Financial & Legal
-
Agratas has changed delivery arrangements at its Bridgwater gigafactory project. The revised model sharpens scrutiny on programme control, specialist infrastructure, and UK battery manufacturing capacity.
-
Obayashi is acquiring Multiplex from Brookfield in a major deal. The transaction changes ownership of a contractor active across major UK projects.
-
Speedy Hire has reported a sharp pre-tax loss for 2026. Subdued construction activity, fleet investment, and higher borrowing costs weighed on the hire group.
-
New passive fire guidance now directly targets recurring specification mistakes. The PFKG documents cover fire curtains, smoke curtains, fire barriers, and cavity barriers.
-
AI planning tools are now being expanded across English councils. Extract will digitise historic planning records, while a separate prototype will support householder application processing.
-
The NFB has challenged unspent developer contributions held by councils. More than £9bn in Section 106 and CIL funding remains under scrutiny across England and Wales.
-
Strabag will acquire Romanian rail specialist Bawi Construction in 2026. The deal strengthens its railway infrastructure capability across Romania and southeast Europe.
-
Ireland’s construction market is resilient but facing renewed cost pressure. Turner & Townsend says labour shortages, material inflation, and weaker pipeline visibility are increasing delivery risk.
-
BMF has cut its 2026 construction materials sales forecast sharply. The trade body now expects contraction as weak confidence, geopolitical uncertainty, and softer demand persist.
-
Glenigan expects UK construction starts to rebound strongly from 2027. Its latest forecast predicts a short dip before renewed growth across public and private sectors.