Construction news

• New work drives Q3 construction output uplift

  15-11-2024 08:55 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction output increased by 0.8% in the third quarter with growth coming solely from a 2% increase in new work, as repair and maintenance fell by 0.6%.
  The upward trend figure held despite a slowdown in September where overall construction activity was largely flat recording a meagre 0.1% increase in output, with new work slightly down for the month.
  More volatile orders figures were down 22% in the third quarter suggesting a potential hiatus in work going forward.
  In a mixed bag of figures
  
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• 15 firms bag £175m works Cumberland works deal

  06-02-2026 08:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  Cumberland Council has lined up 15 contractors on a £175m capital works construction framework covering building, civils and combined schemes across its region.
  Regional contractors Cubby Construction, Story Contracting, and Thomas Armstrong (Construction) fared best in the procurement race securing spots on all three lots.Capital Works (Construction) FrameworkGeneral Building Works (£0.2m–£3m)Cubby Construction
  Equans Regeneration
  Michael Thompson (Public Works Contracto
  
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• Ardmore turns corner after bruising two years

  06-02-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  Ardmore Group has signalled a sharp turnaround in fortunes, saying it is on track to return to profitability after two punishing years dominated by legacy construction problems and the collapse of its former contracting arm.
  The London-based contractor has just published delayed statutory results for the year to 30 September 2024, showing a £41m loss on turnover down 16% at £346m.
  The result was dragged down by losses on legacy projects, years of remedial works and a £15m adjud
  
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• £3bn early works plan to lift Parliament renewal out of limbo

  06-02-2026 08:14 via constructionenquirer.com
  MPs and Peers are being pressed to back a £3bn fast-start works package to finally get ahead of the spiralling repair bill at the Palace of Westminster and tee up the biggest restoration project in its history.
  A new report from the Parliamentary Restoration and Renewal Client Board calls for a seven-year “phase one” programme of early and enabling works to halt the cash drain on patch repairs and ageing systems, while kicking the hardest political decision on delivery to 2030.
  
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• £3bn early works plan to kick-start major Parliament restoration

  06-02-2026 08:14 via constructionenquirer.com
  MPs and Peers are being pressed to back a £3bn fast-start works package to finally get ahead of the spiralling repair bill at the Palace of Westminster and tee up the biggest restoration project in its history.
  A new report from the Parliamentary Restoration and Renewal Client Board calls for a seven-year “phase one” programme of early and enabling works to halt the cash drain on patch repairs and ageing systems, while kicking the hardest political decision on delivery to 2030.
  
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• Balfour powers back to top of contracts league

  06-02-2026 08:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  Balfour Beatty supercharged its way to the top of the contracts league in January after securing a blockbuster contract to deliver the world’s first gas-fired power station with carbon capture and storage.
  The Net Zero Teesside power station project is valued as £833m and sees Balfour deliver major onshore works for the plant as construction partner to Technip Energies.
  It marks a return to pole position in the monthly work won rankings after a long absence and lifted the firm to fou
  
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• Hinkley MEH contractors ordered to fix fire safety failings

  05-02-2026 15:06 via constructionenquirer.com
  The Office for Nuclear Regulation has served fire enforcement notices on five contractors working at the Hinkley Point C project after inspectors uncovered serious fire safety failings during a targeted inspection.
  The notices have been issued to members of the MEH alliance responsible for mechanical, electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning works on the Somerset nuclear new build: Altrad Babcock, Altrad Services, Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, Cavendish Nuclear and NG Bailey.
  ONR carri
  
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• Buyers believe construction has “exited its tailspin”

  05-02-2026 13:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  Construction buyers are at their most optimistic for months and believe the industry has “exited its tailspin”.
  The latest bellwether S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index shows and industry still in contraction.
  But the decline in out put is getting slower and buyers see sunnier times ahead.The index reading was 46.4 in January – up sharply from December’s five-and-a-half year low of 40.1.
  The latest reading was the highest since June 2025, but
  
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• Caddick wins first deal on Wolverhampton city centre regen

  05-02-2026 12:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  Caddick Construction has won the first main contract on a major Wolverhampton regeneration scheme of over 1,000 new homes and 20,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and commercial space
  The Smithgate scheme is being developed by ECF – a partnership between Homes England, L&G and Muse – working with City of Wolverhampton Council to transform the 12 acre site.
  Caddick will build the first phase – known as Bicycle Works – which will deliver 331 quality new homes.ECF has secured
  
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• £1bn London Cancer Hub expansion gets green light

  05-02-2026 08:48 via constructionenquirer.com
  Aviva Capital Partners and developer Socius have secured planning for a £1bn cancer research and treatment campus in Sutton.
  Plans include major buildings for global pharma firms, manufacturing space, wet labs, and collaborative offices. A ‘Learning Lab’, cafés, creche and 220 affordable flats for key workers are also included.Construction is expected to follow as the project moves into delivery, with the scheme positioned as nationally significant science infrastructure
  
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• Muck away firm fined after digger bucket hits worker

