Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Ireland Construction News Archive for October 2010
29/10/2010
The green energy firm Biotricity has announced it is to construct a new €40m biomass plant in Co Offaly, which will create over 260 jobs. 200 new jobs will be created to construct the new plant in Rhode and it will employ 65 staff in its first year of opening. The 15 Mega Watt Combined Heat and Po
29/10/2010
The "Pathways to 2050 International Energy Conference" will take place at the National Convention Centre, Dublin on Friday 5 November. The conference will be hosted by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in conjunction with the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA).
29/10/2010
The concept of apartment living 'over the shop' has been boosted this week with news that NI Social Development Minister Alex Attwood announced that investment in rural Cookstown's Living Over The Shops (LOTS) initiative is on target to reach £1m. He said that LOTS provides grant funding to encoura
29/10/2010
The tragic death of a building worker who was fatally injured in a fall during the construction of the Obel Tower in Belfast's Laganside could have been prevented. If handrails had been in place around a service duct, it is likely the fatal accident would have been prevented. An Inquest into the d
29/10/2010
The official opening of a new £12m stretch of road in Co Antrim took place this week. The M2/A26 Ballee Road East dualling scheme near Ballymena, involved the connection of the M2 Ballymena Bypass directly to a a now realigned A26 Ballee Road East dual carriageway. The improvement to this importa
29/10/2010
Dornan Engineering, which is headquartered in Little Island, Cork and provides engineering services to corporate entities in the UK, Scandinavia, Continental Europe and Ireland has reported that its turnover year-on-year will be increased by 30% for 2010. The company provides mechanical, electrical
28/10/2010
North Tipperary County Council recently signed a contract with SIAC Construction for the Minor Remediation Works at Ballygown Magcobar, and Shallee as part of the Silvermines Rehabilitation Project. The cost of the contract is €593,967.91, excluding Vat and the remediation works to be carried out
28/10/2010
Barclays Corporate has granted a £3m loan to businessmen to assist with the purchase of a prime building in Belfast city centre. Blackstaff House in Great Victoria Street, currently on a long-term lease to the BBC, will be bought by Edward and Patrick Simpson. The businessmen, whose interests incl
28/10/2010
A former Fine Gael politician and Senator has appeared at the Dublin District Court to face charges of corruption over a cash-for-votes scandal. Liam Cosgrave, 54, of Merrion Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin, faces five counts of taking bribes to back the rezoning of land at Carrickmines in south Dublin.
28/10/2010
A Co Tyrone firm is undertaking a quarrying equipment contract in far-away Kurdistan. The NI Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has congratulated Cookstown-based Anaconda Equipment International for securing a £100,000 contract. Anaconda specialises in the design and manufacture of mobile screening
28/10/2010
Some 43 residents of Dingle Community Hospital have moved to their new home in the West Kerry Community Hospital. The new Hospital, built at a cost of €16.4 million, provides a much enhanced environment for residents, staff and visitors. The new unit was designed to provide residential care for p
28/10/2010
While there was good news this week for a Co Tyrone firm that is undertaking a quarrying equipment contract in far-away Kurdistan, the NI Environment Minister Edwin Poots has expressed his disappointment at the suspension of an important scheme that previously reduced quarrying costs. He said the N
27/10/2010
The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has called on the Irish Government to make job retention and development a primary goal of its four-year budgetary policy. Speaking at the publication of the federation's pre-Budget submission, the Director-General Tom Parlon said: "The Government’s fiscal
27/10/2010
GAA clubs could save up to 20% off their energy costs, equivalent to €3,000 a year for an average small sized club, if they take simple actions to reduce energy use. This is according to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), at the launch of a new programme from Croke Park, Greener G
27/10/2010
Freddie Luke has been appointed as Associate Director at Turner & Townsend's Belfast office. With over 20 years experience in the fields of Project and Cost Management and Freddie brings with him significant expertise gained from delivering consultancy services in key sectors such as Government,
27/10/2010
