The prime minister is set to approve plans for an energy review, plus other stories from the weekend's newspapers.
Tony Blair will next month approve plans for an energy review, according to the Independent on Sunday. The review, which is expected to be launched in October or November, could determine whether new nuclear power stations will be built. The 12 existing nuclear reactors are coming to the end of their life and the government has to decide whether to replace them with new nuclear power stations, renewable energy sources such as windpower or CO2-producing fossil fuel power stations. The newspaper says the review is likely to lead to a new energy white paper.
The Corporation of London is planning to force through a Grimshaw-designed office development at the former London Stock Exchange building which could restrict the natural light available to surrounding buildings, according to the Observer. The newspaper claims that officials from the corporation, the Square Mile's local authority, are preparing to use compulsory purchase orders to force through developer Hammerson's00,000 ft2 redevelopment of the site. Owners of buildings nearby, including the Wellcome Trust, say the development will prevent them from extending their own sites.
Also reported over the weekend:
- Housebuilder Wilson Bowden has been selected as preferred developer for a £200m, 30-acre project in Cheshire.
- The Polish arm of British project manager John Laing has won a £484m contract to build a Polish motorway.
- Developer Beetham Organisation has submitted plans for a 740 ft tower on the site of J Sainsbury's former headquarters near London's Blackfriars Bridge.
