Construction news

• Gatwick second runway cleared after court challenge fails

  04-08-2026 20:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  Gatwick Airport’s £2.2bn second runway expansion has cleared its final legal hurdle after the Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge against the project, paving the way for construction to begin.
  The government said the privately financed scheme is now on course to bring the airport’s standby northern runway into full use from 2030, allowing up to 100,000 additional flights a year and supporting 14,000 jobs across the region.
  Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the ruling e
  
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• Kane Group lands Edgbaston MEP deal with Sisk

  13-08-2026 11:06 via constructionenquirer.com
  Kane Group has secured a major new multi-million-pound MEP contract as part of the Sisk redevelopment of Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.
  The appointment builds on Kane’s long-standing relationship with Sisk and reflects growing demand for the company’s integrated approach to delivering complex quality led construction projects through digital engineering, offsite manufacturing and end-to-end project delivery.
  Under the contract, Kane will deliver the full mechanical and electrical i
  
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• Morgan Sindall lures North East director from Willmott Dixon

  13-08-2026 10:53 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Morgan Sindall Construction has appointed Nick Corrigan as the new Area Director of its North East and Cumbria business.
  Corrigan joins from Willmott Dixon where he worked for nearly 13 years and ran the North east region.
  He said: “This is a part of the world I know well and care deeply about. There’s huge potential for growth in both the North East and in Cumbria, not least because of the renewed focus from the top levels of government on rebalancing the UK economy and supporting t
  
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• Avant Homes seals Government fire safety payment deal

  13-08-2026 09:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Private equity-backed Avant Homes has secured a Government-backed payment plan for its legacy building safety liabilities, easing pressure on cashflow as the house builder battles planning delays and a subdued housing market.
  The house builder, chaired by former Persimmon chief executive Jeff Fairburn, said the agreement with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) provided important liquidity support by spreading repayments for historic fire safety works over a number
  
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• Scaffolding firm Blencowe files administration notice

  13-08-2026 09:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Wiltshire based specialist Blencowe Scaffolding Ltd has filed a notice of appointment to appoint an administrator.
  The firm has been in business for more than 60 years and is a familiar face on sites across the south of England.
  The family-run business was established in 1964 by Pat Blencowe is run from a head office in Salisbury and two depots in Basingstoke and Eastleigh.Latest accounts for Blencowe for the year to June 30 2025 show the company employed 55 staff and had plant and equipmen
  
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• Costain predicts “step change” in financial performance

  13-08-2026 08:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Costain is predicting a “step change” in its financial performance from next year as it posted another strong set of results.
  Alex Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Costain is now at a key inflection point where the strength of our growing, resilient end markets, strategic positioning with our customers and high-quality forward work position is set to deliver growth in H2 26 and a step change in our financial performance in FY 27 and beyond.”
  Latest results for six
  
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• Housing groundworks crisis deepens as JAO ceases trading

  13-08-2026 08:27 via constructionenquirer.com
  Taunton-based JAO Groundworks has become the latest residential groundworks specialist to collapse as the prolonged downturn in house building continues to claim trade contractor casualties.
  The Somerset firm, which employed more than 100 staff and delivered more than £43m of work since launching in 2019, has ceased trading with immediate effect.
  Founder Jake Oaten announced the closure in a statement to staff, suppliers and clients, blaming the depressed housing market, rising costs, late
  
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• Plans in for striking HSBC Canary Wharf tower revamp

  13-08-2026 08:14 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have been lodged to transform HSBC’s landmark Canary Wharf headquarters in what is being billed as the world’s largest office building transformation.
  Canary Wharf Group and building owner Qatar Investment Authority have submitted proposals to Tower Hamlets Council to overhaul the 45-storey tower at 8 Canada Square.
  The cost of the ambitious project has not been revealed but could be somewhere £800m and £1bn.
  Designed by architect Kohn Pedersen Fox, the retrofit-led
  
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• Formwork panel hits Hinkley worker after falling 29 metres

  12-08-2026 22:39 via constructionenquirer.com
  Two improvement notices served on contractors Bouygues Travaux Publics SAS and Laing O’Rourke Delivery Limited operating as the BYLOR joint venture- have been extended following an incident at the Hinkley Point C construction site.
  The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) served the notices in June after a formwork panel fell approximately 29 metres which left a worker with serious injuries at the site in Somerset.
  ONR established that BYLOR JV, in its role as contractor, failed to ensure t
  
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• Structure Tone revenue almost triples to record £449m

  12-08-2026 09:07 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Fit-out specialist Structure Tone nearly tripled revenue last year on the back of the London fit-out boom.
  The firm, owned by US-based STO Building Group, saw turnover jump to a record £449m in 2025 from £157m a year earlier, while profitability was restored as pre-tax profit climbed to £12.6m from £1.7m.
  Joint managing director Matt Blowers said growth was driven by strong demand across London’s legal, technology, financial services, media and professional services
  
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• Focus on growing markets pays off for Balfour Beatty

