News
£7 billion of projects on hold
Over 7 billion pounds of construction projects have been shelved due to the economic climate, according to a survey.
May Gurney sales up, profits flat
Support and construction company May Gurney has reported a 17 million pound increase in revenue, but profits remained the same as a year earlier.
Construction shows record contraction in November
The construction sector shrank last month at its fastest pace since records began a decade ago, building pressure on the Bank of England to cut rates by at least another percentage point on Thursday.
6,400 construction firms to fail by mid-2009
2009 will see 50 percent more businesses fail, and topping the list of hard-hit sectors is the construction industry.
Scottish government announces £9m housing plan
Under the accelerated housing investment scheme, housing associations would be able to purchase unsold private housing stock.
Jarvis shelves takeover talks after improved profits
Contractor Jarvis has announced it is no longer looking for a buyer after posting improved half year profits.
Pettifer goes into administration, 150 jobs lost
Pettifer Construction, part of the Pettifer Group, is understood to have been in a strong position, but its sole bank pulled credit lines, forcing it into administration.
Slowdown and sterling nix French homes for Brits
A sagging economy on both sides of the Channel and a slump in sterling have put a hex on Britons' love affair with French real estate, and their disenchantment underlines a broader trend among foreigners.
Renew profits rise 29%
Specialist construction firm Renew Holdings has increased its pre-tax profits by 29 percent.
Citigroup "went wrong" with real estate
Citigroup Chief Executive Vikram Pandit on Tuesday blamed prior management for diving too deeply into real estate, causing losses that led to this week's massive government bailout of the second-largest U.S. bank by assets.
Skanska to cut 6% of workforce
The Swedish construction company has announced it will reduce its workforce by six percent, or 3,400 jobs, across the Nordic countries.
UK construction industry to lose 300,000 jobs
Over 300,000 UK jobs could be cut without aid, unless the government makes radical changes to boost the sector, and the wealth of the economy overall.
Home repossessions rise in third quarter
Lenders took possession of 11,300 homes in the third quarter, up from 10,100 in the second despite government efforts to make home repossessions a last resort, the Council of Mortgage lenders said on Friday.
Boris Johnson’s £5bn plan for London
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has revealed plans to build 50,000 affordable new homes in London in an attempt to restart the slumping housing market.
British Land property values plummet 11 percent
The rapid property correction has stripped more than a billion pounds off the value of British Land's assets but its portfolio remains almost full as tenants seek refuge from the economic storm in prime shops and offices.
Derwent scales back projects
Property firm Derwent London said it would not start new development projects until 2010/11 due to weak central London occupier demand and the difficult investment climate in the property market.
IMI confident for 2008
Engineer IMI said on Wednesday it is confident of meeting 2008 expectations on continued revenue momentum, but cautious on the outlook given recent weakening in some of its markets.
Barratt anticipates further writedowns by December
Housing builder Barratt Developments said continuing price pressures are having a negative impact on its operating margins, and that it expects further writedowns by December.
Survey shows house asking prices down
Increasingly desperate sellers slashed asking prices for homes in England and Wales by 2.9 percent in November, pushing them 7.1 percent below their level a year ago, a survey showed on Monday.
Private equity seen circling Taylor Wimpey
U.S. private equity groups are thinking about making a bid for Taylor Wimpey , The Observer said on Sunday.
JCB announces further job cuts
JCB is to shed almost 400 jobs.
Welsh Assembly launches green building charter
Over 40 major construction trade bodies and building groups have signed up to the Welsh National Assembly’s Green Charter to slash carbon emissions in new housing.
Taylor Wimpey order book 6,607 homes vs 11,074
Taylor Wimpey said efforts to renegotiate its bank debt had been slightly disappointing, sending shares in Britain's largest housebuilder as much as 19 percent lower.
TDR in talks to buy Taylor Wimpey stake
Private equity firm TDR Capital is in talks to inject cash into Taylor Wimpey in exchange for a stake in house builder by number of homes, the Mail on Sunday reported.
Galliford Try in 50 million pounds housebuilding writedown
Galliford Try , the construction group, warned Friday that it would have to make a 50 million pounds writedown on its housebuilding operations in the first half of 2008/09 and said it was taking "a more cautious view" of prospects for both this year and next.
Johnson scraps housing target
The Mayor of London has pledged to build 50,000 new homes, but removed his predecessor’s target that 50 percent of all new housing in London must be affordable.
Rok to drop 15 percent of jobs
‘The Nation’s Local Builder’ has announced its annual revenue will fall £120 million short of the company’s original estimates.
Construction shrinks at record pace
The construction sector shrank last month at its fastest pace since records began more than a decade ago after falling house prices and tight credit took their toll, a survey showed on Tuesday.
