Civils

Ministers have kickstarted the construction of Sizewell C, committing £1.3bn to vital infrastructure works for the controversial nuclear mega-project. The government released the cash from its existing budgets to ensure road, rail lines and other services close to the Suffolk site are upgraded ahead of the main build phase. Once…

Thousands of construction workers at energy sites have called off strike action after accepting a pay rise of more than 17 per cent over two years. 3,000 engineering construction workers at Sellafield nuclear facility and Stanlow, Fawley, Valero, Grangemouth and Mossmorran oil refineries were due to walk out in a…

The government’s decision to lift a “de facto ban” on onshore windfarms in England will not address the “godforsaken” picture for developing them, MPs have been told. In September, a rule that allowed English local authorities to reject an application to build a windfarm on the basis of a single…

HS2 is preparing to apply for an extension to the injunction banning “disruptive protests” on its route, including on the cancelled phase 2a, Construction News can reveal. The legal measure, first granted in 2022, bans anyone from entering or remaining on HS2-owned land; obstructing or otherwise interfering with vehicle access;…

Story Contracting has seen its profit plummet despite soaring revenue. The Cumbrian civils specialist, placed 82nd in the most recent CN100, posted turnover of £226.8m for the 12 months to 31 March 2023. This was up more than a quarter on the previous year but pre-tax profit dropped 70 per…

Bouygues and Laing O’Rourke have been served warning notices by the nuclear regulator over fire-safety failures at Hinkley Point C. The contractors have each received enforcement notices relating to failings by their joint venture BYLOR JV. The Office for Nuclear Regulation also served notices to NNB Generation Company, a subsidiary…

Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds is set to play a key role in a Labour-led review of major UK infrastructure projects. The former London 2012 delivery chief will sit on a panel of experts advising on the probe into ways of slashing the time and cost of big construction projects.…

The head of the UK’s spending watchdog has called for a fresh approach to managing construction mega-projects. National Audit Office comptroller Gareth Davies told MPs that for large capital investment, “Whitehall has a governance problem”, and urged the creation of cross-government boards to oversee the country’s largest public construction jobs.…

The government has said it will consider building another large nuclear power station if sufficient funds are raised for Sizewell C. The proposed new facility would be the same size as Hinkley Point C, which is under construction, and Sizewell C, which has been granted permission but is awaiting external…

HS2 chair and interim chief executive Sir Jon Thompson has said the true cost of phase one of the mega-project will be around £8bn to £10bn higher than the company’s official estimates, which are in 2019 prices. While the current funding envelope for HS2 phase one is £44.6bn in 2019…