The latest news this week in the Construction Industry:

 

Balfour Beatty delivers 2-3% construction margin goal

Balfour Beatty chief Leo Quinn has achieved his goal of returning the business to industry standard margins by the end of this year. Read more…

VolkerHighways to replace Skanska on Bath roads

Bath and North East Somerset Council has picked VolkerHighways to deliver its £49m highways maintenance services for the next seven years. Read more…

Modular village to be built in Corby for London commuters

Groundworks will start this month on a new modular village in Corby, Northants targeted at London commuters. Read more…

Big Yellow 20-floor flats and storage scheme approved

Big Yellow Group has gained planning for a 20-storey residential block and separate self storage building in South London. Read more…

RSK buys scaffolding and traffic specialists

Expanding consultant RSK Group has acquired another raft of companies after securing a new financing package. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Rail Industry:

 

175 years of progress

Electrification of the Great Western main line (GWML) reached a new milestone at the end of October when, following the installation of overhead electrical equipment from Didcot Parkway, the first revenue service operating under electric power pulled into Swindon station. Read more…

Winner Announced in the Network Rail Footbridge Design Ideas  Competition

Network Rail and RIBA Competitions are delighted to announce the winner and highly commended entry in the competition seeking new design ideas for footbridges. Read more…

The past, present and future: A look at electrification of the UK’s railways

Standing here on the platforms of the electrified York station, breathing in a fog of diesel fumes from five diesel trains awaiting departure, it is easy to wonder what went wrong. Read more…

New HQ for Auctus Management Group following significant growth

Specialist infrastructure services provider Auctus Management Group (AMG), as well as its subsidiaries INFRA Skills and RSS Infrastructure (RSSI), have relocated their headquarters to a new 10,000 sq ft premises in the heart of the West Midlands. Read more…

Passengers across London reminded to check before they travel this Christmas and New Year

Rail passengers preparing for their Christmas getaway this week are being issued a final reminder to plan their journeys. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment:

 

Hitachi and Spencer Group join forces for £500m Tyne and Wear Metro deal bid

Hitachi and Spencer Group have launched a joint bid to win a £500m contract to build new trains and a maintenance depot for the Tyne and Wear Metro. Read more…

Balfour Beatty delivers 2-3% construction margin goal

Balfour Beatty chief Leo Quinn has achieved his goal of returning the business to industry standard margins by the end of this year. Read more…

London millennial exodus fueling rental growth across UK

Across the UK’s regional hubs, rents are continuing to spiral upwards faster than both London and the UK average, driven by workers continuing to relocate from London amid rising living costs. Read more…

Scottish Water trials use of sniffer dogs to find leaks

Sniffer dogs are being used to help find leaking water mains for the first time in Scotland and have scored a big success with two discoveries in the past few days. Read more…

Infrastructure giant Amey to be sold to private equity firm in new year

Infrastructure giant Amey is expected to be sold to a private equity firm in the new year, according to reports. Read more…

Northumbrian Water agrees ‘second life’ energy storage deal

Northumbrian Water is planning to pilot the use of large-scale battery storage at a number of sites across the North East, Essex and Suffolk. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Property Industry:

 

Top housing association hires Lendlease resi chief

Lendlease’s head of residential is leaving the firm to join the board of leading housing association Clarion Group.

Read more…

Law Commission consults on commonhold

The 13th Law Commission has published its Consultation Paper on commonhold reform, “Reinvigorating commonhold: the alternative to leasehold ownership”. Read more…

Modular building specialist goes into administration

Timber modular building specialist Carbon Dynamic has fallen into administration with the loss of 40 jobs. Read more…

280,000 homes could be built above rail tracks in London, says WSP

Engineering firm WSP found that space above train, overground and tube lines could result in an additional 2,470 hectares of land available for residential buildings across London, the equivalent of 280,000 homes. Read more…

Which property type produces the best yields?

New data from specialist online buy-to-let agency, yieldit, has revealed some interesting insight into which properties might produce the highest yields for landlords looking to invest in the UK’s residential property market. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Water & Utilities Industry:

 

Severn Trent saves £750K using drone inspections

Severn Trent has made savings of £750,000 in the last year through the use of drones for more efficient asset inspections, it has been reported. Read more…

England’s 2017 Recycling Figures Show 0.3% Increase

The official England waste from households recycling rate for 2017 was 45.2%, up 0.3 percentage points from 44.9% in 2016, according to the latest figures. Read more…

Yorkshire Water to open up water resources data

With the summer’s unusually dry weather continuing into the winter months, Yorkshire Water has announced it is to become the first water company to regularly publish its full data on the region’s water resources to allow customers to see for themselves how dry weather and increased demand are having an impact. Read more…

