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Councils across England are today finding out their share of £1.2bn local roads funding for the next financial year. Transport Minister Andrew Jones announced funding to improve roads, cut congestion and improve journey times includes money from the new National Productivity Investment Fund, announced in the Autumn Statement and the Pothole Action Fund. It also includes £75m which councils can bid for to repair and maintain local infrastructure such as bridges, street lighting and rural roads. The government has today also published further information about what the funding will be spent on – the latest step in the economic plan to stimulate the economy and build a country that works for everyone. A key part of this is putting in place improved transport links including …

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Considerate Constructors Scheme announces 2017 monitoring Checklist New Checklist brings greater focus on key issues of: tackling illegal workers encouraging an improved road safety culture   London, United Kingdom, 6 January 2017: The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national Scheme to improve the image of the construction industry – has announced a new Monitors’ Checklist. The Checklist, which came into effect on 1 January 2017, is the key method which Scheme Monitors use to assess and score sites, companies and suppliers’ performance against the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice. The Scheme has identified two pressing issues requiring a more concerted effort from the construction industry – tackling illegal working and improving road safety. Although the 2017 Checklist has undergone minor changes in all five sections, there are new questions within the Specific Data section …

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Co-op has unveiled plans to spend £70m to open 100 stores across the UK next year. The expansion programme keeps step with major discounters like Lidle and Aldi which are expanding while the big four scale back their expansion plans. In the case of the Co-op, the retailer is entering the final stretch of a three-year turnaround programme following a period of turmoil mainly involving its banking group. The new convenience outlets would be predominantly based across London and the South East, with five stores opening in the capital before the end of March. Elsewhere in the country, stores will be appearing in Swansea, Kings Bromley in Staffordshire, Beverley in Yorkshire, Northfields in East Lothian and Sheffield. Stuart Hookins, who heads up Co-op’s…

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How to grow your construction company in 2017 When you look at some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs – we’re talking about the likes of Richard Branson and Steve Jobs here – the one thing they have in common is relentless ambition. They turned small startups into giant multinational corporations with eye-watering turnovers and profit margins by embracing a winning mindset that privileges innovation and development. Adopting a similar approach will also help you grow your construction company into an even more successful operation in 2017 – despite the shaky political and economic future the industry is facing. So your business doesn’t get stuck in a profit-destroying rut next year, we’re sharing a few top tips for careful expansion. Take a look. #1: project the right …

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Eight Features All Successful Construction Companies Have in Common There are countless construction and civil engineering companies out there, but not all are equal and if you’re thinking about a career in construction (and the economy needs you!), then here’s what you should look for in a prospective employer. A company with a vision Everyone needs a vision, a plan, an aim and a focus so if the company you’re looking at wants to develop an award-winning set of environmental practices, for example, it could be the right one for you. The Lagan Construction Group from Northern Ireland recently won an environmental award, so awards and plaudits are definite things to look for. A company with a clear leadership plan Leadership isn’t just about dishing …

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Car maker Jaguar Land Rover has submitted plans to develop a vast logistics hub on a green field site next to its Solihull plant. The near 1m sq ft logistics operations centre will be used to receive and store parts for its Solihull production plant, which assembles Range Rover and Land Rover models. The scheme also includes 40,000 sq ft of offices space and a triple deck car park with 1,150 spaces. The site located on green belt consists of eight fields located near Solihull Football Club on Damson Parkway and is bounded to the north by Birmingham International Airport. Plans drawn up by architect Ridge & Partners provide for a 17m high main building, spanned by a series of pitched roofs covered in photovoltaics. It will offer 78 HGV…

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Highways England has released video footage of construction workers chasing a motorist through a closed motorway site. The shocking CCTV pictures come as Highways England revealed that four drivers a month are entering closed sections of road in the Manchester smart motorway scheme to either overtake traffic on the motorway or avoid using diversion routes. The footage shows a driver ignoring an overnight slip road closure at junction 11 of the M60 at Eccles, where he is seen being chased through the construction area by angry road workers. Drivers are now being warned that they could be prosecuted if they ignore road closures, and electronic signs at the side of the motorway are also being used to display the message ‘Don’t ignore road closures. CCTV in operation.’…

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A construction company and its managing director have been prosecuted for operating an unsafe site during the conversion of a building in Bollington. Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court heard how the conditions on the site, where a former pub was being changed into two houses, were so poor it prompted a a member of public to complain to the local authority. The HSE inspected the site and had to stop all the work on the building as the conditions were so dangerous and putting workers lives at immediate risk. In total HSE inspectors served three prohibition notices and two improvements notices for safety failings including work at height issues, missing floorings with no protection and health failings including the provision of welfare facilities with running water. Inspectors…

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In the Autumn Statement the chancellor, Philip Hammond announced new government policies to tackle the housing challenges the UK faces. One of the biggest changes for the buy-to-let sector was that letting agent fees will be scrapped. The ban will help struggling renters, as the average cost of these fees is £340 per tenant. As a result of the new ban,  stocks of Foxton’s and Countrywide fell sharply. However, there has been concerns in the industry that the fees could be passed on to landlords, who are already facing the upcoming ‘tax attack’ in April 2017. Experts fear landlords will be left to foot the bill, as estate agents will raise fees to make their money back. As a result landlords could be forced to raise …

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Managing construction projects is no small feat. With 1000s of action items to handle, timelines to be met and projects to be delivered, the question many project managers face is, “is my team working as effectively as possible?” In efforts to help you answer that question, we asked over 30 experienced project managers in the construction industry about how they spend their time on the job, their best advice for managing their team, and how they know when their team is performing to its full potential. How do Project Managers Spend Their Time? Many in the workforce agree that email occupies a significant amount of time spent during the workday. This article from Huffington Post found that workers spend 3.2 hours on average on work emails per day. …

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