Articles by Date : September 09 2002 - September 15 2002

Urban development has impact on local weather
The erection of tower blocks and large buildings can have a detrimental effect on local weather, climate experts warned yesterday (Thursday) at the.... more
(13 September 2002 12:06)

Abundance of brownfield land good news for government
The future of sites for affordable housing looks secure after figures released today (Thursday) showed that there is plenty of brownfield land.... more
(12 September 2002 15:08)

Better design and construction saves money, says construction minister
Construction Minister Brian Wilson has today (Thursday) told industry "business can save millions through better design and construction". more
(12 September 2002 14:30)

Accelerating Change gets tough with industry
The Accelerating Change report published today (Thursday) by the Strategic Forum sets out rigorous targets for the construction industry - not seen.... more
(12 September 2002 12:05)

CC urges Strategic Forum to cut 'maze' of industry initiatives
The Construction Confederation (CC) has told the new head of the Strategic Forum today (Thursday) that its member companies have no appetite for yet.... more
(12 September 2002 12:04)

Interserve profits up a third
Construction services firm Interserve reported a 33% rise in first-half pre-tax profit today (Wednesday) but said the outlook for its markets in the.... more
(11 September 2002 16:36)

Central support services - Bristol City Council
Applications are invited from established contractors with at least two years' trading experience to be considered for the above work. more
(11 September 2002 15:50)

The assessment, supply, delivery and replacement of vehicular safety - Metropolitan Borough of Bury
Applications are invited from suitably experienced contractors who wish to tender for the following work more
(11 September 2002 15:46)

Street care - South Gloucestershire Council
Tenders are invited in respect of the following: 105 - Road Markings 106 - Road Studs more
(11 September 2002 15:33)

Contractors in south London - Constructionline clients
Constructionline clients are urgently looking for small and medium contractors in South London, particularly specialists in plumbing, and.... more
(11 September 2002 15:24)

Redevelopment of Conwy Quay - Conwy County Borough Council
Conwy County Borough Council, together with its partners, primarily the WDA and the WTB along with Conwy Town Council and Chamber of Trade are.... more
(11 September 2002 15:17)

Commons ready to look into delay to multi-modal transport studies
The government's multi-modal transport studies are to come under the critical eye of the House of Commons transport committee in response to rising.... more
(11 September 2002 15:02)

Sir Robert McAlpine denies 'pulling out of PFI' rumours
Sir Robert McAlpine is reaffirming its commitment to PFI in the expectation that key government departments "will dramatically reduce their present.... more
(11 September 2002 15:00)

LCCG disbands to form Sector Skills Forum
The London Construction & Careers Group (LCCG) is to discontinue operations and is urging members to evolve into a new body called the Sector Skills.... more
(11 September 2002 14:59)

Dozers tow scraper boxes
CA Blackwell's earthmoving division has developed a new method of towing scraper boxes using two recently purchased Komatsu D155AX-5 dozers. more
(11 September 2002 14:59)

3CXs prove their worth
JCB has sealed several orders for its new backhoe loaders, most notably a £500,000 deal for 14 machines with Dorset-based Farwell Plant Hire. more
(11 September 2002 14:58)

Ringway prefers GE
GE Capital Equipment Services has secured a multi-million pound, two-year agreement as the preferred supplier of plant and equipment for Ringway.... more
(11 September 2002 14:57)

WPI boosts fleet with six Hyundais
HES Enterprises has secured a £350,000 deal to supply six Hyundai excavators to WPI Civil Engineering. The deal covers four R210LC-7 and two R140LC-7.... more
(11 September 2002 14:56)

Cat's recon plant
Caterpillar is to open a remanufacturing facility in Shrewsbury to cater for the continued growth in customer demand. The plant, due to be in.... more
(11 September 2002 14:53)

Clients turning to CM contracts
Clients' use of main contractors is set to decline as more of them take control of their contracts, according to Gardiner & Theobald's construction.... more
(11 September 2002 14:52)

Brandon Hire's profit slips despite network expansion
After refocusing on tool hire, Brandon Hire has posted a pre-tax profit for the six months to June of £1.15m (after goodwill), down from £1.36m for.... more
(11 September 2002 14:39)

I-Shifts for Booth
West Houghton-based quarry owner and haulier James Booth has bought four FM12 420 6x2 sleeper cab tractive units with I-Shift gearboxes to pull.... more
(11 September 2002 14:38)

Work winners this week
Who's winning the work?Contracts Hotline is your at-a-glance digest of the latest contract awards around the UK. Data supplied by ABI Building Data. .... more
(11 September 2002 14:38)

HBG staff attacked on Macedonian road
Armed bandits have attacked HBG operatives helping to build a European Union-funded bypass in Macedonia, stealing identification cards and money and.... more
(11 September 2002 14:36)

Roll-up pay unresolved
Publication of a written judgment by the Court of Appeal has left employers and unions none the wiser as to whether rolled-up hourly rates of pay.... more
(11 September 2002 14:36)

