Construction news

• Banned building boss jailed for fraud

  29-04-2024 08:39 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A Cumbrian building boss who pleaded guilty to fraud, disregarding a director disqualification and breaching a bankruptcy order has been jailed.
  Adam Kirkbride was sentenced to four years in prison when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court.
  Kirkbride, of Keswick, was also further banned as a director until April 2036.The 32-year-old abused his position while acting in the management of a company by siphoning off £60,000 that had been invested by a pensioner into his residential housing dev
  
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• Tilbury Douglas clears Interserve legacy jobs to return to profit

  15-05-2024 13:48 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Tilbury Douglas has cleared the decks of legacy Interserve project joint ventures and pension commitments to return to profit in its first full year as a standalone contractor.
  Both construction and the more troubled engineering operations placed the past firmly in the rear-view mirror to return to profitability.
  But the £86m turnover infrastructure business continued to struggle in a challenging year and posted an operating loss.
  Following a review this year, the infrastructure business i
  
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• Skills shortage puts big infrastructure projects at risk

  15-05-2024 09:15 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The deepening skills crisis is putting at risk the country’s ability to deliver big infrastructure projects as the government prepares to spend an unprecedented £800bn on projects, MPs have warned.
  Watchdog MPs on the Public Accounts Committee also warn a lack of necessary project know-how within Whitehall departments means the Government is failing to act as an intelligent client.
  The report published today warns skills shortages in technical and engineering disciplines are set to w
  
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• Contractors face further insulation board price hikes

  15-05-2024 08:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The price of insulation boards is continuing to rise with another round of cost hikes set to hit this summer.
  The Construction Leadership Council’s Material Supply Chain Group flagged the issue in its latest update alongside rising prices for timber.
  It said: “There are reports of price volatility affecting two specific product areas, timber related products and PIR insulation boards, feeding into housing projects.“A steady increase in timber prices was predicted last year and
  
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• Keltbray hires new head of infrastructure procurement

  15-05-2024 08:27 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Keltbray has appointed Lukasz Olszewski as head of procurement at its infrastructure services division overlooking rail, energy and highways business units
  Olszewski brings a wealth of experience from his role as procurement manager at Italian contracting group Rizzani de Eccher, as well as from his previous employment with organisations such as Sigma, Murphy, Construction Marine, and Vinci Construction UK.
  In his new capacity, he will collaborate closely with Keltbray’s head office procur
  
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• Tunnel fit out robot to revolutionise civils work

  15-05-2024 08:25 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A team of innovators including Costain and VVB Engineering has developed the first robotic and AI solution set to revolutionise the installation of mechanical and civil services in tunnels.
  The prototype Automated Tunnel Robotic Installation System (ATRIS) replaces traditionally hazardous, labour-intensive and time-consuming techniques and can autonomously select brackets, locate where they need to be mounted along a tunnel wall, and install them.
  Once fully-developed, the final system can be de
  
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• Henry Boot wins £36m Rotherham Markets job

  15-05-2024 08:12 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Rotherham Council has picked Henry Boot construction to deliver the £36m redevelopment of Rotherham Markets and an adjacent new library.
  The project forms a key part of the wider town centre masterplan and comprises a major refurbishment and redevelopment of the existing indoor and outdoor Rotherham Markets.This will include creating a new food hall and dining area on the first level above the existing ground floor retail, and workspace for charities, social enterprises and volun
  
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• Funding deal for £86m wind turbine test centre

  14-05-2024 16:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The world’s most advanced wind turbine blade and drive train testing centre will be built in Blyth, Northumberland following an £86.5m funding deal.
  The new facility will be based at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre.
  Construction is scheduled to start this summer on the 150-metre blade test facility that will replicate the harsh conditions at sea.A contractor is yet to be confirmed for the scheme.
  Andrew Jamieson, ORE Catapult Chie
  
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• London 25km Super Sewer hooked up for commissioning

  14-05-2024 08:51 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Engineers on the London Super Sewer project have successfully connected the new infrastructure to the capital’s existing sewer system. 
  Ahead of the two-week connection job, a thick concrete wall separated the 25km super sewer from the 6.9km Lee Tunnel, which links Abbey Mills pumping station to Beckton sewage treatment works.
  Now, those two tunnels are connected for the first time, creating the London Tideway Tunnels network and paving the way for the new system to begin its protecti
  
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• Record results at maintenance specialist Renew

  14-05-2024 08:45 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Infrastructure maintenance and renewal specialist Renew has posted record first half results.
  And the firm is confident its core markets will continue to boom as infrastructure providers increase their focus on maintenance work.
  Results for the half year to March 31 2024 show pre-tax profits up to £30.3m from £26.3m last time on turnover up to £552.8m from £471.8m as operating margins stayed steady at 6%.CEO Paul Scott said: “I am very pleased to report we have deli
  
