News

There is only one remaining area of the country where house prices are less than three times the average national salary The borough of Copeland in north-west England is the last “affordable” area left in England, where the average house price is less than three times the average annual salary. According to a study by the Trade Union Congress, one in five local authorities were deemed “easily affordable” in 1997 with the cost of a home below three times earnings. However, the federation of national trade unions has found that this number has now shrunk to just one area. The combination of the housing market recovery across the UK and low wage growth since the recession means that areas which were traditionally accessible such as …

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Tony Pidgley, the charismatic founder and boss of Berkeley Group, is famous for calling the top of the housing market during the downturn. Today, the London housebuilder holds its Annual General Meeting – and in a trading statement this morning, Pidgley said the market is “stabilising”: Since the start of the current financial year, the market has reverted to normal transaction levels from the high point in 2013, providing a stable operating environment. Demand for the right product with good design in the best locations has remained resilient. This follows a statement by newly-floated estate agent Foxtons last week, which suggested the London market is cooling. Stability seemed to be word of the day, with the statement also indicating no change to current earnings expectations: With a …

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In the construction business, the task of designing and completing a large construction project both on schedule and on budget depends on a solid and effective building project management strategy. One of the most important elements of an effective project management strategy is the creation of a high degree of synchronization throughout the team. The team’s ability to collaborate effectively is, in fact, the only way to make sure that the construction will be successful and to the client’s specifications. A construction team that is not working together and communicating effectively could lead to the project hitting snags along the way, some quite serious. Unfiled paperwork, incorrect documentation and miscommunication between different work teams can result in costly delays and even the cancellation of the project altogether. …

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Carillion has given up on merger talks with Balfour Beatty. Carillion’s decision came as Balfour rejected a third approach on Wednesday morning. Balfour also said it would not be asking for an extension to Thursday’s takeover panel deadline. Carillion confirmed in a Stock Exchange announcement: “The Board of Balfour Beatty has not agreed to Carillion’s proposal or to request an extension to the Put Up or Shut Up deadline which expires at 5pm 21 August 2014. “Carillion therefore today announces that it is no longer pursuing such a merger.” The move means Carillion cannot come back with another offer for Balfour for at least six months.

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Two Stoke-on-Trent brothers with little experience of construction have been  jailed after they exposed workers to asbestos. At least seven workers are known to have been exposed to asbestos – one aged just 17 at the time – by Akram Hussain, 52, of City Road, and Inam Hussain, 47, of Boughey Road, during refurbishment work at a former print works since February 2012. Stafford Crown Court heard that neither was qualified or experienced in construction, demolition or refurbishment work; nor were they licensed to remove asbestos. Akram Hussain is a snooker hall manager and Inam Hussain a taxi driver, although they have been carrying out the work on the building for around ten years. Despite repeated visits from HSE inspectors and numerous enforcement notices warning them of their failings, …

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Costain is well on course to see turnover top £1bn again after delivering strong growth at the infrastructure division in the first half of the year. The firm lifted orders by 10% this year to a record £3.2bn, completing its transformation in to a major engineering services player. But Costain also revealed it had decided to exit the waste sector after it suffered losses during the first half of the year at the natural resources division from extra costs on its Greater Manchester Waste PFI job. This weighed down a positive overall operating performance at the water, oil & gas, and nuclear process arm. David Allvey, Chairman, said: “The increasingly strategic nature of our long-term customer relationships has ensured that over 90% of the order …

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A construction start date for the £315m Circuit of Wales has moved a step closer after backers of the racetrack scheme signed a deal to host motorcycling’s British MotoGP. Next year’s race will be staged at an alternative British venue before the 2016 event takes place at the newly built track near Ebbw Vale. Spanish giant FCC and local civil engineer Alun Griffiths (Contractors) were due to start on site last year but the project has been delayed by planning wrangles. Michael Carrick, Chief Executive of the Circuit of Wales, described the deal as a “significant landmark in the development” of the project. He said: “MotoGP is the pinnacle of global motorcycle racing and expectations within the series and of its millions of fans worldwide are for …

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Construction plant that is more than 10 years old will be banned in London under Mayor Boris Johnson’s plan to improve the capital’s air quality.  Fresh planning rules will require all construction equipment to meet strict new standards for both particulates and nitrogen oxides, cutting emissions by  40%  by 2020. They will also slap tighter controls on dust from construction and demolition, which is claimed to generate up to 15% of air pollutant emissions in London. London’s borough councils will start implementing the tough new regulations through the planning system from September 2015. Equipment over 10 years old will need to replaced or retrofitted on all developments in central London and major developments in outer London or more than 10 homes or 1,000 sq ft. While other cities and countries have introduced …

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The first wave of projects to benefit from a £1bn scheme to kick-start building work on 200,000 new homes was confirmed by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles today. Pickles has published a shortlist of 36 large-scale housing projects in line to receive a share of £850m of funding to get work going onsite. The £850m is part of the government’s £1 billion programme to build the infrastructure needed for large schemes containing more than 1,500 homes. The money will go towards the building of road improvement, schools and parks to support the extra homes being planned. The 36 projects will now go through a final rigorous due diligence process before receiving the funding. The funding will be available between 2015 and 2020 and will be in the form of …

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The order includes DC electric scissor lifts, electric vertical masts and its first diesel-powered rough terrain scissor lifts. Deliveries have already begun and the full line-up of machines will arrive over the coming months. Speedy is updating and expanding its entire fleet of access equipment so that no machine at any of its depots will predate 2013. “Skyjacks are industry-leading machines that are widely recognized as the easiest to work on, so I am delighted to welcome so many to our fleet and I’m confident they will serve our huge range of customers well,” said Speedy supply chain director Andy Connor. “With energy costs increasing on a daily basis, we want the latest products on the market, both in terms of sustainability and innovation. …

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