News

New research has revealed that local councils will be forced to slash spending on house building and repair and maintenance by hundreds of millions of pounds in the next financial year. The Labour-controlled Association of Metropolitan Authorities said this week it expected spending to fall by as much as £1,000…

Striking construction workers returned to work this week at Sellafield and Canary Wharf.But talks to end a third dispute at Sizewell B broke up without agreement on Tuesday. Cleveland Bridge sacked 86 steel erectors and welders at the nuclear power station site two weeks ago after they went on unofficial…

A call for registration of subcontractors, and greater regulation of their work, looks likely to come out of today's meeting of NEDO's Construction Industry Sector Group. Five recommendations drawn up by Clifford Dyer, a sector group member and the retired managing director of the Cheshire construction firm HH Robertson, will…

Walter Lawrence has won a £7.5 million contract by Marconi Defence Systems to build offices in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.The contract, due for completion in May 1991, has been designed by Chetwood Green and involves the construction of about 12,000 sq m of office and research buildings and a further 12,000…

Bids will be invited soon for initial site and foundation works as the first stage of a 300MW gas turbine generating station at Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, for China Light and Power.Allott and Lomax is leading a group of consultants which includes Maunsell Consultants Asia and TK Tsui and Associates…

Gleeson has taken two contracts together worth £41 million from Land and Property Trust to redevelop a 0.4 ha site in Smithfield, City of London.The firm is currently working on a £3.7 million substructure contract and has clinched a £37 million job to build 25,000 sq m of the 30,000…

High-flying women civil engineers are earning less than their male colleagues.Women work their way up through the industry's ranks far quicker than men. But because pay is age-related, women doing an equivalent job get less in their wage packets at the end of every month.The latest salary survey from the…

Contractors last week slammed top consultant Claude Mathurin's plans to license construction firms in the European Community.Mr Mathurin was appointed by the European Commission nearly two years ago to look at possible ways of harmonising liability and forms of contract in the European construction industry. An English version of his…

Dache Estate.JOB: The refurbishment of 26 three-storey blocks of flats and some two-storey blocks of maisonettes.TIME PERIOD: Anticipated start date is March 12 for completion in 65 weeks.CONTRACTOR: Bullock Construction (in a co-operative venture with Lovell Partnership Homes), Farrow House, Atlantic Street, Altrincham, Cheshire.AWARDED BY: Chester City Council.PLANS: Kingham Knight…

Tongwell Street V II.JOB: The construction of a carriageway, cycle tracks, footways and associated works together with a three-span bridge over the River Ouzel.TIME PERIOD: Work is due to start in March for completion in 52 weeks.CONTRACTOR: Galliford and Sons, Wolvey, near Hickley, Leicestershire.AWARDED BY: Milton Keynes Development Corporation.PLANS: Pell…