Legal

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a legal case relating to nutrient neutrality which if successful could green light the construction of thousands of homes.  The court case, brought by Somerset developer CG Fry & Son Ltd, will test whether nutrient neutrality rules apply in cases where a development…

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has revealed its staff's personal data may have been stolen after it was struck by a cyber attack last month.  The industry body said the “cyber incident” took place on 8 October but was only discovered on 23 October, with the CIC finally securing its…

By Gino Spocchia A criminal case brought against contractor Lindner Prater, facade firm Wintech and two other companies over the death of a man hit by a window falling from a building has been adjourned. The firms were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this week (29 October)…

A doppelganger company has been forced to change its name following a complaint from John Sisk & Son. The contractor contacted the Company Names Tribunal after the name ‘John Sisk Ltd’ was registered in August last year. Corby-based John Sisk Ltd has one director – Alexandra Anamaria Badita – and…

A contractor has lost a court case in which it claimed it was not contractually responsible for completing technical designs on a dairy scheme. The court found in favour of client Workman Properties Ltd (WPL) in a case that sought to clarify the design obligations under a construction contract with…

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has launched an attack on “onerous” amendments made by clients to standard contracts, voicing worries about the impact on contractors’ insurance coverage. In a statement, the CLC’s Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) working group warned clients against amending the terms of standard contracts unless necessary, to avoid…

The boss of a collapsed Essex construction firm that failed to complete more than £300,000 of work has been banned as a director for eight years. The Insolvency Service announced yesterday (21 October) that Samantha Fairweather had been barred with immediate effect, after taking money as a deposit for work…

Current guidelines on roof gardens should continue to be followed despite a tribunal ruling indicating otherwise, the government has said. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) issued a note on Friday (19 October) stating that it is still considering a recent judgement on the issue. It moved…

Persimmon and a self-employed carpenter have been found jointly liable after the carpenter fell nearly five metres from a ladder. Ryan Jones suffered a fractured ankle after falling from the scaffolding system at a Persimmon housing development at Old St Mellons, Cardiff, in August 2018. He was 33 at the…

Roof gardens count as an additional storey when calculating whether buildings should be subject to the higher-risk building safety regime, a judge has ruled in a test case. The decision resulted from a first-tier tribunal (FTT) claim brought by a leaseholder of Smoke House and Curing House in Hackney Wick,…