• Buyers report steepest output fall for five-and-half years

    Construction buyers reported a “sharp and accelerated reduction” in output levels last month.
    The latest bellwether S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 39.4 in November from 44.1 in October.
    It was the lowest reading since May 2020 while lower volumes of construction output have now been recorded for eleven months in a row.Activity fell below the 50 no change mark in all sectors with housing activity (index at 35.4), commercial construction (43.8)
  • Anglian Water to shift £1.5bn work to single Tier 1 partner

    Anglian Water has put contractors on notice for a major bid race to appoint a single design and build firm or JV to deliver a £1.5bn programme of flagship projects across AMP8 and AMP9.
    The new Major Infrastructure Delivery Framework marks a clear shift from the multi-contractor alliance model that underpinned its AMP4 and AMP5 programmes.
    Now Anglian intends to try a more commercial approach with a sole Tier 1 delivery partner that operates in parallel with its existing Strategic Pipeline
  • Balfour Beatty powers up order book 20% to record £18.4bn

    Balfour Beatty is set to close the year with a turbocharged order book and cash pile as the UK energy boom powers the pipeline to record levels.
    This morning Balfour said it would reach year-end with an order book around 20% higher at roughly £18.4bn, driven by more than £3.5bn of new UK power-generation work and the long-awaited inclusion of £3bn of Sizewell C civils.
    Revenue is expected to come in more than 5% ahead of last year’s £10bn, with UK construction and s
  • Balfour Beatty powers up order book 20% to over £20bn

    Balfour Beatty is set to close the year with a turbocharged order book and cash pile as the UK energy boom powers the pipeline to record levels.
    This morning Balfour said it would reach year-end with an order book around 20% higher at more than £20bn, driven by more than £3.5bn of new UK power-generation work and the long-awaited inclusion of £3bn of Sizewell C civils.
    Revenue is expected to come in more than 5% ahead of last year’s £10bn, with UK construction and s
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  • Electrical apprentice falls through fragile roof

    Two companies have been fined after an electrical apprentice fell through a roof while installing CCTV in Weymouth.
    The then 20-year-old had been working for electrical contractor Tristan G Murless Limited at one of its sites at a commercial industrial estate on 13 July 2022.
    He had been using a makeshift crawling board when he fell around 11 feet through a fragile roof to the concrete floor below.
    The incident took place on the roof of a lean-to attached to a main warehouse. The project involve
  • BAM gets green light for £140m Cardiff Central revamp

    BAM has got the green light to start the £140m overhaul of Cardiff Central after the Government approved the final business case for Wales’ busiest station.
    Work will begin in spring 2026 on a major rebuild delivering a new southern entrance, a larger concourse and an extended platform 0 to ease chronic congestion for the 35,000 passengers using the station each day.
    The £140m package includes nearly £78m from the UK Government, £40m from Cardiff Capital Region and
  • Monster TBM hunt starts for Lower Thames Crossing

    Bouygues Murphy JV has entered talks to buy a monster TBM to drive one of the widest tunnels in the world for the Lower Thames Crossing.
    The JV will use just one machine to drive both 16.4m wide north and southbound tunnels, keeping costs down while not impacting the total programme schedule.
    Tunnelling machine procurement gets underway as it emerged the mega project cost is heading towards £11bn, up from the £9bn cited earlier this year. The Government is due to foot £3.1bn of
  • BGS Utilities gets investment boost for growth plans

    Multi-utility infrastructure provider BGS Utilities has received a six-figure investment boost to assist the firm’s future growth.
    Based out of its offices in Birchwood Park, Warrington, BGS Utilities works across the industrial and commercial, and house building sectors across the North West and surrounding areas.
    The investment from NPIF II – FW Capital Debt Finance, which is managed by FW Capital as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) is assisting the firm
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  • Builder ordered to pay back stolen plant and car money

