Construction news

• Willmott Dixon keeping close eye on supply chain

  03-06-2026 08:43 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Willmott Dixon is promising to look after its supply chain amid worries over industry price inflation.
  The contractor has posted a strong set of annual results and reported an encouraging start to this financial year.
  But  Chief Executive Officer Graham Dundas said: “We remain far from complacent about the wider economic picture, including the risk of renewed inflation from geopolitical events.“Across our industry, prices are coming under strain, and I’m conscious that our
  
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• House building downturn drags construction to six-year low

  04-06-2026 13:59 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The UK construction sector suffered its steepest downturn for six years in May as house building activity sank further, new orders dried up and contractors faced the sharpest materials inflation since 2022.
  Latest data from the S&P Global UK Construction PMI showed overall activity falling to 38.2 in May from 39.7 in April, marking a seventeenth consecutive month of contraction and the weakest reading since the pandemic shock of May 2020.
  Outside the pandemic period, the decline was the shar
  
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• Green light for £59m Swadlincote civic and leisure hub

  04-06-2026 13:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Enabling works are set to start this summer on a £59m leisure centre and civic office scheme in Swadlincote after planners gave the project the green light.
  The South Derbyshire District Council scheme will replace the existing Green Bank Leisure Centre and council offices as part of a wider town centre regeneration push.
  BAM and Bowmer & Kirkland are understood to chasing the build contract for the complex which was designed by CPMG Architects.The leisure element will include a six-co
  
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• Scottish Hydro sparks £7.4bn contractor framework race

  04-06-2026 13:43 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission has launched a £7.4bn framework hunt for contractors to help deliver its expanding high-voltage network investment programme across Scotland.
  The utility giant is seeking long-term strategic delivery partners across six workstreams covering civils, buildings, overhead lines and underground cable construction under framework agreements that could run for up to eight years.
  The framework will support transmission network upgrades, customer connections, as
  
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• A9 dualling race starts for £1.9bn mega framework

  04-06-2026 13:37 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Transport for Scotland has kicked off the race to find contractors to deliver the final 58mile stretch of the A9 dualling programme from Perth to Inverness.
  After a delivery review it is switching to a framework-led approach to deliver the final five contracts on the programme, ditching the previous project-by-project tender model.
  The new £1.94bn framework is designed to bring contractors into schemes earlier through an early contractor involvement model. Officials believe the approach wi
  
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• Labourer drowns in water-filled site excavation

  04-06-2026 08:46 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A contractor has been fined after a man drowned when he fell into an exposed excavation hole described as a ‘death trap’, at a building site in Hertfordshire.
  Mykhalio Hustei had been working for Alchemist DB Limited as a labourer on a project building several flats on the High Street in Bovington.
  The 35-year-old had been living in a property adjoining the site when he attempted to make his way home from a night out on 22 October 2021. As he tried to access his own home he fell into
  
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• Hollywood giant gears up for £5bn UK resort build

  04-06-2026 08:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Main construction work is poised to start on Hollywood giant Universal’s £5bn UK theme park after ministers committed £1.3bn to unlock the transport and infrastructure upgrades needed to make the Bedfordshire mega-project a reality.
  The entertainment resort, branded Universal United Kingdom Resort, will rise on the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks site and is set to become Universal’s first theme park destination in Europe.
  Government backing will fund road, rail and c
  
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• Hinkley workers locked-out of site after canteen sit-in

  04-06-2026 08:40 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  M&E workers at the Hinkley Point C nuclear site have been banned from the job for a week after staging a canteen sit-in.
  Hundreds of workers from the MEH Alliance have been told not to return to the job until next Monday.
  A long-running dispute came to a head earlier this week as workers staged the sit-in protest over shift pattern changes and safety concerns.Site management told the protesters not to return to the site until next week without pay.
  A heavy police presence was also evident th
  
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• Hunt starts for £60m Crystal Palace Park housing contractor

  04-06-2026 08:11 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Clarion Housing has launched the search for a main contractor to deliver 202 affordable homes at Crystal Palace Park following planning approval for the long-awaited scheme.
  The housing association’s development arm has issued a £60m design-and-build tender covering two sites at Rockhills and Sydenham Villas on the edge of the South London park.
  The project will deliver 148 homes for social rent and 54 shared ownership properties, alongside a new community centre, landscaping, access
  
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• BSR turns the tide as approvals outpace new home applications

  04-06-2026 08:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Building Safety Regulator is finally getting ahead of the Gateway 2 queue, approving more new homes than are entering the system for the first time since the regime was introduced.
  In the 12 weeks to 30 May, the regulator determined applications covering 14,928 homes while receiving new submissions for 13,964 homes, signalling that the long-running backlog is beginning to move in the right direction.
  Project approval rates are also climbing sharply.Across all Gateway 2 categories – new
  
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• Government and Hill seal land for 10,000-home Cambridge site