LondonEnergy Awarded NLWA Energy Recovery Facility Contract

North London Waste Authority (NLWA) members announced it has awarded LondonEnergy Ltd with a contract to manage the waste collected by the seven north London Boroughs and to operate the replacement Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at Edmonton EcoPark. Read more…

Thames deploys hundreds of night-time leak detectors

Hundreds of Thames Water engineers are walking the streets at night to pinpoint leakage from the company’s 20,000-mile water pipe network. Read more…

Thames to help fund £60M green surface water management schemes

Thames Water will partner with stakeholders and local authorities to fund £60 million of surface water management (SWM) schemes including green spaces, removing hard, impermeable surfaces such as concrete and asphalt in areas most at risk of flooding. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Construction Industry:

 

Kier selected to deliver £45m Northstowe Education Campus

Kier has been chosen by Cambridgeshire County Council to carry out the first phase of the design and construction of its brand new £45m Northstowe Education Campus. Read more…

£300m Blackpool leisure development plans announced

The Blackpool Central development is set to bring world-class attractions to the Golden Mile. Read more…

Kier scores November contracts league double

Kier has come top of the monthly contracts league for work won in November and continued to hold pole position in the 12-month rolling league table. Read more…

Forrest falls into administration

Contractor Herbert T Forrest Limited has lost its fight for survival after administrators were appointed to the company. Read more…

£2bn Elephant & Castle shopping centre scheme final go-ahead

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has rubber-stamped £2bn plans for the redevelopment of the Elephant & Castle shopping centre in South London. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Rail Industry

 

Trial service to help staff manage mental health conditions at work

RSSB has secured funding to trial an independent service on behalf of the industry to support staff whose employment is made more challenging due to mental health problems. Read more…

Consultation confirms public support for new rail link between Heathrow and the west

Plans for a new rail link between Heathrow and the west have been overwhelmingly supported in a new consultation published by Network Rail. Read more…

London mayor criticised after appointing former auditor and advisor to investigate Crossrail delays

Sadiq Khan has come under fire over a Crossrail probe after he appointed a former auditor and adviser for the Elizabeth Line project to investigate the delays and spiralling costs. Read more…

How a revised standard will change the way fatigue is managed

Being tired was never really considered a cause of safety incidents – at best its role was underestimated. Read more…

Rail Sector Deal: Three new Midlands pilots launched to help SMEs and share data

Given its position in the “heart of the rail industry,” the Midlands will play host to pilots on a new rail data platform, a scheme supporting high-potential SMEs, and a skills programme to stimulate apprenticeships. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

Coca-Cola Invests In Supply Of 100% Recycled PET Plastic

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is making a new strategic investment from Loop Industries to purchase a supply of 100% recycled PET (rPET) plastic to accelerate the increased use of recycled materials in the creation of its bottles. Read more…

ISG lands £70m refurb deal for Canary Wharf tower

ISG has been awarded a £70m contract to refurbish the former Canary Wharf offices of the Financial Conduct Authority. Read more…

Severn Trent creates machine learning to help tackle leakage

Severn Trent has started to use machine learning to help transform the way it approaches leaks. Read more…

Network Rail awards first CP6 contracts

Railway specialists Story Contracting and AmcoGiffen have bagged the first major contracts to be let by Network Rail for the CP6 control period from 2019 to 2024. Read more…

Cheaper digital signalling, more exports and better data-sharing: DfT launches the Rail Sector Deal

The government has today announced the new Rail Sector Deal in order to help the government work better with the rail industry, reduce the cost of infrastructure, encourage greater use of digital technologies, and double the UK’s rail industry exports by 2025. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Property Industry

 

TfL and Barratt get the green light for Blackhorse Point development

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that it has been given the go-ahead to start building hundreds of new homes working with Barratt London as part of its Property Partnership Framework. Read more…

Lendlease tops sustainability index

An analysis of the sustainability performance of the UK’s 25 largest house-builders has put Lendlease on top. Read more…

VolkerFitzpatrick wins £20m National Maritime Systems Centre contract

VolkerFitzpatrick has been awarded a £20m contract to construct a new National Maritime Systems Centre in Portsdown Technology Park. Read more…

Overcoming the Hurdles of Payments in the Affordable Housing Industry

Online payment adoption is rising steadily in conventional multifamily and leading to the expectation of more self-service opportunities for renters. Read more…

UK’s most sustainable homebuilders revealed

NextGeneration, the benchmark which assesses and ranks the UK’s 25 largest homebuilders on their sustainability performance has released its annual report which names Lendlease, Barratt Developments Plc and Redrow as the UK’s most sustainable homebuilders. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Water & Utilities Industry

 

Wastewater upgrade for Northumberland

Northumbrian Water is investing nearly £4 million to upgrade its wastewater treatment works in Northumberland. Read more…

