Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for July 2009
31/07/2009
The UK's third largest housebuilder, Persimmon Homes, has announced the launch of its FIRST Management Training Scheme aimed specifically at school leavers. A new initiative introduced to develop talent within the Group as part of Persimmon's much wider programme aimed at addressing skills in the
31/07/2009
One of the leading industry business organisations, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), is set to reveal cautious optimism in the sector when it publishes its annual State of Business report in September. Findings from the 32-page report, compiling answers from an extensive samp
31/07/2009
One of the nation's best-loved chimes will be ringing out again clearer than ever over the rooftops of Cambridge – thanks to the technical expertise of a small band of engineers from Kier. A team led by Barry Johnson, Chief Engineer of Kier Engineering Services, has devoted many hours to designing
31/07/2009
The new multi-screen Odeon cinema in the award winning Liverpool One development has been enhanced with two distinctive facades built from large format glass blocks supplied by Shackerley, one of the UK's largest distributors of these versatile construction materials. The blocks were specified by
31/07/2009
A new system to improve the way housing repairs are organised is to be set up by affordable housing provider, Tor Homes. The housing company's 3,000 tenants will benefit from the system which aims to give tenants a specific date and time when someone will call to fix a repair. It will also reduce r
31/07/2009
Tenders prices remain depressed as construction workloads continue to fall, according to the latest Tender Price Index compiled by BCIS, the Building Cost Information Service of the RICS. The price of new construction work fell by 4.9% in the first quarter of this year and compared with the same qu
31/07/2009
Around 12,000 more Lincolnshire residents will soon find themselves within a seven-mile radius of a household waste recycling centre (HWRC), as the county council's planning application for a brand new site in Market Rasen was passed this week. Lincolnshire County Council already oversees twelve ce
31/07/2009
A total of 15 open spaces owned and managed by the City of London Corporation have scooped Green Flag and Green Heritage Site awards. In addition to this, the City Corporation won three out of seven national Innovation awards. Bunhill Fields, which is just outside the Square Mile's border in Isli
30/07/2009
Energy giant Centrica has reported a 5.6% drop in profits in the first half of this year, but believes it will remain focused on delivering stability and growth throughout the rest of 2009. However, profits from British Gas, part of the Centrica Group, rose to £299 million from £166 million in the
30/07/2009
Recession-hit neighbourhoods are to receive a green boost with the announcement that Groundwork together with the National Housing Federation (NHF) has been successful with a bid to the new Future Jobs Fund. The investment will create thousands of new jobs across England and Wales - and bring signi
30/07/2009
Proposals for a community centre full of great facilities in West Norwood, Lambeth, are now much closer. Central government has endorsed £14.2 million of Private Finance Initiative credits towards the services at Norwood Hall. Norwood Hall proposals will provide a new customer service centre, swimm
30/07/2009
Midlands-based energy company E.ON has awarded a grant of over £16,000 to the Swan Bank Mission in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, to carry out an energy makeover of two community areas. The Mission, which was established in 1948, supports the local community on key issues such as educational achievement,
30/07/2009
With the credit crunch biting, Luton Council has decided to freeze heating charges for tenants for the next year. Cllr Tom Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: "The Council always does its best to ensure heating charges for tenants are affordable. This has been challenging, especially after th
30/07/2009
Prinicipal International has announced that Wates Construction are to be the main contractors for the £40 million Flaxby Country Resort, UK hotel investment project in North Yorkshire. The 300-room leisure development, situated between York and Harrogate, will open in 2011, with work expected to st
30/07/2009
People in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales will be able to recycle closer to home when Derbyshire County Council opens its new recycling centre next Thursday 6 August. The centre is part of a £6m recycling complex being built on Waterswallows Road, Buxton, taking the total number of recycling cen
30/07/2009
Environmental concerns are prompting large numbers of Britons to invest in green home improvements, ranging from installing energy efficient light bulbs to high grade insulation and solar panels. The findings, from new research conducted for Rockwool, found that 71% of British homeowners say they a
30/07/2009
Advice given out at last week's Carlisle energy saving roadshows resulted in 75 local residents saving a total of £8,000 from annual fuel bills. Carlisle City Council held three energy saving roadshows and gave advice to more than 100 householders. Three quarters of those who attended, 75 household
30/07/2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning of the need to ensure that gas boilers are serviced and checked regularly by authorised engineers following the prosecution of a Worcester landlord. Tenants at a house in Wylds Lane, Worcester, were taken to hospital on 16 March 2008 suffering from s
30/07/2009
A new CPD seminar from R.W.Simon has been approved by the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects). The seminar entitled "Solar Shading and Night Cooling" has been designed to assist construction professionals stay up to date with changes within their industry whilst broadening their understand
29/07/2009
Owners of the wind turbine company Vestas have failed in a bid to remove 25 workers staging a sit-in in protest at its Isle of Wight factory. The staff have been occupying the Newport offices since 20 July, as part of a campaign to prevent the plant from closing down and 625 jobs being lost. Lette
29/07/2009
Transport for London (TfL) has signed a joint venture agreement with Oakmayne Properties to develop 1.5 acres of space above the new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station at Woolwich Arsenal and at the former DLR work site in Woolwich Town Centre. The new developments are planned to be around 165,0
29/07/2009
British Gas and the Welsh Assembly Government have announced that the UK's first dedicated Green Skills Training Centre will be opened in Tredegar in the South Wales Valleys later this year. With JobMatch, Jobcentre Plus, Summit Skills and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council as strategic partners,
29/07/2009
The government has allocated £5m to make more than 45,000 homes more secure. The money will be used to pay for local handy-people to visit homes in 93 priority areas. The areas were chosen because they have higher numbers of people who are less likely to have good home security; for example, older
29/07/2009
People in real housing need are one step closer to getting one of around 100 new affordable homes planned for Norwich. An application to demolish 28 units on Greyhound Opening and Goldsmith Street has been submitted to the council. When planning permission is granted, it is hoped demolition can st
29/07/2009
Two Nu Build semi-detached houses have just been completed by Kier Partnership Homes and German off-site manufacturer Streif at Stoke on Trent College - making it the only further education establishment in the UK to have off-site manufactured buildings for hands-on training. The construction proce
29/07/2009
Birmingham City Council's Cabinet has approved £14 million funding which will be invested across neighbourhoods in North West Birmingham, to support regeneration projects up until March 2011. Under the banner of the Urban Living Pathfinder programme, the funding - from the Homes and Communities Ag
29/07/2009
Six schemes set to be built by Lovell have been shortlisted for the Homes and Communities Agency's Kickstart funding. The developments in line for a £14 million funding boost are set to create more than 370 new affordable rented, shared ownership, HomeBuy and open market homes in the North West and
29/07/2009
The final phase of a £3million investment programme in one of the county borough's busiest highways is near completion. Work on the A4119 between Parc Eirin to the Trebanog link in Wales will begin on Monday 3 August and take three weeks to complete. The latest stage of the refurbishment work, cos
29/07/2009
A public consultation event on the plans for the world's first purpose-built indoor BMX arena in east Manchester will take place on 4 August at the Manchester Velodrome at Sportcity from 3pm to 8pm. This follows the approval of £8.5 million of funding by Manchester City Council earlier this month.
