Author Archives: Contributor

Housebuilding targets should be put on an equal footing to environmental goals, a House of Lords committee has said. The Lords’ Built Environment Committee report says the way conflicts are managed between new housing and the needs of the environment results in “failing to deliver” both, according to Construction News’ sister…

Tristan Hughes is business unit manager at water-service provider OSSO The UK experiences the fifth-largest average precipitation in Europe. While frequently complained about, the steady supply of rainfall is critical for the country’s water supply. But it also poses major challenges. The duty of care for any construction firm or…

Amy Pairman is an associate and Eric Johnstone is a senior associate at law firm Brodies On 17 August, the government released its response to its 2022 consultation on the new building-control regime for ‘high-risk buildings’, as part of changes under the Building Safety Act. The government has also published,…

Zoe Cooper is ‘of counsel’ with law firm CMS The importation, supply and use of asbestos was fully banned in 1999. Despite that, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that asbestos continues to kill about 5,000 workers each year, and is found in around 300,000 non-domestic properties and significantly…

When it comes to tackling the biggest culprits for embodied carbon in the built environment, silver bullets are in short supply. By Kristina Smith The construction industry is awash with decarbonisation roadmaps and plans for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Most have milestone goals set at 2030 – an…

Brad Woodroffe is a senior associate at law firm CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang The wait is over for the new regulatory framework for the design and construction phase of higher-risk buildings (being non-excluded buildings of at least 18 metres or seven storeys and which contain at least two residential…

Yaasica Hamilton-Haye is a senior construction solicitor at Devonshires The use of e-scooters and e-bikes is steadily growing in the UK. It is now a common sight to see riders zipping across pavements and roads. While reducing the number of cars on the road is by no means a bad…

Pauline Lam, a senior associate at Russell-Cooke LLP, instructing Robert Bowker of Tanfield Chambers, acted for the leaseholders of 2-4 Leigham Court Road Kedai Ltd, the landlord of a London residential development, has been ordered by the First-tier Tribunal to carry out remediation under the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022…

Etienne Sharp is an associate director at design and architecture practice MoreySmith  Repurposing and repositioning old-stock buildings to create business headquarters and office workspaces is a process that presents a unique set of challenges for developers and architects alike. It requires a delicate balance between preserving historic charm and incorporating…

Andy Beard is global head of cost and commercial management at Mace. Having explored the macroeconomic and microeconomic pressures on the construction sector, he now examines how contractors can overcome the factors holding them back. The impact of high interest rates and inflation for contractors is well-known – but how…