Consultants

Arup profits drop by third as staff costs jump

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Arup has seen its annual profits drop by a third despite reporting a return to revenue growth.  The consultant reported pre-tax profit of £36.7m in the year to the end of March 2022, compared to £54m the previous year.  It came as “charges from sub-consultants” and other project expenses rose…

Industry set for downturn

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The sector is in a downturn and building will be hit harder than infrastructure, a consultancy has predicted. Arcadis’ Winter 2022 Market View says inflation in construction tender prices for 2022 will prove to be 10 per cent for buildings and 12 per cent for infrastructure. Its forecast for 2023…

Plans for major York scheme submitted

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Plans have gone in for a major riverside regeneration project in York. Local developer Helmsley Group submitted the application for the scheme to City of York Council. The construction value of the Coney Street Riverside project was estimated to be £500m, according to construction intelligence provider Glenigan. The 250,000 square…

Balfour and Kier among four named on £1.3bn A66 upgrade

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Four big-name contractors have been appointed to a £1.3bn project to upgrade a key section of road in northern England. Balfour Beatty, Costain, Kier and Keltbray have signed an agreement to deliver the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project. The deal will see the firms work together to dual remaining single-carriageway sections…

Atkins profit rises 17 per cent

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Profit at Atkins has grown by 17 per cent, its latest accounts show. The consultant posted pre-tax profit of £58.3m, up by £8.6m on the previous year’s figure of £49.7m. Its annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021 also show that revenue reached £1.01bn, a…

Mott MacDonald leadership changes as Haigh exits

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Mott MacDonald has announced a shakeup of its senior leadership team amid the departure of its long-serving executive chair, Mike Haigh. Haigh, who has worked for the global engineering, management and development consultancy for 42 years, will be replaced by James Harris. Meanwhile, Cathy Travers becomes group managing director, stepping…

Consultants appointed for £200m Belfast university deal

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Three major construction consultancies have been named on a £200m deal to build innovation centres for Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland. Arcadis, Turner & Townsend and Faithful+Gould will provide project management, design and construction services as part of the contract win. Arcadis has been appointed to work on the…

Mace appoints regional directors as it targets work around the UK

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Mace has appointed new regional directors for south-west England and the north. The construction firm has named Sarah Morton as director for the north and Lucy Namihas as director for the south-west region. Morton joined Mace’s consultancy business last year and led the managed frameworks team, working closely with national…

Faithful & Gould provide cladding advice – despite legal dispute

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Faithful & Gould is actively providing advice on remediating unsafe cladding on 187 buildings, despite being sued for approving the use of combustible materials on a London estate. The Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has allocated £600m for the removal of dangerous aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding…

Residential jobs behind booming work in cities

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Construction activity in major regional cities grew in 2021 thanks to a boom in residential work. The Deloitte regional crane survey found that 72 construction projects were started in 2021 – up from 53 the year before – in Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. The survey counts residential schemes larger…