  03-06-2026 17:20 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Hill Group and Homes England have set a 2029 start date for the first homes at the giant Cambridge East development after completing the acquisition of the 700-acre former airport site.
  The partners plan to begin construction of an initial phase of up to 500 homes from 2029 as they push ahead with one of the UK’s largest urban extension projects. The wider scheme will eventually deliver more than 10,000 homes, 3m sq ft of commercial space and around 9,000 jobs.
  The deal sees Homes England,
  
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• Government and Hill seal land for 10,000-home Cambridge East scheme

  03-06-2026 17:20 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  THill Group and Homes England have set a 2029 start date for the first homes at the giant Cambridge East development after completing the acquisition of the 700-acre former airport site.
  The partners plan to begin construction of an initial phase of up to 500 homes from 2029 as they push ahead with one of the UK’s largest urban extension projects. The wider scheme will eventually deliver more than 10,000 homes, 3m sq ft of commercial space and around 9,000 jobs.
  The deal sees Homes England
  
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• Murphy builds record £412m cash pile in 75th year

  03-06-2026 09:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Murphy capped its 75th anniversary year with record revenue, profit and cash reserves as booming investment in Britain’s energy and infrastructure networks pushed its order book beyond £8bn for the first time.
  The family-owned contractor increased revenue 13% to nearly £1.6bn in 2025 while operating profit climbed 8% to a record £86m.
  Cash reserves further strengthened, rising to £412m, leaving Murphy with one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry.The perf
  
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• McLaren wins £1bn data centre campus near M25

  03-06-2026 08:28 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  McLaren Construction has been drafted in to spearhead delivery of US developer Corscale’s £1bn data centre campus at Iver in Buckinghamshire.
  The contractor and MEP specialist Phoenix ME have secured a pre-construction services agreement for the 14-acre Court Lane site alongside the M25, launching a scheme that will transform a rundown industrial estate into a hyperscale data centre campus.
  Works will start on 1 July with site clearance, utility diversions and remediation operations
  
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• HS2 finally slides in giant Curzon bridge after welding delay

  03-06-2026 08:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  HS2 engineers have finally slid the tallest bridge on the scheme into position above Birmingham’s Cross City railway line after overcoming major welding challenges that delayed the operation by almost a year.
  The 4,200-tonne Curzon 2 structure was moved 180 metres in a complex three-stage launch and is now locked onto permanent piers, creating a new 40m-high landmark on the approach to Curzon Street Station.The successful launch marks a major milestone on the Birmingham section of the rail
  
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• Construction test scam kingpin jailed over 500 fake safety passes

  02-06-2026 15:46 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  A test centre boss has been jailed after running a large-scale fraud racket that helped hundreds of workers dodge mandatory construction safety exams.
  William White, 63, was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison after admitting conspiracy to defraud and converting criminal property following a joint investigation by the Construction Industry Training Board and Essex Police.
  The investigation exposed a sophisticated operation at the Whitewaters Training Centre in Halstead, Essex, wher
  
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• Drainage giant Lanes names ex-Telent chief as new CEO

  02-06-2026 15:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  Lanes Group has appointed former Telent chief executive Jo Gretton as its new chief executive officer, ending more than three decades under the leadership of Wayne Earnshaw.
  Gretton will take over on 29 June as the UK’s biggest drainage and wastewater maintenance specialist prepares for its next stage of growth following BlackRock’s investment in the business last year.
  Gretton will work alongside Earnshaw to ensure a smooth transition before formally taking charge at the end of June
  
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• Tide unlocks £500m of projects after Gateway 2 approvals

  02-06-2026 14:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  Modular tower specialist Tide Construction has finally secured building safety regulator approvals on several major schemes, releasing more than £500m of projects after Gateway 2 delays hit turnover last year.
  The contractor saw turnover slump 42% to £109m in the year to 31 August 2025, while pre-tax profit fell to £2.3m from £4.9m as the firm waited for regulatory sign-off on several projects.
  A spokesman for Tide said: “With the requirements of the Building Safety
  
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• £640m Slough town centre reboot heads for planning

  02-06-2026 13:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have been lodged for the £640m North West Quadrant regeneration scheme in Slough, paving the way for one of the largest town centre redevelopment projects in the South East.
  Developer Muse and Homes England have submitted a planning application to transform the 3.6ha former Thames Valley University site into a mixed-use neighbourhood delivering around 1,500 homes, offices, shops, cafés and community facilities over the next decade.
  The project forms a cornerstone of Slough tow
  
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• Balfour shakes-up leadership to “sharpen focus”

  02-06-2026 08:28 via constructionenquirer.com
  Balfour Beatty has confirmed a raft of leadership changes to “strengthen customer focus, improve project performance and drive greater efficiencies”.
  The moves bring together the group’s capabilities across UK transport, energy and defence  in a bid to enable “faster, more joined-up delivery of major infrastructure programmes and closer alignment with critical national infrastructure priorities.”
  (L-r) Nick Crossfield, Phil Clifton, Steve Tarr
  UK Defence, Power
  
