UK Business Park

Construction 1999


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Moray Timber is planning to transfer its sawmill operation from Elgin to the Waterford Industrial Estate in Forres, with the creation of 20 jobs. 31-Dec-1999

Artisan, the housebuilder and contractor, is to invest in property-related internet businesses, starting with the acquisition of a 15% stake in Partners in Property Solutions. 24-Dec-1999

Ennstone is seeking to acquire full ownership of Blockleys, in a deal that values the building blocks company at about £9m. 24-Dec-1999

SIG, the insulation distributor, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 21-Dec-1999

Minerva is raising £71m in a rights issue, in order to fund the expansion of its property investment business. 18-Dec-1999

John Nixon, the Newcastle-based hirer, is planning to open three new depots, following a £3.5m investment in new equipment. 16-Dec-1999

Burn Fireclay, the Morpeth-based brick manufacturer, has closed with the loss of more than 70 jobs. 16-Dec-1999

Capital & Regional Properties is in discussions to sell its industrial property subsidiary to JER International of the US, and the proceeds are expected to be invested in shopping centre assets. 11-Dec-1999

Plymouth City Council has approved a £2.8m plan to expand the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at the Tamar Science Park, with the creation of 175 scientific jobs. 09-Dec-1999

Thomas Vale Construction of Stourport is recruiting 100 extra workers, having won contracts worth more than £8m. 09-Dec-1999

Brown Lenox, the Pontypridd-based manufacturer of crushing equipment for stone quarries, is to close next year with the loss of nearly 90 jobs, although some jobs will be transferred to other sites owned by parent company Terex. 08-Dec-1999

Lend Lease, Amec, and Argent have been shortlisted by London & Continental Railways as potential planners to redevelop a 50-acre site at King's Cross in London, which will be the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. 03-Dec-1999

WS Atkins is looking to make an acquisition in the US over the next few months, in order to expand its international consulting engineer and facilities management business. 03-Dec-1999

Baldwins has announced plans to expand its Loadtite crane maintenance subsidiary with four new depots over the next six months. 02-Dec-1999

Blue Circle is negotiating the acquisition of a 74% stake in Alexandria Portland Cement of Egypt, in a £120m deal. 01-Dec-1999

BPB expects to shed a further 400 jobs with increasing automation in its plasterboard business, and is also planning to spend £150m on complementary product acquisitions. 26-Nov-1999

Epwin, the building products company, is to undergo a £44m management buy-out, a move prompted by its low stock market rating. 26-Nov-1999

Matbro is setting up a new base to sell Terex lifting equipment at Tetbury in Gloucestershire. 25-Nov-1999

Meyer International is to cut 500 jobs at its builders merchants outlets, including 160 at its administrative centre in Norwich. 25-Nov-1999

Birchwood Concrete Products is to expand its pre-cast flooring and stairs manufacturing operation following the opening of a new £3m factory in Somercotes. 24-Nov-1999

Blackwell Shopfitting is to close its Braintree-based joinery business with the loss of 40 jobs. 24-Nov-1999

Vico Properties, the Glasgow-based property developer, is to open an office in Durham in order to increase its interest in retail and leisure developments in the north-east of England. 24-Nov-1999

Finlay Block Making Equipment is planning a £2.9m expansion at its factory in Tyrone with the creation of about 40 jobs. 24-Nov-1999

BPB is to invest £33m in the acquisition of a stake of up to 75% in Thai Gypsum Products and to raise its stake in Shanghai Orient Gypsum. 20-Nov-1999

Castle Cement has halved an investment plan for its cement works in Clitheroe from £15m to £8m due to an expected fall in demand. 19-Nov-1999

Elliott Workspace, the mobile accommodation specialist, is planning further expansion for its chain of 23 hire centres, having opened new outlets in Southampton, Swindon and Cardiff. 18-Nov-1999

Fearnley Construction of Manchester has collapsed with the loss of about 50 jobs. 18-Nov-1999

Interframe is to expand its windows and doors factory in Paignton with the creation of 20 new jobs, and has just undergone a management buy-out. 16-Nov-1999

MEPC is planning a £70m joint venture with local developer Intercity JIS to build two industrial parks in Liverpool, with the creation of about 4,000 jobs, and it will target motor component and pharmaceutical manufacturers. 16-Nov-1999

Tulloch has sold its 50% stake in Thistle Aggregates to joint venture partner Ennstone Thistle, in a £0.3m deal that includes sand and gravel deposits at two quarries near Nairn and Inverness. 11-Nov-1999

