News

The Office for National Statistics said the building industry grew by 1.4 per cent in the quarter to June 30.Overall, exports hit a record high of £78.4billion with growth of 3.2 per cent last month alone. As a result, the trade deficit in goods fell to £8.1billion in June from May’s £8.7billion, but a £6.5billion service sector surplus cut the overall figure to £1.6billion. Exports to China rose 20 per cent on last year and exports outside the EU rose by £1.3billion to £14.2billion in June. Manufacturing output was also up 1.9 per cent. The growth was mostly driven by trade with non-EU countries – a positive sign that UK companies are seeking customers further afield

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Giant towers were supposed to be a symbol of Spain’s bright new future Lift exists for first 20 floors – but developers doubled scale of building Now there is no more space for more lifts and motor equipment Architects have resigned after latest setback in beleaguered project The 200metre high InTempo towers in Benidorm were billed as ‘a vision of the future’ and a symbol of Spain’s reemergence from a crippling financial crisis. With 47 floors of living space it was intended to be the tallest residential building in Europe. But with only months until it is due for completion, contractors have hit upon a slight problem . They forgot to build a lift. The towers were originally designed to be only 20 floors high, but ambitious developers…

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Output from the UK’s construction sites rose more than first thought between April and June as Government schemes spurred on housebuilding. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said construction output increased 1.4 per cent on the first three months of the year – up from an initial estimate of 0.9 per cent – although it was still down 0.5 per cent on the second quarter of 2012 as the sector claws slowly out of its trough. Experts said there was a slight chance the better-than-expected performance could see the ONS revise up its initial estimate of 0.6 per cent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) during the second quarter. Private sector housebuilding surged 7.6 per cent higher from the weather-hit first quarter and was up 8.2 per cent on the second quarter of 2012, …

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Chester Zoo has signed up Laing O’Rourke to create a series of exotic islands. Above: Sumatran orangutans . Under its £30m contract, Laing O’Rourke will transform an unused part of the zoo’s estate into the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Sumatra, Sumba and Sulawesi. Linked by a series of bridges and including a journey on water, the zoo’s new Islands zone will be home to animals and plants from southeast Asian islands. Work starts on site in August, with completion set for 2015. Chester Zoo development director Simon Mann said: “This marks a new stage in the development of Chester Zoo and it will be unlike anything experienced before in a UK zoo. Islands is a complex project that includes the creation of landscaping themed to each island, …

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THE Leeds City Region has launched a new £10 million fund – with backing by City of York Council – to support major construction projects and bring more jobs and growth. Submissions of interest for short term debt finance for commercially viable projects are being invited. The fund will target large scale asset based construction projects including housing, with the minimum investment level set at £1 million. York council’s ruling cabinet has approved a £1.6 million investment in the Revolving Investment Fund.

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A complex tax fraud involving the supposed sale of fictitious concrete crushing machines has led to the conviction of a gang of 17 people. The gang, masterminded by Paul Hackney from Stoke-on-Trent, set up a string of companies to steal money from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) so that they could buy high performance cars, expensive jewellery and exotic holidays at the taxpayer’s expense. They had helped themselves to £2.3m before they were caught. The group fabricated transactions and sales of construction equipment. They produced fake invoices and paperwork to try and make their companies look like legitimate traders to reclaim VAT on sales and exports. They did not pay any VAT as the ‘goods’ didn’t exist. HMRC assistant director of criminal investigation Adrian Farley …

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Sellafield failed by private clean-up firms: Series of expensive mistakes has led to review at nuclear plant The Government is expected to take back control of the clean-up of nuclear waste at Cumbria’s Sellafield, following a string of failures by a private sector consortium of US, French and British engineers. Alarmed by spiralling budgets – £70bn and counting – and a series of delays to crucial projects, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has quietly drafted in a team of consultants from the accountants KPMG to review how Sellafield is run, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. It is running through three options to sort out a situation in which 12 of 14 major projects were behind schedule last year, as well as last month’s £700,000 …

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A £4m housing scheme on Liverpool’s Boot Estate has transformed 74 derelict properties earmarked for demolition a decade ago into quality eco-homes. Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH) has overhauled the three-bedroom properties as part of the Ellergreen Development. The project was financed via resources from LMH, funds from the Community Energy Saving Programme – a subsidy from an energy company in return for carbon reduction savings – and a £750,000 contribution from Liverpool City Council. The homes feature a range of green technologies that will reduce tenant’s fuel bills and cut carbon emissions by 3,000 tonnes making them more efficient than new build house regulations demand. Solar panels have been fitted to some roofs to provide electricity and ‘A’ rated double-glazed windows and doors installed to …

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