29/07/2009
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has announced that 46 areas of the country will share a fund of up to £84m to help insulate social homes, reducing fuel bills for tenants and cutting carbon emissions. The Social Housing Energy Saving Programme (SHESP), first announced in April's 2009 Budget,
29/07/2009
EMCOR Group (UK) has announce that its Facilities Services division has secured a three year contract renewal to provide a wide range of essential maintenance and management functions at Cardiff Airport. EMCOR has provided mechanical and electrical engineering services to Cardiff Airport since 20
28/07/2009
Environment Minister Jane Davidson has gave details of £250,000 of funding to support cross-Wales improvements in the delivery of the planning service. The money is part of the funding announced by the Welsh Assembly Government last month, with £1.75m being distributed equally among all 25 local pl
28/07/2009
Three UK-based banks have started work with the European Investment Bank (EIB) on a programme to lend up to £1 billion to onshore wind farms over the next 3 years. The cash, part of the additional £4 billion of EIB lending to support UK energy projects announced in the Budget, will help get buildi
28/07/2009
Transport Minister Sadiq Khan visited the construction site at the Crossrail Canary Wharf Station today to see the progress being made on Western Europe's largest infrastructure project. Canary Wharf is the first Crossrail station under construction and the start of work was marked on 15 May this y
28/07/2009
Consumer Focus is warning that targeted Government help is urgently needed for right-to-buy homeowners, as new research shows they are likely to be at much greater risk of losing their homes due to financial difficulties in the recession. The new research reveals that right-to-buy mortgage-holders
28/07/2009
Over 550 residents are moving into new Eco-Homes officially rated as 'excellent' thanks to a ground breaking partnership between E.ON and Barratt. Instead of getting gas from the national grid, residents will be supplied by a community heating network which could reduce carbon emissions by up to
28/07/2009
The Public Accounts Committee has accused the Learning and Skills Council of a "very serious failure" in its management of the programme to refurbish and rebuild further education colleges around the country. The Committee said the Council has "behaved recklessly" by approving too many projects and
28/07/2009
Construction union UCATT have welcomed the launch of the Government's Kickstart scheme to lend money to developers in order to restart mothballed housing projects. It is estimated that the scheme should generate 20,000 jobs. Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of construction union UCATT, said: "This i
28/07/2009
Shared ownership schemes - the cheapest and most affordable way to own a home - celebrated 30 years of success yesterday after helping 155,000 households realise their dream of getting a foot on the property ladder. The National Housing Federation (NHF) has hailed the success of the scheme since th
28/07/2009
Enterprise, the infrastructure maintenance support services company, has announced that it has acquired the Power Services operations of Bethell Group plc. The acquired operations have annualised revenue of around £40m and an operating margin in line with the Enterprise group average. Bethell Pow
28/07/2009
Mardak is delighted to announce they have been shortlisted in two categories in the 2009 Software Satisfaction Awards. Mardak's product, Mardak Construction Accounts has been shortlisted in the Mid-Range Accounting Software category. Their Document Management module in the same product has also be
28/07/2009
Metrotile UK is proud to announce the improved Shingle lightweight steel roofing system profile, a truly versatile product that features numerous benefits. When used as a roofing system, Metrotile Shingle can be pitched as low as 15 and offers substantial benefits over traditional roofing products.
28/07/2009
Swinton Electro-plating (Lancs.) Ltd recently took advantage of funded training through the Train to Gain initiative offered by the UK government. Staff members were trained and assessed for NVQ's in Information Technology while the workforce were trained and assessed to NVQ level 2 in their releva
27/07/2009
Housing Minister John Healey has announced that 270 stalled development projects across the country have been shortlisted for a share of £925m which could help get building work on 22,400 homes back on track and create 20,000 jobs. Every region has shortlisted projects and will benefit from this ma
27/07/2009
The council has been given the green light to press ahead with its £300m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The go ahead came with official confirmation of Government funding approval. The council is proposing an initial 10-year commercial partnership to rebuild and update the boroug
27/07/2009
Roofing companies in Greater Manchester are being urged to make safety one of their top priorities after a man fell through the roof of a Swinton factory. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Tower Roofing Ltd following the incident at Magnesium Elektron Ltd's premises on Rake Lane in S
27/07/2009
Leicester's reputation as a centre for the arts is set to receive another boost thanks to plans for a striking new building to house the city's contemporary art gallery. The city council has already agreed to replace its City Gallery on Granby Street, with a new venue in an existing building on Ne
27/07/2009
A newly published guide will help reduce accidents and improve worker involvement on construction sites. Construction union UCATT, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), ConstructionSkills and Unite the union, have come together to compile the booklet, Short Guide to Improving Health and Safety on
27/07/2009
Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, Edward Leigh MP, has said the Warm Front Scheme seems to be "failing many of the poorest and most vulnerable households". Mr Leigh said: "It is unclear whether the primary aim of the Scheme is to improve the energy efficiency of homes or to reduce fuel
27/07/2009
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced a new set of milestones, known as 'the big build: structures', to be achieved during the next phase of constructing the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games. The ODA plans to deliver these new milestones by 27 July 2010, a date two y
27/07/2009
Lovell has been awarded two new affordable housing contracts worth a combined £8.2 million. The company has been chosen by housing association Boston Mayflower to build Broadfield House, a £6.3 million extra care housing complex, in Boston, Lincolnshire. Arranged over three storeys, the 40-bedroom
27/07/2009
A mixture of expertise and proven experience in the public sector has secured Faithful+Gould's appointment to the Buying Solutions framework. As part of a deal worth an estimated £750m to the 12 selected suppliers, Faithful+Gould will lead a multi-disciplined team. This will include design and engi
27/07/2009
BLISS Books' standing order contract alert service means that you will always receive a copy of the latest form as it is published. A copy of any revisions or amendments to the contracts you choose to update will be sent to you automatically to ensure that you have the latest available text. You wi
24/07/2009
A £2 million fine has been imposed by energy regulator Ofgem on EDF Energy Networks for poor customer service. Following a three-year investigation into connection times it was found the company's customer services standards were "poor", and they failed to offer connections quickly enough to homes.
