DCLG orders PFI housing cost review
Posted: 09 May 2007 A review of building costs on privately-financed, new-build social housing schemes has been ordered by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) after the building costs on seven PFI schemes awaiting approval were found to be significantly higher than on traditionally funded schemes. The seven schemes (see Insight, page 14), worth an estimated £700m in total, were benchmarked against traditional new-build schemes funded through Housing Corporation capital grants. The cost differences were so marked that the DCLG has ordered a moratorium on all new-build PFI social housing schemes while it investigates why the costs are so high. The department has warned that the future of the new build PFI programme is dependent on successfully reducing the costs of the seven schemes.
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Newspaper round-up: 4 May 2007
Posted: 04 May 2007 Hanson braced for £7bn bid Both the Independent and the Times reports that Hanson is bracing itself for a £7bn-plus approach after HeidelbergCement said it was considering a bid.
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Atkins the most popular graduate recruiter
Posted: 04 May 2007Atkins has been named as the most popular graduate recruiter in the construction sector at the third TARGET National Graduate Recruitment Awards in London last week.
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Newspaper round-up: 3 May 2007
Posted: 03 May 2007 Taylor Woodrow in £25m US write-down The Financial Times reports that Taylor Woodrow has underscored its exposure to the troubled US housebuilding sector with a £25m write-down of its North American landbank. Ennstone plans to raise £51m Ennstone is raising £51m through a placing and open offer of just under 121million shares at 42p, according to the Financial Times . Nuclear power a dangerous distraction, says Greenpeace The Guardian covers a report from Greenpeace which claims that the average nuclear power station is four years behind schedule and runs three times over budget. Relic find halts road construction Plans to build a motorway through an Irish heritage site have been halted after a transport minister unearthed an ancient relic when turning the first sod on the project, according to the
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HA decision to publish CAT scores comes under criticism from Amey
Posted: 02 May 2007The Highways Agency’s (HA) decision to publish a league table of its suppliers Capability Assessment Toolkit (CAT) scores has come under stiff criticism from Amey, one of its own key suppliers.
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Newspaper round-up: 2 May 2007
Posted: 02 May 2007 Bryson starts a new chapter at CPRE The Times reports on the appointment of author Bill Bryson as the new president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). His first initiative: to eradicate litter across the countryside.
Super union: listen to us Brown The head of Britain’s new super union, Tony Woodley, has warned chancellor Gordon Brown that he must listen to Labour’s rank and file to regain support, according to the Independent .
Energy group set sights on new nuclear plants The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has been consulting with local communities about what they want to replace nuclear power plants, according to the Guardian .
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Unions to ballot members over tea breaks
Posted: 01 May 2007Engineering construction unions are going to a full ballot of their membership on employer proposals for a new Naeci national agreement after a recalled shop stewards conference last week again rejected the terms which would partly scrap tea breaks.
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Newspaper round-up: 1 May 2007
Posted: 01 May 2007 Manchester building blaze A Victorian office building may have to be pulled down as it is liable to collapse following a blaze at the site in Manchester, according to the Times .
Barratt job cut threat The Independent reports that Barratt Developments has warned that 400 jobs could go following its £2.2bn merger with Wilson Bowden.
Connaught boost Connaught has reported a 37% increase in profits and an order book of over £2bn, according to the Times .
Persimmon and Wimpey go for Welsh development The Times reports that Persimmon and George Wimpey are set to go head-to-head for a £1.2bn housing scheme on an old BP refinery in South Wales.
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E4D&G consortium seals £100m schools PPP
Posted: 30 April 2007The Education for Dumfries and Galloway (E4D&G) consortium [Amey and Cyril Sweett] has been announced as preferred bidder for the revamped £100m Smarter Schools Project PPP.
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4ps releases competitive dialogue guidance
Posted: 25 April 20074ps, the project delivery specialist for local government procurement, has published a user-friendly guide to help councils understand the EU's competitive dialogue process.
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Velopark designer shortlist announced
Posted: 25 April 2007The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced its designer shortlist for the Velopark at the Olympic site.
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Galliford seals contracts worth £110m
Posted: 25 April 2007Galliford Try has secured three new contracts and one scheme under its Environment Agency (EA) framework worth £110m in total.
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Newspaper round-up: 25 April 2007
Posted: 25 April 2007 Spanish property crash Fears of a property crash in Spain is reported in the Daily Telegraph after shares in construction companies went into freefall. Hanson suffers in first half due to weak dollar The Financial Times reports that Hanson expects its first half performance to be hampered by a weak US dollar. One in five
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Norwest Holst faces HA grilling over engineering delays
Posted: 24 April 2007Norwest Holst is facing a grilling from the Highways Agency (HA) this week over why its planned engineering works two weeks ago on the M20 in Kent overran by over eight hours, causing a 16km queue of traffic.
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Hyder acquires RPA
Posted: 24 April 2007Hyder Consulting (UK) has acquired RPA Quantity Surveyors Limited (RPA) for an initial sum of £2.8m.
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BAM wins £120m school deal
Posted: 23 April 2007Dutch group BAM, which owns HBG, has clinched a £120m deal to deliver Dunbartonshire Council’s privately-financed schools scheme, seeing off contenders Transform Schools (Balfour Beatty) and the West Dunbartonshire Schools Partnership (Amey/Carillion).
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Civils groups announce wishlist for Scottish elections
Posted: 23 April 2007Ringfencing local transport funds, more consultation with the industry on strategic transport decisions and longer regulatory periods in the water sector form a major plank with civils firms for the pending Scottish elections.
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Newspaper round-up: 20 April 2007
Posted: 20 April 2007 Sustainability The Guardian reports on a National Audit Office report which claims that the government’s target for a carbon neutral Whitehall by 2012, and to cut emissions by 30% by 2020, will be impossible to achieve unless changes are made to the refurbishing of government offices.
Renewals The Guardian also reports that renewable firms are laying off staff because the government has shut its grant scheme that helps households adopt green technologies.
Persimmon Persimmon is preparing to gatecrash the proposed £5.5bn merger of George Wimpey and Taylor Woodrow, according to the Times today.
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Cooper expresses concern over housbuilder mergers
Posted: 19 April 2007The Minister for Housing and Planning Yvette Cooper expressed concern at the number of mergers between house builders yesterday, as she spoke at the Housing Forum’s National Conference.
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It's a steady ship for Morgan Sindall
Posted: 19 April 2007Morgan Sindall has said it has made an encouraging start to the year and that trading is in line with expectations.
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