HOT LINE

Work on the œ92m widening of the M25 to four lanes between junctions 8 and 10 is now expected to start in spring 1995. Meanwhile, the public inquiry into controversial plans to add three extra lanes each side of the existing M25 between junctions 12 and 15 has been delayed until some time next year.



The Government has submitted outline plans for the redevelopment of the three tower blocks at 2 Marsham Street, currently housing the DoT and DoE. They will be replaced with a mixed development of low lying offices, homes and green open space.



Geoffrey Osborne has a clutch of new contracts including a œ5.9m superstore for Safeway at Witham, Essex; œ3.7m of new D&B contracts for new buildings at Deepcut in Surrey for the MoD; a œ3m contract to build 61 properties for various housing associations at Hounslow; and a œ2.3m, five-storey HQ for the Civil Service Motoring Organisation in Brighton.



Laing has won a œ4.6m contract in joint venture with Crown House Engineering to build a new radiotherapy and oncology department at New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton. It also has a œ4m contract for improvements to the Idlewells shopping centre at Sutton in Ashfield.



Costain has won a œ4m maintenance contract on the A3(M) for Hampshire CC. 120,000m2 will be resurfaced with asphalt, while 5,000m2 will undergo full reconstruction.



Matthew Hall has a œ2.5m contract for building and maintenance services over five years at The Royal Surrey County and St Luke's Hospitals NHS Trust in Guildford, Surrey.



Birse has two contracts for Anglian Water Services, worth œ2 million. It will construct a new GAC plant at Colney Water Treatment Works near Norwich and has work at Matlaske and Metton.