  12-08-2026 08:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Balfour Beatty’s focus on growing markets is paying off as the contracting giant published a strong set of half year results with momentum expected to continue for the rest of 2026.
  Balfour said it is focused on four strategic growth markets – UK energy transition and security, UK defence, UK transport and US buildings.
  That strategy saw group turnover during the first half of 2026 hit £5,563m from £5,150m last time as pre-tax profits stayed steady at £129m from &po
  
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• Hill hires former Telford Homes boss

  12-08-2026 08:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  House builder Hill Group has appointed former Telford Homes group managing director John Fitzgerald to lead its Eastern Residential and Western regional businesses.
  The senior hire comes as Hill presses ahead with a five-year growth plan to double annual turnover to £2.3bn by 2030.
  Fitzgerald brings more than 35 years’ experience in construction and house building.He started his career with Willmott Dixon before joining Furlong Homes and later spending more than 20 years at Telford H
  
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• Ardmore directors fight to save property firms with CVA plan

  12-08-2026 08:20 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Ardmore directors are attempting to save the group’s remaining property businesses after seven companies launched company voluntary arrangement (CVA) proposals to repay creditors while continuing to trade.
  The proposals, overseen by business recovery specialist BTG, cover Ardmore Group Holdings, Ardmore Group, Byrne Properties, Celebration Homes, Paddington Construction, Systemhaven and Byrne Estates (Kensal Green).
  If approved by creditors, the CVAs will allow the companies to repay debts
  
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• Willmott Dixon kicks off Oldham town centre regen

  12-08-2026 07:25 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Willmott Dixon has started work on the £28m first phase of the Prince’s Gate regeneration scheme in Oldham town centre.
  The private builder will deliver 75 affordable homes in a six-storey apartment block for regeneration specialist Muse and Oldham Council on the former car park beside the Mumps Metrolink stop.
  The first phase forms part of the wider Prince’s Gate regeneration, creating a new residential gateway into the town centre.Designed to meet the Future Homes Standard, t
  
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• Kier inks second Derwent London office scheme for £99m

  12-08-2026 07:20 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Kier has signed off a £99m deal to deliver its second major office scheme for Derwent London in the West End.
  The contractor will carry out the retained façade redevelopment of Holden House on the corner of Oxford Street and Rathbone Place, creating 135,000 sq ft of commercial space opposite Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth line station.
  The eight-storey scheme will provide 115,000 sq ft of Grade A offices alongside 20,000 sq ft of retail space fronting Oxford Street.The appointment f
  
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• Investment giant acquires Phoenix ME

  11-08-2026 12:32 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Investment firm H.I.G. Capital has acquired London M&E specialist Phoenix ME.
  The deal will see Phoenix’s CEO Lee Compton reinvest alongside H.I.G. and the company’s existing management team will remain in place.
  Jim Arnold will join as Chairman, partnering with management and H.I.G. to support Phoenix’s next phase of growth.Arnold is a former CEO at M Group Services and director at Morrison Utility Services.
  In its latest results Phoenix set its sights on a £400m tur
  
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• VINCI UK profit jumps 51% after group overhaul

  11-08-2026 09:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  Strong performances from highways and civil engineering businesses helped VINCI’s combined UK construction operations deliver a 51% hike in pre-tax profit to nearly £100m last year following a major corporate restructuring.
  Revenue, including joint ventures, jumped nearly 20% to £2.9bn in 2025 after the French-owned group brought together Eurovia, Ringway, Taylor Woodrow, VINCI Building, VINCI Facilities and newly-acquired FM Conway under the VINCI Construction Holding UK struc
  
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• Bellway beats build target despite weaker buyer demand

  11-08-2026 08:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Bellway exceeded its annual completions target after a late surge in bulk sales helped lift housing output by 11% and drove a sharp improvement in cash generation despite a weaker sales market.
  The house builder completed 9,695 homes in the year to 31 July, ahead of its previous guidance of 9,300 to 9,500 homes.Despite being one of the few volume builders to surpass completions targets chief executive Jason Honeyman urged ministers to stimulate demand as the market continues to weaken.He called
  
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• Clancy Consulting administration move sheds historic liabilities

  11-08-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Directors of Manchester engineering consultancy Clancy Consulting have filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators as part of a restructuring to shed historic liabilities while safeguarding its civil and structural engineering business.
  The move will see the firm’s core civil and structural engineering operation transferred to newly formed CCE Ltd, a business run by the same five directors who previously led Clancy Consulting.
  The pre-pack style restructuring is designed to ringf
  
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• Bricklayer breaks back after falling through roof

  11-08-2026 08:14 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A Northumberland contractor has been sentenced after a bricklayer broke his back after falling through a barn roof.
  The 24-year-old had been part of a team working for Len Smith & Son Building Contractors Limited carrying out repairs to the roof at East Fleetham Farm in Seahouses on 5 February 2025.
  The man stepped on a polycarbonate roof sheet and fell eight feet to the concrete floor below. He suffered two broken vertebrae in his back, as well as having a fractured sternum, that required s
  