Hills Electrical has opened a regional office in Cambridge, and is also planning a new office in Glasgow. 11-Nov-1999

Rugby Group is acquiring a 51% stake in Embra, the Norwegian cement company, for £31m. 10-Nov-1999

British Gypsum is to acquire a 70% stake in Thai Gypsum for $51m. 05-Nov-1999

Highland Council is to consider plans for the development of a quarry on the shores of Loch Eriboll near Durness, to produce pegmatite, quartzite and marble for export. 04-Nov-1999

Rugby Group, the building materials company, has received an approach from an unnamed company that could lead to a takeover offer. 02-Nov-1999

Pilkington has announced plans to cut a further 2,000 jobs and close a third North American glass plant, as part of an ongoing cost-reduction programme. 29-Oct-1999

John Laing is to cut 850 jobs in its construction division and aims to reduce its exposure to low-margin high-risk projects. 28-Oct-1999

Hull City Council has announced a £220m capital works programme, the largest the city has ever seen, including work on housing, schools, local services and a new stadium. 23-Oct-1999

RMC is acquiring a 50% stake in UK cement importer Seament and two US aggregates businesses for a total £60m. 23-Oct-1999

Broombys, the Cumbria-based builders merchant with 256 staff, has put itself up for sale. 16-Oct-1999

Midas, the construction and property services group, has relocated its regional headquarters to new premises in Bristol. 15-Oct-1999

Andrews Sykes, the plant hire group, is cutting 60 administrative jobs and changing its top management in response to a fall in profits. 15-Oct-1999

Rugby Estates is looking to expand its property holdings in the London area by setting up six joint ventures with undisclosed construction and software companies. 14-Oct-1999

Prestbury is planning to expand its portfolio of warehouse properties in order to benefit from the rise in mail-order retailing, starting with the purchase of the former British Shoe headquarters near Leicester for £29m. 14-Oct-1999

MEPC is forming a joint venture with GE Capital to own and manage its £200m portfolio of smaller properties. 12-Oct-1999

Kvaerner is negotiating a management buy-out for its fabrication and bridge building business, which includes operations in Darlington, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. 11-Oct-1999

Derry Building Services is to set up a new headquarters at Newark's former general hospital, and will relocate at least 35 staff from its William Street offices. 08-Oct-1999

Alpha Timber Frame of Tredegar has doubled the size of its timber frame manufacturing base at the Tafarnaubach Industrial Estate with the purchase of the adjoining factory. 07-Oct-1999

Kingerlee, the Oxford-based construction company, is to relocate to a new £2m headquarters in Kidlington, where it will also operate a joinery manufacturing facility. 07-Oct-1999

Tarmac is planning to spend up to £100m a year on investment and acquisitions in order to expand its building materials business, and it aims to double the size of its operations in continental Europe. 06-Oct-1999

Brandon Hire has acquired two new tool hire businesses - 4R in Caerphilly and the Reigate Hire Centre in Surrey - taking its total branch network to 78. 05-Oct-1999

Aukett Associates is to buy the remaining 50% of Aukett Kokon Beltman for £0.6m, in order to expand its building design consultancy in the Netherlands. 04-Oct-1999

Vanbots, the Canadian construction management group, is seeking offices along the M4 corridor, having won a contract for Honda's car plant expansion in Swindon. 30-Sep-1999

Accordial has acquired Brockhouse Modernfold, the Worcester-based partition manufacturer. 30-Sep-1999

Pilkington is planning to build a £80m glass plant in western France, due for completion by 2002. 28-Sep-1999

Devon County Council is considering plans from Bardon Aggregates to double the size of Venn Quarry near Landkey. 25-Sep-1999

Haslam Homes is relocating its East Midlands headquarters from Alfreton to Kegworth with the creation of up to 30 jobs, as part of a strategy to expand its housebuilding business in the region. 24-Sep-1999

Edmund Nuttall is considering plans to launch a rescue bid for Norfolk-based contractor John Martin Construction. 23-Sep-1999

Unite Group of Bristol is planning to expand its refurbishment business throughout the country, and will specialise in converting buildings into student accommodation. 22-Sep-1999

Tilbury Douglas is planning to close the Kwikform scaffolding factory in Birmingham with the loss of 85 jobs, and the equipment will be sourced from elsewhere. 17-Sep-1999

Alpha Plant, the Gravesend-based plant hire company, has opened a new depot in Milton Keynes as part of a strategy to extend its network northwards. 16-Sep-1999

