Author Archives: Charlotte Banks

The British Standards Institute (BSI) has recommended residential projects using modular construction designate an MMC adviser, in new guidance hailed as a “major step towards wider adoption” of volumetric housebuilding. Published on Tuesday (29 April), PAS 8700:2025, which was developed in collaboration with industry, aims to encourage the use of…

Construction on the redevelopment of Leeds United FC’s Elland Road Stadium could start within months, according to planning documents. The document reveals more details of how the club plans to redevelop its home stadium, adding around 20,000 seats and enabling it to host UEFA Champions League playoffs. The club has…

A major high-rise developer has urged the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to allow earlier construction stages to start while an application is under consideration, to combat delays. In an opinion piece for Construction News, Downing Group founder George Downing called upon the government to allow gateway applications to be assessed…

Creditors in a collapsed envelope firm’s supply chain will get back up to half a penny in the pound at most, administrators have said. Alucraft Systems was in the middle of installing cladding at Laing O’Rourke’s Everton Stadium (pictured) when it appointed administrators last March, making its 40 staff members…

The head of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has said he “wouldn’t be averse” to pre-application engagement to ease gateway two delays. Amid uncertainty over the BSR’s gateway two preconstruction hard stop, the Health and Safety Executive’s director of building safety Philip White told Construction News the regulator had been…

High-rise residential development has virtually ground to a halt since the Building Safety Regulator took on full powers. In the second instalment of a two-part series, Charlotte Banks explores whether change is on the horizon The roll-out of the gateway two system has been dogged by delays and poor clarity. But there are signs…

Problems with a new digital system have hindered Building Safety Regulator (BSR) staff from accessing applications, its director has admitted. Philip White, director of building safety at the Health and Safety Executive, told Construction News that IT issues delayed the regulator from processing applications. Other key problems included difficulties in…

High-rise residential development has virtually ground to a halt since the Building Safety Regulator took on full powers. In the first instalment of a two-part series, Charlotte Banks explores the problems  When Leeds City Council approved plans for three new residential towers on the Dyecoats regeneration scheme in April 2022,…

Trade creditors of a collapsed electrical contractor are unlikely to recover any of the money the firm owed, administrators have said. TNA Electrical, which appointed administrators from Leonard Curtis in February, left its supply chain out of pocket by £6.9m, according to documents published on 12 April. The figure is…

High-rise specialist Renaker posted record revenue and profit despite “periods of uncertainty and delays” brought on by gateway two building safety requirements. The developer-builder, responsible for many of Manchester’s city-centre high-rises, reported its pre-tax profit had grown by 27 per cent to £6.3m in the year ending 31 October 2024.…