building Tax, in an attempt to scuppe
11/12/2009
GMB has welcomed the decision by British Gas to use its Leeds depot in Canal Street as the base for installation of new smart meters. The site was due to see rationalisation as British Gas Energy and British Gas Services were due to merge with possible job losses. Gary Baker, GMB Regional Officer
11/12/2009
Sir Bob Kerslake, Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), confirmed the Agency's capacity to deliver its programme of housing and regeneration investment following the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report. Speaking after the announcement of the pre Budget report (PBR) Sir Bob said: "Th
11/12/2009
Lovell, which is working on a major housing improvement scheme in the Derbyshire Dales, is giving two local teenagers the chance to build careers in the construction industry by taking them on as apprentices. Matt Hoare from Ashbourne and John Scowby from Spondon, Derby, have both secured places on
11/12/2009
Kier Longley has celebrated the start of work on site at Brighton's new £28 million Falmer Academy with a turf cutting ceremony. Pupils, staff and representatives from the council joined the Kier Longley site team and academy sponsor Rod Aldridge to cut the first piece of turf. The new facility,
11/12/2009
Inlay Limited has recently supplied and laid approximately 8000 m2 of resin bound surfacing at Bramshill Police College. Bramshill House is a Jacobean mansion standing on 269 acres of land in the civil parish of Bramshill in north-east Hampshire in England. It has been the location of the Police S
11/12/2009
Toolbox the UK's fastest growing online tool retailer has today released a winter revamp of its website and taxonomy. Toolbox has announced the launch of its revamped website. Whilst changes may first appear to be small, it has taken a lot of thought and hard work to create a more user friendly web
10/12/2009
A company has been fined for failing to carry out proper risk assessments for the presence of asbestos before a major office refurbishment in Merthyr Tydfil. Employees and contractors were put at risk when work started on the refurbishment without an asbestos survey. Waxport Ltd of Mottingham Road
10/12/2009
Two outline planning applications have been submitted to Peterborough City Council for Great Haddon, a proposed urban extension in the south of Peterborough located between the A1(M) and Hampton. The applications, which have been submitted by David Lock Associates on behalf of the Great Haddon Cons
10/12/2009
Transport for London (TfL) has announced it intends to award the contract for the redevelopment of Tottenham Court Road Tube station to Taylor Woodrow Construction and BAM Nuttall Limited. Main construction will get underway in early 2010. In line with European procurement requirements, a minimum
10/12/2009
Housing Minister John Healey has welcomed the extension of support to 220,000 struggling homeowners announced by the Chancellor yesterday. They will now continue to receive much needed help with their mortgage interest payments and help them stay in their homes. Mr Healey also published new figur
10/12/2009
Yesterday's Pre Budget Report by the Chancellor of the Exchequer gives the clearest indication yet that housing will continue to be squeezed in the fight for a share of public spending over the next few years according to the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). Health, education and policing appe
10/12/2009
Construction union UCATT are warning that a new campaign is an attempt by some construction companies to protect their current hidden tax subsidies while continuing to deny workers the most basic of employment rights. Last week the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and the Federation of Master Builder
10/12/2009
Liverpool has won nearly £3 million of government cash to help improve the city's environment. The money is part of the 'Growth Point' initiative which will be used to enhance the city's housing market renewal areas. Improvements will include new housing, better transport and environmental improvem
10/12/2009
After the ongoing success of JML Hardwares Kitchen Door Repair plates, the firm is now preparing to launch a new Kitchen Drawer Repair Kit which should be ready in the New Year at a very cost effective price. A new vandal proof inside letterbox has also been developed this year and will also be ava
10/12/2009
In response to customer demand, the UK's largest independent business energy supplier, Opus Energy, has expanded its market portfolio to offer a new gas service to small and medium (SME) businesses. The gas service offers customers a clear alternative to existing market suppliers and includes many
10/12/2009
First Solution Supplies has revamped its website to make it more user friendly and have added additional products within Rust-Oleum’s High Performance Range. The company now requests orders that are placed by telephone so they can offer advice on the most suitable solution for customers projects
09/12/2009
Al Futtaim Carillion (AFC) has been awarded a £150 million contract to build a new headquarters for the Abu Dhabi Investment Council. Carillion remains on track to deliver substantial revenue growth in 2009 from its businesses in the Middle East and this latest contract win is continuing evidence o
09/12/2009
Construction union UCATT fears that new regulations designed to outlaw blacklisting contains so many loopholes they will not deter the practice. Last Wednesday the Government published its response to the consultation on blacklisting and committed itself to produce the necessary regulations. In '
09/12/2009
John Sisk & Son Ltd (Sisk) has won the contract to construct a mixed use scheme including a 115 bedroom Travelodge and retail outlets in Lancaster. Chris Dyer, Director North West Region, Sisk, commented: "Sisk has now completed a number of Travelodge builds across the UK, which demonstrates our ca
09/12/2009
The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has submitted the planning permission for Greenwich Park to host the Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events and Olympic Modern Pentathlon Events in 2012. Research conducted by LOCOG's market research partner, Nielsen, shows that nearly 85% of Greenwich
09/12/2009
A company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an employee was hit and killed by a reversing telehandler at a construction site in Aylesbury. P J Carey (Contractors) Ltd of Wembley, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Health, Sa
09/12/2009
Interserve has been selected for the YORbuild Framework, open for the use of local authorities and public service bodies throughout Yorkshire and the Humber region. The framework will have an initial life of four years with the option to extend for a further two. The total value over the six yea
09/12/2009
A new report out tomorrow, 10 December, is calling on all local authorities, health trusts and care providers in England to work with housing organisations in a more integrated way. It sets out how better partnership working can help support care closer to home, give people more independence and d
09/12/2009
Engineers and architects from a Llantwit Fardre school paid a visit to the Church Village Bypass project to view the massive construction work currently being undertaken. A group of 30 children from Year 6 of Maesybryn Primary School in Crown Hill visited the Church Village Bypass Visitors centre i
09/12/2009
Ultracrete, part of the Instarmac Group plc, is set to launch its new permanent pothole repair product in January 2010. In addition to their market-leading INSTANT ROAD REPAIR cold lay macadam, this new enhanced formulation product will provide the ultimate solution for the filling of potholes acro
09/12/2009
A family business with a unique philosophy of working sympathetically with heritage and listed buildings, Bryan Williamson & Daughters has restored over 200 houses and listed buildings back to their former glory. Combining extensive experience in traditional construction methods and craftsmanship wi
09/12/2009
Engineering machinery transport specialist AET Transport has taken delivery of two bespoke tri-axle step frame forklift trailers supplied by Andover Trailers. The FKCL 36 trailers will be used to transport engineering machinery including lathes, automated CNC milling machines, heavy gauge metal pre
08/12/2009
A campaign has been launched to encourage people to report fraudsters who illegally sublet homes belonging to councils or housing associations. The national crackdown has been introduced to tackle council or housing association tenants who illegally earn thousands of pounds a year by subletting th
08/12/2009
Lovell has appointed David Gough as the company's new Regional Director for the Midlands. David has been promoted from his previous role as Commercial Manager for Lovell in the Midlands and is based at the company's regional offices at the Woodgate Business Park, Woodgate Valley, Birmingham. In hi
08/12/2009
New proposals aimed at resolving the future of hundreds of Bristol's ageing pre-cast reinforced houses (PRCs) has been unveiled by the city council. A project aimed at providing a solution to the future of 557 homes in Lawrence Weston; Sea Mills; Henbury and Lockleaze had been agreed by Cabinet in
08/12/2009
Construction union UCATT are calling on the government to reassess their political priorities, on the eve of the pre-Budget report, in order to provide desperately needed funding for pleural plaques sufferers. In October 2007,the Law Lords announced that pleural plaques victims should no longer be
08/12/2009
Work has begun on the next phase of Ferndale’s ongoing regeneration programme. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council staff and contractors are now on scene in the town centre to complete phase two of the regeneration works on three key sites. The commencement of works comes just months after residents, busine
08/12/2009
Crossrail Limited has confirmed the shortlist of bidders for two principal tunnelling contracts - Package C300 for Western Running Tunnels and Package C305 for Eastern Running Tunnels. The shortlist is:
08/12/2009
Following the announcement that Corus will close its Teesside factory, which employs 2600 workers, Unite, Britain's biggest union has vowed to fight the closure and is calling on the government to deliver an urgent rescue package for the plant. Unite's Joint General Secretary, Derek Simpson, said:
08/12/2009
McLaren will start work later this month on a £1.5m refurbishment of a letter sorting office in Warrington, Cheshire. The four-year framework deal covers new build and refurbishment work on mail centres, delivery offices, regional distribution centres, workshops and depots. It will be worth £40m-
08/12/2009
The participation of women in the building industry has been given a fillip this week. The success of the Women into Construction project - which has created training and employment opportunities for women to work on the Olympic Park construction site - has been celebrated at a breakfast event for
08/12/2009
Distinctive Doors are to offer free door handles with selected doors. The company's extensive range of high quality interior oak doors includes pre-finished doors, which are particularly suitable for installation in modern houses and apartments. In this range of pre-finished doors, our popular whi
08/12/2009
