Articles by Date : December 03 2007 - December 09 2007

Alfred McAlpine: Carillion takeover still on track
Speculation that the rapid collapse in Alfred McAlpine’s share price - down 50p in the space of a week – is the result of Carillion’s take-over move.... more
(07 December 2007 11:00)

Newspaper roundup: 7 December
Construction-related news in the nationals. more
(07 December 2007 10:13)

Berkeley lifts interim pre-tax profit to £91m
Berkeley, the urban regenerator with a strong focus on London and the surrounding area, has unveiled an interim pre-tax profit of £91m. more
(07 December 2007 09:00)

Baqus will float on Friday at 25p a share
The three quantity surveyors who joined forces to form Baqus will see their new company float on the Stock Exchange on Friday, its 40m shares having.... more
(06 December 2007 15:00)

ConstructionSkills chief exec Lobban to retire
ConstructionSkills is on the hunt for a new chief executive after Peter Lobban announced that he will retire from the post in August 2008. more
(06 December 2007 14:37)

Siteserv doubles both profit and turnover
Siteserv, the Irish-based construction player, has doubled its interim pre-tax profit to £3.5m. more
(06 December 2007 14:00)

Government gives go-ahead for five unitary councils
The government has announced its final plans to create a five ‘unitary councils’ which will see 33 different local government bodies in different.... more
(06 December 2007 10:47)

Newspaper roundup: 6 December
All the construction-related news in the nationals. more
(06 December 2007 10:37)

Qualcomm Incorporated extends GlobalTRACS to European market
Qualcomm Incorporated has extended its GlobalTRACS equipment management solution to the European construction industry. more
(06 December 2007 09:00)

Speedy Hire: 35% rise in turnover, pre-tax profit up 17%
Speedy Hire has seen a 35% rise in turnover in the six months to the end of September and pre-tax profit is up by more than 17%. more
(06 December 2007 09:00)

T Clarke: seven loss-making subsidiaries identified
Seven of T Clarke’s regional operations lost money last year, with the three biggest hits being taken by Anglia Electrical Services, Mitchell &.... more
(05 December 2007 16:00)

Yvette Cooper pledges £732m to support housing growth
Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper has announced plans to allocate £732m to local councils in the government's 'Growth Areas' and 'Growth.... more
(05 December 2007 14:25)

Government announces extra £1.2bn for prison building
Justice Secretary Jack Straw has unveiled plans to build three new 'super-prisons' capable of holding 2,500 inmates each, the first of which will.... more
(05 December 2007 13:44)

Anderson Group launches regeneration arm
London and South East-based contractor Anderson has announced the launch of a ninth firm within its group which will specialise in land acquisition.... more
(05 December 2007 12:01)

Ashley House makes £1.8m interim profit, its LIFT scheme tally jumps to 21
Ashley House, the Primary Care infrastructure specialist that listed on the Stock Exchange in 10 months ago, has made an interim pre-tax profit of.... more
(05 December 2007 12:00)

LDA plans for 58,000 new homes
The London Development Agency (LDA) set out plans to deliver 58,000 new homes across north London by 2016 yesterday. more
(05 December 2007 11:28)

Contractors wary of bidding amid OFT bid-rigging probe
CIoB chief expects problem of finding bidders to get worse as contractors "play everything by the book". more
(05 December 2007 08:30)

£350m Hants roads bid list down to two
Only two firms have any hope of taking a highways maintenance deal in Hampshire worth a potential £350m, sources have told CJ. more
(05 December 2007 08:29)

Future of England's football academy left in the balance
Plans to finish building the new £80m National Football Centre at Burton-upon-Trent have suffered another setback. more
(05 December 2007 08:28)

Foreman accuses HSE of jeopardising on-site safety
HSE refused request for an on-site inspection after he resigned over safety concerns. more
(05 December 2007 08:26)

Kier chases Mouchel for £1.1m for power plant woe
Kier Construction is seeking £1.1m from Mouchel after the contractor was forced to pay for remedial works to a failed water cooling sys-tem at the.... more
(05 December 2007 08:20)

TfL may soften approach in bid to attract contractors
Source claims that some contractors are put off by TfL's 'very aggressive approach'. more
(05 December 2007 08:15)

Southend hospital PFI has plug pulled
Another privately financed (PFI) hospital scheme has bitten the dust, signalling the continued shift away from PFI as a means of financing projects.... more
(05 December 2007 08:00)

