Construction news

• Burnham vows to value “hard hat as much as graduation cap”

  28-07-2026 09:02
  
  Prime Minister Andy Burnham will launch a fundamental change to the education system today in a bid to put technical education on an equal footing with the traditional academic path.
  In a message to students, he will say “whether you choose construction, coding or classics, you’ll get the skills you need and be given the respect you deserve.”
  From age 14 (Year 10), students will have the chance to combine core academic subjects – including English, maths and science &ndas
  
  Read more

• London house building stirs as national starts slide again

  28-07-2026 10:13
  London’s house building market is showing its first meaningful signs of life after a prolonged slump, despite developers cutting back new home starts across the UK.
  Latest NHBC figures show new home registrations in the capital surged 170% in the second quarter, climbing from just 896 homes a year ago to 2,417.While the rebound comes from an exceptionally low base, it suggests the easing of Building Safety Regulator Gateway 2 approval bottlenecks is finally beginning to feed through into c
  
  Read more

• JN Bentley warns water sector heading for capacity crunch

  28-07-2026 08:53
  
  Water engineering specialist JN Bentley has warned the biggest investment cycle in the sector’s history risks running into labour shortages and capacity constraints as AMP8 projects gather pace.
  The Mott MacDonald-owned contractor delivered one of its strongest trading performances in recent years, lifting operating margin to 4.8% from 3.7% in the year to December 2025.
  Pre-tax profit surged over a third to £26m on revenue up 5% to £534m.
  The business also expanded its workforc
  
  Read more

• HG Construction go-ahead for Manchester student rooms

  28-07-2026 08:50
  
  HG Construction has secured Gateway 2 approval to start work on a 239-bed purpose built student accommodation scheme in Manchester for Singapore developer Far East Orchard.
  The Plymouth Grove development will be the developer’s first Manchester project.
  The scheme will deliver 239 student rooms on a site close to both the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. Completion is targeted for 2028.HG Construction is working alongside development manager DML Group, with
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Build costs choke off new student housing pipeline

  28-07-2026 08:49
  
  Britain’s biggest student accommodation developer has warned new purpose-built student housing will slow sharply over the next two to three years because soaring construction costs have made most schemes financially unviable.
  Unite Group chief executive Joe Lister said higher build costs, tighter regulation and weaker investment values meant new projects no longer stacked up in most regional markets, with developers now needing rents above £300 a week to justify construction outside
  
  Read more

• Brick sales slide at Forterra set to continue

  28-07-2026 08:41
  
  Turnover at materials giant Forterra slumped by 13.5% during the first half of this year with no expectation of a bounce-back during the rest of this year.
  Latest results for the six months to June 30 2026 show revenue down to £168.8m from £195.1m last time.
  But pre-tax profits were up to £11.5m from £8.4m as the company introduced a cost efficiency programme across its factories and a “low single digit” price increase stuck across the market.Forterra said it
  
  Read more

• Sunderland film studio project closes in on build start

  28-07-2026 07:59
  
  Construction of Sunderland’s flagship Crown Works film studios could start this autumn after final plans for the first phase were submitted for approval.
  The revised application, lodged with Sunderland City Council, sets out the detailed design for Studio One, the opening phase of the 31 hectare Crown Works Growth Zone regeneration on the south bank of the River Wear.
  The revised application follows a major rethink of the project after original private backers Cain International and Fulwel
  
  Read more

• Pagabo starts race for £1.5bn medium works deal

  27-07-2026 16:47
  
  Procurement specialist Pagabo is set to issue an invitation to tender for the new National Framework for Medium Works will on September 1 2026.
  The framework managed by Pagabo on behalf of The Education Alliance (TEAL) will run for a four-year period from January 2027 and have an anticipated total value of £1.5bn.
  It is the third generation of the Medium Works framework managed by Pagabo, covering projects between £0k and £15m in value, with previous versions delivering a proje
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Kier lands £98m double school build boost

  27-07-2026 08:39
  
  Kier has signed as main works contractor for a brace of school rebuilds worth nearly £100m, including a flagship low carbon GenZero academy in Lancashire and a replacement school for the RAAC-hit Anglo European School in Essex.
  The contractor will deliver the £45m Wellfield Academy in Leyland, Lancashire, alongside the £53m redevelopment of the Anglo European School in Ingatestone, Essex.
  The Lancashire job will see Kier build a new 6,540 sq m secondary school as one of the DfE
  
  Read more

• Burnham urged to help construction supply chain costs

  27-07-2026 08:39
  
  Leaders of the Construction Products Association are urging Andy Burnham to prioritise cost-cutting measures for industry supply chains following a gloomy set of forecasts.
  The CPA’s forecast for construction output has been downgraded further in its Summer numbers due to the lagged impacts of the Middle East conflict that are starting to pass through to both the demand and cost sides of the UK economy.
  Construction output year-to-date so far in 2026 has already fallen by 1.6%, according t
  
  Read more

• VolkerWessels UK cracks 4% margin milestone

  27-07-2026 08:21
  
  VolkerWessels UK has delivered one of its strongest profit performances in recent years after a disciplined focus on higher-margin work lifted returns despite virtually flat turnover.
  The infrastructure group, whose UK businesses include VolkerFitzpatrick, VolkerRail, VolkerStevin, VolkerHighways and VolkerLaser, saw pre-tax profit surge 47% to £70.5m as revenue remained flat at £1.49bn.
  Operating profit jumped 50% to £66m, driving the group’s operating margin up from 3.0
  
  Read more

• Merseyrail backs regional builders in framework shake-up

  27-07-2026 08:20
  
  Merseyrail has unveiled an 11-strong line-up of contractors for a new seven-year construction framework that reserves all projects worth up to £1.5m for SMEs while bringing in tier one contractors for higher-value work.
  Merseyrail has divided the framework into three value bands. Regional firms Frank Rogers Building Contractor, MPH Construction, Simon Dean Electrical, SIS Projects and Vallum Projects secured places on the SME-only band.Package value
  Contractors
  Over £2.5m
  Amalgamated
  
  Read more

• Green light for Morgan Sindall revamp of Crystal Palace

  24-07-2026 16:15
  
  Planning approval has been granted for the redevelopment of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre with main contractor Morgan Sindall set to start on site by the end of this year.
  Renovation work will bring the 15-hectare site up to a modern standard while showcasing its heritage and historic features.
  The project will see the centre’s facilities enhanced to support sports from the grassroots up to elite level.Richard Dobson, Area Director for Morgan Sindall in London, said: “We
  
  Read more

• Arcadis knocks back second bid offer from WSP

  24-07-2026 09:31
  
  Arcadis has rebuffed a second takeover approach from Canadian engineering giant WSP today, insisting an improved €51.5-a-share proposal still falls well short of the consultant’s true value.
  The Dutch design and engineering group confirmed WSP returned with a revised indicative offer after an initial €48.5-a-share approach, first revealed yesterday, was unanimously rejected by Arcadis’ executive and supervisory boards.
  The latest proposal, comprising cash and WSP shares, va
  
  Read more

• Battle starts for places in £8bn national roads upkeep shake-up

  24-07-2026 09:06
  
  Britain’s biggest highways contractors are gearing up for a fight over seven regional contracts as National Highways resets its approach to strategic roads upkeep.
  An invitation to tender for spots on the long-awited £8bn Maintenance and Response 2 framework will go out next month paving the way for a major overhaul of how England’s 4,500-mile strategic road network is maintained.
  The reset will see the current 10 maintenance contracts replaced as they expire from July 2028. Fi
  
  Read more

• Tier ones called up for £500m building safety framework

  24-07-2026 09:00
  
  Newcastle-based procurement body Prosper has launched the race for places on a new £500m national framework to deliver building safety remediation work.
  The four-year agreement is built around turnkey delivery, with a standalone principal contractor taking responsibility for complete projects from surveys through to passive and active fire safety works.
  Alongside the flagship principal contractor lot, Prosper is also seeking suppliers for specialist packages covering:Building safety consul
  
  Read more

• Crown Estate pushes ahead with £2bn Cambridge science hub

  24-07-2026 08:07
  
  The Crown Estate has lodged plans for a £2bn overhaul of Cambridge Business Park, paving the way for one of the UK’s biggest science-led regeneration schemes.
  The project will create up to 1.8m sq ft of laboratories, offices and R&D space alongside 500 homes in the emerging North East Cambridge Innovation District.
  The application forms part of The Crown Estate’s wider ambition to invest up to £1.5bn in UK science, innovation and technology.
  Commercial buildings of up
  
  Read more

• Worker falls from tipping bucket on fork lift

  24-07-2026 00:15
  
  A refurbishment contractor has been fined £90,000 after a man was left ‘physically ruined’ after falling from a tipping bucket on a fork lift truck in Kent.
  Aaron Back, 41, a father of four, spent months in hospital after the incident at the EMIR site on Wotton Road in Ashford on 28 March 2023.
  The then 38-year-old had been contracted by South East Refurbishment Limited to carry out work dismantling pipework. He was in a raised tipping bucket on a fork lift truck at the time wh
  
  Read more

• Kier lands leading Piccadilly role for Crown Estate

  23-07-2026 17:09
  
  Kier has been confirmed as main contractor for 10 Piccadilly in the heart of London.
  The job forms part of the next phase of the Crown Estate’s West End development pipeline alongside the retrofit of 21-29 Glasshouse Street where BAM is main contractor.
  The two developments will deliver 169,300 sq ft of new office, retail and hospitality space and mark the latest step in The Crown Estate’s long-term vision for its 10 million sq ft London portfolio.Kristy Lansdown, Managing Director o
  
  Read more

• Wates London reset continues as director to join from Mace Construct

  23-07-2026 16:34
  Wates has unveiled a new Commercial Director for Wates Construction London as the reset of its business across the capital continues.
  Kevin Grace will join in October from Mace Construct where he has spent the last 12 years lately as Commercial (Operations Director) leading projects including the £1.1bn British Library extension.
  Grace will be working alongside George Mosey who took over as Managing Director for Construction London earlier this year.The company said the latest appointment
  
