Contractor Bam Nuttall is facing a £36.5 million repairs claim over the defects on Cambridgeshire’s Guide Busway. A council committee will now examine the findings of the report carried out by Capita into defects on the Busway, which Bam Nuttall completed in August 2011. The Capita report said that the
The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) has announced its next Chairman as Stephen Roots. Roots currently works at AA Projects as Divisional Director FM and Health & Safety and will start his new role at the institute on January 1 next year, succeeding current Chairman Julie Kortens. Meanwhile, Ashleigh
Birmingham’s New Street Station and Grand Central development is in the running to become the most popular civil engineering project in the UK. The huge scheme, named the winner of this year’s Institution of Civil Engineers West Midlands’ 2016 Annual Awards, is one of the projects listed for the ICE
Lanes Group business UKDN Waterflow (LG) has made an investment in ultra-violet pipe lining technology to meet the growing demand for the rehabilitation of large diameter pipes, culverts and sewers. The lining division of UKDN has purchased a dual core curing system specifically designed for lining pipes with a diameter
Contractor Bam Nuttall is facing a £36.5 million repairs claim over the defects on Cambridgeshire’s Guide Busway. A council committee will now examine the findings of the report carried out by Capita into defects on the Busway, which Bam Nuttall completed in August 2011. The Capita report said that the defects represented a breach of contract by Bam Nuttall. The report recommended that the contractor should repair the defects at an initial cost of £36.5 million, along with paying for the legal fees. Among the main defects found by Capita in its latest report were: steps developing at the joints of the guideway’s ladders, concrete breaking along the guideway and moving guideway foundations. Next week, the council will decide whether it will support a joint approach to the issue, which may see the council negotiate with Bam Nuttall at the same time as beginning legal proceedings. Repair works to the Busway would be carried out in sections to keep the route open. The claims have come as part of a long running disagreement between the council and the contractor regarding the Busway, which started five years ago when the contractor handed the Busway over to the council. The council launched an initial claim for £55 million as they said that Bam Nuttall had handed the project over two years behind schedule. In 2012, Bam Nuttall issued a counterclaim for £43 million but agreed to pay a £33 million settlement the following year. The original contract for the work to be carried out by Bam Nuttall was valued at £83.9m. Around £126 million had been budgeted to pay for the whole Busway project including construction and other costs such as land acquisitions. After Bam Nuttall agreed to pay the settlement, the council said the cost of the scheme had risen to almost £152m, largely because of legal fees incurred fighting the case.
The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) has announced its next Chairman as Stephen Roots. Roots currently works at AA Projects as Divisional Director FM and Health & Safety and will start his new role at the institute on January 1 next year, succeeding current Chairman Julie Kortens. Meanwhile, Ashleigh Brown will continue in her post as Deputy Chairman. One of the major developments during Kortens’ tenure has been the opening up of routes to the Board, part of the wider governance changes that were ratified at the 2016 AGM. Over the coming weeks there will be more information on this new nomination and selection process for non-Executive Director positions to the Board. Speaking on his election as the next Chairman at the October Board meeting, Stephen Roots, commented: “It was a huge honour to be voted as Chairman-Elect of BIFM and I look forward to taking up the post from January. Throughout my career in FM I have passionately supported and endorsed the role that the Institute has to play in representing the interests of the profession, raising standards and providing the educational framework and services for FM professionals to develop. “I have been actively involved with the BIFM for 12 years as a volunteer first within my region, and with the BIFM Board for 4 years and most recently as Deputy Chairman. Having worked closely with Julie and the Board, I am excited to be taking the helm to continue to build on these foundations and the strategy set by the Board, which is already starting to yield results and which I believe is the key to the future success of the Institute. “I also want to take this moment on behalf of the Board to thank Julie Kortens for all she has done for BIFM over her tenure. I have worked closely with Julie during this time and seen the hard work put in to direct, change and evolve the Institute to build its resilience and ability to grow into the future. Her continued support, guidance and counsel is invaluable, and I personally thank Julie for the support she has lent me in this transition.”
Birmingham’s New Street Station and Grand Central development is in the running to become the most popular civil engineering project in the UK. The huge scheme, named the winner of this year’s Institution of Civil Engineers West Midlands’ 2016 Annual Awards, is one of the projects listed for the ICE People’s Choice Award. It will line up against 11 other schemes from throughout the UK, with the general public having until November 30 to vote for its favourite. The winning infrastructure project will be named in January next year. The Queen opened the new look station in November last year, and features an iconic new atrium over a big passenger concourse, which is five times the size of the atrium at London Euston. The site is characterised by brighter, more spacious platforms, improved entrances, a range of new facilities and an abundance of natural light over the new concourse. At concourse level, it is home to 43 shops with the new Grand Central shopping complex located above, including one of the biggest department stores in the UK – John Lewis. The 450,000 sq ft shopping facility is set to create over 1,000 jobs and will attract more than 50 million visitors each year. ICE said the project had created a dramatic space for rail passengers and redefined the way people use the station – providing them with an impressive new environment for doing business, shopping and socialising. The project has also boosted the city’s image and is acting as a major catalyst for job creation and regeneration. Stephen Ashton, engineering director, Transportation at Atkins said: “We are very proud to have worked in collaboration with our partner organisations to have delivered this iconic station, which has made such a positive impact in just one year to the city of Birmingham and its visitors.” Patrick Power, station manager at Birmingham New Street, said: “The transformation of the station is nothing short of stunning. It is now bigger, brighter and better able to meet the needs of the growing number of passengers who use it each day.”
Lanes Group business UKDN Waterflow (LG) has made an investment in ultra-violet pipe lining technology to meet the growing demand for the rehabilitation of large diameter pipes, culverts and sewers. The lining division of UKDN has purchased a dual core curing system specifically designed for lining pipes with a diameter between 600mm and 1200mm. The division is using it to rehabilitate large diameter culverts for Network Rail. The company states that there are only two ultra violet dual core systems in the UK that can be used on mobile UV lining equipment. The majority of pipe rehabilitation contractors hire them on a project by project basis. Head of Rail Maintenance for UKDN Waterflow (LG), Eamonn Maloney, commented: “Having the system in-house will allow us to plan culvert and sewer rehabilitation programmes more effectively, making them easier to implement, and more cost-effective for rail infrastructure customers. “Our ability to invest in this technology is an example of the benefits that have flowed from Lanes Group’s acquisition of the business 12 months ago. Indeed, the dual-core system will be made available to all Lanes Group sewer rehabilitation customers.” UKDN has also come up with a mobile UV lining pod that will operate the dual core light train, which can be lifted onto or off of trollies or all terrain trailers for transport. There are four lamps on each core of the ProKASRO dual core UV light system. Once a maximum diameter has been set for the guide arms, a safety system will prevent the arms from over elevating beyond the chosen diameter. UKDN lining manager Jack Talbott said: “We can remotely adjust the arms up or down to guide the light source through changing diameters, or sections of deformed pipes during the curing process. “The operator keeps the light source as close as possible to the liner all times. This allows the quickest curing time, which can be essential when lining rail pipes during short track possessions.”