P&O is to float its Bovis construction business next month, six months earlier than expected, and it is expected to be valued at up to £350m. 15-Sep-1999

Peterhouse is aiming to triple the size of its construction services business over the next nine months, by acquiring companies in areas such as health and safety, rail contracting, and environmental services. 15-Sep-1999

John Mowlem is planning to sell its 51% stake in the SGB scaffolding business, which could be worth about £100m. 10-Sep-1999

Aggregate Industries is looking to spend up to £100m on acquisitions in the second half of this year, in order to expand its aggregates and downstream operations. 08-Sep-1999

SIG is looking to spend up to £100m on acquisitions to expand its insulation materials business. 07-Sep-1999

Davis Service is planning to open about 25 HSS tool hire branches a year, and may consider franchising the concept in the US. 03-Sep-1999

Berkeley Homes is relocating about 80 staff from Westerham to a new office in Sevenoaks in December, in order to provide more space for the expansion of its house building business in the region. 01-Sep-1999

Ashtead, the equipment hire company, is to undergo a strategic review which could lead to a joint venture, merger or sale of the business, in order to improve its prospects for expanding in the US market. 01-Sep-1999

Alfred McAlpine has received a takeover approach from Brunswick Developments, valuing the construction group at £275m. 01-Sep-1999

Marshalls is planning a £2m marketing campaign to expand its paving products business, and will also restructure its bricks business in order to add about £3m to profits. 01-Sep-1999

Solaglas is to close its window manufacturing plant in Inverness with the loss of 17 jobs, and the business will be transferred to other parts of the group. 27-Aug-1999

White Young Green has acquired Mason Pittendrigh, the Teesside-based consulting engineer, and expects to create up to 30 jobs in order to deal with highways, environmental and rail projects. 25-Aug-1999

Weatherseal Windows is to create 200 jobs at its headquarters in Winsford, Cheshire, and there will be vacancies in the factory, office and a new call centre. 25-Aug-1999

Tarmac Quarry Products has submitted plans to East Riding Council to open up a sand and gravel quarry at Little Catwick near Hornsea. 24-Aug-1999

Brixton Estate has sold its German property portfolio to WestInvest Gesellschaft fur Investmentfonds for £34m, which completes its withdrawal from continental Europe. 24-Aug-1999

Stancliffe Stone is seeking planning permission to extract 15,000 tonnes a year of sandstone from the dormant Endcliffe and Lees Cross quarries in the Peak District. 20-Aug-1999

Palgrave Brown has acquired two roof truss factories in Darlington and Hampshire, in order to expand its national network of manufacturing and distribution centres. 17-Aug-1999

Pillar Property has sold most of its office properties to The Atlas Limited Partnership for £78m, in order to focus on retail parks. 14-Aug-1999

Brandon Hire has acquired West Hampstead Plant Hire, the operator of two tool hire branches in North London, for £0.8m. 10-Aug-1999

Tulloch Homes is acquiring MacRae Homes for up to £8m, creating one of the leading housebuilding groups in Scotland. 10-Aug-1999

Cleveland Glass has relocated its sealed units manufacturing business to a larger site in Stockton, and expects to create additional jobs as it expands into continental Europe. 09-Aug-1999

S Harrison Construction of Yorkshire is seeking an additional 150 employees over the next six months, as it prepares to double its turnover to £25m this year. 06-Aug-1999

Hepworth is planning to spend at least £200m on acquisitions to expand its building products business. 06-Aug-1999

Pisani Natural Stone is re-opening the Westhill Granite Works in Aberdeenshire with the creation of 30 jobs. 03-Aug-1999

GAP Group is planning to set up tool hire depots in Northampton, Nottingham and Derby, and expects to be operating in London within three years. 02-Aug-1999

Linden is to raise £20m in a share issue in order to expand its housebuilding business into the Bristol area. 31-Jul-1999

Brandon Hire has reached agreement to introduce its tool hire service into 100 Magnet joinery outlets, providing nationwide coverage within three years. 23-Jul-1999

Persimmon has raised about £96m from institutional investors in order to fund land purchases and the growth of its housebuilding business. 22-Jul-1999

Mitie, the building services group, is to create up to 500 jobs on Merseyside over the next two years by expanding its cleaning and air conditioning businesses. 20-Jul-1999

Tarmac is planning to invest £13m in the expansion of its US ready-mix and concrete block operations in Virginia. 20-Jul-1999