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• Multiplex gets start date for City Road 36-storey tower

  10-08-2026 14:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Multiplex will start main construction works within weeks after being confirmed as main contractor at the 99 City Road scheme in central London by developer Endurance Land.
  Practical completion is targeted for 2030 on the 36-storey tower which will deliver 475,000 sq ft of commercial space.
  The £300m scheme is located at the intersection of Old Street and the City and the build contract signing follows Multiplex’s earlier involvement under a Pre-Construction Services Agreement.R
  
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• Trade credit insurer cuts cover for Vistry suppliers

  10-08-2026 11:33 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Trade credit insurer Allianz Trade has cut the credit insurance cover it provides to suppliers of Vistry.
  The reduction in cover, understood to be as much as 70% for some suppliers, comes as Vistry steps up efforts to generate cash and reduce daily net debt, which stood at close to £800m at the half year.
  Industry sources said Allianz Trade has been informing suppliers in recent weeks that it is reducing credit limits on new trading with Vistry.According to a report in the Financial Times
  
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• Trade credit insurer could cut cover for Vistry suppliers

  10-08-2026 11:33 via constructionenquirer.com
  Trade credit insurer Allianz Trade could cut the credit insurance cover it provides to suppliers of Vistry.
  The potential reduction in cover, understood to be as much as 70% for some suppliers, comes as Vistry steps up efforts to generate cash and reduce daily net debt, which stood at £470m at the half-year.
  Industry sources said Allianz Trade has been informing suppliers in recent weeks that it is reducing credit limits on new trading with Vistry.According to a report in the Financial Tim
  
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• M&E specialist ACES files administration notice

  10-08-2026 09:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  M&E contractor Avon Combined Electrical Services (ACES) has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators just a year after opening a London office to target bigger and more complex projects.
  The Bristol-based specialist lodged the notice at the High Court, giving the company temporary protection from creditor action.
  Founded in 1988 as an electrical contractor, ACES spent nearly four decades building its reputation across the South West before broadening into mechanical services, fi
  
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• Higgins lands Brentford estate revamp

  10-08-2026 09:02 via constructionenquirer.com
  Hounslow Council has appointed Higgins Partnerships to deliver 182 new council homes as part of the regeneration of the Charlton House and Albany House estate in Brentford.
  The scheme will replace 92 ageing homes with 182 new ones alongside ground-floor commercial space, providing opportunities for local businesses and services, while more than 2,500 square metres  landscaped green space will create a more vibrant neighbourhood.
  Construction is expected to begin in the Autumn following exte
  
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• Portsmouth picks ECF for 2,300-home city centre regeneration

  10-08-2026 08:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  Portsmouth City Council has picked ECF as its preferred regeneration partner for the next phase of its City Centre North redevelopment.
  The deal could pave the way for one of the south coast’s biggest mixed-use regeneration schemes on a large former car park site once home to the now-demolished Tricorn shopping centre in the heart of the city.
  The 13.25-hectare brownfield site has the potential to deliver up to 2,300 homes alongside new commercial space, leisure facilities and more than 24
  
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• Newcastle office block plan unveiled

  10-08-2026 08:45 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A planning application has been submitted for an office block at the £70m One Founders Place development in Newcastle.
  Submitted by Founders Place LLP – a joint venture between igloo and Newcastle City Council – the 185,000 sq ft, 12-storey development has been designed by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.
  The scheme will also include one of Newcastle’s most significant new civic spaces – Founders Square – transforming an area that currently lacks a maj
  
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• Eric Wright to start £65m Tebay-style M56 services

  10-08-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  Eric Wright is set to start building work shortly on a £65m Tebay-style motorway services development in Cheshire that will replace the traditional fast-food model with a farm shop and kitchen showcasing local produce.
  The services are being developed between Junctions 7 and 8 of the M56 near Millington and Rostherne through a partnership between Westmorland, the acclaimed family-run operator behind Tebay and Gloucester Services, and the Tatton Estate.
  Designed by Howells, the scheme is du
  
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• Eric Wright breaks ground on £65m Tebay-style M56 services

  10-08-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Eric Wright has started work on a £65m Tebay-style motorway services development in Cheshire that will replace the traditional fast-food model with a farm shop and kitchen showcasing local produce.
  The services are being developed between Junctions 7 and 8 of the M56 near Millington and Rostherne through a partnership between Westmorland, the acclaimed family-run operator behind Tebay and Gloucester Services, and the Tatton Estate.
  Designed by Howells, the scheme is due to open in spring 2
  
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• Plans in for retrofit of London Charing Cross office icon

  09-08-2026 20:19 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have gone in to retrofit one of London’s best-known 1980s office buildings above Charing Cross Station.
  Developer Bridgemont wants to reinvent 1 Embankment Place rather than demolish it, retaining around 90% of the existing structure and floorplate and about 60% of the façade in one of Westminster’s largest retrofit-first commercial schemes.
  Hopkins Architects has redesigned the landmark Terry Farrell building to deliver 35,000 sq m of Grade A office space while dramatic
  
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