Construction news

• Subbies stop working for Beaumont Morgan Developments

  24-01-2022 08:07 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Subcontractors have stopped working for Manchester based contractor Beaumont Morgan Developments (BMD).
  Suppliers have been contacting the Enquirer for the last few weeks about the £47m turnover contractor.
  It is understood a notice to appoint administrators has been filed with the courts and creditors will be contacted by corporate rescue specialist Begbies Traynor imminently.BMD is the construction delivery partner of Fortis Developments.
  BMD has been building the Fortis Quay residential
  
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• Morgan Sindall starts delayed £29m Newcastle leisure centre

  12-03-2026 16:53 via constructionenquirer.com
  Construction has finally started on Newcastle’s long-awaited £29m Outer West Leisure Centre in West Denton – nearly six years after the area’s previous swimming pool closed.
  Morgan Sindall has finally broken ground on the new complex, with activity on site set to ramp up in the coming weeks and completion expected in late 2027.
  The project replaces the former West Denton pool built in the 1960s, which shut during the pandemic and never reopened.The new leisure centre will
  
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• Mace and Arup land roles for UK’s first small modular reactor

  12-03-2026 16:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  Mace and Arup have been brought in to help shape the early engineering and delivery strategy for the UK’s first small modular reactor project at Wylfa in North Wales.
  Great British Energy–Nuclear has appointed Arup to lead early phase foundation engineering, while Mace will bring programme management expertise for the Anglesey scheme.
  They will work alongside Gleeds, LDA Design and TÜV SÜD Nuclear Technologies to develop the site’s first integrated design.The team wil
  
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• Green light for Sheffield Cole Brother store revival

  12-03-2026 15:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  Urban Splash has secured planning approval to revive Sheffield’s landmark Cole Brothers department store, kick-starting the transformation of one of the city centre’s most prominent vacant buildings.
  The Grade II-listed 1963 building at Barker’s Pool will be converted into a mixed-use destination combining leisure, food and drink, retail and flexible workspace under plans designed by AHMM.
  Urban Splash was selected by Sheffield City Council to lead the revival of the landmark b
  
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• Former facade boss Lee Marks joins Skanska

  12-03-2026 13:06 via constructionenquirer.com
  Lee Marks is joining Skanska UK next week as Executive Vice President and new leader of the Building business.
  He will take over the reins over the next few months from Terry Muckian who will assume executive responsibility at the Infrastructure operations and Cementation Skanska.
  Marks’ last major industry role was as COO at facade speciailist Permasteelisa which he left late last year.Prior to that he held senior roles at NG Bailey, Laing O’Rourke and Galliford Try.
  Marks also led
  
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• Vistry boss buys £893k shares after stock slide

  12-03-2026 08:50 via constructionenquirer.com
  Vistry chairman and CEO Greg Fitzgerald has moved to back the business with his own money, snapping up £893,000 of shares just days after the house builder’s stock was hammered on margin fears and news of his retirement.
  Fitzgerald bought 219,377 shares at £4.072 each yesterday, lifting his total holding to 1,509,167 shares, equal to around 0.47% of voting rights.
  The dealing comes after Vistry shares slumped more than 20% last week to a near-decade low after the group warned 2
  
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• CITB accused of cutting cash for small contractors

  12-03-2026 08:43 via constructionenquirer.com
  The CITB is coming under fire again after announcing more changes to how it hands cash back to contractors.
  From April only micro, small, and medium size employers can use the Employer Networks funding route.
  The annual budget for the programme has been set at £11.5m for the upcoming financial year with an annual cap on claims for smaller firms of between £1,500 and £4,500.The previous cap was £15,000 and the Enquirer has asked CITB for details of how the total £11.
  