Providence Resources the Irish oil and gas exploration and production company, has confirmed that it has been offered a petroleum exploration licence over Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland. The licence has been offered by Northern Ireland's Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in response
27/10/2010
There was doubly good news this week from the Stormont Transport Minister Conor Murphy. He welcomed Roads Service's progress on investment totalling £5.6m in the Fermanagh area and also commented on yesterday's announcement by Market Resource Partners (MRP) Ltd of their intention to create over 100
27/10/2010
A Belfast building's green credentials have been recognised by a panel of international judges. The McClay Library at Queen's University won the RICS Sustainability Award 2010 with the presentation taking place at a gala event in the Guildhall in London, hosted by Michael Portillo. More than 450 b
26/10/2010
Forget the ruddy complexion normally associated with all weather-workers such as builders - one NI firm has gone pink, but all in a good cause. Geda Construction, a civil engineering and construction company from Dungannon went pink in support of the Ulster Cancer Foundation's (UCF) Think Pink! bre
26/10/2010
Clare County Council confirmed its decision to terminate a contract with Paddy Burke Builders Limited for the completion of the Glaise na Rinne Affordable Housing Scheme in Shannon. The contract with Paddy Burke Builders Ltd., worth in excess of €3m, commenced in August 2009. The scheme comprises 1
26/10/2010
A new report by the Small Firms Association has shown that small businesses in Ireland lose over €563 million per annum through absenteeism. The report also shows that workers in small companies are less likely to miss work through illness than their counterparts in larger businesses. The study c
26/10/2010
Information obtained by Fine Gael Senator Paschal Donohoe indicates that of, the 19,800 rental properties inspected in 2009, a staggering 4,306 failed to meet minimum legal standards. Despite this, only three landlords were taken to court last year by local authorities for failing to meet these stan
26/10/2010
A milestone in the redevelopment of a new cross-community complex which will provide residential accommodation for groups and families visiting the Corrymeela Centre has been celebrated. International Fund for Ireland Board Member, David Graham; John Fitzpatrick - of Fitzpatrick Hotels - and Kate P
26/10/2010
There has been a move to resolve a crisis that is facing the aggregates sector of quarrying in Northern Ireland. Diane Dodds, the DUP MEP, met with Vice-President of the European Commission, Joaquín Almunia, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and afterwards said: "At present our local aggrega
25/10/2010
The Labour party have claimed the revelation that almost 120,000 houses stand empty in Ireland is akin to an Irish "Domesday Book". A report from the Department of the Environment, published yesterday, said there are more than 2,800 so-called ghost estates in the country, leading to calls for actio
25/10/2010
Architects have described the findings of the recent housing survey as "good news" for the economy as the numbers of empty or unfinished units is "much lower" than previously expected. The President of the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI), Paul Keogh, said an estimate as high as 300,
25/10/2010
The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) has just announced its intention to apply to An Bord Pleanála for a Railway Order for Metro West, a light railway from Old Blessington Road, Tallaght to Dardistown, just south of Dublin Airport. The railway order, if granted, would permit RPA to construct, oper
25/10/2010
John Graham (Dromore) Limited, has been fined a total of £80,000 plus £1,386 costs after pleading guilty at a hearing at Downpatrick Crown Court to two breaches of health and safety legislation. The case against the company was brought by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSEN
25/10/2010
A schools' water conservation programme that is also said to be making a significant contribution towards job creation in the construction sector has received funding. "Funding of almost €10m will see major improvements in water conservation in primary and post primary schools around the country,"
22/10/2010
The NI Housing Executive (NIHE) has lost more than £40m in unpaid rents. That's the shock news this week with NIHE data showing that in the last three years, rents totalling £41m have not been paid. The Belfast News Letter has this morning reported that the amount of unpaid rent is around £14m for
22/10/2010
A firm of architects, dhbarchitects, is about to compete in the final stages of the World Building Awards 2010. It takes place in Barcelona on November 3 to 5 with their work on the Waterford Health Park taking centre stage. The awards are part of the World Architecture Festival (WAF), an annual c
22/10/2010
