Author Archives: Greg Pitcher

Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds is set to play a key role in a Labour-led review of major UK infrastructure projects. The former London 2012 delivery chief will sit on a panel of experts advising on the probe into ways of slashing the time and cost of big construction projects.…

The Scottish Government has ruled out new hospital construction projects until 2026 at the earliest, a key figure has claimed. NHS Lothian finance director Craig Marriott said ministers north of the border had told local health chiefs that they would be waiting “at least” two years for new capital investment.…

The head of the UK’s spending watchdog has called for a fresh approach to managing construction mega-projects. National Audit Office comptroller Gareth Davies told MPs that for large capital investment, “Whitehall has a governance problem”, and urged the creation of cross-government boards to oversee the country’s largest public construction jobs.…

Health chiefs have appointed a joint venture of Vinci and Sir Robert McAlpine to deliver a £312m overhaul of two hospitals near the Welsh border. Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust appointed Integrated Health Projects (IHP) as design and construction partner for its estate-transformation programme. The joint venture will rejig…

Glencar has grown its profit despite a dip in turnover. The Hertfordshire-headquartered contractor posted a pre-tax profit of £3.4m for the 12 months to 30 September 2023, a quadrupling of the amount it earned the previous year, when it made under £800,000. The increase came despite the group’s revenue dropping…

Construction output has fallen for a second successive month, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics found that £15.6bn of work was carried out in the sector in November 2023. This was down 0.2 per cent on October and 0.6 per cent on September, and represented a six-month…

A drawn-out conflict in the Red Sea could have an impact on the supply and price of materials used on UK construction sites, an expert has warned. Reports were circulating on Monday (15 January) afternoon of a US-owned cargo ship being hit by a missile near the Yemen coast. This…

The government has published plans to ramp up fines for late-running roadworks, in a bid to channel more money towards pothole repair. The Department for Transport launched a consultation on proposals that would also see more of the fees paid by firms to close lanes for the installation of utilities…

Crest Nicholson has further reduced its profit forecasts after uncovering new project and legal costs. In a trading update published this morning (15 January), the homebuilding giant said it expected to post a pre-tax profit of £41m for the year to 31 October 2023. The forecast is down from the…

Five firms have secured work retrofitting energy-efficiency measures across Scotland and Northern Ireland. Bell Group, PHS Home Solutions and Procast Building Contractors were named to carry out refurbishment and installation tasks across both countries. The trio are joined on the Scotland-specific lot of the framework by Paisley business Clark Contracts…