Opinion

Lee Jones is head of manufacturing solutions at NBS and acting head of sustainability at Byggfakta Group With COP27 taking place later on 6 November, the construction industry is gearing up for the latest advice on climate change. For construction, an industry responsible for nearly 40 per cent of all…

Richard Robinson is chief executive of Atkins UK & Europe and deputy co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council In June, advisory body the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published its monitoring framework, a means by which it can measure the UK’s progress towards reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Closely aligned with…

Chris Snodin is a partner in the development and planning team of law firm Harold Benjamin Employers beware – recession may be looming. You may already be scrutinising your projects and identifying underperforming contractors. They can be a real headache, so here’s some guidance. As the employer, you may have…

Simon Richards is the sustainability director at Sir Robert McAlpine As the most recent host of the Climate Change Conference, it seems fair to assume that the UK was set to enjoy a high profile at the next meeting of the event (6-18 November), better known as COP27. Expectations are…

Emma King is a partner at law firm Eversheds Sutherland As indicators point to more distress in the sector, it’s a good time to check on your pension position. Insolvency Service data shows more than 1,000 insolvencies occurred in the construction industry in the second quarter of this year. Meanwhile,…

By Tony Selwyn, head of environmental planning at Plowman Craven Whilst enjoying an ice cream on a recent holiday, I couldn’t help but notice the idling engine of the ice cream van nearby. Not great in terms of either noise or air pollution, but essential for a large majority of…

Emily Leonard (pictured above-left) is managing associate and Amaney Ehtash (right) is a trainee solicitor at law firm Womble Bond Dickinson’s Construction and Engineering team On 1 October, two major changes were introduced that will affect the construction industry. The first was a change to the Housing Grants, Construction and…

Ibrahim Imam is co-CEO of construction-sector software provider PlanRadar Fire-safety regulation is a hot topic for everyone in construction, particularly the residential sector, where the Fire Safety Act (FSA) and Building Safety Act (BSA) are rightly tightening up protocol. Being refined on a regular basis, the FSA continues to be…

Jon Mahony is partner and head of dispute resolution at law firm Harold Benjamin What is a pay-less notice? Payment under construction contracts is regulated by Part II of the Housing Grants Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (“the Construction Act”) and the Scheme for Construction Contract (England and Wales) Regulations…

Paul Reeve is director of CSR at engineering services body ECA We are all too aware of the energy price shock. But sometimes forgotten in the current crisis is the contribution low carbon technologies make to lowering energy bills. Business investment in such technologies can significantly reduce lighting, heating and…