• Thames Water plans £1.6bn sewage works bonanza

    Thames Water plans £1.6bn sewage works bonanza
    Thames Water is planning to splash out £1.6bn on upgrading sewage treatment works and sewer networks over the next two years.
    An extra 150 extra staff have been taken on at Thames Water’s capital delivery team to raise its capability to deliver complex engineering projects at pace.
    Its fast-tracked programme will see significant upgrades to wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks to reduce storm discharges and pollution incidents.
    The spending splurge will help Thames Water
  • O’Rourke confirms major expansion of manufacturing capacity

    O’Rourke confirms major expansion of manufacturing capacity
    Laing O’Rourke is expanding its manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand for its approach to industrialised construction.
    Crown House Technologies Manufacturing (CHtM) and Explore Manufacturing will both be expanded.
    CHtM is moving to a larger facility in Smethwick, West Midlands and Explore Manufacturing is adding 3,200 square metres of manufacturing space at its current location in Explore Park, Nottinghamshire.The upgraded facilities will also allow exploration of and further inves
  • South Wales roads bodies launch £270m highways framework

    South Wales roads bodies launch £270m highways framework
    Contractors are set to battle for places on a £270m framework covering highways, bridge maintenance and surfacing work across South Wales.
    Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council is leading the procurement on behalf of Carmarthenshire and Monmouthshire councils for the new SWTRA Highways & Structures Framework 2027.
    The framework will run for four years from February 2027, with options to extend annually for a further two years, taking its maximum duration to six years. Up to eight co
  • SIG set for cost-cutting drive as materials market stalls

    SIG set for cost-cutting drive as materials market stalls
    Building materials distribution giant SIG is planning a £100m efficiency drive as the market continues to struggle.
    In a trading update today SIG said: “The Group has developed an improvement plan assuming no market recovery in H2 2026 and FY 2027.“The plan aims to generate cash of at least £100m, through a combination of business simplification, disposals, business improvement and working capital optimisation.
    “It is also targeting an annualised operating profit ru
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  • Plan for triple-tower Stratford scheme on former Sphere site

    Plan for triple-tower Stratford scheme on former Sphere site
    Developer Hallmark Property Group has unveiled plans for a cluster of three towers rising to 47 storeys on the former London Sphere site at Stratford Junction, replacing the long-stalled entertainment proposal with a major mixed-use cultural quarter.
    Designed by Squire & Partners, the scheme would regenerate the 2.05ha rail-surrounded site between Stratford Station and Stratford International that has remained vacant since serving as coach parking during the 2012 Olympic Games.
    The developme
  • Crest sinks to £35m loss as lender talks drag on

    Crest sinks to £35m loss as lender talks drag on
    House builder Crest Nicholson plunged to a £35m half-year loss as directors remain locked in negotiations with lenders over revised banking covenants after net debt almost doubled to £142m.
    Crest this morning revealed it had plunged into the red for the six months to 30 April compared with a £9.4m profit a year earlier.Revenue fell 21% to £198m as completions dropped from 739 to 584 homes, while adjusted operating results swung from an £11.9m profit to an £11.
  • Wates regional MD and director exit suddenly

    Wates regional MD and director exit suddenly
    Two bosses at the UK East Construction division of Wates have suddenly left the business.
    Managing Director David Wingfield and Commercial Director Kyle McGrory have left the company with immediate effect.
    Their roles are now being covered by executive Managing Director Steff Battle.The Enquirer understands Wingfield and McGrory had been suspended by Wates while an internal investigation was carried-out into their conduct.
    Wates declined to confirm the exact nature of the investigation.
    A Wates
  • Barratt claws back £38m from subcontractors in legacy job claims

    Barratt Redrow has clawed back £38m from subcontractors over defects on legacy developments, helping offset mounting building safety costs as the house builder prepares to double remediation spending to £300m this year.
    In a year-end trading update this morning, Britain’s biggest house builder highlighted the growing financial impact of legacy building issues, with the group taking an additional net legacy property provision charge of around £95m, alongside £13m of
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  • Galliford Try profit set to hit top end of forecasts

    Galliford Try profit set to hit top end of forecasts
    Galliford Try expects annual profit to reach the top end of market forecasts after delivering a sixth consecutive year of revenue, profit and cash growth.
    Ahead of full-year results on 17 September, the contractor said revenue for the year to 30 June is expected to rise around 3%, with adjusted pre-tax profit towards the top of analyst expectations of around £53m.
    Chief executive Bill Hocking said that the group also had delivered another year of margin improvement as it worked towards a 4
  • Mace to start £150m former London City Hall retrofit

    Mace to start £150m former London City Hall retrofit
    Mace starts work this month on the £150m transformation of London’s former City Hall, returning to the landmark building it originally delivered 24 years ago.
    The contractor has been appointed by Kuwaiti-owned St Martins Property Investments to redevelop the former Greater London Authority headquarters at More London into a larger, low carbon office and retail destination.
    Designed by Gensler, with Waterman providing structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, the scheme will
  • Giant TBM order puts Lower Thames Crossing tunnel on track