CBL, the Bristol-based construction equipment supplier, is moving from Portishead to a larger facility at Portbury as part of a £3m expansion programme. 19-Jul-1999

Orkney Builders has sold its quarrying, concrete and road-haulage operations to a management team for undisclosed terms, which includes the transfer of 25 staff. 15-Jul-1999

Ennstone is raising £11m in a rights issue in order to fund the acquisition of aggregates businesses in England. 14-Jul-1999

Ashtead is planning to expand its US equipment hire business by setting up on greenfield sites and making small bolt-on acquisitions. 13-Jul-1999

Alba Windows is building a double glazing factory in Inverness, which will create an additional 25 jobs. 09-Jul-1999

Peel Holdings, the property company, is planning to move its Manchester headquarters to the Trafford Centre. 07-Jul-1999

The government is planning to launch a £250m fund to encourage private sector investment in urban regeneration projects. 03-Jul-1999

Regus and MEPC have announced a scheme to encourage large companies to sell their properties to MEPC and then lease them back, with Regus providing support services. 03-Jul-1999

Sunderland Council is closing its windows factory at Houghton due to a fall in orders, and efforts are being made to find alternative employment for the 57 workers. 01-Jul-1999

Customs & Excise has awarded a two-year project management contract to Osprey for refurbishing and relocating up to 350 offices throughout the country. 01-Jul-1999

John Doyle is to split into two separate companies - one covering construction and building products, and the other concentrating on public sector and PFI work. 01-Jul-1999

Gateshead Council and the Employment Service have teamed up to recruit the 900 construction workers required for the £400m regeneration of East Gateshead. 29-Jun-1999

Blue Circle has put its heating division up for sale, and is expected to raise about £400m to invest in heavy building products. 29-Jun-1999

Tarmac has put its Hilton Hall headquarters near Wolverhampton up for sale at a price of £2m, and it is expected to be converted into a conference centre, hotel, or upmarket retirement home. 28-Jun-1999

Bovis is to merge its Argentinian construction business with Dictis, the local project management company, in preparation for a major push into South American markets. 28-Jun-1999

JCB is planning a major investment at its plant in Delhi in order to expand its construction equipment sales into other parts of Asia. 28-Jun-1999

Morrison Construction is seeking acquisitions to expand its facilities maintenance business, and may bid for Scottish railway contractor First Engineering. 26-Jun-1999

Birkby, the supplier of flexible office space, is in preliminary merger discussions with Mentmore Abbey, the storage space company. 25-Jun-1999

Nationwide Access is opening new plant hire depots in Huddersfield, Northampton and Basingstoke as part of an ongoing expansion programme. 24-Jun-1999

SGB is opening four new scaffolding depots this month, in Chester, Oldbury, Liverpool and Teesside. 24-Jun-1999

WSP Group is setting up a new land redemption division in order to clean up contaminated land for developers. 24-Jun-1999

Liverpool City Council is in discussions with a number of major companies interested in taking over its troubled building maintenance department. 23-Jun-1999

Prowting Homes is relocating its regional headquarters from Surrey to the Crossways business park in Kent, where it will employ 60 people. 21-Jun-1999

Barratt is relocating its Chandler's Ford office to larger premises due to the growth in its housebuilding activities in Hampshire and Dorset. 17-Jun-1999

Meyer International is planning to expand its chain of Jewson builders merchants from 378 to 500. 17-Jun-1999

Tarmac is to split in two by the end of July, with a new construction division called Carillion based in Wolverhampton and a quarrying division based near Bilston. 14-Jun-1999

Baldwins Industrial Services is to create about 40 jobs at its Middlesbrough depot over the next year due to growth in its heavy cranes business. 14-Jun-1999

BPB is looking to cut 500 jobs in order to reduce costs in its plasterboard business by £20m this year. 11-Jun-1999

WS Atkins, the consulting engineer and facilities management company, is looking to spend up to £60m on a US acquisition this year, as part of a strategy to offer a global service. 11-Jun-1999

Blue Circle is to set up a £1m cement depot on the quayside at Salford, in order to replace existing facilities in Manchester and Widnes. 10-Jun-1999

Multi Equipment Rental is to raise £1.4m in a rights issue in order to fund the expansion of its non-mechanical plant hire business. 10-Jun-1999

Great Portland Estates is planning to sell at least £150m of non-core property assets over the next two years, in order to rationalise its portfolio. 09-Jun-1999

Bandt is looking to spend up to £20m on acquisitions to expand its industrial services division. 08-Jun-1999