Closures threatened at Cemex plant
Cement manufacturer Cemex may have to close its Cambridgeshire plant.
Balfour Beatty says set for strong 2008
Construction and engineering firm Balfour Beatty said Tuesday that trading since June had remained strong thanks to its involvement in infrastructure projects.
‘Rethink housing goals’ says Environmental Audit Committee
The ‘Greener Homes for the Future?’ bill has stated that, in the light of the credit crunch, the government needs to re-think its plans to build three million new homes by 2020.
Quarry Products Association demonstrates market drop
A gloomy warning accompanied sales statistics from the Quarry Products Association.
House prices post biggest annual drop
House prices fell in October at their sharpest annual rate since records began in 1991, the Nationwide building society said on Thursday, as the housing market slump gains momentum.
DOF Subsea wins contract
Aberdeen-based DOF Subsea UK has gained a major positioning contract with Heerema Marine Contractors.
David McLean debts could be £100 million
The North Wales construction group has gone into administration with debts which could total as much as £100 million.
280 caravan jobs under threat
Struggling manufacturer Cosalt Holiday Homes has been bought by Endless Investments, but 289 jobs will be lost.
House prices fell 7.3 percent in October
English and Welsh house prices fell by 7.3 percent in the year to October, with the pace of decline accelerating to take prices back to their lowest since March 2006, property consultancy Hometrack said on Monday.
Persimmon sees unit sales prices down 10 percent
Housebuilder Persimmon said on Monday that falling house selling prices have resulted in it writing down the value of its land holdings by a further 600 million pounds.
Clegg calls for ‘Supergrid’
Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrat party, has called for the construction of a ‘Supergrid’ across the North Sea.
Taggart Holdings goes into administration
The Belfast-based international construction company, formerly one of Northern Ireland’s largest, has called in administrators with debts estimated at £150 million.
Construction agencies accused of price-fixing
Eight recruitment agencies working with construction companies have been accused of price-fixing by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
JCB to reduce production by 19 percent
JCB has announced that it plans to reduce UK production by 19 percent, threatening 800 jobs.
McInerney drops estimates further
House-builder McInerney has stated that housing completions for the year will be lower than its estimations made seven weeks ago.
WRAP to halve construction waste
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has unveiled a major industry voluntary agreement scheme to halve the amount of waste in construction by 2012.
Construction equipment sales to slump 21%
It is anticipated that sales for construction equipment will slump 21 percent this year and a further 10 percent next year as the industry declines.
Travis Perkins sees profit at low end of hopes
Travis Perkins , the builders merchant and home improvements group, said it expected underlying profit for 2008 to be at the low end of analysts' expectations, reflecting the downturn in construction markets.
Elis Williams Construction shortlisted for award
Elis Williams has been shortlisted for the Welsh Assembly Government Business Start-up Award.
House price falls accelerate in Sept
The decline in house prices accelerated in September and sales fell to the lowest level in at least 30 years, a survey showed Tuesday, in a sign the housing market slump may have some way to go yet.
SMART wins award
Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel (SMART) has won first place at the British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA).
Stansted expansion loved and hated
The government has controversially approved a massive expansion of Stansted airport, just days after signalling it would adopt tougher emissions targets.
House prices fall 1.3 percent in Sept
House prices fell at their sharpest annual rate in at least 25 years in September, as the credit crunch continued to take its toll on the housing market, according to data from Britain's biggest mortgage lender.
British Waterways announces £150m of turbines
British Waterways, the public body in charge of Britain’s canals, has announced plans with Partnerships for Renewables to start green energy generation.
Speedy Hire sees first half revenue up 22 percent
Tool hire company Speedy Hire said on Wednesday its full-year results will be in line with its forecasts as long as there is no further deterioration in the outlook for its end markets.
RG Carter cuts 97 jobs
RG Carter, the East Anglian construction company, has announced it will lose almost five percent of its workforce by the end of the month.
Under 100,000 new homes in 2009
The number of new homes built is expected to drop below 100,000 next year.
Further talks on Taylor Wimpey debts
Homebuilding company Taylor Wimpey plc has pushed back the target date for concluding debt talks.
76% of construction employers unprepared for minimum wage
A poll from Bibby Financial Services reveals that the majority of employers have made no preparations for the new minimum wage.
Construction barometer at all-time low
An all-time low in construction has been predicted for the next quarter.
Four-year Wembley dispute ends
The dispute between subcontractor Cleveland Bridge UK and Multiplex has ended as the High Court Judge rules in Multiplex’s favour.
Construction industry lacking leaders says CIOB
A survey run by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has found a marked lack of leaders within the construction industry.