News

Bam Construction has confirmed that an air conditioning failure that scuppered this week’s opening concert at its Manchester Co-Op Live arena was unrelated to a previously-discovered issue with ductwork. The Co-op Live arena called off Wednesday night’s (1 May) scheduled Boogie Wit Da Hoodie show after part of an air…

Bam Construction discovered ductwork problems at its thrice-delayed £365m Manchester arena project during acoustic tests last month, Construction News can reveal. A letter to council officers flagging the issue has come to light, hours after a separate air conditioning failure last night caused the last-minute cancellation of its third attempt…

Morgan Sindall is increasing its investment in its housing division to £330m this year, it has announced. A trading announcement by the firm today (2 May) outlined an optimistic outlook, with the firm saying it was confident of delivering a full-year performance in line with expectations. It said its housing…

“Pain/gain” clauses to spread construction risk between clients, contractors and the supply chain will be included in the JCT’s forthcoming target cost contract. A member of the Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) drafting subcommittee has lifted the veil on the Target Cost Contract (TCC 2024) document before its official full release…

M Group claimed top spot in April’s contractor league table with a sizeable one-off job for SSE Renewables. The Hertfordshire-headquartered infrastructure giant’s Morrison Energy Services business was named as main contractor on the £300m Monk Fryston battery storage scheme. The project will create a 320MW system in North Yorkshire capable…

National Grid has appointed five contractors including Laing O’Rourke and Morgan Sindall to deliver £9bn of work on its major upgrade of the electricity network. Morrison Energy Services, Murphy and a joint venture of Vinci subsidiaries Taylor Woodrow and Omexom complete the construction team for the Great Grid Partnership. They…

Devolving major infrastructure planning decisions to local authorities would speed up delivery, experts told MPs this week. A Parliamentary Transport Committee hearing on Wednesday (1 May) heard that the current system, where major infrastructure projects need consent from central government, is slowing down development where it is needed most. “We…

Construction can now go ahead on a Balfour Beatty road scheme worth at least £228m near Manchester after objectors withdrew their legal challenge. Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) had sought a judicial review into the A57 Link Roads project, which will create two roads near the village of Mottram,…

Keltbray failed to raise a key plank of its current appeal against its £20m cover-bidding fine in 2021 during the competition regulator’s initial investigation, a hearing has heard. The contractor is appealing against the financial penalty imposed by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) last year, after the regulator’s investigation…

A group of local authorities is looking for contractors for £800m of roads-related construction work. Central Bedfordshire Council published a formal procurement notice for the Eastern Highways Alliance Framework 4. The deal will cover structural, surfacing, road and capital projects across 11 local authority areas. Work going through the framework…