Construction buyers are upbeat about industry prospects for 2024 despite another drop in construction activity in December. The latest bellwether S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index recorded 46.8 in December – below the neutral 50 mark but up on November’s 45.5 mark. But the latest survey showed better business expectations at UK construction companies
Construction will start shortly on a new waste energy plant in Walsall after owner and operator Encyclis reached financial close on the deal and Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) was confirmed as principal contractor. HZI will build the plant under a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction contract. Work will see the regeneration of a disused industrial
Former John Laing chairman Sir Martin Laing has died aged 81. Sir Martin was at the helm of the famous contractor when it was sold to O’Rourke for £1 in 2001 to create Laing O’Rourke. His death just after Christmas following a short illness was confirmed by the John Laing Charitable Trust from which he
Housing association Great Places has launched a public consultation on plans to create the UK’s first purpose-built majority LGBTQ+ Extra Care housing scheme in south Manchester. The development is planned for the site of the former Spire Hospital in Whalley Range which was demolished in 2019 and the brownfield site has since remained vacant. The
A surge of contract wins in the second half of last year saw Morgan Sindall reign supreme with the greatest haul of new work over 2023. The firm took pole position in the contracts league rankings with a total work haul estimated at £2.14bn. It also bagged the most contract wins securing a 153 projects
British Land has submitted plans for a major overhaul of its 1970s Euston Tower building in London. The developer aims to retain and re-use the existing building core and foundations at Regent’s Place, while adding new low carbon structures to create a new-look 32-storey building with bigger floor-plates. Lendlease is carrying out pre-construction planning work
National Highways is seeking a partner to help transform the agency and find efficiencies in the way it delivers its services nationally. A transformation consultant will be hired for three years starting from November under a service deal expected to be worth £43m. This may be extended to five years bringing the total fee to
Cheshire based civils and building contractor M Igoe Ltd owed suppliers and subcontractors more than £3.5m when it went into administration last October. The scale of the firm’s debts have been revealed in an update filed at Companies House by administrator BDO LLP. More than 250 unsecured creditors have been left holding unpaid invoices following
Willmott Dixon, FACE Brickwork, Grayson, Speedy Hire and Cemfree have joined forces to raise awareness for environmentally friendly building materials and methodologies. The firms have built a demonstration wall using eco-friendly alternatives to prove that by working together, the carbon-heavy industry can do something constructive to help the environment. The demonstration wall showcases some of
Swanley-based United Living Group weathered inflationary cost pressures to deliver strong revenue and profit growth last year. The firm, which was acquired by private equity giant Apollo last August, is on the acquisition trail after reporting revenue up 22% to £534m in the year to March 2023. This growth helped the housing to utility infrastructure