    A builder who stole almost £85,000 in hired plant and used company funds to pay for his high-performance car will go to jail if he does not repay more than £190,000 in the next three months.
    Vasile Hrusca used more than £67,000 from his own failing company in 2019 to pay off the remaining balance on a hire purchase agreement for an Audi RS6 which he had bought the previous year for just under £75,000.
    He also sold seven diggers and other machinery which were still subject
  • Iconic London meat and fish markets line up Royal Docks move

    Traders at London’s iconic Billingsgate and Smithfield markets have agreed a preferred new home at the Royal Docks paving the way for massive development plans at the exisiting sites.
    The City of London Corporation and GLA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to relocate both historic wholesale markets at Albert Island next to City Airport in Newham.
    The ambitious plans now hinge on Parliamentary approval to formally end trading at the current sites in 2028 and planning consent from N
  • Amey rail maintenance workers to hold strike ballot

    Rail union TSSA will ballot hundreds of members employed by Amey after accusing the contractor of trying to push through a ‘below-inflation pay offer amounting to a real-terms cut in wages.”
    Around 300 Amey rail maintenance workers across Scotland, Wales, North East, Midlands, London and all Southern regions will be asked to support strike action in the ballot which opens today and closes on Monday 15 December.
    The action follows Amey’s decision to proceed with a pay offer of 2
  • Water orders flow as Kier nets £44m ECI haul

    Kier has scooped another pair of early-stage AMP8 deals from Southern Water, adding £44m of work to its fast-growing water portfolio.
    The two ECI packages cover design and development work across a dozen wastewater treatment sites and come on top of £29m of similar AMP8 wins secured earlier this year.
    A £20m tranche covers early-stage design at six plants: Chickenhall, Fullerton, Leeds, Newnham Valley, Paddock Wood and Sellindge.
    Upgrades will lift capacity and boost compliance
  • £350m plan lodged for Leatherhead town centre revamp

    The Kier Property and Mole Valley District Council joint venture has fired the starting gun on a £350m overhaul of Leatherhead town centre in Surey.
    The Leret Partnership is targeting two key brownfield sites at Bull Hill and the Swan Centre as part of the council’s wider Transform Leatherhead programme.
    Its application will see 480 homes, workspace and leisure, including more than 10,000 sq m of modern Net Zero Carbon offices aimed at attracting new employers into the town.Bull Hil
  • Willmott Dixon tops contracts league after £136m Luton win

    Willmott Dixon has topped the November work-won rankings after bagging a £136m mixed-use scheme in Luton town centre and a run of education jobs that pushed it clear of the chasing pack.
    Its flagship Luton Stage project, procured through the Southern Construction Framework, will transform the old Bute Street Shoppers car park into a major new destination with 292 flats, commercial space and a purpose-built events venue.
    Morgan Sindall took second place after another strong month of regiona
  • Civils firm files administration notice as part of restructure

    The directors of Essex-based contractor E.J. Taylor & Sons Limited have filed a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Appoint Administrators as part of a proposed restructuring process supported by FRP Advisory.
    The NOI was filed at Court on Monday to provide the company with protection while marketing of the business is undertaken and a pre-packaged sale is progressed.
    The business continues to trade normally in the meantime and said it will continue to make supplier and subcontractor payments.The c
  • Tilbury Douglas appoints new fit-out MD

    Tilbury Douglas has appointed Jack Dixon to the newly created role of Managing Director at its fit-out division Paragon.
    Dixon joins from Structure Tone London where he spent nine years latterly as a divisional director.
    Craig Tatton, Chief Executive Officer at Tilbury Douglas said: “This appointment further invests in Paragon’s development, building on its established reputation.“Looking ahead, there’s a clear opportunity to grow our fit-out business with targeted privat
  • Kier CFO to step down after six-year turnaround mission

