The Business Spectator has a story on construction group St Hilliers shuffling off this mortal coil:
“The administration of St Hilliers Construction Pty Ltd is due to exposure under guarantees for debts of St Hilliers Ararat Pty Ltd relating to the Ararat Prison project in Victoria,” the company said in a statement.
The administration does not [...]

The Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur is expressing her pleasure that development proposals will have to be communicated better to the neighbours:
“These amendments give a better balance to the rights of residents to be informed and have a say in developments that affect them with the need for an efficient planning system,” said Caroline Le [...]

Liberal Leader Zed Seselja is pointing out that Canberra median house prices are now the most expensive in the nation (despite our leading housing affordabilty and multi point plans, how can this be?) while builders are going on strike after having been asked to give some of their windfall profits back to the community.
“ACT Labor [...]

What’s the go with that construction site near Parliament House that is being operated by the Chinese embassy?  
It looks like they are constructing a factory and there is dorm accommodation out the back.  
The security is extensive, cameras and barbed wire.

With Kenoss’ Turner truck driver electrocution turning fatal the Greens are raising a ruckus about contracting and safety in the ACT.
The Greens used question time to question the Government on the issue, citing the shutdown of two sites run by Kenoss Contracting, a company frequently used by the ACT Government.
“There are concerns that [...]

WorkSafe ACT has let us know they’ve slapped a prohibition order on Kenoss Contractors Pty Ltd site in Molonglo:
“After visiting the site in Molonglo, WorkSafe ACT found a number of safety concerns. The recent incident at Kenoss’ Turner site is a stark reminder of just how dangerous construction work can be,” said Mr McCabe. [...]

The ABC has a story on trouble at a Turner building site which has put a dump truck driver into hospital in Sydney:
“There was a dump site which the worker was dumping material into and that dump site was directly under overhead powerlines,” he said.
“So clearly a key part of our investigation will be to [...]

Chief Minister Gallagher is letting you know that Cord Civil have started work on the time travel busway:
ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Katy Gallagher, today announced that local company Cord Civil has been awarded the $9m contract for the construction of a new bus lane on Barry Drive, with [...]

Hi all,
We hope to build our new home in Canberra next year. Since we have never built before and hope to only do this once, and being fairly new in Canberra still (18 months now), I was wondering if people could tell me about their good experiences with builders in Canberra?
Thanks

Does the Canberra public know about the ACT Government’s plans to build hundreds of flats abutting Anzac Parade, and that there’s an information session on 6 March?
Check the nca.gov.au website and also google “section 5″ and “anzac parade” for a wealth of links, including a PDF that shows that the flats are going to [...]

ActewAGL are letting the world know their headquarters building has been rated with a 5.5 star energy rating under the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS):
ActewAGL Chief Finance Officer John Knox said, “This is a great result for ActewAGL. We’ve been in the purpose-built building since June 2010 and absolutely love it.
“From the beginning [...]

In an eyebrow-twitching move the Australian Building and Construction Commission has sent us a media release through our contact form on what their Canberra office has been up to in the last year:
The ABCC opened the doors of its Canberra office on Tuesday 22 February 2011 to allow swift regulatory intervention and expand the ABCC’s [...]

Actew have YouTubed their latest offering of construction on the expanded Cotter Dam.
If you like watching big machines work you’ll love this.

The ACT Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe has published a reminder for those undertaking dogging work in the ACT to ensure they are licensed.
Those of our readers who’ve been on the internet too long will be surprised we’re regulating this sort of thing.
Those readers may be relieved to learn that dogging in this case is [...]

Last month the world marvelled at mysterious towering structures adorning the Belconnen skyline.
What were they for?
Today Kazza The Blank One has sent in pictures to solve the mystery.
It seems they’re advertising the whopping 20 storey Sentinel Apartments soon to be constructued.
But we don’t have billboards in the ACT. Nosiree.

Joy Burch has announced into the silly season that the Executive Chairman of the Hindmarsh Group (“A leader in construction, development and property, Hindmarsh draws upon this expertise to deliver specialist services in retirement, parking operations and capital management.” According to their website), John Hindmarsh, is giving of himself to chair the Cultural Facilities Corporation:
[...]

