Articles by Date : October 27 2003 - November 02 2003

Investment drives growth in third quarter
Increased government-funded work drove construction growth during the third quarter of 2003, according to the Construction Industry Trade Survey.... more
(31 October 2003 17:17)

Inspace wins £10m deal to upgrade 7,000 buildings
Inspace Partnerships has signed a 10-year deal with Colchester Borough Council worth £135m to maintain and upgrade its 7,000 unit housing stock and.... more
(31 October 2003 13:46)

Slight profit rise for Caterpillar dealer
Finning International, the dealer for Caterpillar construction equipment, has today (Friday) reported record third quarterly results for 2003. more
(31 October 2003 10:50)

Ministers advice ignored over Holyrood project
Holyrood was chosen as the site for Scotland's biggest public building project without a full economic appraisal to discover the risks involved, it.... more
(31 October 2003 08:30)

Cardiff unveils plans for the future
Thousands of new homes and four major road schemes are planned for Cardiff under new plans for the future of the Welsh city. more
(31 October 2003 08:04)

Higgins win £6m new homes contract
Higgins Construction has won a £6m contract to develop 59 new homes in partnership with registered social landlord, Octavia Housing and Care in the.... more
(30 October 2003 17:24)

Ballast regions snapped up by Rok
Rok Property Solutions has bought three of the northern regions of Ballast plc which went into administration a fortnight ago. They cover Wales, the.... more
(30 October 2003 15:20)

Skanska in exclusive talks for £620m Barts and Royal London PFI hospital scheme
The Skanska/Innisfree consortium has seen off a bid by French contractor Bouygues to enter into exclusive talks for the £620m private finance scheme.... more
(30 October 2003 12:31)

Griffiths to speak at CJ's HR conference
Construction minister Nigel Griffiths has agreed to speak at Contract Journal's HR Conference on 4 December. more
(30 October 2003 11:34)

Alfred McAlpine appoints new group finance director
Alfred McAlpine, the construction, infrastructure and business services group, has announced today (Thursday) that Dominic Lavelle has been appointed.... more
(30 October 2003 10:56)

Train operating body concerned over Network Rail decision
The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has raised concerns over Network Rail’s decision to take maintenance contracts in-house. more
(30 October 2003 09:45)

Blair gives support to £10bn Crossrail
Prime Minister Tony Blair has today (Wednesday) given his backing for the £10bn Crossrail project and was "confident" that the scheme would go.... more
(29 October 2003 15:30)

Jarvis appoint first rail division chief executive
Under-fire Jarvis has strengthened its under-fire rail division with the appointment of its first ever chief executive. more
(29 October 2003 14:26)

Workloads on rise for small and medium construction firms
The Federation of Master Builders' (FMB) survey for the third quarter of 2003 has found clear evidence of a continued increase in both the workloads.... more
(29 October 2003 13:46)

Workplace transport safety advice now available
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Freight Transport Association (FTA) have opened a new workplace transport safety advice centre designed.... more
(29 October 2003 13:18)

Darling defends decision to bring rail maintenance in-house
Transport secretary Alistair Darling has defended Network Rail's decision last week to take control of all its track maintenance contracts. more
(29 October 2003 11:05)

Average site working week tops 46 hours
Construction operatives are working an average 46.5 hours per week, according to the latest New Earnings Survey published by the Office of National.... more
(29 October 2003 10:11)

Whitehall questions future of light rail
The future of light rail schemes is in doubt after rumblings from Whitehall suggest that the government could be about to renege on its 10-year.... more
(29 October 2003 10:10)

Strike threat over foreign labour use
Unions in the engineering construction industry have warned that the sector is facing a crisis over unfair foreign competition. more
(29 October 2003 10:07)

Are track renewals next, Network Rail?
The seven rail infrastructure maintenance contractors dumped last week by Network Rail have been left wondering whether they can ever trust the.... more
(29 October 2003 10:05)

SEC calls for retentions peace deal
The Specialist Engineering Contractors (SEC) Group is looking to broker a peace deal with central government over its position on retentions. more
(29 October 2003 10:01)

Holyrood Inquiry begins
The Holyrood Inquiry, which started today (Tuesday), has begun scrutinising the early decision-making process that led to the construction of the new.... more
(28 October 2003 15:46)

Highway Works Strategic Partnering Contract - Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
Expressions of interest are being sought from suitably experienced contractors with the appropriate technical capabilities and financial resources.... more
(28 October 2003 15:10)

Tenders for Building and Associated Works - Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
Tenders are to be invited for the refurbishment and alteration works to the following buildings within the Quarry Park as part of the Quarry Heritage.... more
(28 October 2003 15:07)

Supply of ready mixed concrete - Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council invites organisations to make an application to be considered for inclusion on a select list of tenderers for the supply of.... more
(28 October 2003 15:06)

Servicing, repair and replacement of door entry systems - Bristol City Council
Applications are invited from companies with at least five years experience of servicing, repair and replacement of Door Entry Systems, wishing to be.... more
(28 October 2003 15:04)

On-street parking enforcement - Wandsworth Borough Council
Experienced contractors who wish to be considered for inclusion in a Select List of Contractors to provide on-street parking enforcement within the.... more
(28 October 2003 15:02)

Provision of local bus services - Durham County Council
Tenders are invited for the provision of approx 20/30 local bus services/local bus and taxi service contracts and approx one local taxi service.... more
(28 October 2003 14:57)

Commercial property demand stabilises at last
Business demand for commercial property has stabilised after nine quarters of decline, a survey published by the Royal Chartered Institution of.... more
(28 October 2003 12:33)

Manchester to get UK's tallest tower
Manchester looks set to be the home of the tallest residential block in Britain after planning permission was given for a 47-storey glass tower. more
(28 October 2003 11:13)

LU told six months ago to increase safety checks
A confidential document revealing deficiencies in the track inspection and maintenance regime has increased fears about safety on the London.... more
(28 October 2003 10:22)

Westbury on track to double homes business turnover
House builder Westbury raised its interim dividend by 15.6% as it unveiled a rise in first half pretax profit to £47.6m from £35.2m a year.... more
(28 October 2003 09:44)

Crossrail safe as CLRL hits back at inaccurate press reports
Cross London Rail Links (CLRL) has hit back at press reports that the £10bn Crossrail scheme is facing the axe. more
(27 October 2003 15:50)

HSC seeks comment on railway safety legislation
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is calling for responses to a discussion document which invites views and comments on options to renew and.... more
(27 October 2003 14:48)

Future of £10bn Crossrail in doubt
The capital's £10bn Crossrail scheme is set to be blocked because private investors are refusing to get involved, the Guardian newspaper is claiming.... more
(27 October 2003 11:55)

Marshalls spends £9m on new vehicle fleet
Marshalls plc, the UK manufacturer of concrete, clay and natural stone products, is spending £9m on a new fleet of 73 tractors and 'state of the art'.... more
(27 October 2003 11:31)

£2bn boost for Birmingham's road network
The government has given the go ahead for £2bn private investment to be made available to the Birmingham Highway Management Service scheme. more
(27 October 2003 10:55)

Rail contractors seek millions from Network Rail
UK rail contractors are planning to seek compensation for the loss of the maintenance contracts following Network Rail's decision to bring all of its.... more
(27 October 2003 10:08)