Luton Town supporter, freelance journalist, 90s indie fan whose glass is half empty but tastes good
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Greg Pitcher
Data centre challenges in the spotlight after planning deferral
Construction experts have warned of mounting obstacles to getting data centres on site after councillors deferred a decision on a major Hertfordshire scheme amid concerns over water supply. Hertsmere Borough Council’s planning committee postponed a decision on Ark Estates’ proposed 131,000 square metre campus on a former hotel site in Watford, last week.
Modular building firm Algeco UK plunges deeper into the red
Modular building and site accommodation specialist Algeco UK has reported a £31.8m pre-tax loss in its latest audited accounts. The County Durham firm revealed the plunge into the red for the 2025 calendar year following a £25.1m deficit in the prior 12 months. Meanwhile its turnover rose by 4 per cent to £229.4m in the latest period.
ISG ex-employee loses claim after being left out of group action
A former employee of failed construction giant ISG who was left out of a mass claim for redundancy compensation due to a third-party error has been thwarted in a fresh bid for a payout. An employment judge ruled that S Walton’s claim for a protective award was out of time, finding that it had been “reasonably practicable” for the claimant to present it within the deadline.
Quality concerns delay £120m building safety framework
Urban abstract - windowed corner of office building A local authority has delayed the award of up to seven places on a £120m higher-risk building (HRB) safety framework after saying more work was needed on the bids it received. Portsmouth City Council said it would not be in a position to appoint firms until January. The local authority initially went to market for contractors in May, saying it would award deals in August before the planned award date was pushed back to October.
Council mulls re-procurement of Octavius road job
Councillors have been asked to approve a plan to re-procure a major road project in the South West after predicted costs spiralled. Mike Bell, the North Somerset Council cabinet member for strategic partnerships, finance and corporate services, will present a case tomorrow (10 November) for going back to market for the A38 Major Road Network (MRN) scheme.
Luton Town stadium faces delay and escalating costs
Construction of a 25,000-seat stadium for Luton Town has soared by £15m and is running a month behind schedule. Bosses from the League One football club revealed the time and cost slippages on the Power Court Stadium project when they met with fans last month.
Archer Humphryes gets go-ahead for conversion of former Manchester factory
The London practice’s proposals for the 19th century Marlsbro House in the city’s Northern Quarter were recently granted planning and listed building consent to create a mixed-use building featuring offices above a recording studio, live music venue, bar and restaurant. Built in the 19th century and updated in the 1960s, the six-storey building at 52-54 Newton Street has lain vacant since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bam results ‘affected’ by troubled Dublin children’s hospital job
National Children's Hospital Ireland Credit: Bam Dutch construction giant Royal Bam Group cited the impact of its troubled €1.9bn (£1.6bn) Dublin children’s hospital as it revealed its financial performance for the first nine months of 2026. The Bunnik-headquartered firm said “additional costs related to the delivery of the National Children’s Hospital” had “affected” UK and Ireland results for the third quarter of the year.
Construction activity down for 22nd successive month
The building sector remains firmly on course for two full years of steadily declining workloads after registering a 22nd successive month of falling activity. S&P Global’s UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index posted 43.6 for October, with anything below 50 representing a fall from the prior period. Workloads have now contracted in every month since December 2024, with the latest reduction the sharpest since June this year.
Pitman Tozer Architects submits plans for Barnet estate overhaul
The Marylebone practice handed in a reserved matters application to Barnet Council for the Grahame Park scheme, which is close to the M1 motorway, last month. Backed by a joint venture of the local authority and housebuilder Lovell Partnerships, the project received outline consent this summer. The latest application sets out proposals to demolish 156 homes on the 1970s Grahame Park Estate and create four buildings ranging from two to 21 storeys tall.
London councillor challenges HS2 over reports of cracks in Victorian homes
A north London councillor has criticised HS2 Ltd over its response to residents who say their Victorian homes have developed cracks near tunnelling works for the high-speed rail project. Initially reported by Construction News, Brent Council Queens Park ward councillor Barbara Want said residents on Claremont Road, near Queen’s Park station, were worried about damage they believed had appeared since construction began nearby.
MPs urge competitive dialogue process for parliament refurb
MPs have urged Parliament to consider a procurement process that would allow contractors to develop rival proposals for the multibillion-pound restoration of the Palace of Westminster. The public accounts committee (PAC) said a competitive-dialogue approach could help bring greater certainty over the cost and timetable of the vast project to rescue the deteriorating building.
HS2 criticised over handling of damage claims to homes near Euston Tunnel
A north London councillor has blasted HS2 chiefs over their handling of complaints from residents about damage to Victorian homes near tunnelling works for the £100m megaproject. Barbara Want, who represents Queens Park Ward on Brent Council, said delivery body HS2 Ltd owed worried residents an urgent response.
