Construction news

• £175m Trafford Stretford Mall resi job out to bid

  09-12-2025 08:52 via constructionenquirer.com
  Joint venture partners Bruntwood and Trafford Council have kicked off the hunt for a contractor to deliver the first major residential phase of the £210m Stretford Mall redevelopment.
  Detailed designs for Plot 2A are due to be submitted early in the new year. This will consist of a 249-home Build to Rent block that sits at the heart of the new town centre and marks the most dramatic physical change to the Mall since the masterplan was signed off in 2023.
  A large chunk of the 350,000 sq ft
  
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• CSCS launches AI-powered app upgrade

  11-12-2025 15:47 via constructionenquirer.com
  The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) has unveiled a major upgrade to its My CSCS app, introducing an AI-driven application process and additional features designed to support compliance with the Building Safety Act.
  The enhanced app enables users to renew and apply for CSCS cards in-app, access their digital CSCS card for site access and generate a CV-style resume, showcasing an individual’s skills and training records, such as CPD, SMSTS/SSSTS courses or fire safety trainin
  
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• Plans go in for £650m retail park to resi scheme

  11-12-2025 15:31 via constructionenquirer.com
  Developer Amro Partners has submitted a planning application for a £650m redevelopment of Lewisham Retail Park to deliver 1,452 new rental homes in south London.
  The 2.8-acre island site was secured by Amro in 2024 and proposals include five new buildings in a landscaped neighbourhood with almost 2,000 sqm of commercial space, extensive landscaping and a variety of housing types.
  These include 387 Build to Rent homes, 383 co-living studios and 682 purpose-built student accommodation studio
  
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• Former McAlpine boss lined up for Royal BAM board role

  11-12-2025 10:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  Royal BAM Group has moved to strengthen its top table with former Sir Robert McAlpine chief Paul Hamer set to join its supervisory board next year.
  BAM will put Hamer’s appointment to shareholders at its AGM in May 2026, filling the vacancy created when Paul Sheffield steps down at the end of his term.The group’s Central Works Council has already backed the move.Hamer brings more than three decades’ leadership experience across construction, infrastructure, consultancy. He spen
  
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• Plans in for first major build phase of £2bn York Central scheme

  11-12-2025 08:41 via constructionenquirer.com
  The planned £2bn York Central regeneration has shifted up gear with developers submitting the major building planning package covering almost all remaining elements of the first phase.
  The new application for phase 1C includes the first 999 homes, an innovation hub, major retail and leisure floorspace, a 213-bed hotel, large areas of public realm, and a new western entrance to York Railway Station.
  York Central is being delivered by the McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate joint vent
  
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• CITB wage bill tops £52m as staff numbers jump 13%

  11-12-2025 08:40 via constructionenquirer.com
  The total wage bill at the CITB was £52.5m last year according to the latest set of accounts published by the training body.
  Employment costs jumped from £45.9m last time as the number of CITB staff increased to 861 from 763.
  The accounts state: “We have increased staff numbers to rebuild the organisation’s capacity and capability, ensuring we are fully equipped to deliver on the ambitions of our new Strategic Plan.”The figures come as the CITB faced a barrage of cr
  
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• Ant Yapi UK lands latest Chelsea Barracks deal

  11-12-2025 08:16 via constructionenquirer.com
  Ant Yapi UK has landed another fit-out deal at the Chelsea Barracks redevelopment in South West London.
  The Turkish owned specialist has been selected to deliver the fit-out of Building 7 following its successful completion of Building 8.
  Multiplex is the principal contractor for phase four of the giant scheme which consists of three blocks, arranged around a private courtyard being built for developer Qatari Diar.Ant Yapi is undestood to have beaten-off competition from Ardmore, Mivan and
  
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• M Group muscles into top five contractors after growth spurt

  11-12-2025 08:11 via constructionenquirer.com
  Private equity-owned infrastructure services specialist M Group has blasted its way into industry’s top five contractors after raising revenue 14% to £2.5bn.
  Fresh accounts for the parent company show the CVC-backed infrastructure services giant stacked up an £8.8bn order book (2024: £6.4bn) on the back of booming workloads in its targetted regulated utilities and critical national infrastructure sectors.
  Water and energy were the standout performers in the year to March
  
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• Peterborough electrical specialist files administration notice

  11-12-2025 08:09 via constructionenquirer.com
  Peterborough-based electrical contractor EML has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.
  The commercial and industrial specialist has delivered jobs across the country employing over 30 staff.
  Set up eight years ago, the family-owned firm specialises in green building energy packages as well as EV charging points.
   
