NEWSBRIEF

New-look Ascot under starters orders

Ascot racecourse is to undergo a £180m transformation that will include a new grandstand with a glass-topped atrium. Designed by Rod Sheard, the architect behind Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the scheme will include a new parade ring, a hotel with bedroom views of the course, and the restoration of an 1864, Grade II listed building. The course will use £60m of its own reserves to fund the scheme, with the rest of the £180m in the form of bank loans. Work on the development is due to start in late 2004 and will take three years.

Birmingham new street station tackled

The government's number one priority for the West Midlands over the next three years should be the expansion of Birmingham New Street station to tackle the north-south divide and provide more capacity for local rail, said the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), commenting on the draft planning guidance for the region.

Sir Robert mcalpine on fast track

Sir Robert McAlpine has begun the fast track construction of the new £18.5m Ebor spectator stand for members on behalf of York Racecourse Committee. The contractor is on target to complete the six floor, steel framed project by the end of March 2003.

Asbestos ruling hits insurance costs

A sharp rise in contractors' insurance costs is being forecast in the wake of the House of Lords recent ruling on the Fairchild case. It involved employer liability following the death of a construction worker from asbestos-related mesothelioma. "Insurers are facing a payout of £8bn for asbestos claims over the next few years," said George Brumwell, general secretary of UCATT. "They will want to crack down on the industry. A lot of contractors will find it very difficult to get insurance unless they are properly protecting their workforce. Track records will be examined."

union's Labour Party link holds fast

UCATT conference delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the union's link with the Labour Party. The conference accepted a composite motion that expressed disappointment that "the Labour government has not delivered on a number of issues that are needed for the construction industry", while calling on the executive council nonetheless to keep the political and financial link and "not to listen to those who would put us out in the cold".

Amec partners with TAG Mclaren

Amec has signed a multi-year partnership arrangement with the TAG McLaren Group, to become a services partner to Paragon - the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC), which is currently under construction outside Woking in Surrey. Amec is installing innovative building services in the MTC. This partnership will generate unique opportunities for Amec to promote its technical services role on the international stage.

Company name change for Wiggins gee

Wiggins Gee Construction has changed its name to Gee Construction in order to "go back to its roots". John Newby, group chairman and managing director, said: "While we are looking forward with great confidence to the future, we also thought it important to look back at what we have achieved as a company to date. With this in mind we decided to adopt the Gee part of our name as our main focus."