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Earth moving specialist CJ Pryor has put itself up for sale as 77 staff face the threat of redundancy. The Harlow based firm has also been forced to file an intention to appoint administrators following a cash flow crisis. CJ Pryor (Holdings) Limited, CJ Pryor (Plant) Limited and CJ Pryor (Contracts) Limited are up for sale while the company continues to “service existing customer orders.” FRP Advisory has been appointed to handle the process. An FRP statement said: “”The business specialises in earth moving, civil engineering and related earth moving haulage for infrastructure projects ranging from road building to reservoir construction as well as for quarrying, landfill construction, land restoration and land reclamation. “The business has nearly 70 years of trading history and works with a range of…

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A construction site is usually flush with many items that would be of interest to thieves and vandals.  Most of these items are very costly and tampering with even one of them could alter the funding dynamics of the entire project. This is a major reason why adequate steps must be taken to ensure that the construction is adequately protected all the time. This piece takes a look some tips that will help. Proper equipment storage All unused tools and equipment should be properly secured. Construction vehicles should be adequately locked and the keys secured when they are not in use.  Fences and storage shed should have locks installed. Ensure limited access to the site Regardless of the scope of the project, it is not necessary …

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Housing association Family Mosaic has launched a framework bid race to deliver more than 1,000 new homes a year. The framework is expected to cover more than £500m of new housing work over four years, mainly in London and Essex. The framework has not been split into lots because Family Mosaic’s average development scheme will cover projects of £5m-£15m requiring firms to  have a minimum annual turnover of £18m.

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Sunderland AFC’s charitable arm, the Foundation of Light, has selected Tolent Construction to build a £15m sports centre next to the Stadium of Light. Beacon of Light will be built next to the city’s aquatic centre and Stadium of Light The Beacon of Light building will provide a mix of both indoor sports hall and outdoor soccer pitches, alongside zones for education, introducing young people to the world of work, and health and wellbeing. Architecture practice Faulkner Browns came up with the striking cube design, which will rise to six storeys, just below the football stadium eaves. The entire development will provide 120,000 of accommodation on the 12 acre site. Sir Bob Murray, chairman of the foundation’s trustees, said: “The Beacon will be an exciting and inspiring education, training…

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Barnfield Construction is starting work on Burnley FC’s new £10.6m training complex after agreeing a deal to sponsor the centre. The Barnfield Training Centre will be built in Padiham and will take 12 months to finish. Burnley FC Stadium and Operations Manager Doug Metcalfe said: “It’s great news to finally be on site and we can start to see some progress, as it has been a long time in the making. “We have spent four or five years developing plans for the training ground to move the club forward, and it won’t be long now before the site starts to take shape and we can begin to visualise the end result.

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Wiltshire Council has awarded Ringway Infrastructure Services an annual £15m highways maintenance contract to replace its failed Balfour Beatty deal. Ringway Infrastructure Services takes over maintenance in April Ringway will take over maintenance of roads, street lights and pavements for five years in April, with a possible extension of a further two years. Philip Whitehead, cabinet member for highways, said: “I believe this deal is the best one possible for the people of Wiltshire in terms of value for money, but most importantly quality.” The contractor, which ran the contract in Wiltshire between 1999 and 2013, was appointed following a thorough tendering exercise which saw four companies assessed in terms of price and quality. Balfour Beatty Living Places took on the five-year contract with Wiltshire Council in 2013 but relations between both…

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New research by a construction and small business insurance specialist constructaquote.com has discovered that as many as 64% of sole-traders and small business owners within the UK don’t own Professional Indemnity Insurance, with those working as building contractors, engineers and estate agents revealed as the top culprits. Construction and small business insurance specialists constructaquote.com have re-launched their Professional Indemnity Insurance product this New Year, designed to protect business owners when a claim is made against them. Professional Indemnity insurance is there to protect businesses that offer professional advice which could lead a customer to lose money. The research was inspired after constructaquote.com spoke to its customer Adrian Buckmaster, the owner of cladding contractors Terraclad Limited, who employs six people. Adrian took out …

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The University of Wales Trinity Saint David has picked Kier for the first phase of its £300m Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter in the city’s SA1 area. Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter Kier has been brought in early to manage the detailed and technical design of the new Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Engineering as well as a new library building. The firm will begin construction in autumn under a £26m contract due to complete in time for the start of the academic year in 2018. Jason Taylor, Kier Construction operations director for South Wales said the waterfront development should also see the creation of 25 local jobs and 250 apprenticeships. As principal contractor on the project, Kier will be responsible for setting up a collaborative working approach with all other contractors, including Stride Treglown…

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 The CITB is set to cut staff numbers by 46 as it continues a major restructuring. The move comes after the training body said “many find the organisation too slow and difficult to deal with.” The latest changes follow a restructuring of middle management last year which saw 26 out of 188 roles cut. CITB chiefs said the next stage is designed “to reach many more employers through online services, improved phone support, and face to face services via a refocused CITB Advisor role.” The new Advisor role will create a “one-stop shop” for business information and advice on training. CITB said: “This will help companies get the right skills for their businesses, based on local knowledge, and save time by carrying out simple processes – like …

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Plans will be submitted next month for a cluster of four residential towers, set to transform Manchester’s skyline. Ambitious proposal for the 3.7-acre site in the Great Jackson Street area It ranks as the most ambitious of several proposed schemes that could turn Manchester city centre into a high-rise residential area. CQ Investments, part of construction group Renaker Build, is aiming to develop the scheme to provide 1,400 flats on the site between Owen Street and Deansgate. The four towers will range from 38 storeys to 64 storeys high, overshadowing Manchester’s present tallest building the Beetham Tower, which is 47 storeys high. Designed by Simpson Haugh & Partners, with Beetham Tower designer Ian Simpson, the glazed towers will feature unusual inverted facades on each face of the buildings. The scheme has been designed to appeal to both…

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