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Charnleigh Construction of South Shields has gone into liquidation with the loss of more than 20 jobs. 22-Dec-2000 Wilson Bowden has announced plans for a consortium of private and public interests to develop a 110-acre industrial park at Cambuslang near Glasgow, which could lead to the creation of up to 3,000 jobs. 21-Dec-2000 Savills is seeking acquisitions to expand its property consultancy business further into continental Europe and Asia. 20-Dec-2000 Pilkington is forming a joint venture with Saint Gobain of France to build a £73m float glass plant in south-west Poland. 20-Dec-2000 The Prison Service is considering plans to sell off many of the 28 Victorian jails to property developers, in order to raise funds for the construction of new prisons. 20-Dec-2000 Brett Martin is planning a £40m expansion at its plastic building products business in Newtownabbey over the next four years, with the creation of 145 jobs. 15-Dec-2000 The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA) is to relocate from Ilford to the Yarm Road Business Park in Darlington early next year, which will involve the transfer of a small number of staff. 15-Dec-2000 Bryant is in discussions to merge with Beazer to create Domus, a combined housebuilding group with a market value of about £800m. 15-Dec-2000 BRE is looking to sell its building research facility at Cardington in Bedfordshire due to a fall in demand for full-scale testing. 14-Dec-2000 Berkeley, the housebuilder, is planning to double the volume of work contracted out to other builders and include more pre-fabricated components in its homes. 13-Dec-2000 Amey is expanding its facilities management business into Ireland with the acquisition of a 33% stake in Irish Facilities Management. 13-Dec-2000 George Wimpey is to reorganise its housebuilding business by shedding up to 250 senior staff, relocating its head office from west London to a cheaper site and closing about five of its 29 regional operations. 12-Dec-2000 Regalian, the property group, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 08-Dec-2000 City of Edinburgh Council is seeking private sector investment for a £300m facelift for the Craigmillar estate, in order to improve housing, schools, shops and community facilities. 06-Dec-2000 The Welsh Development Agency has announced plans for the £8.5m reclamation of the former Brymbo steelworks in Wrexham, clearing the way for the development of new housing and industrial units. 05-Dec-2000 Balcas Timber is to invest £12m in advanced saw milling technology at its plant in Enniskillen. 04-Dec-2000 Alfred McAlpine, the housebuilding and contracting group, has rejected a takeover approach from an unnamed company, as the price was too low. 04-Dec-2000 Insignia Richard Ellis is to shed 20 of the 80 jobs in its property management division, following the recent resignation of its account with Axa Sun Life. 04-Dec-2000 John Laing is looking to sell its 50% stake in WL Homes, its US homes joint venture with Watt Residential Partners. 01-Dec-2000 De Boer Structures, the supplier of temporary accommodation, has sold a stake in its business to venture capitalist 3i and is now planning to expand the business into other countries. 01-Dec-2000 Redrow and Barratt Developments have announced plans for the £400m redevelopment of a former BAe Systems site near Chorley, including commercial, industrial and residential accommodation. 01-Dec-2000 City of Edinburgh Council is to consider plans from Edinburgh Gate, a Virgin Islands-based development group, for the construction of a 64-acre business park at the former Continental Tyre factory. 29-Nov-2000 Workspace is looking to spend more than £20m on the acquisition of property in London and the south-east over the next five years, due to rising demand from small businesses for short-term rentals. 28-Nov-2000 Allen is planning to spin off its Speedy tool hire business as a separately quoted company with a valuation of about £150m. 28-Nov-2000 Frogmore Estates, the property company, is considering plans for a £293m management buy-out. 24-Nov-2000 Urban Splash has pledged a further £100m to renovate old and historic properties in Liverpool, in a five-year expansion programme. 23-Nov-2000 St Helens Glass is opening a new sales, service and installations centre in Stockport, with the creation of 60 jobs. 22-Nov-2000 Heywood Williams has sold its 49% stake in Scheuten Beheer, the Dutch flat glass company, to JBH Scheuten Management for £13m. 21-Nov-2000 Regus is to set up franchises to expand its network of 300 serviced offices into smaller UK towns and other countries. 