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• Barhale lands £21m shaft scheme for Thames Water

  14-05-2024 08:31 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Barhale has been selected to deliver a £21m scheme for the Thames Water Ring Main (TWRM) in West London.
  The Mogden Pump Out Shaft scheme will upgrade the existing inspection shaft on the TWRM fresh water artery running beneath London to provide additional resilience of supply in the west of the capital.
  Four pumps will be installed in the Mogden shaft and a new pipeline will be connected to the existing Kew main to the north of the site. A new surge column, surge tank, additional surge ve
  
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• Plan in for Manchester ‘upside down’ 18-storey tower

  14-05-2024 08:30 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Developer Soller has submitted plans for a distinctive 18-storey tech office project in Manchester that incorporates several buildings at street level.
  The main tower will be cantilevered to allow the floorplate to widen as the building rises in height.
  Designs by architect Howell for the NXQ scheme retain and restore 19th century buildings on the site while respecting the neighbouring grade II-listed Daily Express Building.NXQ will be accessed via a new publicly accessible courtyard at the hear
  
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• £200m Lincoln ring-road approved

  14-05-2024 08:29 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The £200m final stretch of the Lincoln bypass has been approved by the local council paving the way for work to start next year.
  The North Hykeham Relief Road will link the A46 Pennells Roundabout to the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, creating a ring-road around the city.
  Balfour Beatty is understood to be in line to design and build the new relief road, which will take around three years to deliver.Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “I’m incredibly happy t
  
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• Caddick names new north east director

  14-05-2024 07:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Caddick Construction has appointed Steve Ford as regional managing director for Yorkshire and the North East.
  Ford joins the business from Marrico Asset Management where he held the position of development director for over eight years. Before that he worked a Laing O’Rourke is several leadership roles.
  His expertise spans the retail, commercial, education, industrial and manufacturing sectors, as well as residential and heritage buildings.Ford’s appointment follows a period of susta
  
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• £1bn Manchester Airport City plan rebooted as new sci-tech hub

  13-05-2024 12:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The backers of the ambitious £1bn plan to develop a 60-acre site next to Manchester airport have rebooted the scheme with a masterplan for a 2m sq ft sci-tech campus.
  The former Airport City Manchester scheme will also be rebranded as MIX Manchester, marking a strategic switch from out-of-town offices towards a specialised science, innovation, and manufacturing campus.
  The masterplan has been developed by Sheppard Robson over a two-year period.It will be delivered under a revised strategic
  
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• Mount Anvil wins London Camden estate rebuild

  13-05-2024 09:30 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The London Borough of Camden has chosen Mount Anvil as a development partner to deliver the next phase of the Bacton Phase 2 development in Gospel Oak.
  This partnership will see the London-based house builder work closely with the council to deliver both affordable and private homes on the second phase of the former Bacton Estate site, with at least 61 social rent homes being built.
  Starting this summer, Mount Anvil and the Council will begin working with Gospel Oak residents and former Bac
  
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• Race starts for £17m Leicester station redevelopment

  13-05-2024 09:14 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Leicester City Council is pressing ahead with plans to restore the city’s historic railway station back to its former Victorian glory.
  The council has already successfully secured £17.6m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to help realise the ambitious plans to revitalise the landmark building and create a more attractive and accessible gateway into the city.
  Now, the city council, Network Rail and East Midlands Railway have started the bid race for a two-stage design and b
  
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• London Met Uni seeks firm for £280m estate upgrade

  13-05-2024 08:56 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  London Metropolitan University is starting the hunt for a sole contractor to deliver a major upgrade of its education estate over the next 10 years.
  The University is starting contractor engagement for the ambitious upgrade programme, which is expected to see around £280m invested across its two London campuses in Islington and Tower Hamlets.
  Its long term partner will build and deliver capital projects, lead a total facilities management service and deliver net zero targets through sustai
  
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• Waterproofing firm Pudlo rescued from administration

  13-05-2024 08:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Pudlo Products Limited has been relaunched under new ownership after the historic brand went into administration earlier this year.
  Pudlo has a 150-year history but parent company DB Group (Holdings) went into administration in February.
  DB Holdings traded using the Pudlo name and also zero-cement concrete brand Cemfree which used up a lot of company funds for research.A new management team has acquired the Pudlo name and taken on 12 staff after striking a deal with the administrators.
  Cemfree h
  
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• Plant bosses blast “inflexible” police over road bans

  10-05-2024 14:38 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has written to the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper calling for a more flexible regime over police bans on moving mobile cranes and large plant on the country’s roads.
  The simmering issue came to a head over Easter when police forces across the country strictly enforced road embargoes on the movement of large construction kit.
  Research by the CPA has discovered an increasingly draconian approach by some forces including one firm wa
  
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• Balfour wins major Rolls-Royce Derby campus expansion