    Kier CFO Simon Kesterton is stepping down at the end of the year after six years helping steer the group through its biggest financial reset in a generation.
    Kesterton joined when Kier was on the ropes with a battered balance sheet and mounting debt.
    He leaves with the group firmly back on its feet, cash discipline tightened and major IT and procurement shake-ups pushed through.
    CFO change: Simon Kesterson steps down after six years as Tom Hinton hired to drive next phase of growth
    His replaceme
  • London Mayor ends stalemate over Paddington student towers

    Unite has won a long-running planning battle in Paddington after the London Mayor’s office stepped in to overturn Westminster Council and approve its 600-bed Baltic Wharf student towers project.
    City Hall’s intervention draws a line under one of Westminster’s most fiercely contested student housing disputes and finally clears the way for construction to start.
    The £147m scheme on a Travis Perkins builders’ merchant site had been repeatedly blocked by councillors who
  • Severfield suffers £7.6m first-half loss amid work slowdown

    Steelwork giant Severfield has taken another financial hit after posting a £7.6m pre-tax loss for the first half of the year amid tighter pricing, lower factory volumes and lingering bridge remediation fallout.
    Revenue at the steelwork contractor tumbled 18% to £206m as demand across commercial, industrial and data-centre work stayed muted and margins remained under pressure.
    Underlying pre-tax profit slumped from £16m in the same period a year ago to just £0.6m as factor
  • Holcim buys site waste removal business

    Holcim UK has acquired London construction waste management company Thames Materials Limited.
    The acquisition will reinforce Holcim’s position in the recycling and construction demolition materials market in the capital and surrounding areas.
    Thames Materials was formed in 1995 and employs 90 people with a fleet of 62 vehicles with its head office in Uxbridge.Recycling operations are conducted from a 12 acre facility in Harefield with a capacity of 750,000 tonnes.
    The firm specialises in t
  • London co-living job storms through Gateway 2 in 13 weeks

    Developer Morro has achieved the industry’s fastest Building Safety Act approval clearing Gateway 2 in just 13 weeks for a London co-living scheme.
    The rapid Building Safety Regulator sign-off means contractor HG Construction can now get underway on the Hackney project at a long-vacant builders’ yard overlooking Regent’s Canal.
    The Meanwhile Group’s Morro brand, working with development manager Pareto Projects and principal designer Veretec, has now secured both planning
  • Bauer Technologies lands Dovetail Building piling deal

    Bauer Technologies has been awarded the specialist piling and geotechnical works package for The Dovetail Building – a 24-storey mixed-use development in the City of London.
    Commissioned by Deconstruct UK Ltd on behalf of client Brockton Everlast, the project represents a significant addition to London’s premium office and retail landscape, featuring a three-level basement and high-specification tower structure designed to meet modern sustainability and performance standards.
    Bauer T
  • CSCS Alliance confirms appointment of new Chair

    The CSCS Alliance – the collective voice of the 37 card schemes that carry the CSCS logo – has announced the appointment of Marion Marsland as its new Chair.
    Marsland will lead the Alliance as it continues to drive higher standards and improved safety across construction and the built environment.
    With over 40 years’ experience in the thermal insulation sector, Masland has worked across contracting, distribution and manufacturing before moving into trade-association leadership.
  • Caddick lands £20m Nottingham addiction clinic

    Caddick has been picked as preferred bidder to deliver a £20m addiction treatment clinic on the site of Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue’s former HQ in Bestwood.
    The contractor has signed a PCSA with Delamere Health to prep the plot for a new 32-room residential treatment centre billed as the UK’s biggest investment in addiction rehabilitation.
    Demolition of the old fire HQ is due to start before Christmas ahead of a full build contract expected early next year.
    Designed by An
  • Balfour regional civils chief joins Costain

    Costain has appointed Peter Mumford as managing director for its natural resources division.
    Mumford will join Costain’s Executive Board and start on 2 January 2026.
    He replaces Sam White who left in October to become managing director of Mitie’s Technical Services division.
    Mumford joins from Balfour Beatty where he was managing director of its regional civils business in the UK.Prior to that he spent five years at National Highways leading the delivery of the government’s &po
  • Gateway 2 project backlog slashed but retrofit logjam drags on

