Bid race begins for £1bn concrete road replacement dealNational Highways has opened the bidding for a new six-year framework to deliver a major programme of concrete road replacement.
The new £1bn Legacy Concrete Roads Reconstruction Framework replaces the existing arrangement, which was more focused on repairs than reconstruction.
Under the present £400m five-year framework, Morgan Sinda…
Groundworks specialist Kaybridge faces liquidationMiddlesex based groundworks contractor Kaybridge Construction (Barnet) Ltd is due to be placed into liquidation today.
A deemed consent notice in The Gazette this week confirmed that Redmans Insolvency Services is set to be appointed once confirmed by creditors.
Kaybridge has been in business since 1972 providing groundworks, substructures and…
“Cynical” legal bids to block infrastructure neuteredThe Government is stopping “cyncial” bids to block major infrastructure schemes with multiple legal challenges.
Current rules mean unarguable cases can be dragged through the courts three times – causing years of delay and hundreds of millions of cost to project.
Primary legislation will be changed so that where a judge in an ora…
Watkin Jones returns to trading profitMulti-storey contractor Watkin Jones has returned an operating profit after last year’s plunge to a £38m trading loss.
But £7m of further provisions for building safety works scope changes eroded the £3.6m trading profit to a reported pre-tax loss of £300,000 in the year to September 2024.
Alex Pease, chief executive officer of Watkin Jones, said t…
Social housing firm Fortem targets £300m turnoverSocial housing contractor Fortem has set ambitious growth goals for the next three years.
Willmott Dixon-owned Fortem aims to drive up turnover from £205m to £300m by 2028, with a sharp focus on three distinct business streams: repairs and maintenance, capital works and retrofit programmes.
As part of the strategy, Fortem has made significant…
£150m Bristol student scheme approvedDeveloper Cubex Land has got the planning thumbs up for a 22-storey purpose-built student accommodation scheme in the Temple Quarter of Bristol.
The £150m student living project will provide 530-beds in the Corstorphine & Wright designed building on Albert Road.
Builder Bowmer & Kirkland is tipped to take the project.
The development will include a mix of…
Council pulls £274m road scheme over bat rowNorfolk County Council has withdrawn its planning application for the £274m Norwich Western Link road amid an ongoing row with Natural England over protected bats.
The government conservation advisory body decided to confer “favourable conservation status” on Barbastelle bats in the region last March just days before the application was due to b…
£500m house building framework opens for bidsContractors and consultants are being invited to apply for spots on a North West social housing consortium’s £500m framework.
The invitation to tender has opened with three lots for contractors and seven for consultants for JV North’s framework.
Construction lots range from upwards to £4m, £4m to £12m and £12m and over.
Consultant lots ar…
Government faces £49bn estate maintenance backlogThe government is facing a massive £49bn maintenance backlog across its public estate.
According to spending watchdog the National Audit Office, the staggering figure highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to manage assets, alongside long-term investment planning.
The NAO found that properties owned by the Ministry of Defence,…
Sellafield awards £95m industrial services frameworkIndustrial services contractor Kaeffer has clinched a four-year framework deal for work at the Sellafield site in Cumbria.
The contractor will supply access systems plus asbestos and insulation support under a new arrangement to replace the past Sellafield Industrial Services Framework.
Under the £95m deal, Kaeffer will design, manufactur…