Construction news

• Drax powers up £20bn mega data centre scheme

  03-11-2026 10:44 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Plans have been unveiled for a £20bn-plus data centre development at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, with the first phase targeted to be operational in early 2028.
  Energy giant Drax has teamed up with investment group Brookfield and its UK-based AI infrastructure business Radiant to develop one of Britain’s largest data centre campuses.
  The partners are targeting more than 1GW of capacity, with Brookfield estimating that total investment could exceed £20bn if the scheme is delivered i
  
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• ISG recoveries hit £46m but trade creditors won’t get a penny

  03-11-2026 13:53 via Construction Enquirer
  
  ISG administrators have clawed back nearly £46m since the contractor collapsed but trade creditors are still not expected to see a penny.
  The latest report from EY-Parthenon leaves unsecured creditors facing losses on estimated claims of £885m, two years after the group’s failure.
  HMRC is expected to recover part of its £91m preferential claim, although the taxman will also face a shortfall.
  Administrators recovered nearly £7m in the six months to 19 September 2026 as they chased outstandi
  
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• Graham wins first tower on £1.2bn Liverpool site

  03-11-2026 12:16 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Graham has won the tender race to build the first tower on the £1.2bn Kings waterfront development in Liverpool.
  Metropolitan Demolition has now cleared the plot to allow work to start on No.1 Kings – the 28-storey ‘pathfinder’ tower for the wider site.
  Work will see the delivery of 255 new homes for rent, alongside ground floor retail, first-floor resident amenities and rooftop social spaces for a scheme with a GDV of £80m.
  Hugh Frost, Chairman of developer Beetham Davos Limited said: �
  
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• Emergency works ordered as Galliard tower crisis widens

  03-11-2026 09:12 via Construction Enquirer
  
  London’s Newham Council has ordered emergency works at a Galliard Homes development in Canning Town as structural safety fears force residents out of five blocks.
  Dangerous structure notices were served demanding immediate temporary works and risk mitigation at Centurion Tower, Sovereign Tower and St Vincent’s Court in Canning Town, east London.
  The crisis widened on Friday when residents of neighbouring Thanet Tower and Prince Court were also told to leave following a further engineering as
  
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• Clancy picked for £39m Southern Water pipeline

  03-11-2026 09:08 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Clancy is set to sign a £39m deal to design and build Southern Water’s Andover Link Main pipeline in Hampshire.
  The contractor will deliver the underground link between Winchester and Andover, alongside new and upgraded pumping infrastructure to strengthen drought resilience.
  The 22.8km pipeline will connect Crab Wood service reservoir near Winchester with Micheldever Road service reservoir on the outskirts of Andover.Some early preparation work, such as vegetation clearance, is expected to s
  
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• Canary Wharf gets green light for major office overhaul

  03-11-2026 08:57 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Canary Wharf Group has secured planning permission for a major overhaul of the 10 Cabot Square office building in London’s Docklands.
  Tower Hamlets Council formally approved the scheme on 30 October, clearing the way for a deep retrofit of the existing building, including partial demolition, a new façade and additional rooftop office accommodation.
  Designed by architect Howells, the redevelopment will transform the ageing office block while retaining much of its existing structure.The project
  
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• Work set to start on £230m Farringdon hotel

  03-11-2026 08:50 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Main construction work will start imminently near Holborn Viaduct in Farringdon central London for a new £230m aparthotel.
  A joint venture between Central European developer and investor Penta Real Estate and aparthotel operator Staycity Group has been established to fund delivery of the new 350-room scheme.
  Work will transform the Morley House site with Altius Real Estate acting as development manager throughout the project.Construction will begin following the demolition of the existing offi
  
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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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