Construction’s long year: why 2026 must deliver
Gateway 2 approvals are finally moving, inflation and interest rates are easing and major infrastructure projects could spark recovery - but only if government turns promises into action
Can Steve Reed save Christmas with his planning reforms?
The fact that measures to standardise planning decisions will be made non-statutory is disappointing, but planning reform can still be a valuable gift, writes Paul Smith
Why it’s so important to change the public perception of new towns
Only large-scale developments can offer enough investment for the major new infrastructure that people want and need, but we must work hard to take those people with us, writes Brian Yates at Stantec
Purpose, not process – the future of project management in an age of AI
The opportunities of digital transformation are inspiring and bring many benefits, but good project management remains a human discipline, generating something that AI cannot, Simon Venner at Ward Williams writes
Why my generation is falling in love with construction
The desire to make a difference and help change circumstances and the environment for the better is alive and well in a generation of school leavers trying to work out what they want to do next, writes Oscar Sitwell
COP30: Let’s focus on the practical wins despite the fossil fuel shortfall
COP30 may not have delivered the headline ambition that many hoped for, but it has shown that practical cooperation can drive real change, writes WSPs David Symons
The infrastructure opportunity we’re overlooking: Smarter asset use
Built environment professionals know that the most sustainable solution is often not to build at all. Last week’s Budget invited the industry to focus on optimising what already exists, Holly Davis writes
Navigating a no-growth Budget
Private development risks being crowded out as government investment programmes accelerate. Clients may need to rethink their market positioning in a fast-changing market, Simon Rawlinson of Arcadis suggests
The chancellor’s blind spot? A Budget that ignores Britain’s building potential
Labour pledged to power growth, yet Wednesday’s Budget offered little for the sector that fuels it. Without focusing on construction capacity and skills, the country’s ambitions risk grinding to a halt, says T&T’s Patricia Moore
The Budget can bring stability, but it’s efficiency that must drive public spending
With Rachel Reeves set to deliver tomorrow’s autumn Budget, Pagabo’s deputy chief executive argues that the UK’s challenge is not the level of investment but how effectively it is deployed
Technical due diligence: Why smart investors are taking a commercial approach
With the Budget looming next week, speculation is swirling around potential adjustments to capital gains tax and stamp duty reforms, but there is a more immediate concern that many people overlook – whether the technical due diligence informing their decisions is actually fit for purpose, writes Keith Godsmark
We need concrete solutions to save the UK cement industry. The chancellor can start the process
As UK concrete demand hits a 62-year low, cracks are exposed in how materials are sourced and valued. Liz Gilligan argues that smarter procurement and low-carbon innovation could put the sector back on a solid footing
It starts with a single bedroom: Industrialising Hospital 2.0
The new hospital programme is one of the largest and most ambitious infrastructure projects in the UK. By adopting a platform approach using MMC, we can make it a success and transform the delivery of hospitals for decades to come, Paul Ruddick writes
Government must move from strategy to execution on £725bn infrastructure pipeline
Ahead of next week’s long-awaited Budget, Richard Whitehead explains why delivery must now match ambition if the UK is to realise its infrastructure promise
This month’s construction industry gossip: What’s new, pussycat?
The latest chatter around the industry
Why a recent High Court ruling could lead to a rights of light reset
Rashpal Soomal explains how a recent case has shifted the legal position on claims about rights of light
Let’s fix construction’s payment issues
With the government’s consultation on poor payment practices now closed, what more needs to be done? Rudi Klein talks retentions, payment notices, adjudication costs and project bank accounts
Let’s extend 28-day adjudication to buyers of new homes
Tony Bingham makes a plea to housing secretary Steve Reed to ditch a Construction Act exclusion that ill serves new home buyers
Adjudicators should aim for an ‘industry result’
Adjudication’s rough-and-readiness is partly about getting a result that makes sense in industry terms – that just works
What will the Employment Rights Bill mean for construction?
Construction employers must prepare for the significant impact of this legislation
