Tom O’Brien, director, O’Brien Contractors, reflects on the construction commitments made in last week’s Autumn Budget and why these need to go further.
Mark Robinson, group chief executive at leading public sector procurement authority SCAPE, looks at introducing mandatory whole-life carbon assessments for construction projects and explains why the looming recession cannot come at a cost to net zero.
The government believes a new Infrastructure Levy will ensure developers pay a fair share towards supporting communities, but Grant Leggett of Boyer London believes the proposals do not simplify contributions and could lead to greater complexity.
The last great recession, Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have not only led to uncertainty in the economy, but construction procurement challenges, with price volatility, supply chain issues, skilled labour and material shortages, and a sharp increase in energy costs, Constellia explains.
The average UK house price was £295,000 in November 2022, which is £28,000 higher than this time last year, according to the latest ONS UK House Price Index.
Three-quarters of Local Planning Authority officers in Wales felt overstretched in their work, according to a Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) survey of 209 planners in Wales.
Dr Mike Pitts, deputy challenge director for Transforming Construction at Innovate UK, looks back on the first year of the Construction Leadership Council’s Construct Zero programme and the final year of the Transforming Construction challenge.
The once-notorious Hightown Estate, in Wrexham, which has been redeveloped to incorporate crime prevention principles set by Secured by Design (SBD), the national police crime prevention initiative, has received a ringing endorsement.
Mark Hansford, director of engineering knowledge at the Institution of Civil Engineers, examines the key themes for infrastructure in 2023, from decarbonisation and resilience to transport and digitalisation.
Downgrading housebuilding targets is a bold move that could come at a cost in the midst of the UK housing crisis, says Claire Fallows, partner in the real estate team at Charles Russell Speechlys.
Kier has been reappointed to a £1.5bn North West Construction Hub High Value Construction Framework, continuing support of public sector buildings in the North West.
Alex Minett, head of products and markets at CHAS, looks at seven issues companies should be aware of when shoring up resilience for their supply chains in 2023.
Craig Tatton, chief operating officer at Tilbury Douglas, discusses the challenges higher education faces, and how the construction industry is developing solutions, including support to decarbonise estates and improve space utilisation whilst maximising student potential and experiences.
Up and coming neighbourhoods in London are seeing house prices rise by nearly 65%, according to research by London lettings and estate agent Benham and Reeves.