24/07/2009
Pupils from Wythenshawe primary schools will take centre stage at the new Manchester Health Academy this week when they take part in a bolt tightening ceremony. Work started on the site of the new £19m Academy several months ago, and today a significant construction milestone will be marked when pu
24/07/2009
Renew Holdings, the specialist engineering and construction services group, has secured over £20m of new orders and in addition a further extension to its principal nuclear framework in its Specialist Engineering business. In Nuclear, Renew has announced a further extension to the Multi Disciplined
24/07/2009
The finishing touches are being completed on a £1.4 million development of new, eco-friendly properties for North Lincolnshire Homes in a rural area of the region. The nine homes in Hibaldstow are the first ever new builds to be commissioned by the housing association - and it is now looking to all
24/07/2009
The Welsh Assembly Government has welcomed the decision to electrify the entire Great Western mainline between Paddington and Swansea. First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, described the announcement as "great news for Wales" - as when completed in 2017, the new line will provide a faster and more reliabl
24/07/2009
Unions representing 40,000 skilled council craftworkers (UCATT, UNITE and GMB) are appalled that a long delayed pay offer has been formulated in order to cut the terms and conditions of all local government craftworkers. The workers concerned are local government craftworkers including: carpenters,
24/07/2009
Timber merchant Meerdink (UK) Ltd has recently launched a new type of composite decking in the UK market. Meerdink UK is a major supplier of Ekki, Opepe and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) timbers, suitable for marine and heavy construction work, including wharfs, bridges, decking, river pilings,
24/07/2009
One of Europe's leading suppliers of bespoke scissor style platform lift tables, Power-Lifts Limited has installed a custom-built, fully stainless steel lift table in a food processor to enable bulk ingredients to be transferred between levels within the factory. Similar units have also been rece
24/07/2009
Main contactor JGC Ltd of Halkirk, Caithness, selected Halifax Fan Ltd to supply the four fans required. "We have dealt with Halifax for fans for nuclear applications for many years now," said JGC Project Director Tim O’Brien. "We were confident, based upon past experience, that Halifax could meet
24/07/2009
The Land Rover S1 mobile phone builds on a legacy of innovation and toughness. It is the next generation of rugged phones, and would be suited to those working in the construction industry or building trade. With built-in GPS it will track your location no matter where you venture and when you disc
23/07/2009
Water bills in British households are set to fall by an average of 4% over the next five years, under new proposals announced today by regulator Ofwat. The average bills will be cut by £14 to £330, and the plans were announced as part of the regulator's "draft determination" on price limits for wat
23/07/2009
The Government is to announce a major programme of modernisation and investment today to help create a 21st century railway, improve passenger journeys, cut carbon emissions and boost the economy. The Prime Minister and Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis will unveil £1.1bn plans for the first big el
23/07/2009
The Developer behind the five star Flaxby Country Resort in North Yorkshire has announced Wates Construction as the main contractor for the £40 million build programme. The Skelwith Group is developing the 300 room leisure development, situated between York and Harrogate. It will open in 2011, with
23/07/2009
Morgan Est, one of the UK's leading infrastructure specialists, has won a £21 million contract to build two new Advanced Digestion Plants for Welsh Water. The contract is for all civil engineering aspects associated with the construction of both plants; one to be located at Cardiff Waste Water Trea
23/07/2009
Carillion's business in Oman, Carillion Alawi, has secured a contract to build the Majlis, a new Parliament building in the centre of Muscat, with an estimated construction value of £275m. The contract includes the construction of a new building to house the Majlis Oman, Majlis A'shura and Majlis
23/07/2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding construction companies of their duties to employees after a worker was paralysed in a fall. Harold Roach fell ten feet through roof joists at a refurbishment site on Gertrude Street in Birkenhead while he was working for Property People (NW) Ltd.