    The Building Safety Regulator has slashed the pile of legacy Gateway 2 new build cases by almost half as new approval procedures start to kick in.
    But large numbers of planned remediation and refurbishment project remain stuck in a stubborn bottleneck as fresh applications continue to outpace decisions.
    Since August, the regulator has pushed through 40 legacy high rise, new build determinations, cutting the old-case backlog from 103 to 63.
    Another nine schemes are already lined up for approval w
  • ECO4 axe pushes local retrofit firms to brink

    Regional energy retrofit firms are warning of a supply-chain collapse after the Government moved to axe the £6.5bn ECO4 scheme that upgrades damp, mouldy and draughty homes for the poorest households.
    The shock Budget decision scraps the £1.3bn-a-year programme in March 2026, handing bill-payers a saving of around £48 while pulling vital funding from low-income homes and the SME contractors that deliver the work.
    Around 5,000 homes a month currently receive measures through ECO
  • “Future of construction” firm files administration notice

    Pioneering graphene firm Versarien has filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator.
    The firm’s products include Cementene – a concrete admixture hailed as the “future of construction” which boosts strength and cuts carbon.
    Versarien has trialled its products on HS2 and signed a deal with Balfour Beatty last year to work on new products.But the AIM listed business confirmed this morning that its shares were being suspended while it seeks a buyer over the next t
  • Stage set for Andover £24m new theatre bid race

    Test Valley Borough Council has raised the curtain on a £24m two-stage tender to build Andover’s new flagship theatre.
    The council is hunting a contractor to deliver pre-construction services and a 77-week main works package that will form the centrepiece of its town-centre masterplan.
    The project replaces the old Poundstretcher unit on the High Street, now being demolished to create a clear site for the venue, which will become the new home for The Lights.
    Five contractors are expec
  • Manchester town hall refurb costs hit £525m

    The refurbishment of Manchester Town Hall will cost another £95m and not be completed until Spring 2027 by main contractor Bovis.
    The latest total £525m budget and time scale increase has  been confirmed in a project update by Manchester City Council.
    Bovis – then known as Lendlease – started the job in 2020 with an original budget of £330m and completion date of 2024.The scheme has been hit by a series of cost and time increases in the intervening years and th
  • Electrical flashover at wind farm hits maintenance worker

    A wind farm management services company has been fined £80,000 after a worker was seriously injured by an electrical flashover.
    Natural Power Services Limited had sent the then 38-year-old to carry out maintenance work in an electrical substation within the Tom Nan Clach Wind Farm, near Inverness on June 23 2020. His injuries were life-changing and have required multiple surgeries.
    An HSE investigation found that the incident happened following a departure from the prepared switching
  • Yoo Capital lodges plan for £1bn Camden Film Quarter

    Plans have been lodged for a £1bn Camden Film Quarter project to be built at an industrial estate in Kentish Town, north London.
    Backed by Yoo Capital, the plans includes a studio campus boasting visual-effects, animation and post-production facilities. A pair of major film schools – the National Film and Television School and the London Screen Academy – will also open new education hubs as part of the scheme.
    If planning is granted, around 1,370 construction jobs will be creat
  • Fit-out firm AC1 lands first job as main contractor

    AC1 Construction has landed its first main contractor job in Birmingham following the launch of its new Major Projects Division.
    The deal will see AC1 build a 202-bed £19m student accommodation scheme in Liverpool for Blacklight Capital Partners.
    The family-owned firm has been in business since 2010 starting-out as a a dry lining subcontractor and labour agency in London.Sustained growth has seen AC1 evolve into a £23m turnover fit-out contractor now operating a Major Projects Divisi
  • M&E specialist restarts Berwick Hospital job after Merit collapse

