Buildings

New housing secretary Angela Rayner could revive two data centre projects on Home Counties greenbelt land that were previously rejected by local councils. Councillors initially ruled against both projects due to their greenbelt status, but faced appeals from the developers. The councils both received letters informing them that Rayner will…

Lendlease Construction Europe has been awarded three contracts for British Army facilities under a broader £5.1bn Ministry of Defence (MoD) framework. The contractor said today (5 July) that the deals, worth a combined £450m, were procured under the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).…

Leeds-based Torsion Group’s construction arm is to deliver a £53m residential build-to-rent (BTR) project in Sheffield. In a joint venture with Housing Growth Partnership (HGP), Torsion Group is providing equity to the 234-bed Hollis Croft Sheffield scheme. Torsion Group chief executive Dan Spencer said his firm was working with HGP…

A local housebuilder is set to take over an affordable housing scheme that stalled after modular housebuilder Ilke Homes went into administration. Midlands-based Morro Partnerships was appointed by Jigsaw Homes on the £20.6m Birch Fields scheme in Nottingham and will start work this month, a year after the project was…

Stanhope has been invited to talk to City of London Corporation officers about further revisions to its 73-storey skyscraper plans following concerns from neighbours, including insurance giant Lloyd’s of London. The City of London’s planning committee was recommended to approve the updated proposals for 1 Undershaft, which include more than…

New details have emerged of a wave of planned construction projects in northern Scotland as a £2.1bn programme starts to take shape. The Highland Council agreed the mammoth 20-year investment plan in May. The plan includes spending more than £60m on roads and infrastructure improvements over the next three years,…

Life sciences construction could create transformative economic growth for the country, a leading voice in urban regeneration has said. The UK has an opportunity to “tap into [its] roots” and deliver a “second industrial revolution” if it builds enough science infrastructure, Jackie Sadek told the Life Sciences and Research Clusters…

City of London officers have recommended councillors back a bid to build a 73-storey skyscraper as tall as the Shard in the capital’s financial district. A report to councillors ahead of a meeting on Tuesday (2 July) urges them to grant consent for the 1 Undershaft proposals subject to conditions…

Beard has started work on a £9.2m job to create a Central African forest habitat at Bristol Zoo.  The facilities will include a new gorilla house, crocodile house and a parrot aviary as well as an outdoor space for gorillas featuring a moat - with the gorillas set to enjoy…

Red Construction Group has been appointed to replace failed Henry Construction Projects on a Westminster office scheme. The Bedford-registered company was appointed by Tellon Capital to deliver the 40 Broadway scheme under a £50m contract. Henry Construction Projects was initially named as main contractor for the project but fell into…