£60m Funding For “Environmentally-Friendly” Plastic Alternatives

Household food scraps could be transformed into “environmentally-friendly” plastic bags and cups, thanks to up to £60m of new government funding, it has been announced today (5 December). Read more…

Severn Trent creates machine learning to help tackle leakage

Severn Trent has started to use machine learning to help transform the way it approaches leaks. Read more…

Gove Sets Out Proposals For Greener Developments

The government is consulting on mandating biodiversity net gain in development to ensure habitats are protected and enhanced for the future. Read more…

Scottish Water tests innovative wastewater treatment process

Scottish Water experts are testing a new technology that the company believes could “transform the way wastewater is treated”. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Construction Industry

 

Half-way point for UK’s biggest road upgrade scheme

The £1.5bn project to upgrade 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon has reached the half-way point. Read more…

£150m Bournemouth Winter Gardens scheme gets go-ahead

Plans by Bournemouth Development Company for the Winter Gardens scheme in Bournemouth have been approved by Bournemouth Council Planning Board. Read more…

Engie to buy Forrest housing and energy arms

French energy services giant Engie is set to buy the social housing refurbishment and energy operations of stricken North West contractor Forrest Group. Read more…

Bouygues wins £100m London Royal Mail scheme

House builder Taylor Wimpey has awarded Bouygues a £100m-plus contract to deliver the first phase of its redevelopment of an old Royal Mail and Post Office site in London. Read more…

Researchers at Cambridge Uni to develop self-healing concrete

Researchers at the University of Cambridge are using microencapsulation technologies developed by Dolomite Microfluidics to develop self-healing building materials. Read more…

Go-ahead for £270m Swindon ski and cinema centre

Plans to build a 500,000 sq ft regional leisure scheme in Swindon featuring a big snow centre have been given the thumbs up. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Rail Industry

 

Shadow transport secretary McDonald considers extending control periods to 7 years

The shadow transport secretary has suggested increasing the current spending period length by an extra two years to give the supply industry greater time for planning. Read more…

Tree felling review: ‘Passenger safety is as vital as wildlife’

Review chair John Varley has called on Network Rail to be not only the safety railway in Europe but also the greenest as a report into the infrastructure manager’s tree-felling practices has been released. Read more…

HS2 work on injunction site halted by overnight protesters

Four environmental protestors managed to stop work on part of the HS2 rail link at a construction site, which was protected by an injunction ordered by Chris Grayling, chaining themselves to part of the site. Read more…

Colas Rail: Sense of identity

From rail grinding to freight, on-track plant to train maintenance, it’s difficult to know where to start with Colas Rail. A series of acquisitions and mergers over the last decade have given the UK subsidiary of the French construction giant Bouygues its own distinct identity. Read more…

‘Another kick in the teeth’: Rail fares to rise by 3.1% in New Year

Rail fares will rise by an average of 3.1% in January, the Rail Delivery Group has confirmed today. Read more…

Bombardier and Hitachi commit to high-speed rail learning programme if HS2 bid is successful

Hitachi and Bombardier are to work closely together in developing a high-speed rail learning programme as part of their joint bid to build trains for HS2. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

New prompt payment initiative to crackdown on slow paying contractors

A new prompt payment initiative to ensure all Government suppliers and subcontractors benefit from being paid on time has been announced. Read more…

Assurances Needed for a “World Leading” Environment Bill

Stakeholders from business sectors, environmental groups, academics and professional bodies have come together to establish common ground in shaping a world leading Environment Act. Read more…

Experts to discuss optimising networks with smart technology

How can water companies embrace the disruptive transformation of smart technology to revolutionise networks? Senior leaders from Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, FCC Aqualia, Yorkshire Water, and other leading organisations, are meeting to share strategic expertise at this year’s Smart Water Networks Conference, taking place on 21st March 2019 at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre. Read more…

Go-ahead for £270m Swindon ski and cinema centre

Plans to build a 500,000 sq ft regional leisure scheme in Swindon featuring a big snow centre have been given the thumbs up. Read more…

Bombardier and Hitachi commit to high-speed rail learning programme if HS2 bid is successful

Hitachi and Bombardier are to work closely together in developing a high-speed rail learning programme as part of their joint bid to build trains for HS2. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Property Industry

 

RICS Proud to be a leader: Helping to shape the future of our profession and lead RICS into the future.

