The Government wants to reinvigorate the construction sector by building more houses, but is there likely to be a cost in terms of downgraded security? Alan McInnes offers his considered view on the matter.

Burglary, damage and disorder in the UK have long inflicted both financial and property loss, in turn leading to fearful communities.

The number of apprenticeships in the UK has risen by more than 50 per cent in the academic year 2010/11 compared to the year before.

Figures show that 442,700 people have taken up an apprenticeship as more businesses have answered the government's call to create more placements to skill-up the UK workforce.

Patton Construction has been appointed by Tesco to build a brand new supermarket in Pendleton, near Salford, Manchester.

Construction Enquirer reports that construction on the 130,000 sq ft supermarket is set to begin in the first quarter of 2012, at a cost of approximately £45 million.

George Osborne said that plans for closer integration inside the eurozone might require a rebalancing of the relationship between the EU and the UK, urging eurozone leaders to fill in the blanks in the agreement.

StrikeAlertTM is a capability developed by Radiodetection which is designed to warn operators of the risks of accidental utility strikes by detecting shallow pipes and cables, and alerting the operator to their presence.

Britain’s safety watchdog is challenging the construction industry to learn from the London 2012 construction project and improve the safety record of one of the most dangerous occupations in Britain.

Residents in Yorkshire are set to receive an easier, quicker and more efficient service thanks to staff at Kier Sheffield. More than 70 employees have successfully completed training in plumbing, plastering and gas engineering as part of Kier’s ongoing investment in training and development programmes to improve the service it provides to residents.

Nottingham property company Property Investment Portfolio (PIP), has begun a £20 million construction project in Cornwall to refurbish a former MOD residential site, earmarked for luxury development. The new project, which will see PIP acting in conjunction with private investors to refurbish the exteriors and interiors of 120 former MOD properties, has now begun at St Eval.

The Construction Industry Training Board levy/grant system looks set to continue for another three years at least, with two-thirds of employers backing the current system. With industry support secured, the three-yearly statutory levy order is expected to be passed through Parliament in early 2012.

Work begins today on the laying of underwater cables to link the electricity power grids of Ireland and Britain.
It has been described as the biggest energy infrastructure project in Ireland since the construction of Ardnacrusha power station in the late 1920s.