https://gce-ltd.co.uk/blog/ Globe Civil Engineering delivers groundworks, roads, sewers and fencing across East Anglia and the Southeast. Trusted by housing developers and principal contractors. en-gb Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:05:09 GMT https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/section-106-obligations-affecting-civils-delivery-on-housing-schemes/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/section-106-obligations-affecting-civils-delivery-on-housing-schemes/ Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT Civil Engineering Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is the legal mechanism by which local planning authorities secure developer contributions to community infrastructure… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/sub-station-and-utility-coordination-on-housing-sites-where-programmes-most-often-slip/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/sub-station-and-utility-coordination-on-housing-sites-where-programmes-most-often-slip/ Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT Civil Engineering On UK housing developments of any meaningful size, electrical supply requires a new sub-station within or adjacent to the scheme. The provision, installation and commissioning of… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/tree-root-protection-during-groundworks-planning-conditions-and-practical-constraints/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/tree-root-protection-during-groundworks-planning-conditions-and-practical-constraints/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT Civil Engineering Housing developments on sites with mature trees carry specific planning conditions around tree protection. Root Protection Areas, defined by British Standard BS 5837, extend well… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/suds-attenuation-on-housing-sites-design-adoption-and-long-term-liability/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/suds-attenuation-on-housing-sites-design-adoption-and-long-term-liability/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT Civil Engineering Sustainable Drainage Systems, commonly abbreviated as SuDS, have become standard on UK housing developments in response to Environment Agency guidance and, more recently, Schedule… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/section-38-vs-section-278-agreements-what-housing-developers-need-to-know/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/section-38-vs-section-278-agreements-what-housing-developers-need-to-know/ Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks On housing developments that include new roads or modifications to the existing highway network, two specific legal agreements with the highway authority govern the work. Section… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-groundworks-failures-cost-developers-more-than-any-other-package/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-groundworks-failures-cost-developers-more-than-any-other-package/ Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks Across the UK housing market, defects originating in the groundworks package are statistically the most expensive defects developers and warranty providers face. The reasons are… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/roads-and-sewers-coordination-on-phased-developments-keeping-plot-releases-on-track/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/roads-and-sewers-coordination-on-phased-developments-keeping-plot-releases-on-track/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks On phased residential developments, roads and sewers are the infrastructure that determines plot release dates. A plot cannot be released for sale and occupation until the road… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/npors-and-cpcs-certification-what-operator-qualifications-mean-for-your-site/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/npors-and-cpcs-certification-what-operator-qualifications-mean-for-your-site/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks Plant operators on UK construction sites carry either CPCS or NPORS certification for the categories of plant they operate. Both schemes are recognised by the major UK… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-fencing-and-decking-specifications-get-decided-too-late-on-housing-sites/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-fencing-and-decking-specifications-get-decided-too-late-on-housing-sites/ Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks Fencing and decking on UK housing developments often get specified late in the design process. They are visible parts of the finished plot but small components of the cost plan,… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/acting-as-principal-contractor-on-groundworks-packages-when-single-point-responsibility-pays-off/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/acting-as-principal-contractor-on-groundworks-packages-when-single-point-responsibility-pays-off/ Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks On most housing schemes, the principal contractor role rests with a main contractor who carries the duty across the full construction programme. There are schemes, however, where… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/chalk-clay-and-london-soils-how-ground-conditions-shape-your-groundworks-budget/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/chalk-clay-and-london-soils-how-ground-conditions-shape-your-groundworks-budget/ Mon, 20 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks Ground conditions are the largest single source of cost variance on most groundworks packages. The cost of working in soft alluvial clay differs materially from the cost of… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-material-reuse-on-large-schemes-cuts-costs-without-cutting-corners/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-material-reuse-on-large-schemes-cuts-costs-without-cutting-corners/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks On large groundworks packages, the cost of materials moving on and off site is one of the larger lines in the cost plan. Imported fill, removed excavation