Construction news

• A2Dominion reins in new-build and cuts development team

  19-07-2024 08:50 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Leading housing association A2Dominion is laying off half its development team in a change of plan to rein in new house building developments.
  A2Dominion said it would now focus on improvements to existing stock and intensification projects on existing sites, in part funded by targetted stock sales.
  The policy switch would move the social housing landlord away from new developments, particularly those for private sale via its FABRICA brand.
  It comes after the housing regulator downgraded A2Domin
  
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• Digital Product Passports: A Call to Arms

  06-09-2024 16:48 via justpractising.com
  
  Could digital product passports be the motivation the manufacturing sector needs?
  We’re writing this post in the week the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report was published, but we’ve been writing about Grenfell and its implications for construction product information for six years now. Has anything changed, and might there be an opportunity to enable the change we need?
  Where it began
  When Dame Judith Hackitt published her interim report on the building safety regime in December 2
  
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• Balfour Beatty lands £27m Highlands flood defence scheme

  06-09-2024 09:21 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £27m contract to deliver the Comrie flood protection scheme in Scotland for Perth and Kinross Council.
  Work will see Balfour Beatty construct 2.8 kms of river walls and embankments in Comrie along the Ruchill River, River Earn and River Lednock which are known for significant flooding.
  The flood defences will protect nearly 200 local homes and business, having been designed to meet a ‘1 in 200 year flood’ standard of protection, ensuring they c
  
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• John Lewis submits plan for £80m Reading rental flats scheme

  06-09-2024 09:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The John Lewis Partnership has submitted plans to transform a former delivery depot in central Reading into a 215-rental flats scheme.
  More than £80m will be invested to create energy-efficient homes, as well as 6,000 sq ft of internal amenity space at the site located next to the A329 and opposite the Oracle shopping centre.
  Designed by London practice Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher, the homes will be highly sustainable, using high performance materials with renewable energy resources.The Re
  
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• Green light for major London city fringe office retrofit

  06-09-2024 08:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Munich Re investment manager MEAG has gained planning for a 140,000 office retrofit at 30 Finsbury Square on the edge of the City in London.
  The major overhaul designed by architect Fletcher Priest will see another floor added to the building to create a nine-storey commercial office.
  This extra level will provide additional office space, a winter garden and a large green roof terrace.The scope of the retrofit includes a double-height lobby, a new secondary entrance, an upgraded façade an
  
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• HS2 Align JV completes Britain’s longest rail bridge – video

  06-09-2024 00:25 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Engineers building a new viaduct for HS2 made history yesterday as they lowered into place its final deck segment in an operation that crowns it as Britain’s new longest rail bridge.The gently curved 3.4km-long viaduct will carry high-speed trains up to 10m above land and water across the Colne Valley between HS2’s London tunnels in Hillingdon to the Chiltern tunnels.
  The viaduct’s completion means that the 3.3km Tay Bridge linking Fife and Dundee has finally ceded the crown of
  
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• SRM healthcare MD joins BAM as Northern chief

  05-09-2024 16:41 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  BAM has poached Sir Robert McAlpine healthcare chief Mark Gibson to become Northern regional director for construction.
  Gibson will take up his role later this year and brings over 30 years of industry experience.
  He takes up the role held by John Phillips who retired after a long career with the contractor two months ago.Since 2023, Gibson has been managing director of Sir Robert McAlpine’s Healthcare operation while previously holding the position of MD for the Northern Business Uni
  
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• McAlpine healthcare MD joins BAM as Northern chief

  05-09-2024 16:41 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  BAM has poached Sir Robert McAlpine healthcare chief Mark Gibson to become Northern regional director for construction.
  Gibson will take up his role later this year and brings over 30 years of industry experience.
  He takes up the role held by John Phillips who retired after a long career with the contractor two months ago.Since 2023, Gibson has been managing director of Sir Robert McAlpine’s Healthcare operation while previously holding the position of MD for the Northern Business Uni
  
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• Buyers believe construction has “turned a corner”

  05-09-2024 11:30 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A continued rebound in activity throughout August means construction buyers now believe the industry has “turned a corner” after a tricky start to 2024.
  The bellwether S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index recorded 53.6 in August – above the 50.0 no-change value for the sixth month running.
  The pace of expansion slowed slightly from a record July figure of 55.3 but the industry continued to grow thanks to robust new order growth and a more supportive e
  
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• Robertson to restore historic Newcastle market

  05-09-2024 09:09 via constructionenquirer.com
  Newcastle City Council has confirmed Robertson Construction Group will lead work on a major project to restore and enhance the historic Grainger Market.
  Final surveys are ongoing on the Grade-I listed site which was built in 1835.
  Robertson has been appointed management contractor with improvement works set to start by the end of this month with the demolition of existing units within the central Arcade.Within the Arcade two new pavilions will be installed and improved toilet facilities provided
  
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• Vistry unseats Barratt as Britain’s biggest house builder

