Category

We understand that the £600m Ram Brewery site in south-west London is the latest scheme to be hit by the phenomenon. Developers at the Wandsworth site are believed to be approaching new bidders to potentially tender for the job. Kier is favourite for the scheme with Brookfield originally its main rival. But we understand Brookfield has pulled-out of the race leaving developer the Greenland Group to explore other options for its Ram Quarter scheme. A source close to the scheme said: “The word is Brookfield has decided not to return tenders. “The developer is now talking to other potential bidders and sounding out what else is out there in the market.” Greenland is overseeing basement work on the site with Keltbray carrying out demolition …

Read more »

New images released by Crossrail reveal the project’s progress as it hits the 60% complete mark. More than 23 miles (nearly 90%) of train tunnels are now complete, with tunnelling due to finish in spring next year. Six of Crossrail’s eight tunnelling machines have now completed their drives. The construction of ten new stations in central and southeast London is more than half complete. Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail Chief Executive said: “Crossrail is being delivered on time and on budget. “These fantastic images show the scale of work taking place around the clock beneath the streets of London. We are on schedule to provide London and the South East with a fantastic new railway in 2018.” More than 10,000 people are working directly on Crossrail at around 40 construction sites. Over …

Read more »

The low pitch on flat roofs means they are prone to leaks. The damage caused can go unnoticed for long periods of time, as it affects the concealed structures directly beneath the roof. This also means repair is extremely expensive, and can significantly inconvenience the residents or business within the building. A variety of membranes are used to help waterproof flat roofs, but these often require a lot of maintenance. Without proper upkeep, they are prone to penetration by rainwater, as well as sun damage and fungal growth. Resulting rot or blowing of brickwork means a full roof replacement may be required, at huge expense. Many proprietors are starting to see the benefits of liquid roofing, a process that creates a durable, seamless watertight seal on flat …

Read more »

Growth of Conveyancing

Read more »

Morrison Construction’s Michael Martin has taken over as project director of the consortium building the £1.4bn Queensferry Crossing. Transport Scotland is expected to confirm this week that he has taken over from Hochtief’s Carlo Germani, who was chief engineer for the Forth Crossing Bridge Const­ructors consortium. Germani announced he was leaving the project last month after nearly four years heading the bridge building team to take up a new job in Qatar. Martin, 61, has represented Galliford Try-owned Morrison on the four-company consortium for two years and will now take over the chief role for delivering the new Forth bridge project. The Carlisle-born engineer started his career with Ove Arup and was involved in both the Kessock Bridge in Inverness and the building of …

Read more »

Wandsworth Council in London has launched an international competition for architects and engineers to design a new central pedestrian bridge over the Thames. The planed new river crossing would link the Nine Elms development district with Pimlico embankment to the north. It forms part of a £1bn infrastructure package transforming the Nine Elms regeneration area including two new Northern Line tube stops, improvements to rail stations and two riverbus piers. The plan for the design competition comes after a TfL feasibility study confirmed the bridge could cost around £40m and carry around 9,000 walkers and 9,000 cyclists a day. Around four teams will be selected to develop design ideas. Up to £26m is already committed to the project through the development of Nine Elms. The winning …

Read more »

INFRASTRUCTURE and support services group Carillion has secured the £75m contract for the redevelopment of Liverpool Football Club’s main stand at its famous Anfield ground. The award comes after the Wolverhampton-based group was announced back in July as the preferred bidder for the contract.Work on the project, which will add around 8,500 seats to the main stand and increase the overall capacity of Anfield to around 54,000, is expected to start this week and is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2016

Read more »

The Government’s announcement that it will lower the threshold on the Builders Finance Fund to five units has been welcomed by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said: “The Government’s decision to open up applications to the Builders Finance Fund to the very smallest house builders is going to make a real difference to our sector. We know that access to finance is the main barrier to SME house builders increasing their output and the fact that Ministers have taken our advice, shows that government is committed to empowering small local builders and ensuring they can contribute to the much-needed uplift in new homes. “We also welcome the government’s recognition of the need to …

Read more »

Nowadays, like it or not, we are all global companies. Many of our suppliers are based overseas, some of our staff were trained or grew up overseas, and many of the products we use were manufactured and designed overseas. While this means you may be facing stiff competition at home, it’s worth bearing in mind the Chinese saying “when the wind blows you can build a shelter or a windmill”. In these global times, it’s never been easier to find foreign construction opportunities and grow your business overseas. The basic process for finding foreign opportunities is pretty similar to the process you use to find opportunities at home. Firstly, identify suitable opportunities. This can be done via a great variety of websites, journals, and professional associations. Most …

Read more »

Almost three quarters of small and medium sized construction businesses plan to give their employees a pay rise in the next 12 months, according to a survey. Of that number, over a third say that everyone will receive a rise while 41% say the increases will be decided on merit. The figures come from the most recent Close Brothers Business Barometer, a quarterly survey that canvasses the opinion of SME owners and senior management from a range of sectors across the UK on a number of financial and economic issues. Andy Sagar, national sales director for the Construction Division at Close Brothers Asset Finance states: “It’s encouraging that so many construction businesses appear to be optimistic and in a financial position to reward their employees with an increased …

Read more »