20-Nov-2000 Hewetson Floors is creating 50 jobs at its new £7.5m raised access floors factory in Hull. 16-Nov-2000 John Laing is putting its construction division up for sale, in order to focus on housing, property and investments. 16-Nov-2000 Nomad AED, the canopy installation subcontractor, has gone into voluntary liquidation. 15-Nov-2000 Dutton Forshaw is selling its Yanmar mini excavator franchises in Staines and Epping to Amman Equipment, while its Robert Hudson Daewoo dealership is being closed. 09-Nov-2000 RMC has announced plans to step up the restructuring programme in its cement and concrete business, which will involve shedding more than 1,000 of its 37,000 employees and selling or closing non-core operations. 08-Nov-2000 Redrow has closed its Harwood Homes office in Cheadle with the loss of up to 12 jobs. 02-Nov-2000 Hepworth, the heating and boiler products company, is in talks with a number of potential bidders, which could lead to a £520m takeover deal. 01-Nov-2000 Regus is forming a joint venture with Milano Centrale to expand into the Italian market for serviced offices. 01-Nov-2000 Timberweb is planning to raise £10m to expand its internet-based timber trading market, in preparation for an eventual flotation. 31-Oct-2000 Timbmet, the timber merchant, has started work on a new £3m office base at Cumnor near Oxford, which will house about 100 staff from June 2001. 27-Oct-2000 Pilkington is planning to build a new float glass plant in Brazil in partnership with Saint Gobain, and has also announced the acquisition of the remaining 20% stake in its Polish glass plant. 27-Oct-2000 Stewart Milne, the Aberdeen-based housebuilder, has announced plans to build a £10m timber frame plant near Oxford with the creation of 200 jobs. 26-Oct-2000 Hewden Stuart, the Glasgow-based plant hire company, has received a number of takeover approaches, and DB Capital is said to be one of the potential bidders. 25-Oct-2000 The government is to provide £600m of funding for up to 30 major social housing projects over the next two years, and details are expected to be announced at a Public Private Partnership Programme conference in December. 25-Oct-2000 WTS, the supplier of warranty and facilities management services, is planning to set up a new headquarters and call centre in Prestatyn, with the creation of up to 480 jobs. 19-Oct-2000 S Harrison Construction is looking to recruit 50 extra site craftsmen to work on a range of major contracts in the Yorkshire region. 18-Oct-2000 Alfred McAlpine is seeking acquisitions to expand its special projects business, and is particularly interested in property developers, contractors and facilities management firms. 18-Oct-2000 Forest Fencing is to relocate a sawmill from Llangadog to Scotland in November, with the loss of 20 jobs. 17-Oct-2000 Fairview, the housebuilder, is considering plans for a £295m management buy-out. 17-Oct-2000 Amey is to invest £2m in the development of a £10m City Academy in Middlesbrough, which will involve the creation of a centre for learning excellence for 1,200 students. 13-Oct-2000 Redrow Homes is to relocate its Scottish headquarters from Glasgow to the Central Business Park in Larbert next year, where it will employ up to 40 staff. 13-Oct-2000 Tyrone Brick, which employs 115 people in Dungannon, has been put up for sale by parent company Redland Tile & Brick. 11-Oct-2000 Workspace, the business accommodation supplier, has acquired The Business Village in Wandsworth, London, for £6.9m. 11-Oct-2000 Premier Refractories is to close its brickworks in Falkirk next year with the loss of up to 240 jobs, in order to transfer production to sites in Chesterfield and Poland. 06-Oct-2000 John Sisk is to restructure its construction business from four geographic regions into two, with the loss of up to 20 administration jobs. 05-Oct-2000 British Land is planning to raise £307m by selling a number of City of London properties to a new joint venture with Westdeutsche Landesbank of Germany, and the proceeds will be used to reduce debt. 03-Oct-2000 Tilbury Douglas has won a £200m contract to supply building services to British Telecom. 02-Oct-2000 Watts Blake Bearne is to shed about 50 jobs at its quarry operations in Devon, in order to improve its competitiveness. 02-Oct-2000 De Boer Structures, the Banbury-based supplier of temporary structures, is to relocate to larger premises in Brackley next year. 29-Sep-2000 Consteel, the Teesside-based designer of steelwork on buildings, is creating 30 new jobs following an expansion of its office in Saltburn. 27-Sep-2000 Kidderminster College is planning a £9m move to a new campus in the town centre, and its existing site could be sold off for housing. 27-Sep-2000 Regus is planning to raise £250m in a flotation in order to fund the expansion of its serviced offices business. 