News

Camden Council has proposed it leads a development corporation delivering HS2’s Euston terminus and surrounding area. Research commissioned by the council estimates that development adjacent to and above a reduced Euston station could add £41bn to the economy by 2053, creating 34,000 jobs – including 1,300 construction apprenticeships. Camden Council’s…

Preliminary work is underway on the site of a £4bn gigafactory in Somerset, and a piling contractor has been appointed. Agratas, the battery division of Indian conglomerate Tata, confirmed last week that it is building a 40GWh battery cell factory on the 616 acre Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset.…

GF Tomlinson Group returned to profit in its 2022/23 financial year despite a third consecutive annual fall in revenue, according to its latest accounts. Turnover of £66.2m for the 12 months ending 30 June 2023 marked an 18 per cent year-on-year decrease on the previous year’s £81m, which itself fell…

A trio of big-name contractors could walk away from a major health security project amid substantial delays and ballooning costs, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report. The treasury first approved Public Health England’s (PHE) outline business case for a £530m health security campus in Harlow, Essex, in 2015.…

An £800m framework covering houses, flats and care homes has opened to tender. Social housing providers and local authorities are expected to use the framework, with most of the schemes awarded via the framework set to feature at least 30 homes. The framework, run by Warrington-based Procurement for Housing (PfH),…

The Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) response group did not meet the Department for Education (DfE) last year, Construction News can reveal. The CLC announced on 6 September last year that it would establish a technical expert panel to support the UK Government and building owners…

Carey Group posted higher turnover in its 2022/23 financial year but a profit slump almost eliminated its margin, its parent company’s latest accounts show. In the 12 months to 30 September 2023, the contractor’s turnover increased by 9.8 per cent from £366.4m to £402.4m, according to Araglin Holdings’ annual report.…

Developers are still building schemes they know will fail to meet incoming safety standards, according to a government-backed report. The fourth annual report of the Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG), chaired by Dame Judith Hackitt, said it had seen “hard evidence” that some developers are not paying enough attention to…

The High Court has overturned housing secretary Michael Gove’s decision to block Marks & Spencer’s controversial Oxford Street redevelopment. Justice Lieven upheld M&S’s appeal against the decision on Friday morning (1 March) in a blow to campaigners, who objected to the carbon impact of demolishing and rebuilding the retail giant’s…

Local government commissioners have warned that the government’s withdrawal of funding for a £600m PFI highways contract, won by Kier, is likely to damage a bankrupt council’s ability to turn its finances around. On 30 November, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed it was ending its funding support for the…