Author Archives: Contributor

Mark Owen-Lloyd is director of Photovolt Development Partners Bats, newts, fish and other creatures large and small have recently found themselves in the spotlight, carrying the blame for Britain’s slow, expensive process for building infrastructure. Claims of harm against these critters are often driven by statutory nature conservation bodies, now…

Why do we expect tower crane operators to work at height in cramped, swaying cabs? There is another way. Kristina Smith investigates It is pretty rare to have a close-up encounter with a tower crane operator on a construction site. “Most people won’t even know you because you arrive before…

Rudi Klein is a barrister. He was formerly chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group I have a question. Has anybody seen a diminution in the demands for retention monies? Feedback I receive from firms is a definite NO! There is a reason for asking. Cast your minds back…

 Matthew Taylor is a partner and Aidan Steensma is of counsel at law firm CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang A recent Technology and Construction Court (TCC) decision has significantly limited the scope for claimants in building safety cases to make related parties of an original developer or contractor liable for…

Lucie Wright is head of careers strategy at the Construction Industry Training Board Apprentices are the lifeblood of the industry. This is particularly true for SMEs: six in 10 construction apprentices are employed by businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Those employers would be some of the hardest-hit by a…

By Gino Spocchia Network Rail has submitted long-awaited proposals to overhaul London’s Liverpool Street station to planners. The plans for upgrading and redeveloping the central London station were submitted to the City of London this yesterday (7 April), reported Construction News’ sister magazine Architects Journal. The scheme, which features huge…

 Former government chief construction adviser Paul Morrell detects more than a touch of politics in the government's long-awaited Construction Products Reform Green Paper “Always remember,” said a friend well used to the territory as I arrived for my brief spell in Whitehall, “that the primary business of politics is… politics”.…

Brian McArdle is UK MD at Gleeds After eight months of a new Labour government, I’ve been assessing how the change of political leadership and current global turmoil may impact the UK construction market. We cannot control what happens on the wider stage, but we can try to be prepared…

This story was written with the assistance of AI Read more about our AI experiment Peel Ports Group has appointed 18 contractors to a long-term construction framework worth up to £750m, covering major works across its UK and Irish port sites. The eight-year framework is split into three lots. Lot…

This story was written with the assistance of AI Read more about our AI experiment Wates has been appointed to deliver the final construction phase of a major government office development in Manchester city centre. The firm will carry out the Category B fit-out of the Government Property Agency’s (GPA)…