Interserve tipped to win the chase for Morrison plc
Interserve is thought to be the front-runner among the five remaining bidders for utilities contractor Morrison plc. more
(05 December 2007 08:00)

Vinci silent on Stradform rumours
Vinci has declined to comment on rumours that a French delegation crossed the channel last week to look through the books of Cardiff-based regional.... more
(05 December 2007 08:00)

Contractors must advertise 2012 work to new subbies
ODA's decision is aimed at giving smaller firms the chance to win Olympic contracts. more
(05 December 2007 07:30)

TG Beighton hit with fine for worker death
A contractor, its health and safety director and site foreman have been fined a total of more than £38,000 after one worker was killed and another.... more
(05 December 2007 06:00)

Task force set up to address skills shortage
A task force was launched this week to find apprenticeship places for 10,000 students on construction courses who cannot find a contractor to take.... more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Case law analysis: Compensation events under NEC3
The underlying philosophy of compensation events, and their management and implementation. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Specialist focus: roofing: WRAP's tyre-derived slate roof tile
Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has created a new replica slate roof tile incorporating significant amounts of tyre-derived rubber.... more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Specialist focus: roofing: Liverpool's Paradise Project
Liverpool's Paradise Project is set to be the UK's most eco-friendly shopping centre. CJ reports on the challenges of asphalting the huge structure.... more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

TER: steep rise in telehandler theft
This year has seen a dramatic rise in the theft of telehandlers, according to TER (The National Plant and Equipment Register). more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Shepherd Group sees profit dip
Shepherd Group has posted a dip in pre-tax profit for 2007, down from last year's record high of £42.7m, to £42.2m. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

OFT bid rigging investigation: Cleaning up construction
The OFT is cracking down on project bid rigging and corrupt forms of tendering such as cover pricing. Grant Prior reports. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Three set their sights on Bristol uni scheme
Three heavyweights are tussling for a University of Bristol deal valued at between £50m to £55m. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Cemex gets the go-ahead to double tyre use
The Environment Agency (EA) has granted Cemex a permit to double the use of tyres as part-replacement for coal at its Rugby Works. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Lafarge ups onsite activity at Kent works
Lafarge is due to increase onsite work at its proposed new cement works at Snodland, Kent, after beginning the final design, costing feasibility and.... more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Osborne invests £8 per tonne in reducing its carbon footprint
Osborne has set up and structured a 'carbon offset fund' to invest in and research more sustainable working practices. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Building product manufacturers meet to discuss sustainability strategy
Jewson sets up the Green Procurement Group to look at ways of reducing waste. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Industry loses two prominent union men
Two prominent figures in the construction union movement have died. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Cumbria council awards Balfour £150m roads deal
Subsidiary Connect CNDR wins PPP job after seeing off bids from R McAlpine and Vinci. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

A McAlpine gets the green light for A1 link road
Wakefield District Council has finally awarded a road scheme that has increased 50% in price since it first came up for grabs more than three years.... more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Insight into Project Bank Accounts
The introduction of Project Bank Accounts last month has begun to pave the way for fairer payment practices in construction. CJ examines the.... more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Specialist focus: roofing: interview with NFRC's chief exec Ray Horwood
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors thinks the best way to tackle issues in its sector is to collaborate closely with all relevant.... more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Brandon eyes UK expansion via parent firm Wolseley
Wolseley's investment in Brandon aims at 350 new depots within three years. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Volvo's new dumptruck makes British debut at Ward of Selby
Ward Dumptruck Hire of Selby, North Yorkshire has taken delivery of the first Volvo A25E ADT in Great Britain with more units on order. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Four eye Leicester education project
Four firms are vying to graduate onto an £18m to £20m higher education deal in Leicester. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Health & Safety Commission's Judith Hackitt: Profile
Judith Hackitt became chair of the Health and Safety Commission on 1 October. Neil Gerrard talks to her about the challenges of her new role. more
(05 December 2007 00:00)

Construction R&D faces 'slow crisis'
Research and development funding in the UK construction industry faces a "slow crisis" due to lack of government support - that was the message.... more
(04 December 2007 15:41)

Doosan Infracore completes aquisition of Ingersoll Rand businesses
Doosan Infracore has completed its £2.4bn acquisition of Ingersoll Rand’s Bobcat, Utility Equipment and Attachments businesses. more
(04 December 2007 14:00)