Amid bad news for the construction sector, it has emerged that each of the five main political parties in Northern Ireland has now recognised the importance of the industry and has nominated spokespersons for the sector. However the good news for builders is overshadowed by reports that the money s
22/10/2010
Industrial letting agency Savills has reported a significant rise in the take-up of industrial space in the Greater Dublin area. Over the summer period, the firm has reported that it has let 15 industrial properties in Dublin between July and September totalling more than 19,000 sq.m. This accounts
22/10/2010
Central Survey Unit of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has published the latest edition of the Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin. The primary measure of the value of construction output in Northern Ireland (the Index of Construction) is obtained from the Northern Ir
22/10/2010
A Co Down business offered a plea and was given a conditional discharge for 12 months plus £25 court costs at Newry Magistrates' Court. Blockbusters Environmental Services Ltd, Unit 1, Block D, Win Business Park, Newry, was given a conditional discharge for making a polluting discharge to a waterwa
22/10/2010
A survey released this week has revealed Ireland's broadband speed does not meet international criteria to cope with the internet's future requirements. Despite improvements in broadband speed, ranking 13th out of 72 countries worldwide, the State is still unable to meet the requirements of upcomin
21/10/2010
Ireland's build heritage has been underlined this week with news that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley has launched his Department's Architectural Heritage Survey of County Wexford and the associated book, An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of
21/10/2010
Builders awaiting payment for contracts they have completed for the various Stormont Departments are facing long delays in having their bill settled. Foyle Sinn Fein (SF) MLA Martina Anderson is demanding new steps to ensure the prompt payment of building contractors who carry out work for public a
21/10/2010
A firm that specialises in the delivery of highly complex engineering, architecture and project management projects, the PM Group, has won a special award for its work to help disadvantaged communities in India. The award was presented by Irish charity Gorta at a World Food Day conference attended
21/10/2010
CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland, in conjunction with the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and Patton Construction recently hosted a site visit and information day for 20 teachers from schools throughout Northern Ireland at the new Belfast Metropolitan College site,
21/10/2010
A new residential development for clients of St Joseph's Intellectual Disability Service, Knockamann, in Portrane was officially opened by Minister for Disability and Mental Health, John Moloney, this week. Knockamann is a customised residential development comprising 10 six bed houses and a compre
21/10/2010
A new initiative in Galway, called 'Space Invaders', has been launched as a project to fill empty units in the city centre and promote the arts with exhibitions, performance space and workshops. The Eyre Square Shopping Centre has been the first to embrace the idea with its management recognising t
20/10/2010
There has been a continuing downturn in the NI construction sector as builders in Northern Ireland struggle to manage the recession. Even before this week's Comprehensive Spending Review and expected cutbacks in Executive spending on new building projects, the latest figures have showed a 5.7% decr
20/10/2010
A Dundalk housing project, Carlinn Hall, looks set for partial demolition just three years after the eco-friendly houses on the Mullaharlin Road were launched. With 234 units planned for it, it was Ireland's largest ever-sustainable energy development featuring the best of smart technology but desp
20/10/2010
Problems over 'negative equity' resulting from housing redevelopments in the south Belfast area have been successfully targeted for action by Sinn Fein. The Stormont Department of Social Development (DSD) Committee member Carál Ní Chuilín welcoming the passing of a motion in the Assembly this week
20/10/2010
It was a bridge too far for the Irish railways when the collapse of a viaduct in the Republic of Ireland closed the main Dublin-Belfast track - and a major disaster was narrowly averted as a passenger train had just crossed the bridge when it fell into the sea. As a result of the collapse of the Ma
20/10/2010
Problems over 'negative equity' resulting from housing redevelopments in the south Belfast area have been successfully targeted for action by Sinn Fein. The Stormont Department of Social Development (DSD) Committee member Carál Ní Chuilín welcoming the passing of a motion in the Assembly this week
20/10/2010
