Unite members at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES) have voted for a second time to strike.

The workers are unhappy with the termination of long-standing agreements and the perceived de-skilling of construction workers.

Electricians, plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers voted by two to one for strike action.

Seven major contractors want to replace long-standing Joint Industry Boards agreements with new arrangements.

Unite national officer, Bernard McAulay, said: “This high 'yes' vote for strike action indicates the resentment felt by our members.

“Balfour Beatty needs to recognise it has lost the support of its employees. The company needs to re-join the industry wide agreements which have served the industry so well.”

Unite has given an undertaking to the court that it will not call for industrial action until after the outcome of next Tuesday’s (7 February) court hearing. 

Construction insolvencies fell by almost a quarter during the last three months of 2011, according to the latest figures from the Insolvency Service.

Administrations fell from 94 in Q3 to 71 in Q4 2011, a reduction of nearly 25%.

Across all sectors, insolvencies were down 30% over the previous quarter. The overall figure of 650 is the lowest experienced in the last four years which peaked at almost double (1209) in Q1 2009.

However, there are suggestions that the lower insolvency statistics for the construction sector maybe a false dawn.

Mark Wilson, head of construction at Baker Tilly, said: “There are concerns that government cuts in new build projects have yet to fully bite whilst the industry continues to complete projects already committed to.

“The overall economic uncertainty and prospects for growth and new jobs will continue to have a dampening effect on the sector.

“Overall, a cautious welcome for this good news. However, there is always a time lag in getting new projects off the ground and therefore the full impact of the delayed economic recovery may yet still to be seen."

US billionaire Donald Trump has stopped construction work on his controversial £750m Aberdeenshire golf course, while he awaits a decision on an offshore windfarm.

The Scottish Government is currently assessing a planning application for an 11-turbine wind farm off Aberdeen Bay.

A statement from the Trump Organisation said: "If the north east of Scotland is serious about tourism and creating a global golf destination, it cannot allow the coastline to be ruined by an ugly industrial park - 11 64-storey test turbines - directly off the shoreline."

Yesterday, plans for a five-star clubhouse on the Trump site in Aberdeenshire were approved by the local council.

Trump has twice written to Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond objecting to the offshore proposal.

He described the turbines as "disastrous and environmentally irresponsible", which would leave an "ugly cloud hanging over the future of the great Scottish coastline".

The £750 million development on the Menie estate on the Aberdeenshire coast is nearing completion after work began in 2010. The Trump Organisation said it intends to open the championship golf course ahead of schedule at the end of June.

The Government is working with organisations including the BBC and Royal Mail to identify disused land that could be earmarked for housebuilding.

Housing minister Grant Shapps said he has identified enough Government land to build 80,000 homes, and wants to find enough sites for 100,000 homes by 2015.

The minister said he is working with nine government departments and organisations including the BBC, Network Rail and the Royal Mail to identify unused land and buildings that could be released for house-building.

To help unlock sites for house building, Shapps announced the allocation of the £500 million Growing Places Fund - launched three months ago - to 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships across the country.

The minister also said he will allocate £45 million funding to help unlock 18 of the most difficult stalled sites in the country.

The funding forms part of the £420 million Get Britain Building fund launched two months ago.

The NewBuy Guarantee scheme will be launched in March to help those aspiring to buy newly-built properties to do so with only a 5% deposit.

Power is also to be devolved from Whitehall to town halls, ending a long-standing 'tax on tenants', which will help councils keep the rents they collect and invest the money in their homes.

West Cumbria contractor Mossom and Sydney has ceased trading, with up to 20 job losses.

The Maryport firm had worked in the area since the mid-1970s.

Manager Terry Crosier told the Times & Star the closure had been due to the financial climate.

Mossom and Sydney operated primarily in the housing sector, and one of its biggest clients was social landlord Home Group.

The company was also involved in the renovations of the former Carlton cinema in Maryport and the town's Maritime Museum.

Burnley-based building firm Gavin Ward has gone into administration, but its heating and plumbing division will continue trading.

The company provides heating, insulation, renewables, plumbing and building services, and employs around 50 people.

The decision of the Coalition Government to scrap the Warm Front grants scheme for insulation is blamed for the decision to call in the administrators, reports the Burnley Express.

