News

Construction industry administrations dipped to a two-year low in April as the overall economy showed signs of recovery. Only 13 firms hit the buffers last month, down from 29 in March, amid easing inflation. This is the lowest level since May 2022, when 11 construction companies went under. Two failed…

A tidal barrage, a hospital and tens of thousands of homes have moved closer to construction with the results of 10 mayoral elections held across the UK last week. Labour politicians made a near-clean sweep on the back of manifestos including a raft of major building projects. In London, Labour…

The main contractor on the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower has spent more than £19m remediating fire safety problems, and has provided for more to come. The firm’s remediation work has so far covered 500 apartment properties, it said in its accounts for the year to 30 September 2023. Rydon named…

The construction industry needs to develop competence frameworks for retrofitting in five new super-specialisms, according to a report by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC). The report, released today (7 May), laid out six core transferable competencies and seven overarching technical competencies for retrofit. In addition, it laid out key actions…

The director of a Cornish housebuilder has been fined more than £60,000 after workers were exposed to asbestos during a hotel demolition job. Paul Stephens, director of Stephens Developers Ltd, pleaded guilty at Truro Crown Court to breaching asbestos regulations, according the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The prosecution by…

Proposals for a new hospital in County Durham could move forward after Ben Houchen was re-elected as Tees Valley mayor. Conservative politician Houchen secured his third term in the post after running on a platform including a pledge to replace the University Hospital of North Tees. Houchen has pledged to…

A north-east London hospital the government promised would be built by 2030 is set to miss the deadline, a project boss has admitted. It is now “highly unlikely” construction will start on the new Whipps Cross Hospital before 2025 and finish before the end of the decade as previously expected,…

The amount of construction materials being purchased each day across the UK has fallen by almost a tenth in just a year, data has revealed. April’s Builders Merchant Building Index report showed that like-for-like sales plummeted by 9.2 per cent in the year to February 2024. Set up and run…

Cumbrian firm Stobbarts has won a £40m infrastructure deal at Sellafield nuclear power station. The Workington firm will support Sir Robert McAlpine on groundworks and concrete jobs at the sprawling Cumbrian plant. The contractor was appointed by Sellafield’s Programme and Project Partners (PPP), a coalition of Kellogg Brown and Root,…

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…