Construction news

• UK Construction Week London opens its doors next week

  29-04-2022 08:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  UK Construction Week London opens its doors next Tuesday with more than 600 exhibitors set to pack out the ExCel.
  The 2022 event will focus on a range of hot issues including how the industry implements new behaviours, improves the quality of what it builds and meets it’s net zero responsibilities.
  Visitors to UKCW London will enjoy a packed three days of thought leadership, product launches, industry innovation and major exhibitors.Some of the highlights include:
  • Keynote speakers &
  
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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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• Amey lands twin Northern Powerhouse Rail roles

  14-10-2026 08:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  Amey has bagged two Northern Powerhouse Rail deals to help shape upgrades across Yorkshire.
  Network Rail’s latest award puts the consultant in charge of making six projects work together as one railway.
  It follows a separate win to develop Leeds to Sheffield corridor upgrades, paving the way for more trains and faster journeys.Both deals were awarded through Network Rail’s Development and Design Partnership Framework. Contract values have not been disclosed.
  The latest system integra
  
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• Green light for £600m Westminster office scheme

  14-10-2026 08:30 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Investment manager Meadow Partners has secured planning approval for the £600m redevelopment of 10–20 Victoria Street in Westminster.
  Plans will transform two existing buildings into a 12-storey Grade A office development providing 24,000 sq. m of workspace and 754 sq. m of new retail and restaurant space designed by Piercy & Company.
  J. Andrew McDaniel, co-founder and partner at Meadow Partners, said: “10-20 Victoria Street, located along a heavily trafficked and prestigio
  
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• Roads axe hits 24 projects across England

  14-10-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Two dozen road projects across England have been dropped from the government’s funding programme.
  The cuts tear into the future civils pipeline, with four of the biggest schemes alone carrying a combined price tag of more than £1.6bn.
  The Department for Transport has not publicly published the official list but has started to write to each impacted council informing them of the cancellations.
  They include the £930m M5 Junction 9 and A46 upgrade in Gloucestershire, £303m M
  
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• Wates calls for £100m bundles in NHS health centres build plan

  13-10-2026 16:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  Wates has called for the Government’s planned building programme of NHS neighbourhood health centres to be bundled into £100m-plus regional packages to pull in private cash and get builders on site faster.
  The contractor warns a patchwork of standalone jobs risks bogging down delivery with repeated tender exercises, higher costs and lengthy approvals.
  Its prescription is a new public-private partnership model giving contractors and investors a clear pipeline of work.The government pl
  
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• Briggs & Forrester names Benedetti as next chief executive

  13-10-2026 15:52 via constructionenquirer.com
  M&E specialist Briggs & Forrester has named Duncan Benedetti as its next group chief executive, with Paul Burton stepping down from the role at the start of next year.
  Burton will remain group chairman as the Northampton-based building services contractor enters its 80th year.
  Benedetti steps up on 1 January 2027 after two decades with the £240m turnover group. He currently heads its Living business and sits on the group board.His promotion also triggers a change at Living, where o
  
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• Contractors called up for £60m Hampshire housing job

  13-10-2026 15:13 via constructionenquirer.com
  Eastleigh Borough Council has gone out to tender for a design and build contractor to deliver 192 mixed-tenure homes at Kings Copse Avenue in Botley.
  Full planning permission is already in place and the council is pushing ahead with infrastructure and enabling work before the main contractor comes on board.
  The scheme will be delivered in one phase and includes the homes, roads, utilities, landscaping and public open space.Eastleigh will use an initial qualification round to cut the field to fou
  
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• Call for three-year freeze on new housing red tape

  13-10-2026 09:03 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  House builders are being hit with more than £38,000 of extra regulation, tax and policy costs on every new home compared with 2020.
  According to a new housing commission led by former housing minister Gavin Barwell extra rules and taxes are pushing viable schemes into the red.
  The Prosper UK Housing Commission said the total cost of delivering a typical home has risen by around £76,000 in six years, with roughly half of the increase coming from government requirements rather than lab
  
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