🚉 Rail
In the rail industry, Transport for London has agreed a £99.1m bridges and civil structures maintenance contract with M Group. The contract will see the contractor maintaining essential civil infrastructure across London’s transport network. Elsewhere, plans to reopen a rail line through the Peak District have been revealed, with the Peaks and Dales Line Feasibility Study being sent to the Department for Transport. The reopened line would bring back a link between Derby and Manchester through the Peak District via Matlock and Bakewell. Lastly, a £16m GWR property construction consultancy framework tender has been issued. The tender is divided into seven sections, including project design and surveillance systems engineering.
🛫Ports and Airports
A planning application for a Bristol Airport expansion has been submitted, a consultation will now take place as the next stage of the process. The expansion aims to allow 15 million passengers annually to use the airport, up from the current 10.8 million. In other news, Nigel Farage has joined the debate on the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport stating that it could be a ‘massive drain’ on taxpayers. Reform councillors in Doncaster who say they want the airport to reopen have called an extraordinary meeting to reverse approval of a £57m loan from the council. Lastly, Lowestoft port fuel storage works have been approved . The original £35m construction of Associated British Ports’ (ABP) Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF) was completed in late 2024 and the port is now seeking permission to expand.
⚡Energy
In the energy sphere, McLaren have been appointed as the construction management partner for Sizewell C in a three-year deal. Under the agreement, McLaren will supervise and coordinate the construction of Sizewell C’s permanent post-16 college and various other facilities across the site. Elsewhere, RWE has completed the Camster II onshore wind farm in Scotland. Construction began in 2023 with the site beginning electricity generation in March 2026 and will now generate enough power for around 50,000 homes. Also in Scotland, market engagement is being sought on a £40m Dounreay decommissioning tender in Caithness.
🚗 Roads
Marlborough Highways has won a £200m Southend roads maintenance contract, the deal covers up to 14 years of work across the authority’s road network. This includes maintenance, management and improvement of highways and associated assets across the area. National Highways has engaged the market on a £166m construction pipeline. The estates and facilities division pipeline will include projects ranging from £1m to £15m, with 21 schemes scheduled to start from April 2027 over four years, with a further 31 identified for later delivery. Balfour Beatty is set to start work on the £54m Middlewich bypass imminently. Cheshire East Council has issued notice to proceed on the 2.5km bypass scheme.
🏠Property and development
Plans have been announced for Europe’s first purpose-built women’s football stadium by Brighton & Hove Albion. The plans are for a 10,000-capacity stadium next to the Amex Stadium. House builder Taylor Wimpey has said its order book is healthy amid ‘cost pressures’. In the year to April 2026, the total value of the groups order book stood at £2.22 bn. The developer has said customer interest was strong despite it experiencing “some underlying pricing pressure” more recently. Lastly, permission has been given for Microsoft’s £4bn Leeds data hub at the former Skelton Grange power station site. The scheme, led by Microsoft, will be around 424,000 sq ft and include power, water and energy infrastructure.
💧Water
In the water sector, Thames Water has started 19km of Essex pipe replacement, the company has said that the work will help boost reliability in the area and will last for around three years. In other news, a study has found around 80% of England’s homes at high risk of flooding are in urban areas. The analysis from the National Housing Federation also found that social housing tenants are disproportionately vulnerable. Lastly, the UK’s biggest environmental pollution claim has gone to the High Court with Welsh Water accused of polluting the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk.