Articles by Date : May 29 2006 - June 04 2006

£1.7bn Thames storm tunnel looks 'likely' to get go ahead
The 30km stormflow tunnel that Thames Water wants to build under the Thames to stop raw sewage leaking into the river is likely to go ahead,.... more
(01 June 2006 11:00)

Case reassures customers as CRMS goes into administration
Case has reassured its customers that it will provide them with the “fullest level of service”, following the announcement that its southern.... more
(01 June 2006 11:00)

Schools chief denies baling out of BSF role
Richard Bowker rejected industry rumours this week that he was leaving Partnerships for Schools (PfS) after becoming frustrated by the slow pace of.... more
(01 June 2006 10:00)

Skanska blasted for referral fee
Skanska is demanding that its subcontractors hand over at least £10,000 as a down payment if they lodge any form of adjudication proceedings against.... more
(01 June 2006 09:15)

Debts mount at McGarvey
Glasgow-based McGarvey Construction has gone into receivership with debts believed to be around £3m, due to cashflow problems. Thirty three jobs have.... more
(01 June 2006 09:00)

Hanson and Cemex win Eastern Channel rights
Hanson Aggregates Marine and Cemex UK Marine have secured permission to extract sand and gravel from the new English Eastern Channel resource 32km.... more
(01 June 2006 09:00)

Utilities are no longer utilitarian
Britain is fast approaching a crunch point. Without some decisive action, we could soon see the same problems that affect countries that we think of.... more
(01 June 2006 09:00)

Partnerships for Health chief to leave top spot
Brian Johns is to step down as chief executive of Partnerships for Health (PfH) after four years in the post. more
(01 June 2006 08:45)

Skills card clampdown planned
The Major Contractors Group (MCG) is olding “urgent” talks with CITB-ConstructionSkills about relaunching the national Qualifying the Workforce.... more
(01 June 2006 08:20)

Ex-Wembley chief in Multiplex swipe
Former Wembley National Stadium (WNSL) chief executive Bob Stubbs and Multiplex have become engaged in a war of words. more
(01 June 2006 08:00)

Speedy Hire tops the temporary power supply sector
Following its purchase of LCH Generators, Speedy Hire said it has become the UK's largest temporary power supplier and will divide Speedy Power into.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

SED review 2006 - Site equipment zone: Well equipped
At SED's main Site Equipment Zone there was plenty to see as usual, with new equipment everywhere you looked. Dan Gilkes was there to report on the.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Utilities expenditure: Watts in store? (Utilities special report)
Utility capital expenditure has had an uncharacteristically prominent place in the media spotlight over the past year, and the attention is not.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

A-Plant division aims to grow by adding value
Steve Shaughnessy, the new managing director of A-Plant's Specialist Products division, said he wants to narrow the gap between its performance and.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

SDI-Unistride at Cerne Abbas: Resin the bar (Utilities special report)
The chalky ground and valley location of the 1,000-year-old settlement of Cerne Abbas makes the village prone to flash floods and burst pipes. CJ.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

DEFRA cutbacks leave civils sector strapped
■ Due to a 'high level of existing commitment', DEFRA will not be announcing priority scoring for future schemes. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Underground mapping project: Going underground (Utilities special report)
Experts from universities across the UK are mapping the nation's ageing networks of utility pipes and cables to cut disruption caused by street.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Dew Pitchmastic goes into administration
Dew Pitchmastic plc has itself gone into administration a week after pulling the plug on two of its subsidiaries, Dew Construction and Dew.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Bath Council (BANES) staff fraud probe dumped by police
A five-month investigation into allegations of fraud by staff in the building and engineering department of Bath & North East Somerset (BANES).... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Eire workers to be offered pensions flexibility
Construction workers in the Republic of Ireland will have the option of retiring at 60 under a revised pension plan for the industry, which is due to.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Accreditation now offered to asbestos experts
Asbestos inspectors can now be UKAS-accredited with the launch of the National Individual Asbestos Certification Scheme (NIACS). more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Trio awarded four-year BBC framework deal
Interserve, Mansell and Overbury have been selected by the BBC to carry out its small to medium-sized construction projects. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Tate sues duo for basement flood damage
The Tate Gallery has launched a legal battle for compensation of more than £5m after a flood in its half-built basement galleries six years ago. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