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• Morgan Sindall submits Crystal Palace refurb plans

  12-03-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  Morgan Sindall has submitted plans for a transformation of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
  The refurbishment project has been procured using the Southern Construction Framework (SCF), with Morgan Sindall appointed main contractor.
  Plans will rejuvenate the sports centre – which originally opened in 1964 – by bringing the 15-hectare site up to a modern standard while showcasing its heritage and historic features.This will include enhancing facilities to support sports from
  
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• £25m Dartford town centre housing job heads for tender

  12-03-2026 08:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  Dartford Borough Council is preparing to launch the contest for a contractor to deliver a £25m town centre housing scheme after submitting a planning application for the long-awaited Westgate Village redevelopment.
  The council has lodged plans to transform the derelict former Co-op site between Spital Street and Hythe Street into a new neighbourhood delivering 69 homes across a mix of blocks rising to 4 storeys and town houses.
  Around 22,000 sq ft of Class E commercial space will also be d
  
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• UK’s biggest AI data centre plan approved

  12-03-2026 08:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  Plans to build the UK’s largest data centres near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire have gained outline approval.
  The massive AI data centre campus would deliver over 1.5m square metres of hyperscale floorspace across a campus of 15 data halls and is expected to cost around £7.5bn to build.
  This makes one the most ambitious digital infrastructure projects ever targeting 1,000MW of IT load to serve the accelerating needs of artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
  The project is fr
  
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• Galliford back in affordable housing with £28m Chester job

  11-03-2026 17:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  Galliford Try has secured a £28m contract to deliver 126 social rent flats at the City Place development in Chester for Clarion Housing Group.
  The job marks the contractor’s first standalone affordable housing scheme exiting the sector over six years ago as part of the terms of a deal with Vistry to buy its affording housing and Linden Homes business for £1.1bn.Located beside the Shropshire Union Canal and close to the Grade II-listed Chester Shot Tower, the development will de
  
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• Data centre sites to jump queue for grid connections

  11-03-2026 11:51 via constructionenquirer.com
  Planned data centre schemes will be prioritised for grid connections under new government proposals.
  The move is part of a proposed revamp of how grid connection requests are handled after the current system was swamped with speculative applications from developers.
  Applications grew 450% last year leaving some developments a 15-year wait to hook-up to the national energy grid.Under the changes schemes like data centres and AI Growth Zones, EV charging hubs and electrified in
  
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• Birmingham sets out high-rise city centre vision

  11-03-2026 09:16 via constructionenquirer.com
  Birmingham has unveiled a major regeneration blueprint centred on the HS2 Curzon Street station that could deliver more than 5,000 new homes alongside a huge new commercial district in the city centre.
  The Central Heart prospectus, launched to global investors at MIPIM, sets out plans to transform around four hectares of under-used retail and office space into a high-rise neighbourhood.
  Across a cluster of redevelopment sites, the vision includes up to 400,000 sq m of commercial floorspace, spac
  
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• Forterra ‘insulated’ from Iran war gas price shocks

  11-03-2026 09:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  Materials giant Forterra said it is covered for short-term gas supplies as energy prices continue to fluctuate during the ongoing war with Iran.
  In its full-year results Forterra said: “We have around 80% of our gas usage secured for the remainder of 2026 with the month of March 100% covered, insulating us somewhat from the current price volatility caused by the situation in the Middle East.“We also have a good level of layered coverage beyond this, with around 70% of our usage secur
  
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• Balfour Beatty construction margin hits 3.5%

  11-03-2026 08:50 via constructionenquirer.com
  Balfour Beatty’s UK construction business fired on all cylinders last year as booming energy work helped push margin through the 3% barrier and drove a record £22.7bn order book across the group.
  The contractor posted a standout performance from its home construction arm, where turnover rose 3% to £3.1bn and operating profit jumped 36% to £110m.
  Margin climbed to 3.5% from 2.7%, beating the division’s long-running 3% target a year ahead of plan.That stronger UK show
  
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• Keepmoat and Cussins to complete £200m South Shields site

  11-03-2026 08:42 via constructionenquirer.com
  Keepmoat and Cussins are set to start the final phase of a £200m regeneration scheme in South Tyneside.
  The site at Holborn, South Shields has undergone extensive remediation works including decontamination of the ground, raising of the former dry docks to overcome serious flooding issues, and construction of a new quay edge wall.
  The civil engineering is now complete and has been handed over to developers for the final phase of house building.Phases one and two have already delivered 135
  
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• Plans unveiled for 70-storey Liverpool tower

  10-03-2026 19:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  Designs have been unveiled for a 70-storey tower to form the centrepiece of the £1bn Kings project on the Liverpool waterfront.
  The tower, designed by SimpsonHaugh, will comprise a 5-star hotel and luxury residences managed by the hotel operator.
  The latest designs come just weeks after the scheme’s first tower of 28 storeys, named No. 1 Kings, received consent from Liverpool City Council.Demolition works are set to start this spring for Davos Property Developments Limited
  
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• FRC probes accountants over Vistry South division reporting

  10-03-2026 12:16 via constructionenquirer.com
  The Financial Reporting Council has launched an investigation into the conduct of two accountants linked to the financial reporting and forecasting of Vistry Group’s South Division.
  The probe will examine work connected to the house builder’s financial statements for the years ending 31 December 2023 and 31 December 2024.
  The regulator confirmed the investigation will be led by the FRC’s Executive Counsel.Vistry issued the first of three profit warnings back in October 2024, li
  
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• North East Mayor to pump cash into arena and film studio jobs

  10-03-2026 09:14 via constructionenquirer.com
  A £104m public funding package to kick-start a new arena, film studios and cultural infrastructure across the North East is set to unlock major construction work starting this summer.
  North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said the investment programme would help to unlock a new film studio complex plan for Sunderland and enabling works for a long-planned arena at Gateshead Quays.
  The largest single project is the £39m Crown Works Studios development in Sunderland, where construction prepar
  
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• Two firms and site manager fined after asbestos blunders

  10-03-2026 08:58 via constructionenquirer.com
  Two Midlands companies and a site manager have been sentenced after a large scale asbestos disturbance and illegal clearance operation was carried out at a Cannock demolition site.
  Following concerns about unsafe demolition work, an HSE inspector visited a site at Greenheath Road, Cannock on 7 September 2023. The inspector found that demolition had been halted after asbestos was discovered on site.
  A subsequent refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey identified 218m² of asbestos-contai
  
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• Race starts for £3bn West Midlands framework

  10-03-2026 08:45 via constructionenquirer.com
  The race has started to secure places on the £3bn third-generation Constructing West Midlands framework.
  Acivico, owned by Birmingham City Council, is leading procurement of the CWM3 framework alongside partners Solihull and Sandwell councils.
  Contractors fighting to renew places include Galliford Try, Morgan Sindall, Willmott Dixon, Speller Metcalfe, Seddon, Interclass and GF Tomlinson.Twenty contractors will be selected to deliver a pipeline of projects spanning education, housing, healt
  
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• Bid race starts for £3bn West Midlands framework

  10-03-2026 08:45 via constructionenquirer.com
  The race has started to secure places on the £3bn third-generation Constructing West Midlands framework.
  Acivico, owned by Birmingham City Council, is leading procurement of the CWM3 framework alongside partners Solihull and Sandwell councils.
  Contractors fighting to renew places include Galliford Try, Morgan Sindall, Willmott Dixon, Speller Metcalfe, Seddon, Interclass and GF Tomlinson.Twenty contractors will be selected to deliver a pipeline of projects spanning education, housing, healt
  
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• Persimmon brick factory working 24/7 to meet demand

  10-03-2026 08:40 via constructionenquirer.com
  Persimmon’s in-house materials are now the preferred choice across the whole business.
  The house building giant has boosted production at its Brickworks, Tileworks and Space4 timber frame operations.
  At it’s latest results Persimmon said: “Further investment across all three facilities will also play a pivotal role in supporting our growth ambitions. Our in-house materials are now the preferred choice throughout the business.“This approach delivers significant advantages
  
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• Costain builds record £7bn order book as profit jumps a third

  10-03-2026 08:39 via constructionenquirer.com
  Costain has laid down a strong platform for its next phase of growth after piling up a record £7bn forward work position and lifting operating profit despite a sharp revenue drop in transport.
  The firm posted revenue of £1.05bn for the year to 31 December 2025, down 16% from £1.25bn, as lower road and rail activity dragged back the top line.
  Pre-tax profit increased 32% to £48m while net cash rose to £189m from £158m. An improvement in cash flow gave the group
  
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• Market sounding starts on £46m Mid Wales school

  10-03-2026 08:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  Powys County Council has kicked off early contractor engagement for a £46m all-age school project in Mid Wales.
  Firms are being invited to take part in discussions ahead of inviting tenders later this year for the new Ysgol Bro Hyddgen development in Machynlleth.
  The project will deliver a net-zero operation education campus for 540 pupils on the existing school grounds, replacing outdated buildings currently spread across two sites.The Ysgol Bro Hyddgen scheme already has full planning co
  
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• £150m Cambridge to Cambourne busway job heads for tender

  09-03-2026 02:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  Cambridgeshire County Council is preparing to invite bids for the construction of the £150m Cambourne to Cambridge busway and park-and-ride scheme.
  The council plans to invite tender in May for the major transport project, which forms a key part of the Greater Cambridge Sustainable Transport Programme.
  The scheme will deliver a new dedicated busway linking the fast-growing settlement of Cambourne with Cambridge, alongside a new park-and-ride site aimed at cutting congestion on the A428 cor
  
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• Muse gets green light for office-to-apartments conversion

  08-03-2026 23:54 via constructionenquirer.com
  The latest two blocks have been given the go-ahead as part of the £500m regeneration of Wythenshawe in Manchester.
  Developer Muse and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group submitted three separate planning applications for 422 new affordable homes in December 2025.
  Now, works on two of the three new communities – C2 The Birtles and Brotherton House – can begin, with the third – Alpha House – expected to get the green light in the coming weeks.Brotherton House, a forme
  
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• Manchester city council JV to build 1,600 homes

  08-03-2026 17:40 via constructionenquirer.com
  Manchester City Council is lining up a new joint venture with the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to accelerate development of 1,600 homes on council-owned brownfield land over the next decade.
  The partnership will drive the next phase of schemes under the council’s This City housing company, targeting a pipeline of seven sites in north, east and central Manchester.
  The collaboration agreement will go before the council’s executive for approval at the end of this week.The next scheme
  
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• Graham set for £100m Cardiff Crossrail phase one

  08-03-2026 16:55 via constructionenquirer.com
  Graham is set to be officially signed as principal contractor to build the first phase of Cardiff’s long-planned Crossrail tram-train network linking the city centre with Cardiff Bay.
  Cardiff Council will ask cabinet members on 19 March to rubberstamp Graham’s appointment and finalise the contract value for the opening stage of the scheme.
  This would allow construction to begin this summer.
  The first phase of the project is backed by £100m in joint funding from the Welsh Govern
  
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• Worker electrocuted after cherry picker hits power line

  08-03-2026 16:40 via constructionenquirer.com
  Two companies have been fined after an employee was killed and a colleague left with life-altering injuries when a cherrypicker collided with an overhead powerline.
  Willand O&M Ltd and New Wave Marine Ltd were sentenced at Exeter Crown Court last week following an incident on 1 June 2020 at the Willand Biogas site in Devon.
  Carl Parsons, 34, was electrocuted and colleague Luke Madavan was left with life-changing injuries.Described by his family as funny, loving, kind and a fantastic father,
  
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