27-Sep-2000 Wolseley is looking to spend about £200m on acquisitions over the next year, in order to expand its building materials business in Europe and the US. 27-Sep-2000 Cambridge University is planning a major construction programme, including new buildings for electronics research, cancer research, astronomy and maths. 27-Sep-2000 St Helens Glass is planning to relocate to new purpose-built premises in St Helens, and has shortlisted a number of potential sites. 26-Sep-2000 Essex County Council is considering plans from Foster Yeoman to build a new coated stone and concrete plant in Old Harlow. 26-Sep-2000 Leedale Plant Hire has acquired the assets of Derby Landfill of Ripley, in order to expand its contract earth moving business. 21-Sep-2000 British Waterways is planning to put its £280m property portfolio out to tender, as part of a 25-year project to redevelop its canal and riverside assets. 20-Sep-2000 Allen is planning to close or sell its G Pearce civil engineering subsidiary, in order to focus on tool hire and utility services. 19-Sep-2000 The government has announced plans to set up the first three city academies in Liverpool, Brent and Lambeth, as part of a strategy to regenerate inner-city areas by creating new schools backed by business and charities. 18-Sep-2000 Birmingham City Council is seeking partnerships with the private sector to handle house repairs, due to concerns about the performance of its direct labour organisation. 13-Sep-2000 Guardian Luxguard is said to be considering plans to build a new float glass manufacturing plant in Goole, and a decision is expected by the end of this year. 12-Sep-2000 Swainston Partnership and Desmond Knudsen Partnership have merged to create a combined Teesside architect firm called DKS Architects, and plans to relocate to new offices in Stokesley by next March. 12-Sep-2000 Speed Frame PVCU Windows is planning a £7m expansion at its double glazing factory in the Dearne Valley, with the creation of up to 250 jobs. 12-Sep-2000 Travis Perkins is planning to expand its network of 466 builders' merchants to about 600 outlets, in a three-year programme that will strengthen its position in specialist markets such as plumbing and heating materials. 08-Sep-2000 RMC is planning to cut hundreds of management jobs and withdraw from unprofitable countries, in order to save £40m a year in its cement and concrete business. 07-Sep-2000 CRH is planning to raise £230m in a share placing in order to fund acquisitions for its worldwide building materials business. 06-Sep-2000 Marshalls is looking to spend up to £50m on acquisitions to expand its paving products business. 05-Sep-2000 Heywood Williams is looking to sell its US pipes business in order to focus on windows and doors in the UK, and the sale could raise up to £150m. 01-Sep-2000 SIG is seeking acquisitions to expand its insulation and ceiling operations in the UK, Germany and France, having just spent £14m on five companies, including Formerton, the Southampton-based roofing distributor. 01-Sep-2000 Nottingham City Council is considering the potential for a £100m transformation of the central area between Huntingdon Street and the Low Level Station, including shops, homes, offices and a school. 31-Aug-2000 Hammerson, the property company, has said it will consider offers for the business in order to redress the discount in its share price. 31-Aug-2000 Ridgeons has acquired GA Easter, the Norwich-based builders merchant, and is now planning to acquire Wheelers of Sudbury. 21-Aug-2000 NG Bailey is to set up a new £2m regional office for its building services business at the Wynyard Business Park in Hartlepool, where it will employ about 50 staff. 18-Aug-2000 Calderdale Council is considering plans from Pickles Architects for a £75m 50-acre office development at junction 25 of the M62 in Brighouse. 18-Aug-2000 Green Property, the industrial property company, is considering plans for a management buy-out. 18-Aug-2000 JCB has completed the development of a £25m construction equipment warehouse near Uttoxeter, which will employ more than 200 people. 17-Aug-2000 Morrison, the civil engineering and facilities management group, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 17-Aug-2000 Morgan Sindall, the construction, housing and office fit-out company, is seeking acquisitions to add a fourth division to its business. 17-Aug-2000 James Jones & Son has started to relocate the 70-strong workforce from its two timber plants in Dumfries to new premises near Lockerbie. 16-Aug-2000 Carillion is to shed 900 jobs in its Crown House mechanical and electrical engineering division, in order to focus the business on larger contracts. 