One of the UK's leading working at heights training companies, Kingfisher Access have today announced that all of their courses will be available up until December 23rd and then re-open January 4th. Courses available are:
08/12/2009
New from BEHA Elektro in Norway comes the iJaz Wireless RF Controller, designed to transform the company’s popular range of electric panel heaters into a full central heating system. The iJaz features a user friendly touch screen design with up to 16 zones for temperature regulation and on/off func
07/12/2009
As talks aimed at securing a global climate deal kicked off in Copenhagen today, UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband has announced steps in the UK aimed at helping householders make their contribution to cutting emissions. Homeowners in Birmingham, Sunderland, London Borough of Sut
07/12/2009
BAM will build a high sustainability new office centre for Network Rail, based in Milton Keynes. Plans to develop one of the most sustainable office buildings in the country took another step forward as Network Rail awarded a key contract for pre-construction services. Network Rail's proposal for
07/12/2009
The death of a policeman swept away in recent floods has been marked by naming a rapidly-built replacement bridge in his name. Building work has been completed on the new footbridge which is now reuniting a town split in two by heavy flooding last month has been named in honour of the hero policema
07/12/2009
Carillion has sold a proportion of its equity investments in two Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, Allenby Connaught and the New Accommodation Project, Cheltenham, to Innisfree for a total cash consideration of £86.9 million. On 31 December 2008, the combined value of the assets in Carilli
07/12/2009
The nuclear plant at Sellafield has been fined £75,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of health and safety law after two contractors inhaled radioactive contamination. The prosecution follows an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into an incident on 11 July 2007 at Sellafield
07/12/2009
Lovell has joined forces with Wirral Partnership Homes to give a community space used by a local youth project a new lease of life. The two companies teamed up to refurbish a room at Bromborough Community Fire Station in Bebington which is used by the Dig It Project – a community-based partnership
07/12/2009
Housing Minister John Healey has today given councils more flexibility in how they manage their waiting lists. He also called on councils to do more to tackle the myths and misunderstandings about housing waiting lists, so local people can have confidence that the system is fair. New statutory guid
07/12/2009
The McGee Group are set to carry out the piling, groundworks, RC structural frame, cladding and external landscaping for a new Ibis Hotel development in Gloucester. The contract is valued in the region of £3million and will start in January 2010. Accor Hotels is a global brand with hotels in 90 cou
07/12/2009
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has won the Best Integrated Campaign award at the 2009 B2B Marketing Awards, which aim to recognise excellence in the field of business-to-business marketing. The FMB won the award for its recent recruitment campaign "When it comes to the crunch". The campa
07/12/2009
A leading consultancy has outsourced its M&E/MEP design of the first Tier 4 Data Centre outside the US to Blue Star Design and Engineering. Blue Star, which is a provider of outsourced Engineering and CAD Support Services to global Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) Consultants and Contracto
04/12/2009
Europe's second largest steelmaker, Corus, will be effectively 'mothballed' in the New Year with the loss of 1,700 jobs. It had been announced in May that the 150-year-old steel plant based at a site in Redcar could close - dealing a huge blow to the local economy. Corus Chief Executive Kirby Adam
04/12/2009
His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent has performed the official opening ceremony for Surrey County Council's new £8 million Leatherhead Trinity Primary School. He was welcomed by Headteacher Alison Walsh and the county council's Cabinet Member for Schools and Learning Peter Martin as well as Chairma
04/12/2009
DONG Energy and E.ON, the partners in the consented Scarweather Sands offshore wind farm in Swansea Bay, have announced that they have decided against proceeding with the construction of the project. A lease for the project was awarded to the partners by The Crown Estate as part of the first round
04/12/2009
Norman Askew, Chairman of the Board of Taylor Wimpey has confirmed his intention to stand down by the end of December 2010. Mr Askew was appointed Chairman of Taylor Woodrow in July 2003 and was subsequently appointed as Chairman of Taylor Wimpey plc, following the nil premium merger with George
04/12/2009
Four leading housing charities have welcomed an announcement from Brian Iddon MP that he will be pushing for better protection for private tenants, the hidden victims of the repossession crisis, in a Private Members Bill. Crisis, Citizens Advice, Shelter and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH)
04/12/2009
Construction union UCATT are warning that council tenants in Norwich face huge cuts in the repairs and other services they receive, following the council's decision to let its main housing contract to private provider Connaught. Last month it was announced that Connaught had won the bulk of Norwich
04/12/2009
The Mayor of London is facing some difficulties in encouraging the UK's energy companies to introduce innovative carbon reduction schemes in the capital, the London Assembly has heard. In a meeting of the London Assembly Environment Committee, the Mayor's Advisor on the Environment, Isabel Dedring,