arisings, granular… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/cdm-2015-on-groundworks-packages-how-principal-contractors-reduce-their-exposure/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/cdm-2015-on-groundworks-packages-how-principal-contractors-reduce-their-exposure/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks Groundworks sits early on the construction phase plan and carries disproportionate residual risk under CDM 2015. The principal contractor's exposure begins the moment ground is… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/highways-adoption-how-getting-roads-and-sewers-right-first-time-protects-your-sales-programme/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/highways-adoption-how-getting-roads-and-sewers-right-first-time-protects-your-sales-programme/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks On a housing development, highways adoption rarely gets the commercial attention it deserves until it goes wrong. Roads and sewers built outside adoption standards, identified… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-early-globe-civil-engineering-involvement-at-pre-construction-stage-reduces-risk-on-housing-schemes/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-early-globe-civil-engineering-involvement-at-pre-construction-stage-reduces-risk-on-housing-schemes/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks On a housing development, the decisions made in the weeks and months before any plant arrives on site shape the cost, programme, and risk profile of the entire scheme. By the time… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/delivering-civil-engineering-works-in-live-operational-environments/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/delivering-civil-engineering-works-in-live-operational-environments/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks Civil engineering works carried out on a greenfield housing site involve their own complexities, but the operational environment is at least controllable. The site is the… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/designing-for-buildability-in-civil-engineering/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/designing-for-buildability-in-civil-engineering/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks On most housing developments, the civil engineering design is largely complete before the contractor responsible for delivering it is engaged. This is the standard procurement… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/iso-9001-in-groundworks-why-certified-quality-management-matters-at-formation-stage/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/iso-9001-in-groundworks-why-certified-quality-management-matters-at-formation-stage/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks Formation stage is where housing developments quietly succeed or fail. The decisions made and the standards applied at formation level shape everything that follows — the… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/the-importance-of-accurate-setting-out-in-civil-engineering-projects/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/the-importance-of-accurate-setting-out-in-civil-engineering-projects/ Mon, 25 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT Civil Engineering Setting out is where every civil engineering project begins in practice. Before a single machine moves soil or a single length of drainage pipe is laid, the positions, levels, and… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/best-practice-approaches-to-quality-assurance-in-civil-engineering/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/best-practice-approaches-to-quality-assurance-in-civil-engineering/ Mon, 18 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT Civil Engineering Quality assurance in civil engineering is not a back-office function. It's a live operational discipline that runs throughout the groundworks and civil engineering programme —… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/the-importance-of-sequencing-in-civil-engineering-delivery/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/the-importance-of-sequencing-in-civil-engineering-delivery/ Mon, 11 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT Civil Engineering On a new build residential development, the groundworks and civil engineering package doesn't happen in isolation. It happens within a programme that includes drainage adoption,… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/temporary-works-coordination-in-civil-engineering-projects/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/civil-engineering/temporary-works-coordination-in-civil-engineering-projects/ Mon, 04 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT Civil Engineering Temporary works are one of the most consistently underestimated elements of a civil engineering programme. They're not the permanent infrastructure that a development is built… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-sub-base-compaction-matters-on-new-build-residential-developments/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/why-sub-base-compaction-matters-on-new-build-residential-developments/ Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks When a housing development starts to show cracked driveways, uneven paths, or roads that deteriorate within months of adoption, the cause often traces back to one of the earliest… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/how-globe-civil-engineering-selects-plant-and-equipment-for-residential-and-commercial-projects/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/how-globe-civil-engineering-selects-plant-and-equipment-for-residential-and-commercial-projects/ Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks When a groundworks contractor turns up on site, the plant they bring with them says a lot about how they work. Undersized equipment slows the programme. Oversized machines cause… https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/how-globe-civil-engineering-manages-temporary-works-on-residential-and-commercial-projects/ https://gce-ltd.co.uk/groundworks/how-globe-civil-engineering-manages-temporary-works-on-residential-and-commercial-projects/ Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT Groundworks Temporary works don't make the headlines when they go right. They make the headlines — and generate HSE investigations, programme delays, and significant costs — when they go…