Opinion

East Kilbride-based engineer Stuart Harrow details how COVID-19 could have an impact on transport planning and road infrastructure in the future. One of the first things which comes to the forefront of the public mind when a new residential development is proposed is the impact that it will have on

The current vogue for open-plan living has been with us for a while and shows no sign of diminishing through familiarity. Queensberry Properties’ sales and marketing director, Hazel Davies, explores the background to what has become a cornerstone in residential property design. In 1999, the ve

RICS head of UK government relations and city strategy Hew Edgar urges the Scottish Government to raise more awareness of the six-phase return plan for construction and issue clearer guidance with regard to the housing market. The Scottish Government should be commended for its clear messaging on he

The recent decision of the Inner House in Proven Properties (Scotland) Limited, reported in Scottish Construction Now on May 15, raises questions about the effectiveness, or at least the scope, of the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, writes Tom Marshall. Briefly, the case concerned a block of 1

Briar Homes marketing manager Ainslie McCrone on managing buyer interest as the housebuilding sector awaits the easing of lockdown restrictions. There are certain milestones in life that are set in, well, stone, and serve as evidence of our British-ness – or Scottish-ness for that matter.

Roddy Cormack, accredited specialist in construction law and legal director at Scottish law firm Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP, explores the role of designers in the return to operations for the construction industry in the new COVID normal. It’s important to remember the responsibiliti

Lighthouse Club CEO Bill Hill has his say on mental health in the construction industry in response to the recent CIOB survey. The year we cancel Mental Health Awareness Week will be because the mental health of our workforce is treated as significantly and comes as naturally as ensuring their physi

While lockdown is in effect, construction companies should continue to maintain their operations and also focus on what they need to start putting in place to prepare to a phased return to operations, writes Simone Young. During his announcement on Sunday evening, the Prime Minister outlined how res

Donald MacKinnon, group legal director at employment law and HR firm Law At Work, advises on the steps businesses can take to limit losing staff and lays out the considerations which must be made if employers are forced into the last resort. The announcement by British Airways that it will cut

A fall in the number of planning applications combined with the postponement of the expected fee increase in June may result in longer-term effects on the planning system, writes Heads of Planning Scotland.

akp Scotland director Martin McColl details his firm’s commitment to adopt digital technologies as soon as the current coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

Technology-driven prevention at the factory gate and office door is the best cure to keeping COVID-19 at bay and kick-starting the economy believes ECO managing director Eddie Black. Today’s problem? How do we get the country back to work, while keeping people safe, and maintaining public trus

Chris McGhee is framework manager for Kier Regional Building Scotland and was part of the team who helped convert the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow into NHS Louisa Jordan. Here, Chris shares his experience on the project and how the construction industry united at a time when the country n

Willmott Dixon’s senior operations manager Nick Proverbs explains how a combination of technology and innovation is enabling the firm to maintain social distancing at the University of Birmingham's School of Engineering. People’s safety is paramount in everything we do. When guidance by

Duncan Smith draws on his experience in Scotland's social housing and construction sectors to outline the potential for post-COVID change and how EnerPHit could be a solution at scale. It’s hard to imagine where we are just now compared to just three months ago, it seems a different