Servicing Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, an expanded new Open University headquarters has now opened in Belfast. It is designed to accommodate 58 university staff who in turn support 350 part-time associate lecturers and more than 7,500 students throughout Ireland. The development
20/10/2010
The official utility, Northern Ireland Water Ltd (NIW) has been fined a total of £700 plus £25 court costs at Newry Magistrates' Court this week for making a polluting discharge to a waterway. On 3 March 2009, a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (f
19/10/2010
Falling house prices, worries over public spending cuts and a scarcity of mortgage finance have helped to push rent prices across Belfast and surrounding areas up by more than 7% since the start of the year, new research published today has revealed. The detailed report into the private rented sect
19/10/2010
Millions have been spent on a controversial hospital project that may never get beyond the pre-planning stage. Much of the money spent to date has gone on hiring experts on design, project management and business management to work out the detail of the 445-bed hospital, which will go to An Bord Pl
19/10/2010
MLAs are to be told of east Belfast residents' worries over developments at Belfast's second airport with the Stormont Assembly's Environment Committee to hear concerns about the NI Environment Minister's proposal to remove the passenger limit at George Best Belfast City Airport. Both the umbrella
19/10/2010
There's to be a major development in Co Mayo that will add about 75,000 square feet to a medical devices company's facility and create 200 construction jobs. Work is expected to begin late this year and to be completed before the end of 2011. The leading healthcare firm Hollister is also to creat
19/10/2010
Hydropower can offer Northern Ireland firms and individuals an opportunity to gain both financially and environmentally, a panel of experts will tell entrepreneurs at a major event in Omagh today. Taking place at the South West College, the 'Hydro-System Setup' seminar will provide practical advice
19/10/2010
Flood damage in Cork is to be repaired soon, a senior engineer with Cork City Council has confirmed. He said that two major flood breaches in the city's quay walls would begin before the end of the year, or early in 2011 at the latest. Tenders for the work to repair the walls at Sunday's Well and
18/10/2010
A huge construction project that could produce hundreds of building jobs and revolutionise transportation from central Dublin to its northern suburbs would be spiked by the Irish Labour party if it should gain power in the Dáil. The planned Metro North underground development has been proving divis
18/10/2010
A double tragedy in Co Londonderry last summer has been recalled with the launch of a new guide to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. NI's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride has commended the guide, Carbon Monoxide: Are You at Risk? to both domestic users and the uti
18/10/2010
Four of the biggest names in the roofing and renewable energy arena are showing their roofing solutions for the future at the important 58th Congress of the International Federation for the Roofing Trade (IFD). This premier event and exhibition, including the 23rd World Championship for Young Roofe
18/10/2010
Run-down and derelict sites around the city of Limerick should be subject to the full rigours of the existing laws. According to Limerick's business Chamber, the byelaws in relation to derelict sites need to be vigorously enacted even where this is made more difficult where it is hard to establish
18/10/2010
A major regeneration project for the former military barracks at Forkhill in South Armagh has been mooted. The eight-acre hilltop site overlooking Forkhill was vacated several years ago by the Army, but until now little progress had been made in deciding its future. However, with the completion of
18/10/2010
Builders in the North West are hoping for a minor fillip soon with news that Buncrana Town Council has been told that work to secure land for improvement works on the Aghilly Road is making progress. Discussions on drawing up Compulsory Purchase Orders are at an advanced stage, although the local n
15/10/2010
The Irish construction sector has received some good news this week with confirmation that work on the €20 million-plus development of a new unit at a Dublin hospital is to commence immediately. John Paul Construction is expected to begin the contract for the development of a cystic fibrosis (CF) u
15/10/2010
Building work on the development of the Waterford Institute is to get underway soon. The Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has just announced that the second bundle of public-private partnership (PPP) projects in the third-level sector are going to market. The second bundle of PPP projects, which were handed
15/10/2010
