London planning rules torn up to speed up housingMinisters and City Hall have ripped up key planning constraints in a bid to kickstart London house building and unlock dozens of stalled schemes.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Mayor Sadiq Khan have agreed a package of emergency, time-limited measures designed to get sites moving again.
The plan centres on fast-tracking viable schemes, easing…
Police launch construction invoice fraud campaignThe National Crime Agency and National Federation of Builders have launched a joint campaign highlighting the risks of invoice fraud.
The drive is aimed at accounts payable professionals and finance personnel in the industry.
The agency warned construction is especially vulnerable to invoice fraud because it relies on complex supply chains,…
Bouygues gets go-ahead for triple tower London student jobBouygues UK has secured planning for a near-2,000-bed student tower scheme behind Tate Modern in London.
Approval clears the path for a 2027 start on the LSE Bankside project, with the team now preparing a Gateway 2 submission on one of the capital’s largest student accommodation jobs.
Southwark council has backed plans to redevelo…
Final £400m phase of London Elephant & Castle scheme approvedBuild to rent developer Get Living has secured planning approval for the third and final phase of its £1.5bn Elephant and Castle overhaul.
This clears the way for another 959 homes and student rooms at the south London regeneration job.
Southwark council approved revised plans for the West Site, covering the existing London College of…
London Charing Cross landmark office to be rebuilt insideArchitect Hopkins has unveiled detailed plans to overhaul 1 Embankment Place above London’s Charing Cross Station, turning the ageing air-rights landmark into a high-spec, low-carbon office and mixed-use destination.
Working for developer Bridgemont, the scheme will retain around 90% of the existing Terry Farrell-designed structure and…
Government set to ban retentionsThe Government is planning to ban retentions in construction as part of a major crack down on late payments.
It said: “We propose to ban the withholding of retention payments under the terms of construction contracts, consulting on its implementation.
“This will prevent small firms losing retentions to insolvency or non-payment.”
Initial consultations showed…
Hercules shares to be suspended as results delayedShares in labour supply specialist Hercules will be suspended after the firm confirmed it will miss the deadline for filing its latest annual accounts.
Final results for the year ended 30 September 2025 where due to be posted by 31 March 2026.
But Hercules said the accounts have taken longer than expected “due to the consolidation of…
Ministers delay HS2 reset plan for extra cost savingsHS2 has been ordered to hunt for more savings as ministers push the troubled high-speed line towards a cheaper and quicker finish.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has tasked HS2 chief executive Mark Wild with testing whether stripping out complexity from the railway could save taxpayers billions and bring services into operation sooner.
To…
Tower plans squeezed as London build costs spiralLondon’s next wave of skyscrapers is at risk of stalling after build costs surged by up to 40% in five years, leaving developers struggling to make schemes stack up.
A new report from Turner & Townsend warns that viability has become the single biggest barrier to delivering tall buildings in the capital, with rising costs now colliding wit…
McLaughlin & Harvey lands Old Broad St revampMcLaughlin & Harvey has landed the £50m contract for a deep retrofit of the former Pinners Hall at 108 Old Broad Street in the City of London.
Development manager Patrizia confirmed the award with work starting this month and practical completion targeted for August 2027.
Planning consent achieved in November will see the 1990s building transformed…