Irritancy and commercial leases: when leases don’t do what they say on the tin
By John Stirling – partner, property litigation & dispute resolution – Gillespie Macandrew
How irritancy works in practice
Many commercial property leases contain provisions known as...
Can online pay portals combat blame culture?
By Colin Darch, business process consultant at OPEN ECX
BLAME culture is a contentious topic in the construction industry, particularly when it comes to invoicing...
Game’s not a bogey for forward-thinking golf clubs
By Donald Yellowley, a partner in DM Hall’s country department based in the Bridge of Allan. He is a rural practice surveyor who has...
Still time to comply with new RCI property transparency checks
By Gregor Duthie, legal director at full-service law firm Gilson Gray
GREATER transparency over the ownership of property in Scotland – and the UK, for...
Finding space for greater returns on commercial property
By Adrian Pargeter, Head of Technical and Product Development at Kingspan Insulation Limited
LAST month’s revisions to Section 6 (energy) of the Building Standards have...
It’s time to invest in young people
By Peter Russian, chief executive of Remarkable (formerly Investors in People Scotland)
IN an environment where margins are being squeezed more tightly and the demands...
Time to start preparing for upcoming Employment Rights Bill
By Laura Morrison, managing practice development lawyer at Dentons
Employment Rights Bill overview
The UK government has introduced the much-anticipated Employment Rights Bill, which promises significant...
How to safely navigate retrofit
By Peter Edwards, architect at Holmes Miller
Do you know your EnerPHit from your CarbonLite Retrofit? And if someone mentioned PHPP, would you know what...
Is your site safe for older workers?
IT’S widely recognised that older workers are crucial to curbing the construction industry skills gap, as reported by CIOB, but an ageing workforce can...
Why supporting communities is not just a choice, but a responsibility
By Kevin Reid, executive chairman of The Cruden Group
With the season of goodwill in full swing, it’s a poignant time to reflect on how...
How render colour defines a home’s identity
Colour plays a powerful and emotive role in shaping the built environment, far beyond mere decoration. The visual appeal of a building’s outer skin,...
What is the future of construction?
By Heleana Neil of Innovate UK
BUILDINGS account for 40% of the UK’s energy consumption and carbon emissions.
But, most of them were built in the...
Why PPM is critical to housing stock’s net zero journey
By Greig Fenton, regional director at Thomas & Adamson, part of Egis Group
The journey to net zero can seem a large, ominous, and expensive...
Built environment must sympathetically blend our surroundings to promote wellbeing
By Alasdair Rankin, MD, Aitken Turnbull Architects
WE know that our built environment matters, however very often we downplay its importance and treat environments as...
Longniddry Village: a masterclass in multi-generational living
By Hazel Davies, sales and marketing director for Cruden Homes
IN today’s housing landscape, developers have a greater responsibility than ever before. While addressing the...
Protecting the health rating of your construction business
Protecting the health rating of your construction business means reducing its risk exposure. In light of economic uncertainty, investor confidence is likely to waver...
Cracking the scourge of potholes
By Rick Ashton, bitumen division market development manager at TotalEnergies Marketing UK
POTHOLES are an evocative subject. They are defined differently and assessed without a...
Time to banish the green belt taboo?
By Colin Lavety, planning director at planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore, with offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
IT is a controversial question, but should...
Tackling fraud in the construction sector
By Ramsay Hall, an associate at Brodies LLP, specialising in government, regulation and competition
IN August 2019, it was reported that the total value of...
Subsidence risk rises as Scotland’s weather wreaks havoc
David Hedley, commercial & infrastructure lead at ground engineering specialist Mainmark UK, warns that as weather remains erratic, the construction sector must stay alert...

























