Author Archives: Joshua Stein

Willmott Dixon has suffered a second successive loss after the collapse of a major mechanical and electrical (M&E) subcontractor cost it £12.8m. Willmott Dixon did not name the subcontractor but said it had been completing works on two unnamed projects when it went under last year, adding that the insolvency…

New housing secretary Angela Rayner could revive two data centre projects on Home Counties greenbelt land that were previously rejected by local councils. Councillors initially ruled against both projects due to their greenbelt status, but faced appeals from the developers. The councils both received letters informing them that Rayner will…

Skanska has hailed “early contractor involvement” as it reports an increased profit for last year. The Swedish contractor’s UK arm, Skanska UK, penned a pre-tax profit of £27.3m in the year to 31 December 2023, up from £24.5m in the previous year. The contractor’s turnover dropped slightly, from £1.38bn to…

The building inspection industry has missed the deadline for ensuring enough qualified building inspectors are available to meet the high demand for work. The Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR’s) deadline for inspectors to prove their competency was already delayed for three months back in March, following concerns by the Local Authority…

For the first time in 14 years a Labour Party prime minister will preside in 10 Downing Street. Keir Starmer forming a new government today (5 July) after winning a majority of 172 seats. The party is expected to boost worker rights and union powers as part of forthcoming labour…

Stevenage-based contractor ARJ Construction owed its subcontractors and supply chain £12.5m when it went under last month. Documents released by administrator FRP Advisory reveal that when it went under ARJ owed subcontractors £4.9m and the wider supply chain £7.6m. It also owed £940,000 to its former employees in redundancy and…

A high court judge has dismissed an attempt to halt groundworks at two HS2 sites in Warwickshire. The Environment Agency (EA) launched legal action last month against HS2, arguing that it had failed to ensure groundworks at the sites would not impact nearby groundwater. It sought an interim injunction, which…

A quarter of all the cladding remediation projects in England have been completed, seven years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Of the 4,374 buildings identified in England with dangerous cladding by the end of May 2024, 1,088 have been remediated to completion, according to government statistics published yesterday. Buildings in…

CN looks into the main parties’ manifestos as the UK general election approaches As the UK prepares to vote on 4 July, how have the main political parties’ manifestos approached the construction sector? Infrastructure The Conservative manifesto criticised “frivolous legal challenges” against big infrastructure schemes, after a five-year term in…

Barhale has nabbed a major job to revamp part of London’s sewer network. The contractor will deliver “essential remediation works” worth £36m to the Northern Outfall Sewer (NOS), which runs above the Jubilee Line and Docklands Light Railway at Manor Road, West Ham. Barhale will both design and build the…