Articles by Date : August 12 1996 - August 18 1996

INBRIEF
HIGGINS' BIG BREAK The Higgins Group has announced two new appointments: Colin Thatcher joins D J Higgins Developments as construction.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

INBRIEF
Bunkabin launched Portable building manufacturer Manchester Cabins has launched the Bunkabin, a comprehensively equipped accommodation unit.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Woolf does justice to system - What the final report proposes
Henry Sherman of McKenna & Co looks at the implications of Lord Woolf's final report on the civil justice system more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Riverside revitalisation planned
Railtrack and Gazeley Properties have submitted a planning application for a major mixed use development at Norwich Riverside, aimed at.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Lawyers blame PFI failures on risk transfer muddles
Greater standardisation of contracts would make Private Finance Initiative projects quicker and cheaper for contractors, said Andrew Willcock this.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Balfour and Amec fined
Civil engineering groups Balfour Beatty and Amec have each been fined œ5,000 for breaching health and safety legislation. Both were found.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

UK has cheapest costs in Europe
The UK is not a more expensive place to build, said a leading cost consultant this week. Martin Bishop, managing partner at Franklin &.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Eve Graham losses spark resignations
Eve Group's M&E subsidiary Eve Graham lost œ5.4 million last year. Its md and finance director have both resigned. The group to.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Morgan Sindall profit soars
Morgan Sindall, the specialist fit out and regional building contractor, has announced record interim results. During the six months to June,.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

EC providing concrete aid
The EC is offering financial backing for concrete building projects, according to the British Cement Association which plans to brief the.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Re-useable casing plays a key part
Re-usable pile casings have held a key role in one of Britain's biggest piling contracts, at the M11 link road in east London. The casings.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Cutting fuel to plant crooks
Immobiliser manufacturer Autominder Industrial last week introduced an dramatically different immobiliser. While other systems cut out a vehicle's.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Group appoints Latham chairman
Sir Michael Latham has been appointed chairman of the Joint Major Contractors' Group which comprises the 12 largest M&E service contractors in.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

INBRIEF
FINNING GOES FORTH Caterpillar dealer Finning has sold a Cat 5130 excavator to opencast coal specialist Cobex for its Hare Hill site near the.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Institute slams red tape
A newly-published report from the Adam Smith Institute has slammed PFI for excessive bureaucracy, costs and delays that are forcing contractors to.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

HOT LINE
Laing South East has won an œ8.5m contract to carry out the final phase of the upgrading and refurbishment of Croydon's Whitgift shopping.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Severn Trent fined œ10,800
Severn Trent Water has been fined œ10,800 after pleading guilty to 18 offences under the New Roads and Street Works Act. The prosecution.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

INBRIEF
BOOM CALLS REDLAND Redland is the examining the possibility of returning to South Africa after withdrawing more than 10 years ago. It hopes to.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Kharafi ups Costain stake
Kuwaiti construction group Mohamed Abdulsin Kharafi has spent a further œ9 million on Costain shares this week, lifting its stake from 19% to.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Pilings link for a fine duet
Secant wall piling goes into place during the œ150 million redevelopment of London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. The wall was.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Fury over slow tube payments - Govt. fails best practice test - Public sector clients slammed by industry
Consultants working for London Underground under a framework agreement face delays of up to 10 months before they are paid. The allegations.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Five more join majors
The breakaway Major Contractors Group has recruited a further five top companies, bringing the total number of members to 16. Latest recruits.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Row defused
A union recognition row at Costain's M5 widening contract at Avonmouth has been defused following a site meeting last week. Informal talks on the.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Transit systems on the right track
Merseytravel, the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is understood to have selected four consortia to submit proposals for a new rapid.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

FCEC fights for survival
Urgent top-level talks are under way in a desperate bid to save the 77-year-old Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors. The move follows the.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Mowlem wins œ20m Saudi Arabian deal
Mowlem Engineering Projects in Billingham, Cleveland, has secured a œ20 million project in Saudi Arabia to provide a new water treatment plant.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

CITB is value for money despite deficit
The Construction Industry Training Board marked up a notional deficit last year of œ13.8 million after exceptional items. But board.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Laing in crusade for better training
John Laing Construction is leading a crusade to stamp out bad employment practices in the construction industry in a bid to turn the tide of.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Agreement sparks new boost for Docklands area
London's Dockland area has received a new boost with the announcement of a new office complex in the Royal Docks and a housing development on the.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Switch to PFI plans for lab buildings
Plans to redevelop the National Physical Laboratory site at Teddington, Middlesex, have been switched to a PFI route by the Government. Mace.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

New wind software launched
A new software package to help speed up the analysis of wind loading on structures has been launched by the Building Research Establishment. The.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Warning over paint switching
Brand switching affects approximately 10% of UK trade paint specifications without specifiers even knowing it has occured, warned Akzo Nobel.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Rink failure is rectified
Problems of two part sealant failure at the Broadgate open air ice rink in central London have been solved by BRC Square Grips Illmod 600 joint.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Mould system is used again
Contractors PC Harrington have employed Cordek's trough mould system once again, at the new Trollope & Colls multi-storey building development.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Clancy brings experience
Steve Clancy has been named as business development manager for David McLean Contractors, as part of its plans to exploit new optimism in south.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Martin is md
Tarmac Professional Services has appointed George Martin as the new managing director of its environmental and material consultancy operations,.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Clients more forceful in 30% cost savings
Clients are to boost their role input to the Construction Industry Board in an effort to achieve the 30% cost savings recommended by the Latham.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

Code bid to beat the flames
The code of practice for fire prevention on construction sites is to be toughened up in a bid to slash the estimated 2,700 fires in construction.... more
(15 August 1996 00:00)

One against the rest
Geoff Brewer of James R Knowles looks at the pre-emptive action of a contractor suing to settle its own breaches of contract more
(15 August 1996 00:00)