Building materials group SIG impacted by ‘challenging’ construction market January 8, 2019 Building materials group SIG’s shares dropped seven per cent this morning as warned a “challenging” construction market had chipped away at its performance. The FTSE 250 company, which provides roofing, cladding and insulation materials for construction projects across Europe, reported a drop in revenues of 4.7 per cent for the second half of 2018. The [...]
Under-fire HS2 pushes back contract awards for Euston and Old Oak Common stations January 16, 2019 Under-fire transport project HS2 has pushed back the date for appointing contractors to build its stations at Euston and Old Oak Common. HS2 was due to annouce which firms would be awarded the contract to build the two stations at the end of 2018. This has now been pushed back to the first quarter of [...]
Labour pledges to cut working week to 32 hours September 23, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has pledged to cut back the working week to 32 hours, with no loss of pay, “within the next decade” under a Labour government. In what would be a radical transformation of the UK’s labour market, increasing the role of the state in the workplace, McDonnell set out how a Labour [...]
UK to create up to 10 freeports to boost trade after Brexit August 2, 2019 The UK is planning to create up to 10 freeports to boost trade after Brexit, it said today. New Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is committed to taking the UK out of the EU by 31 October, floated the idea during his campaign for the Conservative leadership. The government said ports and airports around the [...]
Heathrow airport reveals third runway ‘masterplan’ June 18, 2019 The masterplan for Heathrow’s £14bn third runway will be revealed to the public for the first time today, alongside its largest-ever consultation into the project. The airport will reveal how it plans to reduce emissions and noise – two areas that campaigners have circled out as areas of concern – as well as a proposed [...]
BBC failings to blame for Eastenders set revamp delay, report finds March 20, 2019 The delayed and over-budget project to rebuild the Eastenders set was doomed from the start due to management failings by the BBC, a government report has found. A damning report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), published today, states the BBC underestimated the scale and complexity of the E20 project, which is now £27m over [...]
Balfour Beatty: UK’s largest construction firm returns margins to ‘industry standard’ March 13, 2019 Balfour Beatty’s turnaround plan has returned the once troubled construction firm to “industry standard” margins, according to chief executive Leo Quinn. The biggest constructor in the UK reported an increase in profits and an order book growing more than a tenth year-on-year in its 2018 results, prompting shares to rise 1.2 per cent in morning trading. [...]
The most divisive tower blocks in the country, the Barbican Estate, have reached their half century July 24, 2019 Rising from the literal ashes of World War 2 bombs, the Barbican Estate has always been far more than a housing development. Designed by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, it was envisioned as a utopian blueprint for post-war British living – a tower block that wasn’t just about cramming in as many people as possible, [...]
Sadiq Khan on course to miss another housing target, critics claim July 10, 2019 Sadiq Khan is on course to miss one of his key housing targets, critics have claimed, after new figures show that just over 300 homes have been built on land owned by Transport for London (TfL). In May 2016, TfL said it had set a target to build 10,000 homes by 2020. However, new figures [...]
Crossrail: Watchdog blasts bosses for ‘driving up costs’ on London’s £17.6bn delayed Elizabeth Line May 3, 2019 Crossrail bosses took decisions that drove unnecessary cost into the troubled £17.6bn railway, a report by Whitehall's spending watchdog has found. A catalogue of errors including a "failure to change course" when it was clear the project was de-railing, as well as flaws in its own commercial strategy, led to cost increases and the current uncertainty [...]