  10-05-2024 09:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Rolls-Royce has selected Balfour Beatty as a construction partner for a major expansion of its works in Raynesway, Derby to fulfil a raft of major submarine contracts.
  The firm is planning to add around 1.1m sq ft of space demolishing several existing buildings at its site to make way for larger sheds and factory space.
  As part of the package of works, which will be executed in stages over the next eight years, Balfour Beatty will deliver infrastructure enabling works, build new manufacturing an
  
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• Construction recovery rained-off in first quarter

  10-05-2024 09:03 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Unusually wet weather in February and March shrank construction output in the first three months of the year, according to latest Government figures.
  But a sharp rise of 16% in first quarter order figures raises hope of recovery ahead despite on-going uncertainty caused by a looming election.
  In March, monthly construction output slid 0.4% in volume terms stemming from decreases in both new work (0.7% fall) and repair and maintenance (0.1% fall).At the sector level, while five out of the nine se
  
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• Building boss banned for covid loan abuse

  10-05-2024 08:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A London-based builder has been disqualified as a company director for ten years after he overstated his company’s turnover to claim the maximum Bounce Back Loan during the pandemic and then failed to show the money had been spent on his business.
  Marcel Ion, 39, from Bromley, was the sole director of Mavion Group Ltd, a construction business which was registered in Dagenham.
  In June 2020, Ion applied for a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan on his company’s behalf, stating that the busi
  
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• Contractors face mental health quiz to win work

  10-05-2024 08:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Industry accreditation  specialist Veriforce CHAS is pushing for mental health assessments of contractors to become part of the prequalification process.
  The firm has launched its first Mental Health & Wellbeing Question Set as a voluntary module within its core Veriforce CHAS  assessments.
  Managing director Ian McKinnon said:  “We hope that this heralds a new era where mental health and wellbeing are prioritised alongside traditional safety measures and mental health an
  
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• Skanska tops April contract wins ranking

  10-05-2024 08:02 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Two big building wins in London saw Skanska jump to the top of the contracts league in April.
  The brace of projects include a major £250m job for a 20-storey mixed-use tower which will replace Hill House, a 1970s concrete building on a site just North of Fleet Street.
  The firm was also confirmed a £158m data centre fit-out, along with associated construction work, from global data centre provider Telehouse in London Docklands.
  Ardmore ranked second after developer Reef Group picked t
  
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• Modular builder TopHat managing director departs

  09-05-2024 16:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The managing director of volumetric house builder TopHat is stepping down amid an ongoing streamlining programme.
  Andrew Shepherd leaves the firm at the end of this week after nearly four years at the business that has to make a profit.
  He said:  “After a roller-coaster near-four years in the world of modular house building I will be moving on to a new challenge.
  “I wish my colleagues all the best moving forward and would like to express my personal gratitude for all their hard
  
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• Graham nets £60m stands revamp at Lord’s

  09-05-2024 14:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Graham has been confirmed as main contractor on the latest £60m redevelopment at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
  Work will start at the end of September to redevelop the Tavern and Allen Stands with completion due in May 2027.
  Graham will work alongside Gardiner & Theobald, Wilkinson Eyre Architects, and Arcadis to deliver the project for client the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).Throughout the redevelopment, Lord’s Cricket Ground will remain fully operational, ensuring minimal disru
  
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• 15 win £3.5bn Eastern Route Partnership railway deal

  09-05-2024 09:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Network Rail has named the 15 firms it will work with on its new Eastern Routes Partnership set up to deliver a £3.5bn work programme through the control period 7 investment phase to 2029.
  The framework covers four main delivery areas, with each split with generalist firms forming the core partnership team to deliver the larger, more complex projects and several specialists.Eastern Routes PartnershipBuilding & Civils
  Generalists: Amco, BAM, Morgan Sindall, Story
  Specialists: Taziker (s
  
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• 33 firms secure spots on £3.6bn Northumbrian Water framework

  09-05-2024 09:06 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Northumbrian Water has completed the final contractor appointments to deliver its £3.6bn AMP8 capital investment programme.
  The latest wave sees 33 firms take spots on its collaborative framework including 11 firms joining for the first time for work across the company’s Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water operating areas.Northumbrian Water AMP8
  AE Yates
  GLC Projects
  MGL Demolition
  Absolute Civil Engineering
  Gowland and Dawson
  Network Plus Services
  Applebridge Constructi
  
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• Ready mix concrete giant files administration notice

  09-05-2024 09:05 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  London concrete supplier Mixit has filled a notice of appointment to appoint an administrator.
  The firm’s ready mix lorries are a regular sight in the capital where the company used to operate as Jim’ll Mix It until it rebranded in 2015.
  Mixit Concrete Ltd has been in business since 1983 with plants in Tilbury, Barking and Edmonton.Latest results for the firm for the year to September 30 2021 show a turnover of £21.8m generating a pre-tax loss of £698,000 while employing
  
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