News

Competition regulator launches probe into major housebuilders

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Eight major housebuilders are being investigated for possible breaches of competition law. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a probe into “suspected anti-competitive conduct by housebuilders” relating to “concerns that they may have exchanged competitively sensitive information” including non-public information on sales prices, incentives, and rates of sale.…

Legal threat forces startup out of heat-loss measurement market

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By David Strahan EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been corrected to remove two statements about building testing company BSRIA. The original version stated that insulation firm Saint-Gobain had launched its QUB heat-loss measurement product “through BSRIA”. The article also said that BSRIA was “Saint-Gobain’s delivery agency for QUB in the…

£4.7bn from HS2 redirected to North and Midlands

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The government has reallocated £4.7bn from the axed HS2 Northern leg towards local transport in the North and Midlands. The Local Transport Fund, part of the government’s Network North programme, will distribute £2.5bn to local authorities in the North of England and £2.2bn to councils in the Midlands over seven…

Legal challenge against three A47 upgrades dismissed

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Three major new road schemes on the A47 in Norfolk are a step closer to going ahead after a legal challenge was dismissed by the Court of Appeal – although campaigners could take the case to the Supreme Court. The roads are: a dual carriageway and junctions between Blofield and…

Net-zero-homes proposal ‘could lower standards’

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A coalition of built environment groups have said the government’s net-zero housing plans do not go far enough. Low Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), a network of 1,000 professionals in the sector, says the Future Homes Standard could see housing built to lower environmental standards than today. The Department for Levelling…

Stewart Milne supply chain owed £153.8m

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Stewart Milne’s supply-chain creditors are set to lose almost all of the £153.8m they are owed, according to administrators. So far, 1,375 unsecured creditors have come forward, although administrators from Teneo expect the number to increase. Any payout is expected to be less than a penny in the pound. The…

Britishvolt administrators look for new buyer after deal stalls

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Administrators for Britishvolt are speaking to new potential buyers after the company that struck a deal to buy it one year ago failed to pay what it owes. Britishvolt, which planned to build a £3.8bn vehicle-battery plant in Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland, went into administration in January 2023. Weeks later,…

Public clients bemoan legacy-assets data gap

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Public infrastructure clients have a limited picture of when ageing assets will need maintenance work, MPs have heard. New infrastructure assets are built with data-monitoring systems, allowing easy identification of when an asset needs repairs, or when weather conditions will have an effect on safety. But Network Rail and National…

Material prices stable but Middle East crises threaten inflation

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Material prices are remaining stable or falling slightly but crises in the Middle East threaten to inflate products including plywood and semiconductors, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has said. In its latest update, the CLC’s Material Supply Chain Group said 2024 continues to see “good product availability”, with reduced construction…

Galliford Try wins £98m trio of infrastructure contracts

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Galliford Try has announced three civils contract wins worth a total £98m. The contractor’s environment business has won two contracts for Thames Water under its AMP7 framework, worth £64m in total. Galliford Try Environment will build a £33m pipeline in Thames Water’s Riverside Flow Monitoring Zone in south London in…