A spokesman for Gavin Ward said: “For some time staff have been aware of the difficulties the business has been facing and I am grateful for the tremendous effort they have all put in.

“A cut-throat trading environment and major changes to government policy in how domestic insulation services and repairs are funded is hitting our industry hard. It has become necessary to focus Gavin Ward Ltd’s efforts solely on the heating side of the business.

“As a result, it is with regret that I can confirm the closure of the company’s insulation and building services divisions, with the loss of those people employed in that division. Unfortunately, we will lose some good people. The heating and plumbing division will remain with us. We must now look forward as a company.”

Manchester firm of chartered accountants CLB Coopers has been appointed as administrator.

Partner Mark Getliffe said: “We are hopeful that part of the business value can be realised.”

Vinci road maintenance subsidiary Eurovia has been awarded five contracts worth over £1.4bn.

The deals are in North Yorkshire, Shropshire, Cheshire West and Chester City, Cheshire East, and Essex. The latter two are joint ventures with Jacobs.

The contracts range in duration from five to 10 years.

These long-term service agreements cover all aspects of road maintenance, such as regular maintenance and network renovation, inspection and repair of engineering structures, legacy management, emergencies, winter maintenance (including snow removal), and lighting.

Eurovia will also provide clients with consulting services and expertise regarding traffic management, roadway design, and vehicle fleet management. It will also provide delegated budget management services in Cheshire East and Essex.

Multi-year service contracts currently account for 70% of Eurovia’s activity in the United Kingdom. 

The Office of Fair Trading is to review Travis Perkins' recent acquisition of the remaining 70% of Toolstation.

The builders merchant had completed the buy out from Somerset-based Mark Goddard-Watts and his family trusts last month. 

In a statement, the firm said: “While Travis Perkins will cooperate fully with any review, the company sees absolutely no basis for this notification and will be seeking clarification from the OFT at the earliest opportunity.”

Toolstation sells lightside building material products and has grown rapidly since Travis Perkins took its first interest in 2008 from 12 outlets to 103 branches.

In April 2008, Travis Perkins paid £18m for a 30% equity interest in the company together with an option to buy the remaining shares.

Travis Perkins paid the Goddard-Watts family a further £24m to take full ownership of Toolstation, plus a further payment that depends on future performance and expansion of the business by December 2013. 

The construction industry's confidence is on the rise, with January's Markit/CIPS survey revealing the second-greatest monthly jump in business confidence in the study's history.

The latest reading of overall health in the construction sector slowed to 51.4 in January from 53.2 in December because of declines in output in housebuilding and the civil engineering sector, while commercial activity rose for a 23rd consecutive month. A reading over 50 represents growth.

However, the overall rate of expansion was the weakest for four months, causing employment to stagnate.

The rate of cost inflation was the third-slowest in the current two-year period of monthly increases.

The signs of increased confidence among construction firms comes a day after CIPS said the manufacturing sector had expanded at the fastest pace since last March.

Sarah Bingham, an economist at Markit, said Thursday's report suggested growth may pick up again in the sector in coming months.

"On top of the surprisingly strong start to 2012 reported by the sister survey of manufacturing, it will raise hopes that a slide back into recession may yet be avoided," she said.

CIPS chief executive David Noble said: "It's clear that many businesses have replenished their levels of optimism and have high expectations for improving economic conditions and new contracts."

Kier Partnership Homes has agreed a deal with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Derby City Council to build around 700 new homes at the Manor & Kingsway site in Derby.

The redevelopment of the former hospital site will result in a residential-led mixed-use development worth over £100m over 10 years.

Kier has teamed up with national house builder Taylor Wimpey and affordable housing provider Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) to create the new neighbourhood on the western side of Derby, approximately 2.5km to the south-west of the city centre.

The development will comprise 700 new dwellings to include a range of affordable homes to rent and to buy, in addition to a high quality business park that will support in the region of 450 new jobs for the area.

The Kier proposal draws on the mill heritage of Derby and existing architectural influences across the site. It also enhances the existing landscape features such as the tree-lined crescent, and brings back into use a large area of open space to the north of the site for leisure and an ecology area.

As preferred developer, Kier Partnership Homes will work with the healthcare service providers on the site to ensure the new scheme meshes with the provision of essential services. Working alongside the HCA, Derby Council and current healthcare providers on the site (Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Derby Hospital NHS Trust and East Midlands Ambulance Service), the Kier team will be inviting involvement from the local community into the design development as part of the planning process and to ensure the maintenance of current service delivery.

