News

Thousands of people were evacuated from offices in central London on Wednesday afternoon when a fire broke out in cable ducts under Kingsway in Holborn. Flames shot out of an inspection cover and smoke engulfed the area as 70 firefighters tackled the blaze. Evening performances were cancelled in local theatres as the neighbourhood suffered blackouts. London fire brigade said the fire started in a large service duct which carries electrical and gas cables and water pipes beneath the street. Fire crews were still at the scene on Thursday morning. London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Peter Cowup said: “This has been a technically difficult incident to tackle. “The reason that the fire is still burning is because the service tunnel is hard to reach and although firefighters have been …

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A group of five builders have been selected for a new £3bn framework designed to fast-track development of surplus public land. Bouygues, Glasgow builders CCG, Morgan Sindall, Wates and Willmott Dixon have secured places on the four year Social Infrastructure Development  framework, run by contracting authority NPS. The SID framework will be used to deliver projects that span the public sector, from schools and housing through to police stations and care homes. Mike Britch, Managing Director of NPS Group said: “We already have a pipeline of 16 schemes worth around £300m and expect SID to establish itself as the procurement route of choice for both public authorities and charitable bodies.” It will be used to design, finance and construct social infrastructure projects funded through the development …

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The company officially replaces the Highways Agency next week. The improvements over the first five years of operation include: 112 major improvements, including 15 smart motorway projects providing 280 extra miles of capacity, and resurfacing the majority of the network providing a more accessible road system delivering over 150 new cycling facilities and crossings, including 40 by the end of next year, and cycle-proofing new schemes reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on the network by 40% from the 2010 baseline Graham Dalton, Chief Executive of Highways England said: “The launch of Highways England is an incredibly significant moment for those who rely on England’s motorways and major A roads. “As well as delivering the biggest investment in major roads since the 1970s, there will be fundamental changes to …

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Sheffield city council has unveiled plans for a £480m retail quarter to transform the city centre. The ambitious plan designed by Leonard Design Architects comprises 900,000 sq ft of mixed-use accommodation. This will predominantly by retail and leisure led, but also includes over 200,000 sq ft of residential and office space. Sheffield City Council has been assessing the best way forward for the retail quarter since ending a partnership with developer Hammerson in 2013. It plans to part fund the scheme from the New Deal with Government to use tax incremental financing. Simon Green, Sheffield City Council’s Executive Director – Place said: “This is the right time for Sheffield. “We sit at the heart of the devolution debate; we have an ambitious plan for growth; and we are delivering …

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Westminster City Council has approved a £27m scheme to ‘open up’ the Royal Opera House in London. Construction manager Rise will oversee the project which has been designed by architect Stanton Williams in collaboration with Arup. The plans make the entrances and street-level public spaces of the Royal Opera House more open and inviting to the public. Existing spaces, such as the Linbury Studio Theatre and Foyer will be transformed, a new terrace off the Paul Hamlyn Hall will be created and other spaces developed to make the creative, technical and education work of the Royal Opera House more visible. Work expected to start by the end of this year and take two years to complete.

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Flashing hi-ves vests are being developed to warn workers of potential dangers on sites. The SmartVest contains strips of LED lights which flash different colours to warn workers of particular hazards. The vests have been developed by software specialist 3Squared and link-up to its site management system. Workers will be alerted with flashing lights to dangers like oncoming trains on rail sites. Lights will also warn operatives when they enter a dangerous site zone as mapped out on the 3Squared ‘SmartSafe’ virtual zone management platform. Tim Jones, Managing Director of 3Squared, said: “The SmartVest concept innovatively and creatively takes an established product with existing safety benefits into the 21st Century. “We are very excited about what this could mean for construction and infrastructure workers in …

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Each winter the demand for de-icing products spikes significantly as winter is harsher each year. Two of the most common de-icing products are brown and white gritting rock salt. Both products are effective in managing the buildup of ice on roads and pavements and both can be easily spread. In fact, in a short amount of time these rock salts can cover quite a large area. Also, both are cost efficient and effective. Salt works by lowering the melting point of ice. When salt mixes with any moisture or water, a saline solution is created (salty water). This saline solution will freeze at a lower point than fresh water, making it more difficult for ice to form. Brown Rock Gritting Salt Brown rock salt is …

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Main contractor Speller Metcalfe has been hit by a fresh wave of con-artists attempting to trick clients into sending payments to fraudster bank accounts. In the last week swindlers have written to two housing association clients telling them to amend the firm’s bank details for payments. The builder has issued a warning so that other firms do not fall foul of the latest out-break of attacks. The industry was hit by a major case of what is known as mandate fraud several years ago when the Olympic Delivery Authority was conned out of £2.3m. A spokesman for Speller Metcalfe warned that the latest attempts are becoming more sophisticated, using company logos and project names to make them seem convincing. Speller Metcalfe and another external partner firm were …

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It seems that hardly a day goes by without the news featuring a significant proportion of column space to the ongoing housing crises within the UK. Such a crisis in then only emphasised when we consider a few facts and figures. According statistics referenced by the BBC and CBI only 15,698 affordable homes where built between 2011 and 2012 and with the shortfall of homes expected to be around one million, the crisis doesn’t look set for resolution anytime soon. This is then emphasised by there being a growing social housing waiting list with ever more bloated rental prices, with 1.69 million households upon the list to date and a significant jump in affordable housing rent of 7% to £78.78 per week (Gov.uk 2013). With such a political hot potato …

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Auction houses for cheap property is an attractive proposition for those who are looking to build their property portfolio. Transparency is integral and never more so than from your building survey. It seems that this element of purchasing property has long since suffered from a vague and often misunderstood purpose. So what does this then means for the conscientious property developer.   The modern property developer and their legal and financial challenges According to the Home Owners Alliance, only 20% of buyers think they need to get a survey no matter what the condition of age of property they are buying, is this ignorance or experience? As a property developer, you success will be in the finances, but that doesn’t mean you need to purchase a …

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