Robertson Construction North East has clinched a deal to deliver a three-year capital works programme for The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The £45m programme of capital projects will predominantly take place at the  and the Royal Victoria Infirmary sites. Projects include theatre and ward refurbishment programmes, clinical improvements, public facing refurbishments and critical infrastructure/backlog maintenance upgrades. Neil Kennedy, commercial director, Robertson Construction North East, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to develop a long-term  partner ..read more

Staff at Osborne have started looking for new jobs. Workers at the stricken contractor have taken to LinkedIn looking for new roles following events at the firm. Main business Geoffrey Osborne filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator last week with other group companies following suit shortly afterwards. Osborne said it is currently in talks with interested parties “with the ambition that aspects of the business will be sold and will continue to trade.” But yesterday green “open to work” flags started appearing on the LinkedIn profiles of Osborne staff . The famous industry nam ..read more

Volumetric developer Tide has secured a resolution to grant planning permission for a 412 student rooms scheme in West Ealing, London. The Hastings Road scheme will transform the underutilised retail site into a mixed-use development with student rooms, communal and commercial spaces. The project will be delivered using Tide’s precision-manufacturing volumetric units, which help to reduce construction programmes by up to 50% while also cutting embodied carbon. The volumetric units are built in controlled factory settings by Tide’s sister company, Vision Volumetric. The development has been de ..read more

Derby City Council approved plans yesterday for Wavensmere Homes and Clowes Developments’ £75m redevelopment of the city’s historic Friar Gate Goods Yard. Construction is now scheduled to start this summer to transform two landmark Grade II listed buildings into over 110,000 sq ft of commercial space alongside 276 new build homes. Restoration of the 19th Century Bonded Warehouse and Engine House will deliver a total of 111,275 sq ft of flexible offices, health and fitness space, a restaurant/café, together with a regional sales centre for Birmingham-headquartered Wavensmere Homes. Friar Gate ..read more

Officials at the Competition and Markets Authority are warning that contractors could face price rises for ventilation products. The watchdog has completed an initial Phase 1 investigation after Lindab International AB’s purchase last October of HAS-Vent Holdings Limited raised competition concerns in relation to the supply of circular ducts and fittings. Lindab is a ventilation company primarily active in the UK through subsidiaries Lindab Limited and Ductmann Limited which both manufacture and distribute ventilation system products, including circular ducts and fittings. HAS-Vent is also ac ..read more

Midlands and southern housing procurement group, Central Housing Investment Consortium, has named the consultant and contractors to have secured places on its £2bn retrofit and building safety works framework for social homes. The Healthy Homes Framework is intended to help deliver net zero and building safety targets for the sector. It will provide the social housing sector with consultancy services, fabric first measures, ventilation systems, renewable energy and heat systems, house refurbishment, damp and mould treatments and cutting-edge digital measuring tools. Over 40 firms have secured ..read more

Councillors in Birmingham have unanimously rejected plans to build a 42-storey skyscraper on top of a Grade-II listed former hospital. The proposal for the city centre site involved building 300 flats directly above the Grade II-listed former Royal Orthopaedic Hospital building in 80 Broad Street. At a planning committee meeting yesterday Conservative councillor Gareth Moore branded the scheme as ludicrous. He said: “This is utterly bonkers. The idea you can stick a 42-storey tower block over a Georgian mansion is ridiculous.” Planning consultancy Marrons, acting on behalf of HJB Investm ..read more

Developer Salboy has lodged plans for a dominating residential skyscraper in central Manchester that would be the tallest outside of London. The next phase of its Viadux scheme off Great Bridgewater Street will now see construction of two residential towers of 76 and 23 storeys containing a total of 915 apartments. Architect simpsonhaugh supported by M&E consultant Ridge and structural engineer Renaissance have designed the scheme. The distinctive tower facade has been profiled to reduce windspeed lessening its impact on pedestrians with aerodynamic chamfer corners and inclined facades c ..read more

Bath-based housing association Curo is on the hunt for contractors to deliver an estimated £170m house building programme over the next four years. Curo manages close to 14,000 homes for more than 25,000 people across the West of England. It plans to build between 250 and 300 new social homes every year over the next five years and deliver between 100 and 200 private market sales annually. The housing association is planing to set up a panel of preferred contractors and developers to call off projects over this period. Under the present procurement timetable it aims to name it preferred partn ..read more

HarperCrewe – a UK challenger housebuilder led by experienced industry operator Adrian Bloor –is targeting construction of 1,000 homes a year after receiving an investment boost. The firm has confirmed a significant strategic investment from funders TPG Angelo Gordon and Ridgeback Group who have previously acquired nine UK build-to-rent assets worth £800. HarperCrewe was founded by Adrian Bloor – former CEO of the largest privately-owned housebuilder in the UK, Bloor Homes – and has amassed an initial land portfolio of over 3,000 plots since inception in 2022. The company will now use this ne ..read more