🚉 Rail
The UK Department for Transport has appointed Jones Lang LaSalle to manage the sale of land and properties from the cancelled eastern leg of HS2 Phase 2b eastern leg. Rail minister Peter Hendy said the sales programme will take place over several years to avoid disrupting local markets, support communities, and ensure value for taxpayers. Open market sales are expected to begin in 2026, with more than 550 properties set to be sold.
In other rail news, VolkerFitzpatrick has completed three new railway stations, Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road on the £185 million Camp Hill line in south Birmingham, enabling the return of passenger services after around 80 years. Delivered for Transport for West Midlands, the scheme restores rail access to a route previously used mainly for freight and is expected to support faster, greener travel.
🛫Ports and Aviation
Port of Dover has announced it has reached net-zero carbon emissions for Scope 1 and 2 in 2025, achieving this at least five years ahead of other UK ports and 25 years ahead of the UK Government’s maritime target. Emissions have been reduced by 98.3% since 2007, with remaining emissions offset through a local regenerative farming scheme under the UK Carbon Code of Conduct.
⚡Energy
The government has indicated that a decion is due on the location for starting deep borehole investigations for the UK’s geological disposal facility (GDF). The GDF, being developed by Nuclear Waste Services under the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, is planned as a deep underground facility for long term nuclear waste storage.
PS Renewables and Ørsted have partnered on a revised 500MW solar project in the East Riding of Yorkshire, now called the Clean Air Solar Farm. The scheme, formerly known as Kingfisher Solar Farm, will span two sites near Beverley and could power up to 160,000 homes. Subject to approval, it will go through public consultation from 2026, with a planning decision expected in 2028 and commissioning targeted for 2033.
🚗 Roads
Sefton Council has launched a £54 million tender for highways and footway maintenance, starting on 1 October 2026 under the Procurement Act 2023. The contract will run for five years with the option to extend up to eight years in total. It covers a wide range of services, including road and footway repairs, resurfacing, drainage works, road markings, inspections, and winter maintenance such as gritting and snow clearance. Performance will determine any extensions, and the council is open to innovative delivery methods, including supplier partnerships.
Elsewhere, MJ Church has been appointed by Wiltshire Council to provide early contractor involvement on the M4 junction 17 improvement scheme, following a thorough procurement process. The project is expected to cost around £31 million, with 85% funded by the Department for Transport and the remaining 15% by the council. Construction is due to begin in spring 2027 and last one year, with MJ Church advising on buildability, programme and cost planning, and preparing detailed estimates to support the full business case after outline approval was secured in 2024.
🏠Property and development
Office for National Statistics data shows UK construction output rose by 1% in February 2026, driven mainly by a 4.3% increase in private housing new work. This marked a second consecutive monthly rise, alongside modest growth in repair and maintenance activity. However, despite the short-term improvement, overall output fell by 2% over the three months to February, continuing a longer-term downward trend.
In other news, Renaker Build increased its pre-tax profit by 50% to £9.7m in the year to October 2025, driven by completing a record number of projects. The Manchester based contractor also saw turnover rise to £280.3m, delivering over 1,400 apartments along with student and co-living units. Despite strong performance in Manchester and Salford, the firm expects fewer project starts ahead due to tighter regulation and a challenging tax environment.
💧Water
South Staffs Water said a reinstatement error occurred after repairs to a burst water main in Tamworth, leaving partially restored bus stop markings. The company explained it followed national highway reinstatement rules, which require only the excavated sections of road and markings to be repaired, resulting in the incomplete appearance.
A petition calling for a referendum on returning the UK water industry to public ownership has gained over 20,000 signatures after being launched by Ash Smith, featured in Dirty Business. Backed by campaign group Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, the petition argues that privatised water companies have failed and that public ownership would allow more investment in infrastructure. The government must respond once petitions reach 10,000 signatures, with 100,000 triggering a parliamentary debate.