Opinion

Burness Paull's Kathleen McAnea looks at the implications of the current shortage in construction materials and offers suggestions for companies who may be impacted. In March there was much industry chatter about the materials shortage in construction and the impact on housebuilders.

Andrew Tolmie and Stefanie Johnston outline the current legal landscape in Scotland regarding who pays the remedial works necessary to bring residential buildings into line with new fire safety standards. On 14th June 2017, a fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block in west London, causi

Dispute resolution specialist Ian Timlin outlines nine things to be considered if faced with contractor insolvency. As a result of the pandemic, we have seen, and advised on, numerous instances where main contractors have downed tools or closed sites. In some cases, this has been a tempora

Heat networks have not been widely adopted in the UK due to a lack of regulation and resulting lack of consumer confidence. They also require significant upfront capital costs. As Scotland is the first nation within the UK to bring out legislation in this area, Sarah-Jane McArthur and Sara

As the government continues to push the construction industry to move more of the building process off-site and into factories, Roddy Cormack, construction specialist at law firm Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP, explores a conundrum which must be solved if the industry is to thrive in this area

Following the launch of a Police Scotland campaign aimed at tackling modern slavery concerns within the construction sector, Ramsay Hall outlines what modern slavery actually involves and what can be done when there's concern about its presence in the supply chain. Exploitation of people c

As it continues to grow its track record of contributions to Scotland’s renewables mission, the offshore wind sector is currently making all the right headlines, writes Kelly Hardman. Amid the positive news, however, anyone with knowledge of sustainable business success will tell you it p

The latest director disqualifications are a reminder to every company in the construction sector of the importance of ensuring that staff understand what conduct will expose their firm to prosecution, writes Jamie Dunne. In the last few weeks, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has sec

Andrew Little, senior associate at Burness Paull, discusses the issues surrounding adjudication enforcement. The Queensferry Crossing is the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world spanning 1.7 miles across the Firth of Forth between Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, and Fife, at North

Early adopters of sustainable practices, including retrofit programmes, may be better placed to reap future benefits, writes Sheelagh Cooley. In the year that Glasgow hosts the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), UK law firm Shoosmiths joined over 120 other UK businesses committing to

Against a backdrop of continued uncertainty due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and as the UK continues its journey as the first ever nation to exit the European Union, collaboration will continue to be key as the construction industry prepares itself for months of delay and disru

Sarah Alexander, senior associate at Dentons, discusses the intricacies of the NEC3 subcontract. With fewer than 10 reported decisions from the Court of Session on the interpretation of NEC3, any guidance from the court is welcomed with open arms. This is particularly so while the NEC suite of contr

Sarah Stewart from Burness Paull considers the Scottish Government's Heat Networks Bill and its impact on the housing and heating industries. District heating, also known as a heat network, is a distribution system of insulated pipes that takes heat from a central source and delivers it to a number

The new process virtual mediation for construction companies may not be as effective and is also less secure unless certain measures are put in place, warns Ian Timlin. Organisations that are looking to use mediation as a way to resolve a dispute without the need for costly litigation need to be awa

Lauren Hazlie, property solicitor at Jones Whyte, details the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the housing market by discussing the extension to the Additional Dwelling Supplement Tax reclaim period. In Scotland, Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) Tax must be paid by a buyer on the purchase o