See results for the vote on the Special Resolution to amend the RICS Royal Charter and Bye-Laws and WATCH the 2018 AGM. Read and watch more…

New RICS president takes office, focuses on the future

Chris Brooke FRICS has officially been inaugurated as RICS President at a ceremony in Hong Kong on 27 November 2018, beginning his term for the 2018-2019 year. Read more…

West Midlands sees massive increase in affordable home completions

The West Midlands saw a 33% rise in affordable homes completed during the last year, making it nearly three times ahead of the national average increase. Read more…

35% of UK landlords rely on brokers to guide their financial choices

The latest research by Market Financial Solutions, in which over 2000 UK adults who own three or more residential properties were quizzed, found that over a third are reliant on the advice of brokers when it comes to securing finance for their property purchases. Read more…

RICS 150th anniversary

2018 marks the 150th anniversary of RICS. In order to celebrate this milestone, we have two initiatives highlighting the achievements of the profession and demonstrating its importance to society, both in the past and in the future: Pride in the Profession and Cities of our Future. Read more…

New builds are driving the UK prime property market

New data and analysis from Investec Private Bank has revealed that prime new build developments contributed £5 billion (16%) to UK prime property sales in 2017. Read more…

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The latest news this week in the Water & Utilities Industry

 

Wessex Water to pay record £975k after sewage spills

Wessex Water has offered to pay £975,000 to achieve equivalent environmental benefits following a series of sewage spills in Swanage Bay, Dorset. Read more…

Householders Face £400 Fine For Waste Duty Of Care Failure

Householders face new financial penalties of up to £400 in cases of fly-tipping where they have failed to properly exercise their duty of care, Defra has announced. Read more…

Water Plus and Waterwise partner to improve water efficiency

Water Plus, the UK’s largest water retailer business, has partnered with Waterwise a national independent advisory group to boost water efficiency for consumers and innovation across the UK market. Read more…

Ocean Pollution Campaign Receives £24,000 Boost From Enforcement Undertaking

A campaign aimed at reducing waste pollution in our oceans and on beaches has been given a boost of more than £24,000 after the Environment Agency accepted an enforcement undertaking from a group of companies for failing to comply with waste and recycling regulations. Read more…

WRAS names Hogan as new chairman

The Water Regulation Advisory Scheme (WRAS) has appointed Sean Hogan as its new chairman, replacing Stephen Kay. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Construction Industry

Cheshire West Council invest millions into building new affordable homes

The Cheshire West and Chester Council has received grant funding of £14.68 million to produce 700 new affordable homes across the borough. Read more…

Lendlease wins Birmingham Commonwealth Games village

Birmingham City Council has appointed Lendlease to deliver the £350m Commonwealth Games athletes village. Read more…

Kier to deliver £56m flagship building at The Royal College of Art

The Royal College of Art (RCA) has appointed Kier to construct a £56 million new academic studio and research building at its South Campus. Read more…

Four shortlisted for 725 homes at £6bn Meridian Water

Four major developers and housing associations have been shortlisted for the first housing site at the vast Meridian Water scheme in North London. Read more…

Crest to start £85m Gloucester Quays canal-side homes

Developer Crest Nicholson has purchased a 4.7-hectare site on the western bank of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal for redevelopment in an £85m project. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

Thameslink director appointed as East West Rail’s first CEO

East West Rail has announced its first chief executive as Simon Blanchflower, the programme director for Thameslink. Read more…

Interserve to roll-out £650m debt reduction plan

Interserve chief Debbie White has pledged to unveil plans to tackle the group’s mountain of debt early next year. Read more…

Rail parliamentary roundup: Grayling denies ‘tin ear’ jibes on northern investment, investigation launched into SWR’s ‘Mayhem Monday’

The transport secretary has hit back against claims that the government has underinvested in transport in the north following new analysis from the IPPR this week. Read more…

Yorkshire Water announces £30M Saltend WWTW investment

Yorkshire Water is to invest £30M in its wastewater treatment works in Saltend, Hull to improve the site’s operation. Read more…

My life in rail: Caitlin Gent

For the first in a new series meeting rail staff at different stages of their careers, we sat down with rising rail apprentice Caitlin Gent. Read more…

Major Brands Sign “Waste To Wealth” Commitment

Business in the Community – The Prince’s Responsible Business Network will challenge business to reduce waste or turn “waste into wealth” to prevent catastrophic climate change during at the Waste to Wealth Summit, held today (22 November). Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Property Industry

 

Expanding Weston Homes invests in logistics division

South east volume house builder Weston Group is ramping up its fledgeling logistics arm as part of a big expansion drive. Read more…

Mears buys Mitie housing upkeep arm for £35m

Mears has agreed to pay £35m for Mitie’s social housing repairs and maintenance business. Read more…

Countryside completions up 27% against 2017

Housebuilder, Countryside, has announced that it has enjoyed “another year of strong growth” with total completions up 27% against 2017. Read more…

HUB gets go-ahead for 424-flats in Maidenhead

Developer HUB and landowner Smedvig have got the green light to redevelop The Landing site in Maidenhead town centre. Read more…

The state of the FM recruitment market in 2018

The FM industry certainly had a sobering start to 2018 with the collapse of Carillion, yet it remains a highly buoyant sector to be working in – and one that will always be a critical part to any business. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Water & Utilities Industry

