Author Archives: Contributor

Project-starts and main contract awards experienced declines against the previous quarter and last year. However, growth in detailed planning approvals provided a boost to the development pipeline. Industrial overview During the three months to July, industrial project-starts fell 50 per cent against the preceding three months to stand 66 per…

Main contract awards fell against both the previous quarter and last year. More positively, project-starts grew slightly against 2022 levels, and planning approvals saw a boost on the previous quarter. Housing overview Totalling £9.2bn, residential work commencing on site during the three months to July grew 2 per cent against…

Weak construction-starts performance continued during the three months to July with main contract awards also performing poorly.  More positively, detailed planning approvals experienced a strong performance when compared to 2022 levels. Averaging £5.9bn per month, work commencing on-site during the three months to July experienced a weak performance, decreasing 10…

Robert Adjetey is a construction and engineering disputes partner at Osborne Clarke The construction sector and developers have gained more certainty on post-Grenfell safety work issues from a recent ruling. The judgment by the Court of Appeal in URS Corporation Ltd v BDW Trading Ltd has widened the avenues for…

Andrew Waddington is senior technical manager at Morgan Sindall Construction Given that teamwork, resilience and a strong work ethic are highly prized in the construction industry, it’s not surprising many employers recognise the value of recruiting people who have served in the armed forces. Morgan Sindall Construction is one of…

Danny Clarke is commercial director of the National Federation of Builders In a world where equality, diversity and inclusion have become central themes in discussions around the modern workplace, one facet often remains unexplored to the degree it should – neurodiversity. This vital aspect of human diversity, encompassing conditions such…

Allan Wilen is Glenigan’s economics director Construction faces a challenging economic environment this year, before conditions gradually improve from 2024. Stalled UK economic growth and higher interest rates are currently dampening private sector investment and housing market activity. However, brightening economic prospects are expected to lift construction project starts from…

Juliette Enser is senior director of cartels at the Competition and Markets Authority In March, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fined 10 construction firms nearly £60m for illegally colluding over £150m-worth of private and public sector contracts. This was just the latest example of our focus to root out…

Matthew Cocklin is a partner at Devonshires Solicitors On 24 July, the Responsible Actors Scheme (RAS) was launched in England using powers conferred by the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022. The RAS is a scheme that eligible developers may join. Members are required to identify and remediate (or pay for…

Decarbonising the nation’s homes requires an immense and multifaceted retrofit effort – but is the construction sector sufficiently skilled to deliver it? Keith Cooper investigates Turning tens of millions of homes green is a huge task for construction, and its workforce will play a pivotal role. But it’s a job…