Legal blow to £56m Northern Ireland road project
Construction of a £56m section of road in Northern Ireland has been put on hold after a legal challenge by a tenderer to the procurement process. The country’s Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said the A4 Enniskillen Southern Bypass project would not begin until the case was resolved. Procurement of a contractor for the 2.1km scheme began in April 2024, with a shortlist being drawn up but not published.
Police issue appeal after site worker killed in collision
Police have appealed for information after a worker died in a three-vehicle incident at a temporary utility works site in the North West. Lancashire Constabulary said 62-year-old Patrick Whelan suffered fatal injuries close to the junction of Rochdale Road and Plunge Road in Edenfield. Emergency services were called shortly after 11.20am on 26 October following a collision involving a green Deutz tractor, a Ford Transit van and a Mercedes drop-side lorry.
Calls for urgent contractor appointment to Budget-backed film studio
CGI of the proposed development A Liverpool councillor has urged the developer behind the city’s so-called ‘Hollywood of the North’ project to urgently appoint a main contractor after it received £20m in the Budget. Liberal Democrat Kris Brown said Capital&Centric needed to get work underway on the long-awaited transformation of the iconic Littlewoods Building to prevent a “spiral” in costs.
‘Weak market conditions’ trigger Ibstock profit warning
Brick manufacturer Ibstock has blamed “weak market conditions” after it issued a profit warning. On Monday, the listed Leicestershire-based firm said it expected its full-year adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to be in the mid-£40m range. The company’s share price, which closed at 80.65p on Friday on the London Stock Exchange, fell by 13 per cent to 70.10p by noon today (2 November).
Housing contractor becomes latest member of employee-ownership club
A Hertfordshire housebuilder has become the latest construction firm to move to employee ownership. Rickmansworth-based Bugler Group announced last Friday (30 October) that it had completed its conversion from a family business to an employee ownership trust (EOT). Andy, Kieran and Denis Bugler, three brothers who previously controlled the company, sold their shares to Bugler Trustee Limited in October.
UK data centre plans demand sevenfold increase in delivery
The UK must deliver new data centre capacity at seven times its recent rate to meet developers’ plans by the start of the next decade, a report has warned. Developers plan to add 5.7GW of UK data centre capacity between 2026 and 2030, according to think tank Science Works.
MPs call Sizewell C financing a ‘terrible deal’
MPs have called for six-monthly reports on Sizewell C’s costs, construction progress and forecast investor returns, describing its financing arrangements as a “terrible deal for the UK taxpayer. In a report published today (28 October), the Commons public accounts committee (PAC) calls on the government to regularly outline key metrics such as costs, progress and expected funder profits.
Councillor criticises funding uncertainty over £51m Kier school rebuild
A councillor has criticised the wait for a government funding decision on a £51m school rebuild in Northumberland, describing the delay as “unforgivable”. Georgina Hill, an independent representative for Berwick East on Northumberland County Council, hit out at the uncertainty over a requested £13m contribution to the project’s funding. Plans to demolish and rebuild Berwick Academy in Spittal were approved by the local authority’s strategic planning committee earlier this month.
Bouygues health and leisure hub doubles in cost
A former Debenhams building in Carmarthen will house the Atriwm development. Credit: Carmarthen County Council The forecast cost of a town centre council redevelopment in west Wales being delivered by Bouygues UK has more than doubled. Carmarthenshire County Council said the expected outlay for the Atriwm scheme – which transforms a former department store into a multipurpose site featuring healthcare and leisure facilities – has risen from £19.6m in 2021 to £41m.
HS2 and Hinkley work halted by weekend storms
Fallen tree on railway line during Storm Boelo. Credit: Network Rail Extreme weather forced HS2 Ltd to postpone major works this weekend and temporarily halted construction at Hinkley Point C, while engineers also worked to restore power to thousands of homes. The body delivering Britain’s £100bn rapid rail link paused works on the Water Orton viaduct in the West Midlands after warnings of high winds during Storm Austen.
Jon Matthews’ Manchester tower hit by planning setback
The city’s planning committee returned a ‘minded to refuse’ decision on the practice’s application for 85 Rochdale Road, close to the NOMA district. This means the scheme, already deferred once in September to allow a site visit to take place, is set to return to committee a third time following consultation between planning officers and the client team.
Reporting reform: less red tape, greater risk?
Plans to relax company reporting rules could reduce costs for construction businesses. But could they also make it harder to judge whether a customer or subcontractor is financially sound? During his first parliamentary speech as prime minister on 1 September this year, Andy Burnham promised to build a “pro-business culture” across the UK.
Red tape or red flags? Construction faces accounting shake-up
Plans to relax company reporting rules could reduce costs for construction businesses. But could they also make it harder to judge whether a customer or client poses a financial risk? During his first parliamentary speech as prime minister on 1 September this year, Andy Burnham promised to build a “pro-business culture” across the UK.
