Subtle tweaking to construction contracts has the potential to be transformational for delivering meaningful social value.
In our experience, while infrastructure companies are increasingly committed to the social value agenda, they often struggle when embedding action and then reporting on their deliverables. It’s an issue which manifests itself when trying…
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Refocusing efforts on communities that back development can unlock new growth and jobs
As recently heard in The Telegraph, Landsec and British Land are joining forces to collectively call on the government to unleash the potential of brownfield to deliver more jobs, homes and growth across the UK.
The British public, businesses and politicians are united in wanting to see more economic growth,…
How the built environment sector can help transform wider UK skills master planning
The topic of workforce skills planning is rarely out of the media headlines these days and invariably discussions focus on the negative aspects of how we aren’t collectively getting this right in the UK. Against this backdrop, we wanted to change the narrative and highlight a key area of untapped…
HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston to step down
High Speed 2 Ltd (HS2 Ltd) chief executive Mark Thurston is to step down from his role at the end of September after six and a half years in the job.
HS2 Ltd chairman Sir Jon Thompson will become executive chairman for an interim period from October. Thurston’s decision comes when…
Sharp drop in infrastructure planning applications
The pipeline of infrastructure work is drying up with a huge drop in planning applications, research has revealed.
Figures from data analysts Barbour ABI showed a 45% fall in the value of non-buildings construction projects submitted to councils in the second quarter of this year. Government-backed infrastructure work has helped counter…
The key to decarbonising construction machinery is energy efficiency
Skyscrapers, traffic jams, shopping malls, and air conditioners. It is not hard to see why cities account for two-thirds of global energy consumption and more than 70% of annual global carbon emissions.
With more than half of the world’s population living in cities today – a number expected to increase to…
‘Serious incident’ causes Balfour Beatty fatality at Aldermaston atomic weapons site
A Balfour Beatty ground engineering worker suffered a fatality on the Atomic Weapons Establishment site in Aldermaston on Thursday 6 July.
The worker was 57 years old and was airlifted to hospital where he died. Balfour Beatty has not released further details on the incident. The site has been temporarily closed…
Decline in HSE construction site inspections is a concern for everyone
Earlier this month it was revealed that there were 45 construction workplace deaths last year, a sharp increase on the previous 12 months when there were 29 fatal accidents in our industry.
The construction sector accounts for under 10% of the UK’s GDP but disturbingly it is responsible for a third…
TechFest Awards deadline extended to 21 July
The deadline for the TechFest Awards has been extended to Friday 21 July, giving potential entrants just under two weeks extra to submit their entries.
Celebrating innovation in civil engineering and construction, the awards will be held in the evening after TechFest's daytime conference on 23 November at Hilton London Bankside,…
Construction industry fatalities have increased by 55% in the last year
Construction-related fatalities jumped by 55% from 29 to 45 in the last reporting year and it remains the sector with the highest number of deaths, according to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures.
There were 135 workers killed in work-related incidents in Great Britain between 1 April 2022 and 31 March…