 

MUS gets water network alliance deal with Welsh Water

Morrison Utility Services (MUS), the UK’s largest dedicated utility service provider and part of M Group Services, has been awarded a new four-year water network alliance contract with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. Read more…

Tesco And WWF Join Forces To Make Food More Sustainable

Tesco and WWF today announced a ground-breaking, long-term partnership2 with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket by 50%, improving the sustainability of food while ensuring it remains affordable for all. Read more…

South Staffs and Cambridge Water make new board appointments

South Staffs Water has welcomed three new independent non-executive directors to its board. Read more…

Co-op Rolls Out Compostable Carrier Bags In 1,000 Stores

The Co-op has this week rolled out its scheme to offer compostable carrier bags to customers from 1,000 stores across the country, replacing an estimated 60m single-use plastic bags. Read more…

Yorkshire Water announces £30M Saltend WWTW investment

Yorkshire Water is to invest £30M in its wastewater treatment works in Saltend, Hull to improve the site’s operation. Read more…

“Refundable” Levy On All Packaging Recommended In New Report

Policy measures to deliver increased use of post-consumer recycled materials (PCR) in the UK economy are outlined in a new report from Eunomia Research and Consulting, released today (20 November). Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Construction Industry

 

UK and Ireland’s most considerate construction companies revealed

The highest-performing construction companies and suppliers in the UK and Ireland have been announced at the 2018 National Considerate Constructors Scheme Company and Supplier Awards. Read more…

Plans go in for tallest tower in the City of London

The team behind the Gherkin at 30 St Mary Axe in the City of London have lodged a planning application for a new tower next door. Read more…

Union demands “toilet dignity” for construction workers

Unite leaders are demanding that construction employers take action to ensure that workers are granted “toilet dignity in the workplace.” Read more…

Bid race starts for £435m HS2 Birmingham station

HS2 has given the signal for bid prequalification to start for Birmingham Curzon Street station. Read more…

GRAHAM completes £35m student accommodation in Surrey

GRAHAM has completed the design and build of Magna Carta Park, a new build student accommodation scheme in Runnymede. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Rail Industry

 

Jones in as rail minister following Johnson’s resignation over Brexit plans

Andrew Jones has been announced as the new rail minister following Jo Johnson’s resignation. Read more…

Grayling ‘sees no reason’ to follow European standards in post-Brexit rolling stock regulation

The transport secretary has categorically opposed the following of European Union rail standards when Britain leaves the EU, arguing he can see ‘absolutely no reason’ to follow the regulations. Read more…

Branson exports Virgin Trains brand to US

Last year Richard Branson visited Brightline, the USA’s first privately-owned passenger train service since the 1980s, and following discussions, is set to make a minority investment in the company. Read more…

HS2 kicks off the bid race to build Curzon Street station

HS2 has announced the start of its search for contractors to build its new £435m Curzon Street station. Around four contractors will be shortlisted for the design and build deal ahead of the arrival of HS2 in Birmingham in 2026. Read more…

Network Rail: Preventing suicides on the railway

Gillian, from Hertfordshire, intervened when she saw a man in distress while walking her dog with her husband. Read more…

Commute times surge by five minutes in past 10 years, with Wales and North East suffering most

Travel times to and from work now take an extra five minutes longer, with rail commuters facing the longest journeys, new analysis shows. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Property Industry

 

Housing market in limbo due to Brexit uncertainties

The latest statistics released by ONS on the UK housing market continue to paint a picture of a stagnant market that is feeling the impact of uncertainties surrounding Brexit, a disappointing budget and a continuing lack of stock. Read more…

Bristol housing project to provide affordable housing for young homeless

Bristol City Council has approved plans to restore an empty property into much-needed affordable housing for young homeless people. Read more…

Robot bricklayer builds house in under three days

A construction robot has built a house in less than three days. Australian tech company FBR hailed the achievement as a “quantum leap for the construction industry.” Read more…

Future Generation to build luxury student accommodation in Guildford

Future Generation, a Southern Grove company, has secured planning permission for a state-of-the-art luxury student accommodation scheme in Guildford. Read more…

Green light for 335 PRS flats in Sheffield

Sheffield City Council has granted planning consent for a new mixed-use development that will create 335 new build-to-rent homes in the south west of the city centre. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Property Industry

 

Architect appointed for Western Village in Ebbsfleet Garden City

PRP Architects has been appointed as lead architect and masterplanner on The Western Village in North Kent, by joint venture development partners, Clarion Housing Group and Countryside. Read more…

Stamp duty reforms prompt FTB mortgage uptake

The latest research by MoneySuperMarket has shown that first-time buyers are taking full advantage of the changes made to stamp duty laws in the 2017 Budget. Read more…

