Opinion 鈥� Page 364
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SMEs caught between a rock and a hard place
In 2008 as a 55-year-old owner manager of a specialist contractor with money in the Bank, I was looking forward to my early retirement when the financial institutions鈥� house of cards came tumbling down.Now I read in the press that the very same culprits that got us into this mess ...
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And the slump goes on 鈥�
The UK economy shrank by another 0.8% in the second quarter, according to preliminary figures. While the drop was markedly slower than the 2.4% decline in the first quarter of this year, it was still a much sharper contraction than many analysts had hoped for. It also marked the fifth ...
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House prices are flat lining, says Hometrack
For the third month in a row Hometrack has registered steady house prices, with a perkier southern market compensating for weaker activity in the north.But this has not led Richard Donnell, Director of Research at the housing market data provider, to call the bottom of the market.Viewed in isolation, ignoring ...
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Odd ideas to kickstart house building No 93: Just give first-time buyers 拢10,000
What would happen if the taxpayer (via the Government) decided to give first-time buyers otherwise unable to raise a deposit 拢10,000 so they could buy a new home?The answer, at least on the face of it, is a bit quirky and, perhaps, for house builders quite delightful.The sums suggest the ...
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Green shoots?
RICS commercial property survey shows that the pace of decline has slowed and demand is marginally increasing in the office market. Of those surveyed, just 13% said new sales and lettings had fallen, compared with 71% two quarters ago, but any fall at all is still bad news.The rise in ...
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Seven years of construction growth wiped out say GDP figures
The latest GDP figures showed a marked slowdown in the rate of collapse of the economy.But the drop of 0.8% was significantly more than economists were expecting, if the mood judged by Reuters gives a fair assessment. The median of its poll of economist put the expected second quarter fall ...
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The government's greenprint
Or, at least that was the case until last week, when it published its carbon transition plan: practical proposals to make just about everything more energy-efficient. The aim is to reduce carbon emission in 2020 to 34% of their level in 1990.The plan should be broadly welcomed, largely because it ...
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Drawing a line in the sand
Architect Aukett Fitzroy Robinson was forced to make another uncomfortable disclosure to the City this week.Last week boss Nicholas Thompson had a judge wagging a finger in his face about the 鈥渄elayed communication鈥� of the exit of a senior employee to a client. This week brought news that one of ...
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Yes: minister
The recent publication of 鈥淥ne death is too many鈥�, a report into the underlying causes of construction fatal accidents by the secretary of state for work and pensions produced welcome recommendations
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Comment
Local slate for local houses
Since the last slate quarry in Scotland closed in 1955, architects and builders carrying out maintenance and restoration and new developments in conservation areas have struggled to meet specifications for traditional roofs. It is also a problem for homeowners making repairs
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CommentBurning questions
The pictures and news reports concerning the tragic fire in Lakanal House in Camberwell show how lives can suddenly be lost when fire breaks out. The owners and regulators must establish swiftly what happened and what went wrong
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Let's keep it simple
I am responding to the article 鈥淭wo members quit safety group to maintain independence鈥� (26 June, page 15) on behalf of the Construction Clients鈥� Group (CCG)
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PAYE in the neck
Although I think I can understand the reasons behind the government pushing for all workers to be taxed on a PAYE basis (17 July, page 9), its failure to appreciate the implications is testimony to its inability to leave the construction industry alone
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It's a builder's life
I have been in the building trade for nearly 30 years and have lost count of how many thousands of pounds I have been swindled out of by rogue customers
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CommentWhere are we now? How architecture is understood and consumed
The way architecture is produced, consumed and understood in the 21st century has been transformed 鈥� for better and worse 鈥� by digital technology
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CommentWonders & blunders - 24 July 2009
Bill Price has happy childhood memories of discovering structural design at Coventry cathedral. But the London Research Institute? He can鈥檛 even bear to look at it
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CommentBrewing up
This week, insights into the industry鈥檚 relationship with tea, as rustled up by housing ministers and supped by site monitors, but rejected by stereotype-defying labourers, who prefer dancing
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CommentThe government's greenprint
The government has spent far too long cooking up ever more ambitious carbon targets without doing anything much to meet them
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CommentDamage limitation: Latent defects insurance
Latent defects insurance is a useful back-up for collateral warranties 鈥� it can ensure problems get fixed even if the contractor has gone bust