Technology

The cost-of-living crisis and a sharp focus on the need for environmental solutions is expected to accelerate innovation in infrastructure, according to a report by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). The report, Infrastructure in 2023, suggests that the smaller pot of money available for major infrastructure projects during the…

The government has announced a consultation on onshore wind farms, reversing the de-facto ban on the energy-generating projects. According to the plan, technical consultation will be carried out at local authority level when planning permission is sought for wind farms and turbines. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities…

Modular specialist Ilke Homes has secured £100m in funding from both new and existing shareholders to help it expand its operations. The funding round – which it said was the largest ever raised by a UK modular housebuilder – helps the company scale up its operations and open a new…

Essex-based housing association Swan is to shut its modular factories. Swan opened its first modular housing factory, a 75,000 square foot facility, in Basildon in 2017, with a second one following in 2021, also in Basildon. Production at both facilities is understood to have stopped pending closure. A letter sent…

Contractors may need to drive innovation to ensure the delivery of government projects amid rising costs and frozen budgets, an industry summit has been told. At the CN Transforming Construction conference, Simon Rawlinson, head of research and insight at consultancy Arcadis, raised the issue of inflation and the chancellor’s recent…

The government has confirmed funding of £679m towards the building of Sizewell C, giving the Suffolk nuclear project the official go-ahead. Business and energy secretary Grant Shapps (pictured second from right) signed a deal today that seals the government’s stake as a 50 per cent shareholder alongside EDF, which recently…

The procurement process for £3.44bn worth of work towards the decommissioning of the former nuclear plant at Sellafield has been delayed, as it awaits Treasury approval. Meanwhile, inflationary pressures have pushed up the cost of work on the framework for the West Cumbria site from £3bn to £3.44bn. In April…

Glasgow City Council has published guidance to support a “major urban renewal project” along the River Clyde that combines regeneration with adaptation to climate change. The document, which takes immediate effect, sets out a process and principles for developers and designers in preparing major planning applications. It promotes a “design-led…

Brick manufacturer Michelmersh has bought FabSpeed, a specialist in prefabricated building products, for an initial £6.25m. The acquisition is designed to strengthen the company’s position in the product market for offsite and modern methods of construction. FabSpeed operates from two facilities in West Yorkshire and one in Oxfordshire, supplying prefabricated…

Changes to R&D tax credits announced yesterday by chancellor Jeremy Hunt are likely to hit small and medium-sized construction firms that rely on the scheme, according to experts. In yesterday’s Autumn Statement, Hunt announced he would cut the deduction rate for the SME part of the scheme from 130 per…