    Giant TBM order puts Lower Thames Crossing tunnel on track
    National Highways has ordered Europe’s largest ever tunnel boring machine for the £10bn Lower Thames Crossing, with tunnelling work on track to begin in 2028.
    German manufacturer Herrenknecht will build the 16.4m diameter machine, which will be the third largest tunnel boring machine ever built worldwide. The machine will be bought and operated by the Bouygues Travaux Publics Murphy joint venture, which is delivering the twin-bore tunnel beneath the Thames.
    At 120m long and weighing
  • Chief executive Mark Lawrence leaves TClarke

    Chief executive Mark Lawrence leaves TClarke
    TClarke Chief Executive Officer Mark Lawrence has left the company with immediate effect after a 40-year career.
    The news was confirmed by Britain’s biggest M&E contractor as its posted latest results.
    Lawrence started at TClarke in 1985 as an electrical apprentice and worked his way through the ranks becoming CEO in 2010.TClarke delisted from the Stock Exchange in 2024 becoming a private company after its acquisition by the Regent Group.
    Fellow long serving director Mike Crowder
  • Turnover dips as Laing O’Rourke focuses on bottom line

    Laing O’Rourke saw pre-tax profits nearly double in its latest results despite a drop in turnover.
    Focusing on the bottom line is paying of for the contracting giant as pre-tax profits for the year to March 31 2026 rose to £80.1m from £41.4m last time as turnover fell to £3.69bn from £3.95bn.
    The company said the latest numbers reflect a “deliberate shift towards prioritising margin improvement.”Laing O’Rourke also reported a record order book of &
  • Cladding retrofit drive faces red alert over delivery delays

    Cladding retrofit drive faces red alert over delivery delays
    Delivery of the Government’s flagship cladding remediation programme has been red-flagged by infrastructure watchdog the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.
    In its assessment of the Government’s major projects portfolio, the huge cladding retrofit programme was downgraded to a Red delivery rating after officials warned that current plans “remain challenging” because of Building Safety Regulator delays, rising construction costs and growing w
  • Panattoni gets green light for Southampton logistics site

    Panattoni gets green light for Southampton logistics site
    Developer Panattoni has secured planning consent for T Park Southampton – a new Grade A industrial and logistics development at Salisbury Road, Totton.
    The scheme will deliver five detached speculative units, providing around 223,000 sq ft of high-quality space.
    T Park Southampton is immediately adjacent to Junction 2 of the M27, providing direct access to the wider South Coast, the M3, London, and the national motorway network. The site is also around 5.5 miles from Southampton Port, the
  • Diversification paying dividends for brick giant

    Diversification paying dividends for brick giant
    An expansion into specialist contracting is paying-off for construction materials distributor BRCK Group as its core market continues to be hit by a slow housing market.
    Materials distribution operations account for 80% of turnover with the growing design and install specialist contracting operations now hitting 20%.
    Revenue across the business for the year to March 31 2026 increased to £645.4m from £637.1m last time as pre-tax profits fell to £6.3m from £11.7m.The design
  • Galliford Try and Balfour Beatty join forces for £1.9bn A9 race

    Galliford Try and Balfour Beatty join forces for £1.9bn A9 race
    Galliford Try has teamed up with Balfour Beatty to target Scotland’s biggest roads prize – the £1.9bn dualling of the remaining stretches of the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
    The joint venture, which brings together Balfour Beatty and Galliford Try’s Scottish business Morrison Construction, is understood to have been formed to bid for the final five contracts under Transport Scotland’s new NEC4 framework approach.
    Selected firms will deliver around 92km of dual ca
  • Bouygues high-rise key worker housing pilot gains consent

    Bouygues high-rise key worker housing pilot gains consent
    Bouygues UK has secured planning permission for a landmark 152-home key worker housing scheme in Southwark that will test a new affordable rent model aimed at helping essential public sector staff live closer to central London.
    The SE1 development, on the corner of Abbey Street and Druid Street near London Bridge station, will deliver homes for key workers including NHS staff, teachers, police officers and firefighters under Southwark Council’s emerging Affordable Housing Supplementary Pla
  • Consultant lands Creature Comforts jobs

    Consultant lands Creature Comforts jobs
    A leading Midlands construction consultancy is supporting two more projects as part of an ambitious UK rollout by veterinary group Creature Comforts.
    Birmingham-based The Construction Consultants (TCC) has been acting as project managers, cost consultants and CDM consultants for Creature Comforts veterinary clinics  being opened across London and the South East.
    The latest contracts are for two state-of-the-art veterinary clinics in Twickenham and West Hampstead where town centre premises h
  • SCAPE starts tender race for £1.2bn regional deal

    SCAPE starts tender race for £1.2bn regional deal
    Public sector procurement specialist SCAPE has published the Tender Notice for its next generation Regional Construction Works and Services framework.
    This £1.2bn deal over a four-year period will support projects up to £15m in value across the Midlands, East of England, Home Counties and London.
    To encourage greater participation from regional contractors and SMEs, bidders are required to demonstrate an annual turnover of £20 million, either individually or collectively throug
  • Funding deal sparks £1bn Golden Valley cyber hub build