Wimpey reaps rewards of McAlpine purchase
Housebuilder Wimpey's acquisition of McAlpine Homes in August last year helped boost the company's latest pre-tax profit by 60% to £86m. In the same.... more
(11 September 2002 14:35)

Report hits out at Amey and Babtie
Amey and the Babtie-led consortium BEAR Scotland have been heavily criticised this week over their running of Scotland's controversial £350m.... more
(11 September 2002 14:34)

Brain or brawn?
In the debate over the merits of the CSCS health and safety test, much has been made of how easy - or difficult - the test is. more
(11 September 2002 14:33)

Italians bid for £200m PFI
For the first time, an overseas company is included in the bid list for a privately financed streetlighting deal in the UK. more
(11 September 2002 14:33)

Robertson chases PFI
Robertson is knocking on the door for a privately financed hospital deal in Northumberland and has sealed another in Scotland in projects totalling.... more
(11 September 2002 14:32)

Steady progress at Mowlem
Mowlem's construction services division made an operating profit of £12.4m in the first six months of this year from a turnover of £740m. Chief.... more
(11 September 2002 14:31)

Council slammed for bad practice
A Lancashire council has come under a stinging attack for poor construction management and for making itself vulnerable to unscrupulous.... more
(11 September 2002 14:26)

Bovis scoops £1bn MoD job
The Debut consortium, led by Bovis Lend Lease and Babcock Support Services, has been chosen as preferred bidder for the Ministry of Defence's £1bn.... more
(11 September 2002 14:25)

RMC divests to bring debt below £1bn mark
RMC plans to streamline it business portfolio to reduce debt below £1bn by the end of next year. Smaller, under-performing businesses will be sold,.... more
(11 September 2002 14:24)

Fears force Jarvis to rejig Allenby jv
The Highways Agency (HA) has appointed WS Atkins as consultant for preparatory work on the £225m upgrade of the A1 to a three-lane motorway between.... more
(11 September 2002 14:22)

WS Atkins in A1 upgrade
The Highways Agency (HA) has appointed WS Atkins as consultant for preparatory work on the £225m upgrade of the A1 to a three-lane motorway between.... more
(11 September 2002 14:21)

Galliford rescued by housing arm upsurge
A strong upsurge in the profitability of Galliford's housing division enabled the group to report an increased pre-tax profit of £18m despite the.... more
(11 September 2002 14:19)

Industry searches for fair insurance premiums
The construction industry has shown a united front this week in its battle to receive a fair deal from insurance companies. more
(11 September 2002 14:18)

Anti-cowboy drive failing
Small and medium-sized building firms have little confidence in the measures being taken by government to drive out cowboy builders, according to a.... more
(11 September 2002 14:17)

NI quarries denied talks with Treasury over Agg Levy
The Quarry Products Association Northern Ireland (QPANI) has been refused a meeting with the Treasury over the impacts of the Aggregates Levy in.... more
(11 September 2002 14:16)

Three in line for £90m LIFT deal
Three frontrunners have emerged for the £90m privately financed Manchester, Salford and Old Trafford NHS LIFT contract. more
(11 September 2002 14:15)

Geoff Brewer of Brewer Consulting considers enforcement and set-off in adjudication
The Construction Centre Group was engaged as a contractor by The Highland Council to undertake the design, construction and maintenance of works.... more
(11 September 2002 14:11)

Troika hunts Allenbuild's £29 retention
Allenbuild is investigating two contracts where it has been accused of wrongly withholding retention monies - totalling just £1,118.40. more
(11 September 2002 14:10)

Poor procurement will haunt public sector
Just like the Loch Ness monster the controversial Scottish trunk road maintenance contracts have raised their ugly heads again more
(11 September 2002 14:06)

Inventures set to go to Miller at final hour
Inventures, the £400m property and trading division of NHS Estates, is to be sold off to Miller Ventures in an 11th hour U-turn, which sees the.... more
(11 September 2002 14:06)

Industry can learn from ground zero site management
The construction industry can learn many lessons from the clearance of ground zero, according to Amec and Bovis Lend Lease staff who have worked.... more
(11 September 2002 14:04)

Pall Mall deal completes Mowlem's transformation
Mowlem chief executive John Gains said that selling off SGB, its specialist scaffolding subsidiary in which it held a 51% stake, was an excellent.... more
(11 September 2002 14:02)

Costain slams PFIs
Costain is concerned over the direction of PFI contracts, with chief executive Stuart Doughty warning of a situation in which they could become.... more
(11 September 2002 14:01)

Scottish Executive urged to steer clear of PFI deals
The Scottish Executive has today (Wednesday) been strongly urged by Unison to spend extra cash directly on public services rather than PFI deals. more
(11 September 2002 12:49)

Alfred McAlpine snaps up Eastern Contracting for £13.3m
Alfred McAlpine, the infrastructure services group, has acquired Eastern Contracting Holdings, for £13.3m. more
(11 September 2002 11:43)