£80m bid race to convert Oxford Debenhams into labsThe Crown Estate has launched the search for a main contractor to deliver an £80m overhaul of a landmark former Oxford Debenhams store into life sciences labs.
The six-storey block in Magdalen Street covers around 13,000 sq m and will be stripped back and reconfigured to create a multi-occupancy life sciences hub.
The redevelopment of t…
Bennett steps-in to finish Guinness Covent Garden breweryBennett Construction has been appointed by Diageo to complete the £73m Guinness Microbrewery and Culture Hub at Old Brewer’s Yard in the centre of Covent Garden, London.
The £73m project has been hit by delays after original fit out contractor Beck Interiors went into administration last year.
The ‘Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard’…
Work-to-rule set to hit Sellafield clean-upUnite members at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria are set to enact a work-to-rule policy from Saturday following a long running pay dispute.
The move involves 1,500 construction workers across 34 contractors across disciplines including electricians, joiners, pipe-fitters, riggers, welders, groundworkers and painters.
A recent ballot returned a…
Aureos breaks ground on £45m Howden Relief RoadContractor Aureos has kicked off work on the £45m Howden Relief Road in East Yorkshire.
The civils firm rebranded after being sold by Keltbray is delivering the 1.2km road which will link the A614 to Station Road over the two-year build programme.
Backed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and developer JG Hatcliffe Associates, the road will pav…
Oxford United win green light for £150m all-electric stadiumOxford United have secured local planning approval for a planned 16,000-capacity stadium expected to cost over £150m to build.
The stadium is planned to be built on a green belt site at Kidlington to the north of the city
Development director Jonathon Clarke described the decision as “once-in-a-generation” and praised both t…
Hitachi Energy named for EGL3 converter station dealHitachi Energy has been named preferred bidder to deliver major converter stations at either end of the £3.7bn Eastern Green Link 3.
EGL3 is the UK’s largest proposed HVDC transmission project and forms part of SSEN Transmission’s £20bn investment to upgrade the electricity network in the north of Scotland to unlock the country’s…
Demolition record as eight cooling towers come downDemolition specialist Brown & Mason set a world record on Thursday with the demolition of eight cooling towers at Cottam Power Station in Nottinghamshire.
The firm secured the Guinness World Records title for the most cooling towers demolished with controlled explosives simultaneously at the former coal-fired station.
Rikki Isgar, Explosiv…
Profits double at Octavius as road and rail work growsInfrastructure contractor Octavius has seen profits nearly double as rail and highways work continued to grow.
Results for the year to March 31 2025 show pre-tax profits jumped to £8.6m from £4.7m last time on turnover up to £323m from £277m.
In the last three years Octavius has grown by nearly 70% and the company is now working to new…
Quarterly construction output growth masks orders slideUK construction output grew by 1.2% in the second quarter, driven by gains in both new work and repair and maintenance.
But latest orders figures also out today suggest there could be a slowing down in construction activity ahead as the industry braces itself for a tough Autumn Budget.
Latest output figures from the ONS showed a return to…
Staged procurement to make comeback as pricing risk bitesConsultants are predicting a marked return to package-based procurement models as developers seek to push forward with big-ticket commercial schemes without locking into risky lump sum deals.
McBains’ Summer 2025 Construction Market Report said that confidence was returning to the sector but warned clients remain cautious about pricing…