  
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• Lords push for staged Gateway 2 approval to aid design and build

  11-12-2025 01:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  Peers have called for targetted changes to the Building Safety Regulator process after concluding that widespread delays are stalling high-rise housing, blocking refurbishments, and stranding residents in unsafe buildings for longer.
  A hard-hitting House of Lords committee report urges ministers to introduce a more staged approach to Gateway 2 approvals, allowing design and build contractors to progress construction while detailed design work continues.
  Peers also demanded that non-safety-critic
  
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• Go-ahead for plan to level Cambridge retail park for life-science hub

  10-12-2025 09:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  Plans to flatten Cambridge’s Beehive Centre retail park and replace it with a major cluster of offices and laboratories have been signed off by Housing Secretary Steve Reed.
  The Coldhams Lane site — home to 17 retail units including a large Asda — will now become a 1m sq ft life-sciences employment hub after ministers overruled Cambridge City Council’s original refusal.
  The council rejected the plans in February, warning that “enormous” new blocks would oversh
  
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• Subcontractor competition keeps build costs flat at Berkeley

  10-12-2025 08:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  House building giant Berkeley said intense competition among subcontractors is keeping construction costs down with the “highly-competitive” environment expected to continue next year.
  In it’s half-years results update today the company said: “Berkeley has experienced highly competitive tendering across most trades during the period, as our supply chain looks to secure near-term work in an environment where housing and wider construction activity remain subdued, particula
  
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• Coventry to back build of Very Light Rail street pilot

  10-12-2025 08:56 via constructionenquirer.com
  Coventry is set to press the button on the next major real-world trial of its Very Light Rail system with Colas is tipped to deliver the 800m twin-track project.
  The scheme marks the final demonstration step in the city’s push to roll out a new type of ultra-light, fast-to-build urban transport aimed at smaller and medium-sized cities.
  Coventry City Council is poised to approve construction of the new route between Coventry Railway Station and Coventry University Technology Park on Mile La
  
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• Green light for major Oxford Circus mixed use scheme

  10-12-2025 08:31 via constructionenquirer.com
  Planners at Westminster City Council have unanimously granted permission for Berkeley Estate Asset Management and KPF’s transformation of 33 Cavendish Square, the former BHS and UAL College of Fashion site.
  Construction work is now expected to commence in 2029, with completion of the development anticipated in 2033.
  The island site by Oxford Circus will deliver 800,000 sq ft of Grade-A office space alongside 102,000 sq ft of retail.The scheme will also provide 38,000 sq ft dedicated to cul
  
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• Industry calls grow to scrap the CITB

  09-12-2025 22:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  Furious contractors have been making louder calls to scrap the CITB in the wake of its latest round of controversial training cuts this week.
  Angry firms have been contacting the Enquirer and taking to social media to vent their frustration at the latest moves.
  Beena Nana, Head of Skills and Training at fit-out trade body FIS said: “Our members voted against consensus as recently as this summer and the initial reaction seems to be that the offer from CITB is even worse than they thought.&l
  
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• Benniman bags latest DIRFT next-gen logistics job

  09-12-2025 15:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  Benniman has clinched another major shed job at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal after Prologis UK handed the firm a next-generation cold store and logistics hub at the Northamptonshire rail freight powerhouse.
  The 285,000 sq ft cross-docked unit, known as DC11, will pack in 48 docks, a 22m haunch height and extensive tenant enhancements, along with external amenity areas.
  The job believed to be worth around £40m is designed to hit EPC A+, BREEAM Outstanding and net-zero carbon
  
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• Willmott Dixon on blocks for £35m Surrey leisure centre

  09-12-2025 15:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  Willmott Dixon has beaten rivals to emerge as preferred bidder for the £35m leisure centre rebuild at Cranleigh, Surrey.
  The long-awaited scheme cleared a key milestone after Waverley Borough Council resolved planning conditions and reset the delivery timeline in response to shifting market costs. Construction will now start next summer.
  The builder will now enter detailed negotiations on design and programme for what will be the UK’s third Passivhaus-standard leisure centre.
  New lei
  
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• Vinci wins funding sign-off to begin main £70m St Helens rebuild

  09-12-2025 09:09 via constructionenquirer.com
  Vinci Building has been given the green light to start the main construction phase of the £70m first stage of St Helens’ town centre transformation after councillors signed off one of the biggest funding commitments in the borough’s history.
  The £69.7m injection – approved at cabinet – unlocks the full build programme for phase one of the 24-acre overhaul and allows Vinci to switch from demolition and remediation works to full-scale construction in early 2026.
  
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• Groundforce appoints new Managing Director

  09-12-2025 09:09 via constructionenquirer.com
  Specialist construction services provider Groundforce has appointed Warren Buckland as Managing Director.
  Buckland has been serving as Interim Managing Director since early 2025, following five years overseeing several of Groundforce’s specialist businesses, including Groundforce Bridge, Groundforce Ireland, Groundforce Training and Stopper Specialists. Prior to this, he spent three years as Director of Stopper Specialists.
  In his role as Managing Director, Buckland will lead the strategic
  
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• Mace design director joins McLaren

  09-12-2025 08:40 via constructionenquirer.com
  McLaren has appointed Lucy Craig as design director for its Construction Management and Specialist Projects division.
  Craig joins from Mace where she was operations director and design lead working on major projects including Paddington Square and Battersea Power Station.
  She gained a Masters in Construction Engineering from the University of Cambridge in 2018, which enables her to lead multi-disciplinary, integrated design and engineering teams, aligning with clients’ requirements at the
  
