News in brief: 9 August 2006

City Inn is planning a £330m expansion, including new hotels near the Tower of London, Piccadilly Station in Manchester and near the main railway station in Leeds.

Local government minister Phil Woolas has called on the Audit Commission to launch an official inquiry into the Bath Spa fiasco. The project was due to be handed over to operator TDC - three years late and £30m over budget - on Monday.

McInerney, the Ireland-based housebuilder, has paid £31m for Bowey Homes. The figure includes Bowey's £7m of debt. Bowey, based in Gateshead, builds around 8,000 homes a year and pre-tax profit last year ran to £4m.

The London Borough of Camden has advertised £283m-worth of housing partnering work covering: packages of general repair mechanical and electrical work and new build work.

Edmund Nuttall has been confirmed as the winner of an £85m guided busway contract from Cambridgeshire County Council. Work will involve the construction of 24km of concrete guideway.

Family Mosaic Housing and Broomleigh Housing Association are inviting contractors to bid for around £50m-worth of housing redevelopment work in London's Elephant & Castle area. The work has been divided into seven lots.

The Corporations of Shrewsbury College of Arts and Shrewsbury Sixth Form College are seeking a contractor to undertake a £48m scheme to co-locate the two colleges on a new campus using a two-stage contract.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service is inviting consortia to bid for its £22m to £26m North East Fire and Rescue Authorities collaborative PFI project, which includes provision of five new fire stations and an administrative headquarters, along with FM services.

Train operator Eurostar (UK) has advertised a £20m to £25m contract for station fit-out work in London, including customer and staff facilities and station retail units. It has also published a £5m M&E contract.

Defence Estates Operations North is seeking a contractor to carry out between £10m and £20m of work for the Tactical Communications Wing at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.

A £17m contract is up for grabs from Prospects Building Services in the shape of a £17m deal to construct the Futures Community College in Southend-on-Sea.

Wilson Bowden Developments is looking for a contractor to design and construct the £8m to £12m phase 2 infrastructure and earthworks at its proposed Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale.

[Contract Journal, 9 August 2006, p. 1, 3]