Several local companies in construction and building services are being assisted by Invest Northern Ireland to meet key international buyers at a major exhibition in Great Britain. With Invest NI, the companies are taking part in the new BEST - Building Environment Solutions and Technologies, exhi
15/10/2010
Ireland's network of county and city enterprise boards (CEBs) will be paid a €3.3 million funding boost before the end of the year creating more than 450 jobs - many of which will be created in the construction sector. As small firms develop and expand, they will in turn commission the construction
15/10/2010
NI's construction sector is to be in the firing line if the Prime Minister fails to deliver a £18bn pledge that was made to Northern Ireland after the 2006 St Andrews agreement. "Throughout the construction industry in Northern Ireland alarms bells will be ringing because of David Cameron's singula
15/10/2010
Some 17 tradesmen have received recognition for being the first in NI to receive NVQ qualifications through site-based training achieving Experienced Workers Practical Assessment (EWPA) NVQ Level 2 qualifications. Such training that has resulted in EWPA NVQ Level 2 qualifications has never been don
14/10/2010
A construction worker who fell from a roof during building work in Co Down on Tuesday is in a serious condition in hospital. The man, 22, fell out of a basket cage at a disused agricultural site on the Ardmillan Road in Killinchy at around 12.30pm and is now being treated in hospital for injuries
14/10/2010
One of Ireland's biggest construction sector businesses, the building materials group Readymix - which trades as Cemex Ireland - is in discussions that could lead to a takeover offer. The company is a high profile building sector firm, making and supplying goods and services used in the constructio
14/10/2010
One of the first firms to produce 'intelligent evacuation technology' for life-saving escape from buildings has been in the spotlight this week. The Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson and the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have visited Lightstep Technologies in Dunmurry. They were tol
14/10/2010
A Dáil Minister has used the opening of a new housing project to stress the need to look beyond traditional approaches to the construction and acquisition of housing. The Minister for Housing and Local Services, Michael Finneran, was speaking at the opening of a housing project undertaken by the Iv
14/10/2010
A specialist for all portable and modular buildings, Ireland's RoanKabin, has been awarded the contract to design and build two new modular classroom buildings and one resource room to replace existing school buildings at the Muslim National School in Clonskeagh, Dublin. "The window for manufacture
14/10/2010
An independent telecoms service provider that supplies solutions and services for private and public operators including fixed and mobile operators, utility companies and telecom equipment vendors has opened its Belfast offices. NI Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster officially opened the new Harbour
13/10/2010
Co Leitrim is to get a new school - but construction work is not due to begin on Ballinamore's new secondary school until early 2012. Ballinamore is believed to be one of eight schools that approved for inclusion in the third Bundle of schools to be procured via the recent Public Private Partnershi
13/10/2010
One of Dublin city centre's main shopping streets is to get a facelift with news that a construction project will soon revitalise Grafton Street's pedestrian area. In a proposed fillip for the beleaguered construction sector, it is set for an overhaul with Dublin City Council to spend up to €40m on
13/10/2010
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has assessed the compliance of Water Utility discharges and has found that sewage discharges are improving. Stormont Environment Minister, Edwin Poots released the 2009 compliance assessment of discharges made by Northern Ireland Water (NIW), and those
13/10/2010
There are two new development sites coming on-stream soon as the police dispose of both a north Belfast police station that is no longer used and close down one in the south of the city. Oldpark PSNI station is no longer open to the public but is still used as a base by officers, even though it had
13/10/2010
The NI Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy has welcomed Roads Service's progress on investment totalling £2.8 million for structural road maintenance in the Down area this year. Speaking ahead of a meeting between Roads Service and Down District Council, the Minister said: "Roads Service rem
13/10/2010
A Co Tyrone man has been fined £2,000 plus £103 costs at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court for non-compliance with a Planning Service Enforcement Notice. Mr Liam McKeefrey of Sherrygrim Road, Stewartstown, failed to remove waste materials from a site at 15 Sherrygrim Road, Stewartstown. Mr McKeefrey ha
