Construction news

• Howard Russell Construction goes into administration

  03-05-2023 12:30 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Northumberland based Howard Russell Construction has gone into administration.
  Administrators from FRP Advisory are now in control of the £43m turnover business.
  Howard Russell works across the UK as a design and build contractor for a wide range of sectors.Latest results for the firm for the year to March 31 2022 show a pre-tax profit of £790,000 from a turnover of £43.5m with 31 staff working at the company.
  Accounts show that the company owed £4.4m to trade creditors a
  
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• Council to rebid A38 job after Octavius price busts budget

  09-11-2026 09:17 via Construction Enquirer
  North Somerset Council is putting a £24m A38 highways job back out to tender after Octavius’s construction price came in too high.
  Octavius was appointed in 2025 under a two-stage design and build deal to develop the scheme and agree a Stage 2 construction price.
  But council papers say the contractor’s estimate overshot both the original budget assumptions and the approved funding position.A benchmarking review by Rider Levett Bucknall also found the gap could not be fully explained by infl
  
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• Government has no plans to take over struggling Vistry

  09-11-2026 09:13 via Construction Enquirer
  
  The Government has no plans to buy or nationalise struggling house builder Vistry as it cuts jobs and battles to bring borrowing under control.
  Housing minister Matthew Pennycook confirmed the position as the partnership housing giant seeks to refinance £900m of bank facilities and more than halve its regional operations.
  Responding to a written question from shadow housing minister David Simmonds, Pennycook said: “The government has no plans to purchase or nationalise Vistry.”Chief executi
  
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• Taylor Wimpey starts talks on job cuts

  09-11-2026 08:30 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Taylor Wimpey has started consultation on a round of redundancies as the housing market continues to flounder.
  The job losses will be spread nationwide and are part of a company cost cutting drive which has included slashing payouts to shareholders.
  The company has not given an indication on redundancy numbers among its 4,500 staff but they are understood to be on a much smaller scale than the ongoing programme at rival Vistry.In a statement to the Enquirer Taylor Wimpey said: “In response to
  
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• South Wales highways framework jumps £135m to £405m

  09-11-2026 08:12 via Construction Enquirer
  The forecast value of a major South Wales highways framework has jumped by £135m to £405m as councils launch the formal race for contractors.
  The SWTRA Highways & Structures Framework 2027 was previously advertised at £270m but has now been increased by 50%, offering firms a significantly bigger pipeline of roads and bridges work.
  Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council is leading the procurement alongside Carmarthenshire and Monmouthshire councils.Up to eight contractors will share the
  
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• Kier bags contracts league double with £347m haul

  09-11-2026 01:21 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Kier stormed back to the top of the contracts league in October as three major wins helped deliver a £347m haul.
  Rail, education and water work powered the contractor into first place for the month and restored its lead in the rolling 12-month rankings.
  The biggest wins included Manchester Airport station’s upgrade, St Gregory’s Catholic Science College in north west London and the overhaul of Harpenden sewage treatment works in Hertfordshire.
  Kier’s £54m airport station contract involve
  
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• Bids invited for £1bn construction and refurb framework

  06-11-2026 17:18 via Construction Enquirer
  Fusion21 is inviting bids for its latest £1bn national Construction & Refurbishment Framework.
  The procurement specialist is looking for supply partners with experience of delivering construction and refurbishment works in housing, health, education and wider public sector environments.
  This will be the third version of the framework with previous years delivering 95 projects with a total value of £675m and an average project value of £7.2m.The deal will run from 2027–31 and be divided
  
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• Plant dealer Molson files administration notice

  06-11-2026 15:03 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Plant dealer Molson has filed notices of intention to appoint administrators after its latest published accounts revealed a £10.3m pre-tax loss.
  Founder and chief executive Robin Powell is understood to have announced the decision to staff this morning.
  The Bristol-based business supplies major machinery brands including Kobelco, Hyundai Construction Equipment, Terex ranges, Sennebogen, Bell Equipment, Thwaites, Merlo and Husqvarna demolition robots.Molson is the UK’s largest independent new
  
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• Plant dealer Molson enters administration

