Construction news

• Maidenhead’s £500m Nicholson Centre rebuild gets green light

  24-11-2025 08:22
  London developer Areli’s long-awaited plan to flatten Maidenhead’s tired Nicholson Centre and replace it with a soaring new mixed-use quarter has finally been waved through by local councillors.
  The hybrid application — unanimously approved by Windsor and Maidenhead’s planning committee — paves the way for 856 new flats across blocks rising to 20 storeys, 55 new shops and commercial units, and a 452-space multi-storey car park.
  The project will bulldoze all but two
  
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• Former Carillion finance directors fined £371,700

  07-01-2026 13:20
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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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• Cardo snaps up Scottish roofer Faskin Group

  07-01-2026 08:25
  Expanding building maintenance specialist Cardo Group has strengthened its roofing firepower in Scotland with the acquisition of Paisley-based specialist Faskin Group.
  The deal brings one of Scotland’s best-known roofing contractors into the Cardo fold, adding a skilled local workforce and expanding the group’s ability to deliver roofing services nationally.
  The Faskin Group established in 2010 by Frank and Karen O’Hara will continue to operate under their leadership as it inte
  
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• £230m win double sets McLaughlin & Harvey up for rebound year

  06-01-2026 15:50
  McLaughlin & Harvey has fired the starting gun on 2026 with a brace of contract wins worth more than £230m, injecting fresh momentum into the Belfast-based contractor after a turnover dip last year.
  The firm is set to start full construction in the coming weeks on a £210m Machine Shop project for Sheffield Forgemasters after locking down a final build price late last year.
  Sheffield Forgemasters’ 13,000 tonne forging line and machine shop will create a new generation of eng
  
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• Multiplex signs £250m London Wall construction contract

  06-01-2026 12:13
  Multiplex has been officially awarded the main £250m construction contract for the redevelopment of 75 London Wall in the City of London.
  The deal was signed with Malaysian property group Gamuda Berhad and London-based real estate investor, Castleforge on Tuesday morning.
  Main construction will now start on the £1.2bn project following extensive enabling and demolition works led by the Erith Group.Redevelopment work is now expected to achieve practical completion in Q1 2028.
  Mul
  
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• Construction recruiter Fawkes & Reece expands

  06-01-2026 08:58
  Expanding construction recruiter Fawkes & Reece has acquired Cardiff based Time 4 Recruitment Solutions Ltd.
  The acquisition brings Fawkes & Reece’s national footprint to nine offices, located in Southampton, Brighton, London, Northampton, Birmingham, Sheffield, Bolton, Cardiff and Bristol.
  Time 4 Recruitment Solutions has been jointly owned and led by Grant Lillywhite and Mal Martin. Following the acquisition, Lillywhite will continue as Managing Director, leading the newly establ
  
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• Land deal paves way for £100m Crewe industrial site

  06-01-2026 08:36
  Developer Hillwood has acquired 35 acres of prime industrial and logistics land in Crewe allowing main construction work to start on a £100m scheme.
  Three units will be built on a speculative basis at Hillwood Park Crewe totalling almost 800,000 sq ft.
  Muse has started infrastructure works on site, which includes main estate roads as well as delivering key services and utilities.Bob Tattrie, for Hillwood UK, said: “We are delighted to have concluded this significant transaction
  
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• New boss for Seddon housing partnerships arm

  06-01-2026 08:32
  Seddon has handed the reins of its Housing Partnerships arm to long-serving commercial lead Mark Walker as the family-owned contractor sharpens its focus on social housing delivery across the North and Midlands.
  Walker steps up to managing director after nearly seven years with the business, including the past three as commercial director, taking over from Peter Jackson, who is stepping down after almost two decades at Seddon.
  The move caps a three-year transition period in which Walker and Jack
  
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• Gratte tightens grip on costs to lift margins in tough year

