Construction Booms but at what cost
With civil, commercial & housebuilding construction continuing to expand through April and higher transport costs due to Brexit; supply and materials shortages, longer wait times and price rises have been predicted for aggregates, steel, cement and concrete according to a recent HIS Markit survey. Apparently, construction is growing at its strongest rate for 6.5 years or the fastest rise in orders since September 2014! Spurred on by the resumption of delayed Covid contracts, infrastructure work such as HS2, a spike in housing demand and increasing business confidence. This has led to input costs inflation for the seventh month in a row with some EU exporters now no longer exporting to the UK due to the increase in red tape such as admin, bureaucracy and certifications to get deliveries over the border.
Internet Connectivity for New, Temporary and Challenging locations…
For new, temporary and challenging locations why not consider the EMS i-MO OptiBond solution? Delivers fast / resilient aggregated 4G and / or fixed line services to site in days. The system is widely used on difficult to serve and new commercial and infrastructure projects. See www.ems-imo.com
Find out moreFormer Barclays chief appointed head of UK Infrastructure Bank
Chris Grigg CBE has been appointed head of the organisation which will help UK to achieve net zero emissions target. Headquartered in Leeds, the Bank will receive £22 billion in capital and guarantees with its main goal of transformation delivered in two ways; to raise capital to reverse climate change and to support local developments in line with the Government’s goal of ‘levelling up’. Since the sale of the UK Green Investment Bank to Australian Bank Macquarie in 2012 for £1.6billion, the UK has lacked a public institution to deal with climate. Chris Grigg also sits on the Board of UK defence company BAE systems. For more info on UKIB policy click here.
Contractors: How to get paid for your work
A legal webinar recording by Goodman Derrick LLP outlines COVID & Brexit challenges / UK’s new status, in terms of protecting positions, getting paid for your work and problems associated with insolvency. You can watch the recording here.
beable Saves Construction from COVID
Luckily, technology exists so Construction sites can stay open (law permitting) and take care of their workers with beable® Wearable which has been deployed at pilot stage at a large north London site to keep workers safe and productive; it facilitates physical distancing as well as interaction tracking. Co-developed by Electronic Media Services and COMIT Projects and funded by Innovate UK, the new technology has been well received and plans to rollout to further sites in Q2 this year are underway. Contact james.deadman_at_ems-uk.com or
Click here to find out moreLondon’s New Skyline
City of London Corporation has optimistically released what London’s skyline will look like in mid-20s with the addition of 6 new skyscrapers in the square mile that have all received planning permission to date, including 50 Fenchurch Street, 55 Gracechurch Street, 60 Aldgate High Street, 70 Gracechurch Street and 2-3 Finsbury Avenue. With another 6 further tall building applications in progress, London is planning on the city office being here to stay.