12/10/2010
Councils across the Irish Republic rezoned more land than was needed for new homes during the property boom, new figures show. Over 44,000 hectares of land were rezoned for housing over the past decade, this equates to enough land for almost 1.5 million homes, however just 400,000 units are needed
12/10/2010
War era inner city flats in Dublin are set for a major revamp. Plans for a public-private partnership (PPP) between Alcove Properties and Dublin City Council could see the regeneration of the Charlemont Street and Tom Kelly Road flats. The scheme would involve the demolition of around 200 flats ,
12/10/2010
NI Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) is to investigate a building site accident that left a man seriously injured yesterday. The incident, in west Belfast's Ballymurphy area on Monday saw the victim lose an arm. The man's limb was severed after it became trapped in a cement mixer at St Bernadett
12/10/2010
The NI Social Development Minister, Alex Attwood has announced in the Assembly a fundamental review of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE). This is the first review of the NIHE on this scale, in nearly 40 years of existence and he said that the NIHE has made massive improvements to the ho
12/10/2010
Construction firm Farrans has picked up three accolades at the Construction Excellence Awards 2010 held in the Culloden Hotel on the 7th October 2010. The Belfast Sewers Team, in JV with MorganEst, won their category Infrastructure "Utilities" and not satisfied with that they took the "Overall Awar
12/10/2010
International recruitment firm Grafton are set to occupy four floors of Belfast’s newest landmark building. The Boat multi-use development, sits proudly on the banks of the Lagan, just off the city's Custom House Square. The 14-storey building – complete with dazzling glass frontages and distincti
11/10/2010
Seven months after work was officially "paused" on public facilities in the €300m Greystones Harbour redevelopment project in north Co Wicklow, it has today emerged that it is to come under the control of the national assets management body, NAMA, sparking concern for the future construction develop
11/10/2010
Job losses have accelerated within the NI building trade for the fifth month in a row. Overall, the local economy continued to suffer, but this was particularly true in the construction sector with the latest report on the economy from the Ulster Bank revealing that the downturn in the Northern Ire
11/10/2010
One of Ireland's leading quarrying companies, Whitemountain Quarries, has signed a five year aggregate supply agreement with Eurovia, a European leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure. The deal will see Whitemountain Quarries provide Gritstone from its Ballystockart
11/10/2010
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has submitted a private member’s motion to the Assembly calling on the Social Development Minister and the Minister for Finance and Personnel to bring forward proposals to ensure that homeowners living in areas that are due to be re-developed by the Department
11/10/2010
At a cost of £0.5 million the Northern Ireland Housing Executives' (NIHE) contractor, PK Murphy Construction (PKM), has helped bring 110 homes in Brandywell up to modern day standards by installing new kitchens. The kitchens were upgraded to an improved layout with new units and worktops from a ran
08/10/2010
The Irish Minister for Enterprise Batt O'Keeffe is in London this week to discuss opportunities for Irish firms to secure contracts for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Mr O'Keeffe will visit the Olympic site and hold talks with officials charged with the delivery of the games. Irish firms have alre
08/10/2010
It is feared that the consortium chosen to develop the proposed Gort to Tuam motorway in Connaught may be having second thoughts about funding the project because of the economic downturn. The backers behind BAM Balfour Beatty the firm confirmed by the National Roads Authority (NRA) last month as t
08/10/2010
Irish construction firm John Sisk has been awarded over €300 million worth of British contracts in the past nine months. The projects include building an athletes village for the 2012 Olympic Games, and restoring the Weston-Super-Mare pier. Liam Nagle, Chief Executive, said: "We have had a signifi
08/10/2010
Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has addressed the construction industry on the challenging times ahead. He was guest speaker at the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) / Specify Construction Excellence Awards at the Culloden Hotel, Belfast, to showcase the high standards being achieved by Norther
08/10/2010
