Weekly round-up 11 June 2014

Paul Westbury goes to Laing O'Rourke, Infrastructure Bill in Parliament and Crossrail 2 is coming sooner. Your round-up this week.

Jackie Whitelaw
11 June 2014

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1. The Infrastructure Bill which contains the legislation to turn the Highways Agency into an arms length government company had its first reading, in the House of Lords, on Friday last week.  More here.

2. Crossrail 2 could be opened four years earlier than initially proposed in 2029 according to revised plans for the link published by the London Mayor. Changes to the line between south west and north east London include extending the northern branch to New Southgate.

3. A judge-led public inquiry is to be held into the Edinburgh trams project to investigate delivery of the over budget route.

4. Laing O’Rourke has appointed Buro Happold chief executive Paul Westbury as group technical director. Buro Happold has appointed Roger Nickells as chief executive officer and Oliver Plunkett as Middle East managing director.

5. The National Infrastructure Planning Association annual conference takes place in London on 7 July. Find out more in our events listing and here.

6. A report from the National Audit Office has warned that the lack of predictability of funding for highways authorities will lead to increased costs in the long term.

7. Ministers are reported to be planning a rewrite of the Highway Code to take account of driverless cars to keep up with the US where in California the first licences for self driving cars are due to be issued in the autum.

8. Existing towns and cities should be expanded and the cap on some councils’ borrowing lifted to allow more homes to be built Sir Michael Lyons, who is overhauling Labour’s housing policy, has told the Guardian. Sir Michael also said that protracted delays in the release of land were the single biggest cause of Britain’s housing crisis. His inquiry’s first conclusions are due out in September.

9. The HBF’s latest Housing Pipeline report says that the moving annual total of 177,731 new homes with planning permissions in the 12 months to Q1 is the highest level granted in 12 months since 2008.

10. A 67 turbine wind farm above Loch Ness has been given the go ahead by the Scottish Government. SSE Renewables is to develop the Stronelairg project next to its Glendoe hydro electric scheme.