Covid-19

A £100 million package of additional grant support for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and newly self-employed people will open for applications later today.

Interserve Construction has deployed new social distancing technology at the NEC Birmingham as it continues to roll out the final phase of the development of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham providing critical care beds to treat COVID-19 patients.

Cumbernauld-based facades specialist MSP (Scotland) will recommence operations from May 4, providing vital materials to construction projects in England. The reopening follows a shut-down of approximately four weeks, in line with the Scottish Government’s enforced lockdown measures.

The Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum (CICV Forum) is providing greater visibility on what constitutes ‘essential work’ to prevent key workers being harassed and verbally abused during vital construction projects. The Forum’s members have reported an increasing number of trad

Housebuilders should be given the green light to return to work safely in Scotland, according to Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw.

The different message from the Scottish Government regarding the construction industry compared to the rest of the UK is causing frustration throughout the country, the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) has said.

Willmott Dixon’s senior operations manager Nick Proverbs explains how a combination of technology and innovation is enabling the firm to maintain social distancing at the University of Birmingham's School of Engineering. People’s safety is paramount in everything we do. When guidance by

The newly-established Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum (CICV Forum) has hailed the “speed and efficiency” of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme rollout – but has warned that the real test will be if all claims are paid on time. Set up to support Scotland’s constructi

The UK Government has announced that small businesses will benefit from a new fast-track finance scheme providing loans with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders. Under the new initiative, businesses will be able to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 and access the cash within d

With more major housebuilders returning to site this week, the industry’s largest trade union has called on the UK Government to include construction workers in its targeted COVID-19 testing of key workers in order to help halt the disease’s spread.

The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) has published a series of proposals to support the delivery of safe working environments as construction sites in the country reopen, including the need to stagger shifts from 7am to midnight.

A Scottish architectural and planning practice has developed and launched a portal of virtual work experience for secondary pupils who are missing out on work experience this term due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Halliday Fraser Munro’s team rapidly created the portal when it became clear that th

Springfield Properties has agreed an additional £18 million loan facility with Bank of Scotland as it prepares to navigate the uncertainty surrounding the current lockdown. The housebuilder said the additional support gives the group “sufficient headroom, should it be necessary, to withs

The City of Edinburgh Council has been establishing new ways of working and adapting its planning service to support communities and businesses throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 is presenting challenges for the construction sector in many areas, but the marked differences between the approach in Scotland and England is causing significant confusion amongst UK businesses, write Angela Grahame QC and Murdo MacLeod QC. Businesses are already struggling to comply