Construction news

• Collapsing wall knocks labourer down stairwell

  07-01-2026 16:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  A Cumbrian contractor has been fined £60,000 after a wall collapsed knocking a labourer through an open stairwell onto a concrete floor below.
  Ace Infra Ltd pleaded guilty after an incident led to employee, Mark Jones, spending a month in hospital recovering from his injuries.
  Lancaster Magistrates Court court heard how Jones was sweeping up dust and debris on the first floor of the building at the end of the working day.Earlier boards had been delivered and laid across a large opening in
  
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• Trade body BESA boots out five more firms in standards purge

  13-01-2026 00:58 via constructionenquirer.com
  The Building Engineering Services Association has suspended five more member firms as it tightens the screws on technical and professional standards across the heating and ventilating sector.
  The competency crackdown takes the total number of firms suspended by the trade body in the past eight months to 19.BESA’s council said it was taking robust action in the interests of the wider building services sector and clients.The suspended firms failed its independent Competence Assessment Standa
  
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• Father-of-six dies in demolition site tragedy

  12-01-2026 15:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  A father-of-six has been confirmed as the worker who died in an accident at a demolition site in Renfrewshire.
  Derek Russell was fatally injured while working on a regeneration project demolishing empty flat blocks in Paisley on Friday.
  The 36-year-old was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow but died from his injuries the following day.He was employed by Greenock based demolition specialist Caskie Limited.
  Euan Caskie, a director of the company, told the BBC: “This is a
  
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• Winvic wins £340m M&S mega shed at DIRFT

  12-01-2026 12:35 via constructionenquirer.com
  Winvic has landed the job to build a vast 1.3m sq ft national distribution centre for Marks & Spencer at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal.
  Appointed by Prologis, the £340m scheme will become a flagship hub in M&S’s food supply chain as the retailer targets major growth.
  The 52-week build will see Winvic deliver two low-carbon warehouses with multi-storey offices, a security hub and vehicle maintenance unit, alongside major infrastructure works next to the M1.The f
  
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• Bidders day set for £4.5bn Southern Construction Framework

  12-01-2026 08:51 via constructionenquirer.com
  Contractors are being called to a bidders day in London as councils move to re-procure the £4.5bn Southern Construction Framework.
  Devon County Council and Hampshire County Council are preparing to launch the sixth generation of the framework, with around 20 firms expected to battle to retain their places.
  Tendering is due to go live in March, with the bidders day on 21 January setting out plans for the next framework and sharing findings from earlier market engagement.
  The current Souther
  
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• British Land CEO to join warehouse developer

  12-01-2026 08:41 via constructionenquirer.com
  British Land CEO Simon Carter is leaving the business to take-up a similar role at warehouse developer and investor P3 Logistics Parks.
  Carter has been in charge at British Land for five years and first joined the developer in 2004.
  He has a 12-month notice period and British Land will now start the hunt for his successor.William Rucker, Chairman, said: “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Simon for his significant contribution to British Land. During his 18 years here across two stint
  
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• Skanska slides 4,200 tonne railway bridge into place

  12-01-2026 08:27 via constructionenquirer.com
  Skanska has completed the installation of a 4,200-tonne railway bridge over the M6 through Cumbria 13 hours ahead of schedule during a road closure over the weekend.
  Clifton railway bridge near Penrith has been replaced by Network Rail and Skanska as part of a £60m investment in the West Coast Main Line.
  The new 130-metre-long structure was carefully manoeuvred into place with millimetre precision on Saturday.Time-lapse footage shows how the new pre-built bridge – which has been wait
  
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• Facade specialist Permasteelisa (UK) hit by third year of losses