Pilkington is planning to cut a further 2,500 jobs, mainly in North America and Germany, as part of the ongoing restructuring of its glass business. 04-Jun-1999

English Heritage has announced grants totalling £18m for 67 projects to transform derelict buildings in deprived areas into homes, shops and businesses. 03-Jun-1999

Artisan, the Huntingdon-based building company, is acquiring a 50% stake in Living Heritage, which specialises in converting listed buildings, for up to £2.3m. 28-May-1999

BSS is seeking to expand its chain of plumbers' merchants by opening new branches and by making regional acquisitions. 28-May-1999

Regus is planning a £1bn flotation in the autumn in order to fund the expansion of its serviced office business in North and South America and Asia. 28-May-1999

Modern Engineering is to merge with sister company Billington Structures in order to create a combined structural steel company called Billington Modern Structures, and 50 jobs will be created as it improves facilities at its Bristol site. 27-May-1999

Nationwide Access, the supplier of mobile lift equipment, has relocated its East Midlands depot to Derby from Nottingham. 27-May-1999

Tarmac Heavy Building Materials has won approval from Nottinghamshire County Council to extend Girton quarry to extract an extra 5m tonnes of sand and gravel. 27-May-1999

Pilkington is to close its Sherman glass plant in Texas with the loss of 400 jobs as part of a strategy to eliminate excess capacity. 27-May-1999

Greycoat, the London-based property company, is recommending a £283m takeover bid from its management, thereby rejecting a rival offer from Delancey Estates. 22-May-1999

Evans of Leeds, the property development company, is planning to quit the stock market in a £163m deal. 21-May-1999

Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, is to set up its West Yorkshire headquarters in Bradford, from where it will link up with Bradford Council to attract jobs to the county. 18-May-1999

Taylor Woodrow is to shed 250 jobs by pulling out of the process engineering market, and it will either close or sell Birtley Engineering in Chesterfield with the loss of 70 jobs. 17-May-1999

Alfred McAlpine is considering plans to sell off some of its construction operations in order to fend off an unwanted takeover approach. 14-May-1999

Tilcon has acquired Stansfield, the Derby-based demolition and surfacing company. 13-May-1999

Jarvis is seeking to diversify its rail and road maintenance business into new areas such as buildings and property maintenance. 13-May-1999

Lilleshall has completed its withdrawal from the building products market with the sale of its French PVCu windows business, and it will now focus on industrial services. 13-May-1999

White Young Green, the consulting engineer, has acquired Philip Downie & Associates of Belfast. 12-May-1999

English Partnerships is being combined with the Commission for New Towns, and will focus on the identification of brownfield sites suitable for industrial and housing development. 12-May-1999

Bardon Aggregates has acquired Cribarth Quarry, the producer of road surfacing materials at Llanafan in Wales. 06-May-1999

Ledwood Construction has sacked about 350 construction workers at BP Saltend after they walked out over a pay and working conditions dispute. 05-May-1999

Alfred McAlpine has rejected a £243m unsolicited bid from an unnamed individual who owns a private construction company. 30-Apr-1999

Status Hydraulics has opened a new hose service and repair centre in Park Royal, London, and plans to open a total of eight depots this year. 29-Apr-1999

Ballast Wiltshier is forming two new divisions to handle sports stadia projects and joint ventures, and is to strengthen its Scottish business with a new office in Edinburgh. 29-Apr-1999

Chase Midland, the independent building group, is considering plans for a flotation within two years. 27-Apr-1999

Henry Boot is planning to undergo a strategic review of its building and property business, which could lead to acquisitions or a merger. 27-Apr-1999

Cala, the housebuilding and property group, has received an £86m takeover bid from Miller Group, and a bidding war is now expected. 23-Apr-1999

Costain is forming a joint venture with Meteor Parking and Skanska BOT to provide a one-stop shop for building car parks. 22-Apr-1999

Reinforced Earth Company of Telford has been acquired by Freyssinet of France, and the combined group will be able to offer a complete package in earth embankments and post stanchions. 22-Apr-1999

McCarthy & Stone is planning to expand its house building operations in the north-east and south-west of England, and the areas will be managed from new offices in York and Bristol. 21-Apr-1999

Environmental Property Services is planning to sell its building maintenance operations and transform itself into an investor in small and medium-sized companies. 21-Apr-1999

Norman & Underwood is to close its P Elliff & Sons glazing business in Leeds later this month, unless a buyer can be found. 20-Apr-1999

