Volker’s £210m motorway job approved
Transport secretary Mark Harper has given the green light for a £210m VolkerFitzpatrick motorway project in the South of England. The contractor will upgrade Junction 9 of the M3 near Winchester,...
View ArticleContractor loss narrows despite £12m provision
Durkan has put aside more than £12m to deal with building defects but still managed to shrink its losses by more than half. The firm reported a £3.9m pre-tax loss in the year to 30 November 2023, close...
View ArticleDecarbonising the built environment: retrofit or demolish?
Pictured left to right: Fiona Lomas-Holt is director of sustainability and ESG, Mat Jones is senior director of planning, and Katy Lightbody is senior director of heritage and townscape at consultancy...
View ArticleData dig: gender gaps, security fears and happy workers
Gender barriers Only 21 per cent of firms in the construction sector have female representation at director level, Creditsafe’s Women in Business report claims. Creditsafe data director Drew Fahiya...
View ArticleDelay hits Morgan Sindall’s Gloucester university campus
The opening of Morgan Sindall’s 20,000 square metre new home for the University of Gloucestershire has been pushed back amid construction challenges. The scheme to transform a former department store...
View ArticlePercentage of women in construction hits new post-Covid low
More women than men have left construction careers over the past year, according to the latest official figures. The proportion of women in construction careers has steadily declined over the past...
View ArticleConstruction materials sales dip stretches towards two years
Sales of key building materials have plummeted for a seventh consecutive quarter, an industry organisation has said. The Construction Products Association’s (CPA’s) latest State of Trade Survey showed...
View ArticlePositive forecast and pre-tax profit up 15 per cent for Trad Scaffolding
Kent-based scaffolding company Trad Scaffolding posted a 15 per cent uplift in its pre-tax profit and a positive outlook for the 12 months from August 2023. In accounts for the year ending 31 August...
View ArticleSubcontractor body warns of housebuilding ‘hard squeeze’
A subcontractor body has written to ministers warning that housebuilders are boosting profits through a “hard squeeze on the supply chain”. The Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) sent a letter to both...
View ArticleRayner pledges new towns taskforce and design criteria
The Labour Party will create a taskforce to choose sites for a generation of new towns to be announced within a year if it is elected, according to the party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner. Rayner told...
View ArticleSurgo Construction fought charity for £1.4m at time of collapse
Surgo Construction went under while battling a charity for £1.4m and owing creditors £5.0m. The £14m-turnover company collapsed in March. In a report lodged with Companies House, administrators from...
View ArticleOverseas firms secure £1.8bn England-Scotland power deal
An international group of contractors has secured £1.8bn of works on an England-to-Scotland power project. Athens-based Mytilineos Energy and Metals, US giant GE Vernova and Milan's Power Link...
View ArticleBam chalks up £33m Kent school deal
Bam has won a £33m deal to build a secondary school in Kent. The Dutch-owned contractor will construct a 750-pupil replacement facility for Orchards Academy in Swanley. The project will see Bam deliver...
View ArticleConstruction freight hub plan set to double concrete production
Plans have been submitted that will see Bow Goods Yard in Stratford become “the belly of London”, with the creation of a major new rail hub capable of transporting up to 3.5 million tonnes of...
View ArticleStonehenge Tunnel delayed as campaigners granted appeal
Work on the £1.7bn Stonehenge Tunnel has been put on hold after campaigners were granted permission to challenge the ruling that the project should go ahead. National Highways, which had hoped to begin...
View Article‘Difficult projects’ cause profit slump at family-run contractor
Pre-tax profit at Derby-based Bowmer & Kirkland fell by 15 per cent in its most recent financial year despite higher turnover. Revenue for the year ending 31 August 2023 totalled £1.24bn compared...
View ArticleStrabag targets building schemes in 2024 and 2025
The UK arm of Strabag has revealed a timetable for its new building unit to compete for construction tenders. Its activity in 2024 and 2025 “will be disproportionately geared towards securing new work”...
View ArticleCPS: No Grenfell charges likely before end of 2026
Firms being investigated by police over their involvement with the construction of Grenfell Tower are unlikely to find out if they face charges before the end of 2026, according to official...
View ArticleMace scoops £100m London office revamp
Mace has been confirmed as main contractor on a bumper job to redevelop a central London office block. Construction News understands that the deal is worth around £100m. The contractor will turn 100...
View ArticleSisk confirms £300m Man City stand win
John Sisk & Son has confirmed that it is building the new North Stand for Manchester City FC’s Etihad Stadium. Construction News reported last July that the contractor was in talks about the £300m...
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