    Work on the delayed Berwick Community Hospital is back on the move after the sudden collapse of main contractor Merit forced Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to trigger emergency measures.
    Tyne and Wear-based M&E specialist Opus Building Services has now been drafted in as interim contractor and is already established on site, re-employing most of the former Merit team to keep momentum going while the trust begins the hunt for a permanent replacement builder.
    Damon Kent, managing
  • Modular specialist Thurston files administration notice

    Leading modular building specialist Thurston Group has filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator.
    The company has been in business since 1970 operating out of its head office in Wakefield.
    Latest accounts for the firm for the year to October 31 2024 show a turnover of £46.5m generating a pre-tax profit of £3.3m while the business employed 308 staff.
    Data and credit checking specialist Red Flag Alert highlighted the firms’ administration notice with its regular che
  • Concrete specialist beats Budget EOT change

    Greater Manchester based specialist Goodmix Concrete was sold to its staff just hours before Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) rules were changed in the Budget.
    The deal to transfer a majority ownership of the Ready Mixed Concrete firm into an EOT was completed on Tuesday.
    In a surprise move in Wednesday’s Budget Chanceller Rachel Reeves cut the current 100% Capital Gains Tax relief in half for business owners who sell via an EOT.Goodmix Concrete founders Chris and Jasmine Goodier decided on
  • Crane load failure at Hinkley: Video

    Dramatic footage has emerged of a crane load falling at the giant Hinkley Point C nuclear construction site in Somerset.
    The Enquirer has been forwarded the video which has been widely circulated on social media.Main contractor Bylor – the joint venture of Bouygues and Laing O’Rourke – is understood to have suspended all similar lifting operations after the accident.The Enquirer understands the incident occurred earlier this month when two assembled formwork shutters were
  • JP Morgan unveils plan for London’s biggest office tower

    JP MorganChase has unveiled plans for a 3m sq ft tower in Canary Wharf that would become the biggest office building in London and a new HQ for up to 12,000 staff.
    The banking giant wants to build the super-structure on the Riverside site, and is reported to be hoping the build will exceed the Shard in height although Canary Wharf building heights are capped to allow clear flight path to London Docklands airport.
    Designed by Foster + Partners, the tower mirrors the firm’s ambition at its g
  • JP Morgan unveils plan for £3bn London mega-tower

    JP MorganChase has unveiled plans for a 3m sq ft tower in Canary Wharf that would become the biggest office building in London and a new HQ for up to 12,000 staff.
    The banking giant wants to build the £3bn project on a riverside site, and is reported to be hoping the build will exceed the Shard in height although Canary Wharf building heights are capped to allow for safe flight paths to London City Airport.
    Designed by Foster + Partners, the tower mirrors the firm’s ambition at its g
  • Wernick unveils new leadership structure

    The Wernick Group has announced a series of senior leadership changes to strengthen the organisation as it delivers on its ambitious long-term strategy.
    From the January 1 2026, Michael Thistlethwaite will become Chief Executive Officer (Rental Division) after successfully leading Wernick Hire as Managing Director for 13-years.
    The new role will oversee the group’s rental companies; Wernick Hire, Wernick Power Solutions, Wernick Events and Rawley Plant Hire; which currently account for aro
  • CIS fraud clampdown puts directors in the firing line

    HMRC is set to unleash a major crackdown on organised CIS abuse after the Chancellor used the Budget to put directors in the firing line for supply chain tax fraud.
    The move marks the toughest shake-up of the scheme in two decades and targets firms that turn a blind eye to “too good to be true” operators.
    From April 2026, any business judged to have known or should have known it was tied to fraudulent transactions will instantly lose their gross payment status for at least five years
  • Council clears way for £10bn Earls Court district

