Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for September 2014
30/09/2014
ISG has been selected to carry out a £24 million restoration of the Temperate House at Kew Gardens. The Temperate House, dating from 1863, is the largest remaining Victorian Glasshouse in the world. It houses Kew's important collection of temperate zone plants, including some of the world’s rarest,
30/09/2014
Plans for the first phase of a £100m regeneration in South Shields have been approved. The plans were given the go-ahead by South Tyneside Council's planning committee. Development partners, Muse Developments and South Tyneside Council, have now been given the green light to begin building on Phas
30/09/2014
Plymouth City Council has signed an agreement with British Land to develop Drake Circus Leisure. The £40m development will include a 12-screen cinema operated by Cineworld, 13 restaurant units and 450 car park spaces. The site currently houses a coach station which will be relocated. A detailed pl
30/09/2014
A new £200m investment scheme has been opened for developers and housing associations to help build low cost homes for Londoners. The London Housing Bank offers tailored financial support to speed up the construction of homes compared to existing development timetables. This could include building
30/09/2014
A five-story building in Luton, developed by Wates Construction, is marking its first successful year, after receiving a raft of awards. Luton's TOKKO Youth Space on Gordon Street, designed by Astudio, recently won the Constructing Excellence Herts & Beds 'Project of the Year' accolade, going on to
30/09/2014
BSW Timber welcomed the Forestry Commissioners and Forestry Commission Scotland's National Committee to its Fort William mill this week in a drive to highlight the importance of home grown timber to the company's UK operations. The Commissioners were taken on a tour of the forest at Glenrigh which
29/09/2014
A Jacobs, AMEC and Balfour Beatty joint venture (JV) has been announced by Sellafield for a multi-million pound Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) framework for the Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) project. The framework contract, which was published via an Official Journal of the Europe
29/09/2014
ISG's UK Construction firm has secured major projects valued at £48m. The company will be working at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to restore the Temperate House. The £24m project will transform and modernise facilities at this iconic building, which will house Kew's world-class collection of tem
29/09/2014
Construction firm Carillion has signed up to WWF-UK's new forest campaign. The WWF campaign aims to close the legal loopholes in the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) which means less than 50% of the value of timber products coming into Europe are confirmed as coming from legal sources. Every
29/09/2014
New homes for people with disabilities have officially opened in Berkshire. Wokingham Borough Council and the Homes and Communities Agency invested in the properties. Built on a former mobile homes site at Hillside Park, Shinfield, the scheme offers comfortable and safe new flats for nine people w
29/09/2014
Wales is continuing to lead the way on recycling in the UK, new figures have revealed. The figures show that Wales recycled 52.5% of waste from its households in 2012 compared with 43.9% across the UK, and so Wales has already met the EU target to recycle 50% of waste from households by 2020. Na
29/09/2014
Newbuild window manufacturer, Building Products Solutions, is investing £280,000 to expand its premises and bring its entire production operation in house. The company's investment is being boosted with a grant or £80,000 from Sheffield City Region. Building Product Solutions will extend its premis
26/09/2014
BAM Construction has been appointed to develop a £9m University Technical College in Sandwell. The firm will deliver the Health Futures UTC in the West Bromwich for sponsors, including the University of Wolverhampton, West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Co-operative Pharmacy and 21 partner e
26/09/2014
Chesterfield County Council has announced a scheme for first time buyers to get on the property ladder has been extended. The Local Authority Mortgage Scheme (LAMS), called Local Lend A Hand, is available to first time buyers who can afford mortgage repayments and have a 5% deposit. It enables the
26/09/2014
Balfour Beatty has won an £18m contract to build accommodation for Homerton College in Cambridge. The scheme, to design and build a mixture of educational and commercial accommodation, includes the construction of a 450-place mixed education and student accommodation building for a new boarding six
26/09/2014
The Chief Executive of the Keller Group has announced he is to retire at the end of 2015. Mr Justin Atkinson joined Keller in 1990. In a statement he said: "Since I joined Keller in 1990, the Group has grown significantly, especially in international markets with the Group now working in over 40 c
26/09/2014
GB Building Solutions and Leeds Beckett University have teamed up to give students access to a range of work placements to prepare them for their careers in the construction sector. The formal partnership was signed at an event held at Broadcasting Place by Dr Andrew Platten, Associate Dean of the
26/09/2014
Work to improve energy efficiency in more than 150 homes in Braunstone, Leicester, is almost complete. Leicester City Council has installed external wall insulation at the houses on eight streets in Braunstone, while replacing inefficient boilers and upgrading loft insulation where necessary. The
26/09/2014
Turner Estate Solutions has been awarded a £23m contract to deliver new accommodation and support facilities at RAF Lossiemouth. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), MOD's property and services provider, selected the Turner Estate Solutions who will undertake the work in approximately 14
26/09/2014
The popular Fixsafe Roadshow is continuing with dates being added frequently. This unique replacement rooflight system, which allows the changing of rooflights completely from within the building, removes the dangers of accessing fragile roofs and removes the need for expensive safety equipment inc
25/09/2014
The University of York has appointed Morgan Sindall to develop its new Environment Building. The development will house the University's Environment Department and the York Environmental Sustainability Institute. The three storey development at the Russell Group institution's Heslington Campus, wi
25/09/2014
Milton Keynes Council has officially opened Briar Hill bungalows to tenants. The bungalows, developed by housebuilder Lovell, are the first council homes built in Milton Keynes for 18 years. The one- and two-bedroom bungalows in Briar Hill, Stacey Bushes, are owned and managed directly by the coun
25/09/2014
Councillors are supporting proposals to build hundreds of new homes on the former Ministry of Defence barracks in Whitehill and Bordon, Hampshire. East Hampshire District Council's planning committee approved the Homes and Communities Agency's outline planning application for 500 new and affordable
25/09/2014
Six youths have been recruited by Liverpool City Council to promote energy efficiency to local residents. The young people will be working with the Healthy Homes Programme and engaging with residents through appointments, door-to door surveys, and at local events across the city. The trainees are
25/09/2014
The Federation of Master Builders has welcomed Labour's announcement to provide interest free loans for energy efficiency work to one million households. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: "Our housing stock is amongst the oldest and least energy efficient in Europe and Labour recognise
25/09/2014
