Construction news

• Eleven developers miss deadline to sign building safety contracts

  14-03-2023 16:29 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Eleven house builders have failed to meet the Government deadline to sign contracts committing them to remediate buildings in need of fire safety improvements.
  Around 49 firms signed a pledge last year to remediate fire-safety defects in buildings over 11 metres that they developed or refurbished over the last 30 years in England.
  But as the 13 March deadline to sign legally-binding contracts passed yesterday around a fifth of firms had still not signed.Publishing lists today of both developers
  
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• Higgins cleared to restart stalled Ealing estate rebuild

  10-09-2026 13:33 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Higgins Partnerships has been cleared to move ahead with the stalled final phase of the Green Man Lane estate regeneration in West London.
  Ealing Council’s cabinet has approved changes to the next stage of the long-running programme, paving the way for around 400 more homes at the West Ealing site.
  Work on the final phase was paused in 2023 when contractor REAL entered administration.
  Higgins Partnerships will now take responsibility for the remaining development work through a new arrange
  
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• Seddon replaces Vistry on £40m Salford resi scheme

  10-09-2026 09:02 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Seddon Construction is set to replace Vistry on a £40m affordable housing project in Salford after the council decided not to proceed with the partnership homes group beyond enabling works.
  Salford City Council is preparing to award Seddon the main construction contract for 144 low-energy homes at Robert Hall Street in Ordsall.
  The site forms the A2 phase of a wider 274-home development covering Robert Hall Street and West Park Street.
  Vistry was appointed in spring 2024 to progress design
  
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• Consultant RLB cuts staff numbers

  10-09-2026 08:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  Consultant Rider Levett Bucknall has cut 2% of staff across the UK following a review of the business.
  The Enquirer understands that 39 people were made redundant at all levels from partner downwards.
  One worker said: “This came completely out of the blue with people losing their jobs in London, Birmingham and Manchester.“It seems to us that jobs were cut almost at random to meet a quota and it has created a lot of unease and unrest at the business.”
  An RLB statement said:
  
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• £2bn London Vauxhall Square tower trio approved

  10-09-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have been approved to build a trio of residential skyscrapers at Vauxhall in south London, filling out the centre of Nine Elms cluster beside the Thames.
  The tallest would rise to 69-storeys overshadowing the existing St Georges Wharf tower and will rank as the second tallest residential building in London.
  Lambeth councillors have backed the vast Vauxhall Square scheme, paving the way for a total of seven buildings containing 1,097 homes, 1,164 co-living apartments and 699 student bedroom
  
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• 80 firms win places on £350m Fusion21 repairs framework renewal

  10-09-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Fusion21 has picked 80 firms to deliver housing repairs and maintenance work through a £350m framework.
  Major contractors securing places include Wates Property Services, Mears, Equans Regeneration, Axis Europe, Ian Williams, Cardo and UI Social Infrastructure.
  The four-year Responsive Repairs & Void Property Framework will be available to participating public bodies across the UK from 1 October.Forty-two firms have made the line-up for the Liverpool-based procurement body’s bigg
  
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• Worker died under two tonnes of soil in trench collapse

  09-09-2026 16:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Two construction companies and a contracts manager have been sentenced following the death of a labourer who died on a site in Banstead, Surrey.
  Gheorghita Arsene, 33, died in in June 2020 when a 10ft deep trench collapsed on top of him, covering him in two tonnes of soil soil. He had been working on a site where an old care home was being demolished to make way for a new purpose-built home.
  Following a three-month trial at the Central Criminal Court in London, principal contractor Appledorn Dev
  
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• Infrastructure demand helps Clancy to record results

  09-09-2026 12:33 via constructionenquirer.com
  Family-owned civils contractor Clancy has posted record results as infrastructure workloads continue to rise.
  The water and energy sectors were the star performers as Clancy reported a pre-tax profit of £31.7m for the year to March 29 2026 from £28m last time as turnover jumped to £498m from £429.6m.
  The firm saw its forward order book hit £2.8bn with the strong pipeline and a net cash position of £58m supporting reinvestment across the business.The new Clancy
  
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• McGee boss Fossey takes top job at Permasteelisa

  09-09-2026 10:06 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Permasteelisa Group has appointed former McGee managing director Seb Fossey as its new group chief executive.
  Fossey will join the global façade specialist on 28 September as it targets its next phase of international growth.
  He spent nine years at specialist engineering contractor McGee, joining as operations director in 2017 before becoming group managing director in 2019.During his time at McGee, Fossey helped oversee its move from a traditional demolition and groundworks subcontractor
  
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• London Mayor backs 3,000-home Beckton gasworks regeneration

  09-09-2026 09:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  London’s deputy mayor for planning has approved plans for nearly 3,000 homes at Beckton Riverside, paving the way for a £250m remediation and enabling works programme on the former gasworks site.
  Berkeley Group subsidiary St William is preparing the massive clean-up operation across the derelict east London site ahead of the first homes getting underway.
  The hybrid masterplan was called in by City Hall in April after Newham Council approved the first phase last year.Mayoral approval
  