  06-11-2026 15:03 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Plant giant Molson has crashed into administration with PwC winding down its UK business employing around 330 people.
  Founder and chief executive Robin Powell revealed the decision to staff on Friday morning in what one descibed as an ’emotional’ teams meeting.
  Administrators have taken control of five group companies and are selling off remaining machinery and parts stock while chasing outstanding debts.The Bristol-based dealer ran into a funding crunch after suffering significant financial
  
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• £3.7bn Windermere clean-up takes major tender step

  06-11-2026 09:10 via Construction Enquirer
  
  United Utilities has launched the race for a design and integration deal worth up to £600m to drive its proposed £3.7bn Windermere clean-up.
  The water company wants a partner to turn its Only Rainwater into Windermere proposals into a consented construction programme spanning tunnels, sewers, pumping stations and treatment infrastructure.
  An initial four-year development phase is expected to be worth £60m-£100m. Extensions covering design and integration during construction could take the ap
  
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• GWR lines up 16 builders for £90m station upgrades

  06-11-2026 08:56 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Great Western Railway has lined up 16 contractors for a £90m programme of station upgrades, depot improvements and building works.
  AmcoGiffen, Hollywell Building Services, Jamieson Contracting and Walker Construction scored a clean sweep, securing places across all three framework lots.
  Vinci Construction UK picked up places for minor works and depot projects, with Spencer Rail Engineering, Trackwork and Emeg Group also joining the depot line-up.
  Contractor
  Minorworks
  Majorstation
  Depotworks
  Am
  
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• First time buyer scheme to stall housing market for months

  06-11-2026 08:36 via Construction Enquirer
  
  MJ Gleeson is warning that the government’s new Your First Home scheme could stall the housing market for months.
  The house builder welcomed the scheme for first time buyers in a trading update today but flagged issues over its timing.
  The initiative was confirmed in last month’s budget but applications for the first loans won’t begin until February.Gleeson said: “The announcement of the scheme some five months before its launch is likely to postpone demand in the intervening period and
  
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• Billington cuts profit forecast despite record orders

  06-11-2026 08:32 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Steelwork specialist Billington has warned annual profit could come in at around half of market expectations after a problem industrial job and delays to a major bridge contract.
  The group now expects underlying pre-tax profit of £4m–£5.5m for 2026, against analysts’ forecasts of £8.3m. Last year it delivered £4.1m.
  The biggest squeeze comes from an industrial project in the north of England which has proved tougher to deliver than expected.Billington has reassessed the costs to complete
  
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• Urban Splash hit with £46.5m flats fire repair bill

  06-11-2026 08:00 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Urban Splash and four associated businesses have been ordered to pay £46.5m towards fire safety repairs at seven Manchester apartment blocks.
  The firms have until 3 December to pay following a Government legal battle to recover taxpayers’ money spent fixing the former Urban Splash developments.
  The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) rejected arguments that public funding had driven unnecessarily expensive repairs. But it cut the publicly funded element of the claim by 10% to reflect Gover
  
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• Housing main drag on industry again in October

  05-11-2026 12:40 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Construction buyers have reported the lowest level of residential work since last December as the housing market continues to rag down the whole industry.
  The bellwether S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index recorded 43.6 in October – down from 46.1 the previous month.
  The index registered below the neutral 50.0 value for the twenty-second month running.Residential activity (index at 35.1) was by far the weakest-performing segment, with the latest reading the lowest since
  
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• Sizewell C backs drive to ditch diesel and cut carbon

  05-11-2026 12:04 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Sizewell C has put contractors on notice to prepare for life after diesel and a squeeze on the most carbon-intensive building materials.
  The nuclear developer has signed an industry pledge to drive down construction emissions through buying decisions, contract incentives and cleaner site operations.
  The move puts plant fleets, concrete mixes and steel sourcing firmly in the spotlight across the project’s supply chain.Under the Construction Leadership Council’s Five Client Carbon Commitments,
  
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• JRL gets green light for 359-unit Sutton co-living revamp

  05-11-2026 08:48 via Construction Enquirer
  
  JRL Group and development partner Halcyon have secured planning permission to transform a vacant office block in Sutton town centre into a 359-unit co-living development.
  Sutton Council has approved the redevelopment of St Nicholas House, clearing the way for a major refurbishment and extension of the former 12-storey office building.
  The scheme will see the existing structure partially demolished, retained and extended to create a building rising to 15 storeys.Designed by Assael Architecture, t
  