The Stormont Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, has officially opened the newly built St Mary's College, Londonderry. She officiated at the opening of the new school along with Bishop Hegarty and three generations of St Mary's pupils. Grandmother Connie Hegarty was a new pupil in 1959 at Fanad
08/10/2010
Some of Northern Ireland's most energy efficient homes are to be built in the scenic seaside village of Carnlough. The Stormont Social Development Minister, Alex Attwood, has paid a visit to the site of the old Drumalla House which has made way for the innovative Co Antrim project. The 11 new home
07/10/2010
Dredging and removing silt from the harbour in Dunmore East - near Waterford - will cost €6 million. The engineering consultants engaged to investigate how the work can be carried out have revealed the likely bill for the engineering project. Deputy Brian O'Shea has been informed by Brendan Smith,
07/10/2010
The construction of a controversial incinerator could restart within months - giving a fresh impetus for the building trade - but hitting environmental protest groups hard at the same time. Following the recent decision of An Bord Pleanála to grant permission to Dublin City Council to compulsorily
07/10/2010
The Stormont Social Development Minister, Alex Attwood, has announced details of a major investigation into the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) . The Minister has ordered a team of specialists with audit, management, personnel and fraud expertise in to give the NIHE an immediate 'governan
07/10/2010
Four decades on, Paddy McIntyre, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) boss has announced his retirement from service to local housing. From a trainee with the Northern Ireland Housing Trust in 1971 to Chief Executive of the NIHE in 1999, Paddy has had a long and distinguished career in hou
07/10/2010
Hundreds of construction jobs are expected to be created following the planning approval of a new Tesco superstore. The store will be situated in Newtownards, north Down, on the site of the old Ards Abattoir off the Portaferry Road. The project which includes a petrol station and parking spaces wi
07/10/2010
At a cost of £0.8m PK Murphy Construction Ltd (PKM) will bring 112 homes in Shantallow and Coshquin up to modern day standards by installing new kitchens. The kitchens are being upgraded to an improved layout with new units and worktops from a range of colours and finishes. Electrical and plumbing
06/10/2010
The Ennis-based firm of M. Fitzgibbon (Builders) Ltd. has been celebrating as one of its latest big projects, Limerick County Council's new Fire Station in Kilmallock, become operational. The €1.3m facility, which replaces the original station in the town, has been completed on schedule and enables
06/10/2010
The Bord Gáis Energy Index (BGEI), an Irish-specific index designed to measure the prices in the wholesale energy market, increased by 2% in September to 111. However the Energy Index would have reached a two year high if currency movements had not absorbed the increased prices in most of the comm
06/10/2010
There has been a startling legal turn in the long-running and controversial plan to build a John Lewis department store in Co Antrim. A Minister in the Stormont Executive has been challenged by the judiciary over remarks he allegedly made during a BBC Radio Ulster interview that could even mean him
06/10/2010
Coillte and ESB Wind Development today announce that planning permission has been granted for their joint initiative to develop a 27.5 megawatt wind farm at Raheenleagh in Co Wicklow. Coillte and ESB Wind Development each have a 50% share in the Raheenleagh Wind Energy Project which will comprise 1
06/10/2010
A Belfast woman was fined £200 plus court costs of £85 at Belfast Magistrate's Court yesterday for failing to comply with a Planning Service enforcement notice. Ms Karen Keenan of Mountainview Gardens, Belfast pleaded guilty to the charges having previously been served the notice which required rem
06/10/2010
New guidance for NI businesses is to help put industrial waste to good use - especially in the building sector. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has just launched guidance for businesses to turn certain waste materials into valuable, high quality products. The 'Pulverised Fuel Ash q
05/10/2010
An influential property analyst has revealed house prices have fallen a third since the peak, two property reports revealed today. The daft.ie survey, which records a large number of asking prices right across the country, put the average down 37% to €195,000. Ronan Lyons, economist with Daft.i
05/10/2010
Enterprise Ireland has launched a campaign to position Irish companies to win business associated with the construction of French stadia in the lead up to Euro 2016, and with renovation of French rugby stadia recently announced in France. French soccer and rugby organisations have indicated that th
05/10/2010
