
Heathrow Reveals Shortlisted Sites For Offsite Construction Centres
Heathrow Airport has revealed the 18 shortlisted sites that remain in the running to become offsite construction centres and help deliver the expanded airport. The shortlisted sites all vary in location, size and age. They have made it to this stage due to a strong base of local support, their area’s thriving supply chain, convenient connectivity links and the possibility to tap into a skilled workforce. The shortlisted sites have been selected from a list of 65, all of which

Construction Is To Reap The Rewards Of Digitisation, CITB Report Shows
A new report published by CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) shows that construction can gain major rewards from digital skills and technology, but only if it takes crucial action in the next five years. CITB’s report, Evolution or Revolution?, looks at a range of situations for the pace of technological change in construction which will inform the forthcoming CLC Future Skills Plan. The research finds that as a less-automated sector, construction stands to achieve m

Demolition Work Underway On RAF Lakenheath Site
A total of 18 buildings are being taken down to make way for the construction of a flight simulator facility, a maintenance unit, new hangars and storage facilities at RAF Lakenheath as part of a Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) project. Last November, DIO awarded a contract worth £160m to Kier VolkerFitzpatrick to provide infrastructure to ready RAF Lakenheath for the aircraft in late 2021. The Suffolk airbase will be the very first permanent international site for

Construction Sites Open To The Public For Open Doors Week 2019
Open Doors, a campaign which sees live construction sites open their doors to the public, has started today (18 March) and will be open until 23 March with over 6,000 visitors taking part in site visits. The Open Doors campaign, which is run by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), hopes to inspire young people and career changers to consider and explore a dynamic and exciting career in the construction industry. According to the most r

NFB “not surprised” By Failure Of Starter Homes Scheme
As Kit Malthouse admits that the government will fail to keep its promise of building 200,000 ‘starter homes’, the National Federation of Builders (NFB) has said it is not surprised by the scheme’s collapse. In 2016 the Government allocated £1.2bn to the ‘starter homes’ programme, which intended to build 200,000 properties exclusively for first-time buyers at a 20% discount on their market value. The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has said it is “not entirely surprised

New Report Urges Construction Companies To Train Employees In Occupational Health
B&CE is advising construction companies of all sizes to provide at least one employee with occupational health (OH) awareness training to guarantee compliance with regulation and encourage understanding of occupational health and relevant standards. The call follows the unveiling of a new report from Loughborough University Improving occupational health risk management in SMEs: the role of major projects which looked into how major projects such as the construction of the Def

Crossrail Boss Refuses To Set Specific Opening Date For Railway
The chief executive of Crossrail has denied to set a solid date for when the railway will open, instead stating that the firm “very, very much wants to get this done in 2020”. In comments to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Crossrail chief executive Mark Wild said the railway’s next update, likely to be in April, would offer a “window” of opening dates rather than a specific date, to avoid “trying to land a project on a pin”. The public spending watchdog insisted to know

Facilities Management Market Falls To Lowest Growth In 8 Years.
The Facilities Management market has dropped to the lowest level of growth for 8 years as business uncertainty exerts pressure on client budgets and erodes average contract prices in 2019, according to MTW Research. Facilities Management market sales have declined to levels not seen since 2012, according to MTW, with pricing pressure demonstrating a key threat to many FM contractors in 2019. This threat is set to grow as additional Brexit delays and confusion are likely to fu