Home » Author Archives: Tiya Thomas-Alexander

Author Archives: Tiya Thomas-Alexander

Colas among firms on £40m Salford highways framework

Colas traffic management crew

Salford City Council has named 19 contractors on a £40m highways framework, including Colas and Eric Wright. The framework is divided into six lots based on the nature of work, including minor civils, structures, bridges, coring and site investigations, drainage, repairs and landscaping. The highways framework is set to launch…

HS2 considering alliancing contracts for future work

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HS2 could use alliancing style contracts for future work to get the “best value”, Construction News can reveal. HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said the megaproject with its web of contractors created an opportunity for closer collaboration. Thurston told CN: “There’s a lot of good learning about how we as…

Farrans JV wins main works contract on £200m Belfast transport hub

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A JV of the Northern Irish firm Farrans and Madrid-based Sacyr has been appointed to deliver the main works for a £200m major transport hub in Belfast. The construction project will include building 26 bus stands and eight railway platforms. The client, Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure, confirmed that the…

HG Construction wins £65m leisure scheme

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HG Construction has won the contract to build a £65m leisure scheme in Colchester. The 200,000 sq ft project will include a cinema, restaurants, a hotel and other leisure spaces including a bowling alley and a climbing centre. A 750 space car park will also be built and feature rapid…

Developers face planning blocks if they fail to pay for cladding fix

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Developers face planning application blocks and no building control sign-off if they fail to fix problem cladding, housing secretary Michael Gove has warned. The new proposals would effectively block developers from the housing market. The rules are set to be part of the Building Safety Bill. They mark the latest…

HS2 boss eyeing new skills for further phases

Mark Thurston by the tunnel boring machine Dorothy at HS2’s Long Itchington site in Warwickshire

HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston says the megaproject will need more non-construction skills as it progresses. The focus would move from construction roles to consulting and professional services as phases 2a, from the West Midlands to Crewe, and phase 2b, from Crewe to Manchester, progress. The number of people working…

McAlpine starts work on ‘world first’ drone airport

An artist’s impression of how an urban airport, which could support police and other drones, might look

Sir Robert McAlpine has begun work on a 'world first' airport for drones and vertical take-off vehicles in Coventry. The project called Air One has been developed by Urban-Air Port (UAP), a start-up that plans to build hubs for drones and other small vertical take-off vehicles. Construction will include a…

JCB eyes 1,000 new workers as demand surges at record levels

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JCB has said the surge in demand following a historic lull in work at the peak of the pandemic last spring is unlike anything it has seen in its “75-year history”. The equipment maker has launched a “fresh recruitment drive” to hire 1,000 new permanent workers across its 11 plants…