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Clive Docwra is managing director of McBains The government’s back-pedalling on net-zero policies is, as Construction News reported, a source of confusion and frustration for the construction industry. Cast your mind back to less than two years ago, when former PM Boris Johnson opened the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow,…

Chris Hallam is a partner at law firm CMS The government’s ongoing refusal to guarantee the western leg of HS2, having already amputated the eastern leg, leaves a once ambitious and transformative infrastructure project resembling some kind of Shakespearean drama of equal parts tragedy and comedy. We understand ministers are…

Sue Ryan and Gemma Whittaker are construction partners, and Emma Knight is a principal associate, at Gowling WLG Almost all building work carried out in England must comply with building regulations. Historically, however, the sanctions for breaching the rules were minimal. Dame Judith Hackitt notably described the penalties as “so…

Stuart Bosley is managing director of quantum and project advisory at DeSimone Consulting Engineering In the world of construction and architecture, buildings speak of the aspirations and challenges of the era they come from. One such material that has painted a significant chapter in the annals of the UK’s construction…

David Savage is a partner and the construction & infrastructure co-lead at Charles Russell Speechlys The 1st October is a big day for the construction sector. This date marks the new building-control regime for higher-risk buildings (HRBs) and the deadline for submitting the application to register any qualifying HRBs that…

This month sees Construction News publish its annual CN100 table of the top UK contractors. The headline figures set a bullish tone – firms in this year’s list saw their aggregate revenues reach an all-time high of almost £71bn, while pre-tax profits and margins are broadly back to where they…

Richard Adams (pictured above left) is a partner and George Bridge (above right) is a solicitor at law firm Burges Salmon A month or so ago, most people had never heard of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC. The government’s recent decision to close all English school buildings constructed using…

Hywel Davies is chief technical officer of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) On 17 August, the government published new regulations for higher-risk buildings (HRBs) and major changes to the Building Regulations that will enable further parts of the Building Safety Act to be fully implemented in England…

Tristan Hughes is business unit manager at water-service provider OSSO The UK experiences the fifth-largest average precipitation in Europe. While frequently complained about, the steady supply of rainfall is critical for the country’s water supply. But it also poses major challenges. The duty of care for any construction firm or…

Amy Pairman is an associate and Eric Johnstone is a senior associate at law firm Brodies On 17 August, the government released its response to its 2022 consultation on the new building-control regime for ‘high-risk buildings’, as part of changes under the Building Safety Act. The government has also published,…