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• £1bn heatwave hit sparks resilience spending call

  09-09-2026 08:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Institution of Civil Engineers is calling on Government to commission an independent economic review to kick-start investment in making UK infrastructure more resilient to climate change.
  ICE said a major review of the costs and benefits of climate adaptation could have the same impact on resilience policy as the Stern Review had on cutting carbon emissions.
  The call is the central recommendation in its new report published this morning, Making resilience count: The economic value of climate
  
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• Torsion Construction went down owing suppliers £15m

  09-09-2026 08:19 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Torsion Construction owed hundreds of suppliers at least £15.6m when it went into administration in July.
  The huge debt owed to subcontractors came despite the efforts of Torsion bosses to minimise the impact on suppliers by organising direct payments to subbies by clients as the company’s money troubles grew.
  An update for creditors from administrator Interpath said: “Given the company’s deteriorating cash position, the company agreed to introduce direct payment arrangem
  
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• Plan lodged to turn BT Tower into 400-room hotel

  09-09-2026 08:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have been lodged for a conversion of London’s landmark BT Tower into a 400-room hotel and visitor attraction.
  US hotel giant MCR is proposing to overhaul the Grade II-listed Fitzrovia tower, its podium and adjoining Howland Building, retaining 78% of the existing structures by volume.
  Orms Architects is leading the design after taking over the project from Heatherwick Studio, which was originally appointed following MCR’s £275m purchase of the tower from BT Group in 2024.
  
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• Contractor hunt for £50m South Wales link road

  08-09-2026 15:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has started the hunt for a contractor to deliver a £50m link road near Aberdare in South Wales.
  The Cynon Gateway North scheme will create a new 1.2km road between the A4059 Aberdare Bypass and the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road at Croesbychan.
  The council is progressing procurement for a design-and-build contractor, with an appointment expected during 2027 before detailed design work gets underway.The route will run through land between Llwydcoed and Penywaun, ar
  
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• Vistry pitches plan to unlock 30,000 homes a year

  08-09-2026 14:46 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Vistry is calling for a new shared ownership model that it claims could unlock 30,000 extra new-build home sales a year and give house builders confidence to accelerate development pipelines.
  The proposed Choice-led Shared Ownership scheme would allow eligible first-time buyers to select any qualifying new-build home rather than being restricted to homes specifically designated for shared ownership.
  Buyers would purchase at least 60% of the property using a conventional mortgage and pay rent of
  
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• Conlon lands £18m Wigan SEND school

  08-09-2026 09:32 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Employee-owned Conlon Construction has secured an £18m contract to deliver a major new SEND school campus in Wigan.
  The Preston-based contractor has signed the deal with Wigan Council to relocate Hope School and College to the Central Park site on Montrose Avenue.
  The award ranks among Conlon’s biggest school jobs to date.Hope School caters for children and young people with severe learning difficulties and profound and complex physical and medical needs from across the borough.
  Conl
  
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• Security patrols stepped-up to fight cable theft

  08-09-2026 09:15 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Security patrols are being stepped-up in the long running fight against cable theft on the railways.
  The latest investment on the East Coast Main Line will see security company Vital carry out targeted patrols at key locations along the route, which connects London King’s Cross with Scotland via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington and Newcastle.
  By disrupting potential offenders before they strike, the initiative aims to reduce delays and disruption for passengers and freight operato
  
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• Wales housing giant to start race for £750m contractor deal

  08-09-2026 09:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Codi Group is preparing to invite contractors to bid for places on a £750m construction framework as it ramps up a major housing programme across Wales.
  The group, formed through the merger of Pobl Group and Linc Cymru, is the largest housing, care and support provider in Wales and has almost 26,000 homes under ownership or management.
  Its new framework will appoint principal contractors across several lots covering new-build housing, sheltered and supported accommodation and refurbishment
  
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• Plans lodged for one of Europe’s tallest student towers

  08-09-2026 08:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Student accommodation developer Scape has submitted plans for an 851-bed tower near Elephant & Castle in south London.
  Architect Morris + Company has designed the 45-storey building for the site at 231-235 Southwark Bridge Road, which would become one of Europe’s tallest purpose-built student accommodation towers.
  The scheme will replace existing buildings with the landmark tower while retaining and restoring two locally listed townhouses. A disused single-storey taxi office will
  
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• Severfield and Perega to complete HS2 station roof

  08-09-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Consultant Perega has been appointed by main steelwork contractor Severfield to design the secondary steelwork for the roof of HS2’s Old Oak Common station.
  The scope covers purlins, roof and soffit support elements, edge details, roof walkways and brackets for guttering and rainwater chutes.
  Adam Holliday, Senior Structural Engineer at Perega, said: “This is a much bigger project than anything we’d typically take on in secondary steelwork.“The end bays have their own uni
  