Why do Canberra builders shut footpaths and streets to build anything more than one storey?
When it’s only a single level they seem to constrain themselves to an arrangement of debris over the footpath, but anything over that and it’s the full fencing job.
Do they just like to spread out?
Do they revel in [...]

The ABC has the amusing news that the Griffith-Narrabundah Community Association would like the Brumbies Griffith HQ if the club isn’t going to use it for the footballing purposes it was intended for.
An ACT Legislative Assembly committee is examining the Club’s proposal to rezone its Griffith headquarters to allow for the development of up [...]

ACT Policing in conjunction with Worksafe ACT is investigating a fatality at a building site in Macgregor this afternoon (Monday, 12 December).
Around 2:00pm, police were called to the Macgregor site after reports that a man, working at the site, had been struck by a grader.
As a result of the collision, the man sustained fatal injuries [...]

Chief Minister Gallagher is calling for tenders for the Belconnen to City Transitway project.
“The Belconnen to City Transitway project will make public transport more attractive and accessible for people travelling between Belconnen and the City.
“Due to commence in early-2012, the first stage of work will include a continuous dedicated bus lane on Barry Drive from [...]

There’s little sadder in life than a politician trying to make a pop-culture reference.
It’s not that they can’t tell a joke, it’s more the painful way they feel the need to ploddingly explain it for the thickies in the audience.
To that end the Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur is painfully referencing Arthur Dent from The Hitchhiker’s [...]

The ABC brings word that the CFMEU has noticed there’s nowhere in Canberra for workers to live.
The construction union is calling for hostels to be re-established in Canberra, amid fears a lack of accommodation is making it hard to attract interstate workers.
Hostels were used during major construction booms in the 1950s and 1970s to provide [...]

Andrew Barr is letting us know that the latest Construction Snapshot is looking rather rosy:
Canberra’s construction sector continues to show its strength with around $13.5 billion worth of projects currently planned or under way in the ACT according to the latest Canberra Construction Snapshot.
Construction is a major contributor to the ACT economy and since coming [...]

[ 26 November, 2011; ]

ACTEW are letting us know they’re having a final open day on the Cotter Dam worksite on 26 November.

Visitors to the open day will be able to see roller compacted concrete being placed, talk to the people behind the project and enjoy a scenic riverside walk along the Cotter Dam Discovery Trail. A sausage sizzle [...]

Simon Corbell has announced a new bill setting out the hoops developers need to jump through to show the community doesn’t hate their plans.
“The proposed laws require community consultation before development applications are formally lodged and will also require signs to be displayed on building sites to let the public know more about proposed building [...]

Joy Burch has announced that designs for the Northbourne Flats redevelopment are on public display in Garema House on City Walk.
If you venture down there in person (in the manner of your ancestors) you can vote in a people’s choice ballot.
Earlier this year Ms Burch announced a national design competition to redesign the [...]

The University of Canberra have posted this video with the following note:
In this talk the ACT’s Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Simon Corbell MLA, outlines future directions of the ACT’s planning, transport and climate change policies in the context of the built environment and transport provision.

Simon Corbell is warning of builders borrowing licensing details.
The practice, known as „ghosting? occurs when an unlicensed builder or company enters into a contract using a licensed builder (a third party) on paperwork provided to the directorate. Usually the licensed builder is paid by the unlicensed builder for this fraudulent practice.
“There is a very good [...]

The National Capital Authority has announced the opening of their massive Kings Avenue overpass:
Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean today officially opened the Kings Avenue overpass, which replaced the Russell roundabout at the intersection of Parkes Way, Morshead Drive and Kings Avenue.
Mr Crean said the $30 million overpass represented a major investment in infrastructure.
‘The Kings Avenue [...]

ACTPLA’s website now contains the minutes of The Planning and Development Forum.
This will be of interest to people who want to know more about current planning issues.

ACT Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe is banging his shoe on the table to attract the attention of the local building industry and they way they handle asbestos:
“I am extremely concerned at the cavalier attitude to the handling of asbestos by a small number of builders,” Mr McCabe said.
“While the majority of people in [...]

A reader has sent in a summary of Development Applications notified to the Community Councils this week.
Handy for those struggling to keep on top of what’s new in this space.