Daily briefing
National Construction News briefing: Wednesday 4 November 2026
15 stories from the last 24 hours, one event or deadline today, one date for the week ahead and four closing dates from our recent stories.
Stories from the last 24 hours
whg launches three-month customer consultation as Aspire merger nears completion
Midlands landlord whg has started The Big Conversation, a three-month exercise asking customers what its priorities should be, ahead of its legal merger with Aspire Housing due this month.
Amentum and Kyoto Fusioneering sign MoU on fusion plant engineering across UK, Japan and US
The engineering group and the Japanese fusion technology firm, both already active at UKAEA's Culham Campus, intend to pursue joint work on public and private fusion programmes in three countries.
Drax, Brookfield and Radiant agree £20bn partnership for data centre at Drax Power Station
Drax, Brookfield and Radiant have agreed to develop gigawatt-scale data centre capacity at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, with a grid-fed 100MW first phase targeted for early 2028.
R G Carter hosts more than 100 apprentices and graduates at training breakfast
The contractor brought more than 100 graduates and apprentices together at the Norfolk Food Hall to recognise qualifications gained over the past four years and introduce 20 apprentices who joined this year.
Deeley Group marks 90 years with turnover heading towards £100m
The Coventry contractor and developer says its anniversary year is among its strongest, with turnover of £67m last year rising to near £100m for 2025/26 and a £35.9m Anchor scheme delivered.
Network Rail completes 300m drainage renewal on East Coast Main Line in North Yorkshire
Two weekends of work at Chapman's Bridge near Shipton formed part of a wider North Yorkshire possession that also delivered track, points and overhead line upgrades through York.
Birmingham photographer takes Judges' Choice in CIOB Art of Building contest
Damien Walmsley's image of a hidden ballroom at the Library of Birmingham shares the 2026 honours with Bangladeshi photographer Azim Khan Ronnie, who became only the second person to win the contest twice.
GRAHAM opens first stretch of Clifton Hampden Bypass to traffic after 62-hour switch
The contractor moved traffic onto newly built highway serving Culham Science Centre and Culham station six months after winning the £37m contract, the second of three in Oxfordshire County Council's £332m HIF1 programme.
Keepmoat chief Ian Hoad named industry co-chair of Future Homes Standard board
The Future Homes Hub has appointed Keepmoat chief executive Ian Hoad to lead its implementation board with MHCLG as the sector prepares for regulations that take effect on 24 March 2027.
RIBA switches on relaunched Academy learning platform ahead of CPD deadline
The institute says its enhanced online Academy is live for members and built environment professionals, but certificates and learning history from the old platform have not been carried across.
Morgan Sindall cuts first turf on Abbeyfield School sixth form building in Chippenham
The contractor marked the start of construction on the first of three phases at the Chippenham school, which Wiltshire Council procured through the Pagabo Medium Works Framework and expects to complete in September 2027.
Network Rail to replace 1861 Selhurst Road bridge in Croydon over Christmas and New Year
Buried utility pipes have ruled out a crane lift, so the Victorian bridge will be removed and its replacement rolled in on self-propelled modular transporters during a road closure running from 12 December to 10 January.
Futures and Lovell near completion of 109 affordable homes on Long Eaton lace mill site
Housing association Futures and contractor Lovell have marked the near-completion of 109 affordable homes off Bennett Street in Long Eaton, on a former lace mill site left derelict after a 2009 fire.
Kier takes 81 lots on Pagabo civils framework and 14 core places on Major Works 2026
The contractor has been appointed across both new Pagabo-managed YPO frameworks, which Kier puts at up to £10bn combined and which run until October 2030 across highways, rail, water, energy and more.
GRAHAM, National Highways and Sweco take Highways UK collaboration award for M25 junction 28
The contractor, client and designer on the M25 junction 28 improvement scheme have won the Collaborative Delivery Award at the Highways UK Excellence Awards 2026, GRAHAM has announced.
Today
RIA Annual Conference
Starts today at Leonardo Royal Hotel London Tower Bridge.
This week
Constructing Excellence National Awards
Takes place on Friday 6 November.
Closing soon
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.
The Environment Agency said on 2 November 2026 that it is updating its Fluvial Modelling Standards, the guidance that sets out how hydraulic river models are built and reviewed in England, and has opened a consultation survey that closes on 6 November.
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.