The Ballymena-based Patton Group has won a multi-million pound construction contract for a major refurbishment project at The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, Cultra, Northern Ireland. Almost £3 million is being spent on a complete refurbishment of Cultra Manor, transforming the building into a lead
05/10/2010
South Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has said that there is growing concern amongst residents of the Ballynafeigh area that property speculators are attempting to buy out long-term residents and bypass regulations aimed at limiting the number of HMO’s in the area. This reinforced Sinn Féin’s vie
05/10/2010
Some of Dublin's most iconic statues are on the move as modern transportation needs dictate change. They will be removed from O'Connell Street in Dublin to allow the construction of Metro-North. Assuming planning permission is granted, the monuments of Daniel O'Connell, James Larkin, John Gray an
05/10/2010
Progress on investment totalling £1.9 million for structural road maintenance in the Banbridge area this year has been praised. Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy has welcomed Roads Service's success and at a meeting between Roads Service and Banbridge District Council he said: "Roads Servi
04/10/2010
A planned Limerick medical facility is on hold after news that the proposed private day hospital at the Parkway Shopping Centre has been appealed to An Bord Pleanala. Limerick City Council had granted planning permission to the facility, which would see the demolition of the Park Bar to allow const
04/10/2010
Funding that has been earmarked for a massive sports stadia rebuilding scheme may not be released yet. It has emerged there are still ongoing problems at the Irish Football Association (IFA) to be resolved. Sports Minister Nelson McCausland has this week reiterated his call for an independent revi
04/10/2010
Ireland is playing a lead role in Europe in adding wind power and other renewables to our energy supplies, according to a new report . Ireland is on target to achieve its target of 40 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and in achieving that target, it will have one of highest
04/10/2010
Galway people on the waiting list for public housing has reached a new high - or low - point. The local authority's housing waiting list in Galway City has topped 3,000 for the first time and almost 500 more applicants in need of housing are waiting to be assessed to see if they can get on that lis
04/10/2010
NI Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, has been the special guest on the occasion of the opening of the new Abbey Christian Brothers' School in Newry. The school has relocated to a new building, which is the result of an investment of over £20million, after over 150 years on its previous site in N
01/10/2010
Premises on one of the main streets of Dundalk are set to be remodelled with the news that the former Toymaster shop is to be refitted as a supermarket. The Clanbrassil Street premises will be transformed into a food retail unit, adding a minor boost to the building sector in the process. Clanbras
01/10/2010
Waterford could be set for a major regeneration with significant work being created for the construction sector as a result. Waterford City is ideally suited for rejuvenation, at least that according to expert speakers who last have presented their ideas for city renewal at the National Regeneratio
01/10/2010
A radical shake up for traffic in Belfast City Centre has been announced. 'Belfast on the Move' aims to substantially reduce traffic levels and provide more road space for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. Around 30,000 vehicles use the streets on both sides of the city hall each day but
01/10/2010
There has been conflicting evidence on local property prices - which rose 1.6% during the past three months - but was still not enough to offset previous falls. Nationwide said of Northern Ireland "the annual rate of house price falls actually accelerated from 5.2% to 11.1%". That meant the buildi
01/10/2010
Ireland's financial regulator has revealed that the final cost of the taxpayer bailout of the Anglo Irish bank stands at €29.3billion, but could potentially rise to €34billion. The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) was set up to buy and manage mainly bad property loans held by Dublin-based fi
01/10/2010
A Co Antrim based fit-out firm has scooped two coveted UK industry awards. McCue Interior Fit-Out Solutions, Carrickfergus, won both the Retail Week 'Store Fit-Out Company of the Year' Award for its overall performance and the individual 'Shopfitting Excellence' Award, for its work with client Urba
01/10/2010
There could be a huge boost on the way for the NI construction sector if a £110m package of sports stadia developments are agreed. The move comes after the Stormont Executive axed proposals for a single multi-sports venue for football, rugby and gaelic games at the site of the former prison at the