16-Aug-2000 Workspace is linking up with Copthorn Homes to develop a live-work residential scheme next to its Three Mills Film Studios site in east London. 15-Aug-2000 Lavendon is planning to expand its powered access hire business into continental Europe by acquiring two French companies for £60m and by setting up new depots in Austria, Switzerland and Spain. 15-Aug-2000 Allenbuild is to open a new office in Spondon in October, to act as a regional headquarters for the East Midlands. 09-Aug-2000 Aggregate Industries is planning to expand its US building materials business by spending up to £50m on four acquisitions over the next six months. 08-Aug-2000 The government has selected the Mapeley consortium as preferred bidder for the £2bn property outsourcing contract for the Inland Revenue's 600 buildings. 04-Aug-2000 BPT, the residential property company, has put itself up for sale due to its low stock market valuation. 04-Aug-2000 The government has announced a new round of funding for urban regeneration projects, including £40m for Stoke-on-Trent, £80m for South Yorkshire and £20m for Blackpool. 03-Aug-2000 Hepworth is looking to spend up to £190m on acquisitions in continental Europe, in order to expand its heating and boiler products business. 01-Aug-2000 Bennett Brothers, the Swansea-based building company, has closed with the loss of 45 jobs. 01-Aug-2000 Bradford Metropolitan District Council is to consider plans from Landmark Development Projects for the construction of a £100m business park on the site of the West Bowling Golf Club. 31-Jul-2000 Reliance Security has set up a contract security office in Belfast, where it plans to create up to 200 jobs over the next two years. 31-Jul-2000 The University of Wolverhampton has submitted plans for the £26m redevelopment of its campus, which will be completed by September 2002. 31-Jul-2000 Liverpool City Council has announced plans for the £1.5bn redevelopment of the city over the next 10 years, in a project managed by the Liverpool Vision regeneration company. 27-Jul-2000 Galliford is forming a joint venture with Nesco Entrecanales Cubiertas of Spain to bid for large rail construction projects in the UK. 26-Jul-2000 Swindon Borough Council is to consider plans from Dukeminster for the redevelopment of the former Princess Alexandra Hospital site in Wroughton into a conference centre, offices and about 100 homes. 24-Jul-2000 Arnold Laver is planning to transform the recently-acquired Britannic Timber business in Manchester into a Timber World centre in a redevelopment of the 5-acre site. 24-Jul-2000 Stiell of Lanarkshire is planning to create about 200 jobs over the next year, due to a rapid expansion in its facilities management business. 21-Jul-2000 RMC is considering plans to sell its Great Mills chain of 95 DIY stores for up to £300m, as well as its 32% stake in the Huttig building products business for about £20m. 18-Jul-2000 North Midland Construction is looking to create 50 new jobs, having won cable-laying contracts worth £5.5m. 17-Jul-2000 The Welsh Development Agency is developing plans for a £500m scheme to transform a disused oil refinery site near Neath into a new urban village, with 1,800 homes and enough factories and offices to employ 2,000 people. 14-Jul-2000 ROM is to set up a new £2.5m factory in Sheffield to manufacture steel reinforcements for the construction industry. 13-Jul-2000 Tilbury Douglas is launching a new company called Interserve to provide a one-stop shop for the worldwide industrial services market. 13-Jul-2000 Ashtead has won a three-year contract to supply plant and tool hire services to Kvaerner Construction. 11-Jul-2000 Topcon, the Grimsby-based construction company, is seeking planning permission for a new head office complex in Cartergate, having outgrown its existing offices. 11-Jul-2000 Industrial Building Components is creating 25 new jobs at its doors factory in Hartlepool, having just acquired the rights for the Bridgman Doors brand. 11-Jul-2000 Locate in Scotland is in talks with an unnamed German timber company about plans to build a sawmill in North Ayrshire, which would create up to 150 jobs. 11-Jul-2000 EBC Group is to shed 90 jobs at its nine construction offices in the South of England, mainly affecting middle management and administration staff. 05-Jul-2000 Vibroplant is to shed 150 jobs nationwide by closing 15 depots, as part of a strategy to focus on specialist plant and tool hire. 29-Jun-2000 Berkeley is looking to expand its housebuilding operations in the Midlands, the West Country and the north of England, where it is seeking potential sites for brownfield developments. 28-Jun-2000 Allen is looking to sell its housebuilding division in order to focus on hire services, and discussions are taking place with a number of potential purchasers. 