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
On hold: what Assent’s collapse and waiting for the Budget reveal about the state of construction
November has dealt a double blow to the sector – here’s what would help
Assent collapse: Are we ready to cope in the face of a chain reaction?
The sudden failure of building control specialist Assent raises some awkward questions about construction industry resilience. Do we understand our process and how vulnerable it is to disruption, asks Simon Rawlinson of Arcadis
Small housebuilders are being pushed to the brink. What would the late Duncan Davidson do in this market?
Persimmon’s founder once embodied the bold spirit of the industry - a spirit Denise Chevin argues is now being stifled by rising costs, red tape and planning inflexibility
AI could force us to re-imagine how public consultation in planning works
Residents are increasingly using AI tools to craft letters of objection to schemes en masse. We need to think about how technology could help us create a better planning system, writes Paul Smith
What the construction sector needs from this month’s Budget
The chancellor has rolled the pitch ahead of her much-anticipated Budget with an unprecedented ‘emergency’ press event in Downing Street. Richard Steer considers her options for the main event on 26 November
What if part of the answer to our building problem is actually to build less?
‘No-build’ and ‘low-build’ solutions are a relatively cheap and simple way to reduce the size of the housing waiting list and shrink the size of the infrastructure pipeline, writes Beth West
Raising a new town: Lessons from delivering new communities in the UK
Some key ingredients are required if the government’s new towns programme is to be a success, writes Charles Hill
Designing cities for play: Why child-friendly spaces matter
Children are the benchmark of an area’s liveability. They tell us whether it is healthy and inclusive. If it does not work for them, it is failing, writes Lendlease’s Nick Watson
Why windows will have to work harder than ever
Andrew Mellor considers the considerable technical, social and environmental pressures driving the next stage in window design
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
Will the CLC building control approval guidance be a gateway to success?
These short guidance notes aim to reduce rejections and delays by providing more clarity on what information to include in gateway 2 applications
