Construction News Magazine

Construction News stands out as the top source for news, insights, and events tailored for the construction sector in the UK.

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Life sciences construction: is the bubble set to burst?

6 days ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Ian Weinfass

After rapid expansion, signs of a slowdown raise questions about future opportunities in the sectorWhen it emerged that AstraZeneca was planning a £450m expansion of its nasal flu vaccine plant in Speke, near Liverpool, in January 2024, a spokesperson for the Conservative government declared that the UK was “cementing [its] status” as one of the world’s leading centres for life sciences. “For many years we had a supply and demand deficit.
McLaren to build permanent home for Hackney’s Boxing Academy

1 week ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Ben Vogel

McLaren Construction has been appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver a permanent facility for the Boxing Academy in Hackney, east London. The school, which caters to 56 secondary-age students who require an alternative to mainstream education, will move from its temporary premises on Monteagle Way to a purpose-built site on nearby Brooke Road. The contract was awarded through the DfE Construction Framework 2021.
Scaffolding body faces backlash over standards

2 weeks ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Joshua Stein

Scaffolders unhappy with developments at their trade association say they have formed a “not-for-profit interest group” in protest. Representatives of the new Scaffolding Training Alliance (STA) – who remain unnamed – said in an open letter that their organisation was not a “breakaway group” from the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC).
ISG demise prompts strategic rethink at joinery firm

2 weeks ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Joshua Stein

A £38m-turnover joinery and fit-out firm says it has been forced to reevaluate its business strategy following ISG’s collapse last September. In its annual results for the year to 31 December 2024, Taylor Made Joinery Interiors said the tier one contractor’s downfall had sounded an alarm bell, warning that the “most significant risk identified during the year, as evidenced by the ISG administration, is overreliance on any single contractor”.
Wates calls for new investment model to unlock £100m-plus public infrastructure jobs

2 weeks ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Ben Vogel

Tier one contractor Wates Group has called on the government to prioritise the delivery of public-sector assets valued at more than £100m, as part of a push to revive private investment in infrastructure. In a white paper launched at the Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum in Leeds today (21 May), the family-owned contractor set out a new model for public-private partnerships designed to attract long-term private capital into high-value schemes.
Construction sector suffers worst month for insolvencies since last July

2 weeks ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Joshua Stein

More construction firms went under in March than in any other month since last July, newly released official figures show. Data published this morning (20 May) by the Insolvency Service shows 377 construction firms went under in March, up on the 368 total for February (revised from the previously reported figure of 367). Exactly 400 construction insolvencies were recorded in July 2024. The data includes administrations but also covers forms of insolvency such as liquidation and receivership.
Knauf to invest £170m in insulation factory

2 weeks ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Ben Vogel

International manufacturer Knauf Insulation has unveiled plans to build a £170m production facility in Shotton, North Wales, creating around 140 jobs. The state-of-the-art plant will produce more than 100,000 tonnes of non-combustible rock mineral wool insulation annually, with additional employment expected across local supply chains. The development coincides with a UK-EU summit in London and forms part of wider UK Government efforts to boost economic growth through inward investment.
Three prison builds green lit to tackle capacity crisis

3 weeks ago | constructionnews.co.uk | James Wilmore

Plans to build three new prisons as part of a £4.7bn spend will now go ahead after the Treasury signed off on funding, a senior minister has said. On Wednesday, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Treasury would fund “in full” plans to build the prisons, in a bid to create 14,000 extra places by 2031 to tackle a severe shortage. More cells will also be added at existing prisons. It will represent a total capital investment of £4.7bn, she said.
Twin peaks: Will new safety laws spark insurer backlash?

3 weeks ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Ian Weinfass

Professional indemnity insurance premiums have only just started falling after their post-Grenfell peak. But some fear new building safety laws could spark another insurer backlashIn the years after June 2017’s Grenfell Tower fire, many contractors found professional indemnity (PI) insurance difficult to obtain, or watched their premiums soar in price.
Loss-making fit-out firm calls in administrators

3 weeks ago | constructionnews.co.uk | Ben Vogel

Office fit-out specialist IOR Group Ltd has called in administrators. The London-based firm specialised in workplace interior design, fit-out and refurbishment. According to an official notice on Tuesday (13 May) in The Gazette, Kelly Mitchell and Andrew Watling from Quantuma Advisory took over the firm’s affairs last week. Formed in 1997, IOR’s revenue increased by a quarter to £20.4m in its most recent published accounts for the 2023 calendar year.