  Read more

• Wates London reset continues as director to join from Mace

  23-07-2026 16:34
  
  Wates has unveiled a new Commercial Director for Wates Construction London as the reset of its business across the capital continues.
  Kevin Grace will join in October from Mace where he has spent the last 12 years lately as Commercial (Operations Director) leading projects including the £1.1bn British Library extension.
  Grace will be working alongside George Mosey who took over as Managing Director for Construction London earlier this year.The company said the latest appointment “for
  
  Read more

• Morgan Sindall lifts profit targets after blockbuster first half

  23-07-2026 08:52
  
  Morgan Sindall has hiked profit targets for its Construction and Fit Out businesses after a record first half powered by booming building workloads and a surge in margins.
  This morning the contractor posted pre-tax profit of £116m for the six months to 30 June, up 22% on last year, as revenue climbed 8% to £2.56bn.Net cash strengthened to £418m while its secured order book reached £12.2bn, swelling to £19.5bn including preferred bidder work.Construction and Fit Out
  
  Read more

• Sisk lands £38m London Irish Centre rebuild

  23-07-2026 08:35
  
  Sisk has secured the job to deliver the £38m redevelopment of the London Irish Centre in Camden.
  The firm is due to start work in January next year on the long-planned overhaul of the charity’s Camden Square headquarters, with the new centre scheduled to reopen in the first quarter of 2029.
  Designed by Coffey Architects, the three-storey redevelopment will retain the building’s original street façade while creating a modern cultural, welfare and community hub for the Iri
  
  Read more

• Hochtief lands £250m Blackpool Silicon Sands data centre deal

  23-07-2026 08:34
  
  Blackpool Council has selected Hochtief Data Centre Partner UK as preferred concessionaire for the £250m first phase of its flagship Silicon Sands digital campus beside Blackpool Airport.
  The first phase will deliver a 6MW carbon friendly data centre alongside around 20,000 sq ft of office and research space.The facility has already secured planning permission and will use liquid immersion cooling technology, with waste heat captured and fed into a proposed district heat network serving th
  
  Read more

• Hochtief bags £250m Blackpool Silicon Sands data centre

  23-07-2026 08:34
  Blackpool Council has selected Hochtief Data Centre Partner UK as preferred concessionaire for the £250m first phase of its flagship Silicon Sands digital campus beside Blackpool Airport.
  The first phase will deliver a 6MW carbon friendly data centre alongside around 20,000 sq ft of office and research space.The facility has already secured planning permission and will use liquid immersion cooling technology, with waste heat captured and fed into a proposed district heat network serving th
  
  Read more

• HBC wins 240-home Sheffield brewery site revival

  23-07-2026 07:25
  Contractor HBC has been lined up to deliver the first phase of Capital&Centric’s regeneration of the former Cannon Brewery site in Sheffield after the 240-home scheme secured planning.
  The green light clears the way for work to begin on the 4.2-acre former Stones Brewery site in Neepsend, where the developer plans to create a new mixed-use neighbourhood with around 500 homes.
  HBC will build the opening phase comprising 240 flats, alongside the first elements of a wider masterplan that
  
  Read more

• HBC lands 240-home Sheffield brewery site revival

  23-07-2026 07:25
  
  Contractor HBC has been lined up to deliver the first phase of Capital&Centric’s regeneration of the former Cannon Brewery site in Sheffield after the 240-home scheme secured planning.
  The green light clears the way for work to begin on the 4.2-acre former Stones Brewery site in Neepsend, where the developer plans to create a new mixed-use neighbourhood with around 500 homes.
  HBC will build the opening phase comprising 240 flats, alongside the first elements of a wider masterplan that
  
  Read more

• Green light for 54-storey multi-tenure Canary Wharf tower

  23-07-2026 07:24
  
  Plans for a 54-storey mixed-tenure residential tower at Canary Wharf have been given the planning green light, clearing the way for the redevelopment of the 77 Marsh Wall office site into 820 homes.
  Developer Areli and British Airways Pension Trustees secured approval from Tower Hamlets for the scheme, which will see the site’s existing 17-storey office block, built in the early 1990s, demolished.
  This will be replaced with what the developer describes as the UK’s largest integrated
  
  Read more

• Contractors unveiled for £250m battery storage site

  22-07-2026 23:10
  
  Fidra Energy has confirmed the contracting team for its £250m West Burton C battery energy storage project in Nottinghamshire after agreeing funding for the scheme.
  Construction of West Burton C will begin later this year and it is expected to become fully operational in 2028 on the site of the former West Burton coal power station.
  Fidra’s main contracting partners are Sungrow who will supply its batteries for the project and H&MV Engineering who will be the principal designer a
  
  Read more

• Aitch Construction expands with £80m turnover target

  22-07-2026 22:51
  Aitch Construction is set to land another two deals in London as the expanding contractor targets turnover of £80m.
  The firm has traditionally focused on delivering work in-house for parent company Aitch Group who specialise in developing residential and commercial schemes across the capital.
  Aitch Construction is now looking to work with more external clients and the Enquirer understands work will start next year on two schemes.On Newington Causeway in Elephant & Castle Aitch is set t
  
  Read more

Follow @new_constructio on Twitter!