  12-01-2026 08:15 via constructionenquirer.com
  Facade specialist Permasteelisa (UK) slipped to a deeper loss as legacy projects, inflation and fixed-price contract pressures continued to bite.
  The façade specialist grew revenue 24% to £182m in the year to 31 March 2025, driven by strong order intake and the UK emerging as the group’s largest regional contributor.
  But operating performance deteriorated, with the business posting an operating loss for the third consecutive year up to£8.5m from £5.6m a year earlie
  
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• Paddington life sciences tower moves into planning

  12-01-2026 07:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  Plans have been submitted for a 16-storey clinical life sciences hub next to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.
  The 48,000 sq m Paddington Hub scheme, designed by HOK and promoted by Bartlet Asset Management, is proposed for the former Imperial College Medical School site in Westminster.
  The building is designed to house more than 1,800 clinicians, researchers and support staff, bringing together clinical trials, diagnostics and emerging health technologies in a single, purpose-built facili
  
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• “Future of construction” firm in administration

  09-01-2026 15:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  Pioneering graphene firm Versarien is now in administration.
  The firm’s products included Cementene – a concrete admixture hailed as the “future of construction” which boosts strength and cuts carbon.
  Versarien has trialled its products on HS2 and signed a deal with Balfour Beatty to work on new products.Andrew Knowles and Andrew Poxon from Leonard Curtis have now been appointed Joint Administrators of the AIM listed firm.
  The company had been making losses for several ye
  
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• Balfour secures £900m Midlands highways upkeep deal

  09-01-2026 11:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  Balfour Beatty has landed a huge Midlands highways maintenance term contract worth £900m after three local authorities joined forces to bundle their long-term road upkeep programmes.
  The seven-year deal has been awarded to Balfour Beatty Living Places following a joint procurement by Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
  The contract will run from May 2026 to May 2033 and can be extended by up to a further six years, taking the potent
  
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• Student rooms builder cancels London and defers Bristol projects

  09-01-2026 08:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  Unite Students has slammed the brakes on parts of its development pipeline, blaming mounting viability pressures and a tougher planning environment as it pivots capital towards higher-yielding universities and shareholder returns.
  The country’s biggest student accommodation developer this morning said it had deferred delivery of its 500-bed Freestone Island scheme in Bristol while it explores options to secure “best value” from the project.
  The move releases around £55m o
  
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• Mace crowned annual contracts league champion

  09-01-2026 08:06 via constructionenquirer.com
  Mace has been crowned the industry’s top contracts league winner after a blockbuster year of deal-making that left rivals trailing in its wake.
  The London-focused contractor emerged as 2025’s biggest work winner after banking £3.18bn of secured orders, powered by a hoard of projects including the £1.1bn British Library extension and a string of heavyweight office schemes in the Capital.
  The haul came in the same year Mace offloaded its profitable consultancy arm to concen
  
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• Leeds United to kick off stadium expansion this summer

  08-01-2026 21:50 via constructionenquirer.com
  Leeds United will start work on a major expansion of Elland Road this summer after securing planning approval.
  Councillors at Leeds City Council gave green light yesterday evening to plans to raise capacity to up to 53,000, cementing its position as one of the largest club stadiums in the country.
  The scheme will see West and North stands partially demolished and rebuilt alongside targeted alterations to the South Stand, transforming the ground into a UEFA Category 4 stadium capable of hosting m
  
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• Leeds United set to kick off stadium expansion this summer

  08-01-2026 21:50 via constructionenquirer.com
  Leeds United will start work on a major expansion of Elland Road this summer after securing planning approval.
  Councillors at Leeds City Council gave green light yesterday evening to plans to raise capacity to up to 53,000, cementing its position as one of the largest club stadiums in the country.
  The scheme will see West and North stands partially demolished and rebuilt alongside targeted alterations to the South Stand, transforming the ground into a UEFA Category 4 stadium capable of hosting m
  
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• Offsite specialist Merit went down owing suppliers £17m

