Construction news

• Civils contractor A Catlow files administration notice

  22-05-2024 09:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  Sheffield based A Catlow Civil Engineering Ltd has filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator.
  The specialist contractor works with clients throughout the UK and Ireland providing civil engineering and high voltage cabling services.
  Its client base includes leading utility companies and many civil engineering firms.  A Catlow has been in business since 2001 and employs around 50 staff.Data and credit checking specialist Red Flag Alert highlighted the firms’ administration
  
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• Balfour seals £192m deal for trio of Scottish substations

  19-06-2024 09:33 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Balfour Beatty has secured a £192m job to construct three new substations in Argyll, Scotland, on behalf of SSEN Transmission.
  The contract has been awarded through the GIS2 RIIO T2 framework, to which the company was appointed in 2022.
  Balfour will unite its Power Transmission & Distribution expertise with its regional capabilities in Scotland, to design and build the three new 275kV substations in Craig Murrail, An Suidhe, and Crarae.Main construction is due to start later this Summe
  
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• Green light for £130m Dundee Eden project

  19-06-2024 09:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans to build a mini Eden project at the site of a former gas works in Dundee have got the green light.
  Work to create an Eden Project on the East Dock Street site of the city would include the conversion of the existing gasholder and demolition of other buildings on the site.
  A separate application to create a pedestrian bridge that will span across East Dock Street and the east coast mainline railway will go before planners for approval later this year.The £130m project will consist of
  
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• £65m Trafford Waters resi blocks approved

  19-06-2024 08:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Developer X1 Developments and waterside regeneration specialists Peel Waters have got the green light to build over 200 flats within the emerging Trafford Waters district at  Manchewster’s TraffordCity.
  The two-block development is the third residential project at Trafford Waters and will bring much needed new housing to the area
  Split across two buildings rising to 8 and 13 storeys, the project will be located adjacent to Trafford Way, with the larger of the buildings incorporating a
  
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• ‘Green collar’ construction workers earning £134,000

  19-06-2024 08:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A lack of ‘green collar’ construction workers is seeing wages spiral and could threaten the country’s energy efficiency drive to net zero.
  According to a new report by cost consultant Turner & Townsend, insulation specialists and solar and heat pump installers in London now typically earn £70 per hour, after wages soared by 22% in the last 12 months.
  The cost consultant said this means some in-demand trades could now command annual salaries of over £134,000 in t
  
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• Four tower scheme in Glasgow gets green light

  19-06-2024 08:34 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Regeneration specialist Summix Capital, has been given the green light to deliver a major mixed-use development at Central Quay in Glasgow.
  Central Quay will contain four blocks providing residential, purpose-built student accommodation and commercial uses with associated landscaping public realm, parking and access to a range of sustainable travel options.
  The scheme adjacent to Finnieston continues the significant transformation of this location from derelict former industrial land.Stuart Blac
  
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• Construction bond bombshell as major player quits market

  19-06-2024 08:30 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Business insurance giant QBE Europe is pulling-out of the construction bonds market for major contractors.
  QBE is a major player in the surety bonds market and the move will be a massive blow to main contractors already struggling to get cover.
  One contractor said: “QBE are a key provider in the construction market so this will be a significant issue for contractors.”Performance bonds guarantee a contractor’s obligations under the contract and protect against insolvency, reduci
  
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• United Utilities names another 18 winners for £2.7bn water spend

  18-06-2024 15:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  United Utilities has announced another 18 partners who will help to deliver the largest environmental water programme in the North West in more than a century
  The water giant recently confirmed seven partners who will help to deliver major infrastructure projects for the company between 2025 and 2030.
  The 18 announced today are detailed design and build organisations who will be working with United Utilities on projects to improve its network infrastructure and process treatment facilities.The w
  
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• Beal Homes gets green light for £105m Humber scheme

  18-06-2024 09:07 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Regional house builder Beal Homes has secured planning for a £105m scheme on the south bank of the Humber.
  The development on a 57-acre-site in Immingham, North East Lincolnshire will see construction of more than 500 two, three and four-bedroom homes for the town.
  The Highfields development will complement investment into the area from other major businesses, driven by the Humber region’s growing status as the UK’s Energy Estuary.Chris Murphy, Land Director of East Yorkshire-b
  
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• Over 100 firms win £1.5bn ICN housing framework

  18-06-2024 09:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Great Places Housing Group has appointed just over 100 contractors and consultants to its £1.5bn Innovation Chain North framework for the next four years.
  Caddick, Countryside Properties, Lovell, P Casey, Termrim and Seddon were among the firms securing spots on the largest value lots in both the western and eastern regions of the north.
  The ICN framework has been designed to support delivery of new homes across the north of England, not only to support Great Places’ affordable devel
  
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• Scottish civils firm to buy stake in piling specialist