    Funding deal sparks £1bn Golden Valley cyber hub build
    Henry Boot has secured the funding package to launch construction of the first phase of Cheltenham’s £1bn Golden Valley cyber campus.
    Bowmer & Kirkland is on site to deliver the £95m opening phase which includes the 160,000 sq ft IDEA innovation centre, the ROUTER transport hub and enabling infrastructure.
    Henry Boot’s development arm HBD secured the forward funding from private investors alongside Cheltenham Borough Council, allowing work to move into full constructi
  • Clegg Construction lands £19m Leicester estate revamp

    Clegg Construction lands £19m Leicester estate revamp
    Leicester City Council has selected Clegg Construction for the £18.8m redevelopment of the Stocking Farm estate to the north-west of the city.
    Work will see 50 new energy-efficient family council homes built on the 3.34-acre site, along with new community facilities. An additional five existing council maisonettes will also be improved as part of the scheme.
    The existing locally-listed Stocking Farm farmhouse building – which dates to the 19th century – will also be redeveloped
  • Stalled £1bn Harlow biosecurity mega project revived

    Stalled £1bn Harlow biosecurity mega project revived
    The long-stalled UK Health Security Campus in Harlow has finally moved back towards restarting construction with the launch of a £1bn hunt for a Tier 1 contractor to deliver the main science campus.
    The UK Health Security Agency has issued a preliminary market engagement notice for the vast design and build package, marking the clearest sign yet that the delayed flagship project is back on track after years of uncertainty over costs and value for money.
    Before committing to procurement, ag
  • Worker killed in fall at Birmingham hospital job

    Worker killed in fall at Birmingham hospital job
    A construction worker has died after falling from height at a project for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
    Contractor BSN Group Construction confirmed the fatality and said it was assisting investigators following the incident, which happened shortly before 9.50am on Friday.
    Emergency services attended the city centre hospital after reports that a man had fallen from the building. He was pronounced dead a short time later.The contractor is presently working on the new front entrance project
  • JRL back in the black with record order book

    JRL back in the black with record order book
    JRL Group has returned to profit just over a year after a £50m investment from Malaysian contractor IJM helped the diversified contractor group draw a line under costly legacy contracts.
    The London-based construction and specialist trades group posted pre-tax profit of £2.9m for the 11 months to 31 March 2026, compared with a £49m loss in the previous 16-month reporting period.
    Chairman John Reddington declared the contractor had emerged from a period of “stabilisation, c
  • JRL back in the black after £50m rescue deal reset

    JRL back in the black after £50m rescue deal reset
    JRL Group has returned to profit just over a year after a £50m rescue deal with Malaysian contractor IJM helped the diversified contractor group draw a line under costly legacy contracts.
    The London-based construction and specialist trades group posted pre-tax profit of £2.9m for the 11 months to 31 March 2026, compared with a £49m loss in the previous 16-month reporting period.
    Chairman John Reddington declared the contractor had emerged from a period of “stabilisation,
  • HG Construction lands brace of student schemes

    HG Construction lands brace of student schemes
    HG Construction has been appointed as main contractor by Fusion Group on two new purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) schemes in Cardiff and Loughborough.
    The wins are in line with HG’s continued expansion across the UK, with the contractor now delivering schemes in over ten cities and towns including Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and London.
    The Cardiff scheme, situated in Longcross Court, will transform a prominent site in a sustainable location into high-quality student accommodation
  • Linear Living gets green light for Manchester resi tower

    Linear Living gets green light for Manchester resi tower
    Linear Living has received planning approval for its 24-storey residential scheme on Lord Street in Manchester’s Green Quarter.
    The development will comprise 251 new homes which includes 82 one-beds and 165 two-bed apartments, as well as four townhouses.
    Work is expected to start before the end of this year with completion targeted for early 2029.Linear Design and Construct has been appointed main contractor alongside AEW Architects, planning consultants Enabl and project management firm R
  • Worker dies in fall on Mayfair site

    A man was killed yesterday after falling from a site in London’s West End.
    An air ambulance landed in nearby Green Park but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene on Stratton Street in the heart of Mayfair.
    A Metropolitan Police spokesman told London Now: “Police were called at around 13:51hrs on Thursday, 9 July following reports that a man had fallen from height on a construction site at the junction of Berkeley Street and Stratton Street, W1“Officers attended with the L
  • Green light for ‘poo powered’ eco homes scheme

    Plans for a pioneering 150-home eco village and major biotech employment hub powered by a live sewage treatment works have won planning approval.
    Bradford City Council has granted full consent for Yorkshire Water’s flagship Esholt scheme, clearing the way for a mixed use development around the operational wastewater treatment works near Bradford.
    The project, conceived by Yorkshire Water’s strategic land business Keyland Developments, is one of Britain’s most ambitious circular

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