Opinion

Morton Fraser's head of construction law Jonathan Seddon looks at the potential impact of coronavirus on UK construction projects being procured under JCT. I started looking at the potential impact that the coronavirus might have on my client's construction projects a few weeks ago when th

Simon Allison looks at common issues for employers during the coronavirus outbreak such as whether an employer can lay off staff and what happens if they are forced to close their premises. Lay-off/short time working clauseIn the unlikely event that your employees have a “lay off” or sho

Amid the stark shortage of Grade A office space, Guy Marsden says it’s time for occupiers to think outside the city centre box. A recent report from property services company, CBRE showed that Grade A office supply in Glasgow has reached a ‘critically low’ level and there is little

Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) board member Emma Marriott on diversity and women in construction.   Tokenistic. Tickbox. Lip Service. These are just a few of the words that are commonly used by employees to describe how seriously their organisation takes the topic of diversity i

Womble Bond Dickinson partner Ian Atkinson and managing associate Michelle Essen outline key points for employers and contractors to consider given the outbreak of coronavirus disease COVID-19. The construction industry has had a particularly difficult few years, with uncertainty around Brexit, high

Ahead of International Women's Day on Sunday, Julie Moulsdale from Perceptive Communicators details the crisis of confidence of women and how this is particularly important to address in construction given the poor representation of females in the sector. In construction we are constantly hearing ab

Alanna Feron is one of the many women at Glasgow-based construction firm City Building taking a leading role in major projects As a mechanical contracts manager, 28-year-old Alanna Feron is responsible for making sure that her team is delivering quality work in a timely and efficient manner. She ov

CMS senior associate Christopher Dickson discusses the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on construction contracts. While the worst effects of the coronavirus outbreak have so far largely been felt in China, the escalating number of confirmed cases reported in Italy over the past few days has cont

Dene Mitchell on the need for hotels to increase fire safety precautions. As Glasgow’s hotel sector grows at an unprecedented rate and in the light of very high-profile hotel fires at Travelodge in Brentford and the Holiday Inn, Walsall in 2019, and Cameron House at Loch Lomond in 2017, more a

Architect Oliver Wilson on the changing residential neighbourhoods being created in Scottish city centres. On moving to Edinburgh as a child, my first impression was that it seemed complete. It was like a drawing where all the elements and perspective fitted together perfectly. I&rsqu

Katherine Metcalfe compares building safety regulations north and south of the border. The UK government announced last month that a new building safety regulator for England, under the auspices of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), will be formed as part of a package of measures to improve high

Morris & Spottiswood’s strategic development director, Viv Sutherland, argues that the Brexit Transition Period is of vital importance to the UK construction sector. Brexit may have slipped down the news agenda for the moment, but the importance of the next few months to the future of the

A construction adjudication enforcement case in North Lanarkshire highlights why the use of 'without prejudice' does not make documents inadmissible in subsequent proceedings, says Harper Macleod senior associate Laura McCorquodale. There is an ongoing misconception that labelling any document 'with

The climate emergency has risen to the top of the UK’s political agenda in recent years, with green issues set to become one of the biggest political hot potatoes of the decade. Last year, the UK legislated for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This was recommended by the Committee on

Womble Bond Dickinson's partner Jeremy Smith, managing associate Michelle Essen and practice development lawyer Karen Plumbley-Jones highlight further changes to the off-payroll working rules (IR35). Changes to the off-payroll working rules - which will impact on the construction industry by placing