Construction news

• Flood defence pipeline swells with £1.4bn boost

  17-03-2026 09:25
  The Environment Agency has unveiled details of a £1.4bn flood defence blitz to advance more than 600 schemes across England this year and next.
  Major schemes in the pipeline have already started and include the £59m Bridgwater tidal barrier (Kier), £37m Derby flood works (Sisk) and Kendal Flood Risk management scheme (VolkerStevin).
  The programme also spans small repairs works alongside a growing push on natural flood management to slow water upstream.
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• Final HS2 TBM starts drive towards Euston

  17-03-2026 08:39
  HS2 has started the final tunnel bore on the project from Old Oak Common station in west London towards Euston.
  Euston is the second bored tunnel underneath the capital – after the Northolt Tunnel – and is being constructed by the Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture.
  The 198-metre long machine operates as a 24/7 underground factory, excavating the earth and installing concrete segments into rings to create the tunnel.Overall, on both bores of the tunnel, 48,294 concrete segments wi
  
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• West Midlands Police attacked over abnormal loads

  17-03-2026 08:30
  Plant chiefs have blasted West Midlands Police’s approach to abnormal load movements and are warning its behaviour could delay HS2 and other major  infrastructure projects.
  Under national rules, companies moving abnormal loads to construction sites are required to notify the police in advance – not seek permission.
  Most abnormal loads are safely self-escorted by trained operators with police escorts used only where there is a clear and exceptional risk.The Construction Plant-hir
  
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• One in four construction workers now under 30

  17-03-2026 08:30
  Fresh site scan data of skills card-carrying workers shows the workforce is getting younger and better qualified, challenging long-held fears about an ageing site workforce.
  New figures from the Construction Skills Certification Scheme reveal that now more than one in four CSCS cards is held by workers under 30.
  It is the first tangible evidence that the industry is successfully attracting young talent after years of concern about a looming greying workforce time bomb.
  The figures mark an eight-
  
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• Bid races starts for £5.5bn flood defence super-framework

  17-03-2026 08:30
  The Environment Agency has started the hunt for contractors and consultants for its next-generation £5.5bn Collaborative Delivery Framework 2 covering flood and coastal defence work across England.
  The eight-year programme will run from 2027 to 2035, replacing the current £3bn framework of contractors including: BAM Nuttall, Kier, Jackson Civil Engineering and VolkerStevin, with design partners Arup, Atkins, Jacobs and Jeremy Benn Associates.
  CDF2 will support the Agency’s nati
  
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• Bid race starts for £5.5bn flood defence super-framework

  17-03-2026 08:30
  The Environment Agency has started the hunt for contractors and consultants for its next-generation £5.5bn Collaborative Delivery Framework 2 covering flood and coastal defence work across England.
  The eight-year programme will run from 2027 to 2035, replacing the current £3bn framework of contractors including: BAM Nuttall, Kier, Jackson Civil Engineering and VolkerStevin, with design partners Arup, Atkins, Jacobs and Jeremy Benn Associates.
  CDF2 will support the Agency’s nati
  
  Read more

• Vistry appoints new chair as CEO succession plan gathers pace

  17-03-2026 08:29
  House builder Vistry has drafted in Rob Woodward as its new non-executive chair, marking the start of a wider leadership reset at the partnerships specialist.
  Woodward will take the reins from Greg Fitzgerald at the AGM on 13 May, as Fitzgerald steps back from his dual role as executive chair and prepares to hand over as CEO within the next year.
  The move keeps succession plans firmly on track, with Woodward already embedded at board level after joining as senior independent director in 2024 to
  
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• Pothole crisis deepens despite funding rise

  17-03-2026 08:10
  Local authorities across England and Wales are facing a record £18.6bn backlog of carriageway repairs that would take more than a decade to clear, according to the latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey.
  Despite highway maintenance budgets rising sharply, the annual report warns there is still no quick fix for the deteriorating local road network.
  The survey by the Asphalt Industry Alliance found average highway maintenance budgets rose 17%, reaching £30.5m per
  
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