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A new study has revealed that just under half of construction workers don’t carry out DIY jobs around their own home, despite the nature of their jobs. ‘A lack of time to do DIY’  and ‘lessened confidence with different capabilities’ emerged as the most common reasons behind respondents lack of DIY skills. Almost half of construction workers in the UK refuse to carry out any DIY jobs around their own homes, according to a new study conducted by a leading business insurance website In a bid to further extend its research into the habits and lifestyle preferences of those working within the UK construction industry, the team at www.constructaquote.com polled a total of 2,038 UK based construction workers for the study. Those taking part in the …

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The Innovative Design Lab – The Centre for Urban Design, Architecture and Sustainability  TWO new research centres that aim to use design and technology to solve problems of modern living and improve the quality and sustainability of the urban environment have been established at the University of Huddersfield. They will carry out important research and teach the next generations of experts in the field. The centres – which come under the aegis of the University’s School of Art, Design and Architecture – are the Innovative Design Lab (IDL) and the Centre for Urban Design, Architecture and Sustainability (CUDAS). The IDL is headed by Professor Patricia Tzortzopoulos Fazenda, an architect with industrial experience in collaborative design integration and management who is the University’s Professor of Integrated Design and …

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After several flat years, the commercial property market in London has really taken off. In 2014, investment in commercial property in the city reached record-breaking levels. During the first 3 months of 2014, over £4.3bn was invested into commercial real estate in the centre of London and the tide of money has not stopped since. Much of that money has come from overseas investors who are looking for a slice of the pie. They know that the availability of office space in Mayfair, The City of London and other business districts is limited. Yet there is a lot of demand with thousands of new firms setting themselves up in the capital every year. For investors interested in commercial real estate London presents a fantastic opportunity. The influx of …

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There are many good reasons why you might be looking to invest in real estate in your retirement years. Property gives you security and is functional, giving you a place to live in all or part of the year. Of course, with property and real estate – whether it’s a residential home, commercial property or a piece of land – location is everything. Where your property is located will determine its cost and investment value, and, of course, whether it’s somewhere you would want to spend time yourself. If part of your investment plan is to let your property as a holiday home, or indeed to lease it as commercial premises, then location is also crucial. Looking abroad Given the above considerations, your best bet …

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Lancashire County Council has finally fired the starting gun on finding a contractor to build the Broughton Bypass. The Broughton Bypass scheme will be one of the first schemes to be delivered as part of the £383m Preston and surrounding area City Deal after first being mooted 20 years ago. Council highways experts believe the bypass would reduce 80-90% of the traffic currently passing through the village centre. Many housing developments are currently stalled because the transport infrastructure in the area cannot take any increase in vehicles – according to reports submitted to the city council’s planning committee. The 2km long bypass will create a new route from the Broughton roundabout at Junction 1 of the M55 to the A6 north of the village. The bypass route in the northern …

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Plans by house builder Wainhomes South to build nearly 60 houses in Plymouth have been stopped in their tracks by one of the world’s rarest spiders. Known as the ‘horrid ground-weaver spider’, it is so rare it was only discovered in 1989 and has been found in just three limestone quarries dotted around Plymouth. One of these has already been developed and Wainhomes had the misfortune to pick another at Radford Quarry as the site for its latest housing scheme. Campaigners fighting to protect the tiny spider, which measures just 2.5mm and lives in the cracks and crevices of old limestone quarries, launched a Save Our Spider petition on the internet, which was signed by nearly 10,000 people. City council planners last year rejected the housing plans and Wainhomes’ appeal …

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Shangri-La has issued a claim for £57m against John Sisk & Son following delays over the fit-out of its luxury hotel in the Shard. A High Court writ has been lodged by the hotel operator against the contractor. Sisk is strenuously denying the claims. Sisk won the £40m fit out contract in early 2012 amid strong competition from Mace, Mivan, ISG and Chorus. But the job started running behind schedule and in August 2013 Sisk was removed from the contract and replaced by Chorus. A Sisk spokesman told the Enquirer: “Since the summer of 2013,  upon the purported termination of its contract on the Shangri La Hotel at The Shard,  John Sisk & Son has been trying to reach a financial settlement with Shangri …

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The major milestone on the £14.8bn scheme has seen boring machines drive through 26 miles of new tunnels Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin joined the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London at Farringdon today to celebrate the end of tunnelling on the Crossrail scheme. Work began in the summer of 2012, with eight 1,000-tonne tunnelling machines boring 26 miles of new rail tunnels underneath the capital. Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Crossrail is an incredible feat of engineering that will help to improve the lives of working people in London and beyond. “The project is a vital part of our long term plan to build a more resilient economy by helping businesses to grow, compete and create jobs right along the supply chain.” McLoughlin added: “This is a …

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New Research Reveals the UK’s Hardest Places to Find Work in Construction New research conducted by a leading business insurance website has revealed the areas within the UK where particular construction workers are struggling the most to find regular work. The study found that 15% of construction workers in the North East and 13% in Wales are currently struggling to find regular and reliable work, with electricians and bricklayers struggling the most across the UK. After it was recently revealed that the UK construction sector rebounded in May from a near two-year low in April, researchers at a leading business insurance website decided to look into how construction workers around different regions of the UK are finding the search for work. The team at www.constructaquote….

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Network Rail director of safety strategy Emma Head will join the HS2 team as corporate health and safety director in August. With 16 years’ experience in UK rail, she led the strategic safety agenda focusing on technology, working practices, culture change, risk management and system safety both internally and across the industry. She has worked on both the client and contractor side of the industry across major engineering schemes like the West Coast Route Modernisation Project and London’s Crossrail. Before Network Rail she worked for nearly two years with Morgan Sindall and for over six years with Barhale. HS2, chief executive Simon Kirby said: “Emma represents a hugely important addition to the HS2 team. “Her experience of driving through effective and lasting change on the existing rail network …

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