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• Housing civils firm Agetur files for administration

  02-06-2026 08:23 via constructionenquirer.com
  Northamptonshire civil engineering and groundworks contractor Agetur has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators leaving more than 100 staff facing redundancies.
  The move yesterday marks the first formal step in an insolvency process for the Brackley-based housing infrastructure specialist, giving it temporary protection from creditor action while administrators are appointed and options for the business are explored.
  Agetur was founded in 1985 by Rob Rexton and built its reputatio
  
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• Building control shake-up backed by ministers

  22-05-2026 09:19 via constructionenquirer.com
  Ministers have pledged £55m to overhaul England’s building control system as they consider banning clients from choosing their own inspectors.
  The Government has accepted the core principles of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Building Control Independent Panel, which warned the current system is fragmented, inconsistent and exposed to commercial pressure.
  The panel said the present set-up cannot provide consistent assurance that building work is safe, with inspectors battling shortages,
  
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• Government starts renewal race for £120bn mega framework

  22-05-2026 09:04 via constructionenquirer.com
  Crown Commercial Service has fired the starting gun on bidding for the Government’s biggest construction framework renewal.
  The third-generation Construction Works and Associated Services framework, including ProCure24, has now gone out to tender with an estimated total value of £120bn.
  The pan-Government deal, known as RM6320, will replace and consolidate several major routes to market for public sector building, infrastructure, defence, healthcare, nuclear and overseas works.
  It wi
  
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• Trading in Hercules shares resumes after audit concerns

  22-05-2026 09:01 via constructionenquirer.com
  Shares in labour supply specialist Hercules resumed trading this morning following a two-month suspension after the firm’s delayed results were finally published.
  The shares were suspended in March but results have now been released for the year to 30 September 2025 containing qualifications from the auditor.
  The auditor said: “During our audit work, we were approached by an individual who raised concerns relating to payments made to a limited number of training and consultancy servi
  
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• £150m Cambridge busway opens race for contractor

  22-05-2026 08:46 via constructionenquirer.com
  Contractors are being called up to bid for the £150m Cambourne to Cambridge guided busway.
  Cambridgeshire County Council, acting for the Greater Cambridge Partnership, is seeking to appoint a single contractor to deliver the transport scheme.
  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 corridor.Construction is expected to start in early 2027 with wo
  
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• JJ Rhatigan lands £32m London Chest Hospital housing job

  22-05-2026 08:39 via constructionenquirer.com
  JJ Rhatigan has beaten Lovell, Graham and Formation Design & Build to a £32m first phase job at the former London Chest Hospital site in Bethnal Green.
  The design and build deal covers two blocks providing 76 affordable homes and associated landscaping works.
  Client Bonner Road LLP, linked to Clarion Housing Group’s development arm Latimer, picked Rhatigan after a four-way tender race.A contract will be signed from 1 June with works running through to February 2031.
  The phase for
  
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• Competition and markets watchdog blows whistle on civils costs

  21-05-2026 12:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  The competition watchdog has called for a major shake-up of public road and rail procurement after warning that high costs and overruns are holding back the civil engineering market.
  The Competition and Markets Authority said fragmented buying, short-term funding and inconsistent procurement are weakening contractor confidence and stopping firms from investing in people, plant and innovation.
  Its final Civil Engineering Market Study said public bodies spent around £19bn on roads and rail i
  
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• Rydon losses deepen as remediation spend hits £31m

  21-05-2026 09:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  Rydon Group sank to a £4.9m pre-tax loss last year as building safety remediation costs continued to weigh on the maintenance and construction business.
  Latest accounts for the Dartford-based group show losses widened sharply in the year to 30 September 2025 from £1.0m last time as turnover also fell 14% to £52m from £61m.
  Revenue has fallen sharply since pre-Grenfell disaster levels that stood around £250m for the group.
  Rydon said its maintenance arm continued to
  
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• Winchmore wins brickwork package on Kori care home

  21-05-2026 08:56 via constructionenquirer.com
  Winchmore Brickwork has won the £2.5m masonry package on a new £30m care home being built by Kori Construction in north London.
  Winchmore will start on site towards the back end of this year.
  The specialist is looking to work with Kori on other projects as the company expands its presence in and around London.
  The Enquirer understands Winchmore is also in negotiations with Kori at its care home site in Chiswick.Winchmore Managing Director Lee Campbell highlighted the benefits of form
  
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• Contractors forced into weekly price checks as volatility grows

  21-05-2026 08:43 via constructionenquirer.com
  Subcontractors are being forced to check material prices and availability every week as renewed market volatility hits construction.
  Southern Construction Framework’s latest market report for the first quarter of the year warns that pricing and supply conditions are now shifting week by week rather than month by month.
  The report, based on a survey of over 150 subcontractors, said tender workload rose by 2.6% during the first quarter as clients continued to test the market and bring scheme
  
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