  06-01-2026 08:22
  Building services contractor Gratte Brothers has strengthened margins and cash despite a sharp fall in turnover, after finally closing out a long-running legacy project that had constrained performance for several years.
  The M&E contracting arm of the family-owned group saw revenue slip to £200m in the year to March 2025, down from £227m, as major schemes were pushed back by project phasing and wider economic uncertainty.
  But tighter operational control helped operating profit cl
  
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• Bid race starts for Ebbsfleet £115m central enabling works

  06-01-2026 08:21
  Tendering is starting for in a £115m enabling works package for the key central phase of the planned Ebbsfleet Garden City in North Kent.
  The EC2 Phase 1a infrastructure tender covers major highways, utilities, structures and public realm works to open up the new commercial heart of the scheme around Ebbsfleet International station.
  The programme will clear the way for a new urban quarter with offices, flats, shops, restaurants and leisure uses anchored on the international rail hub.At ful
  
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• Statom lands frame package for Haymarket Hotel

  06-01-2026 08:14
  Statom North has been awarded the concrete frame package by main contractor McAleer & Rushe for the new Haymarket Hotel development in the heart of Edinburgh.
  Work will see Statom North construct two reinforced concrete frame structures forming a key part of the ongoing regeneration of Edinburgh’s Haymarket district.
  Statom North will be responsible for delivering the full concrete frame scope, including cores, slabs, vertical elements, transfer structures, and associated works, coordi
  
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• Kier overhauls top team as infrastructure arm launched

  05-01-2026 16:43
  Kier Group has recast its senior leadership team and launched a new Infrastructure division  to sharpen its growth strategy
  The contractor has fused its Transportation and Natural Resources Nuclear & Networks businesses into a single Kier Infrastructure arm, creating a consolidated powerhouse spanning roads, rail, aviation, water, energy and environmental work.
  The shake-up is designed to put Kier in prime position to capture work flowing from the Government’s 10-Year Infrastructu
  
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• Reds10 eyes hospital builds as it targets £500m turnover

  05-01-2026 08:51
  Modular specialist Reds10 is eyeing the NHS hospital new build programme as a major growth engine as it pushes towards a £500m turnover target.
  The firm has designed a prototype modular in-patient hospital bedroom that it hopes will drive the industrialisation of Hospital 2.0 under the government’s New Hospital Programme.
  If signed off by the NHP, the bedroom could become the standardised in-patient room rolled out across the entire programme, giving the NHS a repeatable modular solu
  
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• Civils contractor Applebridge sees profits surge

  05-01-2026 08:48
  Civils and groundworks contractor Applebridge Construction has posted a healthy jump in turnover and profits.
  Latest results for the year to April 30 2025 show pre-tax profits increasing to £21.9m from £7.2m last time as turnover rose to £119.6m from £82.9m.
  Applebridge put its success down to a “continued focus on operational discipline, careful project selection and consistent delivery across its civil engineering, groundworks and multi-utilities activities.&rdquo
  
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• Watch Skanska giant rail bridge demolition

  05-01-2026 08:33
  Video footage has been released of Skanska’s successful demolition this weekend of a major West Coast Main Line railway bridge near Penrith in Cumbria.
  The demolition is part of a £60m renewal scheme which will see a 130-metre-long bridge being removed and a new one installed over the first two weekends of 2026.
  Network Rail and its principal contractor Skanska achieved the first phase removing Clifton Bridge in the early hours of this morning.It required a full motorway closure of t
  
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• Premier Forest rescues National Timber Systems from administration

  05-01-2026 08:03
  House building industry timber supplier Premier Forest Products has bought engineered timber rival National Timber Systems in a deal that secures the future of the business after the collapse of its former parent.
  Newport-based Premier Forest bought NTS from administrators following the collapse of National Timber Group England in late November.
  The deal safeguards 160 jobs across NTS, with Premier Forest aiming to grow the workforce to around 250 as it looks to expand capacity and product innov
  