04/12/2009
Housing Minister John Healey has thanked some of the 110 staff at Birmingham's National Debtline, working to provide advice and support to help homeowners avoid repossession during the downturn. During his visit to Birmingham, Mr Healey saw for himself the important work of the National Debtline, a
04/12/2009
BAM Construction's North East team has secured a place on all four areas of the new YORbuild construction framework. The BAM team which has its head office in Leeds - is one of just two firms to secure a place for contracts valued over £10 million on all areas of the framework. The new framework c
04/12/2009
An innovative approach to upgrading railway station facilties has proved to be cost-effective. The Aberdyfi railway station has built a special 'hump' to make access to trains easier for people with mobility problems. It cost just £70,000 and it is made of glass-reinforced plastic, which can be a
03/12/2009
The UK's top food retailer has lost its second planning appeal inside a week. Tesco wanted to build a superstore on the site of the Project Jennifer development in north Liverpool, but has now had its appeal dismissed. The company was hit by a similar rejection in Co Down, Northern Ireland, when a
03/12/2009
Businesses are being warned to take proper precautions with scaffolding following the successful prosecution of a Sheffield firm that ignored important advice and enforcement action by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Pullan Development (Selby) Ltd, of Broomhall Street in Sheffield, pleaded g
03/12/2009
A report has recommended that the design and development of new homes for older people must become a national priority if the UK is to avoid a future housing crisis Launched by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), in partnership with Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Department of H
03/12/2009
On the 100th anniversary of the first Planning Act, Housing Minister John Healey has announced support for councils to plan and deliver new homes and green energy projects to power the country to a low carbon future. Councils will get a share of a £135m funding pot for planning and building new hom
03/12/2009
Hospitals, colleges and councils will be helped to cut energy use and save millions off their fuel bills under a major expansion of a climate change programme announced by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Just days before the start of the Copenhagen climate change summit, the Mayor visited a Lo
03/12/2009
Londoners are the least likely in the UK to change their energy supplier and could be missing out on hundreds of pounds worth of savings, according to Which? Switch. Which? Switch found that under half of the Londoners surveyed had switched energy supplier, compared with seven in ten people in the
03/12/2009
Construction union UCATT have welcomed the publication by the Department of Business of the new regulations designed to outlaw the blacklisting of trade unionists. Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "Blacklisting is a disgraceful, underhand practice. Until early this year most major co
03/12/2009
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has won the Best Integrated Campaign award at the 2009 B2B Marketing Awards, which aim to recognise excellence in the field of business-to-business marketing. The FMB won the award for its recent recruitment campaign 'When it comes to the crunch'. The campa
03/12/2009
Kier London has finished the Olympic Park primary electrical substation, the first building on the London 2012 facility to be completed. The station also started supplying electricity in November. The black brick substation in King's Yard – which was built using 130,000 Himley Ebony Black bricks f
03/12/2009
Metrotile has announced their brand new brochure is now available. The 43 page brochure highlights the many benefits of Metrotile lightweight steel roofing systems, covering many of their products and specifications in addition to articles on installation, sustainability and security, accompanied b
03/12/2009
An Essex-based practice, Makki Architectural Services, has unveiled a design for a £66,000, 285 sq m pre-fabricated concrete house for a private client on the outskirts of Al Lathqiyah, Syria. The building includes three bedrooms, a living and dining space, spiral staircase, a family bathroom and a
02/12/2009
The City of Toronto has appointed Carillion Canada as Construction Manager for the revitalisation of the City's Union Station, a five-year project valued at £360 million. Carillion's business in Canada is expected to grow significantly in 2009, following the acquisition of the Vanbots Group and the
02/12/2009
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has told the government that the housing market stimulus measures put in place in recent months, that have played such a significant part in the market stabilisation, must be extended. In a range of meetings and a written submission, it has urged the Chancellor t
02/12/2009
Smart meters will be rolled out through energy suppliers to every home by the end of 2020 under final plans published today by Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Hunt. A paper setting out the case for developing smart grids in the UK is also being published. Lord Hunt said: "A global climat
02/12/2009
Liverpool demolition specialists, the Mee's Group have teamed up with local children's charity KIND to help support their Christmas Appeal and to celebrate the charity's 35th birthday next year. To get the partnership underway Mee's Business Development Manager Damien Golden and Liverpool FC Assis
02/12/2009