ISG has scooped a multi-million project at Cannon Place in London. The contractor has recently completed a circa 175,000 sq ft Cat A fit out across four levels of the eight-storey building, located directly above Cannon Street station, for developer Hines. ISG has now added a further 140,000 sq ft
25/09/2014
Essential maintenance work is to be carried out at the M48 Severn Crossing this weekend. The westbound carriageway will be closed between 9pm on Friday 26 September and 6am on Monday 29 September while the work is completed. Chris Pope, Highways Agency project sponsor, said: "We have planned the w
25/09/2014
A charity night at The Mint Indian Restaurant in Mansfield for the town's Fountaindale SEN School and Headway has raised £1,305. The event was attended by 55 people who enjoyed an Indian buffet, great entertainment and took part in a raffle and auction. Mr Hall pictured, left, with Faz Choudhury,
24/09/2014
ISG has been appointed to build a replacement fire station for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service. Work has commenced on the construction of Marley Park Community Fire Station, which will replace an outdated fire station in Fulwell, Sunderland, with the project due for completion in summer 201
24/09/2014
Liverpool Football Club's planned expansion has been approved by the council subject to conditions and legal agreement. The proposed expansion is just one element of a major regeneration plan which was announced by Liverpool City Council in October 2012 to transform the Anfield area. Liverpool FC c
24/09/2014
Morgan Sindall has scooped a £10m scheme to develop new student accommodation in Norwich. The design and build project for Alumno Developments involves the construction of a new nine-storey development, called All Saints Norwich, next to Norwich bus station. The project also comprises the refurbi
24/09/2014
Construction union UCATT's National Political Officer has been elected Chair of Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC). Mr Jim Kennedy will chair Labour's NEC during the period preceding next year's General Election. Mr Kennedy, said: "This is a tremendous honour for UCATT and indeed myself.
24/09/2014
Willmott Dixon has completed the new station for Northumbria Police in Newcastle. Creating the new station at the top of Forth Banks involved the use of two existing buildings that were refurbished and connected together by a new building. It saw the six-storey Kings House, a former office building
24/09/2014
Kier Construction has been fined £4,000 after a barrier was blown on top of a pram injuring an 18-week-old baby. The baby boy was asleep in his pram while his mother used a cash machine outside a supermarket in Drip Road, Stirling, when the incident occurred on 24 October 2011. Stirling Sheriff Co
24/09/2014
NG Bailey is to install a new ventilation system at the University of Exeter. The new technology will be installed at the campus's new Living Systems Institute, a purpose-built multidisciplinary research centre for which NG Bailey has been awarded a £9.3m mechanical and electrical (M&E) contract.
24/09/2014
HMK Homes are just finishing this 5 house build for a property developer in Oslo, Norway. Apartments 1 and 2 are signed off, with 3,4 and 5 expected to be finished by the end of this month. The short terrace of 1500 sq.ft. three story homes are fitted out with four bedrooms, (2 with en-suites), ro
23/09/2014
BAM Construction has been selected as the main contractor to extend intu Watford. It forms part of intu's redevelopment work in the town centre. The company, which owns the 1 million sq ft intu Watford shopping centre, acquired the adjoining Charter Place shopping centre in April 2013 which will b
23/09/2014
Building firm Seddon has appointed a new Regional Director for the Midlands. Eamonn Burns has been selected to aid the firm's expansion in the region. Seddon would like to boost its turnover in the region to £100 million over the next five years, with Mr Burns heading up the team across two office
23/09/2014
Miller Homes is planning a £450 million flotation on the London Stock Exchange next month. This means that 40% of the group will be offered to investors. In July the firm sold off its construction division, however the offer is expected to raise around £140 million. Chris Endsor, Chief Executive o
23/09/2014
Sanctuary Green Technologies has teamed up with construction firm G Purchase to install solar panels at a community centre in Bretch Hill, Oxfordshire. The Sunshine Centre currently provides essential services locally for children and families, from accessing health advice and childcare to trips an
23/09/2014
The Welsh Government is funding over £300,000 to Rhondda Cynon Taf council to help protect 80 homes in Ynysboeth near Mountain Ash from flooding. Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant said that work would start immediately. He said: "Flooding can have a devastating impact on people’s homes and
23/09/2014
Built asset and design consultancy, EC Harris, has been selected as project and cost managers on the University of Manchester's £60 million Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). Building work is due to be completed by 2017 and it is hoped that the new centre will complement the university
23/09/2014
Landlords have carried out over £5 million worth of improvements to their properties, following inspections by Liverpool City Council's Healthy Homes team. The Healthy Homes programme aims to prevent ill health and injury because of poor housing conditions. In the last five years environmental hea
23/09/2014
Eric Wright Group has been chosen to deliver an £18 million regeneration scheme to transform the Friargate area of Preston. Portergate Properties appointed the Preston-based builder to deliver the mixed-use development. The appointment follows Portergate's pledge to utilise the skills of as many l
23/09/2014
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has launched its manifesto which outlines NFB members' key priorities for the next government and proposals for how these can be achieved. The NFB believes that whoever leads the country after the next general election will have the opportunity to place con
23/09/2014
Tidal Lagoon Power has moved into a new head office in Gloucester Docks. A team of forty full time employees will be joined by up to ninety-five colleagues from Atkins and Costain, two of the delivery partners helping to prepare the world's first tidal lagoon power plant for construction in Swansea
22/09/2014
Housing firm Lovell has scooped a £50 million contract with London Borough of Enfield. The contract will see the firm undertake a landmark mixed use regeneration development at a key town centre site in North London. The Electric Quarter Scheme in Ponders End will transform the area with new homes
22/09/2014
Mace is to deliver the £400m redevelopment of the BBC Television Centre in west London for developer, Stanhope. The building will be transformed into a major mixed-use development, including a business hub for the creative industries, a hotel, cinema, gym, restaurants and cafés, as well as 950 home
22/09/2014
Construction has started on the new £15 million joint Ambulance and Fire Services Resource Centre for Wrexham. The Welsh Government is providing £8 million of capital funding towards the project. Once completed the centre will provide better facilities for staff and improved services for the publi
22/09/2014
Construction firm Morgan Sindall has started construction work on the replacement Queen's Park Sports Centre in Chesterfield. The £9.5 million project, led by Chesterfield Borough Council, is on the Queen's Park Annexe site, in close proximity to the existing sports centre. The development is to be
22/09/2014
British Land has announced it has sold 18 apartments, Clarges Mayfair, reflecting an average capital value of £4,750 per sq ft as well as setting new records for prices in Mayfair. At £210m, the proceeds represent close to 50% of the total gross development value of the private residential elemen
22/09/2014
