Construction news

• Plan to convert 1960s multi-storey car park into 100 flats

  27-09-2024 09:06 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Radical plans to transform a 1960s brutalist multi-storey car park into over 100 flats have been lodged with Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council.
  Developer Capital&Centric aim to transform Midway car park into one-to-three bed flats with social hub, gym, mini-cine and lounge space.
  Developer aims to give brutalist concrete structures in prime town centre spots a new lease of life while saving embodied carbon within them
  The proposed neighbourhood is the first of three sites being brought fo
  
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• Rayner waves through £500m London Truman Brewery plan

  31-07-2026 09:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Housing secretary Angela Rayner has approved the controversial £500m redevelopment of the Truman Brewery estate in east London.
  The decision clears the way for a major mixed -use scheme including offices, a data centre, cinema and new public spaces despite fierce opposition from Tower Hamlets Council and local campaigners.
  The project, promoted by Truman Estates and Zeloof LLP, will transform three sites around Brick Lane through separate planning applications.Plans include five new buildi
  
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• Taylor Wimpey slashes dividend policy as cash pile halves

  31-07-2026 08:45 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Taylor Wimpey has slashed its shareholder payouts policy after a prolonged housing market downturn eroded profits and almost halved its cash pile.
  The house builder has cut its annual distribution policy from its previous level of 7.5% to 4% of net assets, saying the move is needed to preserve balance sheet strength and financial flexibility as weaker market conditions continue.
  Half-year results showed net cash fell 48% to £169m from £327m a year earlier, while adjusted operating pr
  
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• Construction confidence jumps to highest level this year

  31-07-2026 08:28 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction firms turned sharply more upbeat in July as stronger customer demand and improving financial conditions lifted confidence to its highest level in more than a year.
  The latest Lloyds Business Barometer published today showed overall confidence in the sector jumped 10 points to 56%, well above the 12-month average of 47%.
  More than two thirds of industry firms now expect business activity to increase over the next year, with 65% planning to take on more staff, up from 55% in June.Conf
  
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• Worker hit by 100kg beam while taking down steel frame

  31-07-2026 08:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  An event structure company and its director have been fined after an employee suffered severe injuries after being hit by a steel beam while dismantling an internal steel frame.
  iSkate Limited employee, Natalie McCreith, 38, a former outdoor sports instructor, had worked for the company for 14 years when she was seriously injured while working at Beaverbrook Hotel & Golf Course Leatherhead, Surrey, on 26 June 2024.
  McCreith underwent an 11-hour operation, spent three months in hospital and s
  
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• Tonroe Group breaks £1bn barrier on data centre boom

  30-07-2026 21:02 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Technical contracting specialist Tonroe Group smashed through the £1bn turnover mark last year as a surge in hyperscale data centre work across Europe and strong UK trading delivered record results.
  The Gerrards Cross headquartered group lifted revenue 27% to £1.19bn in 2025 while pre-tax profit climbed 15% to £48m, driven by rapid expansion of its international data centre business.
  Jackie Wild, Group CEO said: “2025 was a year of strong growth across the Group, driven b
  
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• NHS signs eleven new hospital construction deals

  30-07-2026 15:19 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Eleven contracts have now been signed to deliver new hospitals across England.
  The deals bring together NHS trusts and leading contractors to deliver 11 schemes through a new collaborative approach designed to build modern hospitals more efficiently.
  The partnerships will support the delivery of Hospital 2.0 – the New Hospital Programme’s modern, standardised approach to designing, building, and operating hospitals.Combining national standards, digital innovation and modern methods o
  
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• TCC supports £22m industrial scheme

  30-07-2026 14:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Work is beginning on a major multi-unit industrial development in Walsall with the help of a leading Midlands construction consultancy.
  The £22 million Central Point development in Willenhall Road, close to Junction 10 of the M6, will provide almost 100,000 sq ft of modern industrial space across six units. Birmingham-based The Construction Consultants (TCC) have been appointed as project managers, quantity surveyors and employers agents to oversee the project on behalf of the Henley-in-Ar
  
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• Contractors offered free AI PPE detection trial

  30-07-2026 13:54 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction security and monitoring specialist VIS Systems has launched Proof on Site – a campaign built on the idea that AI PPE detection should be judged on evidence from a contractor’s own site rather than on a supplier’s demonstration.
  Under the campaign, main contractors and their project teams can deploy the company’s VISion AI platform on one live, active site for 30 days at no cost, and assess it on the safety breaches it identifies and the critical compliance da
  
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• BAM UK first half profits jump as civils delivers

  30-07-2026 09:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Civil engineering business drove a sharp rise in first-half profits at BAM’s UK construction business as claim settlements and stronger project delivery lifted earnings.
  Civil Engineering UK increased EBITDA by nearly half to £59m despite revenue easing 1% to £780m, lifting operating margin to 7.6%, up from 5.1% in the same period last year.
  BAM said the performance was supported by claim settlements and a high quality order book focused on rail and energy transition projects.T
  
