Crossrail tenders advance works at five stations

London's CrossRail project is to create more railway jobs this year, as the ambitious scheme issues tenders for advance works for five major tunnelled stations.Notices for advance works at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel were posted in the OJEU earlier this week. These stations are some of the most complicated tunnelled stations in the CrossRail...

3/10/2010 10:24:05 AM

New wave of BSF investment to stimulate construction recruitment

An additional six local authorities are to receive capital investment from the Building Schools for the Future programme this year.The funds should help provide construction jobs in Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Gateshead, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire and Sutton. £420m granted under the scheme will be shared between the six authorities, to be spent on rebuilding or refurbishing local...

3/10/2010 10:24:05 AM

James Dyson publishes plan to build UK skills base for engineering jobs

Sir James Dyson has published a radical set of proposals that aim to help pull Britain out of recession by rebuilding the country's manufacturing and technology industries.The inventor, who has made millions from his innovative designs and the vacuum technology that bears his name, laid out his vision in the report Ingenious Britain. Commissioned by the Conservative Party, it calls for fresh education, as well as funding for...

3/9/2010 12:30:16 PM

Housing jobs get a boost from Kickstart funding

Employers of housing jobs will be looking for workers soon, as the UK new build market gets a £83m boost from the Kickstart initiative.Nearly 5,696 new homes are to be built this year on schemes selected for the second round of Kickstart funding. The cash injection aims to restart 87 stalled developments across the UK, with the extra funds providing for construction jobs and material costs at schemes...

3/9/2010 12:30:16 PM

Government microgeneration scheme faces shortage of certified engineers

Although the government's renewable energy scheme for Britain's 26 million households could create hundreds of engineering job vacancies, only 500 companies have the relevant certification.The Sunday Times reveals that the micro-generation scheme, starting next month, could be hobbled by a "chronic shortage of certified engineers.'' Under the scheme, households will be able...

3/9/2010 9:39:36 AM

Walkie Talkie project attractive to contractors

The 180m Walkie Talkie skyscraper project is attracting contractors from all over the UK, after Land Securities announced it was putting the job out to tender.The plans concern one of the most valuable development opportunities in the City of London, at 20 Fenchurch Street. The development has been stalled since 2007, when planning permission was granted for the 36 storey, 639,000 sq ft building. With costs originally estimated at nearly £300m,...

3/5/2010 10:08:36 AM

Grow your own scheme launched

The Development Trusts Association is being enlisted by the government to provide temporary leases to allow community groups, led in some cases by those in housing association jobs or community leaders, to make use of brown field sites that are awaiting development.Regeneration magazine reports that the 'Lease for Land' scheme will give local residents and community groups the opportunity to create mini allotments on...

3/4/2010 10:53:48 AM

Biggest housebuliders return to profitability

British housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has announced that it has halved its annual losses and reported that it returned to profit in the last half of 2009.In 2009, the UK's second largest housebuilder, reported a pre-tax loss of £700m - considerably better that its loss of £1.97bn in 2008. The company has now reduced its debts from £1.53bn in 2008, to £751m currently and is hopeful that its profits will continue to grow to lessen this...

3/3/2010 9:59:54 AM

Government to launch green energy loans

The government has launched a scheme to encourage homeowners to make their homes both warmer and more energy efficient.Citywire reports that plans announced by Energy Secretary, Ed Mililband, hope to generate a reduction of 29% in UK household carbon emissions by 2020. As well as reducing carbon footprint, the scheme will help make homes warmer and enhance the value of a property by reducing its annual energy bills.The scheme will allow homeowners to borrow...

3/2/2010 12:17:10 PM

House building firm sees profit which could open up potential jobs

Rural affordable homes plans

Thirty six rural based councils are set to be granted Government funds to help plan for new affordable homes in countryside locations.The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), along with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), will provide the funding, as well as offer training for those in regeneration and urban design jobs. UK councils were chosen using a...

3/1/2010 10:12:31 AM

Conservative party publishes paper on planning

The Conservative Party has revealed its proposals for public planning and housing, releasing their planning green paper last week in advance of this year's General Election. If the party is elected, these measures will have a direct affect on anyone working in construction jobs, significantly altering the framework for house-building and local funding.The Tories have proposed to scrap large elements of the...

3/1/2010 10:12:31 AM

Hundreds of jobs to be created as Spanish retail group comes to UK

Property giant, Land Securities is going into partnership with Spanish retail group Grupo Cortefiel, as it launches three of its brands in the UK this spring. The first stores: Cortefiel, Springfield and Women's Secret are among the first stores of the three chains to be opened in Land Securities' St David's shopping centre in Cardiff.This new project will create hundreds of new surveying and

2/25/2010 11:14:34 AM

Minerva records profits

The London based property development company, Minerva, reportedly went back into profit as of yesterday, after the biggest property slump in decades.The London Evening Standard has announced that the company, who recently declined a ''hostile'' takeover bid from its largest shareholder, reported pre tax profits of £45.6m in the first half of its financial year. This is welcome news for the company that reported losses of £186.7m during the height of the property...

2/24/2010 10:28:57 AM

Construction jobs to be created for BA energy plant

Thousands of construction jobs are to be created, as British Airways has struck a deal to build the first plant in Europe to produce jet fuel from wastage. Up to 1,200 jobs will be created within the next two years, when the construction of the plant will begin.Around 500,000 tonnes of waste will be used every year to produce 16 million gallons of fuel. BA said the plant is expected to produce twice...

2/18/2010 10:41:59 AM

Tender released for final Crossrail tunnel

Contractor bids are being invited for the final tunnel of the Crossrail project.The Crossrail project, which created railway jobs in the London area when work began in 2009, is set to continue to boost construction recruitment as the company seeks contractors for the final stretch of work.Contractors have been invited to express their interest for the final running tunnel contract by 24 March 2010....

2/17/2010 10:14:42 AM

EA outlines flood investment plans for civil engineering jobs in Thames region

The Environment Agency has announced how it will utilise £99.6m of central government funding to reduce the risk of flooding in the Thames region over the next year.Their investment plan will create civil engineering jobs across the area, as funds will be used to build new river and tidal defences. Maintenance jobs on existing defences will also be funded by the...

2/16/2010 10:40:39 AM

Construction building in Wales

According to a report in Wales Online, construction in the country outperformed the rest of the UK during the final few months of lasy year.Statistics correlated by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), reflected that the construction sector in Wales was much more stable than any other UK area. The survey noted that all other regions reported a diminishing workload in the final quarter of the year. In contrast, Wales saw a 20% of chartered surveyors reporting a...

2/16/2010 10:00:34 AM

Morrison Facilities Services win £53m of contracts

Construction news site cnplus.co.uk has today reported that repair and maintenance giant - Morrison Facilities Services has been granted seven new contracts in 2010 worth over £50m. Such a big win is expected to generate much needed maintenance jobs across the UK.Morrison's primary business sector is the repair and maintenance of social housing and look after over 400,000 properties...

2/15/2010 1:38:21 PM

House prices rise 3.2%

Property website Rightmove has announced that short supply locations such as London or the South East are experiencing an average property price growth of 3.2 per cent.Insidehousing.co.uk reports that during the property sales website's monthly price index, it was found that prices had increased by an average of £7,137 - as the number of buyers continued to be greater than the number of properties available for sale. The average London property price has now risen to a...

2/15/2010 10:57:58 AM