The Canary Wharf Group has become the first major UK Property and Construction company to be accredited as a London Living Wage employer. The London Living Wage commitment will ensure that everyone working for Canary Wharf Group, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or contractors, r
22/09/2014
A future Labour government would reintroduce a 'brownfield first' policy for house building. This was the message confirmed by the Shadow Planning Minister Roberta Blackman-Woods MP at the joint FMB/CPRE fringe event at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester. The growing housing crisis, with f
22/09/2014
Plans for a new £37.5 million Cultural Centre in Chester have been approved. The new centre, will include a theatre, library, 120 seat cinema, cafe and offices, based around the city's former Art Deco Odeon cinema, in Upper Northgate Street. Expected to open in Autumn, 2016, the project will gener
22/09/2014
Poor standards and unsafe work on Britain's building sites are being targeted as part of a campaign to reduce ill health, death and injury in the industry. During the month long initiative, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will carry out unannounced visits to sites where refurbishment projects
22/09/2014
Construction union UCATT has challenged Laing O'Rourke over their refusal to allow the union access to the Alder Hey hospital site in Liverpool. UCATT delegate Jamie Bramwell also highlighted how Laing O'Rourke were refusing to allow the union access to workers employed on the project which is fund
19/09/2014
Planning has been approved for 500 new homes to be developed in Wakefield. Miller Homes is to build the new houses in Wakefield. This is the first phase of a multi-million pound scheme which will eventually provide almost 2,700 homes in partnership with Wakefield Council on the east side of the Ci
19/09/2014
Construction work has is underway at a new £15 emergency centre in Wrexham in Wales. The Health Minister Mark Drakeford launched the beginning of work with a turf-cutting ceremony at the joint Ambulance and Fire Service Resource Centre. The facility will house a six-bay ambulance station and eight
19/09/2014
Blackpool Council has launched its 'Ready To Switch?' scheme for residents to save money on their energy bills. Ready to Switch? is a collective energy switching scheme which combines residents’ buying power to negotiate cheaper energy prices. Rather than switching providers and reducing bills as
19/09/2014
Work to help reduce flood risk in Leicester is to begin on Monday, 22nd September. The work, by the Environment Agency and Leicester County Council, will take place on a section of the River Biam near the Great Central Way and will remove a build up of silt from the 2 southernmost arches of the Bia
19/09/2014
Costain has installed Dynamic Demand, which uses its HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system to provide critical grid balancing services to National Grid. Costain launched its COdemand venture, which will deliver Demand Response Solutions to its customer base, in Spring 2014. Demand
19/09/2014
Construction firm Balfour Beatty has scooped a £39 million project by Unite Students. The project includes three main buildings on Holloway Road in Islington, London, that will provide 862 new student residences together with commercial space, reception areas, a plant room, common rooms and ancilla
19/09/2014
Cruden Construction completed a new high dependency care and extra care village development on the former Greenalls Brewery site in Loushers Lane, Warrington for Belong. The £6.85 million project comprised the design and construction of 73 specialist high dependency care rooms and 18 extra care fla
19/09/2014
A West London roofing firm has been fined £10,000 after it allowed employees to work on roofs with no safety measures to protect them. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted HR Roofing at Westminster Magistrates' Court after seeing the dangerous practices in operation at two sites, one in
19/09/2014
A project by the Highways Agency to improve safety at the A5 Dodwells roundabout in Leicestershire will begin next month. Work will start on Tuesday 2nd October to widen the existing approaches and exit roads from the roundabout and to install traffic lights. Additionally, a controlled pedestrian c
19/09/2014
Analysis of the biggest UK construction contractors shows many remain with with cash balances and margins down A report, Construction Barometer: Recovery in Sight?, by KPMG, analyses the operating margins, cash balances and order books of 14 Tier 1 contractors from 2007 through to 2013. Net cash
18/09/2014
A contractor has been appointed to start design work on the new Wales Convention Centre. At an event in the Celtic Manor, Celtic Manor Resort Chairman Sir Terry Matthews announced that international design practice Scott Brownrigg have been commissioned to carry out the detailed design of the new c
18/09/2014
Mott MacDonald has acquired Bentley Holdings Ltd, including its subsidiary company JN Bentley Ltd. The move follows a successful 15 year partnership between the companies through the joint venture Mott MacDonald Bentley. JN Bentley employs over 700 people with a turnover of £120million. Over 80%
18/09/2014
Calderdale Council and Genr8 have appointed Buckingham Group Contracting Limited to deliver the next phase of a new relief road for Sowrby Bridge. The firm will deliver the next phase of infrastructure, earthworks and land remediation works on the site. This includes the construction of a new h
18/09/2014
The last of six spans of the new Festival Viaduct which forms part of Network Rail's £45 million Reading Viaduct project have been installed by Balfour Beatty. This will ease rail congestion by enabling high speed trains travelling to and from the west to travel over the freight lines. The Festiva
18/09/2014
Shift spending from housing benefit to house building, a new report has argued. The report also claims tackling low pay and unemployment is the best way of lifting people out of poverty and cutting the housing benefit bill. The report, from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), concludes that
18/09/2014
Empty and redundant offices in the London Borough of Islington are to be converted into new homes for Londoners. Since May 2013, those looking to convert offices into new homes have been able to do so under a permitted development right, that is, without applying for planning permission, other than
18/09/2014
Plans for a major regeneration project in Brighton have been given the green light. The project will develop hundreds of homes and also create new construction jobs. The planning committee agreed the Public-Private Partnership scheme by Cathedral (Brighton) Ltd, the University of Brighton and the
18/09/2014
The latest green technology is being installed in council homes in North West Leicestershire to help cut energy bills for tenants. A trial to reduce the carbon footprint started this month, and housebuilder Lovell has been appointed to help install he technology as one of the council's Decent Homes
18/09/2014
The Royal Academy of Engineering has announced its first female President. Professor Dame Ann Dowling DBE FREng FRS will succeed Sir John Parker GBE FREng as President. Fellows of the Academy elected Dame Ann as their first female president at the 2014 AGM. Sir John Parker GBE FREng, served as Pre
18/09/2014
Peterborough council is inviting local firms to its 'Meet the Buyer' event on on Monday 22 September st the town hall. The council is launching a major scheme to provide energy efficiency measures such as solid wall insulation, replacement boilers, replacement double glazing, cavity wall insulation
17/09/2014
Construction work has started on site at Cotgrave to build 450 new homes. Cotgrave is an 8-10 year project with a value of approximately £100 million. Spread over 34 hectares, the site is a derelict pithead site on a former colliery and will deliver 450 new homes of which 141 will be affordable.