News in brief: 1 June 2006 p 4
Stories on… Kier Western, HBG, Wates Living Space, Botes Building, Mansell, Composite, CITB-ConstructionSkills and Anglia Ruskin University. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Plans for £275m Leeds city centre regeneration
Castlemore Securities plans to go out to tender next year for a £275m city- centre regeneration scheme. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Macquarie's M6 profit used for more roads
■ In an effort to enhance its relationship with the government, Macquarie pledges £112m. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Lagan/Murphy win £24m water pipeline scheme
A Lagan Construction/Murphy team has tapped into a £24m water pipeline deal in Northern Ireland. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

News in brief: 1 June 2006 p 1
Stories on LaFarge Cement and Strategic Forum. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

St Modwen to let Somerset deal
St Modwen is gearing up to tender elements of a £100m mixed-use scheme in Somerset. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Trio in the hat for £230m Blackpool development
Three developers have started a rollercoaster ride on the quest for a £230m mixed development prize in Blackpool. Amec, St Modwen and a.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Nolan takes HSS to double-digit growth
HSS Hire's growth rate is outstripping the rate of expansion of the construction industry's hire sector by 10%, said Paul Nolan, the group's chief.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Four clinch Yorks housing revamp
Four outfits have unlocked the lion's share of a £313m housing revamp deal in Yorkshire. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Strike ballot for NHS builders
■ Operatives may strike after NHS management refuses to offer them the same premium rates of pay as other similarly qualified staff. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Three chase £100m Scots PPP scheme
■ BAM, Balfour Beatty and Amey/Carillion in the frame for Dunbartonshire Council deal. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

NMC profit reaches £1m in first quarter of 2006
North Midland Construction (NMC) has reported a "strong start to the financial year" with profit in the first quarter of 2006 running past the £1m.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

HBG's pension deficit doubles
HBG UK's pension scheme deficit virtually doubled last year to £42m (£22m), despite the group again making a contribution of £7m. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Agreement will protect workers from silica dust
Certain construction, building materials and related transport workers are to be protected from breathing potentially hazardous crystalline silica.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

TE Beach lost £700,000 prior to Ringway sellout
TE Beach (Contractors) has revealed a £700,000 pre-tax loss in the seven-month period immediately prior to it being acquired by the Ringway Group. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Housebuilding exit hits Gleeson profit
■ Building group admits artificial deadline had left firm vulnerable to last-minute price cuts. more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

MJ Gleeson and Scottish Water: Keeping communication flowing (Utilities special report)
A technically challenging water treatment plant in the Dunbartonshire countryside relied as much on good communications as it did on cutting-edge.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Balfour Beatty on board King's Cross ticket hall contract following delay of four years
Balfour Beatty has finally clinched a £115m deal to build the Northern Ticket Hall at King's Cross Underground station, four years after the firm.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Microgeneration: New power generation (Utilities special report)
With government backing and the mounting pressure of environmental regulations, microgeneration looks set to be the next big thing in utilities. Paul.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

SED review 2006 - Cranes and access: The only way is up
The knock-on effect of the Work at Height Regulations was much in evidence at SED, with plenty of smaller kit on show. There was also a marked.... more
(01 June 2006 00:00)

Three contractors line up for £20m Fife PFI hospital
Three groups are to pick up the tender paperwork shortly for an estimated £20m-plus PFI hospital deal in Scotland. more
(31 May 2006 13:00)

Esh Group saves Stephen Easten
Durham-based Esh Group has bought the assets of Stephen Easten, which went into administration recently. more
(31 May 2006 11:30)

Taywood wins Sheffield BSF deal
Sheffield City Council has gone for the Paradigm consortium, headed up by Taylor Woodrow, to deliver its Pathfinder £320m school buildings programme. more
(31 May 2006 11:00)

Energy costs dent Corus's profit in the first quarter
Corus's costs increased by £20m in the UK in the first quarter as energy prices bit. This contributed to a fall in operating profit from £218m in Q1.... more
(31 May 2006 10:00)

Speedy's turnover and profit on the rise
Tools and equipment firm Speedy Hire has posted big increases in both turnover and pre-tax profit for the year to 31 March. more
(31 May 2006 10:00)