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• Acquisitions pay-off for United Infrastructure

  30-07-2026 08:45 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A string of acquisitions and getting out of the new homes market has allowed United Infrastructure Group to post a strong set of results.
  The company operates in the support services sector, providing essential services to the owners and operators of UK critical utility and social infrastructure assets.
  Results for the year ended 31 March 2026 show revenue up to £845.8m from £718.2m while pre-tax profit from continuing operations increased to £49.6m from £38.4m.Durin
  
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• US private equity firm swoops for Avove

  30-07-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  US private equity giant H.I.G. Capital has bought fast-growing utilities contractor Avove, betting on a surge in UK spending on water and power infrastructure.
  The Chorley-based contractor, which employs more than 800 people, has enjoyed strong growth since being carved out of Amey Utilities by UK-based private investor Rubicon Partners in 2022 and rebranded as Avove.
  Latest accounts show revenue climbed to £227m in the year to 31 December 2025 from £216m, while pre-tax profit jumped
  
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• Watkin Jones turnaround gathers pace on retrofit surge

  30-07-2026 08:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Watkin Jones has landed £60m of new contracts as demand for student housing retrofit and fire safety work accelerates.
  The residential developer and manager has signed six contracts during the second half of its financial year to date, including five through its Refresh division delivering remediation, fire safety, refurbishment and asset improvement works to existing purpose built student accommodation schemes.The jobs cover buildings of 1,750 student beds in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Newcas
  
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• Nationwide Hire Solutions bought out of administration

  30-07-2026 08:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  Nationwide Hire Solutions has been acquired after going into administration this week.
  The hire company’s trading entity Nationwide Hire Ltd went into administration on July 28.
  Suppliers subsequently received messages – shared with the Enquirer – informing them that the business has been acquired by Alliance Hire Solutions Ltd which is part of the Alliance Tool Hire Group.The update said the business will now be owned by Alliance Hire Solutions Ltd but continue trading as Nati
  
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• Torsion Construction goes into administration

  29-07-2026 13:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  Torsion Construction has lost its fight for survival with the contractor officially placed into administration on Tuesday and Interpath now running the company.
  Directors at the £165m turnover business had been exploring options to save the firm but were sunk by trading conditions across construction.
  The Enquirer understands Torsion has been working to secure direct payments to subcontractors to minimise the supply chain hit.The construction arm was working on 12 live sites and is working
  
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• Lovell wins job to rebuild Ilke Homes condemned estate

  29-07-2026 09:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Lovell Partnerships has landed a £53m deal to rebuild the Southend housing scheme abandoned after the collapse of modular housebuilder Ilke Homes.
  The Guinness Partnership was forced to tear down the half-built 131-home Meadow Grange development after inspections concluded the modular homes could not be salvaged. Construction had stalled when Ilke Homes went into administration in June 2023.
  Lovell will now deliver a completely new scheme, with work starting on 7 August and completion sche
  
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• Equipment hire firm files administration notice

  29-07-2026 08:38 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction equipment hire specialist Nationwide Hire has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.
  Latest accounts for the Hampshire based business show a turnover of £11m for the year to September 2024 generating a pre-tax loss of £1m while employing 55 staff.
  The company has been in business since 1995 and works with more than 900 suppliers providing kit for sites across the country.Nationwide Hire’s website describes the firm as: “The UK’s original
  
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• Billington names new boss for structures business

  29-07-2026 08:29 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Steelwork contractor Billington has promoted Dan Duffield to managing director of its main structural steel business as part of a senior leadership reshuffle to drive the group’s next phase of growth.
  Duffield will take charge of Billington Structures from 1 August, succeeding Kevin Campbell, who moves into the newly-created role of group strategic and special projects director.
  (L-r) Campbell to become group special projects director and Duffield promoted to MD of Billington Structures
  Ca
  
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• Contractor fined after desperate bats attack tenant

  29-07-2026 00:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A contractor has been fined after a large number of bats were killed as a result of building work at a sheltered housing site where the survivors attacked a tenant.
  The victim was admitted to hospital with bite wounds after more than 150 bats flew into his living quarters and bedroom from the house’s roof structure where they had been trapped.
  When ecology experts examined the property in Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, they identified the animals as Soprano Pipistrelle bats
  
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• Equans back in black after costly new-build housing exit

  28-07-2026 21:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Equans Regeneration has returned to profit after two painful years of restructuring as the cost of quitting mainstream house building finally began to fade.
  The Bouygues-owned contractor posted a pre-tax profit of £3.8m for 2025, reversing last year’s £29m loss after slashing one-off restructuring and legacy new build costs from £50m to £17m.
  Turnover fell 17% to £650m as the business completed its retreat from loss-making construction markets, but the underly
  