  18-06-2024 08:09 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Scottish civil engineering and groundworks specialist Advance Construction Group is understood to be in final talks to buy a minority stake in piling specialist Northern Piling Ltd.
  Belshill-based Advance Construction is one of Scotland’s largest civls and groundworks firms employing around 470 staff and turning over around £300m.
  It is understood to be aiming to buy a 25% stake in the driven concrete piling specialist NPL, which has a turnover of around £10m employing up to 35
  
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• Steelwork firm went down owing £4.5m to suppliers

  18-06-2024 08:05 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  North Yorkshire-based steelwork specialist SH Structures fell into administration owing £4.5m to suppliers and usbcontractors.
  The scale of the firm’s debts have been revealed in an update posted at Companies House.
  SH Structures also owed HMRC £370,000 and its employees nearly £1m.The firm went into administration in April when all of its 67 staff were made redundant.
  It had been in business since 1992 working as a structural steelwork contractor specialising in the desi
  
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• RED wins £20m East London office refurb

  18-06-2024 08:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Aviva Investors has picked RED Construction to carry out a major £20m office refurbishment to Grade II listed Victorian building in Shoreditch on the East London city fringe.
  Originally built between 1881 and 1887, the six-storey 134 – 146 Curtain Road building previously housed furniture and clothing manufacturing.
  RED will carry out extensive refurbishment and structural alterations to the existing 54,000 sq ft office to create Cat A and B workspace.RED Construction’s London
  
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• RSK secures £500m to fund new acquisitions spree

  17-06-2024 22:21 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Acquisition-hungry consultant and construction services group RSK has secured £500m in extra funding to fuel its next tranche of strategic takeovers.
  The Cheshire-based group, which employs 15,000 people and operates in 40 countries, has received the investment from a consortium led by Searchlight Capital Partners and Ares Management Corporation funds.
  Ares has also committed an incremental £300m debt facility, bringing total available debt facilities provided by Ares to £1.4bn
  
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• RSK secures £500m for fresh acquisitions spree

  17-06-2024 22:21 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Acquisition-hungry consultant and construction services group RSK has secured £500m in extra funding to fuel its next tranche of strategic takeovers.
  The Cheshire-based group, which employs 15,000 people and operates in 40 countries, has received the investment from a consortium led by Searchlight Capital Partners and Ares Management Corporation funds.
  Ares has also committed an incremental £300m debt facility, bringing total available debt facilities provided by Ares to £1.4bn
  
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• South East expansion paying off for Meldrum Group

  17-06-2024 08:52 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Meldrum Group has posted a strong set of results after expanding outside its traditional North East home.
  The Gateshead based contractor opened a new office in Duxford, Cambridge last year which broadened its national coverage.
  The move is paying off with latest results for the financial year ending 31st December 2023 showing turnover up to £55m generating profits of £1.94m.CEO and Founder, Dave Meldrum said: “The opening of an office in Cambridge is a strategic move from the b
  
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• Employee-owned Neilcott staff share £250,000 payout

  17-06-2024 08:30 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Orpington-based regional contractor Neilcott Construction paid out another £250,000 to staff last year as part of its commitment to employee ownership.
  The windfall came as the south east contractor lifted revenue by 38% to a record £139m in the year to December 2023.
  The latest payout means eligible staff have received nearly £600,000 since the firm switched to employee-ownership in March 2021.
  Operating profit remained stable at around £3.5m, but down on the pre-pandemi
  
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• Wates boosts paternity leave to 12 weeks

  17-06-2024 08:12 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Wates Group has enhanced its paternity leave policy from eight weeks to 12 weeks paid leave for new fathers.
  Employees can take leave anytime within the first two years of the child being born or adopted in flexible blocks.
  The benefit is available from day one of working with Wates alongside maternity, shared parental leave and adoption and surrogacy policies.Nikunj Upadhyay, Group Inclusion and Diversity Director at Wates, said: “I am delighted that we are continuing to improve our famil
  
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• Race for £800m South West Wales framework

  17-06-2024 01:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Around 16 firms face a fight to renew their places on the South West Wales regional contractors framework for public sector building and housing works.
  The latest generation framework has included new specific lots for housing in addition to specific value lots for building projects across the region.
  Carmarthenshire County Council, in association with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, Pembrokeshire County Council, Ceredigion County Council and Swansea Council, will use the panel of firm
  
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• Taylor Wimpey chief honoured with CBE

  15-06-2024 14:27 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Taylor Wimpey chief executive Jennifer Daly has been made CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.
  Daly who was honoured for for services to business and to the housing sector is the first woman to lead a FTSE 100 house building company in the UK, having taken the chief role in April 2022.
  She has built a successful career in house building, starting out in the public sector in local authority planning roles before moving into the private sector.Daly is an active member of the industry federati
  
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• SME contractors agree 4% pay rise for site workers

