Bishop & Taylor explore the disconnect between attempts to remove red tape for house-builders while simultaneously burdening them with ever-greater levels of bureacracy. They also discuss news from a couple of regulatory authorities: the Office of Rail & Road is investigating the deteriorating performance of National Highways; and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is on EDF’s case after a series of safety failings at its power plants.

146: Planning reforms, National Highways probe and Nuclear safety breaches

A weekly podcast in which veteran construction industry journalists Bishop and Taylor have a natter about some of the week’s events in the UK construction industry, seeking meaning even where none may exist.

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In this episode Bishop & Taylor mourn the demise of Geoffrey Osborne Ltd. They also discuss how missing green targets brought down Scotland’s first minister. Also examined are demolition projects featured in the May 2024 issue of The Construction Index magazine: Honda’s Swindon plant and a bridge over the M25 at Wisley.

152: The Downfall Episode: Osborne, Yousaf and Honda Swindon

Britain’s briefest prime minister has a book out this week and Bishop & Taylor discuss some of the things that she’s been saying. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, they decide. So what might Liz Truss be right about? Also in this episode, checking consultants’ credentials and Taylor’s adventure in artificial intelligence.



151: Could Truss be right?

Bishop & Taylor discuss the increasing difficulties endured by mobile crane hire companies faced with road embargos. They celebrate the completion of construction of the Thames Tideway tunnel (and hope it stops rowers vomiting).  And they wonder what housing minister Lee Rowley’s MMC policy review might throw up.



150: (Im)mobile Cranes, London Supersewer and MMC Review

In an unusually wide ranging episode, Bishop & Taylor cover crystalline silica, plastic pipes, the Lower Thames Crossing, the A66, the Daily Telegraph (is it really more important to national security than nuclear power?) and stress-inducing questions.

149: Killer Materials, Dubious Contracts and National Security

Bishop & Taylor are joined by Dr David Crosthwaite, chief economist of the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), to discuss Jeremy Hunt’s spring 2024 budget statement.

146: Planning reforms, National Highways probe and Nuclear safety breaches

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