Legal and Regulatory News in UK Construction | Construction News

Didcot collapse: MP slams the wait for answers

Ian Weinfass — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 12:05:50 +0000

An MP has suggested that issues around the Didcot Power Station collapse have been “kicked into the long grass” as the investigation into the incident drags on. On 23 February 2016, the boiler house at the decommissioned Oxfordshire facility collapsed, with Michael Collings, 53, found…

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M&S appeals Gove’s rejection of Oxford Street rebuild

Charlotte Banks — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:23:01 +0000

Marks & Spencer has launched legal action against the government’s decision to block its controversial redevelopment in Oxford Street, central London. Operations director Sacha Berendji said that housing secretary Michael Gove had “wrongly interpreted and applied planning policy” in rejecting the retailer’s plans to demolish…

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Berkeley and Sisk’s bridge-design dispute moves forward

Catherine Moore — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:45:24 +0000

A judge has ruled that a £4m legal battle between Berkeley Homes and John Sisk & Son should be heard in more detail, after Berkeley failed in an attempt to bring the case under a fast-track procedure. The case centres on who is responsible for…

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HSE’s research on the principal designer role – time for further change?

Contributor — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 09:45:06 +0000

Stefan Desbordes is an associate covering safety, health and environmental regulation at law firm DAC Beachcroft The principal designer (PD) is a key role in the project structure set out in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). They must plan, manage, monitor…

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Henry Construction: a cautionary tale of shaky defences

Contributor — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 10:41:39 +0000

Iain Taylor is an associate in the construction and engineering department at law firm Fladgate Henry Construction Projects’ high-profile collapse has left creditors in its supply chain short of £43m. The company’s administrators have pointed to Ozel Group’s winding-up petition against Henry in May as…

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Contractor-appointment timings to be mandated for high-risk buildings

Colin Marrs — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 11:45:54 +0000

Clients will be required to appoint a main contractor on high-risk tower blocks before a building-control approval application is made, the government has confirmed. The government announced its intention to press ahead with the move in a response to a year-long consultation on changes to…

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Government introduces three-pronged commencement definition

Colin Marrs — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 11:45:17 +0000

Buildings will be split into three categories, each with separate rules on when building work is deemed to have started, under an amendment to regulations. Last week, the government laid a raft of amendments to Building Regulations following a year-long consultation after the introduction of…

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Bounce-back loan abuse: 227 years of bans issued in three months

Ian Weinfass — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 11:37:40 +0000

Construction company directors who abused bounce-back loans during the pandemic have been issued with 227 years-worth of bans in the past three months, an analysis by Construction News has found. The Insolvency Service issued the disqualifications to 26 directors of building firms that either overstated…

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Settlement agreed in Galliford Try funicular dispute

Ian Weinfass — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 06:00:54 +0000

A construction firm has agreed an out-of-court settlement with a Scottish Government agency over a funicular railway that had to be closed 17 years after construction due to safety concerns. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) announced this week that it will receive £11m relating to…

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Henry targeted by HSE over ‘sustained poor performance’ before collapse

Ian Weinfass — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 11:45:55 +0000

Henry Construction Projects was served with nine notices from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in its last weeks of trading, Construction News can reveal. The collapsed contractor was targeted for repeated inspections by the HSE because of its poor safety performance, with inspectors issuing…

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