News

A growing body of opinion in the Conservative Party wants the Government to allow local authorities to spend the £6-7,000 million received from council house sales on new housing, claims Labour housing spokesman Clive Soley. Mr Soley cites Sir Geoffrey Howe's new year message which talks of teenagers 'apparently destitute…

A labourer badly hurt after plunging into a manhole has started a High Court action for compensation.Brian Plaskett, 42, of Canonsleigh Road, Dagenham, Essex, alleges negligence against Marshway Building of Fowley Avenue, Redbridge, Essex.The accident happened in October 1987 at a site at West Close, Wembley, Mr Plaskett says in…

House prices fell faster in the last quarter of 1989 than in any other quarter recorded by the Nationwide Anglia building society. And prices will continue to fall for the coming few months, said the society this week.The sharpest falls were in the south where prices dropped by more than…

Housing and Construction Minister Michael Howard was suddenly propelled into the Employment Secretary's chair after the shock resignation of Norman Fowler.Mr Howard will be succeeded by Michael Spicer, who has been parliamentary under secretary for energy for 18 months.According to the official statement, Mr Fowler wants to spend more time…

Mowlem has been sacked from its £80 million management contract at one of London's top sites after a contractual dispute with the developer. Late last year, Carlton Gate Development - a joint venture of Declan Kelly and Eagle Star Properties - wrote to Mowlem terminating its contract at the £200…

A New Year call for interest rates to come down to between 12 and 13 per cent, and the mortgage interest relief threshold to go up to £50,000, has come from Building Employers Confederation chairman Peter Rainbird.Without these measures, he warns that there will be pent-up demand for private housing…

A shake-up in construction management proposed by the Health and Safety Commission will do nothing to stop the toll of death and disaster on Britain's building sites. That is the message from construction union UCATT which has come up with its own ideas on improving site safety.Last September the HSC…

Clearly there will be problems in deciding whether an event causing damage could have been reasonably contemplated.The scope of loss or damage to which the condition applies has been extended to include third party property, personal injury, sickness or death of any person and 'loss of profits or loss of…

Within six months of practical completion the QS is to send the contractor a draft final account and the contractor is required to notify his agreement or disagreement (in this case with reasons therefore) within a further three months. If the contractor does not give notice of disagreement or gives…

An accepted risk or unforseeable ground conditions.Any other circumstance (other than weather conditions) which are outside the control of the contractor or subcontractors and which could not have been reasonably contemplated under the contract. (There is a dramatic about face by the authority in its attitude towards weather delays. Edition…