Fletcher in new Stevenson bid.

After being denied the right to buy part of the Stevenson Group three years ago, Fletcher Building has taken a tilt at another part of the business.

The Commerce Commission yesterday said it had an application from Fletcher for clearance to buy Stevenson's Whangarei and Auckland masonry businesses.

In June 2005, Fletcher Concrete and Infrastructure sought commission clearance to buy the building products division of Stevenson. But on September 15 of that year, the commission rejected the deal because it feared cement prices would rise even further if the sale was cleared.

New Zealanders already paid the second-highest price in the world for cement, …