  05-02-2026 08:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  A grab hire company has been fined after a mechanic suffered life-changing injuries when a JCB bucket fell on him while he was helping to repair a tipper truck.
  On the 24 October 2023, the employee of Salford Grab Hire Limited was assisting a colleague in repairing a broken lifting mechanism on a tipper truck body. A JCB was being used to prop up the tipper body in the raised position when the one-tonne bucket became dislodged and fell.
  The worker suffered multiple fractures to his hand, shoulde
  
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• £17m reboot planned for Manchester One tower

  05-02-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  Bruntwood SciTech has lodged plans for a £17m transformation and expansion of the 1960s landmark Manchester One tower in the city.
  The proposals, submitted by Bruntwood SciTech, combine a full refurbishment of the existing 21-storey tower with a four-storey extension, increasing total floorspace to around 160,000 sq ft.
  Under the plans, the 131,000 sq ft building will be modernised throughout while retaining its original architectural character.The four-storey extension on Portland Street
  
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• Octavius cleared to start £113m A46 Walsgrave junction job

  05-02-2026 08:16 via constructionenquirer.com
  Octavius has been cleared to start work on the £113m A46 Coventry Junctions (Walsgrave) upgrade after ministers granted development consent for the scheme.
  The decision gives the green light for the National Highways project to move into delivery, with construction expected to start in the Autumn. The junction is due to open to traffic in 2028.
  The scheme will replace the existing three-arm priority roundabout linking the A46 and the B4082 at Walsgrave with a new grade-separated junction t
  
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• ECO funding cliff edge sinks insulation contractor

  05-02-2026 08:14 via constructionenquirer.com
  Specialist contractor South Coast Insulation Services has ceased trading after a funding cliff edge in government-backed retrofit work wiped out its order book.
  The £36m turnover Fareham-based insulation and renewables contractor has appointed administrators from PwC triggering the loss of 92 jobs.
  The Trustmark-accredited energy efficiency provider was heavily reliant on government-funded domestic retrofit programmes, with the Great British Insulation Scheme and Energy Company Obligation
  
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• Data centre drain ramps-up M&E labour costs

  04-02-2026 16:35 via constructionenquirer.com
  Labour prices for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) workers in London are being driven sky-high by the data centre construction boom.
  The latest London Main Contractor Survey by consultant AECOM highlighted the issue with a growing number of contractors looking to establish in-house MEP divisions.
  The report stated: “These skilled trades are experiencing acute shortages. This is due in part to the rapid expansion of the data centre sector, which is absorbing a large share of the le
  
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• Government puts firms on alert for mega framework renewal

  04-02-2026 09:05 via constructionenquirer.com
  Tenders are set to be invited next month for the Government’s biggest construction framework renewal, combining ProCure24 and the major project framework for public spending departments.
  Crown Commercial Service has confirmed that the new Construction Works and Associated Services 3 framework – incorporating ProCure 24 – will go out to market in early March.
  The mega framework, reference RM6320, is designed to replace and consolidate several major national routes to market, rol
  
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• Former Lonsdale director joins SES in growth drive

  04-02-2026 08:40 via constructionenquirer.com
  Wates-owned SES Engineering Services has landed a heavyweight pre-construction hire as it sharpens its growth drive across London and the South.
  The specialist has appointed former Michael J Lonsdale board director Mark Heath as pre-construction director, bringing more than 30 years of top-tier MEP estimating and bid leadership into its southern business.
  Heath, who held senior roles at Lonsdale including estimating director and board director, has also worked at Phoenix ME and is widely regarde
  
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• Green light for huge industrial scheme on old colliery site

  04-02-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  Planning has been granted for the second and largest phase of the redevelopment of Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willow.
  The St Helens Borough Council planning committee resolved to grant detailed consent for enabling and infrastructure works, with building designs to be dealt with under a future reserved matters application.
  A further 1.6m sq ft of logistics and manufacturing space can now be developed alongside more than 800,000 sq ft already consented for the scheme’s first phase.
  
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• Developers rally behind Milton Keynes new town ambition

  04-02-2026 08:19 via constructionenquirer.com
  Leading developers and landowners have lined up behind Milton Keynes’ ambitions to become part of the UK’s next generation of new towns.
  Major developers involved in the development pact include Berkeley, Taylor Wimpey, Urban&Civic, Hallam Land and Gallagher Developments, alongside the Bristol Society of Merchant Venturers and the Milton Keynes Development Partnership.
  Together, the group controls land capable of delivering around 40,000 new homes, alongside the transport, utilit
  
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• HG Construction starts £73m Wembley student rooms job

  04-02-2026 08:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  HG Construction has confirmed sealing a £73m contract to deliver a 609-bed student accommodation scheme in Wembley for client.
  The job marks the third student project collaboration between HG Construction and YourTRIBE following the delivery of schemes at Ilderton Road and Avonmouth Street in London.
  The Wembley scheme is YourTRIBE’s largest development to date and sits close to the national stadium.
  It will comprise two towers of 19 and 27 storeys, with extensive amenity provision a
  
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• Taylor Wimpey managing director jumps ship to Vistry

