Buildings
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Tower Hamlets has approved Squire & Partners’ Mastmaker Court towers. The Isle of Dogs scheme provides 996 homes, combining 843 co-living rooms with 153 affordable dwellings, plus public realm works and an outline school element.
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A new White Paper targets tougher oversight of construction products. Proposals would bring all products under designated standards or a general safety requirement, license UK conformity assessment bodies, and introduce sanctions including unlimited fines and up to two years’ imprisonment, with consultation open until 20 May 2026.
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UK has paused Grenfell Tower deconstruction after stairwell handprints emerged. Families say the markings and an Arabic inscription should be preserved for a memorial. Government lawyers will review a judicial challenge, while deconstruction continues elsewhere on the tower.
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Discovery Building at Rothera is now formally opened in Antarctica. The £100m, 4,500m² facility consolidates science support, operations, and engineering functions within a single hub under the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme.
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Planning submissions for England’s new homes hit a decade high. Applications covered 335,387 units in 2025, over 120,000 more than 2024, with affordable housing submissions also rising.
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Warmworks has partnered UKATA to strengthen asbestos controls. The agreement targets improved training, compliance, and awareness for supply chains working in homes with legacy asbestos during retrofit and energy-efficiency works, with both organisations citing a focus on safe working practices in domestic and commercial environments.
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VASO’s recycled-glass panels have joined PfH Scotland’s SHED 5 framework. Eco-Genics (Holdings) is listed as a supplier on the £500m, three-year arrangement that runs from 29 January 2026.
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MHCLG has rejected Aviva’s figures on new-home flood risk claims. The department says planning rules require lifetime safety, and that insurer analysis did not reflect flood defences installed on sites.
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Forza Doors has won a £500k package for 105 Victoria. The Westminster scheme is targeting BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum as a fully electric, net-zero office development, with Forza supplying fire doors plus washroom doors and panels from FSC-certified timber.
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A new findings report from the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Pilot sets out how Version 1 will work in practice.