Construction news

• 2023 industry recession to be deeper than first forecast

  02-05-2023 08:03 via Construction Enquirer
  Construction output is now expected to fall by 6.4% this year after economists at the Construction Products Association sharply downgraded forecasts for the second time.
  Falling private new housing combined with recent government delays to major infrastructure projects has prompted the spring forecast downgrade from a previously forecast 4.7% fall in output.
  Private housing new build, and private housing rm&i account for around 40% of total construction output and are forecast to be the sect
  
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• WSP and Costain line up for West London Orbital route design

  02-11-2026 18:46 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Transport for London has brought in WSP, Costain and architect Fereday Pollard to help plot a new London Overground route across west London.
  The team will support the next development stage of the proposed 18.5km West London Orbital, linking Hounslow with Hendon.
  Costain will bring engineering and construction planning expertise to help shape how the railway could be delivered, with Fereday Pollard contributing station design experience.The proposed route would improve connections across west a
  
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• Willmott Dixon bags £18m Bury Interchange first phase

  02-11-2026 18:24 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Willmott Dixon has secured an £18m contract to deliver the first phase of Bury Interchange’s redevelopment for Transport for Greater Manchester.
  Work starts this month on tram platform improvements and a 57m steel pedestrian footbridge over the Metrolink lines.
  The bridge will provide a direct link to Union Square, with a new pedestrian route offering step-free access to Pyramid Park.It will also maintain passenger access to trams during the planned second phase, clearing the way for the wide
  
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• KierBAM JV confirms £600m Devonport dock upgrade

  02-11-2026 15:57 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Kier and BAM have secured a £600m main works contract to upgrade Devonport’s 10 Dock for submarine maintenance.
  Plymouth dockyard operator Babcock awarded the deal, which moves the team from early contractor involvement into the main works phase.
  The overhaul will prepare 10 Dock for deep maintenance of the Royal Navy’s Astute-class attack submarines.Existing dock walls will be strengthened, narrowing the dock, while part of the floor will be replaced with a reinforced concrete base support
  
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• Green light for £3bn Kent–Suffolk power link

  02-11-2026 09:22 via Construction Enquirer
  
  National Grid has secured development consent for its estimated £3bn Sea Link project, paving the way for construction to start early next year.
  The 138km electricity connection between Suffolk and Kent will include two converter stations, subsea and underground cables, and upgrades to the onshore transmission network.
  Construction is expected to begin in early 2027 and finish in 2031, subject to detailed delivery planning.
  National Grid has submitted project costs of £3.2bn to Ofgem in 2023/2
  
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• Developer lines up next phases at £180m Wigan mill scheme

  02-11-2026 09:21 via Construction Enquirer
  Heaton Group is lining up the next major phases of its £180m Cotton Works regeneration in Wigan after securing approval for 179 new homes.
  The local developer has already completed the first phase at the former Eckersley Mills complex, transforming Grade II-listed Mill One into offices, hospitality and leisure space.
  The restored mill now includes Heaton Group’s headquarters, The Three Mills pub, Grade A office space and rooftop bar and events space.Attention is now turning to Block A, the fi
  
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• Bugler Group sold to employee ownership trust

  02-11-2026 09:21 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Hertfordshire housing contractor Bugler Group has switched to employee ownership after the three owing Bugler brothers sold their shares to a trust.
  Andy, Kieran and Denis Bugler will remain in their current roles and continue running the Rickmansworth-based business.
  The group builds affordable and private sale homes across London and the South of England. It reported turnover of £125m and net profits of £8.5m for the year to March 2026.Bugler expects to at least match those results in the cu
  
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• 20 firms land £500m MAG airports minor works deal

  02-11-2026 09:21 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Manchester Airports Group has picked 20 contractors for a £500m framework covering jobs worth up to £5m each at its Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.
  Lancashire building firm W H Good ranked most successful securing  a clean sweep of building and M&E places across all three airports.
  VolkerFitzpatrick bagged five spots in the contest for building, civils and M&E work packages.The framework will start in December and run for five years, with an option to extend for anoth
  
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• Balfour Beatty to build Britain’s biggest substation

  02-11-2026 09:20 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Balfour Beatty has been named as National Grid’s contractor for what is expected to be Britain’s largest electricity substation at Teesworks on Teesside.
  The deal emerged as National Grid Electricity Transmission announced it had bought the 73-acre Dorman Point site for the massive new power facility.
  The Teesside Node A substation will initially provide 1.44GW of additional electricity capacity to support major data centre, AI, advanced manufacturing and other energy-intensive developments
  
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• GMI checks in to York with sixth Dakota hotel job

  02-11-2026 08:49 via Construction Enquirer
  GMI Construction is to start main works on a 140-bedroom Dakota hotel inside York’s medieval city walls.
  The Leeds contractor is delivering the eight-storey scheme for Evans Property Group, with completion planned for spring 2028.
  Demolition of the former Northern House office block on Rougier Street is now complete, clearing the way for the new hotel on the constrained 0.7-acre site.The job is GMI’s sixth Dakota hotel, extending a relationship spanning developments in Leeds, Glasgow, Manche
  