Industry warns of dangers of slashing heat pump subsidy
Scaling back a major sustainable-heating subsidy would be a big blow for contractors and consumers, key figures have warned. Reports this week suggested the government could slash funding to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in a bid to find more cash for defence. The sustainable-heating initiative was announced five years ago by then Tory prime minister Boris Johnson to provide grants for installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers.
Trevor Steven urges more tier ones to join mental health initiative
Trevor Steven. (Credit: Mindflow) Former England footballer Trevor Steven has told Construction News about his desire to effect a culture change in the construction industry. The midfielder, who played alongside Gary Lineker in the iconic 1986 World Cup in Mexico, has spent the past seven years dedicated to mental health in the building industry.
Buckingham’s unsecured creditor claims hit £300m
Unsecured creditors of collapsed contractor Buckingham Group Contracting have lodged claims worth £308m, with administrators warning they are unlikely to recover any money. Grant Thornton’s latest progress report put the eventual total of unsecured claims at an estimated £322.9m, three years after the Buckinghamshire firm entered administration.
Scams and complaints: roofing sector in the spotlight
Rogue roofers were behind one in 10 scams flagged to Citizens Advice in the past year, data has revealed, while quality issues from apparently genuine works were also raised regularly. The consumer advocate said it received 2,205 complaints of fraudulent activity relating to roofing activity in the year to 31 August 2026. This represented more than 10 per cent of all scam alerts and a rise from 2,098 in the previous 12 months.
Graham’s Aberdeen hospital jobs face further delay risk
Further slippage remains possible to the opening dates given for two delayed Graham hospitals in northern Scotland, the regional NHS board has warned. The expected opening of the Anchor cancer centre in Aberdeen has been pushed back from December 2026 to May 2027, according to a report prepared ahead of NHS Grampian’s meeting this week.
Vinci/SRM hospital project paused as costs spike
Health chiefs have halted work on a key project to improve a south Midlands hospital after costs spiralled and the programme slipped. Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust paused its Rockingham Wing extension as it emerged that it would take longer and require more funding than originally thought. Integrated Health Projects (IHP), a joint venture of Vinci and Sir Robert McAlpine, was last October awarded a £17.7m deal to deliver the two-storey addition to the health facility.
WIllmott Dixon Sheffield project delayed by power-connection woes
Sheffield City Council has described delays to a £14.4m Willmott Dixon music venue and workspace project as “hugely disappointing”. The South Yorkshire local authority said it was working to find a solution after the power supply to the site was disconnected, but that the Event Central complex is now not expected to open until 2027.
Eight ISG administrations extended to 2028
The administrations of eight collapsed ISG companies will continue until at least September 2028, after fresh extensions were announced. Administrators at EY filed formal notices at Companies House that they would maintain their oversight of the failed businesses for a further two years.
Warrington arts scheme troubles escalate
A troubled project to revamp a cultural hub in the North West has been hit with delays, cost rises and a conflict over payment. Warrington Borough Council’s cabinet heard that the Pyramid Arts Centre’s transformation scheme had been subject to 178 changes. This has added to the cost of the project, which is also running behind schedule, it said. Meanwhile, a contractor has launched an adjudication notice in respect of a payment due, councillors were told at a meeting last month.
FK Facades’ trade creditors unlikely to receive a penny
Trade creditors of failed FK Facades are unlikely to see a penny of the £13.1m they are owed, administrators have revealed. A progress report by BTG Begbies Traynor added that even HMRC – listed as a secondary preferential creditor to the collapsed Cheshire contractor – was unlikely to be paid any money. FK Facades went into administration along with sister company FK Construction and parent FK Group Ltd in February this year.
William Hare Group profit soars under new owners
Steel specialist William Hare Group has grown its pre-tax profit by more than a quarter despite a big drop in revenue in the first annual results covering its current ownership structure. The Bury-based firm last week posted turnover of £338.2m for the 2025 calendar year, down by a fifth from the prior period. Yet its pre-tax profit increased by 27 per cent to £39.9m over the same timeframe. A controlling stake of William Hare Group was sold to Orange Assets Bidco in June 2025.
Roger Bullivant grows revenue and profit
Roger Bullivant's headquarters. Credit: Google Maps Ground engineering specialist Roger Bullivant has boosted its revenue and profit. The Derbyshire-headquartered firm, part of French civils giant Soletanche Bachy, posted turnover of £87.6m for the 2025 calendar year. This was up 6 per cent from the £82.4m posted in the prior period and takes it back above 2023 levels following a 2024 dip.