17/09/2014
United House and Bullock Construction are merging to become United Living Group. Together the organisations have a joint turnover of around £300 million. Bullock's geographical reach covers the North West, Midlands, Wales and the East of England while United House Limited focuses mainly on London.
17/09/2014
Landlords in England are earning in excess of £32bn every year from rental payments, according to new analysis by Direct Line for Business (DL4B). London landlords collect the largest proportion of private rental income in England at £14bn per year, more than the North East, East Midlands, West Mid
17/09/2014
Work is to begin to resurface a viaduct with upgraded waterproofing at Huntworth, Somerset, on the M5 between junctions 23 and 24. The work, which begins on 29 September, will involve the replacement of just over half a mile of worn-out steel barriers with a concrete system and the replacement of t
17/09/2014
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has announced a nationwide competition for the public to capture images of major infrastructure projects. Entrants are invited to photograph any man-made physical structure which benefits society, including roads, bridges, water supply systems, tele
17/09/2014
Willmott Dixon has employed five young people from Cumbria through its Opening Doors programme. The men have all joined Willmott Dixon's local Home Group North West branch in Cumbria where they will complete an apprenticeship with the company, gaining qualifications whilst gaining invaluable on-the
17/09/2014
Bouygues UK has been selected as the lead contractor on the next phase of a luxury residential development at the site of the former Hempel Hotel in London. The joint venture between Amazon Property and British Land will see the Lancaster Gate retreat, famous for its celebrity clientele and the hig
17/09/2014
Interserve has been chosen to begin work on an £8 million advanced experimental station and electron microscopy facility at Diamond Light Source on the Harwell Oxford Campus in Oxfordshire. Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron science facility accelerates electrons to produce bright
17/09/2014
Balfour Beatty is supporting the Highways Agency campaign to raise awareness of the dangers road workers face as they maintain England's motorways and major A roads. New figures this year show that 13 road workers lost their lives in the course of their duties over the past ten years. Road workers
17/09/2014
Magnet Trade, the kitchen & joinery specialist, is rewarding tradespeople this autumn with 22its new '123 Rewards' initiative, enabling customers to choose from a range of prizes based on instore spend. Customers spending £3,000, £5,000 and £10,000 throughout September and October are able to choos
16/09/2014
The Chief Executive of Galliford Try is to retire after working with the company for 33 years. Greg Fitzgerald will leave no later than the end of 2015. He said: "After 33 very enjoyable years at Galliford Try I have decided to retire no later than the end of 2015. My decision is a personal one an
16/09/2014
Liverpool City Council and Everton Football Club are to progress a transformational regeneration opportunity for North Liverpool, based at Walton Hall Park. The Council and the Club will now work with public, private and voluntary sector partners, including Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH) and Everton
16/09/2014
Construction works are now complete at the new St John Bosco Arts College in Stonebridge. Regeneration Liverpool, a joint venture between regeneration specialist Sigma Inpartnership and Liverpool City Council, completed the development. The development of the 11,100 sq m, three storey development
16/09/2014
Housing association, Home Group, has launched a gas safety campaign to protect families and save nearly £0.5bn. Campaigners are calling on the Government to beef up legal powers to allow regulated social landlords to access their properties to carry out mandatory gas safety checks. Home Group is w
16/09/2014
The preferred bidders have been selected for two sites, owned by the Greater London Authority (GLA), to build more than 1,200 homes. Galliford Try Plc, working with OPAL LAND LLP, a joint venture between Thames Valley Housing and Galliford Try PLC's residential arm, Linden Homes, has been selected
16/09/2014
A Costain-led joint venture (JV) is to start work on a new £63.5m wastewater treatment works for Southern Water at Woolston in Southampton. 4Delivery, the JV with MWH and Veolia Water, contract involves demolishing the existing treatment works which date from 1966, and building new treatment units,
16/09/2014
Housing provider Peabody has selected Thomasons as a structural engineering consultant to its Major Projects Panel. Under the four-year agreement Thomasons will work as part of a team with other construction consultants to help achieve Peabody's target of building 1,000 new high quality homes acros
16/09/2014
Parents give an average of £23,000 when helping their children with a deposit to get onto the property ladder, according to new research from Shelter. The same poll also found that a fifth of parents helping their children onto the housing ladder had done so using savings set aside for retirement o
15/09/2014
Fareham College's new training and education facility has officially opened for students. Around 885 students are the first to enrol at Fareham College's Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Advanced Skills Training (CEMAST), at the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus. The enterprise zone's fla
15/09/2014
Graham Construction has handed over the keys to Sheffield University for the £27 million Heart of the Campus development. Sheffield Hallam is currently in the process of moving staff and equipment to the complex ahead of opening the doors to students at the end of the month. The Heart of the Campu
15/09/2014
Work to rectify persistent drainage problems in Todmorden's Centre Vale Park is to begin next Monday, 22nd September. The park has a long history of poor drainage which, from time to time, leaves some parts of it unusable. It had been hoped that the problems would be cured when new drainage was in
15/09/2014
The Deputy Prime Minister has visited energy firm E.ON's Blackburn Meadows biomass facility in Sheffield, as the 30MW facility nears completion. Blackburn Meadows is now in the final stages of construction and is due to be fully commissioned later this year. The plant will be the third biomass plan
15/09/2014
Construction firm Galliford Try has been selected as the preferred developer to build the Silvertown Way development in Canning Town, East London. Chosen by the Greater London Authority (GLA), the development, which will create over 1,100 mixed tenure homes across 11 individual blocks, has an appro
15/09/2014
AFI quickly stepped up to the mark to supply boom lifts to steel erectors Wisconco after the contractors had received a poor service from another hire company. Wisconco was erecting the steelwork for a new £50m exhibition centre being built in Liverpool when it turned to AFI for help. Wisconco Dir
15/09/2014
Following on from their success in 2013, securing the 'National Electrical Industry Award' as 'Best Independent Electrical Wholesaler in the UK', the Sheepbridge-based company 'Recon Electrical Ltd' are once again set up to scoop another award. The 2014 National Electrical Industry Award winners a