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• London new-build freeze drags Mulalley to £3.2m loss

  08-12-2025 22:30 via constructionenquirer.com
  London’s sharp slowdown in public-sector housing new build along with rising costs pushed Mulalley to a £3.2m pre-tax loss last year.
  But the Essex-based firm’s powerhouse housing maintenance and upkeep division helped cushion the blow, with strong demand from councils and social landlords driving a 15% uplift in group turnover to almost £200m in the year to March 2025.
  Mulalley said the development landscape had become increasingly hostile as stalled viability, high mort
  
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• Worley lands EPCM deal for UK’s first full-scale cement CCS plant

  08-12-2025 18:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  Heidelberg Materials has taken the next big step towards building the UK’s first full-scale carbon capture plant at its Padeswood cement works after signing an EPCM deal with Worley and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
  The contract clears the way for full construction of a facility to strip out around 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year and produce evoZero, the world’s first carbon-captured near-zero cement at commercial scale.
  Under the EPCM agreement, Worley will lead delivery of the ca
  
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• Trapped load drags labourer over scaffolding

  08-12-2025 16:52 via constructionenquirer.com
  A property refurbishment company and a roofing contractor have been fined a combined £800,000 after a worker fell from scaffolding and suffered life-changing injuries.
  The worker was contracted as a general labourer for Premier Property and Construction Limited on a project managed by Axis Europe Limited at Cathcart Hill, London on 15 April 2024.
  During an unplanned lifting operation, the load became trapped. When the worker attempted to free it, the released load caused him to be pulled o
  
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• CITB cuts more training funds despite £95m cash pile

  08-12-2025 15:03 via constructionenquirer.com
  The Construction Industry Training Board has announced a sudden cut in training grants and funding for popular courses.
  CITB chiefs said the cuts were “due to the success” of Employer Networks and the New Entrant Support Team (NEST).
  The training body said demand for its services has grown by 36% over the last four years while the Levy rate had remained the same.It said: “At current levels, demand for CITB support will exceed its Levy income. Without action, CITB risks being un
  
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• CITB cuts more training funds despite £79m cash pile

  08-12-2025 15:03 via constructionenquirer.com
  The Construction Industry Training Board has announced a sudden cut in training grants and funding for popular courses.
  CITB chiefs said the cuts were “due to the success” of Employer Networks and the New Entrant Support Team (NEST).
  The training body said demand for its services has grown by 36% over the last four years while the Levy rate had remained the same.It said: “At current levels, demand for CITB support will exceed its Levy income. Without action, CITB risks being un
  
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• Hampstead mega mansion to become super-prime apartments

  08-12-2025 12:31 via constructionenquirer.com
  Investor-developer Bentry Capital has purchased Branch Hill House in Hampstead Village for £16.4m and has plans to convert the Edwardian mansion into a super-prime apartment complex.
  The new No.1 Hampstead is set to become a gated scheme of 50 premium lateral apartments set in 1.7 acres of landscaped gardens.
  Branch Hill House currently provides 23,456 sq ft of accommodation across a grand Edwardian Baroque mansion built in 1901 by Ernest Flint and architect Henry Flitcroft for banking tyc
  
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• Historic contractor sold to staff

  08-12-2025 09:35 via constructionenquirer.com
  Historic contractor Emanuel Whittaker Ltd has transitioned to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
  The Oldham-based firm has been in business since 1837 and operates across the North West with a focus on public sector housing, public buildings and private sector renewal and refurbishment.
  Managing Director Clive Newton joined the company in 1966 as an office boy, and co-director John Gallagher joined the firm from school nine years later. Newton and Gallagher have worked together for over 50 years
  
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• DfE names 23 winners for £15bn schools framework refresh

  08-12-2025 09:34 via constructionenquirer.com
  The Department for Education has picked a fresh line-up of 23 firms to deliver its £15bn school rebuilding programme over the next eight years.
  The next-generation deal – Construction Framework 2025 – splits delivery between national big guns handling £12m-plus major projects and a wider field of tier 2 contractors taking on lower-value regional school jobs.
  The shake-up has opened the door to several new firms while confirming the status of long-standing DfE builders.Ten
  
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• Reforms urged to unlock £262bn London office upgrade boom

  08-12-2025 09:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  London developers are urging ministers and planners to overhaul the rules blocking a huge pipeline of retrofit and redevelopment work across the capital’s ageing office estate.
  More than half of central London’s workspace – 147m sq ft – is now classed as secondary stock and falling behind energy and quality standards.Upgrading it could unleash £262bn of investment value and £11.4bn a year in rental income, according to new analysis by the London Property Allia
  
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• Jobless young people to get six-week construction course

  08-12-2025 09:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  The government has unveiled plans to get more youngsters on Universal Credit into construction.
  Construction is one of the focus industries alongside health, social care and hospitality for the new £820m initiative.
  The government said jobless youngsters will “be referred to one of up to six pathways by their work coach: work, work experience, apprenticeship, wider training, learning or a workplace training programme with a guaranteed interview, designed in partnership with emp
  
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