Civils

A construction company boss has been banned as a director for 11 years after abusing a financial support scheme during the pandemic. John Gerard McGarvey, from Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is now prevented from running any business until October 2033 without the permission of a court. According to a…

The transport secretary has declined to commit to government plans to establish a new rail-infrastructure operator called Great British Railways (GBR). Mark Harper said he was looking to “achieve the intention behind [the] idea”, but would not commit to the initiative, which was announced last year. In an appearance before…

Colas has secured a deal worth up to £300m to look after roads for a local authority in the North West, replacing the current incumbent, Ringway. The contractor was appointed by Cheshire West and Chester Council to become highways-services partner when Ringway’s contract concludes in the spring. Colas will assume…

Clients shunning risk and higher borrowing costs pushed activity to its lowest level in three months in November, according to the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). The index, compiled by S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), measures construction activity across commercial, civils and residential sectors. Each…

National Highways’ plans for the £8bn Lower Thames Crossing have been accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate. The scheme is designed to relieve congestion on the M25 Dartford Crossing and construction could begin in 2024 if approved. Should the Planning Inspectorate green-light the application, the plans for the 23km…

More major road projects face cancellation due to inflation and poor oversight, according to a report by a government spending watchdog. The National Audit Office identified a £3.3bn increase in the cost of planned investment into the strategic road network for the period between 2020 and 2025. In a report…

Rolls-Royce has told MPs that the supply chain is eager for the government to signal its further commitment to the building of small modular reactors (SMRs). SMRs, which are small-scale nuclear power plants, can be largely built offsite in factories. This saves on time, cost and carbon emissions, compared with…

Galliford Try has acquired a number of operations from product manufacturer Ham Baker to bolster its services to the water sector. The acquisition includes a team of about 40 people – working in asset inspection, maintenance and screens, and distributor operations – who will continue to operate from Ham Baker’s…

Balfour Beatty is set to begin construction work in the spring on two new roads bypassing the A57 near Manchester, after the government gave the project the thumbs up. Balfour was awarded a £108m contract in 2020 to build the roads, which are intended to ease congestion on the route…

HS2 will be delivered in full and the building of the Sizewell C nuclear plant will go ahead, the chancellor has said in his Autumn Statement. Jeremy Hunt confirmed the government’s backing for the megaprojects despite recent speculation following comments from ministers that all major schemes were under review amid…