Technology

A unique rail regeneration project in South Wales is on course for completion by 2027 after the adoption of common data environment software. The Core Valley Lines (CVL) programme represents a £1bn investment aimed at revitalising the 180-year-old rail lines that previously serviced the region’s coal industry, said Nathan Sealy,…

Balfour Beatty has said that use of a digital platform co-run by its chief executive’s nephew has helped it achieve a record safety performance. The plc has been working with AI-powered platform Site Assist since 2021 to digitise and streamline permit to work procedures on its sites. Statistics provided by…

Legal & General trimmed its losses as it prepares to wind down its modular business in 2025, its latest annual accounts show. L&G Modular reported a pre-tax loss of £61.1m for the year to 31 December 2023, which it blamed on “balance sheet impairments [from 2022] following the decision to…

The NHS has started searching for new suppliers to join a £2.6bn modular building framework. Set to run for four years, the framework replaces a previous £1.6bn version, which initially saw 29 companies appointed. Work delivered under the agreement, set by NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), includes providing offsite-built…

Skills England has said the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) could be “expanded considerably” to help tackle labour shortages. The government’s new quango, set up to bring together different parts of the “fractured” skills system, released a report this week that highlights challenges for construction, including delivering 1.5…

Wates and Hill Holdings are among 22 firms that have taken spots on a four-year housing framework focusing on modern methods of construction (MMC). The Integrated Traditional Build & MMC framework will cover 37 different regions of England and Wales for a range of projects, including low and medium rise…

Tens of homes left half-finished by collapsed modular housebuilder Ilke Homes are to be part-demolished before construction can restart. Work at the Meadow Grange development in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, stopped last June after the housebuilder collapsed into administration. More than a year later, a replacement contractor has not yet been appointed.…

Peers have called for the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to be stripped of responsibility for certifying modern methods of construction (MMC), following criticism in the Grenfell Inquiry’s final report. A House of Lords debate on MMC yesterday (5 September) also heard calls from across the political spectrum for the BRE…

Three plant-hire trade organisations have urged chancellor Rachel Reeves to extend an upfront tax break to include equipment rented without an operator. Currently, construction plant is eligible for full expensing relief if it is rented with someone to operate it because it is considered a service. Plant rented without an…