27-Jun-2000 Kronospan is to shed about 40 jobs at its chipboard factory in Chirk, due to a fall in exports. 27-Jun-2000 MEPC has sold the Centre Point tower block in London to a consortium of developers including Apollo Real Estate Advisers and Pelham Partners, as part of a £300m deal. 26-Jun-2000 Blue Circle is planning to shed 350 jobs in its UK cement business over the next 18 months. 22-Jun-2000 Balfour Beatty is to relocate its London headquarters to the Stockley House office complex in Victoria later this year. 22-Jun-2000 Wrekin Construction is planning to form an alliance with MVM Rail of Austria to offer track-laying services to the UK rail industry. 22-Jun-2000 Scottish Enterprise is planning to shed 150 jobs at its Glasgow headquarters and network of enterprise companies, in order to improve efficiency. 22-Jun-2000 Bell & Webster is to create 30 new jobs following a £1.6m extension at its precast concrete components factory in Grantham. 20-Jun-2000 Linden, the housebuilder, is considering plans for a management buy-out. 19-Jun-2000 Bonlea, the Teesside-based manufacturer of door frames, is relocating to larger premises in Stockton next month, and expects to double its 29-strong workforce in the next few years. 16-Jun-2000 Interframe, the Paignton-based windows company, is expanding onto a new site near its existing factory, with the creation of 50 jobs. 15-Jun-2000 Penicuik Home Improvements is to create 30 new jobs at its sites in Dundee and Perth, due to rising demand for conservatories, windows and doors. 15-Jun-2000 Bourne End Properties is to liquidate its portfolio of shopping centres and distribute the proceeds to shareholders. 14-Jun-2000 Baldwins is to raise £5.7m in a share placing in order to fund the expansion of its heavy cranes business into the US. 09-Jun-2000 WS Atkins is forming an alliance with the Royal Bank of Scotland to set up Total Solutions for Industry, a one-stop shop offering design, construction, maintenance and finance packages to industry. 09-Jun-2000 Bowmer & Kirkland is in discussions to buy Weber, the German manufacturer of roofing systems. 09-Jun-2000 City of Edinburgh Council is linking up with Midlothian Council and Miller Ventures to build 5,800 new homes to the south east of Edinburgh, but the £500m project is expected to be delayed for some years by the planning process. 09-Jun-2000 Tarmac is to shed 200 jobs at its two main offices in Wolverhampton as part of a cost-cutting campaign following its acquisition by Anglo American. 09-Jun-2000 Blue Circle Industries is in discussions to acquire a cement plant in India from the Bira group of companies. 08-Jun-2000 Newcastle City Council is considering plans for a £400m redevelopment of the city's West End, which would involve demolishing 6,600 homes to make way for new housing, education, leisure and transport facilities. 07-Jun-2000 Prestbury is to be liquidated and the sale proceeds returned to shareholders, due to concerns about how the property sector is being undervalued by the stock market. 05-Jun-2000 Newcastle City Council is to consider plans for the greenfield development of a new business park on the Newcastle Great Park site that could create of up to 8,000 jobs, as the government has decided not to intervene in the application. 02-Jun-2000 Pilkington is planning to expand its glass business by making acquisitions, forming partnerships with regional groups, and moving into new markets such as eastern Europe. 02-Jun-2000 RMC is planning to merge its six UK trading divisions into a single brand, as part of a reorganisation aimed at offering a one-stop shop for concrete supplies. 02-Jun-2000 John Laing is to close its Belfast office later this year with the loss of up to 50 jobs. 02-Jun-2000 Stanley Cole is to create about 50 jobs at its timber-veneering factory near Skegness, having won a contract to supply a new range of doors for B&Q. 26-May-2000 Elliott Workspace is planning to expand its network of 24 mobile building hire centres across the country, having just opened a new depot in Cambridge. 24-May-2000 Ibstock is to close its Belton brick factory in Lincolnshire this summer with the loss of 42 jobs, due to overcapacity in the market. 23-May-2000 Blue Circle is considering plans to reopen merger talks with Southdown of the US, in order to strengthen its defence against the possibility of a renewed takeover approach from Lafarge. 22-May-2000 Bowmer & Kirkland is looking to expand its construction business into the US, and is negotiating an alliance with an unidentified major engineering company in Milwaukee. 