Author Archives: Nicola Harley

A company and its director have been fined £18,000 after a man was injured when a wall collapse led to him bing buried during excavation work in West Sussex. JHE Construction and its director Jordan Hay-Ellis pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws following the incident on 23 February…

Bouygues UK has been awarded a £119m contract to build two new campuses in the Welsh town of Barry. Work on the Barry Waterfront Campus (BWC) and the Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) will begin in June with a completion date of summer 2027. The educational facilities, developed by the Welsh…

Construction costs are predicted to rise by 17 per cent over the next five years, according to a new forecast from the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS). Its latest data also found that tender prices could increase by 15 per cent over the same period and new work output will…

Brickmaker Michelmersh has blamed the “challenging” business environment for a 36 per cent drop in pre-tax profit in its latest annual financial results. But despite the “highly competitive pricing environment”, the London Stock Exchange-listed firm said it remained well-positioned in the medium term. Sussex-based Michelmersh revealed profit before tax of…

Government proposals to open up “greybelt” land for new housing are a “Trojan horse” that could spell the end of the greenbelt, according to the opposition’s shadow housing secretary. Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Kevin Hollinrake’s comments came during the second reading of the government’s…

Plant manufacturers and operators have raised concerns that a change in the law over the operational weight of mobile concrete mixers could have financial implications for the sector. But this Tuesday (18 March), a two-year government inquiry rejected their calls for the vehicles to be exempt from standard weight restrictions. An…

A senior appointment at a major civils contractor and a new regeneration role for a former Crown Estate director were the main recruitment stories this week. Costain announced the appointment of Alistair Geddes as its rail sector director on Monday (17 March). The contractor said that Geddes – who is…