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• Ibstock profit warning as brick sales plummet

  02-11-2026 08:47 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Ibstock is warning that performance during the second half of this year will be “materially below previous expectations” after brick sales continued to dive.
  In a trading update the materials giant said brick sales were 22% below expectations during the third quarter of 2026.
  The group said it is slashing production by 20% to avoid stockpiles and is continuing with a cost-cutting drive.Joe Hudson, CEO of Ibstock Plc, said: ‘’Trading conditions deteriorated sharply during the third quarte
  
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• Lucky escape for H&V workers after tower block roof fire

  02-11-2026 08:17 via Construction Enquirer
  A contractor has been fined after four workers had to flee a fire that engulfed the roof of a 14-storey apartment building under construction in Surrey.
  The four subcontractors were working under the control of C Watkins Plumbing Limited, installing an air source heat pump on the roof of the Old Telephone Exchange development in Staines-upon-Thames, when the incident happened on 26 July 2024.
  Sparks from welding work ignited uncovered rigid foam insulation that had been laid across the roof. The
  
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• Big contractors gain voice in £181bn electricity drive

  30-10-2026 11:49 via Construction Enquirer
  
  M Group, Balfour Beatty and United Infrastructure have joined suppliers’ trade body BEAMA to strengthen contractors’ voice in Britain’s £181bn electricity network investment drive.
  The trio are the first members named in a new Electricity Network Infrastructure Services Group launched by the trade body.
  BEAMA, formerly the British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers’ Association, represents manufacturers and suppliers of electrical equipment and energy infrastructure technology.It
  
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• £148m Leeds Royal Armouries main build moves to detailed design

  30-10-2026 11:33 via Construction Enquirer
  
  A £148m expansion of the Royal Armouries in Leeds is moving towards a main contractor race after BDP was picked to take the scheme through detailed design.
  The waterfront programme includes around £114m for redevelopment of the Tiltyard and a further £34m for an adjacent hotel.
  At the heart of the job will be a new 38,000 sq ft exhibition and events hall, but the wider redevelopment is much larger and will create more than 86,000 sq ft of conference and events space.The rebuilt Tiltyard will
  
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• Muse clears planning hurdle for £640m Slough regeneration

  30-10-2026 08:13 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Muse and land owner Homes England have cleared a key planning hurdle for their £640m redevelopment of Slough’s former Thames Valley University campus.
  Councillors resolved to grant permission to the hybrid application for the North West Quadrant scheme, which will deliver 1,539 homes and a major office building beside the town’s railway station.
  The 3.6ha site has stood vacant since the university campus closed. It is now earmarked for a mixed-use neighbourhood built around a new central pa
  
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• East West Rail opens £450m early works race

  30-10-2026 08:13 via Construction Enquirer
  
  East West Rail has launched the hunt for contractors for a £450m framework to prepare the route for main construction.
  The Programme Support Works Framework covers six lots spanning early civils, ground investigations, archaeology and environmental work.
  A single contractor will land the £80m principal contractor and integrator role, overseeing site safety, coordinating work across the lots and maintaining the master programme.Multiple suppliers will be appointed to each of the five specialist
  
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• Morgan Sindall lands £68m Salford Business School

  30-10-2026 07:13 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Morgan Sindall has been selected as preferred partner to deliver the new £67.9m  Salford Business School in Manchester.
  The project will see the demolition of Crescent House and the construction of a purpose-built 79,500 sq ft home for the Business School in its place.
  The new Salford Business School is being funded by the University and delivered as part of the 240-acre Crescent Salford masterplan, led by ECF – the regeneration partnership between Muse, L&G and Homes England’s Nationa
  
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• Wernick launches new Portal Frames division

  29-10-2026 15:36 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Wernick Group has launched a new division providing flexible steel buildings for hire and purchase across the UK.
  Wernick Portal Frames represents an entirely new product offering for the Group, adding steel portal frame buildings to its established modular and portable building portfolio.
  The new division supplies and installs portal frame buildings for a wide range of applications, including warehouses, workshops, manufacturing facilities, logistics depots, aircraft hangars, commercial storage
  
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• M Group snaps up £48m power connections specialist

  29-10-2026 15:19 via Construction Enquirer
  
  M Group has bought £48m turnover high voltage connections specialist HVSS to strengthen its grip on the UK power infrastructure market.
  The Kettering-based firm brings more than 120 staff and expertise in designing and delivering electricity connections up to 132kV.
  The deal bolsters M Group’s Energy Infrastructure business as investment in renewables, electric vehicles and data centres drives demand for new and upgraded grid connections.HVSS lifted turnover by 31% to £48m in the year to Mar
  
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• Tender race starts for £12bn developer framework

  29-10-2026 15:00 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Procure Partnerships Framework has officially started the tender race for its first £12bn National Developer Framework.
  Developers of all sizes can now bid for places on a pre-qualified panel to deliver public sector regeneration and development across England.
  The four-year framework is set to go live in March 2027, running alongside Procure Partnerships’ established national contractor and professional services frameworks.
  The launch follows an extensive period of market engagement, which b
  
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• Willmott Dixon JV picked to unlock South East Wales regen sites