23/07/2009
First Minister for Wales Rhodri Morgan is to officially open the new Cardiff City Stadium, which will host Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues matches next season. The First Minister said: "After more than half a century of supporting Cardiff's football and rugby teams through thick and thin, it is a fa
23/07/2009
Kettering Borough Council housing worker Anne Coulson was awarded the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) East Midlands Prize for her high achievement in housing studies. Anne gained the highest marks of all students completing the BSc in Housing Studies at De Montfort University in Leicester this
23/07/2009
Two residential care homes and two primary schools in Bristol will benefit from new environmentally friendly biomass boilers thanks to a £250,000 grant secured by Bristol City Council. The government's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) awarded the money to the city council's Energy Man
23/07/2009
Lovell joined forces with Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH) to give pupils at Windsor Community Primary School in Toxteth an insight into careers in the construction industry. The company, which is working for LMH on a major housing improvement programme to upgrade 1,000 homes in the city, sent along ap
23/07/2009
Phelan Construction is one of the latest group of successful companies to join a scheme designed to help industry improve its safety record. The Essex based firm recently received accreditation from SAFEcontractor, a programme which recognises very high standards of health and safety practice among
22/07/2009
Unite the union is urging the government to work with management at Vestas to save England's only wind turbine manufacturing plants at the Isle of Wight and Southampton which are to close on Friday 24 July, with the loss of 625 jobs and the transfer of production to China and the US. Unite is suppo
22/07/2009
The Forum Project, a stunning new centrepiece for the University of Exeter, has been given planning permission by city councillors. The Project, which will cost £48 million, will create a new heart for the centre of the University's Streatham Campus. It will include the creation of a new Student S
22/07/2009
Housing Minister John Healey has unveiled plans to dismantle the current council housing finance system and replace it with a clearer, more transparent system that puts councils firmly in control and better able to respond to the needs of local tenants and residents. Mr Healey also challenged counc
22/07/2009
A £400 million port set to be one of the busiest in the country, seeing the rebirth of the Manchester Ship Canal is to be built in Salford. The proposals passed by Salford City Council's planning bosses are estimated to boost the local economy by up to £83 million a year and will create around 3,00
22/07/2009
Eco-towns must be genuinely sustainable and the standards that are being proposed for them should be part of all urban development said Natural England. Natural England's comments came in response to the publication, by the Department of Communities and Local Government, of the shortlist of potenti
22/07/2009
Construction union UCATT have given a cautious welcome to a fresh delay in the Government's decision over whether thousands of pleural plaques sufferers will receive compensation. The Government had promised to make a full announcement on the issue prior to the Parliamentary recess. However no anno
22/07/2009
EDF Energy has agreed a deal with British Salt Ltd to acquire a site to build a new fast cycle underground gas storage facility in Cheshire - it will be adjacent to EDF Trading's existing facility at Hole House Farm, Middlewich. The deal, which is set to provide a major boost to the local construct
22/07/2009
Trainees from Balfour Beatty will be the first to experience the CIOB-backed new ACT-UK Simulation Centre when it opens this September. The training course prepared by ACT-UK in collaboration with Balfour Beatty - which has been closely involved in the centre's development - will be the first to ru
22/07/2009
Hydra-Capsule Limited is recognised as leading supplier of heavy-duty hydraulic jacks worldwide. They have over one hundred different models within our range, such as, pad jacks (low height jack), low profile jacks, hollow ram, lock nut, toe jacks, pull hydraulic cylinders and many more models so
22/07/2009
Schools that took part in the London 2012 hoardings project have been presented with panels displaying their students' artwork, which was used to decorate the hoardings along part of the Olympic Park boundary. With construction activity accelerating on site, the temporary hoardings that displayed t
21/07/2009
The Chartered Institute of Building's (CIOB) research into crime in the construction industry has shown that an overwhelming majority have experienced theft, vandalism and health and safety neglect. 92% of respondents had experienced theft in their business, 91% vandalism and 90% health and safety
21/07/2009
Managers from Anglesey Aluminium are due to meet with politicians today to carry out talks to save the company from complete shut down. The company has already declined the offer of £50m in a Government rescue package. The plant, located near the community of Holyhead, announced 250 redundancies l
21/07/2009
Construction union UCATT have welcomed the sentencing in the Old Bailey of Colin Holtom who was sentenced to three years for the manslaughter of Adam Gosling. Mr Gosling was just 15 when he was killed when a wall he was demolishing collapsed on top of him. UCATT have warned that due to the rarit
21/07/2009
Birmingham City Council has been awarded £100 million in Housing PFI credits by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which will be used to regenerate the Lyndhurst estate and surrounding areas of Erdington. Following a period of intensive consultation and planning with local councillors and the
21/07/2009
So few affordable houses are being built in rural England that people in some areas are being warned they face a 280 year wait to be allocated a new home, a study reveals. People applying for an affordable home in the ten rural districts with the longest waiting lists would face a wait on average o
21/07/2009
Builders' workloads continue to fall despite media speculation about green shoots of recovery, reveals the latest market survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The FMB survey which covers the second quarter of 2009 (April, May and June) is the only survey that reports on the workload
21/07/2009
British Gas New Energy and AlertMe.com, provider of smart energy saving systems for homes, has announced an agreement that will see the two companies trial home energy management technologies, to help British Gas customers cut their energy consumption, save money and reduce their household carbon em
21/07/2009
Building work has started on the Handball Arena two months early, which means all new permanent venues on the Olympic Park are now under construction. During the Olympic Games the distinctive copper-clad, 7,000-seat venue will host the preliminary rounds of the Handball competition and the Fencing
21/07/2009
Interserve, the services, maintenance and building group, has won a place on the Construction Framework South West (CFSW), worth a possible £500 million over the next four years. Ten other contractors are also involved. The framework is intended for new-build or refurbishment construction projects
21/07/2009
Energy company E.ON has submitted an entry for European funding in support of its proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) development at Kingsnorth in Kent. The company has already been short-listed in the UK Government's competition to demonstrate the capture, transportation and storage of carbo
20/07/2009
A hospital plumber, who has been told he has only months to live after developing mesothelioma, has received £175,000 in compensation. UNISON union helped Alan Ward, who is now living in Worle, in Weston-super-Mare, pursued an 18 month claim against Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority w