22-May-2000 John Mowlem is planning to sell its 50.1% stake in the SGB scaffolding company to Harsco of the US for £188m. 17-May-2000 Franklin + Andrews, the construction industry cost consultant, is launching a new company called Capro Consulting to provide advice on the management of large capital projects. 16-May-2000 Savills is moving into the US property market through a strategic alliance with Trammell Crow, in a £14m deal that will see the US company take a 10% stake in Savills. 12-May-2000 Richard Burbidge is to create 64 new jobs at its decorative timber products business in Oswestry, following a rise in demand for garden decking. 12-May-2000 Bryant has announced plans for a series of urban regeneration schemes that will result in 2,200 homes being built at 17 city centre locations. 11-May-2000 Christiani & Nielsen, the Thai-owned civil engineering group, is said to be looking to sell its UK operation. 11-May-2000 Derbyshire County Council is seeking government support for proposals to redevelop the former Bolsover and Markham Collieries, which could lead to the creation of up to 9,000 jobs. 11-May-2000 Tulloch Civil Engineering is setting up a new utilities division in Inverness, in order to offer new techniques for replacing cables and pipes for gas, water and electricity companies. 11-May-2000 East Midlands Development Agency is looking to attract a major inward investor to the 70 acre Penniment Farm site near Mansfield, as a key part of its new three-year business plan. 10-May-2000 The Ministry of Defence has agreed a £1.65bn 30-year contract for the modernisation and management of its main building in central London with Kvaerner, Amey, Hyder, Innisfree and McQuarie Infrastructure. 08-May-2000 Hanson has agreed to sell off two quarries, 25 concrete plants, and three asphalt plants in return for regulatory approval for its acquisition of Pioneer of Australia. 05-May-2000 MEPC is linking up with the Institute of Directors to set up small business centres in more than 20 cities, in order to provide office space to small companies that want to avoid the inflexibility of traditional leases. 05-May-2000 Westbury, the housebuilder, is looking to expand its sales of home-related products in order to offer a one-stop shop for housebuyers. 04-May-2000 Corus Building Systems is to relocate production of its Kalzip Integrated Facade System from Chesterfield to Haydock in July, with the loss of a number of jobs. 04-May-2000 Speedy Hire is planning to open eight Speedy Power depots throughout the country by 2002, which will focus on the hire of specialist power tools. 04-May-2000 Aggreko is planning to invest more than £90m on the expansion of its specialist hire business this year, including new products and marketing. 28-Apr-2000 North Devon District Council is considering plans from Aggregate Industries to extend the Venn Quarry at Landkey by 39 acres over the next 20 years. 27-Apr-2000 Heywood Williams, the manufacturer of windows and doors, has rejected a £240m takeover approach from a venture capital consortium. 25-Apr-2000 Hewden Stuart is planning to open 10 tool hire outlets this year, and has restructured the business to make it more able to respond to national contracts. 20-Apr-2000 Westbury is to set up a £10m factory in Castle Bromwich to manufacture 5,000 pre-built houses a year, with the creation of more than 120 jobs. 17-Apr-2000 TeleCity is planning a flotation in order to raise funds for the expansion of its facilities management business, and aims to provide hi-tech storage space for computers at sites across Europe. 17-Apr-2000 Tracey Concrete is planning to set up a new £3.7m concrete products factory in Enniskillen, with the creation of 33 jobs. 14-Apr-2000 Speedy Hire is planning to expand its network of tool hire branches from 150 to 250, and has been selected as preferred supplier to both Carillion and Kier. 13-Apr-2000 AIC of Egypt is to wind up its UK contracting business with the closure of its office in Sevenoaks. 13-Apr-2000 The East of England Development Agency has announced plans to transform the docklands area of Ipswich, having bought the Cranfield flour mill site for the development of a new commercial and residential site. 13-Apr-2000 Ensor Holdings is to close its Sheffield-based foundry business and part of its Staffordshire-based concrete manufacturing operation, as part of a reorganisation that will shed 25 jobs. 12-Apr-2000 Taylor Woodrow is acquiring the remaining 45% of Canadian housebuilder Monarch Development, in a deal worth £89m. 12-Apr-2000 Sellar Property Group is to seek planning permission to build Europe's tallest office building at London Bridge station. 10-Apr-2000 Morrison Construction is forming a joint venture with Edison Capital of the US in order to take control of five private finance initiative schemes and to bid for new projects. 