News

Two modular housing bosses have written to a parliamentary inquiry into modern methods of construction (MMC) challenging “unfair representation” given by another witness. Directors from trade body Make UK Modular and housebuilder TopHat have submitted letters to the House of Lords’ built environment committee querying evidence that suggested MMC projects…

The government’s decision to lift a “de facto ban” on onshore windfarms in England will not address the “godforsaken” picture for developing them, MPs have been told. In September, a rule that allowed English local authorities to reject an application to build a windfarm on the basis of a single…

A Conservative MP has said that Laing O’Rourke did a “shocking job” on the construction of a housing block in Ipswich, adding that the contractor “seemed to have got away with it”. Laing O’Rourke was the design-and-build contractor for The Mill, a 327-home development in central Ipswich that features blocks…

Kier and Galliford Try have reported positive financial updates, defying gloomy reports of industry stagnation. Kier told investors that the second half of 2023 saw it “continue to trade above the prior period” and experience “strong volume growth, particularly in construction”. The company also drastically cut average month-end net debt,…

HS2 is preparing to apply for an extension to the injunction banning “disruptive protests” on its route, including on the cancelled phase 2a, Construction News can reveal. The legal measure, first granted in 2022, bans anyone from entering or remaining on HS2-owned land; obstructing or otherwise interfering with vehicle access;…

Story Contracting has seen its profit plummet despite soaring revenue. The Cumbrian civils specialist, placed 82nd in the most recent CN100, posted turnover of £226.8m for the 12 months to 31 March 2023. This was up more than a quarter on the previous year but pre-tax profit dropped 70 per…

Bouygues and Laing O’Rourke have been served warning notices by the nuclear regulator over fire-safety failures at Hinkley Point C. The contractors have each received enforcement notices relating to failings by their joint venture BYLOR JV. The Office for Nuclear Regulation also served notices to NNB Generation Company, a subsidiary…

Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds is set to play a key role in a Labour-led review of major UK infrastructure projects. The former London 2012 delivery chief will sit on a panel of experts advising on the probe into ways of slashing the time and cost of big construction projects.…

The Scottish Government has ruled out new hospital construction projects until 2026 at the earliest, a key figure has claimed. NHS Lothian finance director Craig Marriott said ministers north of the border had told local health chiefs that they would be waiting “at least” two years for new capital investment.…

The head of the UK’s spending watchdog has called for a fresh approach to managing construction mega-projects. National Audit Office comptroller Gareth Davies told MPs that for large capital investment, “Whitehall has a governance problem”, and urged the creation of cross-government boards to oversee the country’s largest public construction jobs.…