Civils

An independent review commissioned by the Labour Party has called for high-level proposals to be drawn up by the end of the year for a new model of public-private partnership (PPP). The report, produced by  the Urban Transport Group (UTG), was led by former Siemens chief executive Jurgen Maier. It…

Andy Murdoch is a partner at engineering, design and advisory practice Buro Happold The announcement on 30 July by the chancellor Rachel Reeves to cancel several major highway projects and conduct a wider review of ‘unfunded projects’ has had a significant, unexpected impact on road users, local communities and the…

Paul Maile is a partner at Eversheds Sutherland The UK is due an infrastructure revolution. It’s time for a renaissance of public-works building to bring our aged and end-of-life energy, utilities and transport networks into the present century. And to make them fit for the future. The political will is…

The hunt is on for a contractor to build a complex prototype nuclear fusion plant in Nottinghamshire One major strand in the Labour Party’s general election manifesto is its proposal to set up a publicly owned company called Great British Energy to invest in clean and renewable energy. In its…

CN looks into the main parties’ manifestos as the UK general election approaches As the UK prepares to vote on 4 July, how have the main political parties’ manifestos approached the construction sector? Infrastructure The Conservative manifesto criticised “frivolous legal challenges” against big infrastructure schemes, after a five-year term in…

Contractor United Living is expanding further into the infrastructure market As construction firms face significant financial pressure, diversification is an attractive option to spread business risk. This is easier said than done, of course, and is arguably more achievable by large firms with a strong capital base. A case in…

As Rishi Sunak was picking out his skinniest suit for his big election announcement last week, political podcasters Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell were sitting on a stage 200 miles away in front of a packed audience of built-environment professionals. During the session, at Leeds’ UK Real Estate Investment and…

Bam COO John Wilkinson talks to CN about how the firm is set to capitalise on the government’s recently announced £775bn infrastructure pipeline The government’s long-awaited February publication of a pipeline of UK infrastructure projects included £775bn of planned investment up to 2032/33, with the energy sector expected to receive…

Despite short-term uncertainty and the HS2 cutback, there is no shortage of infrastructure work in the pipeline In September, as speculation around HS2 mounted, the leaders of 21 businesses wrote to prime minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt, urging them to commit to the second phase of the megaproject,…

Which projects are likely to have the biggest impact on the industry in the year ahead? Keith Cooper reports Houses of Parliament Politicians and construction firms alike are standing by for more details on the beleaguered Palace of Westminster restoration. After more than 7,500 hours of surveys being carried out…