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• Vistry jobs cull begins as daily debt heads for £800m

  05-11-2026 08:47 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Vistry has started wielding the jobs axe as it moves to more than half its regional operations amid worsening market conditions.
  In a trading statement this morning, the house builder warned that average daily net debt was heading towards £800m in the second half as tough trading and delays to partner-funded deals squeeze cash.
  Chief executive Adam Daniels said he had started driving through plans for a smaller business focused on generating cash and cutting borrowing.
  The partnership homes foc
  
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• Morgan Sindall to beat profit targets again

  05-11-2026 08:39 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Morgan Sindall is set to beat its profit targets again this year as construction and fit-out continue t0 out-perform the general market.
  In a trading update today the contractor said: “Strong trading momentum has continued and, together with strong visibility of secured orders through to the end of the year, the Group now anticipates that its full year results for 2026 will be slightly ahead of its previous expectations.”
  It added: “The Construction division has continued to perform strong
  
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• Euston Station mega scheme set for 26-year build programme

  05-11-2026 08:08 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Lendlease and The Crown Estate have set out plans for the Euston station mega development with a building programme stretching over 26 years.
  The partners’ Impact Partnership joint venture is leading the 60-acre regeneration above and around the rail hub as the Government’s master development partner.An environmental scoping report submitted to Camden Council reveals proposals for up to 650,000 sq m of development, with landmark buildings rising to 25 storeys.
  Architect Allies and Morrison i
  
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• Forco is the new name for Mace Construct

  04-11-2026 12:00 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Mace Construct has confirmed it will be known as Forco when it launches its new brand in January 2027.
  The contractor said the new name is “short, impactful and easy to pronounce.”
  Mace Construct and Mace Consult became two separate businesses in March, with the agreement that Mace Consult would retain the Mace brand.The business will continue to trade as Mace Construct until the New Year then go forward as Forco with a new corporate strategy unveiled alongside productivity targets through t
  
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• Morgan Sindall Operations Director joins GMI

  04-11-2026 08:55 via Construction Enquirer
  
  GMI Construction Group has appointed James Garnett to the newly created role of Group Operations Director.
  Garnett joins from Morgan Sindall where he has spent the last seven years most recently as Operations Director for the North East and Cumbria business.
  At GMI Garnett will work with the Board and regional leadership teams to strengthen operational performance and support project delivery.His priorities include improving processes, streamlining reporting, and making better use of data to sup
  
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• United Living wins right to pursue £7.4m London defects claim

  04-11-2026 08:45 via Construction Enquirer
  
  United Living has beaten an attempt by architect Hawkins Brown to shut down a fresh £7.4m defects claim over a north London flats development.
  The contractor is chasing the cost of replacing a façade system and fixing alleged fire protection defects at the Wenlock Building in Wharf Road, Islington.
  Hawkins Brown argued the action should be thrown out because United Living could and should have brought the claims in earlier proceedings, which were settled in March 2023.
  That deal required the a
  
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• Places for People names groundworks firms for £246m deal

  04-11-2026 08:18 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Places for People has picked over 40 contractors for a national groundworks framework worth around £246m over four years.
  Coinford Central and RJ McLeod secured the widest spread of places, each landing spots on six of the framework’s 13 regional lots across England and Scotland.
  M&J Evans Construction and Houlihan & Co each picked up four lots. Other winners include MV Kelly, Erith, Tamdown, O’Halloran & O’Brien and Chasetown Civil Engineering.
  North West
  Lancashire, Manchest
  
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• Parliament restoration hits two-year snag before crunch vote

  04-11-2026 08:18 via Construction Enquirer
  
  Parliament’s mega restoration faces a two-year hold-up before MPs have even taken a crunch vote on getting the programme moving.
  The temporary home needed to clear MPs out of the Palace of Westminster will not be ready until 2034 at the earliest. The original full move-out target was 2032.
  Now the Public Accounts Committee has warned that every year spent delaying a decision adds up to £420m to the programme’s potential lifetime bill.
  MPs and peers are expected to vote by the end of 2026 on
  
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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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• 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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• 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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