20/07/2009
Coastal communities will get new planning powers to help their local economy and tourist industry, Housing and Planning Minister John Healey announced today. Temporary, cost effective recreation projects such as beach huts, cafes and car-parks that can boost the local economy will be considered by
20/07/2009
Construction union UCATT are extremely dismayed at the lenient sentence given to Ian Kerr whose company the Consulting Association was responsible for providing a blacklist of over 3,000 workers, which was accessed by over 40 major construction companies. The judge at Knustford Crown Court, decided
20/07/2009
Unite, the UK's largest union, is to ballot its members for strike action at seven major power and petrochemical plants across Britain. The ballot will run from 11 August and end on 1 September with any agreed industrial action following shortly after. Unite, together with the GMB, is to ballot i
20/07/2009
The provision of housing and housing-related support is vital to help people stay 'independent and well' for longer and must be part of the solution to the funding and support needs of an ageing population. That's according to the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) which has welcomed recognition
20/07/2009
Matthew Taylor MP is to be proposed as the new chair of the National Housing Federation (NHF) at the organisation's AGM later this year. Mr Taylor, author of last year's landmark Taylor Review of Rural Economy and Affordable Housing ('Living Working Countryside'), was the unanimous recommendation o
20/07/2009
Proposals for a £24 million national indoor BMX centre at Sportcity in east Manchester have been announced in advance of a report going to Manchester City Council's Executive committee. Designed by Ellis Williams Architects, the 110, 000 sq foot building will, with the existing Manchester Velodrome
20/07/2009
Carlisle residents are being offered the chance to get low cost energy saving cavity wall and loft insulation. Carlisle City Council and Book My Survey have joined forces to find the best credit crunch prices for local householders. For the next few months only, cavity wall insulation is available
20/07/2009
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) haspublished 'Park people', a collection of testimonies and pictures from some of the London residents that are working on the Olympic Park. Included in the document is Alan Green, a previously unemployed data entry clerk with impaired vision from Waltham Forest
20/07/2009
A market leader in the manufacture and installation of hygienic performance door sets into pharmaceutical, healthcare and laboratory environments, Dortek, has recently complimented its already extensive door range with a range of vision panels built to the same standards. The concealed fixed stainl
10/07/2009
Eleven construction companies, including one building consortium, have been invited to join the Construction Framework South West (CFSW). The new framework, due to go live on the 1 August, has been developed by Devon County Council to deliver construction projects in excess of £1 million. It is exp
10/07/2009
Lovell has been chosen by Spirita, part of the Metropolitan Housing Partnership, to build a £3 million affordable housing development in Derby city centre. The scheme will create 40 two-bedroom apartments for affordable rent fronting on to King Street and St Helen's Street. "This scheme will help
10/07/2009
In an historic case brought by Shelter, a vulnerable family has been told they can keep the home they have lived in for more than 20 years after almost losing it in a repossession 'sale and rent back' scam. In the first court ruling of its kind, the judge branded the sale and rent back company Repo
10/07/2009
This weekend, RWE npower renewables' Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm is expected to generate its first clean, green power from its location off the North Wales coast. Weather permitting, the first of the wind farm's 25 turbines will export its first power to shore as construction works continue on si
10/07/2009
Kier Construction, as part of the KMI Plus joint venture, which also includes Murphy Group, Interserve Project Services and Mouchel, has announced the award of a £250m contract extension for its Non Infrastructure Capital Delivery framework with United Utilities. The original AMP4 framework agreem
10/07/2009
Construction union UCATT are furious after the leader of the construction bosses attempted to dismiss key findings of One Death Is Too Many, Rita Donaghy's Government commissioned report into construction safety. Before the ink was even dry on the report Stephen Ratcliffe the Director of the UK Con
10/07/2009
Speedy has facilitated Network Rail's purchase of £6m of rail-specific plant equipment as part of its fleet management agreement. The agreement covers asset management of over 20,000 pieces of equipment, round the clock technical and emergency service as well as equipment consultancy and sourcing.
10/07/2009
Environment Minster Jane Davidson has announced £5 million of new funding to help businesses and the public sector to become more energy efficient and tackle climate change. The money will support initiatives to promote energy efficiency and low carbon technology in businesses and the public sector
10/07/2009
Tool & Engineering Service Ltd was originally established over 15 years ago to offer a service in the Sale & Repair of Pneumatic, and Hydraulic Tools. They have now moved forward and grown considerably, and as the area distributor for such well know makes as, Ingersoll Rand, Arc Gen, Rotabroach, Ta
10/07/2009
Mark Plummer Carpentry Limited was established in May 2003, working throughout North London and the surrounding counties. Mark Plummer operates primarily in the commercial and residential sectors providing a multi-disciplined service to an impressive client portfolio. Specialising in timber fram
10/07/2009
Meakin Building Supplies is a family owned and run independent business serving the Thames Valley and surrounding areas. Meakin have traded as a Builders Merchants since 1980 and have grown from humble beginnings to become a major supplier of building and landscaping materials to the DIY enthusias
10/07/2009
Select Scales Ltd are this year celebrating their 15th anniversary. When the business was started, Ian was a sole trader and over the years it has gradually expanded. Although Select Scales Ltd is a small company, it has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and this is used to ensure the cust
09/07/2009
Steelmaker Corus is believed to be axing 366 jobs at its Scunthorpe site in North East England. The company has said that it has "announced proposals to improve the competitiveness of its Scunthorpe site by aligning costs with anticipated steel demand". Consultations with employees and their repre
09/07/2009
House prices have declined by 0.5% according to a survey by Halifax. On a quarterly basis, the 1.9% fall in house prices in the second quarter was the smallest since 2008 quarter one. These figures provide evidence that the underlying pace of house price decline is easing. Martin Ellis, Housing Ec
09/07/2009
Changes to the CITB-ConstructionSkills Grants Scheme have been agreed by the industry-led Board this week, to ensure the skills and training board can continue to pay grants to businesses as the recession deepens. After extensive consultation, the Board ratified proposals that had been suggested by
09/07/2009
John Sisk & Son Ltd (Sisk) has been awarded a £43m Hilton hotel project serving travellers for Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport. Strategically located to cater for Heathrow and close to the airport's newest terminal, the contract is the latest in a line of recent hotel wins for contractor Si
09/07/2009
E.ON, one of the UK's leading power and gas companies, has announced that it will be taking the next step in its investigations into a potential wind farm in the Humber Estuary by installing an anemometry mast. The mast, used to measure wind speeds and other offshore environmental data, will be aro
09/07/2009