Grainger teams up with Lewisham council for 300-home scheme

Residential property business Grainger is teaming up with Lewisham Council to build a 300 private rented homes scheme at New Cross Gate. Read more…

Chinese contractor starts first Liverpool major project

Chinese builder Beijing Construction & Engineering Group International has started work on a 34-storey build-to-rent project for developer Moda on the Liverpool Waterfront. Read more…

Brexit continues to dominate top property industry concerns

As Brexit looms, a new survey commissioned by Crowe UK identifies the biggest concerns facing the UK property industry and provides a unique snapshot of views across the sector. Read more…

Contractor hunt starts for £50m Leicester mixed-use scheme

Developer LCL has launched plans for a £50m mixed-use scheme to transform the St George’s North area of Leicester city centre. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Construction Industry

 

Why is the construction industry behind on technological changes?

Leading building materials suppliers MIDFIX explore the importance of technological changes in the construction industry. Read more…

Steven A. Hunt Associates to build cancer care centre in Liverpool

The mechanical and electrical engineering specialists have secured a six figure contract to build an advanced medical diagnostics centre in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter next year. Read more…

Telford Homes snaps up 270-home site near Wembley

Telford Homes has bought part of a resi-led mixed-use development site near Wembley in London for £28m. Read more…

Willmott Dixon launches pre-design facilities for healthcare

Willmott Dixon is bringing its pre-design concepts to the healthcare market following the success of Sunesis and CODE which have secured the company over £200m in orders in the last five years. Read more…

New chairman named for Sir Robert McAlpine

Sir Robert McAlpine has announced that Edward McAlpine will take over as new chairman of the construction group from January next year. Read more…

Winvic bags £50m Leicester build to rent scheme

Winvic Construction is preparing to start work on a £50m project to build rental flats at the Waterside regeneration area in Leicester. Read more…

M&E specialist VVB bought out of administration by owners

Tunnel M&E specialist VVB Engineering has been bought out of administration by its existing investment fund owners in a pre-pack deal. Read more…

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The latest news this week in the Rail Industry

 

ORR approves Network Rail’s £35bn CP6 plans

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has set out its final determination on Network Rail’s plans for CP6. Read more…

Eye on safety

Eye protection worn by Network Rail staff must conform to the EN 166 standard. It is the basic requirement all safety glasses must meet and the first thing you should check before carrying out any work. Read more…

Network Rail urge businesses to join innovation project to improve passenger journeys

Network Rail has launched a project with Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) to build live demonstrators of innovative technologies which could improve passenger journeys, and are seeking partners to help. Read more…

Network Rail warn of Christmas upgrade disruption to one of UK’s busiest rail junctions

Network Rail has announced winter plans for an £8.2m upgrade to Battersea Pier, one of the UK’s busiest railway junctions, which will cause disruption to passengers across Sussex, Surrey and South London this Christmas. Read more…

Heathrow Express recruits new director and head of operations

Airport rail link Heathrow Express (HEx) has made two key senior appointments. Read more…

London Underground MD joins Crossrail

Mark Wild is set to become the new chief executive of Crossrail Ltd. Since June 2016, Mark has been the managing director of London Underground, a role he will return to once the Elizabeth line has opened through central London. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

Crossrail chief executive stands down as London Underground boss takes up role

Transport for London announced today that Simon Wright, the chief executive of the £15.4bn project, will step down from the role “as planned,” and on 19 November will be replaced by Mark Wild, who is currently the managing director of London Underground. Read more…

ISG appointed to deliver £200m Waterloo development

ISG is set to transform 135,000 sq ft at the former Waterloo International Eurostar Terminal into a new retail, leisure and cultural development. Read more…

Civils skills shortage worst on record

Civils contractors are warning they now face a serious skills gap with dissatisfaction about finding sufficiently skilled staff in England running at record levels. Read more…

Travertine pavements could cut flooding by 50% – study

Changing the material used in pavements could reduce flooding by 50 percent and purify stormwater at the same time, according to researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong- Liverpool University (XJTLU). Read more…

Colgate Launches Oral Care Products Recycling Solution

Dental hygiene brand Colgate is partnering with TerraCycle to launch the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Programme, a free Nationwide recycling solution for oral care products and packaging in the UK. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Property Industry

 

Stamp duty reduction for first time buyers now covers shared ownership options

Stamp duty reductions are being introduced for people in England and Northern Ireland buying their first home through a shared ownership scheme. Read more…

Homes England reveals strategic plan to tackle housing challenges

Homes England has outlined how it will improve housing affordability through a new five-year Strategic Plan, in the hopes of helping more people access better homes in areas where they are needed most. Read more…

New home registrations reach highest levels since 2007

The latest figures released by NHBC have revealed that new home registrations for Q3 have resulted in the strongest quarter in 11 years. Read more…

