News in brief: 1 June 2006 p 4

Kier Western has been appointed by Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust as main contractor for a £9.2m mental health unit for older people in Swindon. Completion is set for late 2007.

HBG has secured another contract with the University of Huddersfield: the £9m Creative Arts Building. This takes HBG's work with the university to £15m-plus.

Wates Living Space has been awarded five contracts worth £5.3m with CityWest Homes, the arms-length manager of Westminster City Council's housing stock. Work runs until December.

Botes Building has won a £4m affordable housing contract with Kelsey Housing Association in Bromley, Kent. Construction of 34 units starts in August with completion in December 2007.

Mansell has won a £3.3m contract to build a 2,300m2 enterprise pavilion to house new business start-ups for the Queens Quay Enterprise and Learning District in Clydebank, Glasgow.

Specialist contractor Composite has won a four-way tender to build a £2.2m car park adjacent to Coventry train station. Composite is working for Galliford Try.

CITB-ConstructionSkills and the National Association of Shopfitters are developing a site supervisors safety training course specifically for the shopfitting and interior contracting sectors.

Anglia Ruskin University is looking for postgraduates to apply for its professional doctoral programme - a part-time route for built environment professionals to study at doctoral level. The course starts in October.

There must be significant investment in occupational health for construction workers to continue to work until the raised state retirement age, according to B&CE. The average retirement age for construction workers is 62.

[Contract Journal, 1 June 2006, p 4]