15/09/2014
A timber firm has been fined £9,900 after an agency worker lost the top of his finger in an unguarded machine. Grantham Magistrates' Court heard that the 23-year-old, from Holbeach, was helping to clear a blockage on a woodworking machine at Select Timber Products Ltd's premises in Mill Lane, Donin
15/09/2014
17-20 September 2014 Earls Court London Venetian Interiors London is an exclusive company that offers the ultimate in bespoke polish plaster finishes and applications. We are the UK’s number one polish plaster installers using authentic Venetian products supplied by the world famous manufacturer,
12/09/2014
Laing O'Rourke has been appointed to transform the former Olympic Park Press and Broadcast Centres. iCity, a joint venture between specialist real estate investment and advisory company Delancey and Infinity SDC, selected Laing O'Rourke to create a home for world-leading creative and digital compan
12/09/2014
Construction work has started on site for a new Innovation Centre in Northshore. The regeneration scheme is owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), on the banks of the River Tees next to Stockton-on-Tees town centre. The three-storey, 36,000 sq ft building constructed to a BREEAM Very Goo
12/09/2014
Development consent has been granted by the Government for the Thames Tideway Tunnel to be developed. The tunnel will run from the Acton Storm Tanks in West London to the Abbey Mills pumping station in East London, with a storage capacity of 1,250,000 cubic metres. Construction is expected to star
12/09/2014
Camden council's bid to increase their Housing Revenue Account borrowing limit by £2.95 million has been turned down by the Central Government. However, government has increased the councils' borrowing limit by £190,000. Camden Council originally bid for an increase of £29.5m for eight schemes sta
12/09/2014
Leicester City Council has announced it is planning to spend over £1.1 million on environmental improvements to a number of housing estates. The plans also include an insulation scheme for 170 homes in Braunstone, a new lift at St Leonards Court, new door entry systems on the Charnwood estate, and
12/09/2014
Team Van Oord has began refurbishment work on the tidal flood defences in King's Lynn. The work, also being carried out by the Environment Agency, will involve refurbishing over 50 flood gates to ensure they are water tight. Flood and quay walls will be re-pointed and repaired to provide a good sta
12/09/2014
The redevelopment of Southern Water's Woolston Wastewater Treatment Works is to begin before the end of this month. The proposals were approved by Southampton City Council in June, following the decision by the Planning and Rights of Way panel in January to delegate final approval to the Planning a
12/09/2014
Sutton Services has bought a JCB JS260XD crawler excavator to its growing fleet of specialist equipment. The machine replaces a JS220 and has been purchased to meet a growing requirement for heavier equipment and an increasing workload. The company has ordered the machine, its largest JCB excavato
11/09/2014
Two new Smartway Motorway Scheme contracts worth approximately £125 million have been awarded to Costain. The contracts, under the Highways Agency's Major Projects Framework, is to deliver work on the M1. Smart Motorways ease and expedite traffic flow by converting the hard shoulder to a running l
11/09/2014
Construction firm Galliford Try's building business has been awarded three contracts worth over £100m. The firm has been appointed selected panel member for the North and North East Lincolnshire batch of schools under the Education Funding Agency's (EF's) Priority Schools Building Programme. The b
11/09/2014
WYG has announced that it has acquired Alliance Planning consultancy. The acquisition will strengthen planning services, making it one of the largest planning consultancies in the UK. Steven Fidgett, Owner and Director of Alliance Planning, will join WYG as new Head of Discipline for Planning. M
11/09/2014
A new £60m Graphine Engineering Innovation Centre is to be built in Manchester. The new building will be in addition to the £40m National Graphene Institute that BAM is currently building for Manchester University. Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "The announcement of th
11/09/2014
Lend Lease has appointed Paul King as Managing Director of Sustainability for its European region. He will take up the role in February 2015. Paul will join Lend Lease from the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) where he is the Chief Executive Officer, providing leadership in sustainability across
11/09/2014
Hammersmith & Fulham Council are calling for the government to stop the construction of the Thames 'super' sewer. The final decision is expected by tomorrow, Friday 12 September, on Thames Water's planning application for a massive excavation site at Carnwath Road on the riverside in south Fulham,
11/09/2014
Improvement work on Eastcote House Gardens in Hillingdon has begun, following a successful bid by the Council to the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund for £1.28m. The grant is being used to restore and improve the historic gardens, known for its timber framed 16th Century stables and m
11/09/2014
Cherwell District Council has rejected plans for 54 homes to be built in Hook Norton. The plan would have seen the homes built on agricultural land east of Sibford Road, between the Hook Norton Primary School and Redland Farm. The refusal follows a recommendation from the council's planning office
11/09/2014
The facade of a Grade 1 listed, four storey high building in London required extensive stone and concrete restoration. Concrete & Corrosion Consultancy Practice was appointed as technical project managers for the refurbishment works. The ornate stone and cornice banding of the facade were being cor
11/09/2014
HMK Homes are halfway through this large, level access home in Estonia. The house is being built 'between jobs' for an English ex-pat friend of company owner and has been taking shape over the last few months. The foundation with all heating and plumbing pipework embedded was dug and poured over 5
10/09/2014
Graham Interior Fit-Out has been awarded a £2.2 million contract to refurbish a shopping centre in Liverpool. The 21 week project will be carried out at Clayton Square Shopping Centre and work has already commenced on site. The scheme involves major design and internal re-modelling works of the ex
10/09/2014
ISG has started a major project to construct a new store for Sainsbury's in Thanet, Kent. The scheme is ISG's largest individual win for the supermarket to date, and the first Sainsbury's scheme to trial the effectiveness of a comprehensive Building Information Modelling (BIM) process. The win fol
10/09/2014
Screwfix has announced it is to create 900 jobs and open over 50 new stores next year. The announcement comes less than six months after Screwfix revealed it will open 60 new stores during 2014, generating a further 900 jobs and follows on from the opening of 60 new stores and the creation of 1,000
10/09/2014
John Stack is to step down as CEO of the Murphy Group at the end of September. Mr Stack started his career with Murphy as a Graduate Engineer in 1982 on the Barrow Pipeline contract, and has since progressed through the ranks both within Murphy and externally. He re-joined the business in 2008 and
