Daily briefing
National Construction News briefing: Wednesday 7 October 2026
12 stories from the last 24 hours, three events and deadlines today, four dates for the week ahead and four closing dates from our recent stories.
Stories from the last 24 hours
Sandwell Council completes 15 affordable homes at Hawes Lane with TR Partnership Homes
The Rowley Regis scheme, which broke ground in May 2023, is the council's first to use individual air source heat pumps and the second completion job TR Partnership Homes has finished for the authority.
Sir Michael Lyons to retire as English Cities Fund chair after more than 25 years
The regeneration partnership's founding chair will step down at the end of January 2027, leaving a £400m fund targeting about 17,000 further homes by 2036 and a successor still to be named.
Britcon hands over £14.7m NETA engineering training centre in Thornaby
The contractor has completed the two-storey engineering training facility for NETA Training and the Education Training Collective next to Stockton Riverside College, backed by £4.5m of Town Deal money.
GRAHAM appoints James Bravington as Midlands business development director
The former BAM Construction business development manager succeeds John Maguire, GRAHAM's first Midlands employee, and inherits a live pipeline that includes student housing at Loughborough, Castle Rock School and Coventry's Cultural Gateway.
Leeds College of Building submits plans for CTEC training building on Melbourne Street
The construction college has lodged a planning application with Leeds City Council to convert a Melbourne Street building it bought last November into workshops and classrooms, with a main contractor now being sought.
Wendover green tunnel joins up as HS2 completes central section of 1.4km structure
EKFB has placed the final precast segment on the central part of HS2's cut-and-cover tunnel beside the A413 in Buckinghamshire, following the completion of the Copthall green tunnel in the summer.
Willmott Dixon names Stuart Hosegood as safety, health and environment director
The former Cala Group HSE director and past chair of the Home Builders Federation's health and safety committee takes strategic charge of SHE across the contractor's construction and interiors businesses.
Kier to deliver £115m Manchester Airport station remodelling for Network Rail
Network Rail and contractor Kier will extend three platforms, remodel the approach junction and modernise signalling at Manchester Airport station by 2028, starting with a 29-hour closure on 6 December.
FMB's Build Academy shortlisted for BPIC Network innovation award
The Wanstead-based pilot, which places 16 to 19-year-olds new to construction with small building firms, is up for Best Innovation at the Black Professionals in Construction Network Awards on 4 December.
Persimmon Homes South East golf day raises £9,500 for Lighthouse Charity
Contractors, suppliers and Persimmon staff teed off at Tudor Park Golf Club in Maidstone for the housebuilder's annual charity day, with the proceeds going to the construction wellbeing charity.
UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard opens PC-on-Track verification to pre-Version 1 completions
Buildings completed between 1 March 2025 and 31 March 2026 can now seek PC-on-Track verification under the Standard, provided they register by 23 December 2026 and appoint a verifier by 1 April 2027.
Construction Marketing Awards names 2026 finalists ahead of 19 November dinner
The organiser of the Construction Marketing Awards has published its 2026 finalists across 21 categories, with judging interviews on 14 to 16 October and winners revealed at the Bloomsbury Ballroom in London.
Today
AT Awards
Takes place today at The Underglobe.
Housing Market Intelligence Conference
Takes place today at Savoy Place.
Structural Timber Awards
Takes place today at NCC (National Conference Centre).
This week
Energy Efficiency Awards
Takes place on Friday 9 October.
World Mental Health Day
Takes place on Saturday 10 October.
British Construction and Infrastructure Awards
Takes place on Wednesday 14 October.
Highways UK
Starts on Wednesday 14 October.
Closing soon
Northern Ireland Housing Executive is seeking tenders for "Response Maintenance and Improvement Works", estimated at £95,931,041 excluding VAT, with a deadline of 15:00 on 12 October 2026.
The consultation closes on Friday 16 October 2026.
Largest construction works tenders closing 5 to 18 October 2026
That consultation runs until 21 October.
About this briefing
Published on weekday mornings. Every item comes from a story National Construction News has already published and checked against its sources, from dates organisers have published, or from our data trackers. See the events and awards calendar, or get the week's stories by email with the weekly newsletter.