10-Apr-2000 Lowther Construction of Penrith has called in liquidator Arthur Andersen, and 50 jobs have been lost. 07-Apr-2000 Kronospan is planning to invest £40m at its chipboard factory in Chirk, with the creation of 40 new jobs. 07-Apr-2000 Slough Estates is to acquire the Cambridge Research Park, and will spend £125m developing the site. 06-Apr-2000 Raymond Access, the Mansfield-based powered access hirer, is planning a major expansion of its operations, which will involve doubling its fleet size and the creation of new branches. 06-Apr-2000 Hewden is to close its rail services division, which employs 40 staff at seven depots, due to insufficient demand for the supply of equipment to the track maintenance market. 06-Apr-2000 Aberdeen City Council is to consider revised plans from Fife-based JW Muir for the development of a £100m urban village at Loirston. 06-Apr-2000 Morrison Construction is forming a joint venture with Serviceteam to take over 800 of Norwich City Council's direct labour force, in a £250m 10-year contract. 05-Apr-2000 Miller Group, the property and construction company, is looking to spend up to £200m on acquisitions this year and is also considering plans for a flotation or reverse takeover. 04-Apr-2000 The Welsh Development Agency is planning to redevelop the former Marconi-owned Hotpoint factory at Llandudno Junction in conjunction with Conwy County Council, and expects to create up to 400 jobs. 03-Apr-2000 May Gurney has won a £60m contract to supply maintenance services to Anglian Water and a £45m contract to take over Essex County Council's direct labour force of 100. 31-Mar-2000 Breedon is planning to sell its housebuilding and property operations in order to focus on quarrying and waste disposal. 30-Mar-2000 Stiell Group of Lanarkshire has secured £9m of venture capital funding from 3i, in order to finance the expansion of its facilities management business across the country. 30-Mar-2000 Blue Circle is considering plans for a £550m business and residential development programme on its brownfield sites in Kent and the South East. 27-Mar-2000 University of Ulster has announced plans to invest £200m in the improvement of buildings and facilities, in order to enhance its status as a leading regional university. 24-Mar-2000 Hepworth is looking to make a major acquisition during the next 12 months in order to complete its restructuring programme, and discussions have been held with companies involved in heating and clay pipe manufacture. 20-Mar-2000 Alfred McAlpine is seeking potential partners that could help with the development of both its housebuilding and construction divisions into stand-alone operations. 17-Mar-2000 Blue Circle is to launch a virtual marketplace for the cement industry on the internet, in partnership with Just2Clicks.com. 10-Mar-2000 Travis Perkins is looking to expand its chain of builders merchants by adding a further 100 over the next three years, and plans to acquire regional and family-owned businesses. 10-Mar-2000 Naylor Industries is planning to spend £10m on the expansion of its building materials business this year, and aims to double its turnover within four years. 09-Mar-2000 Taylor Woodrow is planning to move away from construction and focus on house building and property, with the loss of about 500 jobs in its construction division. 09-Mar-2000 Great Portland Estates is planning to sell up to 40% of its property portfolio and return the cash to shareholders, in order to focus on central London and shopping centres. 09-Mar-2000 Lavendon is to raise £19m in a share placing in order to set up new hire depots for its powered platforms in the UK and Germany. 09-Mar-2000 Jarvis is forming a joint venture with Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire to invest £43m in the upgrade of 20 schools. 07-Mar-2000 Carillion, Group 4 and British Telecom have been confirmed as the winners of a contract to rebuild the GCHQ government communications headquarters in Cheltenham, at a cost of £330m. 07-Mar-2000 Aggregate Industries is planning to spend £100m on the acquisition of US aggregates companies this year. 07-Mar-2000 Travis Perkins is to close the former Sharpe & Fisher headquarters in Cheltenham with the loss of up to 62 jobs, in order to transfer administrative functions to its head office in Northampton. 06-Mar-2000 Marshalls, the paving products group, is to set up about 15 service centres to hold stocks for builders merchants and contractors. 03-Mar-2000 RMC is to close a cement kiln in Rochester, Kent, with the loss of 120 jobs, in order to import more materials from abroad. 01-Mar-2000 English China Clays is planning to begin open pit working at a plant near Kingsteignton in Devon within five years. 28-Feb-2000 Beazer is planning to set up two more factories to make timber wall and floor units, in response to rising demand for factory-built housing. 24-Feb-2000 Hull City Council has agreed plans from the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside for the development of a new £48m campus on a nine-acre site at Island Wharf. 23-Feb-2000 Hanson has announced plans to expand its building materials business by spending £188m a year on acquisitions, and is particularly interested in the US, the UK, Germany, Poland, and south-east Asia. 18-Feb-2000 AW Jenkinson Forest Products is to set up a timber factory in Lockerbie with the creation of 45 jobs. 18-Feb-2000 The University of Plymouth is linking up with the Falmouth College of Arts and Exeter University to propose plans for the development of a new £50m university at Penryn in Cornwall. 17-Feb-2000 P&O has sold the 17-acre Chelsea Harbour site in London to a consortium of Berkeley, Mansford, Compco and Chelsfield, for £59m. 15-Feb-2000 Bryant is seeking acquisitions and potential merger partners, in order to benefit from the anticipated consolidation in the housebuilding sector. 11-Feb-2000 Morrison Construction is forming a £125m joint venture with Gainsborough Group to build a network of business centres throughout the country. 11-Feb-2000 FairBriar is planning to develop a residential property investment portfolio in central London. 11-Feb-2000 The University of Ulster is to build a new £70m campus in Belfast, called the Springvale Educational Village. 10-Feb-2000 Drake & Scull, the electrical contractor, is to set up a specialist rail division, and negotiations are taking place with potential partners. 10-Feb-2000 Bison, the concrete products manufacturer, is relocating its headquarters from Tamworth to the Centrum 100 Business Park in Burton in April, with the creation of an unspecified number of jobs. 08-Feb-2000 Flintshire County Council has approved plans from Mold-based Castle Cement for the development of a new £48m kiln in North Wales. 04-Feb-2000 The South West Regional Development Agency is moving 70 staff into a new office in Bristol. 04-Feb-2000 Hewden Stuart has opened new tool hire depots at King's Cross, Harrow, Hemel Hempstead, Basildon and Bridgwater, as part of a nationwide expansion. 03-Feb-2000 Hanson is merging its UK concrete blocks, pipes and precast operations into a new division called Hanson Concrete Products, and is looking to expand the business through acquisition. 03-Feb-2000 Blue Circle has received a £3.4bn takeover approach from Lafarge of France, as part of an ongoing consolidation in the UK building materials sector. 01-Feb-2000 Gloucestershire County Council has approved plans from Grundon for the development of a £4m lightweight aggregate plant at the Bishops Cleeve quarry near Cheltenham. 28-Jan-2000 John Mowlem is shedding 170 construction staff, in a strategic review that could see the company withdraw from traditional contracting. 28-Jan-2000 MEPC is seeking planning permission for the £40m revamp of the 130-acre Babcock Park Estate in Renfrew, which could lead to the creation of up to 4,000 jobs. 28-Jan-2000 Arnold Laver is planning to set up a national production and distribution centre for its timber business in Sheffield, with the creation of 65 new jobs, while its existing site in Heeley will be used for a B&Q Warehouse. 24-Jan-2000 Pilkington is linking up with Interpane of Germany to build a £100m float glass plant in France by 2002. 20-Jan-2000 Alfred McAlpine and Bryant have held discussions about a possible merger of their housebuilding businesses. 18-Jan-2000 Vibroplant has opened a Renter Center tool hire outlet in Bristol, and is planning to open a further 50 by the end of 2001. 17-Jan-2000 Tarmac's agreed merger with Anglo American has been referred by the European Commission to the UK competition authorities for investigation. 14-Jan-2000 Pilkington has increased its stake in Chinese glass manufacturer Shanghai Yaohua Pilkington from 8% to about 17% at a cost of £3.6m. 13-Jan-2000 Ward Holdings is planning to build a series of retirement villages in south east England, and the first development will be in Berkhamstead. 11-Jan-2000 Hills Electrical is planning to create 500 jobs in an expansion of its mechanical and electrical contracting business over the next three years. 08-Jan-2000 Heiton Holdings is seeking joint venture partners to set up a builders merchant business in Poland. 07-Jan-2000 Grafton Group has expanded the Oxford-based headquarters of its Buildbase chain of builders merchants, following the acquisition of 12 Deben branches in London and two further companies in Ludlow and Stevenage. 06-Jan-2000
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