NEWSBRIEF

BOVISINLLOYD's COURTCRUNCH

Bovis should learn in a few days whether it has won a court battle to escape legal action taken by Lloyd's of London over corrosion to external piping on the Lloyd's Building. Lloyd's is seeking œ10 million in damages from architect Richard Rogers, engineer Ove Arup, construction manager Bovis and other consultants and subcontractors. Lloyd's is talking to all the parties to see if a settlement can be reached, but is pursuing the court route in tandem. A provisional date for a hearing has been set for early 1999.

ROYAL ARSENALCONSORTIUMNAMED

A consortium led by Llewelyn-Davies and including Gardiner and Theobald, Hawk, Pell Frischmann, Rothermel Thomas and Campbell Reith Hill, has been selected by English Partnerships to implement a œ45 million redevelopment of the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. The historic Grade I and II listed buildings will be refurbished and repaired. A range of uses has been proposed including offices, light industrial, museums, sport, leisure and residential.

BArclays announces sponsorships

Barclays Bank has announced six local sponsorship schemes worth œ10,000, linking up with selected housing associations, to coincide with this week's National Housing Week. The sponsorships mark the growing importance and success of the bank's Housing Association Unit which has built up a portfolio of more than œ600 million, involving over 100 housing associations.

FAIRVIEW GETSTOOTINGGO-AHEAD

Fairview New Homes has won planning consent for a 598 unit mixed housing development on part of the redundant Tooting Bec Hospital site in Tooting, London, SW17. The 8.9ha site will have a development value of œ62 million and will feature a range of studios, one and two bedroom flats and three and four bedroom homes.

WARINGSGETSœ7.5m LIPHOOKD&BJOB

Portsmouth-based Warings Contractors has been awarded a œ7.5 million design and build contract to carry out major new building and restoration work at the Luxury Forest Mere Health Spa at Liphook in Hampshire.

ARUPAPPOiNTEDFORWESTKOWLOON

Ove Arup & Partners has been appointed as lead consultant for the preliminary design of the West Kowloon station, the eventual southern terminus of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation's West Rail project. The station will be more than 500m long and 150m wide and will have its track level 15m below ground and feature a link to the adjacent Mass Transit Railway Kowloon Airport Railway Station. Architect is Terry Farrell & Partners.

STOREBAELT PASSENGER SERVICESSTART

Passenger services began this week on the rail link section of Denmark's œ2.3 billion Storebaelt (Great Belt) - an 18km fixed link - after nine years of construction. Freight trains began running in April. The road link will open for traffic in summer 1998.

BOVIS SIGNSMANILACONTRACT

Bovis Asia Pacific signed a joint venture agreement on 29 May to participate in the construction management of the proposed œ900 million Bonifacio Global City in the Philippines' capital Manila. The 214ha site in the heart of the city, adjoining Manila's existing business district of Makati, was formerly a military base.