Opinion 鈥� Page 334
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Comment
We're back to double-digit growth in house prices, oh dear
House prices are booming again, crack open the champagne!Well maybe not.If I was a house builder reading the latest survey from the Nationwide building society showing a double-digit rise in prices over the past year (see graph) I would be worried.Looking at my short-term prospects, naturally I would be chirpy ...
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鈥楶re-pack鈥� administrations face stricter controls
Against the backdrop of recovering economic meltdown, and the plethora of high-profile retail failures, several of which resulted in pre-pack sales (e.g. Whittards, The Officers Club and USC) - is it any wonder that creditors and indeed the public have come to an increasingly cynical view of 鈥榬evolving door鈥� or ...
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CommentHow do you make NEC contracts work on major projects?
Three construction professionals discussed their experiences of doing just that, and this is what they said鈥�
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NEC in practice
If you want to use the NEC contracts successfully, then you've got to keep talking to each other. That was the key message to be taken from a talk titled 鈥淣EC in Practice鈥� recently hosted by the King鈥檚 College Construction Law Association in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of 微密圈. ...
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Are the shackles to come off at Crest Nicholson?
Stephen Stone was not giving much away this morning when asked about the reported 拢350m-plus bid for Crest Nicholson by pizza and pub entrepreneur Hugh Osmond.Osmond's listed Horizon vehicle is on the hunt for a deal after raising 拢420m earlier this year and the housebuilding sector has clearly caught his ...
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Latest construction forecasts suggest there is more to fear than hope for
The latest round of forecasting by construction experts paints a picture little changed from three months ago with little hope of significant growth, much uncertainty and the risks to growth heavily weighted on the down side.The general pattern they expect can be seen from the graph (right).It shows that after ...
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Mentmore Towers vs Packman Lucas: a court injunction
Do the courts have the power to grant injunctions restraining a party from pursuing an adjudication?
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Comment
It鈥檚 a double-dip recession for construction, if the statisticians鈥� first stab at growth is right
Construction has fallen into a double-dip recession 鈥� that is if the preliminary estimates by the statisticians putting together the first quarter 2010 gross domestic product figures are to be believed.The preliminary GDP figures put growth at a pallid 0.2% for the economy as a whole. This low level of ...
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CommentThe winning straight?
All three main parties have laid their environmental cards on the table, but nobody seems to have the full set of policies laid out in the correct way to make a real difference
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CommentHansom: In the proverbial
This week, we at 微密圈 Towers have judged a book by its cover, asked a silly question (with matching answer), noted the differences between fools and enjoyed a little tale about a Heron and a Fox
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Flexing the drawing muscles
This was a really interesting article (The possibilities!, 9 April, page 42) and I was pleased to see collaboration software being discussed from an architectural perspective
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Singing praises to the sky
I have yet to meet anyone with anything but praise for the Strata tower (9 April, page 38)
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CommentTact required
This is a great house, of that there is no question (鈥淭he house that Jim built,鈥� 16 April, page 42)
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Comment
Scotland鈥檚 expansion
I fully endorse calls by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce for a rapid expansion in the delivery of public infrastructure projects in Scotland. The long-term health of the Scottish economy relies on continued investment in major capital projects alongside new schools, hospitals and housing
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Comment
The electorate speaks
I find British politics rather strange. We have one of the largest discrepancies between the highest paid and the lowest in the western world, and still people complain about taxes 鈥� even with all the desperate problems that result. The disaster of the eighties has only just levelled out. Five ...
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CommentShould you join the yellow tide?
By the time you read these words on Friday, Nick Clegg may have fumbled the second leadership debate and the public鈥檚 sudden passion for the Lib Dems could have evaporated
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Comment
Good news in the employment figures, but the future for construction jobs remains uncertain
The latest employment data will provide economists, politicians and strategists with plenty to chew on.The headline figure for unemployment jumped by 43,000 to top 2.5 million for the first time since 1996, the number of people in employment fell by 89,000 and the number wanting a job rose again.But there ...
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Comment
Why it's so hard to get a competitive quote from a subbie
I was on a site doing a pre-tender survey recently when two of the contractors I favour (because they actually pay on time!) 鈥渂umped鈥� into each other. The conversation went quickly to the recent upturn in enquiries. Much was made of the fact that the contractors had ...
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CommentBeing good in a wicked world
Go into a local market with a local partner, and you are responsible for what it does 鈥� even if the boss is the minister of justice鈥檚 brother-in-law