Blue collar brain drain to Saudi is harming major infrastructure projects May 20, 2025 An exodus of talent from Britain’s infrastructure sector to the Middle East is harming the delivery of major projects in the UK, according to the head of a key labour supplier. “Certain skills are missing in every level really when you look at it,” the boss of London-listed Hercules, which specialises in supplying labour to [...]
Boss of King Charles property portfolio in talks with old firm for slice of HS2 Euston May 16, 2025 King Charles’ property company is in talks to buy up part of HS2’s Euston site from its floundering owner, according to reports. The Crown Estate, led by Dan Labbad, is in talks with the Australian developer Lendlease for a 50 per cent stake in six major UK projects, an announcement on the Australian Stock Exchange [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Reeves urged to fund Bakerloo Line and HS2 Euston March 24, 2025 London’s property sector has called on Rachel Reeves to introduce new funding models in the Spring Statement to prevent critical transport projects, such as HS2 Euston in the UK capital from stalling. The London Property Alliance, which represents real estate developers and investors, said the government “must be bold” if it wants to move forward [...]
Exclusive: Top transport civil servant who oversaw HS2 to step down March 19, 2025 Dame Bernadette Kelly, the top civil servant at the Department for Transport (DfT), is to step down after nearly eight years in the role. A Whitehall veteran with four decades of experience, Kelly was appointed permanent secretary in April 2017 following a stint as director general of the DfT’s rail group. She led work on [...]
Could bats put East West Rail off track? March 18, 2025 East West Rail could provide a direct connection between Oxford and Cambridge for the first time, but opposition to the project is growing.
Infrastructure boom lifts Balfour Beatty, Kier Group and Costain March 14, 2025 London-listed construction firms Balfour Beatty, Kier Group, and Costain, have all reported robust results this week as the UK’s increasing prioritisation of major infrastructure projects starts to life the sector. Their combined order books now exceed more than £30bn and shareholders stand to benefit. All three of the companies hiked their dividends and shareholder returns alongside their [...]
Exclusive: HS2 should not re-negotiate contracts, says Balfour Beatty boss March 13, 2025 A scathing report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last month concluded HS2 Ltd's contracts were "unacceptable to the public purse" and that it was "imperative" the project delivered on its assurances to re-negotiate them.
MIPIM: Sadiq Khan hails ‘perfect time’ to invest in London March 11, 2025 Sadiq Khan has said London’s “weather has changed” as he flew the flag for the capital at a major property conference in France. The mayor of London attended Europe’s biggest real estate trade show – Le Marché international des professionnels de l’immobilier, or MIPIM – in Cannes for the first time, just two weeks after [...]
Planning bill will ‘avoid bat tunnels’, housing minister claims March 11, 2025 The government hopes its planning reforms will “avoid bat tunnels”, the housing minister has said. It comes as Labour unveiled major changes to the UK’s planning permissions system – as part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill – with measures to overhaul how developers meet environmental obligations, replacing site-specific schemes with a general fund. Speaking [...]
Balfour Beatty shares slump as veteran chief Leo Quinn steps down March 5, 2025 Shares in Balfour Beatty slumped on Wednesday after veteran chief executive Leo Quinn announced plans to step down. Quinn departs following a more than 10-year stint leading the UK’s biggest contractor, during which time he significantly reduced debt and put the company on the path to profitable growth. Shares fell more than four per cent [...]