  08-01-2026 15:56 via constructionenquirer.com
  Subcontractors and suppliers have been left holding unpaid bills worth £17.4m following the collapse of offsite specialist Merit.
  The scale of the company’s debts have been revealed in an update by administrator Interpath who took control in November.
  The administrator’s proposals  for Merit Holdings state it is “highly unlikely” unsecured creditors will receive a penny for their outstanding invoices.Merit employed 284 staff at the time of administration who we
  
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• Bovis hires Sisk healthcare chief to scale up NHS work

  08-01-2026 15:05 via constructionenquirer.com
  Bovis Construction (Europe) has hired former Sisk healthcare lead Nadeem Chaudhry to spearhead its hospital work push.
  Chaudhry joins the contractor with more than 24 years’ experience delivering complex, high-value healthcare schemes and a track record across major NHS and private sector projects.
  He arrives from Sisk, where he spent four years leading the firm’s UK healthcare portfolio, overseeing delivery through key frameworks including CCS P23 and NHS SBS.During his time at Sisk
  
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• Paul Bentley joins Mott MacDonald executive board

  08-01-2026 13:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  Mott MacDonald has appointed Paul Bentley to its executive board.
  Bentley has worked as a director at JN Bentley since 1999, when Motts and Bentley first formed their successful JV, and will continue in that role alongside his new group-wide responsibilities.
  Mott MacDonald bought JN Bentley in 2014 and now delivers much of its work through the fully integrated design and build arm Mott MacDonald Bentley.
  Under Bentley’s leadership as managing director, the firm has grown into one of the c
  
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• Muse picked to steer 10,000-home Bristol Temple Quarter regeneration

  08-01-2026 11:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  Muse has been picked to drive one of the country’s biggest city-centre regeneration schemes after being named preferred development partner for Bristol Temple Quarter.
  Muse Places will drive the delivery of up to 10,000 new homes alongside major commercial development, public realm and transport upgrades around the city’s main rail hub.
  The appointment hands Muse a leading role in shaping coordinated regeneration at Temple Meads West, with parallel work to help develop longer-term pr
  
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• Muse picked to steer 10,000-home Bristol Temple Quarter plan

  08-01-2026 11:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  Muse has been picked to drive one of the country’s biggest city-centre regeneration schemes after being named preferred development partner for Bristol Temple Quarter.
  Muse Places will drive the delivery of up to 10,000 new homes alongside major commercial development, public realm and transport upgrades around the city’s main rail hub.
  The appointment hands Muse a leading role in shaping coordinated regeneration at Temple Meads West, with parallel work to help develop longer-term pr
  
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• £80m London housing scheme unlocked after flip to 100% social

  08-01-2026 09:19 via constructionenquirer.com
  An £80m South London housing scheme is moving a step closer after developers switched the project to 100% social rent, unlocking fresh funding support.
  Clarion Housing Group and Hadley Property Group are pressing ahead with plans to redevelop the former Blenheim shopping Centre in Penge after securing grant backing from the Greater London Authority.
  The revised proposals would see 228 homes delivered entirely at social rent, with all properties allocated to people on London Borough of Brom
  
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• £300m Wales indoor ski resort clears final planning hurdle

  08-01-2026 08:54 via constructionenquirer.com
  Plans for a £300m indoor ski slope and leisure resort at Rhydycar West have been waved through after the Welsh Government confirmed it would not call the scheme in.
  Councillors at Merthyr Tydfil Council gave the final green light this week, clearing the way for what is being billed as the UK’s longest indoor snow centre on land to the south west of the A470/A4102 roundabout.
  The Rhydycar West development will feature a 400m-long indoor ski slope, a tropical water park, indoor and out
  
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• Andrew Scott forecasts record-breaking year ahead

  08-01-2026 08:28 via constructionenquirer.com
  Welsh contractor Andrew Scott predicts it will deliver the biggest turnover in its 155-year history as previously delayed project starts move to site.The firm has banked a £250m order book that will drive revenue up to around £120m in the year ahead.
  The sharp rebound at the family-run builder comes after a slight dip in turnover to £80m from £84m in the year to June 2025.
  The revenue slowdown was linked to the timing of work starting on site, with a number of schemes pro
  