Flowcrete has acquired the industrial flooring business of Derbyshire-based Chryso UK, for undisclosed terms. 16-Apr-1999

Blockleys is planning to expand its brick manufacturing facilities by building a new kiln and extending its clay reserves at Hadley near Telford. 16-Apr-1999

Hills Electrical is opening an office in the centre of London, as part of an expansion plan that will create 500 jobs by 2003. 16-Apr-1999

British Ceramic Tiles is seeking 200 workers for its new factory in Newton Abbot, which is due to open later this month. 15-Apr-1999

Greycoat, the property company, has put itself up for sale and is asking prospective buyers to submit sealed bids by mid-May. 15-Apr-1999

Cardiff Bay Development Corporation has appointed Denvale Trade Parks to develop a £5m trade park with 11 trade counters for the building industry, and 100 jobs will be created. 09-Apr-1999

Costain is to cut 120 jobs in an effort to reduce costs by £10m over the next year, and its construction and civil engineering divisions will be merged into a single UK operation. 08-Apr-1999

Grafton Group of Ireland is in discussions to acquire Niall Bailey, the Birmingham-based builders merchant, for about £13m. 06-Apr-1999

Pilkington is to open a £20m glass distribution centre in Redditch in May. 05-Apr-1999

Travis Perkins is buying 15 builders merchants for a total £1.5m, including nine outlets in London and Essex from Smith & Sons. 05-Apr-1999

Rugby Group is to acquire a controlling stake in Adelaide Brighton, the Australian cement company, and is also in discussions to sell its joinery and US distribution business to Jeld-Wen of Oregon. 31-Mar-1999

Hepworth has dropped plans to acquire Naylor Drainage and Naylor Plastics, as the deal was referred to the Monopolies & Mergers Commission. 31-Mar-1999

The government has announced plans to set up two multi-million pound science parks at Magee and Coleraine Universities creating up to 700 jobs, as part of a £30m science park package. 30-Mar-1999

Hammerson is to acquire Euston Square in London from Kajima for £83m, which could lead to the redevelopment of Euston Station. 30-Mar-1999

Blue Circle is considering plans to spend a further £400m on acquisitions this year, and is particularly interested in the cement markets of Asia and South America. 30-Mar-1999

BPB is to restructure its European plasterboard business in order to reduce costs by £20m a year, and an unspecified number of jobs will be lost. 26-Mar-1999

Amey is looking to spend about £90m on acquisitions as it continues to shift its focus away from construction and towards business support services such as human resources and IT. 24-Mar-1999

Highland Window Company is opening a sales office and showroom in Nairn, with the creation of 10 jobs. 23-Mar-1999

Delancey Estates has launched a £212m takeover offer for Greycoat, the property company. 23-Mar-1999

Rugby is considering plans to sell its international joinery business for up to £300m, in order to focus on its core cement operations. 22-Mar-1999

Quintain Estates & Development is in negotiations to acquire the rival property company Chesterfield. 22-Mar-1999

JCB, the construction equipment company, is planning a major sales push in the US following the termination of its joint venture with Sumitomo Heavy Industries. 19-Mar-1999

Taylor Woodrow is planning to double the size of its housing business over the next five years, while it will reduce its exposure to the higher-risk general contracting market. 17-Mar-1999

Cala, the housebuilder and property company, is discussing plans for a management buy-out. 16-Mar-1999

Ruberoid is to close its roof felt factory in Dundee with the loss of 70 jobs, and production will be transferred to Appley Bridge in Yorkshire. 15-Mar-1999

Amec is to consider the future of its Morse Diesel construction business in the US, and may decide to sell it unless margins can be improved. 12-Mar-1999

Kronospan has been given the go-ahead to build new warehouses at its chipboard plant near Wrexham. 11-Mar-1999

Brandon Hire has acquired DS Plant Hire of Wandsworth for £0.3m. 11-Mar-1999

GAP Group has opened a new regional tool hire base in Liverpool, and plans to open an additional 20 tool hire depots over the next four years. 11-Mar-1999

Clugston Construction is planning to expand its chain of six St Vincent Plant depots. 11-Mar-1999

Peel Holdings, the property company, is considering plans to take itself private in deal that could value it at up to £700m. 10-Mar-1999

Amec is in discussions to sell its Fairclough Homes division to Centex, the US company that is looking to build up a pan-European housebuilding group. 10-Mar-1999