Jersey minister admits challenges of housing workers for £710m build
A Jersey health minister has admitted that workers coming to the island to build a £710m hospital will have to be housed “anywhere we can find”. Tom Binet told the States Assembly earlier this week that talks were underway with private companies and affordable housing providers to find accommodation for the project’s construction personnel. Bouygues UK was formally named as lead contractor for Jersey’s Overdale Acute Hospital delivery in June.
Pilot identifies construction as key sector for workplace health checks
Construction has been named as one of the target sectors for delivery of cardiovascular health checks in workplaces, following a major trial. Researchers said the building industry was among those featuring a high proportion of low-skilled workers, who were known to be at elevated risk of developing conditions related to the heart and blood vessels.
Mace Construct to depart £184m Oxford labs project
Mace Construct is to exit a £184m laboratory project in Oxford. The contractor said it would complete its part of the Daubeny Buildings scheme by the end of this year before handing over to a new contractor. Mace Construct was initially appointed to the project by Oxford Science Park in 2024 before being brought back in by new owner the Ellison Institute of Technology last year. In February 2026, new proposals drawn up by architect Foster & Partners were submitted to the city council.
Errigal Contracts boosts turnover and profit
South London contractor Errigal Contracts has increased its turnover and pre-tax profit. The fit-out group reported a 4 per cent hike in revenue to £138m from £132.6m in its latest accounts for the 2025 calendar year. It also saw its pre-tax profit jump, by 12 per cent to £9.2m from £8.3m over the same timeframe. However, the group’s cash at hand plummeted from £11m at the end of 2024 to £4.4m in 2025. It also had bank overdrafts of £8.1m at the end of last year.
Hawkins\Brown’s 3,800-home Cambridge scheme approved
The AJ100 top 10 practice’s plans also include employment and academic facilities totalling 100,000m², student accommodation, co-living and senior living homes and space for retail, health and sporting uses. A masterplan drawn up by architects including Aecom, MaccreanorLavington and WilkinsonEyre for the site between the M11 and the Huntingdon Road was granted consent in 2013.
Aggregates firm fined £24k after worker dies from crush injuries
Building material supplier Gill Aggregates has been fined £24,000 after a worker suffered fatal crush injuries from machinery at its depot. Production operative Manjit Kumar, 34, was working for Kent firm Gill Aggregates at its depot on Halyard Street, Dagenham, on 24 June 2020 when the incident occurred. Kumar was operating a bag-flattening conveyor system forming part of a larger piece of machinery at the east London site, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Studio Bua wins approval for high-density homes in Reykjavík
The practice’s 7,820m² ‘low-rise, high-density’ scheme in the Upper Breiðholt district of the Icelandic capital was granted outline planning consent by the Reykjavík Environmental and Planning Council. Studio Bua said it had challenged a brief from the city council to design apartments on the site, part of which included a football pitch and which is surrounded by housing blocks from the late 20th century.
£45m Hereford bypass scheme faces fresh tender over costs
A local authority has agreed to retender a £45m road project if corrective action with Graham does not produce a main construction contract within the £45.3m approved budget. Herefordshire Council’s cabinet approved a proposal to conduct a fresh procurement process for delivery of the Western Bypass Phase One unless costs could be brought under control.
AC1 to complete £26m former Torsion Manchester job
North London contractor AC1 has picked up a job to complete a £26m residential tower started by collapsed Torsion Construction. Developer Zentra Great Ducie Street (ZGDS) said it had appointed the Harrow-based firm to finish off One Victoria in Manchester. The 129-apartment scheme is expected to complete before the end of this year. It was Torsion Group’s first Manchester project and described by the company’s chief executive Dan Spencer as signifying “a new chapter in our growth”.
Driver jailed after fatal collision with highways worker
A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting causing the death of a highways worker by dangerous driving. Vilius Domarkas, 38, of no fixed address, was also disqualified from holding a driving licence for 16 years and eight months. He was ordered to pay costs of £228 and will have to pass an extended test of competence before driving again, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.
Billington chief executive to step down after 12 years
Billington chief executive Mark Smith Billington chief executive Mark Smith has announced plans to step down from the role in January as the steel contractor revealed increased revenue and profit this morning. The industry stalwart will give up the reins of the Yorkshire firm on New Year’s Day after 12 years at the helm. Chief operating officer Trevor Taylor will become chief executive while Smith will stay on at the company “in an advisory capacity” for at least a further year.
Farshid Moussavi awarded 2026 Soane Medal
The Iranian-born founder of London-based Farshid Moussavi Architecture will collect the accolade at The Royal Academy on 24 November. The Soane Medal is awarded by Sir John Soane’s Museum annually to recognise architects, educators and critics who have made a major contribution to their field and enriched public understanding of architecture. Hanif Kara, Peter Barber and Rafael Moneo are among the previous winners.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Greg
Contact Greg, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack