Construction news

• Sauter acquires M&E contractor 24-7 Group

  20-10-2026 14:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Swiss-owned building automation giant Sauter has acquired a majority stake in Cheshire based engineering and integrated facilities management business 24-7 Group.
  Founded by Andy Hawes in 2010, 24-7 Group has grown from an electrical contractor into a £70m business employing 330 people across the UK.
  Hawes will remain as chief executive and shareholder, with the business continuing to operate under its existing name and leadership.He said: “When I started 24-7 Group in 2010, I h
  
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• Collins Construction sold to staff

  20-10-2026 15:43 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  London and South East refurbishment and fit out specialist Collins Construction is the latest contractor to transition to employee ownership by its 168 staff.
  The seven shareholders of Collins have completed the sale of the business to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) in its 70th anniversary year.
  Collins will continue to be led by its existing management team as turnover for the financial year to June 30 2026 is expected to leap 84% to hit £199m generating pre-tax profits of £6.7m.
  
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• Vistry gets green light for next phase of London estate

  20-10-2026 09:15 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Kingston Council and Vistry have secured planning permission for Phase 2 of the Cambridge Road Estate regeneration.
  The site in Kingston is one of London’s largest estate renewal programmes which will deliver a total of 2,170 new homes alongside new community facilities, green spaces and improved public realm.
  Designed by architects BPTW, Phase 2 will provide 383 new homes, including 94 Council Rent homes, The plans also include more than 700 cycle spaces, around 120 parking spaces, approx
  
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• Morgan Sindall starts £32m SEND school job

  20-10-2026 08:46 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Morgan Sindall Construction has started main works for the expansion of Foxwood Academy for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire.
  The new £32m Foxwood 2 building will accommodate an additional 150 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.
  It will serve as a secondary school expansion for pupils at Foxwood Academy and be built on the site of the former Bramcote Park School, which was subject to a major fire in September 2021 and
  
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• Bradford station rebuild gets government backing

  20-10-2026 08:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The government has backed plans to replace Bradford Interchange with a new city centre railway station, paving the way for a major rebuild in the 2030s.
  The existing 1970s station site has been picked for the Northern Powerhouse Rail hub, which will spearhead regeneration of Bradford’s Southern Gateway.
  Ministers have settled the location but have yet to announce a construction budget or detailed building programme.Network Rail has been carrying out engineering and cost studies. Amey has s
  
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• RED Group to finish £50m Ardmore office job

  20-10-2026 08:07 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  RED Group has been handed the contract to complete the £50m retrofit of 5 Chancery Lane in central London which was left in the lurch by the collapse of original contractor Ardmore Construction Group.
  Ardmore started on site in early 2024 for developer LS Estates but work was halted when the contractor fell into administration in June.
  RED’s London division will complete the scheme with work expected to be finished by the first quarter of 2027.Ian Hopkinson, Group Director at RED Gro
  
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• Domis lined up as 44-storey Manchester tower clears Gateway 2

  20-10-2026 07:38 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Developer Glenbrook has cleared the Gateway 2 hurdle for its 44-storey Manchester tower, paving the way for Domis to start building next year.
  The 364-home Whitworth Street West scheme now has planning permission, funding and Building Safety Regulator approval in place.
  Glenbrook has secured £17m from the Greater Manchester Good Growth Fund to plug a viability gap and help unlock delivery.Designed by Sheppard Robson, the tower beside Deansgate station will be Glenbrook’s tallest buil
  
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• Breheny lifts profit despite £11m turnover slide

  20-10-2026 06:58 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Civils contractor Breheny has shrugged off an £11m slide in turnover to lift profit as tighter pricing and risk control strengthened margins.
  The Suffolk-based civil engineering group lifted pre-tax profit 7% to £4.1m in the year to March 2026, despite turnover falling 8% to £135m.
  Directors said the performance had beaten expectations, crediting careful pricing and risk management.Operating profit rose to £3.4m from £3.1m, lifting the operating margin to 2.5% from
  
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• Heathrow pitches 17,500 building jobs as runway doubts grow

  19-10-2026 08:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Heathrow Airport has dangled the prospect of at least 17,500 local construction jobs as it steps up the push for a third runway.
  The airport is gearing up to train the workforce needed for the huge expansion programme, with opportunities spanning engineering, logistics, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery.
  It has now convened the first meeting of its Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, bringing unions, colleges and training providers together to prepare workers for the build.The j
  
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• Electrical wholesaler fined £4m after worker crushed

  19-10-2026 08:42 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A Telford-based electrical wholesaler and manufacturer has been fined £4m after an employee sustained life-changing injuries when he was crushed during loading operations using a forklift truck.
  The 40-year-old father of one was working for City Electrical Factors Limited at its Proteus Switchgear Industrial Division on 4 October 2024 when the incident happened.
  The man had been acting as a “spotter” while a forklift truck loaded heavy switchboard equipment onto a flatbed lorry
  
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• Taylor Wimpey cuts wages of ‘overpaid’ workers

  19-10-2026 08:14 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A pay row has broken out in the North East where Taylor Wimpey joiners and scaffolders were earning more than national average rates.
  The house builder discovered the discrepancy as part of its regular pay audits for directly employed workers.
  The Enquirer understands around 50 joiners and scaffolders in the North East were found to be earning nearly 25% more than comparable roles mainly made up of higher bonuses.The workers have been asked to sign new contracts on reduced terms which have come
  
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• Demolition starts for Bradford’s 1,000-home City Village

  19-10-2026 00:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Metropolitan Demolition has started clearing Bradford’s former Oastler Shopping Centre to pave the way for the 1,000-home City Village regeneration scheme.
  The Wakefield-based demolition firm will spend eight months dismantling the shopping centre and surrounding buildings for delivery partners Bradford Council and urban regeneration specialist ECF.
  The clearance will unlock the first 97 two and three-bedroom townhouses, with construction expected to start in summer 2027.Metropolitan is al
  
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• Farrans plunges to £36m loss as legacy jobs bite

  18-10-2026 23:51 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Farrans plunged to a £36m pre-tax loss after taking fresh provisions on legacy contracts in the year it was bought by Sisk.
  The Belfast-based building and civil engineering contractor slipped deep into the red from a £3.2m profit the previous year as turnover fell 22% to £298m.
  New owner Sisk has pledged ongoing support, with Farrans able to draw on the group’s cash pooling arrangements to meet funding needs.Sisk bought the business on 31 October 2025 from global giant CR
  
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• Arup profit slumps to 13-year low as project provisions mount

  18-10-2026 23:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Arup’s pre-tax profit has sunk to a 13-year low as problem jobs and the cost of a global shake-up hit earnings.
  The engineering giant booked nearly £26m of new provisions against loss-making contracts while pouring money into AI, staff skills and an overhaul of its regional operations.
  Pre-tax profit fell 41% to £26m in the year to March 2026, despite revenue rising 5% to £2.27bn.
  Arup said a handful of projects needed extra provisions to cover expected future costs and r
  
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• Obex puts Through-Wall System on show

  16-10-2026 11:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Obex, the global leader in sealing and protection solutions for commercial glazing and façades, will be showcasing its Through-Wall System on its stand at London Build.
  The system provides optimal structural integrity, safety, and fire protection for modern construction projects and is the first through-wall system to include breather membranes and air & vapour control layers in its testing and certification process.
  The company will also be showing its RapidTray cavity tray and DPC s
  
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• Plans in to convert former Pilkington factory canteen into 45 flats

  16-10-2026 09:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have gone in to turn former glass-maker Pilkington’s Grade-II listed canteen into 45 flats.
  Flats plan for canteen after 30 years in disuse
  Nicholson Group is behind the latest bid to revive the St Helens landmark that once served up lunches for 2,000 staff at a time and has stood empty since 1996.
  The developer bought the modernist building at Alexandra Business Park out of receivership in 2023.Designed in-house, the plans would transform the 75,000 sq ft former dining hall into apa
  
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• Kier on board for Manchester tram stop upgrade

  16-10-2026 08:55 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Kier has been appointed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to lead improvements to Heaton Park Metrolink stop in Prestwich, Greater Manchester.
  Kier will lead on the design of the project, which includes enhanced step-free access through the installation of ramps and larger lifts. Proposed improvements also include:Demolition and construction of new stepped access to platforms
  Installation of new waiting shelters
  Urban realm improvements at the stop entrance
  Removal and relocation of exi
  
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• Council housing scheme built by CField wins Stirling Prize

  16-10-2026 08:42 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A council housing scheme in south London has won the UK’s most prestigious architecture prize.
  Lion Green Road in Coulsdon, South London, by Mary Duggan Architects with RUFF Architects has been awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize 2026.
  The 157-home scheme across five blocks was built for Croydon Council by main contractor CField Construction under a £34m deal.Replacing a former car park on a challenging, sloping site that varies in height by eight metres, the development creates a new co
  
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• Balfour targets 6,000 supply chain workforce for power boom

  16-10-2026 08:20 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Balfour Beatty is gearing up to nearly double its power project workforce to 6,000 as Britain’s grid spending boom gathers pace.
  The contractor expects its combined direct and supply chain workforce to grow from around 3,200 this year to 6,000 by 2030. That would be four times the number deployed in 2024.
  The expansion push revealed to investors yesterday comes as network owners prepare to pump around £80bn into transmission infrastructure by 2031, fuelling the biggest expansion of B
  
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• Willmott Dixon aims for £1.5bn construction business

  16-10-2026 08:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Willmott Dixon is chasing £1.5bn construction turnover by 2030 as a drive to turn preconstruction deals into firm orders gathers pace.
  The builder banked nearly £750m of new work in the first half of the year, laying the foundations for revenue growth from 2027.
  Defence and healthcare will spearhead the expansion as its construction division targets a jump from £1.03bn turnover last year.Chief executive Graham Dundas said: “Our priority this year was to convert our record
  
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• Race starts for £800m south Wales civils framework

  16-10-2026 08:09 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  More than 60 firms face a fight to retain their places as bidding opens for the next-generation South West Wales civils framework worth up to £800m.
  Five councils have launched the contest for the replacement deal, covering everything from small local repairs to major £3m-plus schemes and specialist infrastructure work.
  Carmarthenshire County Council is leading the procurement with Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea councils.The framework will run for three year
  
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• Construction output slides for fourth month running

  15-10-2026 09:07 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction output has fallen for four months running as a deepening house building slump keeps the industry stuck in reverse.
  Output dropped 0.2% in August, while sharp downward revisions wiped out the brief recovery previously reported for July.
  July’s initial 0.1% rise has been revised to a 0.5% fall, with June’s decline also deepened from 0.1% to 0.3%.The figures leave construction trailing the wider UK economy, which edged up 0.1% in August.
  Over the three months to August, con
  
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• Contractors get easier route to claw back recladding costs

  15-10-2026 08:45 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Contractors and developers that have picked up the bill for unsafe cladding repairs are being handed a clearer route to claw back cash from manufacturers.
  The Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill, introduced to Parliament yesterday, would strip away legal barriers that have left firms carrying repair costs while manufacturers escape paying their share.
  Ministers admit the existing claims regime under section 149 of the Building Safety Act has failed to deliver, with few cases brought.The overhaul
  
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• Becketwell site picked for Great British Railways Derby HQ

  15-10-2026 08:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  Great British Railways is heading for a new-build headquarters in Derby after the Government yesterday picked Becketwell for its national base.
  The rail body will take the planned eight-storey 3 Springwell Square office, giving fresh momentum to the next phase of the £200m city-centre regeneration.
  The 106,000 sq ft building will house up to 450 staff, with construction expected to start in 2027 and completion targeted for spring 2029.Developer Peveril Securities is the property arm of Bow
  
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• M&E and cladding to be stripped from part-built hospital

  15-10-2026 08:29 via constructionenquirer.com
  Remedial work will start next week to strip a partially-built hospital back to its steel frame.
  Robertson Construction North East was appointed replacement contractor in January at the the new £35m Berwick community hospital where work stopped last November when original contractor Merit collapsed into administration.
  Robertson has been assessing the work so far and client Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust has now confirmed the scale of remedial work needed.The trust said: “From Monda
  
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• Willmott Dixon lands £40m Sheffield leisure centre

  15-10-2026 08:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Willmott Dixon has netted a £40m contract to build Sheffield’s new Uriah Rennie Leisure Centre, with work kicking off next month.
  The council job forms the construction element of a £51m investment to replace Springs Leisure Centre.
  Procured through the SCAPE Construction Framework, the project will be delivered in two phases on a two-acre site beside the existing centre with work is due to run until September 2028.Willmott Dixon will first build the new facility and carry out
  
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• East West Rail alliance lined up for £650m extension

  15-10-2026 08:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Network Rail is lining up £650m of extra work for its East West Rail alliance to boost capacity and help handle demand from the planned Universal theme park near Bedford.
  Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and AtkinsRéalis are set to land the design and construction package without a fresh competition, extending their existing Marston Vale Line works.
  The proposed deal covers upgrades between Bletchley and Stewartby, the Oxford Parkway to Bletchley route and work at Milton Keynes Cent
  
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• Powerday launches carbon reporting tool for contractors

  14-10-2026 23:39 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Powerday has launched a free Carbon Reporting Tool giving construction firms live emissions data on every waste movement leaving their sites.
  Using data drawn directly from Powerday’s operational systems, it calculates the transport emissions associated with each waste movement carried out on a contractor’s behalf.
  As the industry works to create carbon savings where possible, planning conditions and client contracts now ask for evidence of carbon performance at every point of the su
  
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• Laing O’Rourke names new Expanded Structures boss

  14-10-2026 09:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Laing O’Rourke has promoted Conor Considine to lead Expanded Structures, 19 years after he joined the business as a site engineer.
  Considine moves up from operations leader to take the top job on 19 October.
  The civil engineer joined in 2007 and rose to project leader in 2021. His track record includes work on Old Oak Common and the Olympia redevelopment.Considine replaces Ray O’Rourke’s nephew Stephen O’Rourke who left the firm last month to explore opportunities outside
  
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• Winners named for £2bn LHC construction deal

  14-10-2026 08:53 via constructionenquirer.com
  LHC Procurement Group has selected 64 contractors for the larger building lots and civil infrastructure work on its £2bn public buildings framework.
  Galliford Try and Midlands contractor McPhillips secured places across all five categories, spanning civils and building projects worth more than £25m.
  Kier, Morgan Sindall, Tilbury Douglas and Willmott Dixon also feature among the 20 firms picked for the biggest building jobs.
  They join winners including Baxall, Beard, Farrans, GMI, Gui
  
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