Construction buyers report return to growth UK construction companies saw a modest increase in business activity during September representing a return to growth after two months of falling output. But optimism for future prospects dropped to its lowest level for two years as the prospect of higher interest rates and a downturn in the wider […]

Construction to avoid hard-landing recession Leading cost consultant Arcadis is warning that the current market cycle has reached its peak as unprecedented energy price rises make their impact felt. But the firm predicts the looming slowdown will not be ‘blow-out’ like the 2008-2012 crash. The industry instead is likely to experience a prolonged but shallow […]

Construction buyers report first drop in output for 18 months Industry buyers reported the first drop in construction output for one-and-a-half years in July. Commercial work saw the only increases as civils and housing falls dragged the bellwether S&P Global/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index to 48.9 in July from 52.6 in June. The index […]

  Heavyside material producers predict slowing sales Building material producers are bracing themselves for slowing sales in the months ahead as client householders think twice about projects amid rampant cost inflation. The latest trade survey of members of the Construction Products Association found that nearly a third of heavyside producers expect sales to fall in […]

  It has been reported that early action is required to maintain essential minerals supply beyond 2042. The Town & Country Planning (Minerals) Act 1981 looked to introduce an end date for all historic planning permission for mineral working across Great Britain. This was set at 22nd February 2042. This deadline applies to a variety […]

  Tender price inflation to soar to 10% this year Cost consultants Arcadis is warning the spectre of stagflation could hit construction as soaring materials inflation and risk allowances in tenders delay project pipelines. It estimates that disruption caused by the Ukraine War has magnified existing supply chain problems adding 3 to 5% to the […]

  Office work uplift returns construction output to growth Construction output returned to 1.7% growth in March after sliding during the storms in February. It is the first time private commercial work has emerged as a growth driver since the pandemic, recording a 4% rise in March. Private housing repair and maintenance also saw strong […]

  February storms dampen construction output The week long battering by storms, Dudley, Eunice and Franklin dampened construction output in February as more working days were lost. Monthly construction output slipped by 0.1% due to lost time and project delays. The main contributors to the decline in February were new infrastructure, and non-housing repairs and […]

Work exceeds pre-pandemic level after 13% output rise in 2021 Construction activity has overtaken its pre-pandemic level after output rebounded 12.7% last year. Official figures from the Office of National Statistics show construction enjoyed an r-shaped rebound in output from the pandemic. It was helped by the industry’s big effort to return to work after […]

6F1 Selected granular material with a fine grading that is used for capping and can’t contain any more than 50% by mass of recycled bituminous plainings and granulated asphalt as per the specification for highway works. 6F1 is produced and used on the site of origin. If this material was to be imported to another […]

  New work surges as materials shortages ease Construction output bounced back again above the pre-pandemic high-water mark after a strong surge in new work during November. A 5.7% hike in new work lifted construction output by 3.5%, despite a small decline in repair and maintenance workloads. The surge lifted overall activity above the February […]

  Material cost increases hit forty-year high The Materials Cost Index conducted by the Building Cost Information Service shows price rises hitting a forty-year high. Analysts said that between January and September 2021 the greatest increases were seen. This rise mainly saw increases to steel and timber, with rises set to continue into next year. […]