Daily briefing
National Construction News briefing: Monday 2 November 2026
15 stories from the last 24 hours, three dates for the week ahead, new figures from our data trackers and five closing dates from our recent stories.
Stories from the last 24 hours
Public bodies published 160 construction contracts worth £131.5m in week to 1 November
Find a Tender data shows 101 public-sector buyers published 160 construction works contract awards between 26 October and 1 November 2026, led by a £27.4m Anchor Hanover Group housing scheme in Hackney.
Thurston Group to build 1,250 sq m Engineered Solutions facility at Ottringham
The Yorkshire modular manufacturer, bought out of administration by GCH Corporation, says the multi-million-pound facility will lift specialist output capability by 158% and create 55 jobs.
Government opens £700m Strategic Sites Accelerator for six to 10 industrial sites
The Strategic Sites Accelerator began deploying finance and technical support on 2 November, with CBRE as delivery partner, early work in Glasgow, Burgess Hill and Sheffield, and submissions closing on 19 January 2027.
Ardrossan Harbour Task Force reviews redevelopment plans after CMAL public engagement
The Scottish Government-chaired group met the day after CMAL's first public engagement event, with an outline business case, procurement and a harbour closure of up to 2.5 years still ahead.
Highland Council opens Common Good consultation on new Nairn Links Beach toilet block
The council has started a statutory consultation on changing the use of Common Good land for a new building with a Changing Places toilet, with responses due by 24 December and Sheriff Court approval still required.
Construction starts on 847-home first phase at Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh
Cruden Homes has begun work on the 847-home first phase of the City of Edinburgh Council's Granton Waterfront regeneration, backed by a 20-year Scottish Government grant tied to delivery targets.
Highland Council opens talks on growth deal to follow City-Region Deal
The Highland Council has agreed to start formal engagement with the Scottish and UK governments on a new Highland Growth Deal, with infrastructure and connectivity listed first among eight priority areas.
CCG and Morrison Community Care open 60-bed Linlithgow home, taking delivered beds to 603
Bower Care Home, built by CCG (Scotland) for Morrison Community Care Group within a mixed-use masterplan that includes CCG Homes apartments, has welcomed its first resident, with its 60 beds handed over to an operator.
AFK Studios and HTA lakeside scheme of 387 rental homes approved at Waterbeach
South Cambridgeshire District Council has granted reserved matters approval for four mid-rise buildings on Waterbeach Lake, the first scheme under Greystar's garden-style rental strategy, with construction anticipated to start in early 2027.
Regulators' first joint water report says Dŵr Cymru still requires improvement
Natural Resources Wales and three other regulators have published a combined performance report that finds progress at Hafren Dyfrdwy but an increase in serious pollution incidents at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.
Muse and Homes England win planning resolution for £640m Slough North West Quadrant
Slough Borough Council's planning committee has resolved to grant permission for the mixed-use redevelopment of the former Thames Valley University site next to the town's railway station, Muse has announced.
First steelwork goes up at Shipley TrainCare Centre as stated funding passes £160m
Network Rail has moved from site clearance to superstructure at the Transpennine Route Upgrade depot that will house Northern's electric fleet in West Yorkshire and cover for work at Neville Hill.
Homes for Scotland promotes two senior staff as Scottish housing starts fall 4%
The sector body has made David Raine its Head of Policy Development and David Petrie its Senior External Affairs Manager, with the Building Safety Levy, the Passivhaus-equivalent standard and the First Homes Fund on their agenda.
Orbit Homes runs Butty and Brew mental health events at three housing sites
The affordable housebuilder's annual wellbeing sessions, documented on its site since 2022, brought site staff and contractors together at developments in Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Kent.
Haworth Tompkins' Wembley precast facade wins Façade Innovation Award
Wembley North East Lands, the 769-home Luna and Solar scheme designed by Haworth Tompkins for Quintain, has won the Façade Innovation Award for a precast system that carries its balconies on the panel face.
This week
Building Awards
Takes place on Tuesday 3 November.
RIA Annual Conference
Starts on Wednesday 4 November.
Constructing Excellence National Awards
Takes place on Friday 6 November.
New figures
Construction contracts awarded: 26 October to 1 November 2026
- Contracts
- 160
- Total stated value
- £131.5 million
- Buyers
- 101
Closing soon
The consultation closes on 2 November 2026.
NOCN Group has opened a new round of its Foundation's Skills Innovation Grant programme, offering grants of £500 to £15,000 for pilot training projects, with applications closing on 15 December and a webinar for applicants on 3 November.
Public-sector buyers have 139 construction works tenders closing on Find a Tender between 23 October and 5 November 2026, with the buyers' own estimates for single contracts adding up to £676.1 million.
Largest construction works tenders closing 30 October to 12 November 2026
The consultation closes at 9am on Monday 16 November 2026.
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.