Wates JV 1,500-home Bicester plan gets green light

Joint developers Wates Developments and Redrow Homes have gained revised planning for a  1,500-home scheme at Wretchwick Green in Bicester. Read more…

Annual house price growth crashes to 5 year low

The latest data and analysis from Nationwide has revealed that during October annual house price growth slowed to 1.6% – a drop of 0.4% on the month and the lowest level since May 2013. Read more…

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 The latest news this week in the Water & Utilities Industry

Irish Water to upgrade nine water treatment plants in Mayo

Irish Water has announced that it will spend €8.75 million on upgrading nine water treatment plants across County Mayo. Read more…

Unilever & Veolia Sign Collaboration Agreement On Sustainable Packaging

Unilever and Veolia have announced that they have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly work on emerging technologies that will help create a circular economy on plastics across various geographies, starting in India and Indonesia. Read more…

Severn Trent customers offered video calling service to report leaks

Severn Trent is now offering a video calling service that allows its customers to speak ‘face-to-face’ with an engineer when they report a leak. Read more…

United Utilities signs AI deal in UK first

United Utilities has become the first water company in the UK to introduce large-scale artificial intelligence into its operational systems. Read more…

Work begins on Glasgow’s groundbreaking ‘smart canal’

Construction of Europe’s first ever ‘smart canal’ scheme, which will use the 250-year-old Forth & Clyde Canal and 21st century technology to mitigate flood risk as well as enable significant regeneration, is now underway in Glasgow. Read more…

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The latest news this week in the Construction Industry

 

Wates site leader is Construction Manager of the Year

Neil Lock of Wates was named Construction Manager of the Year last night at the CIOB’s annual celebration of industry professionals. Read more…

BAM Nuttall wins first stage of £60m Lowestoft bridge

BAM Nuttall has won the contract for the first stage of completing the £60m Lake Lothing Third Crossing in Lowestoft. Read more…

Colmore Tang wins £18m Slough resi scheme

Colmore Tang has won the contract to convert the former Intel Security office building in Slough into a luxury apartment complex for developer SevenCapital. Read more…

Wates JV 1,500-home Bicester plan gets green light

Joint developers Wates Developments and Redrow Homes have gained revised planning for a  1,500-home scheme at Wretchwick Green in Bicester. Read more…

Government abolishes PFI and PF2 for future projects

Chancellor Philip Hammond has called time on the private finance initiative vowing in his Budget speech today to never sign another deal. Read more…

ISG wins lead role on £200m Waterloo Eurostar station revival

Developer LCR has appointed ISG as lead contractor on its £200m retail, leisure and cultural development at Waterloo. Read more…

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

Colmore Tang has won the contract to convert the former Intel Security office building in Slough into a luxury apartment complex for developer SevenCapital.

Work will see the building converted into 58 one and two-bedroom boutique apartments. Read more…

Network Rail supplier spend table revealed

Network’s Rail’s investment in signalling and train control systems saw Siemens Rail Automation unseat Costain as the infrastructure group’s biggest supplier by spend. Read more…

London council picks Countryside for big estate rebuild

The London Borough of Kingston has selected Countryside Properties to redevelop a major housing estate. Read more…

BAM Nuttall wins first stage of £60m Lowestoft bridge

BAM Nuttall has won the contract for the first stage of completing the £60m Lake Lothing Third Crossing in Lowestoft. Read more…

New framework announced for measuring the impact UK rail has on society and sustainability

The RSSB has developed a new framework which can measure the social value of the UK’s railway. Read more…

DERAGGER demonstrates benefits in independent trial

Clearwater Controls’ DERAGGER device cuts energy consumption by up to 80 per cent, significantly reduces maintenance requirements and helps to extend asset life, according to a new independent trial. Read more…

Thames Water publishes environmental, social and governance statement

Thames Water has published its first Environmental, Social and Governance Statement today (25 October) and been recognised for its commitment to sustainability in a global review. Read more…

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Engie secures £195m student accommodation deal in London

ENGIE has been announced as the winner of a new £195 million student accommodation refurbishment and maintenance scheme for Kingston University in London.

Affordable housing development launched on former West Ham stadium

Upton Gardens, an 842 unit mixed-tenure development of private sale and affordable housing has been launched on the site of West Ham’s former Upton Park stadium in East London.