The Kier team also includes The Land Trust, which will provide long-term management of the open green spaces; Halcrow as master planners and engineering consultants; and principal architects Stride Treglown, which will work with the partners and local stakeholders throughout the planning process to ensure that the vision of a vibrant and inclusive sustainable neighbourhood is realised.

Works are planned to start on site in the autumn.

A new Skanska subsidiary has won its first contract, a US$120m (£91.3m) deal to provide construction services for a manufacturing plant in Indiana.

Industrial Contractors Skanska is part of Skanska USA Civil and was acquired and incorporated into the Skanska Group on 1 January.

The project involves the provision of all general construction services for maintenance and capital projects at the manufacturing facility over the next three years.

Industrial Contractors Skanska operates three separate business streams: power and energy; commercial and light industrial; and heavy industrial.

A team of bomb disposal specialists is examining the Connaught Tunnel, part of the Crossrail route, for any ordnance which failed to detonate during World War II.

A team of ordnance specialists is examining the Connaught Tunnel, part of the Crossrail route, for any bomnbs which failed to detonate during World War II.

During World War II, more than 40,000 explosive devices were dropped on London with the docks and rail lines particularly targeted.

The Connaught Tunnel was hit by a bomb in 1940, and Crossrail will be undertaking further repair work to the damaged section of the tunnel.

Ahead of major works on the Connaught Tunnel commencing next year, Crossrail is undertaking an extensive search of the wider construction area to identify any remaining undiscovered devices that failed to detonate on landing during World War II. The geology of the Royal Docks area meant that some devices which didn’t explode on landing sunk into the first few metres of soil.

A team of highly trained specialists are currently using armoured vehicles with magnetic equipment to investigate the ground around Connaught Tunnel. Their work involves sending probes into the ground in three metre intervals and analysing the results.

Detailed surveys

Crossrail already has a detailed understanding from existing London-wide maps and ground surveys about where potential devices could exist.

The dock floor above and around the Connaught Tunnel has already been searched by divers and was given the all clear. The specialists will shortly begin surveying under Connaught Bridge directly above the Connaught Tunnel.

Any potential devices identified in the ground through the survey will be reported to the authorities for further investigation. Similar ground surveys will be undertaken at other Crossrail sites in east London.

Linda Miller, Connaught Tunnel project manager, said: “We know from existing maps where bomb drops occurred in London during the 1940s. Ahead of major refurbishment work on the Connaught Tunnel, we will be undertaking detailed checks to identify whether there are any remaining devices that are yet to be uncovered. All the information obtained through our magnetic ground surveys will be used to update existing London-wide mapping as well as inform future construction projects.”

Dock draining

Crossrail has also announced a change in its approach to the Connaught tunnel project.

It originally planned to strengthen the central section of the tunnel by removing the existing steel linings and back filling the entire section with concrete foam. These tunnels would then have been enlarged by boring through the concrete to create tunnels that are large enough for Crossrail trains to pass.

Crossrail will now place cofferdams in the Connaught Passage between the Victoria and Royal Albert Docks, pump out the water and create a dry construction site allowing workers to dig down to the tunnel to undertake the enlargement work through a ‘cut and cover’ approach.

Miller said: “The central section of the Connaught Tunnel is in a poor structural condition. To ensure we can undertake the tunnel enlargement work as safely as possible we have now decided to drain a section of the Royal Docks and then dig down into the tunnel. This will be the first time the tunnel has been exposed from above ground since its construction in the 1870s. While we will be using modern techniques, we will be using a similar cut and cover approach that was used to build the original tunnel which saw the tunnel constructed first with the docks then built over the top.”

The cofferdam works which will commence in 2013 have been planned in conjunction with the Royal Docks Management Authority and timed to start after the London Boat Show.

The value of construction in the US in 2011 was US$787.4bn (£599bn), 2.0% below the US$803.6bn spent in 2010.

Private construction rose in 2011 was 0.7% higher than 2010 but there was a 6.5% fall in public construction.

