London super sewer turned on after eight years of constructionLondon’s £4.5bn super sewer has now been turned on after eight years of construction work.
The first four of 21 sites have been switched on with the new tunnel starting to protect the River Thames from sewage pollution for the first time.
Valves, which operate like giant gates, are now open at four sites with the rest due to com…
VolkerFitzpatrick starts prep-work for £210m M3 junction upgradeNational Highways has given VolkerFitzpatrick the go-ahead to start compound construction and vegetation management for the M3 Junction 9 Improvement near Winchester in Hampshire.
Construction is set to start in early 2025 and finish in late 2027 on the complex £210m Winnall roundabout scheme.
Programmed works include the creation…
Housing and office new work jump fuels output recoveryA steep rise in private new housing and commercial work returned construction to growth in August.
Monthly construction output increased by 0.4% in volume terms, offsetting a decrease of 0.4% in July.
The recovery was driven by a 1.6% growth spurt in new work, as repair and maintenance fell by 1.0%.
At the sector level, five out of the nin…
£300m London City fringe office tower approvedRocket Property has got the planning green light for a 27-storey office tower on the northern fringe of the City of London.
Designed by architect AHMM, the Shoreditch High Street project will involve 125m main tower with a part 8-storey and part 7 storey building plus two levels of basement.
Known as One Fairchild Street, the £300m scheme will offer…
15 giant bridge beams lifted into place at HS2 stationHS2’s Interchange Station in Solihull is taking shape after a 20-strong team lifted 15 huge bridge beams into position.
The beams were hoisted into place onto existing abutments and piers using a 650-tonne crane to form the ‘building blocks’ of a road bridge that will take vehicles over the high-speed railway and onto the station car…
Ballymore JV picked for £500m King’s Cross schemeLondon’s Camden council has picked developer Ballymore and life sciences developer Lateral to deliver its £500m mixed-use Camley Street project in the King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter.
The development plan is focused on regenerating two nearby former light industrial sites at Camley Street and Cedar Way covering around 3.56 acres.
The planned…
Construction firms face claw back of R&D tax creditsCompanies across construction are dreading demands from HMRC as the authorities look to claw back millions in Research and Development tax breaks.
Credits under the scheme give companies tax relief when they invest in innovation.
But HMRC believe the system has been abused by firms and R&D tax credit advisers who take a cut of any rebates…
M&E specialist Integral UK suffers fifth year of lossesLosses at building services and FM specialist Integral UK deepened last year to £32m, marking the fifth consecutive year in the red for the specialist contractor.
These problems prompted a £3m round of redundancies last year and saw Integral’s US property investor owner Jones Lang LaSalle inject £15m into the business last March to…
Willmott Dixon bounces back into profit in first halfWillmott Dixon bounced back into the black in the first six months of the year with better profits than expected and a record order book .
Chief executive officer Graham Dundas said Willmott Dixon enjoyed a ‘prompt and healthy return to profit’ after what had been a difficult 2023 when it suffered a £14m pre-tax loss due partly to t…
Downing submits 430-bed London student schemeHybrid developer and contractor Downing has submitted plans for a 430-bed student accommodation and commercial scheme in South London.
The Liverpool-based firm plans to transform a brownfield site at 2 Armoury Way in Wandsworth with two 10-storey towers.
The location is part of the “Gasholder Site, Armoury Way” area, a key component of…