    The Earls Court Development Company has won planning for a key stage of its 7.5m sq ft masterplan to develop central London’s largest cleared development site.
    Last night Hammersmith & Fulham councillors approved hybrid plans to turn a 44-acre wasteland into 4,000-home innovation district.
    Aisgill Gardens
    The decision unlocks the capital’s largest cleared development site that has sat empty since the demolition of the old Earls Court Exhibition Centres.Developers now await a plan
  • Brandon Hire Station to close 60 branches

    Equipment rental specialist Vp plc is closing 60 Brandon Hire Station branches with the loss of 400 jobs.
    The move is a pivot away from the general retail and DIY construction market as Vp focuses on its bigger contractor customers and larger projects through its specialised divisions like Groundforce and TPA.
    Brandon Hire Station will now only support Vp’s strategic and B2B customers and will no longer serve the consumer market.The move comes as Vp posted interim results for the six month
  • Brandon Hire Station to close 40 branches

    Equipment rental specialist Vp plc is closing 40 Brandon Hire Station branches with the loss of 400 jobs.
    The move is a pivot away from the general retail and DIY construction market as Vp focuses on its bigger contractor customers and larger projects through its specialised divisions like Groundforce and TPA.
    Brandon Hire Station will now only support Vp’s strategic and B2B customers and will no longer serve the consumer market.The move comes as Vp posted interim results for the six month
  • National Timber Group collapses with over 560 jobs axed

    The country’s biggest independent timber supplier, National Timber Group, has collapsed into administration with 561 jobs axed immediately.
    Administrators from Alvarez & Marsal have closed 13 branches across England and Scotland and mothballed several production facilities as they move to stabilise the business.
    Remaining depots continue to trade while the team races to find a buyer for he £300m turnover business.
    Partners at Alvarez & Marsal, now running five National Timber
  • Construction to start next year on Lower Thames Crossing

    Construction is now scheduled to start next year on the Lower Thames Crossing after the government committed a further £891m to complete the publicly funded initial stages of the project.
    The money announced in the Budget follows an initial grant of £590m in June after plans for the £10bn scheme were approved in March.
    The Budget announcement said: “The government is committing a further £891 million to complete the publicly funded works for the Lower Thames Crossin
  • Reeves raises taxes on dividends and EOT deals

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves hit construction business owners in the pocket today with increases in dividend tax rates and a cut in tax benefits during Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) deals.
    EOTs have become popular in construction with a string of contractors sold to their staff.
    Currently business owners benefit from 100% Capital Gains Tax relief when they sell their firms via an EOT.Reeves said that relief will now be reduced to 50% from today in a move designed to save £3.5bn over the next
  • £750m Marlow film studios clears green belt hurdle

    A controversial £750m plan to build a major new film studio campus on Buckinghamshire green belt has finally been waved through by the government.
    Dido Properties has won its appeal for Marlow Film Studios after Buckinghamshire Council rejected the scheme in 2024 over fears of “spatial and visual harm” to the landscape.
    The decision from housing and communities secretary Steve Reed landed just hours before the Budget following a five-week inquiry held earlier this year.The 56-a
  • McLaren wins UK’s largest timber frame office building

    McLaren Construction has been appointed by developer Global Holdings Management Group to build its 100,000 sq ft Xylo building in Clerkenwell
    The nine-storey scheme in central London will be the UK’s largest all-timber frame office building.
    Following the completion of enabling works, McLaren will now work alongside architects Piercy&Co, project manager Avison Young, services and sustainability engineers Max Fordham, and structural and civil engineers Heyne Tillett Steel, to deliv
  • Bellrock buys lift specialist

    Expanding facilities management firm Bellrock has acquired installation and maintenance specialist MW Lift Services.
    Newcastle based MW Lift Services provides lift installation, refurbishment, maintenance and 24/7 call-out services to a wide range of public and private sector clients.
    The deal strengthens Bellrock’s self-delivery model and adds in-house lift expertise to its Critical Engineering division.Bellrock already provides a full range of planned and reactive technical services incl

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