Howver overall construction spending during December 2011 in the US rose 1.5% from the November estimate. The US Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce said that construction spending in December was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of US$816.4bn, 1.5% (±1.4%) above the revised November estimate of US$804.0bn. The December figure is 4.3% (±1.9%) above the December 2010 estimate of US$782.9bn.

Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of US$529.7bn, 2.1% above the revised November estimate of US$518.8bn . Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of US$241.2bn in December, 0.8%  above the revised November estimate of US$239.4bn. The figure for non-residential construction was US$288.5bn in December, 3.3% (± 1.1%) above the revised November estimate of US$279.4bn.

The value of private construction in 2011 was US$504.1bn, 0.7% above the US$ 500.6bn spent in 2010.

Residential construction in 2011 was US$236.2bn, 1.1% below the 2010 figure of US$238.8bn and non-residential construction was US$268.0bn, 2.4% above the US$ 261.8bn in 2010.

In December, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was US$286.6bn, 0.5% above the revised November estimate of US$285.3bn. The figure for educational construction was US$70.6bn, which was 0.6% below the revised November estimate of US$71.1bn. Highway construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of US$ 84.5bn, 1.8% above the revised November estimate of US$82.9bn.

The value of public construction in 2011 was US$283.3bn, 6.5% below the US$ 303.0bn spent in 2010. Educational construction in 2011 was US$70.9bn, 5.3% (±3.2%) below the 2010 figure of US$74.9bn and highway construction was US$ 78.9bn, 4.5% (±3.2%) below the US$ 82.5bn in 2010.

Most UK state schools contain asbestos " a "national scandal", an all-party group of MPs and peers has said.

The group wants the material removed after studying estimates which suggest the deadly material was present in more than 75% of schools.

More than 140 teachers have died from the rare asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma in the past 10 years.

Education chiefs say it is unacceptable for schools to ignore guidance but that undamaged asbestos should be left.

Last year, the Department for Education (DfE) revealed that its "best estimate" was that more than three-quarters of schools contain asbestos.

The Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health's chairman, Jim Sheridan, said: "This is a national scandal.

"Urgent action is needed to prevent more pupils, teachers and other staff being exposed to this deadly killer dust.

"We need both far greater awareness of the risks that this material poses and a programme for its phased removal."

The group's other recommendations include annually updating parents, teachers and staff about asbestos in their schools, and reinstating inspections into asbestos management.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), inhaling asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK - accounting for 4,000 deaths per year.

A DfE spokesman said: "HSE's expert advice is based on the best current evidence.

"It is absolutely clear that if asbestos is not disturbed or damaged, then it is safer to leave it in situ, with strong systems in place to contain and monitor it."

Tebodin, an operating company of Royal BAM Group, has opened its third office in China.

The new office is in Nanjing in eastern China, 300km from Shanghai. The existing offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou grew significantly in 2011.

Tebodin (Nanjing) Engineering & Design is the latest addition to the global Tebodin network of 50 offices active in 20 countries. It is the multidisciplinary consultancy and engineering firm's sixth office in Asia Pacific region, following Shanghai in China (2004), Chennai in India (2007), Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam (2009), Guangzhou in China (2010), and Jakarta in Indonesia (2011). The six offices totally employ more than 450 people. The Nanjing office will be headed by office director Jianqing Qin who has worked in the Shanghai office as deputy general manager.

Tebodin is already working on projects for multinational clients Kemira, Taminco and Oxea in the Nanjing chemical park, which is one of the largest in China with more than 100 plants.

Another 10 workers have lost their jobs at Lincoln-based Simons Group.

It follows on from 50 redundancies which were announced just over a year ago.

Simons said the move would help "make efficiencies where there had been some overlap in roles", reported the Lincolnshire Echo.

Spokeswoman Tina Holmes said: "As part of Simons Group's annual business planning the company is restructuring in line with its forward workload, which has resulted in 10 roles being made redundant. Making redundancies is never an easy decision for any business, particularly in the current climate.

"However the restructure is necessary to further strengthen our unique way of working with our customers."

Following the restructure, Simons' workforce now amounts to just over 200.

Last year, the company suffered a sharp reduction in commercial workload.

A Miller Construction team has been named as preferred bidder for the £129 million Avon and Somerset Police Accommodation PFI Project.

The Blue Light Partnership, comprising Miller Construction and Bilfinger Berger Project Investments, will develop four new facilities at Portishead, Bristol Patchway, Keynsham and Bridgwater. The contract also includes responsibility for maintaining the buildings for 25 years.