The London region of the HCA will provide over £32 million to unlock the housing element of two major regeneration schemes in Greenwich. This investment is part of the London programme to kick-start development activity during the housing market downturn. The funding was approved by the HCA London B
09/07/2009
New estimates from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) suggest that a higher proportion of young first-time buyers than ever before are getting help from parents to enter the market. But more positively, the CML's latest data shows signs that lending criteria stopped tightening in May. Since rea
09/07/2009
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has reached financial close on the first of three phases of its Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The investment in this phase is £360 million, bringing the total committed to transforming education through BSF to over £4 billion. Barnsley's BS
09/07/2009
The Prime Minister has written to housing professionals to re-iterate his commitment to housing as one of his top priorities. Gordon Brown issued a personal letter to Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) members in the UK explaining his decision to commit an additional £1.5 billion to build an extr
09/07/2009
Welcoming the government's consultation on blacklisting which has been published, Unite's Assistant General Secretary Les Bayliss, said: "This is a welcome development but it's long overdue. Too many construction workers have suffered victimisation at the hands of unscrupulous employers. "Blacklisti
09/07/2009
One of the landing stages on the Foreshore will be getting substantial repairs as part of ongoing work to keep Plymouth's waterfront safe and attractive. The landing pier at West Hoe is to get £46,000 worth of repair works to make it easier for boats to land there. The site has suffered significant
08/07/2009
Work to widen key sections of the M25 as part of a £6.2 billion contract to improve and maintain England’s busiest motorway - creating thousands of new construction jobs - was officially started today by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan. The crucial progress comes just weeks after the Highway Agency
08/07/2009
Costain has announced that it has been awarded a £297 million contract by Sellafield Ltd for full Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Inactive Commissioning of the Evaporator D project, one of the largest nuclear projects in the UK. The contract is an extension of an original Purchase Order
08/07/2009
Construction union UCATT have welcomed the publication of the Government's consultation, which will lead to laws outlawing the blacklisting of workers. Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of construction union UCATT, said: "UCATT are pleased that the Government are pressing ahead with introducing the r
08/07/2009
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has published guidance on the design of all new publicly funded homes built in the capital from 2011. The guidance sets new minimum standards to meet his commitment to improve the quality of new homes and consequently the quality of life for Londoners. The Mayo
08/07/2009
House-building in Peterborough is defying the national recession with over 1,000 new homes being completed last year (2008/09) and another 1,100 under construction at the start of the current year. Last year's 1,049 house completions exceed the 2007/08 total of 999 homes and are the second highest
08/07/2009
Plans for the 'gold medal standard' Olympic Village today been released by London 2012. The Olympic Village, which is next to the Olympic Park and new Stratford City development, will accommodate the athletes during the London 2012 Games and provide thousands of new homes for Londoners after 2012.
08/07/2009
Private developers, local councils and housing associations must work better together to manage land supply more efficiently if we are to boost the supply of affordable housing coming out of the economic downturn. A report from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has found that poor grasp of l
08/07/2009
Part of a row of traditional terraced houses in the South Wales Valleys is to be transformed and completely re-styled to provide modern, light, spacious, energy efficient homes fit for the 21st century. The pilot project, which is being funded by the Heads of the Valleys (HoV) regeneration programm
08/07/2009
A new brochure has been issued by Bison Manufacturing Ltd to explain the new strategy which now characterises this leading manufacturer of hollowcore and precast concrete products. The publication outlines the new approach which Bison has adopted to every area of its activities and details the bene
08/07/2009
Malcolm Smith Power Cleaning are a small family business selling quality Power Washing products for use in Domestic, Commercial & Industrial environments. With many years of experience and expertise all customers have the assurance that the company is fully committed to providing the highest quality
08/07/2009
Greys Artstone have sponsored Cumberworth Under 7s for the last year culminating in the Westend Tournament. The tournament was in Huddersfield and the Cumberworth Team were outstanding. Lee at Greys Artstone said: "We are very proud to sponsor Cumberworth Under 7s and look forward to the next seas
08/07/2009
Alto Lead from Mercury Building Products is a high performance low cost aluminium flashing suitable for use as an alternative to traditional lead in both flat and pitched roof applications. Alto Lead is produced from sheet aluminium with a protective polyurethane coating on top and a polyisobutylen
07/07/2009
The vast majority of people who live in social housing in Britain were born in the UK according to a research study published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission today. The study found that less than two per cent of all social housing residents are people who have moved to Britain in the l
07/07/2009
The outlook for the construction industry has deteriorated sharply over the last three months according to the latest forecasts from the Construction Products Association (CPA). According to these forecasts, output will fall by a record 16% in 2009, compared with to the April forecast, which indica
07/07/2009
Ambitious plans by a community enterprise to develop a multi-million pound indoor and outdoor events arena in Pontardawe are a step closer to reality thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government. Funding from the Assembly Government's Single Investment Fund has covered the costs of four d
07/07/2009
Tenants who move into council properties will get connected to electricity and gas supplies more quickly thanks to an agreement between Leicester City Council and an energy company. Leicester City Council has appointed a single energy supplier, Scottish and Southern Energy, to help get gas and elec
07/07/2009
Rupert Perkins has been appointed chairman of leading construction industry body the National Federation of Builders (NFB). Mr Perkins is Contracts Director of Bristol-based John Perkins Construction and has held the chair of the NFB's South West Executive Board and the Finance Group. He officially
07/07/2009
E.ON has announced that it will remove the standing charge for its gas prepayment meter customers. Having offered one of the lowest gas prices throughout the winter months, E.ON is also reducing gas prices for the majority of its gas customers, saving them around £25 a year. Jim Macdonald, Commerc
07/07/2009
Green energy professionals from across the UK are being invited to a major green energy conference in Liverpool in October. The inaugural Green Power Forum (GPF) takes place at the new BT Convention Centre on Liverpool's famous waterfront, in the city's 'Year of the Environment' on 15 October. GPF
07/07/2009
The Government's Planning Portal is aiming to forge greater links with the English local planning authorities (LPAs) by providing them with the tools that will see them save time, money and effort when dealing with daily planning enquiries. Since its launch in 2002, the Portal has played a key role