  04-02-2026 08:16 via constructionenquirer.com
  Vistry has snapped up a senior Taylor Wimpey director, appointing James Lidgate as group development director and handing him a seat on the executive leadership team.
  Lidgate joins from Taylor Wimpey, where he most recently served as managing director, and will take charge of Vistry’s strategy across land, planning, sustainability and business improvement. He will also co-chair the group’s investment committee.
  The hire marks another senior move as Vistry continues to push its partne
  
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• Laing O’Rourke loses £35m luxury flats court case

  03-02-2026 13:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  Residents of the UK’s most expensive apartment block have won a £35m legal battle against main contractor Laing O’Rourke.
  Flat owners at One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge now face a ten-year refurbishment programme to fix leaking pipework in the building.
  The luxury scheme was completed in 2011 by Laing O’Rourke Construction South.The One Hyde Park (OHP) freeholders launched a legal claim against the contractor in 2021 following years of unsuccessful talks over building defe
  
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• Olympian clears gateway 2 for Bristol’s tallest tower

  03-02-2026 09:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  Developer Olympian Homes has secured gateway 2 approval for what is set to become Bristol’s tallest building, unlocking construction on its major Haymarket development in the city centre.
  The scheme will deliver 442 student beds and 150 co-living units across two towers of 29 and 18 storeys. The project is being delivered in partnership with Cain, with RG Group now cleared to start work on site.
  The taller block will rise to 28 storeys to house student accommodation, alongside a separate 1
  
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• Anglian Water kicks off £1.5bn Tier 1 framework shake-up

  03-02-2026 09:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  Anglian Water has fired the starting gun on a £1.5bn Major Projects Framework as it reshapes how it delivers its biggest capital schemes across AMP8 and beyond.
  The utility is seeking up to two Tier 1 design and construction partners to take on major water and water recycling projects under a new long-term framework running initially from July 2026 to July 2031, with an option to extend to 2036.
  The procurement for the framework, previously called the Major Infrastructure Delivery Framewor
  
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• Job cuts at Avant Homes North East office

  03-02-2026 08:53 via constructionenquirer.com
  Avant Homes, the house builder run by former Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn, is cutting more staff.
  The latest job losses come at its North East office.
  Last year roles were cut at its Central region before the firm announced an £83m pre-tax loss for the year to 30 June 2024 in its latest results.
  An Avant Homes spokesperson said: “Our industry continues to navigate challenging times due to the widely reported issues adversely impacting the UK’s housing supply and affecting the o
  
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• Domis breaks £250m turnover mark as operating margin tightens

  03-02-2026 08:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  Wigan-headquartered Domis Construction has surged through the £250m turnover mark after a year of rapid expansion, but profitability rates edged lower as the contractor absorbed the cost of an aborted scheme.
  Turnover jumped 56% to £253m in the year to 30 April 2025, up from £163m a year earlier, as the business ran an average of 10 live construction projects across residential and commercial work.
  Pre-tax profit rose to £7.6m from £6.5m, but operating margin slippe
  
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• Contractor jailed after teen demolition death

  03-02-2026 08:34 via constructionenquirer.com
  A self‑employed contractor has been jailed after a teenager fell to his death during demolition works on a property in Surrey.
  Jason Hill had hired 19-year-old Thomas Neate to help demolish a garage at a domestic property in preparation for an extension, at an address in Staines-upon-Thames.
  On 16 August 2023, Neate was on the garage roof removing tiles and other materials when he fell through an opening and suffered severe head injuries. He was taken to hospital but he died several weeks
  
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• Three step up as Willmott Dixon reshapes senior team

  03-02-2026 08:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  Willmott Dixon Group has promoted three senior leaders to managing director roles as it strengthens its leadership bench across social housing, interiors and regional construction.
  The internal promotions see Judy Hegarty take the top role at Fortem, Simon Ramage step up to lead Willmott Dixon’s London & East construction business, and Adam Worrall appointed managing director at Willmott Dixon Interiors.
  Hegarty’s promotion at Fortem comes as the social housing specialist presses
  
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• United Infrastructure adds Simkiss as buying spree rolls on

  02-02-2026 11:52 via constructionenquirer.com
  United Infrastructure has stepped up its acquisition drive in the energy and utilities market with the takeover of Rochdale-based control systems specialist Simkiss Group.
  The deal adds more than 25 years of engineering know-how to the group and strengthens its technical depth as demand grows for more complex, end-to-end delivery across regulated infrastructure.
  Simkiss Control Systems works in Rochdale
  Simkiss specialises in the design and build of control systems, control panels and switchgear
  
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• JRL resets with record £2bn order book after £49m loss

  02-02-2026 09:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  JRL Group chairman John Reddington said the diversified contractor is back on track to return to profitability this year after drawing a line under a bruising £49m loss and a business reset.
  The diversified London contractor has emerged from its inflation-hit slump with a record £2bn-plus order book, stronger liquidity and tighter grip on risk after Malaysian property and construction giant IJM Corporation took a 50% stake in the group last year boosting the balance sheet.
  Latest acc
  
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