  29-10-2026 14:42 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Willmott Dixon Developments and Cityheart have teamed up to unlock a pipeline of regeneration projects across two South Wales boroughs.
  Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen councils have appointed the joint venture as their strategic development and investment partner through Pagabo’s Developer-Led Framework.
  The partners will spend the next 12 months reviewing strategic sites across both boroughs to identify projects for new homes, employment space and infrastructure improvements.
  The initial push will
  
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• Amey set for £42m DLR Thamesmead extension early works

  29-10-2026 08:47 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Amey Rail has been selected for an early works package worth up to £42m for the Docklands Light Rail extension to Thamesmead.
  Transport for London subsidiary DLR picked Amey for the job under TfL’s Infrastructure Improvement Framework.
  The initial commitment covers early contractor involvement to scope the works. Later survey and enabling stages remain subject to affordability, approvals and contractual conditions.
  The planned 3km extension will branch off from Gallions Reach in the Royal Doc
  
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• Jones Bros hits £240m revenue as energy and water work surge

  29-10-2026 08:37 via Construction Enquirer
  
  North Wales-based civils contractor Jones Bros has smashed through the £200m turnover barrier as reservoir and renewable energy work powered a record year.
  The family-owned firm hiked revenue 53% to £241m in the year to March 2026, with pre-tax profit jumping by a similar rate to £11m.But chairman Huw Jones warned that finding skilled workers remained one of the industry’s biggest challenges as the contractor expanded.
  Surging workloads saw average headcount jump from 498 to 545, with more
  
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• Government to set 3% apprentice target for major public jobs

  29-10-2026 08:09 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Contractors on large government construction and infrastructure projects will face an apprenticeship target of at least 3% under plans to use public spending to back British industry.
  The government will also tighten the definition of a UK supplier in a move aimed at firms with little more than a British postal address.
  A new definition will be published by January 2027, helping departments track UK suppliers and subcontractors across public supply chains.The government said: “For too long, br
  
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• Glenbrook advances 24-storey Leeds resi tower

  29-10-2026 08:05 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Manchester developer Glenbrook is lining up a 24-storey homes tower on two former Leeds car parks.
  The developer plans 246 flats and ground-floor commercial space on council-owned land at Meadow Lane in South Bank, close to the River Aire.
  Leeds City Council picked Glenbrook as preferred developer in 2024. Architect Carey Jones Chapman Taylor has designed the tower with a lower curved building alongside it.
  The project team also includes Whitley & Partners for M&E, Hexa as structural and
  
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• A66 gets November start but build stretches to nine years

  28-10-2026 23:39 via Construction Enquirer
  
  The Government has finally given the green light for main construction on the £1.5bn-plus A66 dualling scheme to start next month.
  Balfour Beatty, Kier and Aureos will deliver the Northern Trans-Pennine upgrade under a revised nine-year programme, stretching the build from the previous five-year accelerated target.
  The Budget confirmed phased construction will begin in November to complete a continuous 50-mile dual carriageway between the M6 at Penrith and A1(M) at Scotch Corner.
  Civils and ear
  
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• Chancellor puts council homes at heart of £1.5bn Budget boost

  28-10-2026 15:16 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Chancellor John Healey has pledged an extra £1.5bn for social and affordable housing alongside a freeze on major building regulation changes in his first Budget.
  Healey postponed difficult decisions ahead in his ‘breathing space’ budget with no cuts to welfare spending and a welter of small tax changes that fail to tackle rising Government borrowing.
  Housing was the main winner in the Budget with the extra cash funding expected to deliver around 10,000 homes in England, with priority given
  
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• Watchdog MPs demand tighter cost controls on Sizewell C

  28-10-2026 08:35 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Watchdog MPs have demanded tighter oversight of Sizewell C construction amid warnings that taxpayers and consumers are carrying most of the financial risk.
  The Public Accounts Committee branded plans for annual progress reports to Parliament “totally inadequate” for the £40.5bn–£47.7bn nuclear project.
  It wants six-monthly updates setting out actual and forecast costs, changes to the construction timetable and progress against key milestones.These should also reveal the expected impact o
  
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• Renew buys directional drilling firm for £50m

  28-10-2026 08:16 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Infrastructure maintenance giant Renew has acquired high voltage cabling and directional drilling specialist PBU (UK) Ltd for a total consideration of up to £50m.
  The deal further enhances Renew’s delivery capabilities across the electricity transmission and distribution network.
  Renew has paid an initial cash consideration of £31.1m with up to an extra £18.9m conditional upon the vendors achieving specific profit targets over a three-year period.Latest accounts for PBU for the year to Sept
  
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• Take That brother buys £40m North East marine civils firm

  28-10-2026 08:15 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Entrepreneur Simon Orange has snapped up £40m-turnover marine civils specialist Southbay Civil Engineering.
  His Orange UK Holdings business has bought the Gateshead contractor from founding shareholders Gordon and Gill Green.
  The deal follows Orange’s acquisition of £350m-turnover steelwork giant William Hare in June last year, extending his interests from structural steel into ports, harbours and coastal infrastructure.
  A purchase price has not been disclosed for the Southbay business which
  
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