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 [...]
Government offered lifeline on declining infrastructure investment February 26, 2025 A new industry group is offering ideas to the government on how to fix miserable infrastructure investment and increase the number of planners. The Purposeful Finance Commission (PFC) has laid out a plan to privately source and administer a £22.5m fund that would aid the Government’s target of hiring 300 additional planners. Rachel Reeves referenced [...]
BBGI Global Infrastructure offered £1bn takeover deal February 6, 2025 BBGI Global Infrastructure has been offered a £1bn takeover from a Canadian pension giant, with the FTSE 250 trust’s board backing the deal. In a stock exchange notice, BBGI said $250bn asset manager British Columbia Investment Management had offered 147.5p a share for the entire trust, 21 per cent above the trust’s share price yesterday. [...]
Fine words from Reeves – now let’s get Britain building January 29, 2025 Rachel Reeves is right to make reforming our sclerotic planning system the centrepiece of her economic strategy. But if she’s going to succeed she must consign the bat tunnels and fish discos that too often block development to the dustbin of history, says Sam Richards In 2014 winter sports fans were getting ready for the [...]
Chancellor’s growth plans will create a ‘dynamic economy’ – if they materialise January 29, 2025 The Chancellor's plans to kickstart economic growth will help to create a more "dynamic economy", experts said - if they become a reality.
Reeves pledges planning reform shake-up to boost growth January 26, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to cut red tape for building homes and infrastructure in a bid to speed up planning application approvals. Ahead of Reeves’ speech next week on economic growth, the government unveiled its new Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will be introduced in the spring and help push its plan to build [...]
Digital 9 Infrastructure: Investec slams ‘shocking’ asset sale January 23, 2025 Investec analysts have slammed the sale of Digital 9 Infrastructure’s assets as part of the investment trust’s wind-down, describing the process as “extremely poor for shareholders”. Digital 9, once a darling of the infrastructure sector, fell into chaos after governance concerns and funding problems emerged throughout 2023. The trust voted to wind down in March [...]
Courtroom challenges to planning decisions to be limited, No10 announce January 23, 2025 Courtroom challenges to infrastructure planning decisions are set to be limited, No10 has announced in what they framed as a bid for growth. Attempts to challenge major infrastructure schemes via the judicial system, such as nuclear plants, train lines and windfarms, will be restricted, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed. The Prime Minister said the measure, [...]
Government too involved in HS2, warns top infrastructure adviser January 15, 2025 Too much government involvement in HS2 has hampered delivery and fuelled massive cost overruns and delays, according to a key infrastructure adviser. Sir John Armitt, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, told MPs he had “never been convinced by the governance structure of HS2,” having been influenced by his own experience delivering the infrastructure for [...]