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• Multiplex signs main works for £200m Derwent Baker Street job

  28-07-2026 19:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Multiplex has sealed the main works contract to deliver Derwent London’s flagship 50 Baker Street mixed-use development in Marylebone.
  The firm has spent the past year working alongside the developer under a pre-construction services agreement to refine the engineering and delivery strategy for the £200m scheme.
  Confirmation of the main works contract paves the way for work to start next year, following completion of demolition and enabling works by McGee.Designed by AHMM, the 236,00
  
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• London house building stirs as national starts slide again

  28-07-2026 10:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  London’s house building market is showing its first meaningful signs of life after a prolonged slump, despite developers cutting back new home starts across the UK.
  Latest NHBC figures show new home registrations in the capital surged 170% in the second quarter, climbing from just 896 homes a year ago to 2,417.While the rebound comes from an exceptionally low base, it suggests the easing of Building Safety Regulator Gateway 2 approval bottlenecks is finally beginning to feed through into c
  
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• Burnham vows to value “hard hat as much as graduation cap”

  28-07-2026 09:02 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Prime Minister Andy Burnham will launch a fundamental change to the education system today in a bid to put technical education on an equal footing with the traditional academic path.
  In a message to students, he will say “whether you choose construction, coding or classics, you’ll get the skills you need and be given the respect you deserve.”
  From age 14 (Year 10), students will have the chance to combine core academic subjects – including English, maths and science &ndas
  
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• JN Bentley warns water sector heading for capacity crunch

  28-07-2026 08:53 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Water engineering specialist JN Bentley has warned the biggest investment cycle in the sector’s history risks running into labour shortages and capacity constraints as AMP8 projects gather pace.
  The Mott MacDonald-owned contractor delivered one of its strongest trading performances in recent years, lifting operating margin to 4.8% from 3.7% in the year to December 2025.
  Pre-tax profit surged over a third to £26m on revenue up 5% to £534m.
  The business also expanded its workforc
  
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• HG Construction go-ahead for Manchester student rooms

  28-07-2026 08:50 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  HG Construction has secured Gateway 2 approval to start work on a 239-bed purpose built student accommodation scheme in Manchester for Singapore developer Far East Orchard.
  The Plymouth Grove development will be the developer’s first Manchester project.
  The scheme will deliver 239 student rooms on a site close to both the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. Completion is targeted for 2028.HG Construction is working alongside development manager DML Group, with
  
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• Build costs choke off new student housing pipeline

  28-07-2026 08:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Britain’s biggest student accommodation developer has warned new purpose-built student housing will slow sharply over the next two to three years because soaring construction costs have made most schemes financially unviable.
  Unite Group chief executive Joe Lister said higher build costs, tighter regulation and weaker investment values meant new projects no longer stacked up in most regional markets, with developers now needing rents above £300 a week to justify construction outside
  
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• Brick sales slide at Forterra set to continue

  28-07-2026 08:41 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Turnover at materials giant Forterra slumped by 13.5% during the first half of this year with no expectation of a bounce-back during the rest of this year.
  Latest results for the six months to June 30 2026 show revenue down to £168.8m from £195.1m last time.
  But pre-tax profits were up to £11.5m from £8.4m as the company introduced a cost efficiency programme across its factories and a “low single digit” price increase stuck across the market.Forterra said it
  
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• Sunderland film studio project closes in on build start

  28-07-2026 07:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction of Sunderland’s flagship Crown Works film studios could start this autumn after final plans for the first phase were submitted for approval.
  The revised application, lodged with Sunderland City Council, sets out the detailed design for Studio One, the opening phase of the 31 hectare Crown Works Growth Zone regeneration on the south bank of the River Wear.
  The revised application follows a major rethink of the project after original private backers Cain International and Fulwel
  
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• Pagabo starts race for £1.5bn medium works deal

  27-07-2026 16:47 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Procurement specialist Pagabo is set to issue an invitation to tender for the new National Framework for Medium Works will on September 1 2026.
  The framework managed by Pagabo on behalf of The Education Alliance (TEAL) will run for a four-year period from January 2027 and have an anticipated total value of £1.5bn.
  It is the third generation of the Medium Works framework managed by Pagabo, covering projects between £0k and £15m in value, with previous versions delivering a proje
  
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• Kier lands £98m double school build boost

  27-07-2026 08:39 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Kier has signed as main works contractor for a brace of school rebuilds worth nearly £100m, including a flagship low carbon GenZero academy in Lancashire and a replacement school for the RAAC-hit Anglo European School in Essex.
  The contractor will deliver the £45m Wellfield Academy in Leyland, Lancashire, alongside the £53m redevelopment of the Anglo European School in Ingatestone, Essex.
  The Lancashire job will see Kier build a new 6,540 sq m secondary school as one of the DfE
  
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