In addition to supplying project investment, Miller Construction has been appointed principal contractor.

The overall project includes a Somerset Operations Base which will be home to a Custody and Crime Investigation Centre, Specialist Operations and an Enquiry Office; a Custody and Crime Investigation Centre and Police Station in Patchway; a Custody and Crime Investigation Centre in Keynsham and a Tri-force Indoor Firearms Training Centre for Avon and Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire police forces, near Portishead.

Miller Construction anticipates commencing construction in summer 2012 with the buildings being open from 2014.

Chris Webster, chief executive, Miller Construction, said: “We have a successful track record in the delivery of PPP projects across the UK where our expertise in assisting public partners to finance projects covers a variety of markets.

“Our teams have a successful track record in ‘Bluelight’ projects including Bristol Civil Justice Centre and the North Tyneside Area Command Headquarters.

“We will be quickly mobilising the build programme. Early in 2011 we held an open day for local subcontractors in order to establish a potential local supply chain.”

BAM Nuttall has been awarded a £76m legacy contract at London's Olympic Park, to transform the area from a sporting arena into a public place once the Games are over.

The park, to be renamed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park once the athletes have gone home, will include a mixture of elite sports stadiums, housing and community facilities such as a school and medical centre.

BAM Nuttall will remove temporary stadiums, including basketball and water polo, double the amount of parkland, reconfigure Games-time bridges and underpasses, and link the park to surrounding communities as part of the new phase called 'Clear, Connect, Complete'.

It will also prepare the media center and handball arena for new tenants, and work on the velopark by creating a mountain-bike trail and outdoor cycle circuit.

BAM Nuttall has been working at the site the past four years.

The park will reopen in phases from July 2013.

Civil engineering contractors are reporting increasing workloads for the first time since the onset of the economic crisis nearly four years ago.

But the UK’s leading infrastructure contractors have warned that signs of growth in the sector may be extinguished unless the government delivers on recent investment commitments.

Results from the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Workload Trends survey for the last quarter of 2011 show encouraging signs of growth in the sector.

Five per cent more of those who responded to the survey reported increasing workloads when compared with those reporting declines, lifting figures for the sector out of the red.

But the improvement reported in Q4 2011 was driven largely by activity in the regulated sectors such as rail, water and sewerage.

Activity in the publicly-funded roads sector continues to fall.

CECA director of external affairs Alasdair Reisner said: “Having experienced a long period of declining activity any signs of growth are to be welcomed.

“However, we would be extremely cautious about any suggestion that these figures suggest a sustained improvement in the sector. Most of the growth indicated comes from regulated sectors that are currently at or near the peak of their spending cycles.

“Our concern is that as spending in these areas falls away over the coming months, there may not be sufficient activity elsewhere to sustain workloads.

“For this reason it is essential that the government holds firm on its commitments to infrastructure made at the Autumn Statement. By doing so it will help secure vital contributions to growth, while supporting the future of the UK’s infrastructure supply chain.”

For the 1st time in the UK Lightning Protection, earthing and surge protection products are now available to select & purchase on line

Churchill’s ecommerce site developed and launched to specifically cater for the sector, with all items offered with a minimum of 20% less than the manufactures RRP. 

Containing over 1100 individual products available for nationwide delivery within a 48 hour period the site has been developed for contractors who select to undertake the installation of a designed lightning protection system and in so doing reduce costs associated with employing a specialist lightning protection sub contractor.

Wayne Murry of Churchill Specialist Contracting Ltd commented‘...as an established contractor in the lightning protection sector we are increasingly witnessing occasions where contractors are selecting to install a designed lightning protection system then employ a specialist sub contractor to complete the systems various connections and commission the installation in accordance with BS EN 62305. In response to this trend we didn’t want to miss an opportunity to add what we believe is a convenient and competitive purchasing solution to the scope of our supply’....

Churchill have established partnership with the UK’s leading manufactures of lightning protection and earthing products, including Furse, Wallis and Sudafix which coupled with our central location, nationwide distributing network and our industry experience in the design, installation, testing and maintenance of lightning protection systems combines to offer a comprehensive service to the construction sector.

Find Churchill Lightning Protection with The Construction Index