Ultraframe, the Clitheroe-based conservatory roofing company, is forming a joint venture with Royal Group Technologies of Ontario to make and sell conservatories in the US, Canada and Mexico. 09-Mar-1999

Meadowstone is expanding its building stone factory in Somercotes and expects the workforce to rise from 110 to 140 over the next three years. 09-Mar-1999

Swan Hill is planning to wind down its property business in order to raise £50m to invest in housebuilding. 06-Mar-1999

Emmerstone, the Bristol-based building company, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 35 jobs. 05-Mar-1999

Everwhite Plastics is investing £2m in an extension at its building products factory in Aberdare, South Wales, and 65 jobs are being created. 04-Mar-1999

Whitecroft is planning to sell building products factories in Barnstaple, Nottingham and Sheffield, including the Leaderflush Shapland door manufacturing business that employs 250 people in Barnstaple. 04-Mar-1999

Huntingdonshire District Council has approved plans from Marshall's Mono Limited for the construction of a concrete factory in St Ives, which will create 80 jobs. 04-Mar-1999

Shepherd Construction is to close offices in Nottingham and Northampton and cut about 50 jobs, while the Bristol office will be expanded. 04-Mar-1999

Hanson has sold its 24% stake in Westralian Sands, the Australian titanium and zircon producer, to a number of institutions for £87m, as part of a strategy to focus on heavy building materials. 04-Mar-1999

Canary Wharf Group has confirmed plans for a flotation that could value the property company at up to £2.6bn. 02-Mar-1999

Thames Water is planning a £10m project to drill 50 boreholes to pump out 15m gallons of water a day from underneath London, in order to prevent flooding. 27-Feb-1999

The government has selected London Bridge City in Southwark as the site for the headquarters of the Greater London Authority, and the project will include retail, restaurant and recreational facilities and create about 10,000 jobs. 27-Feb-1999

Rugby Group is in negotiations to gain control of Adelaide Brighton, the Australian cement company, and is also said to be interested in Scancem, the Scandinavian company that owns Castle Cement of the UK. 26-Feb-1999

RMC is in discussions to acquire the remaining 75% stake in Alexander Russell, the building materials group. 26-Feb-1999

Norcros is considering plans to consolidate its H&R Johnson tiles business onto one site in Stoke-on-Trent, which could free up land for the development of a £100m retail and leisure park. 25-Feb-1999

Ainscough is to expand its North-Western Engineering Services division by setting up a nationwide chain of depots, many of which will be integrated into its existing crane outlets. 25-Feb-1999

Amec Construction has opened an office in Wakefield in order to win more work in the fine chemical and industrial sectors. 25-Feb-1999

Wates Construction has announced a restructuring programme that will create specialist product teams in London, each focused on particular market sectors. 25-Feb-1999

Mitie has acquired a 63% stake in Lindsay Group, the Glasgow-based industrial painting company, for £1.7m. 25-Feb-1999

Flowcrete is to invest £1m in new training and conference facilities at its cement factory in Sandbach, and has just completed the installation of a £1m computerised blending facility. 24-Feb-1999

Lafarge Redland Aggregates is planning to build a new factory to produce bitumen-coated road surface material at the former Chelmsford Royal Mail depot. 24-Feb-1999

Britannic Group, the wood importer, has raised £15m to fund the expansion of its UK operations, including its site in Bristol. 22-Feb-1999

Dudley Bower Building Services has acquired Williams Brothers (Electrical), which has offices in Wolverhampton, Leicester, Grantham, Birmingham, and Shrewsbury. 18-Feb-1999

Canary Wharf Group is considering plans for an initial public offering in the spring, in order to finance the completion of a new office complex in London's Docklands that will be able to accommodate 90,000 workers. 15-Feb-1999

ABB Steward, the building services company, is planning to create more than 200 jobs in the East Midlands over the next three years, and has opened a new regional office in Derby. 12-Feb-1999

Hill Hire is to spend £2m on the purchase and development of a site at Oldbury in the West Midlands. 12-Feb-1999

Tilcon is planning to expand its limestone quarry at Marsden Quarry on South Tyneside, in order to secure 50 jobs. 10-Feb-1999

Clugston Construction has announced a major management reorganisation and expansion programme, involving new offices in Nottingham and the south of England. 08-Feb-1999

Acorn Building Services has acquired a controlling interest in Lancashire Damp Proof Course of Tyldesley. 05-Feb-1999

United Marine Dredging has won approval to extract up to 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel a year from the sea-bed seven miles off Selsey Bill. 05-Feb-1999

