Author Archives: Ian Weinfass

Former Galliard Homes boss Donagh O’Sullivan has been appointed chief executive of the Battersea Power Station Development Company. O’Sullivan, who had a six-week stint at the helm of troubled Inland Homes prior to its collapse last year, will lead the development company from next week. After starting his career with…

Construction News talks to a client and a contractor who have used the Conflict Avoidance Process (CAP) to resolve issues which have cropped up on contracts. The CAP was established six years ago to help parties avoid expensive legal proceedings to resolve disputes. Read CN's full article about how the…

Hundreds of organisations have signed the Conflict Avoidance Pledge. CN examines whether or not it can make a real difference Six years ago, a group of industry figures announced their plan for helping to resolve contractual disputes without expensive legal fights. They wanted to gather as many players as possible…

With three large employee-owned companies entering administration in the past year, CN asks if the model has inherent weaknesses Buckingham Group, Readie Construction and Michael J Lonsdale are among the biggest contractors to have gone under in the past 12 months. Factors identified by directors of these firms include inflation,…

Keltbray failed to raise a key plank of its current appeal against its £20m cover-bidding fine in 2021 during the competition regulator’s initial investigation, a hearing has heard. The contractor is appealing against the financial penalty imposed by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) last year, after the regulator’s investigation…

Mechanical and electrical (M&E) contractor Enerveo has announced the departure of its chief executive. The firm was bought back from private equity company Aurelius by former parent company SSE in late March. Zak Houlahan, who was appointed by Aurelius in 2021, has been replaced by the company’s chief financial officer…

A local authority faces the prospect of having to change its main contractor on a residential scheme for a second time after the replacement firm announced it was suffering severe financial problems. Last month, client Wokingham Borough Council announced that Osborne would take over a 55-home development called Carnival Place…

A director has been given a suspended jail sentence after knowingly exposing workers to asbestos. Inspectors were called to a building site operated by Eye Track Ltd in Stretford, Manchester, over concerns about unsafe working at height while units were being demolished to make way for eight new homes, according…

The construction sector will enter a worse recession this year than previously foreseen, an industry association has said. Economic analysis by the Construction Products Association (CPA) predicts sector output will decline by 2.2 per cent in 2024. It previously forecast a 0.3 per cent contraction for this year. Beneath the…

The opening of a new £365m entertainment venue has been postponed due to issues with its electrical systems. The Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, set to become the UK’s largest indoor venue, was built by Bam Construct with Wates-owned SES Engineering Services delivering mechanical and electrical works. Test events were…