Welcome to the Friday Feed, our rundown of this week’s construction news
đ Rail
In the rail sector this week Mace is speeding up its Paddington âover-stationâ development. Their plan is to start building a 235,000 sq ft office building above Paddington station early next year, with completion expected in Q3 2028. The RSK Group has acquired tier 1 contractor Octavius Infrastructure from Sullivan Street Partners. The firm has more than 700 employees working across rail and highways. Lastly, the DLR extension to Thamesmead has been confirmed in the Budget. The ÂŁ1.62bn, 3km line will link into the DLR East Route and include a new station at the Beckton Riverside development, a cross-river tunnel, a twin bore tunnel of around 1.5 km and a new station at Thamesmead.
đ« Ports and Aviation:
In the aviation sphere, Heathrowâs plan for a longer third runway has been chosen by government. The plan involves moving the M25 and creating a new road tunnel under the airport to create the 2.2-mile-long runway. In ports news, ABP and Stena Line are planning an Immingham RoRo terminal; with work due to start in early 2026 that represents a joint investment of ÂŁ200m in the Humber port. Meanwhile, Doncaster Council has approved ÂŁ57m in borrowing to support the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, with Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones saying there needs to be âless talk more actionâ.
âĄEnergy
This week in the energy sector, Energy minister Michael Shanks has announced a new government strategy to safeguard critical energy infrastructure and protect users from disruption. It aims to address risks such as climate change impacts, cyber threats and geopolitical tensions. Sizewell has announced that as part of building Sizewell C they will reuse 15,000 tonnes of recycled concrete from Sizewell A marking a significant step forward in sustainable construction. All the recycled materials have undergone rigorous safety testing and have been transported just a few hundred metres up the coast to Sizewell Câs Main Construction Area (MCA), where they are being repurposed. Elsewhere, in Ireland, ESB and Orsted have won an auction to run the 900MW Tonn Nua offshore wind farm.
đ Roads
Looking at roadâs news, construction is due to start next year on Lower Thames Crossing. The funding announced in this weekâs Budget follows an initial grant of ÂŁ590m in June after plans for the ÂŁ10bn scheme were approved in March. Nottinghamâs A52 junctions overhaul has been given the green light. The plans to upgrade the A52 Nottingham Knight and Wheatcroft roundabouts were approved following a public inquiry triggered by National Highwaysâ Compulsory Purchase Order. In Devon, the County Council has readied the market for ÂŁ15m Cullompton Relief Road project. The scheme aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Cullompton through the development of a new relief road.
đ Property and development
Birmingham City FC have unveiled a new stadium design, with the bold new 62,000-capacity stadium featuring 12 giant chimney structures set to play host to the England Womenâs Football Team. In Scotland, Graham has won a ÂŁ142m contract to redevelop Edinburgh defence estate across three sites in the city. The contractor will deliver new and refurbished buildings at Dreghorn Barracks, Glencorse Barracks and Colinton Road Reserve Centre under the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army programme. Meanwhile, in London, a ÂŁ10bn Earls Court regeneration plan has got the go ahead from Hammersmith and Fulham Council. The scheme is on the site of the former Earls Court Exhibition Centres and includes 4,000 homes and 20 acres of green space.
đ§Water
Lastly, in the world of water Ofwat has launched a new ÂŁ25m water efficiency competition to fund innovations in cutting water use. With ÂŁ5m available in its first year, the Water Efficiency Lab will task innovators with developing data-driven solutions that lead to actionable ways of cutting water waste. The Environment Agency has meanwhile warned that water efficiency must become a national priority in its latest performance report, saying that England cannot continue to take water for granted. Finally, Oxford Council has called for public ownership of Thames Water as complaints have escalated about sewage spills which create a âdisgustingâ stench in Oxfordâs suburbs.
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