Author Archives: Charlotte Banks

Camden Council has proposed it leads a development corporation delivering HS2’s Euston terminus and surrounding area. Research commissioned by the council estimates that development adjacent to and above a reduced Euston station could add £41bn to the economy by 2053, creating 34,000 jobs – including 1,300 construction apprenticeships. Camden Council’s…

A trio of big-name contractors could walk away from a major health security project amid substantial delays and ballooning costs, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report. The treasury first approved Public Health England’s (PHE) outline business case for a £530m health security campus in Harlow, Essex, in 2015.…

The Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) response group did not meet the Department for Education (DfE) last year, Construction News can reveal. The CLC announced on 6 September last year that it would establish a technical expert panel to support the UK Government and building owners…

Developers are still building schemes they know will fail to meet incoming safety standards, according to a government-backed report. The fourth annual report of the Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG), chaired by Dame Judith Hackitt, said it had seen “hard evidence” that some developers are not paying enough attention to…

The High Court has overturned housing secretary Michael Gove’s decision to block Marks & Spencer’s controversial Oxford Street redevelopment. Justice Lieven upheld M&S’s appeal against the decision on Friday morning (1 March) in a blow to campaigners, who objected to the carbon impact of demolishing and rebuilding the retail giant’s…

Around 300 people are under threat of evacuation from their council homes in Aberdeen after surveys found reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Panels made from the crumble-risk concrete were found in around 500 homes in Aberdeen’s Balnagask area, to the south of the city, including 299 occupied by council tenants.…

Volumetric builder TopHat has launched a consultation over 70 potential job cuts, Construction News understands. The Derby-based firm blamed a “challenging market” for the cost-cutting measures. It comes as the UK has seen a sharp fall in housebuilding, partially caused by an increase in interest rates. A TopHat spokesperson said:…

A House of Lords committee failed to find a reason for the recent offsite failures In 2019, Nick Walkley, then chief executive of Homes England, announced a £30m loan for modular builder Ilke Homes. At the time, he said: “There is huge, untapped potential to unleash by creating more capacity…

Rye Demolition has gone into administration, having been hit by two winding up orders. The Aylesbury-based demolition specialist, which has worked with housebuilders such as Barratt Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Berkeley Group, appointed administrators from Voscap today (28 February). Construction labour agency Lonsite and formwork specialist RMD Kwikform both filed…

The owners of the Crooked House pub have been ordered to rebuild it exactly as it was. South Staffordshire Council served an enforcement notice against ATE Farms, giving it three years to rebuild “Britain’s wonkiest inn” to how it stood before it was destroyed by fire and subsequent demolition. The…