Crossrail (CRL) today appointed Martin Rowark as Head of Procurement. Reporting directly to Commercial Director Martin Buck, he will lead the CRL Procurement Division to achieve best value in the delivery of the procurement requirements of the Crossrail project to programme and budget. Mr Rowark wil
02/12/2009
Warranted builders who can provide insurance cover for their work offer the best protection both for homeowners and the public purse according to the Federation of Master Builders' (FMB). The firm teamed up with Mid and West Wales AM, Joyce Watson, to launch their campaign for better regulation in
02/12/2009
A £4.5 million increase in government funding for apprenticeships and trainees in the engineering construction sector will mean that opportunities for young people to train for skilled jobs could double to 1,200 by 2011, Secretary of State for Business, Lord Mandelson has announced. Making its init
02/12/2009
One in four English local authorities would take more than ten years to house everyone on their council housing waiting list, it was revealed today. Shelter says a total of 82 authorities would take between a decade and 33 years to clear their waiting lists, or until 2019 to 2042. With the nationa
02/12/2009
Specialist concrete developed by a Northern Ireland firm will be used in the construction of a new 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium in London. Acheson and Glover was chosen to supply 500mm deep hollowcore slabs to main contractor Bryne Brothers, for use in the podium deck surrounding the massive stadium
02/12/2009
Galliford Try, the housebuilding and construction group, has announced the acquisition of Rosemullion Property Company Limited and its subsidiaries, trading as Rosemullion Homes. Rosemullion Homes secured the 'What House?' Housebuilder of the year award in 2008. The acquisition will add nine sites
02/12/2009
Energy company E.ON has welcomed the news that it has received planning consent for its 29.9MW Dungavel wind farm in South Lanarkshire. The proposed wind farm, which was approved by South Lanarkshire Council, will be located on land at Dungavel Hill, south of Strathaven. The scheme will also bring
01/12/2009
House prices rose by 0.5% in November, the same rate as in October, according to a new Nationwide report. At £162,764, the average house price is at a similar level to where it was in early 2006. This suggests that house prices are rising at a more moderate rate than in the spring and summer months
01/12/2009
Twelve projects across England - from Darlington in the north to Plymouth in the south - have been given the go ahead to rebuild or refurbish secondary schools in their area as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The 12 projects are: Brent, Darlington, Devon, Havering, King
01/12/2009
Planning permission was granted for the £193 million Library of Birmingham, paving the way for the building to open its doors to the public by 2013. Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council commented: "For the second time in a week Birmingham's aspiration to transform the 'West Side' of the c
01/12/2009
There's to be a new Chief Executive Officer at the leading construction business, Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group operating in construction services, professional services, support services and infrastructure investments, has announced that George Pi
01/12/2009
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has produced new guidance on behalf of Government to help landlords tackle the unlawful subletting and occupancy of social housing. It is estimated that there are currently 50,000 properties which are fraudulently occupied, resulting in thousands of familie
01/12/2009
Interserve, the services, maintenance and building group, has announced an agreement to dispose of its interest in a portfolio of 13 PFI investments, valued at £61.5 million, into the Interserve Pension Scheme ("the Scheme"). These investments are in projects across a variety of sectors in the UK,
01/12/2009
Surrey County Council has signed a contract that will transform the county's street lighting system, with the biggest roll out of revolutionary new energy saving technology in the country. Overall the agreement is expected to save Surrey taxpayers at least £12 million. This deal will see private s
01/12/2009
Local residents were the first non-construction workers to get a look inside the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) as two young residents turned on the site's Christmas lights. Residents went on bus tours of the Olympic Park and were able to discuss the work on the Park with contractors. Olymp
01/12/2009
Mark Vitow Limited is a well-established, major national wholesale distributor to retailers in the plumbing, building, bathroom and DIY sectors. Each month Mark Vitow Ltd changes its special offers to trade customers. This month's special offers include Mixer Taps, Thermostatic Shower Valves, Show
01/12/2009
Powersave Lighting Limited, UK manufacturers of dimmer switches and lighting control products, has announced new additions to its product range. PIR Switches with matching bezels The firms PIR switch is an ideal way of saving power by switching the lights off when there is no-one in the room. Idea
01/12/2009
Laker Vent Engineering Limited, one of the UK's largest independent Piping & Mechanical Contractors, has achieved Achilles BuildingConfidence Programme accreditation. The BuildingConfidence programme is designed to enable major contractors and clients in the construction industry to improve perfor
01/12/2009
Ian Gracie Specialist Contractors from Dumfries have finished a special renovation project of 8 arches along Victoria Street in Edinburgh. As part of the new Missoni Hotel on the famous Royal Mile the renovation and recreation of the 18th Century arches was carried out using Marmorit SM700. Marmori
