Construction news

• Civils firms upbeat on pipeline despite tough first quarter

  21-07-2026 11:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Civil engineering contractors are shrugging off a weak start to the year after stronger order books fuelled confidence that infrastructure workloads will rebound over the next 12 months.
  The latest Civil Engineering Contractors Association workload survey found order books climbed to their highest level for three quarters, with a net balance of 19% of firms reporting fuller pipelines.Looking ahead, a net 60% expect workloads to increase over the coming year, while 55% forecast growth in new work
  
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• OCS strikes £3.1bn deal to buy Mitie

  21-07-2026 09:16 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Facilities management giant OCS has agreed a recommended £3.1bn cash takeover of rival Mitie to create one of the UK’s biggest outsourced services groups with combined annual revenues of around £8.5bn.
  Under the terms of the deal, Mitie shareholders will receive 218.5p a share in cash and retain the planned 3.1p final dividend, valuing the offer at up to 221.6p a share.
  The bid represents a 47% premium to Mitie’s closing share price on Monday and values the business at &p
  
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• 5,000-home Royal Docks mega scheme set for 2028 start

  21-07-2026 08:53 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Dubai-based developer Arada has accelerated plans for its £2.5bn Thameside West regeneration in London’s Royal Docks aiming to start construction in early 2028.
  The developer has confirmed architect Gensler, engineer Arup and landscape designer Planit are leading the professional team on the opening phase of the 5,000-home waterfront scheme.
  It aims to submit a planning application later this summer for the first stage, which will deliver 1,500 homes across six buildings.The 47-acre
  
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• Kier closes in on £12bn order book after strong year

  21-07-2026 08:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Kier is closing in on a £12bn order book as it targets growth from the surge in UK spending on water, nuclear and defence infrastructure.
  The contractor’s order book rose 8% to around £11.9bn at the end of June, securing more than 90% of forecast revenue for the current financial year.
  In a full-year trading update ahead of publishing its annual results in September, Kier said revenue and profit for the year to June were now expected to come in at the top end of market expectat
  
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• Skills cards stats show youngsters turning to construction

  21-07-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The number of industry skills cards issued to young workers has jumped significantly as construction becomes more attractive to the under-25s.
  New figures published by the CSCS Alliance show that cards issued to workers under the age of 25 rose by  8.8% between 2023 and 2025 – jumping from 86,798 to 94,444.
  The highest increases were seen in the electrotechnical,  utilities and plant sectors.Under-25s now account for 19% of all CSCS-logoed cards issued.
  Growth in skilled roles (9
  
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• Green light for Derby city centre regeneration scheme

  21-07-2026 07:58 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans to reshape Derby’s city centre Market Place have taken a big step forward after outline planning was granted for the former Assembly Rooms site.
  The plans are being brought forward by council development partners VINCI UK Developments and ION Developments.
  Approval allows the Council to now submit an application to discharge the planning conditions attached to the demolition of the former Assembly Rooms.Work to demolish the site is expected to take around 12 months. Once this is comp
  
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