07/07/2009
Leicester based civil engineering firm, Danaher & Walsh, was awarded a further contract by Leicester City Council as part of its "General Civil Engineering and repairs to Highway Structures Framework". This contract will see Danaher & Walsh complete urgently needed refurbishment and strengthenin
07/07/2009
Markfield Woodworking Machinery have launched a new website containing a wealth of information and products from the range of machines on offer. Each product has high-quality photos, features list, detailed description and specifications where possible. Markfield Woodworking Machinery (MWM) was e
07/07/2009
One of the UK's most prestigious transport museums is enjoying life back in the fast lane after a helping hand from leading paint brand Leyland Trade. The main floor of the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland, Lancashire had endured years of wear and tear from visitors eager to explore the
07/07/2009
ACTIS Insulation has announced the appointment of David Curtis as Technical Manager for the UK. David is the latest addition to the commercial team which has increased considerably over the past 12 months. David will be supporting customers on all technical aspects of ACTIS' product range, inclu
06/07/2009
Costain has announced that, in joint venture with Galliford Try and Atkins, it has secured an extension to its current 5-year AMP4 framework contract with United Utilities. The extension will cover the period from 1 April 2010 through to 31 March 2015. The original contract commenced in 2005
06/07/2009
VolkerHighways, part of the Dutch-owned VolkerWessels group, has been awarded £100m in new Term Maintenance business it has been revealed. The awards for new highway maintenance and lighting contracts with options to extend could increase the final value to approximately £160m. The contracts have
06/07/2009
In response to the Government's consultation for changes to the Local Authority Building Control charging regime, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has called for a payment system that rewards good builders with lower Building Control fees and penalises poor quality and building control non
06/07/2009
Building work is underway on a state-of-the-art school which is part of a £750 million transformation of secondary education in Derbyshire. Councillor Mike Longden, Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education, cut a sod of earth to mark the start of work at The Heritage School, Clowne.
06/07/2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released provisional figures, which reveal that 53 construction workers were killed in 2009/10, a 26% decrease on the previous 12-month period. Construction remains the most dangerous industry in Britain. Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of construction un
06/07/2009
Construction has started on the White Water Canoe Centre in Broxbourne where the Canoe Slalom events will take place during the London 2012 Games. The start of work at Broxbourne means the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has now delivered all of the 10 milestones it set out last summer. ODA Chai
06/07/2009
A new £3.7 million primary school in Anglesey which has been built using sustainable materials and the latest energy saving features has been officially opened by Education Minister Jane Hutt. Ysgol Y Graig in Llangefni is the first new school to be built on the island since 2002 and has first clas
06/07/2009
Nine young professionals became some of the first graduates from a new UK-wide housing maintenance qualification on 1 July. The skills they bring will help housing organisations, councils and contractors to manage the country's £multi-billion housing maintenance programme better. David Montague, Gr
06/07/2009
Laing O'Rourke Chairman and Chief Executive, Ray O'Rourke, has confirmed that Douglas Oakervee, OBE, is to join the Group's senior team. Mr Oakervee, former Chairman of Crossrail, is to lead Laing O'Rourke's business development activities in Hong Kong and the surrounding regions. His appointment t
06/07/2009
JMS have launched a new website - www.110volts.co.uk - which is connected to the JMS website. Their new online shop - which is now offering all customers 5% discount off all orders - is easy to browse through and all their transformers are British made. JMS are also offering their 10KVA Site Trans
06/07/2009
JTS Energy specialises in drain and pipe mapping and was formed in 1996 to challenge the utilities companies charging regime and we have been successful this year alone in receiving refunds of £290,000 from the Water companies, and because of our success we have been successful in negotiating terms
06/07/2009
Halico Garage Doors are pleased to announce that they have added the 'Signature Doors' range to their portfolio. Halico Garage Doors hosted an exhibition launching the new partnership. The exhibition was based in a very busy garden centre with an annual turnover of £6 Million. 'Signature Doors' ar
03/07/2009
A new project to identify and promote best practice by social housing providers in England has been launched by the Tenant Services Authority (TSA). Providers such as housing associations, local authorities and ALMOs are invited to make bids of up to £9,000 to support the development of agreements
03/07/2009
EDF Energy has held a supply chain event in London for UK contractors entitled 'New Nuclear Opportunities', which highlighted the company's plans to invest in new nuclear power stations in the UK and the role that British businesses will have to help deliver the investment. Energy Minister, Lord Hu
03/07/2009
Birmingham City Council has appointed local architect companies Axis Design Collective and BM3 to design council homes as part of the Council's first phase of council house building, delivering 131 homes with an investment of £15.2 million. The appointment of the Birmingham-based businesses will dr
03/07/2009
Serco, the international service company, has announced that its consortium has been selected by the UK government's National Offender Management Service (NOMS) as the preferred bidder to provide and operate two new prisons at Belmarsh West, London and Maghull, Liverpool. Under Design, Construct, M
03/07/2009
Since its introduction at the start of the year, a total of six people have been helped by the Mortgage Rescue Scheme, the Government has announced. Shelter has described the figure as "disappointing". The scheme was set up to help families who could no longer afford to meet their monthly mortgage
03/07/2009
Construction union UCATT are becoming increasingly concerned that the Government is intent on committing skulduggery and denying thousands of asbestos victims justice. UCATT fears are due to the fact that the Government has still not responded to the consultation on restoring compensation to pleura
03/07/2009
Work has started on a £1 million pound makeover of the Newton Heath district centre in east Manchester. Funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Manchester City Council, the work is being carried out by urban regeneration company New East Manchester. A range of improvements a
03/07/2009
The announcement from Housing Minister, John Healey MP, to allow local authorities to keep their own council house rents to build more social housing is a "victory for common sense", says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said: "John Heale
03/07/2009
On the second anniversary of the 'One Wales' agreement, the Welsh Assembly Government has announced it is half way to meeting its target of creating an additional 6,500 affordable homes Jocelyn Davies AM, Deputy Minister for Housing has announced. Early figures suggest the number of homes, delivere
03/07/2009
A high-level plan for the replacement of underground metallic service pipework carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in England, Scotland and Wales has been agreed. Industry representative body, UKLPG, met the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have agreed to the plan. Although replacement work has
03/07/2009
