NEWS
GRAHAM has exceeded £1bn in turnover for a second consecutive year, as it continues to expand its portfolio of high-profile projects. Revenue increased by 2.8% to £1.125bn in the year ending March 31, with the leading national contractor and developer also recording pre-tax profits of £14.8m. Successful delivery of major projects across its core sectors, including building, civil engineering, interior fit-out, facilities management and development management, drove the strong performance. GRAHAM also boasts a record pipeline of secured work in excess of £2bn. Projects recently completed include Nelson Place, Belfast’s largest student accommodation building, and the Reardon Court extra care housing scheme in Enfield, London. Viridis, a consortium of GRAHAM, Equitix and Derwent FM, has meanwhile been selected as preferred bidder and delivery partner for the redevelopment of the University of Manchester’s Fallowfield Campus redevelopment. GRAHAM has also announced the appointment of Sean McNiff as operations director for the GRAHAM Interior Fit-Out division. Sean joined GRAHAM in 2019 as a design manager, boasting 15 years of experience in architecture. www.graham.co.uk TURNOVER HITS £1.125BN FOR LEADING NI CONSTRUCTION SECTOR BUSINESS
CALL FOR URGENT PLANNING REFORM TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NI
Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive, NI Chamber.
NI Chamber is calling for the region’s devolved government to show leadership and push forward planning reforms to facilitate economic growth in Northern Ireland. During a presentation to the Interim Regional Planning Commission on August 14, NI Chamber Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie outlined steps needed to accelerate NI’s progress towards net zero, economic growth and delivering affordable housing. NI Executive needs to lead a collaborative approach, required across councils, bodies, the Department for Infrastructure and the Planning Appeals Commission, to unlock log jams.
“As a key economic enabler, planning must be an express priority in the new Programme for Government,” said the chief executive. “Such reform presents an opportunity to open the door to significant sustainable growth and unlock NI’s pathway to a decarbonised economy. We know that most economic development begins with planning, and for that reason the performance of our planning system must be competitive to attract and encourage investment.” NI Chamber has published a Planning Improvement and Reform Paper in partnership with independent advisor Turley. www.northernirelandchamber.com
PUBLIC HOUSING ACTIVITY PICKS UP AMID FLAT CONSTRUCTION WORKLOADS
Construction workloads in Northern Ireland were broadly flat through the second quarter of 2024, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Construction Monitor. However, public housing
Net balances of -6% and -8% of surveyors reported that workloads in infrastructure and private commercial had fallen, respectively, and activity in private housing and other public works is said to have fallen flat. Surveyors continue to report shortages in labour across all
workloads rose at the fastest rate in two years, outpacing all other subsectors. On an all-sector level, a net balance of 2% of surveyors in NI reported that workloads had risen through Q2, down from 4% the quarter previous. Both public housing and private industrial workloads were reported to have increased, with net balances of 21% and 9% respectively.
professions, particularly quantity surveyors and bricklayers, although at a less severe rate than before. Surveyors in Northern Ireland remain optimistic for the 12-month outlook, with 14% anticipating that workloads will rise over the next year. However, -19% of surveyors expect profit margins to decline over the next 12 months. www.rics.org
Andrew Bill, Chief Executive Officer, GRAHAM Group.
www.nibuilder.co.uk
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