Castle Cement is planning to build a £40m kiln at its Padeswood site near Mold, to increase cement production from 500,000 tonnes to 750,000 tonnes a year. 04-Feb-1999

Alexander Russell, the concrete and minerals concern, is in discussions which could lead to a takeover bid being made for the company. 03-Feb-1999

Tarmac is planning to split into two groups later this year, one focusing on construction and the other on aggregates, prompting speculation that it may link up with a rival company. 03-Feb-1999

Regalian Properties is linking up with two US companies - Colony Capital and Oakwood Corporate Housing - to develop serviced apartments in London. 02-Feb-1999

Norcros, the building materials group, is in discussions that could lead to an offer being made for the company. 29-Jan-1999

Kvaerner Cleveland Bridge is planning to cut 98 jobs, mainly at its Darlington site which employs about 680, due to a fall in orders for bridge construction work. 28-Jan-1999

Hays Montrose, the construction industry recruitment consultancy, has opened new offices in central London and Cork, giving it a total of 24. 28-Jan-1999

Nationwide Access is planning to open a further 100 hire depots this year. 28-Jan-1999

The Prison Service has applied for planning permission to expand Hull Prison, with the creation of up to 150 jobs. 25-Jan-1999

NBA Quantum, the construction industry consultancy group, is planning to float on Aim later this year with a market valuation of about £6m. 25-Jan-1999

CRH has put its Keyline chain of 101 builders' merchants up for sale, and it is expected to fetch up to £200m. 23-Jan-1999

Tarmac's Bilston-based Crown House Engineering division is planning to increase its workforce from 80 to 200 by the end of the year, and is seeking new premises. 22-Jan-1999

Kiely Brothers, the Bury-based house builder that traded as Manor Homes, has gone into liquidation. 21-Jan-1999

GAP is to invest £5m in the opening of new plant and tool hire depots in Leicester, Coventry and Doncaster, with the creation of 50 jobs. 21-Jan-1999

Brandon Hire is acquiring Devizes Plant and Tool Hire for £0.1m, in order to expand its branch network in Wiltshire. 20-Jan-1999

Hanson is forming a more centralised corporate structure, changing the name of its 49 US companies to Hanson Building Materials America, and adopting a new logo. 20-Jan-1999

Regus is to set up 30 business centres in the UK this year, which will help to create 1,000 jobs, and a further 100 centres will be set up in other countries. 18-Jan-1999

Construction output will grow 1.3% in 1999 and 2.2% in 2000, according to Construction Forecasting & Research. 15-Jan-1999

Hepworth Building Products is planning to acquire the clay and plastic pipes business of Naylor Industries for £1.5m. 15-Jan-1999

CRH has acquired a further 30% stake in Ibstock, the brick maker, from Weinerberger of Austria for £97m, which lifts its holding to 80.5%. 15-Jan-1999

Richard Ellis is in discussions to acquire St Quintin, the independent chartered surveyors. 11-Jan-1999

BAA has begun a review of its property division in order to focus on its core airport activities, and this could result in the sale of its Lynton subsidiary. 11-Jan-1999

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract worth up to £500m to a consortium that includes Amey, Kvaerner and Hyder for the redevelopment and maintenance of its Whitehall headquarters. 09-Jan-1999

Redland Readymix is to relocate its concrete plant on Teesside to an industrial estate near Holme House prison, which will enable it to install the latest technology. 08-Jan-1999

Blue Circle Industries has applied for planning permission from North Lincolnshire Council for a £100m commercial and industrial development at Barton, which would create up to 1,200 jobs. 08-Jan-1999

Amec has set up a new London-based consultancy division called Amec Consult to enable it to provide a wider range of services to clients. 07-Jan-1999

YJ Lovell, the construction company, is moving its head office from Gerrards Cross to Chiswick as part of a cost-cutting exercise. 07-Jan-1999

Caradon is said to be close to agreeing the sale of its Everest double glazing business to Bardox Group. 07-Jan-1999

Avonside, the construction services company, has received a takeover approach. 07-Jan-1999

Halladale Group, the Glasgow-based property company, is planning to seek a stock market listing within a year in order to raise new funds for property investment and development. 06-Jan-1999

The government is considering plans for an environmental sales tax on the extraction of building aggregates, in order to encourage the recycling of building materials. 06-Jan-1999

Blue Circle has shortlisted five companies to buy its bathrooms division for about £200m, and a sale is expected by April. 02-Jan-1999





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