Construction UK Construction Directory
Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Share this page
Construction News
02/10/2017

Big Ben Refurb Cost Jumps To £61m

Construction News Image
The cost to refurbish the Big Ben tower clock in London has more than doubled in price to over £60 million, it has been revealed.

With Sir Robert McAlpine being confirmed as the contractor for the project, the scheme's cost has rocketed from its original £29m valuation to £61m.

The new costs figure follows 16 months of detailed analysis of the work required to refurbish the Elizabeth Tower and Great Clock.

Reasons for the increased costs include an increased understanding of what work is needed. A lot more information is now known about the condition of the stonework following a further stone survey undertaken after the initial estimate. With the design having gone through a Detailed Design and Technical Design process, the company now understands the extend of the refurbishment work required throughout the Elizabeth Tower.

In addition, it was found that the processes for completing the works was more complex, and therefore more expensive, than previously thought. Examples include re-glazing the clock faces, stripping and repainting metal work within the tower, and the associated sequencing which the works can be completed to ensure a high quality of workmanship: the gilding cannot be completed until all the stripping and repainting of the metal work has been completed.

-- Advertisement --
hss

Ground conditions at the site have also proved to be more complex than anticipated and will require additional work. As an example, the quantity of utility services discovered in the ground in Speaker’s Green and New Palace Yard, was greater than what had previously been identified through the surveys and historic record information. This meant that further ground works were required to support the weight of the scaffolding.

Overall, the total cost of the project, including VAT, Risk and Optimism Bias and the transferred fire safety work costs, is therefore now estimated at £61m as opposed to £29m as estimated in spring 2016.

In a statement, the Clerk of the House of Commons, the Clerk of the Parliaments and the Director General said they acknowledge there have been estimating failures.

"In advance of tendering contracts, the initial high level estimates were set at a lower level to avoid cost escalation from the market," the statement said.

"Subsequent estimates, using better data and more extensive surveys, better reflect the true likelihood of the costs. We believe that we now have a more accurate estimate of the cost of the works and will report regularly to the committees on the progress of work."

The authorities of both Houses had already agreed to an internal audit review of progress on the Elizabeth Tower project, and this will now include analysis of the reasons for the increase in estimated costs.

(LM)

Latest Construction News

03/05/2024

Construction firm GRAHAM has started building work on a £19 million Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Workington town centre. The Centre will be located next to Cumberland Council's government-funded Innovation Hub which is also under development in Central Way. GRAHAM is the principal ...
03/05/2024

Significant progress is being made on a new £2 million recycling centre in Haverhill. Construction works are being completed by FCC Environment and its contractor DXI Regeneration Ltd, on behalf of Suffolk County Council. The facility will be operated by FCC Environment, which manages all of ...
03/05/2024

Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson has started work on a new primary school in Dunstall Park Estate, Tamworth. The work is taking place on behalf of Staffordshire County Council alongside project managers and concept architects, Entrust. The project was procured through the Constructing West ...
03/05/2024

Galliford Try has made another step in its carbon reduction journey with the deployment of a new digital platform across its Infrastructure projects. The platform, Qflow, automates data capture and processing by extracting information from delivery and waste tickets, using Artificial Intelligence ...
03/05/2024

Underfloor heating is the most efficient method of heating a room and is fast becoming the most popular option for new building and property refurbishments. As a result, more trade professionals are being asked to install underfloor heating and self-builders and renovators are using it as their ...
03/05/2024

Farrans is making significant progress at Barsham Water Treatment Works in Suffolk, where its client Essex and Suffolk Water is investing more than £49 million in upgrades to the site. Due to be complete in 2025, the project will provide improvements to the resilience and quality of drinking ...
03/05/2024

Work has been completed on a new bridleway bridge at Lindsells Level Crossing in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. Work started in December 2022 on the fully accessible bridleway bridge which allows pedestrians, horse riders, cyclists and other users to safely cross the railway line, providing better ...
03/05/2024

Ideal Work UK has unveiled Microtopping®, a revolutionary cementitious coating that delivers the sleek, sophisticated look of polished concrete with unparalleled versatility and ease of application. ...
03/05/2024

Building work has commenced on a new development in Oundle that will bring self-contained extra care apartments to the area along with 62 homes and three self-build plots. Persimmon's East Midlands team have started preparing the Barnwell Walk site off St Christopher’s Drive in the town and expect ...
03/05/2024

Morgan Sindall has been appointed to two new Pagabo frameworks. The two frameworks are valued at £1.6 billion each and will run for four years. It was confirmed earlier this month that Morgan Sindall had been appointed to the new £1.6bn Healthcare Decarbonisation Framework from Pagabo, which has ...
BRICOFLOR UKThink Construction Skills Ltd.Lakeside HireEfco UK LtdJWCAqua Direct LtdPhotodrones LimitedMetal Sheets LtdFernhill StoneArcadian Commercial Finance ltd
Terms and Conditions
2024/05/05 20:15:59