The Journal
Building Better Through Experience
More than twenty-five years in constructionfrom apprentice electrician to leading £100 million regeneration projects, resolving complex disputes and providing expert witness evidence. Independent commentary on construction, property and government policy.
Good buildings are created through good decisions. Good decisions are made through experience, judgement and the willingness to question accepted thinking.
— Christopher Woolcott
Purpose
Why this journal exists
Construction is one of Britain's most important industries, yet it remains one of its most misunderstood.
Policy shapes how projects are procured, designed and delivered. Building safety reform, environmental legislation, procurement rules and contractual regulation all carry consequences that often only become visible once they reach a site. Too often those consequences are debated by people who have seen a single part of the industry.
This journal is written from a different vantage point: from the tools to senior project leadership, and from contractor to consultant, client representative, dispute resolver and expert witness. It is where I set down what those perspectives have taught me — analysis of government policy, commentary on regulatory change, and reflections drawn from projects across a career.
No services are sold here. Only argument, evidence and judgement — offered in the hope of better projects, fairer contracts and more informed debate.
Latest Articles
July 16, 2026
There is a moment on every large regeneration programme when the Gantt chart stops describing the project and starts describing
July 16, 2026
The Procurement Act is a genuine improvement on what it replaced. It is clearer, more flexible and more honest about
July 16, 2026
There is a particular silence that settles over a project waiting on a Gateway Two determination. Nobody can build. Nobody