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• Premier Forest rescues National Timber Systems

  05-01-2026 08:03
  House building industry timber supplier Premier Forest Products has bought engineered timber rival National Timber Systems in a deal that secures the future of the business after the collapse of its former parent.
  Newport-based Premier Forest bought NTS from administrators following the collapse of National Timber Group England in late November.
  The deal safeguards 160 jobs across NTS, with Premier Forest aiming to grow the workforce to around 250 as it looks to expand capacity and product innov
  
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• Kier agrees £85.6m price for major civil service hub job

  31-12-2025 17:51
  Kier is set to start main works this month on Darlington’s major new central Government civil service hub after settling on a £85.6m price for the job.
  The 110,000 sq ft Brunswick Street scheme for the Government Property Agency will run for around two years, with the hub expected to be ready for occupation in early 2028.
  Kier has already been active on the site since September, carrying out ground remediation to strip out legacy fuel tanks and concrete slabs. That enabling package i
  
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• Mace chairman honoured with CBE

  30-12-2025 10:47
  Mace chairman Mark Reynolds has been made CBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours.
  Reynolds, who has also been co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council since 2022, was honoured for services to business and the construction industry.
  He stepped down last year as Mace Group’s chief executive, a role he had held since 2013, maintaining the role of executive chairman which he has held since January 2022.Other industry awardsOBEDr Aderonke Savage chief executive officer and foun
  
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• HS2 head office managers sent out to sites

  29-12-2025 09:18
  HS2 has cut 300 corporate roles as it aims to become “less bureaucratic”.
  Half of those people have now been sent out to civil engineering sites as the organisation becomes more “outcome-focused”
  A project update confirmed the moves as part of an ongoing  fundamental reset of the scheme by Chief Executive  Mark Wild who has now been in the job 12 months.Wild is aiming to get control of costs with new specialist commercial roles which now scrutinise every contrac
  
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• Modular firm Thurston bought out of administration

  23-12-2025 15:20
  Modular Building Specialist Thurston Group has been bought after going into administration.
  The £47m turnover firm called in administrators from Leonard Curtis on December 22 after 55 years in business.
  Leonard Curtis has been working with the group since last month looking for a potential buyer after a challenging period for the business.The sale to manufacturing conglomerate GCH Corporation Ltd will protect 200 jobs.
  Cassie Hutchings, CEO of GCH Corporation, said: “Thurston is a re
  
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• New Year tender race for Bristol BTR scheme

  23-12-2025 09:18
  Developer PLATFORM_  has confirmed that Bristol City Council has approved resolution to grant planning permission for its major new Build to Rent (BTR) scheme.
  The development is on track to tender for a main contractor in Q2 next year, ahead of a Gateway 2 submission at the end of 2026.
  The scheme will deliver 352 homes across a former sawmill site with designs by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.At the heart of the development is a new riverside park that opens access to the River Frome to th
  
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• Safety warning issued over transfer slabs

  22-12-2025 18:35
  The Building Safety Regulator has issued a warning over a “potential structural safety issue affecting reinforced concrete buildings constructed with ‘transfer slabs’.”
  A transfer slab is a floor arrangement where a column sits on top of a slab, but does not have a supporting column directly beneath it. The slab acts to support the load from the column and spreads it to the supporting columns below.
  The design has been used for 25 years in the UK often in mixed use scheme
  
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• Heathrow to start T4 revamp next year in £1.3bn spend plan

  19-12-2025 09:05
  Heathrow will unleash a £1.3bn improvement drive in 2026 as the airport kicks off a long-awaited overhaul of Terminal 4 and pushes ahead with major upgrades across its estate.
  Construction on the T4 revamp will begin with a new multi storey car park and an upgraded check in hall. The work will run in phases to keep the terminal operating normally and is expected to complete in 2031.
  Heathrow will also start building a dedicated baggage system for Terminal 2 capable of handling 31000 bags a
  
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