Costain order book swells to £5.4bnCostain ended the financial year in an upbeat mood about 2025 after a late surge in work winning saw forward orders soar 38% to £5.4bn.
The strong finish to the year was driven by a brace of major HS2 tunnel fit-out and power supply contracts, supporting water frameworks for the AMP8 spending round boosted by record water company spending plans.
T…
Hill to start £450m Coventry City Centre SouthHill Partnerships is starting preparation works for the first phase of the highly-anticipated £450m City Centre South regeneration project in Coventry.
The landmark housing-led proposals, masterminded by Hill Group and Shearer Property, are set to radically transform the centre around Coventry market, creating a pedestrian-friendly residential,…
Green light for next phase of Berkeley Fulham siteBerkeley Group company St William has been granted detailed planning permission for phase four of the King’s Road Park masterplan, including 357 homes and 1.9 acres of new parkland and public open space.
The Foster + Partners’ approved design includes a pair of slender residential towers of 28 and 38 storeys and a podium building of…
National Highways trials better management of road materialsNational Highways has appointed Soil Link to trial new approaches in managing and reusing heavy construction materials across its network.
Soil Link’s digital platform and expertise will be used to transform material sourcing and management practices across 4,500 miles of motorways and major A roads.
The trial will aim to drive forward…
Nearly 40 solid wall insulation firms suspendedThe Government has banned 39 solid wall insulation specialists from installing new insulation in people’s homes because of poor-quality work.
Routine checks carried out by quality watchdog TrustMark have uncovered widespread cases of botched solid wall insulation on homes.
The Government has now launched a crackdown on firms that fitted insulation…
Manchester 18-storey top-heavy tower approvedDeveloper Soller has got the planning thumbs up for a distinctive 18-storey tech office project in Manchester that incorporates several buildings at street level.
Designs by architect Howells for the NXQ scheme retain and restore 19th-century buildings on the site while respecting the neighbouring grade II-listed Daily Express Building.
The main tower…
Travis Perkins fined £2m after timber falls from lorry killing driverA court has fined builders’ merchant Travis Perkins £2m after part of a timber load fell off one of its lorries and into the windscreen of an oncoming car, killing the driver.
The firm admitted three safety offences and sentence was passed at Hove Crown Court on Thursday.
On May 13, 2020, father-of-three Jack Stevens, 28,…
Plan approved for Oxford homes and life sciences quarterPlans for a major mixed-use scheme in Oxford on a 15-acre brownfield site have gained outline planning paving the way for a major package of enabling works.
A joint venture between Nuffield College and Oxford City Council – OXWED – aims to transform Oxford’s West End with a new quarter next to Oxpens meadow.
The plans include 234…
Slow spending by Network Rail hits Renew profitsSlower than expected spending by Network Rail in the current £45bn CP7 investment round has prompted a profit warning at infrastructure specialist Renew.
In a trading update to the City today it said: “Trading within the rail sector has been impacted by the slow start to the Control Period (“CP7”), which commenced in April 2024.
“This…
Cartel watchdog drops probe into cement admixturesWatchdogs at the Competition and Markets Authority have closed their probe into suspected anti-competitive conduct in the supply of chemical admixtures for cement, mortars and concrete.
The CMA was working closely with the European Commission, which had also launched an investigation into the sector back in October 2023.
Today the cartel watchdog…