Author Archives: Miles Rowland

Sadiq Khan is one of the few politicians who has actually worked on a construction site. The mayor of London, who was raised on a council estate in the south London suburb of Earlsfield, was a labourer over the course of several summers in his youth. Decades later, as London…

Housebuilder Barratt Homes has furloughed about 80 per cent of its workforce of 6,500. The move will see around 5,200 workers placed on leave. Barratt will top up employees’ salaries so that they receive full pay, in light of the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme only covering 80 per cent…

Everton Football Club has outlined plans for a mixed-use development on the site of the club’s current stadium, Goodison Park. The plans, which will be reviewed by Liverpool City Council, propose building a new health centre, an expansion of Everton Free School (run by the club), up to 173 houses…

Construction trade bodies have raised concerns that contractors and clients are delaying payments to suppliers during the disruption caused by COVID-19. An open letter to the industry from Construction Leadership Council (CLC) co-chairman Andy Mitchell (pictured) and signed by 13 prominent industry figures said: “The CLC is increasingly concerned about…

Kier, Bam and Morgan Sindall are among the contractors to have closed all Scottish construction sites considered ‘non-essential’, according to new guidance issued on Monday. The guidance from the Scottish Government listed works at children’s hospitals in Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as road, rail and utility repairs, as examples of works…

Bam Nuttall construction workers will return home from Antarctica in a quarantined ship due to concerns over COVID-19, it has been announced. The contractor’s team of around 50 workers recently completed work on the Rothera Wharf for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), a structure that will accommodate the new research vessel…

Bam tackles tricky ground conditions and a wooden welcome centre for the Royal Horticultural Society, with a design that demands extreme precision  

Project: Welcome building and lake at RHS Bridgewater Client: Royal Horticultural Society Main contractor: Bam Construct Total cost of creating gardens: £32m Contract type: Design and build…

The Scottish Government has said all non-essential construction work should stop immediately due to COVID-19 concerns. According to new guidance, only projects delivering facilities dedicated to battling coronavirus, repair and maintenance of “critical infrastructure” and “essential public services” should remain open. The guidance comes two weeks after first minister Nicola…

Construction output plummeted in March by the fastest rate since April 2009 as COVID-19 disruption caused work stoppages around the country, new PMI survey data has revealed. The CIPS/IHS Markit index for March posted 39.3, down from 52.6 in February, and well below the market’s predicted level of 44. This…

Employers that do not enforce social distancing measures could have works suspended and face fines, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned. The safety body, in a joint statement with the Trades Union Congress and Confederation of British Industry, said if it became aware of an employer not enforcing social distancing…