News

Sector welcomes King’s Speech but calls for detail

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The government’s plans to increase growth across the construction sector have been broadly welcomed by senior figures. The raft of measures set out in the King’s Speech received cautious support, with responses including pledges to work with politicians at all levels to turn the opportunities into reality. Alongside the traditional…

Kier delayed on Oxford bridge replacement works

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Network Rail and Kier have indefinitely delayed the replacement of a railway bridge as part of a £161m upgrade to Oxford Station.  The replacement of the bridge over Botley Road had been due to take place at the end of July, but has now been paused due to delays in…

Scottish Water hunts contractor for £285m facility

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Scottish Water is on the lookout for contractors to build a bumper processing facility in Scotland. The water company is in the early stages of its search, and is looking for proposals to take on the mammoth project in central Scotland, which will process around 85,000 tonnes of dry solids…

King’s Speech unveils drive for housing and infrastructure

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The new government has revealed plans in the King’s Speech for a “mission-led” drive to create economic growth and jobs – creating clear opportunities for the construction industry. The ceremonial speech from King Charles, delivered this morning, set out the legislation aimed at meeting Number 10’s pledge to “build more…

Morgan Sindall picks up £32m waste recycling job

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Morgan Sindall has been awarded a £32m job to develop a household waste recycling centre in Walsall. The contractor will build the new centre on a six-hectare site in the West Midlands town. The site will also include a waste transfer centre. The entire site will have a capacity of…

Specialist lands facade package on £300m London development

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Permasteelisa has landed the facade package on the £300m Salisbury Square development on Fleet Street in the City of London. The buildings, also known as the Justice Quarter, will serve as a new court and City of London Police headquarters. Mace is the main contractor on the job, and Keltbray…

Infrastructure and planning to top King’s Speech

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Employment rights, planning laws and UK infrastructure are set for major overhaul, starting with new legislation to be announced in the King’s Speech. The new government will continue its frenetic pace of change with the traditional announcement of new laws for the parliamentary session, many of which are expected to…

Mace posts record £2.3bn revenue

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Mace has posted record turnover and profit figures in its latest annual accounts, including its highest construction revenue for five years. Turnover rose by 25 per cent in the 2023 calendar year to reach £2.36bn while pre-tax profit soared by 69 per cent to £61.7m. The profit figure was restated…

Steel specialist reports small profit drop amid market contraction

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Steel specialist J&D Pierce has reported a small drop in profit following tough market conditions. The Ayrshire-based specialist, which delivered structural steelwork for Liverpool Football Club’s £80m Anfield Road stand revamp (pictured) last year, tabled a pre-tax profit of £13.3m in the year to 31 December 2023, in comparison to…

New version of Common Assessment Standard released by Build UK

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Industry body Build UK has released an updated version of the Common Assessment Standard (CAS), including new questions on firms’ building-safety capabilities. The CAS is an industry-agreed set of questions and corresponding assessment standards that can pre-qualify construction suppliers for projects. The updated version (V4) contains a new Building Safety…