Council prosecution sees building materials company hit with £400k fine for health and safety offence – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 17th, 2022 in construction industry, fines, health & safety, local government, news by tracey

‘A prosecution brought by Thanet District Council has seen a building materials company fined £400,000 over an incident that left one employee with life-changing injuries and a second suffering from deep cuts and lacerations.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 16th May 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

New Acts – legislation.gov.uk

2022 c. 35 – Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022

2022 c. 33 – Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Act 2022

2022 c. 31 – Health and Care Act 2022

2022 c. 30 – Building Safety Act 2022

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

EV charging infrastructure – construction, projects, planning and tax issues – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘In the third and final blog in our series looking at common queries on the roll out of EV infrastructure (see our previous blogs on progress and challenges and landlord and tenant issues) we focus on construction, planning and tax aspects.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 11th May 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Does the platinum jubilee bank holiday entitle a contractor to an extension of time? – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted May 6th, 2022 in construction industry, contracts, holidays, news by tracey

‘An additional bank holiday has been created in the UK this year to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Does this entitle a contractor to claim an extension of time? A client recently asked this question in the context of a project using the JCT Design and Build Contract 2016. It certainly throws up a number of issues.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 4th May 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Crystal clear: “no dispute” defences unlikely to succeed at adjudication enforcement – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘While defendants in adjudication enforcement proceedings often assert jurisdictional defences as a matter of course, Eyre J’s judgement in BraveJoin Co Ltd v Prosperity Moseley Street Ltd is a reminder that – in practical terms – they will rarely succeed, particularly where they rely on the absence of a crystallised dispute.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 11th April 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

JCT’s insolvency payment regime – how does it work? – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted April 11th, 2022 in construction industry, contracts, debts, insolvency, news by tracey

‘The case of Levi Solicitors LLP v Wilson and another considered the impact of contractor insolvency on debts owed to an employer under a JCT contract.
Significantly, the court helpfully clarified how the payment regime under JCT contracts operated in the context of insolvency. This blog takes a closer look at the case.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 6th April 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Restricted development: Good faith obligations in development agreements; and the Court’s inherent jurisdiction to alter the register – Falcon Chambers

Posted April 8th, 2022 in chambers articles, construction industry, contracts, jurisdiction, news by sally

‘The recent High Court decision in Quay House Admirals Way Land Ltd and another v Rockwell Properties Ltd [2022] EWHC 545 (Ch) raises and answers interesting questions about interim remedies, good faith obligations, and the inherent jurisdiction of the Court to order the alteration of the register, all of which will be of interest to all property litigators.’

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Falcon Chambers, March 2022

Source: www.falcon-chambers.com

Managing PFI contract expiry risks – updated IPA guidance – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted March 25th, 2022 in construction industry, contracts, news by tracey

‘On 28 February 2022, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) published its latest guidance to contracting authorities (CAs) on preparing for PFI contract expiry. It provides practical guidance on managing expiry and service transition. We have previously written about the IPA’s earlier guidance and its PFI expiry health check report.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 23rd March 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

TCC’s useful reminder of limits of natural justice challenges to adjudicators’ decisions – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘The case in question is Bilton and Johnson (Building) Co Ltd v Three Rivers Property Investments Ltd, which was heard by Mr Jason Coppell QC (sitting as a deputy High Court judge). I admit that the case doesn’t tell us anything new about the law of adjudication, but it is a useful reminder of the limits of natural justice challenges to adjudicators’ decisions, as well as the fact that whether an adjudicator’s findings are correct as a matter of law is not material to whether their decision should be enforced.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 18th March 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Farrar Out – Local Government Lawyer

‘Clare Mendelle and James Goldthorpe discuss how the insolvency of Farrar Construction leads to clarity from the Courts on dealing with an insolvent contractor under JCT.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th March 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Lumley v Foster – the danger of oral contracts and contracting with the correct entity – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted March 10th, 2022 in construction industry, contracts, news by tracey

‘Despite the volumes of case law illustrating the dangers of not having a written contract when carrying out a construction project, it is still common practice, particularly for smaller domestic projects and in this current market where builders are in high demand, for parties not to have a formal contract. Nine times out of ten all will be absolutely fine: works will progress, any small issues will be amicably overcome between the parties, the project will complete and everyone will be satisfied with the result. But construction projects can be uncertain beasts. Every now and then, things won’t run so smoothly. There may be defects, delays, cost pressures, design changes, or any variety of unforeseen issues. This is when not having a written contract to fall back on can become a real problem. The case of Lumley v Foster is a good reminder of what can happen if a written contract is not put in place.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog. 9th March 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