  05-09-2024 08:57 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Vistry is on track to deliver more than 18,000 homes this year, surpassing rival Barratt’s 14,000 total to become Britain’s biggest house builder.
  The firm is also forecasting that it will build 1 in 6 of the UK’s new affordable homes this year.
  Announcing a strong set of first-half results this morning, upbeat chairman and chief executive Greg Fitzgerald said: “Vistry’s Partnerships model is significantly outperforming the traditional house building market.“T
  
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• 23 jobs axed as Lincolnshire contractor goes under

  05-09-2024 08:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Managing directors and Insolvency Practitioners Duncan Beat and Andrew Watling from cross-border advisory firm Quantuma, were appointed as Joint Administrators for
  Lincolnshire-based civils and mechanical and engineering firm C G Godfrey has been placed in administration with the loss of 23 jobs.
  Established in 1973 and located in West Pinchbeck in Spalding, C G Godfrey specialised in vacuum sewerage systems and deep drainage.The company provided services for a variety of clients in the east of
  
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• Starmer vows to ban Grenfell firms from public contracts

  04-09-2024 19:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Kier Starmer said firms named and shamed in the Grenfell Inquiry report will not win any future government contracts.
  The Prime Minister said “it is imperative that there is full accountability” following the damning report.
  He said: “This government will write to all companies found by the Inquiry to have been part of these horrific failings as the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts.”Starmer promised a full government response to the report wi
  
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• Sika launches new sealant for tanks and silos

  04-09-2024 16:46 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Global chemicals specialist Sika has launched a next generation sealant with enhanced durability and outstanding resistance to chemicals including organic acids.
  Sikaflex-403 Tank and Silo is a new one-part, moisture curing, elastic sealant, developed by Sika’s industry-leading chemists. It is ideally suited for sealing segmented or bolted steel tanks including glass-fused-to-steel, epoxy coated or stainless-steel tanks and silos, as well as wall to floor connection joints.
  It can also be
  
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• Winvic first to use remote-control tower crane on site

  04-09-2024 15:25 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Winvic Construction has been trialling technology that operates tower cranes from a ground control system on a student accommodation job in Birmingham.
  The successful 12-week trial means the Skyline Cockpit system will be used to help complete the 33-storey Crown Place Birmingham scheme which is due for handover in December 2025.
  Skyline Cockpit allows operators to drive the crane from a specialist ground command centre rather than the traditional cab at the top of the mast.The cabin contains a
  
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• Grenfell Inquiry calls for uber construction regulator

  04-09-2024 13:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Grenfell Inquiry has recommended a complete shake-up of construction with a new uber regulator overseeing all aspects of the industry.
  The new regulator would oversee a broad sweep of the industry from construction product development to installation on high-rise buildings.
  The inquiry’s top-level recommendation comes as Government was criticised for its failure to regulate construction and cladding and insulation manufacturers involved at Grenfell were labelled as dishonest.
  Main cont
  
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• Work to start on Liverpool office to flats job

  04-09-2024 09:41 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Developer CERT has finally secured planning to start work on its office-to-flats scheme in the Moorfields area of Liverpool.
  The scheme gained planning through new extended permitted development rights after being previously turned down twice by city council planner because of a lack of affordable housing.
  The developer has selected local building contractor Truman Design & Build to deliver the Centric residential scheme with work due to start in the next few weeks.When finished the scheme w
  
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• Willmott Dixon wins £49m Wigan college expansion

  04-09-2024 09:09 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Willmott Dixon has signed a £49m contract to build a net carbon zero in operation new campus for Wigan & Leigh College.  
  This project will create a three-storey 116,000 sq ft learning facility beside the college’s existing Parsons Walk Campus where over 3,400 students study every day.
  Procured using the Department for Education construction framework, the project will aim to achieve a 40% biodiversity net gain and use photovoltaic solar panels to harness renewable energy.Co
  
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• Three bidders chase £1.4bn Midlands rail hub alliance

  04-09-2024 09:07 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Three consortia are bidding for a major alliance deal to upgrade a series of rail lines and stations around Birmingham and nearby towns and cities.
  Acting as client, Network Rail is seeking a main alliance partner to deliver over £1bn of non-signalling and around £350m of signalling works.
  The vast alliance has attracted a strong line-up of bidders with Balfour Beatty forming a joint venture with Skanska. Bam has teamed up with Amey to form the other bidding JV while Laing O’Ro
  
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• Barratt profit nosedives as margin slumps to 4.2%

  04-09-2024 09:07 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The housing slowdown and yet more provisions for legacy building fire safety projects saw pre-tax profits at Britain’s biggest house builder plunge by just over three quarters to £170m from £705m in the prior year.
  Housing completions fell by nearly a fitfh to 14,000 in the year to June with Barratt warning that this year’s level of completions will be even lower at 13,000 to 13,500.
  Along with a 4% fall in sale prices revenue fell 22% to £4.2bn.
  During the year, Ba
  
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• Bouygues bags £28m Oxfordshire school job

  04-09-2024 09:03 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Bouygues UK has been appointed lead contractor on a new secondary school for the Department of Education in Grove, Oxfordshire.
  The £28.2m St John’s Academy for Vale Academy Trust will be built alongside the already completed primary school in Grove on the Wellington Gate Development, and will be the first all-through school (Nursery to Year 11) in the local area, teaching around 600 pupils.
  Bouygues UK will use sustainable, low carbon materials as part of the build, including a cros
  
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• First viaduct completed on HS2: Video site report

  04-09-2024 08:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A viaduct in Northamptonshire has become the first on the HS2 project to be completed as engineers installed the last stretch of parapet along the sides.
  The 163m long Highfurlong Brook Viaduct, near the village of Aston le Walls, is one of more than 50 being built as part of the new rail project.
  Consisting of seven spans, the viaduct crosses Highfurlong Brook’s floodplain at a height of around 9m. Each span is made up of four beams weighing up to 56 tonnes which were lifted into position
  
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• Government backs record number of clean energy projects

  03-09-2024 09:11 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Government has backed with agreed funding support a record 131 renewable energy projects to stoke up the green economy.
  The projects awarded contracts for difference subsidy deals exceed the 92 projects delivered in the last auction round.
  The latest funding round reboots offshore wind farm projects, sees a record number of solar projects and advances the world’s largest commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm known as Green Volt.
  This makes it the biggest round ever with signific
  
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• Tube station housing plan gets Government green light

  03-09-2024 08:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The government has given the go-ahead for a new housing development by Cockfosters Tube station which was blocked by previous Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
  The proposals will deliver 350 new homes across four blocks built on the former car park of the north London station.
  Transport for London is required to seek the consent of the Secretary of State for the disposal of land used for its operational purposes. TfL first requested permission in 2021 to sell the land currently used for car park
  
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• Construction costs cut for Plymouth city centre revamp

  03-09-2024 08:40 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction cost estimates to regenerate Armada Way in Plymouth city centre have been reduced by nearly £7m after exploratory works at the site.
  Plymouth City Council said the work will now cost £29.9m following previous estimates of up to £36.8m.
  Designs were tweaked in February and since then detailed work has been carried out to establish the final cost of construction.Work has has included digging exploratory trial pits on Armada Way to get a more accurate picture of what
  
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• Government mothballs plan to scrap CE Mark

  03-09-2024 08:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Government has halted plans to scrap CE marking in favour of switching to the new UK Conformity Assessed mark.
  Building safety minister Rushanara Ali has confirmed that the planned 30 June 2025 time limit for recognising CE Marking has been abandoned.
  The minister said that any plan to resurrect the previous administration’s aim to switch all manufactured products over would only be introduced with a two-year notice period, but declined to set any future date.
  The new delay has been pr
  
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• Go-ahead for Bristol Temple Quay hotel and build to rent job

  03-09-2024 08:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  IKB Developments and development manager Marick Real Estate has gained planning for a hotel and build to rent scheme at Bristol’s Temple Quay.
  The scheme designed by architect Sheppard Robson will see construction of three new buildings comprising a 230-room hotel, a 170-room extended stay aparthotel, and over 100 build-to-rent flats.
  This site known as Plot 3 has been vacant for around 30 years and is owned by Homes England. It neighbours the 130-hectare Government-funded urban regenerati
  
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• Tilbury Douglas chief Paul Gandy to step down

  02-09-2024 11:56 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Tilbury Douglas Chief Executive Officer Paul Gandy will be stepping down from November as he prepares to take up his new role as the latest President of the Chartered Institute of Building.
  He will hand over to Craig Tatton as the new Tilbury Douglas CEO.
  Tatton joined the company in 2017 from Bouygues, leading the Regional Building businesses before taking on wider responsibilities for Fitout, Engineering and Infrastructure and, in 2022, stepping up to the role of Group Chief Operating Officer
  
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• Local pressure unblocks £240m Oxford sewage works upgrade

  02-09-2024 09:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Thames Water is finally advancing long-overdue plans for a major £240m upgrade of Oxford sewage treatment works after the local council blamed the water company for holding up thousands of new homes.
  The water company has revealed it plans to invite tenders for the long-awaited capacity upgrade next month. Ahead of this, it will hold an online bidders briefing on 10 September to set out its plans to improve the quality of effluent released at the works and increase the site’s ca
  
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• Knights Brown bags last phase of £86m Portsmouth flood defence job

  02-09-2024 09:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Portsmouth City Council has appointed Knights Brown to carry out the fifth and final phase of its £86m North Portsea Coastal Scheme.
  Knights Brown will start work immediately on the last stage works which will take place along Ports Creek in North Portsea and will include 1.9 km of flood defences.
  The design consists of a sloped earth embankment, which provides the required flood defence level, with a rock armour toe to dissipate wave energy.Knights Brown previously constructed the second
  
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