Transport for the North has outlined its largescale plan for the future of the North’s economy, revealing draft proposals for northern infrastructure for up to the next 30 years. The Strategic Transport Plan (STP) and the Investment Programme would re-balance decades of under-investment and change the lives of people in the North. The STP outlines how up to £70bn of investment to 2050 could contribute towards an additional £100bn in economic growth for the North’s economy – c

W M Donald and Stewart Milne Homes have created the innovative ‘Green Vest’ scheme to inspire young people to consider construction as a career choice. Attracting young people into construction is a huge challenge for the industry. The average age of the workforce is steadily increasing and the pool of skilled workers is shrinking as people retire. Fraser Morrison, Ian Gray and Eilidh Cameron both looked at ways of enriching young apprentices’ experience on site, making the t

A construction company in London has been sentenced following safety breaches that has led to the death of a construction worker. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 4 November 2015, a Formation Construction Ltd employee was using a concrete breaker at Tech West House, Warple Way in Acton to make an opening for a stairwell when he fell 7.5 metres, sustaining fatal head injuries. An investigation by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) into the incident discovered t

In its response to the Williams Rail Review, set out to recommend the best way to organise the UK’s rail sector and operations, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) called for the principles of collaboration to extend to those carrying out rail construction. Looking at railway projects carried out on the mainline, the most effective of these are generally supported by a collaborative relationship between operators, Network and contractors. Recent examples of t

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has received the green light by Westminster City Council to construct two new three-tier stands to replace the existing Compton and Edrich stands. The redevelopment of the Compton and Edrich stands at Lord’s Cricket Ground forms the second stage of the ground’s updated Masterplan. The designs by WilkinsonEyre will remain consistent with the overall architectural identity of Lord’s and the ‘village cricket green’ ethos, whilst working to advance t

Contractor Hobson & Porter has been awarded a £5.8m contract to construct the Aura Innovation Centre at Hessle’s Bridgehead Business Park for the University of Hull. The Aura Innovation Centre will mark more than £20m of projects that Hobson & Porter has supplied in the offshore wind energy sector. The Aura Innovation Centre will be a purpose-built facility providing businesses with space to collaborate and innovate to deliver low-carbon energy and clean growth. Its ambition

Work has started on Royal Wharf Pier, a brand new riverboat terminal incorporating a large new public floating space on the Thames – designed by London-based architects Nex— The 130m long pier, located in Ballymore and Oxley’s Royal Wharf development in London’s Royal Docks, will be the most unique pier on the Thames, offering a perspective on the river from a 162m2 viewing platform, and marking the practice’s first major venture into infrastructure. Following an invited comp

Greater Manchester’s leaders have set out essential housing and transport plans to ensure the city-region can thrive in spite of the national uncertainty posed by Brexit. At a special event today (7 January), Mayor Andy Burnham, alongside Deputy Mayors Sir Richard Leese and Bev Hughes, and the leaders of Greater Manchester councils, summarised a series of bold and far-reaching new housing and transport proposals that showcase the region as a confident, ambitious hub which pla

Large numbers of employees and businesses in the North West still know very little about the Apprenticeship Levy, according to new independent research. According to research commissioned by the Alliance Manchester Business School, 39% of employers and over half (57%) of employees in the North West know nothing about the Apprenticeship Levy. The research indicates that the entire workplace is simply not understanding the opportunities of the new training initiative. The YouGo