Category Archive

Full article with thanks to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/hs2/hs2-seeks-digital-innovation-to-speed-up-construction-18-08-2020/   HS2 has launched a search for digital innovations to speed up the delivery of the rail-infrastructure megaproject, and will help to commercialise the most promising ideas from entrepreneurs and smaller providers. The organisation’s Innovation Accelerator programme is seeking ways to improve construction efficiency in three key areas: Process automation, reducing or removing paper-based … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/financial/construction-employment-suffers-worst-decline-in-a-decade-11-08-2020/ The number of people employed in the construction sector fell by 83,000 in the second quarter of the year, new data from the Office of National Statistics. The decline in the three months from the start of April to the end of June was the steepest since the first three months of 2010 when … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/hs2/hs2-delays-loom-after-judges-overturn-planning-rule-04-08-2020/   Planning permission required for HS2 work could be delayed after the Court of Appeal ruled councils are responsible for assessing the local impact of works for the project, rather than HS2 itself. The verdict is part of a dispute that began more than two years ago, when Hillingdon Council rejected an application from … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/financial/travis-perkins-reports-20-drop-in-turnover-28-07-2020/ Revenue at Travis Perkins was down 20 percent for the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. In a trading update this morning, the builders merchant reported a turnover of £2.78bn, compared with £3.48bn in the same period last year. Like-for-like sales in its general merchanting business across the … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/approval-for-337m-museum-of-london-24-06-2020/   Plans for the £337m transformation of a historic central London market into the new home for the Museum of London have been approved. The City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation committee gave the green light for the project which will see the museum move from its current Barbican home. Earlier this month … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/tech/why-post-virus-construction-needs-3d-printed-concrete-16-06-2020/   The future will be printed in 3D. Lem Bingley talks to the experts at the forefront of construction’s digital transformation amid a global pandemic that has emphasised the need to find different ways of doing things. The coronavirus crisis “has opened the eyes of everyone who works in an office that we can … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/hr-skills-news/unfurloughed-construction-workers/77551/ Data reveals that the percentage of UK construction workers on furlough decreased from 41% in March and April to 29% in May, according to accountancy group, UHY Hacker Young Around 951,000 of the UK’s 2.3 million construction workers were furloughed in April, as lockdown forced workers to down tools. With many construction sites now reopened, the number … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/agenda/from-coughs-to-chaos-covid-19s-impact-on-site-safety-27-05-2020/ Coronavirus has fundamentally altered working practices on construction sites around the world. How are these high-risk environments reacting to the changes? Zak Garner-Purkis investigates It started with a cough. Two tradesmen were working in a tight space. The first, a self-employed contractor, sounded pretty sick. “Are you coughing?” the second tradesman asked. “I’ve just got a … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/financial/questions-raised-over-london-projects-despite-tfls-1-6bn-bailout-20-05-2020/ All of Transport for London’s (TfL) construction projects have been placed under review after it secured a £1.6bn financial lifeline last week. An eleventh-hour deal was sealed with Whitehall on Thursday to keep London’s transport operator afloat. Under the terms, TfL will receive a £1.1bn grant and a loan of £500m, with the option … Read More

Full article with thanks to https://www.buildersmerchantsnews.co.uk/COVID19-strikes-a-hammer-blow-to-UK-construction-sector/49583 Ragene Raithatha Construction & Infrastructure Senior Associate at global legal business, DWF, comments on the CIPS/IHS Markit construction PMI figures for April 2020 “COVID-19 has severely impacted the sector which has resulted in the fastest decline in UK construction output since the survey began 23 years. “The sector has taken a blow as the … Read More