The construction skills and training approach at King's Cross Central has been given the seal of approval and awarded National Skills Academy for Construction project status. The National Skills Academy for Construction is a partnership between ConstructionSkills, employers, clients, colleges and f
02/07/2009
Water bills in British households are set to fall by an average of 4% over the next five years, under new proposals announced today by regulator Ofwat. The average bills will be cut by £14 to £330, and the plans were announced as part of the regulator's "draft determination" on price limits for wat
02/07/2009
The sale of construction products continues to decline despite talk of 'green shoots' in other parts of the economy, according to the latest Ernst and Young/Construction Products Association (CPA) Activity Barometer, which has delivered a figure of zero for the very first time. With a figure of 50
02/07/2009
Engineering and construction students from universities across London have gained hands-on building experience on the Olympic Park. The students worked closely with contractors working on the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre, who could potentially employ them in the future. More than 80 student
02/07/2009
The new British Gas Energy Academy in Leicester was officially opened yesterday by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He said: "It is very exciting to see new technologies, such as smart meters, which will help UK households save and manage energy, and reduce their carbon emissions." And, congratula
02/07/2009
The current confusion about how the £1.57 billion social housing programme will be funded must not be at the expense of taking money away from the refurbishment of our social housing stock, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said: "The
02/07/2009
Cherwell District Council threw its support behind a proposed eco town at Middleton Cheney this week. However, controversial proposal isn't a government initiative, instead it's the idea of teachers at Chenderit School, who were keen for their pupils to learn about town development, government decis
02/07/2009
The Chief Executive of social housing and regeneration organisation Riverside has received a CBE for services to the housing sector. Deborah Shackleton, who has over 30 years' experience working in housing, joined Riverside in 1993, and has led the organisation from a predominantly North West based
02/07/2009
The Chartered institute of Housing (CIH) has campaigned since 2005 for the national Housing Revenue Account to be scrapped and has welcomed the announcement by Housing Minister John Healey as a major victory. CIH Chief Executive Sarah Webb said: "We are delighted that the government has responded s
02/07/2009
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has announced a shortlist of 13 further education building projects which are proceeding to the next stage of development. The 13 projects have been selected from over 180 projects submitted to the LSC as part of the latest round of the FE Capital programme.
02/07/2009
Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, services and investment Group, has announced that Gammon Construction, its joint venture company in South East Asia, has been awarded a contract in excess of HK$1.5 billion (£120 million) by Hysan Development Company Limited (Hysan) for th
02/07/2009
Children from two villages near Dorking will be among the first to benefit from Surrey County Council securing £7.5 million funding to spend on improving primary school buildings. The council will spend £2 million to create a new primary school through merging two first schools - Westcott and Abing
02/07/2009
Swimmers will soon benefit from improved facilities at Chesterfield's Queen's Park Sports Centre after a £191k grant was secured to modernise the pool area. The grant, from Sport England, was secured by Chesterfield Borough Council to pay for a moveable boom, an electronic auto-time system, a re-
02/07/2009
Delta Membranes have announced the launch of their new and improved website. The site has direct access to their NBS PLUS clauses, and also has a full selection of technical drawings, which are available in PDF format and AUTOCAD. Delta Membranes, Specialist Damp waterproofing Solutions For your H
01/07/2009
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is ready to begin delivering a significantly enlarged programme of public house building immediately, the Agency's Chief Executive has confirmed. The HCA, responsible for housing and regeneration delivery in England, will take responsibility for an additional
01/07/2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's pledge to give local people priority on council house lists will be blocked by Harriet Harman's new equality laws, it has been revealed. As part of Mr Brown's relaunch, he suggested local people who have been on council house waiting lists for a long time will be allow
01/07/2009
Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has announced it will operate a flagship store at the heart of a £150 million scheme to regenerate Great Homer Street in Liverpool. The City Council and development partner St Modwen said the news marks a significant step towards the creation of a new district centre i
01/07/2009
Development company P3Eco has expressed interest in creating proposals for an eco settlement at Cherwell District Council's promoted site to the north west of Bicester. Devised as an alternative to the eco town proposed for Weston Otmoor, the NW Bicester site will provide 5,000 high specification
01/07/2009
More help to save energy will be available to householders due to an increase in the Government's Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) scheme and the introduction of a new Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP). Together, CERT and CESP will see extra investment by energy companies under the t
01/07/2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned of the danger of not maintaining plant equipment after the death of a telescopic forklift truck driver, who was crushed between the descending arm and side of his vehicle. The warning follows the prosecution of two companies in relation to the incide
01/07/2009
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is warning that uncertainty about the future direction of planning policy is discouraging major investments from being made that are critical to securing energy supply and reducing carbon emissions. Launching its second Climate Change Tracker today, the C
01/07/2009
Howard Farrand has been appointed as the new President of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) for the next 12 months and will lead its 22,000 members to deliver the government's target announced of 20,000 additional new affordable homes by 2011. Howard is Group Chief Executive of West Mercia H
01/07/2009
Claims migrants are increasingly jumping the queue for affordable housing at the expense of local people were today dismissed as a 'dangerous myth' as new figures revealed that the proportion of social homes going to non-UK residents is consistently less than 5%. The National Housing Federation (NH
01/07/2009
Leading architects have praised the designs of the Olympic Park's venues and the progress being made on construction, following a tour of the site. Along with the architects who have worked on the individual venues and projects, experts and representatives from the world of design and architecture
01/07/2009
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has appointed Harry Rich as its new Chief Executive. He will take up his new post in October 2009. Harry joins the RIBA from Enterprise Insight which increases levels of entrepreneurship in the UK, where he has been Chief Executive since 2007. Ente
01/07/2009
If you're feeling adventurous... Rising property prices with a premium being put on space can make extensions a wise investment. However, this is a major project and shouldn't be undertaken lightly. Andrew McGarry has established reputation offering architectural plans and design solutions for the