  14-06-2024 15:43 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Employers and unions have agreed a 4% pay rise for construction workers under the Building and Allied Trades Joint Industrial Council (BATJIC) agreement.
  The one year will come into effect from Monday 17 June 2024 and workers employed by small builders will also get an extra day of holiday.
  Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said:  “This year’s agreement represents a fair rise in the wage rates for the nation’s small builders, following another year of inflated price
  
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• Geoffrey Osborne supply chain hit for £26m

  14-06-2024 13:15 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Geoffrey Osborne went under owing subcontractors and suppliers £25.86m.
  More than 500 firms were left holding unpaid invoices when the famous industry name went into administration last month.
  The scale of the firm’s debts have been revealed in an update from administrator RSM filed at Companies House.Total debts at the time of Osborne’s collapse were £45m with cash also outstanding to HMRC, sister companies and Osborne employees.
  Geoffrey Osborne’s demise followed
  
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• Plan approved for 8,500-seat Edinburgh indoor arena

  14-06-2024 09:25 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans to build an 8,500-capacity indoor arena on the outskirts of Edinburgh have got the planning thumbs up.
  Entertainment giants AEG estimated the project to be built at Edinburgh Park will cost around £80m.
  Edinburgh Park Arena will be privately funded and AEG Europe said it was now finalising funding partners to bring their vision for a new home for life music in Edinburgh to life.
  Once an external contractor has been appointed and financed raised, construction is proposed to begin in 2
  
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• Labour to mothball £320m A27 job to fix potholes

  14-06-2024 08:41 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Labour has confirmed it would can the £320m Arundel Bypass scheme in West Sussex to help fund its plan to accelerate the pothole-fixing programme nationally.
  A consortium of Bam Nuttall, Aecom and Mace was awarded the project back in 2021, with the aim of starting construction last year, but the Government pushed the scheme back to RIS3 as part of a previous roads programme review.
  Now Labout has confirmed it would defer the scheme further after branding it ‘poor value for money&rsqu
  
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• Lendlease’s £1.9bn Smithfield Birmingham scheme approved

  14-06-2024 08:02 via constructionenquirer.com
  Ambitious plans to build more than 3,000 homes, offices and shops in the heart of Birmingham have been approved.
  The £1.9bn Birmingham Smithfield scheme, which is being developed by Lendlease in joint venture with Birmingham City Council, aims to regenerate a 17-hectare site around the historic Bullring Markets.
  According to the partners, work will now start on the site later this year.But a question remains around Lendlease’s degree of involvement going forward following its decisio
  
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• Crest Nicholson rejects £650m Bellway bid

  13-06-2024 23:29 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Crest Nicholson has rejected a £650m takeover offer from rival Bellway.
  Bellway confirmed on Thursday that it made a move last month.
  It said: “The Board of Bellway believes that there is compelling strategic and financial rationale for a combination of Bellway and Crest Nicholson which would bring together the strength of each business with complementary brands to reinforce Bellway’s position as a leading UK housebuilder, while enabling Crest Nicholson shareholders to benefit
  
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• Statom starts on £25m Bristol Airport precast car park

  13-06-2024 14:42 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Statom Group has started work on a new £25m multi-storey car park project at Bristol Airport for Griffiths Farrans JV.
  The main £60m contract to deliver a new transport hub at the airport was awarded to the Griffiths Farrans JV last November.
  Statom has been working with them for months on the car-park’s design and the first suspended slab was poured yesterday.It is the first of 45,000m2 of suspended slabs that will be built to eventually accommodate around 2,000 cars with a ne
  
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• Hill submits £800m East London estate rebuild plan

  13-06-2024 12:39 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans to redevelop one of the largest estates in East London with over 1,900 new homes are advancing with the submission of plans.
  A development partnership between house builder Hill and housing association Poplar HARCA is bringing forward the £800m Treviot Estate redevelopment scheme in the Borough of Tower Hamlets.
  As one of the largest estate regenerations in London, the redevelopment of Teviot in Poplar will transform the area as it is built out over five phases.The partnership has su
  
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• Build problems plunge Crest Nicholson to a £31m loss

  13-06-2024 09:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The discovery of more build problems across legacy sites has blown a hole in Crest Nicholson’s latest results.
  The house builder confirmed £15m of legacy contract problems in March at four jobs completed by its now closed Regeneration division.
  But a wider review of jobs across the whole company has unearthed further problems resulting in the provision being increased to £31.4m.That has sent the company into the red with results for the half year to April 2024 showing a pre-tax
  
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• Rebooted Amey lifts contract win rate to 1 in 3 bids

  13-06-2024 09:16 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Infrastructure contractor and consultant Amey has delivered ahead of expectation in its first year under private equity ownership following Ferrovial’s decision to offload the business for £400m.
  The firm has significantly boosted its order book and lifted its contract bidding win rate to one in three projects, compared with a success rate of just one in 14  under the ownership of Ferrovial when it suffered significant losses.
  Andy Milner, chief executive of Amey, said: “I
  
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