News

Vistry chief executive Greg Fitzgerald has added the role of group chairman to his responsibilities, as former chair Ralph Findlay steps down after nine years on the board. There will be no change in Fitzgerald’s pay package. Vistry’s board won approval in August to increase his remuneration to up to…

Clegg Construction managing director Simon Blackburn has announced his retirement after 20 years in charge. Commercial director Michael Sims has taken over as MD, while the rest of the leadership team remains unchanged, the company said in a statement. Sims joined Clegg in 2021 after two decades at GF Tomlinson,…

Wates has landed the £70m conversion of a Grade II-listed building in central London into a life-sciences hub. The contractor has been appointed by clients Oxford Properties and Pioneer to work on the eight-storey Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square. The 1930s building has a number of unique heritage features behind…

HS2 chair and interim chief executive Sir Jon Thompson has provided MPs with seven reasons that the cost of the mega-project has exponentially increased since it was first mooted in 2009. The Gordon Brown-led government initially estimated HS2 would cost £37.5bn in 2009 prices, with one line stretching between London…

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…

The Scottish Government is facing a judicial review over its decision to grant planning permission for a windfarm that could threaten an endangered wildcat population. The devolved government granted permission for a £90m windfarm in Aberdeenshire last June. Swedish power company Vattenfall plans to build 14 wind turbines with a…

Two companies that form envelope specialist Lindner Prater have posted a combined £39.3m pre-tax loss from a revenue of £105m. Lindner Exterior Holdings, which owns Prater Ltd, made a £30.5m loss from a revenue of £43.3m in 2022, while Linder Prater Ltd made an £8.8m loss from £61.8m turnover, according…

A London-based public sector contractor has started liquidation proceedings after nearly 50 years in business. Diamond Build Plc and its subsidiary Diamond Fire Safety both ceased trading last Friday (5 January). A notice has been sent informing creditors that the companies will go into liquidation on 19 January. Diamond Build…

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…

Five firms have secured work retrofitting energy-efficiency measures across Scotland and Northern Ireland. Bell Group, PHS Home Solutions and Procast Building Contractors were named to carry out refurbishment and installation tasks across both countries. The trio are joined on the Scotland-specific lot of the framework by Paisley business Clark Contracts…