Author Archives: Charlotte Banks

High-rise residential development has virtually ground to a halt since the Building Safety Regulator took on full powers. In the second instalment of a two-part series, Charlotte Banks explores whether change is on the horizon The roll-out of the gateway two system has been dogged by delays and poor clarity. But there are signs…

Problems with a new digital system have hindered Building Safety Regulator (BSR) staff from accessing applications, its director has admitted. Philip White, director of building safety at the Health and Safety Executive, told Construction News that IT issues delayed the regulator from processing applications. Other key problems included difficulties in…

High-rise residential development has virtually ground to a halt since the Building Safety Regulator took on full powers. In the first instalment of a two-part series, Charlotte Banks explores the problems  When Leeds City Council approved plans for three new residential towers on the Dyecoats regeneration scheme in April 2022,…

Trade creditors of a collapsed electrical contractor are unlikely to recover any of the money the firm owed, administrators have said. TNA Electrical, which appointed administrators from Leonard Curtis in February, left its supply chain out of pocket by £6.9m, according to documents published on 12 April. The figure is…

High-rise specialist Renaker posted record revenue and profit despite “periods of uncertainty and delays” brought on by gateway two building safety requirements. The developer-builder, responsible for many of Manchester’s city-centre high-rises, reported its pre-tax profit had grown by 27 per cent to £6.3m in the year ending 31 October 2024.…

The government is set to outline its approach to private investment in major construction projects in its upcoming 10-year infrastructure strategy, a senior cabinet minister has said. A chapter in the strategy document, due in June, will outline the government’s approach to attracting private capital across civils projects, housing and…

Mace has steamed ahead of its competitors to take the top spot in Construction News’ latest monthly league tables. The tier one firm signed contracts worth £691.5m in March, more than twice the value of its closest rival. This was mainly due to a £600m job to redevelop central London’s…

The UK’s biggest building merchant Travis Perkins has warned of an “uncertain” recovery in the construction market after reporting huge losses. In a stock market update on Tuesday (1 March), the FTSE 250 firm posted a pre-tax loss of £38.4m in the year ending 31 December 2024 – a drop…

The NASC’s inaugural event featured talks on opportunity, pricing and technology in scaffolding Walking around Belfast, you won’t see much scaffolding on the buildings. Construction started on only five major buildings in 2024, and many of the city’s grand, ageing edifices have been left to fester. But for one day…

The £9bn Lower Thames Crossing road project has been greenlit after two and a half years in limbo. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander today (25 March) granted development consent to the UK’s largest ever road tunnel, which will connect Kent and Essex. The decision was originally due last June but had…