Author Archives: Kerry Lorimer

A doppelganger company has been forced to change its name following a complaint from John Sisk & Son. The contractor contacted the Company Names Tribunal after the name ‘John Sisk Ltd’ was registered in August last year. Corby-based John Sisk Ltd has one director – Alexandra Anamaria Badita – and…

The government has been warned that homes built under its plans to encourage greybelt development will be a “drop in the ocean” compared with the numbers needed to address chronic housing shortages. Wrangles over the definition of greybelt land – parts of the green belt including wastelands and disused car…

Plans to redevelop the historic George Hotel in Huddersfield are set to go ahead despite the cost of the project spiralling by almost 50 per cent over the past two years. The restoration of the Grade II-listed building, known as the birthplace of rugby league, is a key part of…

Ground engineering contractor Van Elle has acquired Scottish piling and drilling specialist Albion in a deal worth up to £3.5m. London Stock Exchange-listed Van Elle said the acquisition, announced today, would strengthen its presence in Scotland and extend the group’s technical capabilities. The purchase of Albion follows Van Elle’s acquisition…

Morgan Sindall Construction has landed a £60m contract to upgrade six hospitals in Essex. The contractor was appointed by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust to carry out the work under the ProCure23 framework. The improvement programme will see a new community diagnostic centre built in Pitsea, part of…

Pre-tax profit at Masterson Holdings slumped last year amid reduced demand, material price increases and geopolitical conflicts. The Hertfordshire-based construction group and parent company of concrete-frame specialist Getjar said that while its financials remained strong, its order book was down, and it was projecting lower turnover and profit for the…

Former Morgan Sindall executive Robert Ogg has been appointed as managing director of Akela Construction. The Glasgow-based construction services group also announced the promotion of Will Payne to managing director of Akela Group’s ground engineering division. Ogg (pictured) served as managing director of Scottish infrastructure works at Morgan Sindall from…

The £312m revamp of two Midlands hospitals by Vinci and Sir Robert McAlpine has been given the go-ahead. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust confirmed that the full business case for its transformation programme had been approved, allowing construction to begin. Integrated Health Projects (IHP), a joint venture of Vinci…

The incoming government must beef up its Construction Playbook guidance to prevent its provisions from being “routinely ignored”, a leading trade body has said. The call was part of a Blueprint for Better Construction set out by the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) ahead of the general election on 4…

Materials suppliers are struggling to protect themselves against bad debts as the insurance market shows signs of losing nerve in the wake of high-profile contractor failures. A survey of members of the British Merchants Federation (BMF) has revealed that almost a third (31.2 per cent) had been unable to access…