JCT insolvency ruling: time limit on termination not condition precedent – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 7th, 2022 in company law, construction industry, contracts, debts, insolvency, news, time limits by tracey

‘An English High Court ruling in an insolvency case concerning a Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) Minor Works contract (2011) could apply to other standard form contracts in the same suite, a legal expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 4th March 2022

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Lack of jurisdiction entitled adjudicator to resign – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘Last year I wrote about the judgment in Davies & Davies Associates Ltd v Steve Ward Services (UK) Ltd, where Roger ter Haar QC (sitting as a deputy High Court judge) granted summary judgment on a claim for payment of an adjudicator’s fees and expenses arising from an adjudication in which the adjudicator resigned prior to issuing a decision. The matter has now come before the Court of Appeal in Steve Ward Services (UK) Ltd v Davies & Davies Associates Ltd, with Coulson LJ giving the leading judgment. The court upheld the first instance decision and also allowed the adjudicator’s cross-appeal, finding that the judge was wrong to suggest the adjudicator’s decision to resign was erroneous or that he went outside the ambit of paragraph 13 of the Scheme for Construction Contracts 1998.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 2nd March 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Set builder jailed for fraudulent claims from TV and film studio – The Independent

Posted March 1st, 2022 in construction industry, fraud, news, sentencing by sally

‘A subcontractor has been jailed for 18 months for submitting bogus invoices worth £36,000 to a company building sets at a Welsh TV and film studio.’

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The Independent, 28th February 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

TCC finds adjudicator did not undermine arbitration award – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘Compared to the restrictions we faced a couple of months ago with the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, it really does feel as if we are starting to return to some normality, and it was wonderful to see so many construction law professionals at the Society of Construction Law lunch in London last Friday. I had intended to read Morris J’s interesting judgment in John Graham Construction Ltd v Tecnicas Reunidas UK Ltd on the train home, but I sensibly put that off until the weekend, otherwise I fear my ramblings might have been somewhat difficult to discern.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 16th February 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

New powers proposed to end unsafe cladding – BBC News

Posted February 15th, 2022 in bills, construction industry, fire, health & safety, leases, news, repairs by tracey

‘New powers proposed to end unsafe cladding’

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BBC News, 14th February 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Novel consideration when balancing the imperatives of adjudication and litigation – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘The court may order a stay of a claim pursuant to CPR 3.1(2)(f) where the claimant has previously been ordered to pay the defendant sums in satisfaction of an adjudicator’s decision and the claimant has not done so. That power is exercised, in part, with the “pay now argue later” ethos of the Construction Act 1996 in mind. The key decisions to date (which I discuss below) balance a party’s rights of access to the court against those broader policy objectives. This post looks at a case in which the TCC applied and expanded the case law in this area, RHP Merchants and Construction Ltd v Treforest Property Co Ltd.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 2nd February 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Option agreements: court’s role not to ‘rewrite bad bargain’, says English judge – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 24th, 2022 in construction industry, contracts, drafting, news, planning by tracey

‘It is not the role of the courts to “re-write a bad bargain” between commercial parties, an English judge has said, in a dispute over the wording of an option agreement.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 21st January 2022

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

TCC severs adjudicator’s decision – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted January 20th, 2022 in building law, construction industry, dispute resolution, news, set-off by tracey

‘I appreciate that not everyone will agree but, as well as striving to get to the right answer, correctly applying the law, and so on, most adjudicators also want to provide the parties with a decision that is ultimately enforceable by the TCC. I think I also speak for most adjudicators when I say that it comes as somewhat of a relief when we read a judgment on BAILII or the like and we’ve been enforced.

But what about cases where only part of the decision is enforced, and the other part is severed? It is arguable that for the adjudicator it is, to use the language of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, “just a flesh wound”. However, I can attest to the fact that it is frustrating, having been one of the first adjudicators to be severed back in 2012 in Beck Interiors v UK Flooring Contractors. I was thoroughly annoyed with myself for getting it wrong and only part of my decision was enforced (but I was assured by my peers that “tis but a scratch”).’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 19th January 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Research Briefing: New-build housing: construction defects – issues and solutions (England) – House of Commons Library

Posted January 18th, 2022 in building law, construction industry, consumer protection, housing, news by tracey

‘New-build housing: construction defects – issues and solutions (England).’

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House of Commons Library, 17th January 2022

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk