Fresh plans to overhaul procurement rules, cutting red tape and making it easier for smaller firms to win public works contracts have been unveiled by Government. It plans to slash around 350 regulations governing public procurement and integrate the current regulations into a single, uniform framework. The Transforming Public Procurement Green Paper sets out proposals to allow public works contracts under £4.7m to be limited to small businesses or to firms from a certain geo

Developer SFGE Properties has gained planning approval to build a 39-storey residential block in Sheffield city centre. Planned 117m tall residential building on the former Primark site in the Castlegate area of Sheffield It plans to redevelop the site of the former Primark store in the Castlegate area to create just over 200 flats. Designed by architect Hodder + Partners, the £40m Kings Tower scheme involves the demolition of the vacant shopping store at 57 High Street, with

Manchester has received a major boost as civils firm PP O’Connor starts enabling works on the first phase of the £1.4bn Mayfield development gets underway this week. The whole Mayfield development will eventually transform a previously derelict part of Manchester’s industrial heritage to deliver 1,500 homes, 1.6m sq ft of commercial space, 300,000 sq ft of retail and leisure as well as the city’s first new park in 100 years. As well as providing city centre green space, Mayfi

The latest PMI figures show November indicated a sustained recovery in UK construction output, with the rate of expansion accelerating from the previous month At 54.7 in November, up from 53.1 in October, the headline seasonally adjusted the Total Activity Index registered above the 50.0 no-change value for the sixth consecutive month. All three broad categories of activity saw higher output in November. Housebuilding was the best-performing area in November (index at 59.2),

A Health and Safety Executive prosecution is being brought against two companies after five workers were fatally injured and another seriously hurt at a site in Birmingham. On 7 July 2016, Ousmane Kaba Diaby, Saibo Sumbundu Sillah, Bangally Tunkara Dukuray, Almamo Kinteh Jammeh and Mahamadou Jagana Jagana were all fatally crushed by a collapsing wall at the site on Aston Church Road in Nechells area of the city. Tombong Camara Conteh sustained serious injuries. The victims di

Engineers have come up with a radical plan to build a temporary double-decker crossing within the existing structure of Hammersmith Bridge in London, which has been closed fully on safety grounds since 13 August this year. This truss structure would provide a lower level for pedestrians and an upper level for cars and buses to cross the Thames while critical repair works take place. The design by Foster + Partners with input from bridge engineers Cowi has been backed by the l