Clive Docwra is managing director of McBains The government’s back-pedalling on net-zero policies is, as Construction News reported, a source of confusion and frustration for the construction industry. Cast your mind back to less than two years ago, when former PM Boris Johnson opened the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow,…
The cost-of-living crisis and volatility in interest rates is taking its toll on the construction industry. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the SME level. In March 2023, insolvencies in construction represented 18 per cent of all companies that failed. It is the worst performing month that the industry…
Chris Hallam is a partner at law firm CMS The government’s ongoing refusal to guarantee the western leg of HS2, having already amputated the eastern leg, leaves a once ambitious and transformative infrastructure project resembling some kind of Shakespearean drama of equal parts tragedy and comedy. We understand ministers are…
Few clients can offer pipelines of work stretching decades ahead, but Sellafield has projects planned for up to a century for the safe storage of nuclear waste long after the plant’s operations cease. It needs talent in an array of construction disciplines – not all of them involving nuclear expertise…
Sue Ryan and Gemma Whittaker are construction partners, and Emma Knight is a principal associate, at Gowling WLG Almost all building work carried out in England must comply with building regulations. Historically, however, the sanctions for breaching the rules were minimal. Dame Judith Hackitt notably described the penalties as “so…
From 2025, the Future Homes Standard will require new-build homes to have low-carbon heating and conform to demanding levels of energy efficiency. The aim is a 75 to 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared with homes built under the current Building Regulations. In addition, local planning authorities are…
Stuart Bosley is managing director of quantum and project advisory at DeSimone Consulting Engineering In the world of construction and architecture, buildings speak of the aspirations and challenges of the era they come from. One such material that has painted a significant chapter in the annals of the UK’s construction…
David Savage is a partner and the construction & infrastructure co-lead at Charles Russell Speechlys The 1st October is a big day for the construction sector. This date marks the new building-control regime for higher-risk buildings (HRBs) and the deadline for submitting the application to register any qualifying HRBs that…
Richard Adams (pictured above left) is a partner and George Bridge (above right) is a solicitor at law firm Burges Salmon A month or so ago, most people had never heard of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC. The government’s recent decision to close all English school buildings constructed using…
Hywel Davies is chief technical officer of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) On 17 August, the government published new regulations for higher-risk buildings (HRBs) and major changes to the Building Regulations that will enable further parts of the Building Safety Act to be fully implemented in England…
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