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• London Square lands homes role on major Waterloo scheme

  08-09-2026 08:09 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  London Square has been picked to deliver 133 homes at the major Royal Street redevelopment in Waterloo.
  Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation has appointed the firm as its development partner on the 5.5-acre scheme, with half of the homes to be affordable.
  Work on the residential element is expected to start in spring 2027, subject to final regulatory approvals.
  Royal Street already has planning permission for a major mixed-use redevelopment opposite St Thomas’ Hospital, including
  
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• Tilbury Douglas gets green light for £30m Leeds SEND school

  07-09-2026 08:34 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Tilbury Douglas has cleared planning for a £30m special needs school project in Leeds.
  The City Council is pressing ahead with the redevelopment of Broomfield South Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre in Belle Isle, which will provide 100 extra places for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
  Tilbury Douglas Construction has been selected to deliver the scheme, which will see part of the existing school on Broom Place demolished and replaced by a three-storey teaching
  
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• Plans to slash paperwork for company reports

  07-09-2026 08:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction companies will be spared excessive paperwork under reforms to corporate reporting rules launched by the government.
  Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds is vowing to slash “nonsensical” rules which see firms of all sizes forced to produce reams of paperwork for company reports and accounts.
  He said: “No-one goes into business to fill out forms. For years, hardworking firms in this country have been weighed down by pen-pushing paperwork and frustrating costs, tickin
  
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• McLaughlin & Harvey lands £70m Holborn Circus office job

  07-09-2026 08:20 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  McLaughlin & Harvey has secured the £70m main contract to deliver Evans Randall Investors’ redevelopment of Thavies Inn House at Holborn Circus in London.
  The firm is due to start main construction in the fourth quarter following demolition of the existing 1950s building by Erith Contractors.WilkinsonEyre has designed the replacement building as two nested forms on the prominent site between New Fetter Lane and St Andrew Street.
  The redevelopment will roughly double the floorspac
  
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• Building safety Gateway 2 applications soar in August

  07-09-2026 08:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Building Safety Regulator is facing a fresh surge in workload after Gateway 2 project applications jumped sharply during August.
  Latest BSR figures show 1,654 Gateway 2 applications are now live, an increase of more than 100 in a single month. The regulator said it would closely monitor whether the rise continues.
  The spike comes ahead of the new Building Safety Levy taking effect on 1 October, which BSR believes may be encouraging developers to get applications into the system early.New-bui
  
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• Building safety Gateway 2 applications soar as levy looms

  07-09-2026 08:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Building Safety Regulator is facing a fresh surge in workload after Gateway 2 project applications jumped sharply during August.
  Latest BSR figures show 1,654 Gateway 2 applications are now live, an increase of more than 100 in a single month. The regulator said it would closely monitor whether the rise continues.
  The spike comes ahead of the new Building Safety Levy taking effect on 1 October, which BSR believes may be encouraging developers to get applications into the system early.New-bui
  
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• Kier storms August contracts league with £530m haul

  07-09-2026 08:03 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Kier stormed to the top of the contract league rankings for August after securing nearly £530m worth of work across 10 projects.
  The contractor’s bumper month was led by a £260m upgrade of Thames Water’s Maple Lodge Sewage Treatment Works near Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire.
  Kier’s building arm also landed a £100m West End office project for developer Derwent and a £52m rebuild of St Clare’s school in Essex.
  Multiplex came in second after confirmin
  
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• Housing slump sees output fall at faster pace in August

  04-09-2026 11:35 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The continuing slump in the residential sector saw the bellwether S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index drop to 44.3 in August from 44.7 in July.
  Buyers reported below the neutral 50.0 value for the twentieth successive month amid subdued demand conditions and a reduction in new projects – particularly house building starts.
  All three sub-sectors recorded a reduction in construction activity during August, but housing was the only category to register a faster pac
  
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• Ascot brickwork specialist Harlequin falls into administration

  04-09-2026 09:41 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Ascot-based brickwork specialist Harlequin Brickwork has fallen into administration after more than 15 years in business.
  The collapse comes after creditor ACS Stainless Steel Fixings lodged a winding-up petition against Harlequin, which had been due to be heard at the High Court in Leeds on 8 September.
  Marco Piacquadio and Alan Coleman of FTS Recovery have now been appointed administrators.Harlequin was founded in 2011 and grew into a sizeable brickwork, masonry and scaffolding specialist oper
  
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• Creditors back Ardmore CVA rescue plan

  04-09-2026 09:05 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Creditors have backed company voluntary arrangements aimed at keeping seven remaining Ardmore property businesses out of administration.
  The approval allows the companies to continue trading while repaying creditors under agreed terms following the collapse of Ardmore’s main contracting businesses in June.
  Crucially, the CVAs also pave the way for chairman Cormac Byrne to launch an appeal against the High Court’s landmark Building Liability Order ruling and challenge the extent to wh
  
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