Read more…

Khan boosts council housebuilding teams with new £10m fund

Sadiq Khan has launched a new £10m fund to improve London councils’ housing and planning teams and help boost their role in building new homes in the capital. Read more…

Planning permission granted for more than 350,000 new homes

Planning permission was granted for more than 350,000 new homes across 20,076 sites in the year up to June 2018. Read more…

Rental payments recognised in credit reports for the first time

Rental payment information will now on the Experian credit reports of more than 1.2 million tenants from across the UK. Read more…

Latest ARLA report shows rent hikes continue to rise year-on-year

The latest PRS data and analysis from ARLA Propertymark has revealed that the number of tenants experiencing rent hikes remained high in September. Read more…

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UU building floating solar farm on Langthwaite Reservoir

United Utilities is building a floating solar farm on the surface of Langthwaite Reservoir. Read more…

Former Kier MD Fletcher to lead Anglian’s @one Alliance

Anglian Water has appointed former Kier MD Paul Fletcher as director of its @one Alliance – a 15-year partnership of engineering and construction partners. Read more…

Anglian gets permission for solar installation at Grafham Water

Grafham Water is to become the latest part of Anglian Water’s carbon neutral journey as the installation of a solar array has been permitted on operational land at the site. Read more…

Nissan Leaf gets green light for vehicle-to-grid use in Germany

Electric car is first to win regulatory approval from German authorities to supply energy from battery back to the grid. Read more…

Aluminium Drink Cans Recycling Hits Record High in Ireland

The official recycling rate for aluminium drink cans consumed in Ireland has jumped from 54% in 2016 to 73% in 2017. Read more…

Uber to introduce clean air fee to all London rides

Uber will charge its customers in London an extra 15p per mile on every trip to help its drivers buy electric cars. Read more…

 

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Traditional vs modular: Deconstructing building methods

Traditional and modular construction are very different from one another. Premier Guarantee examines the pros and cons. Read more…

Hill bags £300m Aldershot and Farnborough town centre revamps

House builder Hill’s investment partnerships arm has signed off a development deal with Rushmoor Borough Council to transform both Aldershot and Farnborough town centres. Read more…

Atkins wins Wylfa nuclear power station civils design

Atkins has been signed up to deliver civils design for the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station on the Isle of Anglesey. Read more…

Despite slowing growth, construction’s profits continue to rise

An analysis of the accounts of more than 1700 construction companies has shown that average annual profit before tax has grown from 11.5% to 17.1% over the last three years. Read more…

Civils specialist Nexus sees orders surge 45% to £290m

Publicly-listed civils specialist, Nexus Infrastructure, has enjoyed a sharp uplift in orders driven by both its civils and house building utility connection businesses.

London boroughs get £1bn council homes construction boost

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has confirmed more than £1bn in funding for 26 boroughs in the capital to ramp up the construction of council homes. Read more…

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Bristol Water supporting growth of innovative entrepreneurs

Bristol Water has launched its business incubator to boost innovation and help support the local economy. The Workshop encourages small, start-up businesses to help solve business challenges. Read more…

Severn Trent set to expand trial with leak-finding robot

Following trials earlier this year, Severn Trent is working with US-based WatchTower Robotics on creating and trialling a UK-specific leak-finding robot in the company’s pipes. Read more…

UK’s Biggest Collaborative Push To Improve Recycling On-The-Go Launches

Bubble-blowing bins, recycling reward machines, a huge art installation and ‘Re-Cycler’ recycling collection bikes will appear across Leeds city centre from today [Tuesday 9 October] as part of #LeedsByExample – the UK’s biggest push, to date, to trial innovative ways to improve rates of recycling on the go. Read more…

Thames’ ‘micro-machine’ to cut roadworks disruption

Thames Water is bringing an innovative new micro-machine to London to cut down travel disruption caused by essential roadworks. Read more…

Ofwat not ambitious enough on ‘shocking’ leakage levels – MPs

Ofwat’s 15 per cent leakage target is “not ambitious enough” while more must be done to incentivise water transfers, MPs have said in a report on the regulation of the water industry. Read more…

Walkers To Create UK’s First Nationwide Crisp Packet Recycling Scheme

Walkers is set to launch the UK’s first nationwide recycling scheme for crisp packets. Read more…

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VolkerHighways wins £70m Wokingham roads upkeep

Wokingham Borough Council has selected VolkerHighways to deliver its highways and transport maintenance and construction programmes. Read more…

Mace tops September contracts league

Mace nosed ahead to rank top of the September contracts league after securing a £200m job for over 500 flats at the London Olympic Park for joint clients Qatari Diar and Delancy Estates. Read more…

VolkerFitzpatrick wins £14m Thames Valley spec office job

The property investment arm of JP Morgan has awarded VolkerFitzpatrick a £14m contract to build a 70,000 sq ft office project in Maidenhead. Read more…

Morgan Sindall wins sixth Southampton port car park

Morgan Sindall has secured the latest stage in the Port of Southampton’s £50m expansion of car storage facilities. Read more…

Kier wins £40m Gloucestershire hospitals revamp

Kier has secured projects to modernised the Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals through the Procure 22 framework. Read more…

Striking HS2 Midlands stations designs revealed

HS2 has unveiled detailed designs for landmark stations at Curzon Street in Birmingham and the Solihull Interchange. Read more…