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• Former Carillion finance directors fined £371,700

  07-01-2026 13:20 via constructionenquirer.com
  Two former finance directors at collapsed contractor Carillion have been fined a total of £371,700 for their part in misleading statements in the run-up to the company’s demise.
  The watchdog Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said Richard Adam and Zafar Khan were both aware of serious financial troubles in Carillion’s UK construction business but failed to reflect this in company announcements or alert the Board and audit committee, leading to poor oversight.
  Adam and Khan have
  
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• Construction buyers see better times ahead

  07-01-2026 12:25 via constructionenquirer.com
  Construction buyers are hoping for a better year ahead as business activity expectations rebounded to a five-month high.
  It was a ray of light in an otherwise gloomy set of statistics in the latest bellwether S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index which registered 40.1 in December, up from 39.4 in November but below the neutral 50.0 value for the twelfth successive month.
  UK construction companies experienced another sharp downturn in business activity and incoming new w
  
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• McAlpine tipped for £150m West End office revamp

  07-01-2026 08:58 via constructionenquirer.com
  Developers Edge and Mitsubishi Estate have secured the funding package to push ahead with a £150m office overhaul of 125 Shaftesbury Avenue in West London.
  Sir Robert McAlpine is understood to be in line to deliver the big revamp job, which is being taken forward on a speculative basis.
  The funding deal clears the way for construction to start early this year after enabling works contractor John F Hunt completes site strip-out.A consortium of Japanese equity investors – including Tok
  
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• Four-storey rooftop extension approved for office-to-hotel switch

  07-01-2026 08:58 via constructionenquirer.com
  Plans to add a four-storey rooftop extension to a former Square Mile office building as part of a hotel conversion have been approved by the City of London Corporation.
  The consent clears the way for family-run developer Chart Forte Monument to transform the Grade II-listed St Clement’s House at 27–28 Clements Lane into a 180-key luxury hotel, with designs by Studio Moren.
  Construction works are proposed to commence this Summer, lasting for approximately 18-24 months.The mid-19th cen
  
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• Four-storey rooftop extension approved for City office-to-hotel

  07-01-2026 08:58 via constructionenquirer.com
  Plans to add a four-storey rooftop extension to a former Square Mile office building as part of a hotel conversion have been approved by the City of London Corporation.
  The consent clears the way for family-run developer Chart Forte (Monument) to transform the Grade II-listed St Clement’s House at 27–28 Clements Lane into a 180-key luxury Marriott hotel, with designs by Studio Moren.
  Construction works are proposed to commence this Summer, lasting for approximately 18-24 months.The m
  
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• Site acquired in Chichester for new Premier Inn

  07-01-2026 08:35 via constructionenquirer.com
  Whitbread has confirmed plans to build a new Premier Inn hotel in Chichester after acquiring the site on Bognor Road from Hanbury Properties.
  The new location complements the existing Premier Inn at Gate Leisure Park to the south west of Chichester city centre.
  Whitbread Acquisitions Manager Louise Woodruff said: “Chichester’s diverse cultural offer and successful business economy is fuelling year-round demand for high-quality, affordable hotel rooms from our customers.“This&nb
  
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• Clegg clears Gateway 2 for £46m Sheffield flats

  07-01-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  Clegg Construction has secured Gateway 2 approval for a £46m, 12-storey build-to-rent scheme in Sheffield.
  The contractor, working for Liverpool-based developer Brickland, has received formal sign-off from the Building Safety Regulator for the 267-flat Nursery Street project.
  Michael Sims, managing director at Clegg Construction, said: “Securing Gateway 2 approval from the Building Safety Regulator confirms that this development in Sheffield meets the most stringent of safety require
  
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