Articles by Date : February 26 1996 - March 03 1996

A circle of disappointments
Technical headaches continue to dominate construction work on Laing's M25 contract as deadlines are extended, costs rise and the cause of the many.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

All dressed up with nowhere to go
Last year will not be remembered as a vintage year for the construction industry. On the contrary, we saw the return of recession and a flat.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Bet faces hostile bid from Rentokil
BET, the business services group, facing a hostile bid from Rentokil, has launched a pre-emptive strike against its rival by sending a letter to.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Team wins university contract
more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

NAO to probe Skye bridge
The controversial œ25 million Skye Bridge project is to be investigated by the National Audit Office in the first of a series of probes.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

HK handover venue delayed
The proposed venue for the official handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 is running some five months behind programme. The project team hopes.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

TH Construction faces Kvaerner bid threat
Kvaerner, the Norwegian shipbuilder and offshore engineering company, is considering a bid for Trafalgar House. As CJ went to press on Tuesday,.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

INBRIEF
BELLWINCH IN œ1.5M LOSS Housebuilder Bellwinch made a loss before tax of œ1.5 million (profit œ636,000) during the six months to.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

INBRIEF
PERSIMMON in top four Persimmon became the UK's fourth largest housebuilder this week after its œ170 million bid for Ideal Homes was.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

INBRIEF
GROUNDWORK INVESTS In what it describes as its largest single investment in plant this year, groundwork and civil engineering company,.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

INBRIEF
ASPHALT MONITOR Errut Products has introduced a new product which will help monitor asphalt reinstatements. The Staveley Test Kit includes a.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

INBRIEF
BARRACK MOVES UP Mowlem Facilities Management has appointed Jim Barrack as director with responsibility for facilities management in the.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

MoD police confirm raid on Tarmac office for Trident files
Tarmac Construction's Wolverhampton offices were raided on 29 February by Ministry of Defence police who confiscated files relating to the Trident.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Kvaerner decides on Trafalgar's fate
The 9,000 employees of Trafalgar House Construction face a nervous time as they wait to see which parts of the business new owners Kvaerner plan to.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Speculation grows over Amec future
Skanska, Taylor Woodrow, Philipp Holzmann and Bovis have emerged this week as the frontrunners in the race to buy up Kvaerner's 26% stake in Amec.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Kier set to go public in œ100 million flotation
Employee-owned Kier Group will go public or merge with another contractor this year if conditions are right, chairman and chief executive Colin.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

HA financial crisis deepens
The Highways Agency's financial crisis moved up a gear this week after contractors claimed the HA is refusing to pay interest on late payments on.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Latham to judge CJ awards entries
Sir Michael Latham is to chair the judging panel for the Contract Journal Construction Industry Awards. The news comes as the Construction.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Wimpey to strengthen position
Wimpey plans to further strengthen its position as the UK's number one housebuilder after the acquisition of Tarmac's housebuilding division, by.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Heseltine to sell off roads
A cabinet committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine is considering the wholesale sell-off of the UK's national and local road.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Docklands Light Rail open by April
London's bomb-hit Docklands Light Railway is to re-open by early April in a priority bid to resume normal services south of Canary Wharf, it.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Extra tunnelling added to CTRL
More than œ170 million of tunnelling and construction work has been added to the London end of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in response to.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

HA calls for M25 redesign
A complete redesign of much of the new flexible pavement on Laing's troubled M25 rebuild and widening contract has been called for by the Highways.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Construction lobby launch
All the major political parties are to be targeted as part of a major industry lobbying campaign to be launched in early summer, it emerged this.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

WSAtkins may scrap flotation
WS Atkins this week warned that it may scrap its plans for a œ200 million stock market flotation if the Government calls a General Election.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

HOT LINE
Wates Construction has been awarded a œ6.2m contact to construct a Waitrose supermarket for the John Lewis Partnership in Berkhamsted,.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Clients unaware of CDM regs
Some clients are unaware of the existence of the Construction, Design and Management (CDM) regulations and many are confused about their role,.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Two left in race for œ50m jail
Two consortia are left in the running for the third PFI prison contract at Lowdham Grange in Nottingham. The two, UK Detention Services.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Directors buy Rentair from BET
The executive directors at compressed air equipment hirer Rentair, have purchased the company from its former owners, BET, for an undisclosed sum..... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Agreement on 3.6ha Derby development
An agreement to develop a 3.6ha site in the heart of Derby has been signed by the City Council, developer MEPC and Norwest Holst. MEPC and Norwest.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

œ12 million for EP production
English Partnerships is to pump prime a œ12 million production, warehouse and office accommodation project in Dunstable in South Bedfordshire..... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

New contracts for Amec Marine
Amec Marine has secured œ32 million worth of new contracts. The largest project is a œ22.4 million scheme on the island of Jersey for the.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Inspect before overlaying roofs
Problem roofs need better inspections before overlay systems are designed, says the new Handbook of the Flat Roofing Contractors Advisory Board.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Price setting slammed by utility firms
Leading utility contractors slammed the Government this week for setting material prices up to 17% lower than actual market prices. The.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Tarmac builds œ60m shopping centre
Tarmac Richardson Developments plans to build a œ60 million out-of-town shopping centre next to Fort Dunlop in Birmingham. The.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Sindall aims to double turnover
Contractor Morgan Sindall is aiming to almost double the turnover of its regional contracting arm during 1996, chief executive John Morgan claimed.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

ARC fights back by holding prices
ARC Natural Stone plans to hold its prices for another year as part of its fight against imported stone. ARC sales manager Colin Goble said:.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Seamless wins major contract
Seamless Surfaces, the manufacturer of fast-track seamless protective floor and wall coating applications, has won a major partnership contract.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

British first for warehouse roof
A new distribution warehouse at Dartford's Crossways Business Park is believed to have the first British roof to qualify for latent defects.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

TJ Brent joins Astron network
Cornish company TJ Brent, a wholly owned subsidiary of South West Water, has become the latest recruit to the Astron Building.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Eve forecasts substantial loss
Specialist civil engineering group Eve last week warned that contract losses and restructuring costs at three of its electrical contracting.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Multicar makes stylish return
Remember the Multicar, that East German multipurpose workhorse? After the fall of the East German regime, things went awry and Multicar almost.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

New contractors for Kommerling
Kommerling International, which manufactures PVC-U profiles for windows and doors, has added two UK companies to its network of contractors -.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Harsh weather hurts demand
Recent harsh winter weather has exacerbated the downturn in demand for building material products, the Rugby Group said this week. The.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Davies heads Admiral sales
Nigel Davies has joined Admiral Homes as sales and marketing director. Davies arrives from the House Builders Federation. Prior to that.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Unstable embankment threatens road and rail
Railtrack was due to appoint a piling contractor as CJ went to press on Tuesday, in an attempt to stabilise an embankment which threatens to.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Winning hands down
It is not common for a seven-nil score line to occur in premiership football, and it is far less common for a subcontractor to win seven-nil in the.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)

Accountability will make roads work
Roadbuilders accept the need to look for ways to reduce cost overruns and cut out nasty surprises. A couple of transport secretaries ago, design.... more
(29 February 1996 00:00)