10/09/2014
NG Bailey has scooped a £9.2 million mechanical and engineering (M&E) contract. The contract is part of the £42m University of Birmingham New Library redevelopment. Working with main contractor, Carillion, NG Bailey's work includes the installation and new build design of the library, which will c
10/09/2014
A £7 million office building, developed by VINCI Construction, has been officially opened by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr George Osborne opened Havelock Place in Hastings. The seven-storey facility provides flexible office accommodation with basement parking and retail units at street level
10/09/2014
The Big six energy suppliers have launched 'MyEnergyCredit' campaign, to return any cash held in closed accounts to rightful owners The £153m which energy companies have pledged to return has built up over the past six years. It is made up of the money customers overpaid to a previous supplier befo
10/09/2014
Plans to rebuild a high school in Liverpool are to be revealed. A meeting is to be held at St Julie’s Catholic High School this evening, Wednesday 10th September from 6pm, for local people, parents and pupils to be presented with the preferred option. Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: "This sc
10/09/2014
Construction work has started to create job opportunities for up to 4,000 people on land owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). The work is being carried out on the infrastructure which will open up a major development site at Capitol Park in Goole, acting as a catalyst for economic growt
10/09/2014
The Government is being urged to be careful when introducing minimum energy efficiency requirements to the private rented sector (PRS). The National Landlords Association (NLA) made the call and is also asking for an extension to the deadline for rented properties to reach minimum energy efficiency
09/09/2014
Construction firm Interserve has been selected to build the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Costume Centre for the Royal Opera House in Purfleet, Essex. The new centre, designed by Nicholas Hare Architects, is due to open in September 2015. Over 20,000 costumes for Royal Ballet and Royal Opera producti
09/09/2014
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has hit out at the Government's 'Builders Finance Fund' claiming it is not helping small house builders it was designed to assist. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said the 15 unit minimum threshold that has been applied has excluded large numbers of
09/09/2014
£6 million is to be invested to create a new business development in Cornwall. The new business park will also create up to 750 jobs at Aerohub @ Newquay Cornwall Airport. The funding for the first phase of the business park at the enterprise zone site includes a £2.3m investment from the Homes an
09/09/2014
The owner of a building firm has been fined £1,000 for breaching gas safety law. Josephine Zielinski, trading as JBZ Builders, of Leatherhead in Surrey, instructed a worker to reposition a gas flue, exposing a young family to serious health risks. Neither the company nor the employee was Gas Safe
09/09/2014
Carillion has been appointed by Solihull Council to design and build the A45 South Bridge Replacement scheme. The reconstruction work is due to start early next year. The current bridge, which dates back to around 1837, is used by 30,000 vehicles a day and serves as an important transport link to
09/09/2014
Over three million UK households are living on a knife-edge where even a small drop in income could cost them their home, it has been reported. New analysis of government data by the University of St Andrews, on behalf of Shelter, found that one in eight households in the UK are surviving on low in
09/09/2014
Balfour Beatty has scooped a £70 million contract to fit-out Crossrail's Woolwich station. The contract also covers the fit-out of the two portals at North Woolwich and Plumstead at either end of the Thames Tunnel where Crossrail trains will surface. Work will begin later this month and the new st
09/09/2014
Wales has met its demanding targets for 2013/14 to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill. Welsh councils also managed to reduce the amount of harmful greenhouse gases released in the process. Councils sent 23% less biodegradable waste to landfill than the targets allowed. Since
09/09/2014
More than a quarter of landlords who let out a single property break even or run at a loss, according to new findings from the National Landlords Association (NLA). The findings also show that around a fifth of landlords who let out between two and four properties also just break even or make a los
09/09/2014
Costain has completed its move to its newly refurbished Manchester and Teeside offices. The final staff to transfer to the new premises at 1500 Aviator Way on the Manchester Business Park made the move at the end of August, bringing the total number of staff and clients based at the site to around
08/09/2014
JCB is to build new €25 million headquarters in Germany. The development is to be double the size of its existing facility in Cologne. JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said: "Germany is Europe’s biggest single construction equipment market and the fifth largest in the world. JCB continues to make good p
08/09/2014
Work on over 12,000 homes is to begin again after they were stalled by the housing crash in 2008. The government has invested over half a billion and ministers have published a shortlist of over 160 smaller housing developments that could benefit from the Builders Finance Fund. The £525m funding w
08/09/2014
EC Harris has added Christal Management, a specialist construction project management consultancy based in Manchester and Paisley, to its UK business. The addition will expand EC Harris' capacity to meet increasing client demand in the North West of England and Scotland particularly in the retail,
08/09/2014
A landlord has received almost £60,000 in fines after he refused to adhere to warnings about arranging an annual gas check at a property in Accrington. Tariq Ali was given many opportunities by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to arrange an inspection for a property on Persia Street after the
08/09/2014
Balfour Beatty has scooped a £42 million contract to redevelop the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities at De Montfort University in Leicester. The project will include the refurbishment of a 12-storey teaching block, the construction of a new six-storey building, the conversion of a two-storey bu
08/09/2014
Planning has been approved to build new student accommodation in Portsmouth. Unite Students, the developer of student accommodation, will provide a home for 836 students, due to be completed for the the 2016/17 academic year. The Greetham Street site is being acquired from Portsmouth City Council
08/09/2014
Atkins has acquired Nuclear Safety Associates (NSA), an engineering and technical services firm for approximately £9 million. NSA has a well established project and client base in the US nuclear market and in the year to 31 December 2013, NSA reported revenue of around US$25m, approximately £15m.
08/09/2014
Law firm Pinsent Masons has appointed a new Head of Construction Practice. Fraser McMillan will take up the role immediately. He takes over from Richard Foley, who will take up the post of Senior Partner at Pinsent Masons from 1 October. Fraser specialises in the provision of strategic advice to
05/09/2014
Over 100 builders have signed up to Help to Buy in Wales. The Welsh Government's £170 million Help to Buy - Wales shared equity loan scheme, which opened for business on 2 January, makes home ownership easier for buyers of new homes who have small cash deposits. The scheme is set to support the c
05/09/2014
A report has revealed that the Health and Safety Executive's Fee For Intervention (FFI) scheme is being applied "consistently and fairly". The FFI scheme was introduced by the HSE in October 2012. Under the scheme, the HSE can now recover costs from employers who, following an inspection, are found
05/09/2014
Work to repair a bridge over the A180 in Grimsby is to start on Friday 12 September, the Highways Agency has announced. The Laburnham Bridge, which links Cravens Lane in Habrough with Killingholme Road, was damaged in 2012 when a lorry struck the bridge and caused extensive damage to the structure.
05/09/2014
Shepherd Construction has been named as the preferred contractor for the North West Construction Hub (NWCH) High Value Framework. Centred around public sector construction procurement in the North West, the hub will deliver key projects with a total value of up to £1bn over the next four years. Th
05/09/2014
A new park has opened in Hampton following a petition calling for it to be improved. Eleven-year-old Harry Cooper and ten-year-old Joe Wright started their petition asking for improvements to the outdoor facilities. Peterborough City Council responded and founded a project group that attracted £1
05/09/2014
A new football pitch has been unveiled at Ten Acres Lane in Manchester. The new full 3G football pitch will officially open on Saturday 6 September at 9am by Deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Paul Murphy. As well as being used by schools, local clubs, teams and community groups, the new
05/09/2014
Construction firms are being invited to take part in a 'mock trial' to give their verdict on a fictitious health and safety prosecution. The free event, which is being organised by the West Midlands Working Well Together group with support from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Birmingham Heal
05/09/2014
Green Heat Ltd have been shortlisted for the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Award 2014. Green Heat Ltd was established by the proprietor, Peter Thom, in 1990 with the specific purpose of raising awareness of energy efficiency for the long term benefit of householders and the importance for future
04/09/2014
Nine suppliers have scooped 20 framework agreements with Network Rail worth a combined £1.6 billion. The frameworks cover an extensive programme of enhancements and renewals to the London North Western and East Midlands routes over the next five years. The awarded suppliers are: Amalgamated Constr
04/09/2014
The redevelopment of St Mary's Catholic College in Blackpool is now complete. Eric Wright Construction completed the £22.8 million multi-phase project which began in November 2010. The work involved demolishing and refurbishing the existing school to establish a 1,220 place secondary school, 210 p
04/09/2014
A former brewery site is to be transformed into a University Technical College (UTC) for West Midlands Construction in Wolverhampton. The former Springfield Brewery site is to become home to the new multi-million pound, West Midlands Construction UTC (WMCUTC) for 14 to 19 year olds. Subject to pla
04/09/2014
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has chosen Urban&Civic to act as development manager to bring forward a proposed settlement of 6,500 sustainable new homes across 716 acres at RAF barracks Waterbeach, Cambridge. The development management agreement means that Urban&Civic will progress the scheme throu
04/09/2014
Proposals are to be unveiled for Nottinghamshire County Council's new Worksop Bus Station. The public are being urged to attend a community event on Tuesday 9 September to discuss the proposals. Earlier this year the council appointed Wates Construction as the main contractor to build the new bus
04/09/2014
Four nuclear reactors at Heysham 1 and Hartlepool power stations are to shut down to allow a detailed programme of boiler inspections to take place, EDF Energy has announced. The action was taken after the discovery of a crack on a component known as a boiler spine at Heysham 1. Hartlepool power st
04/09/2014
WSP has agreed the sale of Parsons Brinckerhoff, the professional services division of Balfour Beatty, for an enterprise value of US$1,242,500,000 plus an additional consideration for cash retained by Parsons Brinckerhoff of up to US$110 million, subject to certain closing and post-closing adjustmen
04/09/2014
Queens Park Rangers (QPR) Football Club is set to launch plans to regenerate acres of brownfield land at Old Oak in west London. The plans include thousands of new homes to be built with easy access to the Crossrail/HS2 interchange. Over 50,000 newsletters will be delivered to homes and businesses
03/09/2014
Housebuilder Galliford Try has been appointed to two new contracts worth a combined £106m. In its largest ever single project, Galliford Try's Partnerships business has been selected by Notting Hill Housing to build the £81m Great Eastern Quays project in East London. The regeneration scheme will s
03/09/2014
The Royal Borough of Greenwich has approved Crossrail's plans to build 400 homes above the new Woolwich Crossrail station. The residential development, to be known as Armourer's Court, will consist of approximately 490,000 sq ft in five high quality buildings of varying heights set around a landsca
03/09/2014
Bouygues UK has been selected as the lead contractor on the next phase of a residential development at the site of the former Hempel Hotel in London. The joint venture between Amazon Property and British Land will see the Lancaster Gate retreat, Anouska Hempel, refurbished and turned into new apart
03/09/2014
Breedon Aggregates has bought a 50% stake in H V Bowen & Sons (Holdings) Limited. The investment has been funded in cash from the Group's own resources. The quarry will provide Breedon with an interest in approximately 3.4 million tonnes of strategically important high 'polished stone value' (PSV)
03/09/2014
Some £1m in funding has been given by the Welsh Government to regenerate Rhyl, Wales. The funding will be used to provide a boost to town centres and bring empty buildings back into use. Minister for Housing and Regeneration, Carl Sargeant, said: "I'm excited to announce that the £1 million alloca
03/09/2014
B&C Roofing has been fined £16,000 after one of its employees fell while working on the ridge part of a roof. James Hopkin, 29, from Plymouth, was working on the pitched roof of a mid-terraced house in Torpoint on 18 April 2013 when he fell onto the rear tenement roof and landed in a neighbouring c
03/09/2014
An empty home in Devon has been brought back into use after it stood empty for almost ten years. National Housing charity Chapter 1 worked on the scheme with Teignbridge District Council. The keys to the property in Newton Road, Kingsteignton, have been handed over to Chapter 1's Chief Executive,
03/09/2014
Dogs Trust, formerly the National Canine Defence League, was founded in 1891 and is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK. Each year, the trust cares for around 16,000 dogs throughout their nationwide network of re-homing centres. Playrite were recently contacted by Dogs Trust to help them crea
02/09/2014
Construction firm Wates has completed the frame at a £35 million production facility in Castleford. The development, for confectionary brand Haribo, comprises three manufacturing floors larger than two football pitches and is located at Whitwood Common Lane. Completion of the building is due next
02/09/2014
A £6.8m scheme to build a University Technical College (UTC) in Lillyhall, West Cumbria has officially opened. Built by Eric Wright Construction and designed by ADP, the Energy Coast UTC specialises in energy, and the curriculum has a strong emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (S
02/09/2014
Hochtief UK has received the contract to fit out the new Waterloo & City line station entrance 'box' at Bank. Transport for London (TfL) awarded the contract which is part of a £57m major redevelopment at the Bank/Monument interchange. Bank station currently serves 98 million passengers per year a
02/09/2014
Kier has scooped a £150m contract with Canal & River Trust. Kier will deliver important engineering and construction works on the nation's 200-year-old canal network. The National Engineering & Construction Contract (NECC) will initially run for six years, with options to extend up to a maximum of
02/09/2014
A joint venture (JV) between Cavendish Nuclear and Fluor Corporation has been awarded a contract to manage 12 UK nuclear sites and their decommissioning programmes, having officially taken ownership of Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd (RSRL). The Cavendish Fluor Partnership will be re
02/09/2014
BAM Construct has been appointed to refurbish developer Argent's King Cross Site in London. BAM, which has offices in the capital, has been appointed on a preconstruction services agreement to undertake surveys and investigation works on the site. The overall project, valued at almost £5m, will se
02/09/2014
A £2m housing development in Elvington, York, is now complete. The scheme, at Jubilee Court by York Housing Association (YHA), comprises of 18 properties. It includes 12 which are offered for affordable rent, and six are shared ownership homes, funded by YHA and the Homes and Communities Agency (H
02/09/2014
17-20 September 2014 Earls Court London Venetian Interiors London is an exclusive company that offers the ultimate in bespoke polish plaster finishes and applications. We are the UK’s number one polish plaster installers using authentic Venetian products supplied by the world famous manufacturer,
01/09/2014
Osborne has been appointed by Hyde to repair and maintain its affordable home portfolio. The contract extension, confirms the strong relationship Osborne and Hyde have established over a number of years in building new, affordable homes across southern England. Nick Sterling, at Osborne said: "We
01/09/2014
Building work on a new combined library and leisure centre in Manchester is under way. Moss Side Leisure Centre temporarily closed on Tuesday 26 August to allow major construction works to take place. It is now due to reopen on Monday 8 September. The works are essential to prepare for the openin
01/09/2014
The Liberal Democrats have announced households could save at least £100 per year by improving energy efficiency in their homes, under new manifesto plans. The party would reward people who improve their energy efficiency by giving them a council tax discount and slashing their energy bills. Comme
01/09/2014
Residents of two Arfon villages in Wales are to benefit from a pioneering energy efficiency scheme. Following a successful bid by Gwynedd Council for funding, work has started on extending the Arbed Community Energy Savings Programme to Carmel and Y Fron areas. Householders in both villages are be
01/09/2014
Kier has been named as the preferred bidder to design and build a £50m residential tower on Greenwich Peninsula. The riverside project will see Kier design and construct 224 luxury apartments, arranged in four blocks, anchored by a 24-storey tower. Paul Symons, Knight Dragon Developments' head of
01/09/2014
TClarke Design & Build has secured a contract for a new 70,000 sq ft office development for Scottish Widows in Welbeck Street, London, with main contractor, Willmott Dixon. The firm has also been awarded a contract for the New Suffolk Academy under the Priority Schools programme with Kier Construct
01/09/2014
Parents' hopes for their childrens' futures are being clouded by fears they will never be able to afford their own home, according to a new YouGov poll for the National Housing Federation (NHF). Eight out of ten parents are worried about the impact of rising house prices on the next generation, whi
01/09/2014
Ingleton Engineering has completed the supply of perforated anodised shingles as well as decorative perforated and embossed panels for the stunning new kinetic facades installed on Debehams flagship Oxford street store in London. Each section of kinetic façade is set in a frame of perforated meta
