Opinion

Alyson Cameron discusses her route into construction and dispels the misconception that a career in the sector is for those struggling academically or that it isn't for women. From a very young age, building was a keen interest of mine. My dad was a joiner and I always enjoyed helping him, showing a

In the recent J&B Hopkins (“J&BH”) Upper Tier Tax Tribunal VAT case, the court agreed with HMRC’s view that the business should be assessed for underpaid VAT, even though the business felt that HMRC would unfairly benefit from such an assessment. The business has been left

A model agreement between the Scottish Government, West Lothian Council and a newly-created joint venture could help tackle Scotland’s housing crisis if replicated in other regions, writes Russell Munro. Mary Queen of Scots is said to have stopped off at Niddry Castle near the village of Winch

To mark the opening of The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA) in the summer, Nigel Munro, the regional project manager for Henry Boot, describes his work on the project. At over £300 million in value, 418 metres long, 30 metres high and using 8,300 tonnes of steel, TECA is the single biggest develo

Planning consultant Colin Lavety makes the case for housing land allocation decisions to be made at a national level which he argues would standardise the process and increase the number of homes being delivered. Encouraging local authorities to empower communities across Scotland is a man

Sarah Pengelly discusses the pros and cons of “living wills” for construction suppliers. Back in November 2018 the Cabinet Office set out a plan which it hoped would allow public bodies to be better prepared in the event of supplier failure. This came on the back of Carillion’s col

Brodies partner Charles Livingstone considers more competition law breaches by construction companies and the results of a survey by the CMA.

Debbie MacKenzie, general manager at Proactis based in Aberdeen, provides some top tips for construction businesses looking to successfully bid for and win work. Businesses in the construction sector can find it a daunting prospect to build a fresh new pipeline of work for the New Year.

Gary Danson, operations director at specialist repair firm Plastic Surgeon, discusses what he thinks 2019 has in store for the construction industry. With Britain set to make big political decisions in 2019, the construction industry should be ready to adapt to the changing landscape. So, what can w

Scape Group chief executive, Mark Robinson, on the Scottish Government’s fresh investment into affordable housing and the barriers needed to overcome for delivery. Scotland is facing a huge shortage of homes for social rent. There are currently over 130,100 households on council waiting lists

Scope of services, standard of care and correct contracting parties. Three standard appointment issues for professional consultants advising on construction projects, but issues which reach the courts on a regular basis as a recent court judgment demonstrates. A site in Cheshire was being developed

Planning partner Sarah Baillie contrasts the lack of ambition within Scotland’s Planning Bill to the bold, inspirational, collaborative and game-changing Connecting Glasgow Report issued recently by Glasgow City Council. Since 2014, conversations in the development and property sector have cen

Marking a decade since the introduction of Home Reports, Eric Curran highlights issues such as length, categories, valuation price and the importance of being on a lender panel. It is quite remarkable that it is now 10 years since Home Reports, the initiative which radically altered the Scottish hou

Lucy Black from the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre on the importance of collaboration in construction. Collaborative working seems like a no-brainer – it helps organisations improve efficiency, productivity and by extension, profitability. It also encourages the transfer of knowledge

Alan Gordon at DM Hall Chartered Surveyors considers the opportunities that challenger banks provide to the commercial property sector. Challenger banks have been nibbling at the ankles of major UK lending institutions with increasing enthusiasm for some years now with the result that a whole new re