At a Glance
UK construction output is contracting at its fastest rate in over five years, even as public infrastructure work holds up and reshapes the market mix. (Source: Bloomberg) Government is pushing ahead with Planning and Infrastructure Bill amendments, a 1.5m homes target and skills funding ahead of the Autumn Budget on 26 November. (Source: GOV.UK) Major schemes from Cross Tay Link Road to Silvertown Tunnel are among winners at the 2025 British Construction & Infrastructure Awards, as Project Gigabit hits £2bn of procurements. (Source: BCI Awards, GOV.UK) Housebuilding in England has fallen to a nine‑year low, heightening pressure on ministers’ housing targets and prompting calls from developers for emergency planning and viability relief. (Source: Sky News) Upcoming events including EUROCONSTRUCT, HOMES UK and TechFest 2025 will focus on housing and digital innovation as the sector searches for productivity gains. (Source: EUROCONSTRUCT) Today’s update: the latest data confirms a sharp slowdown in UK construction, with contractors increasingly dependent on infrastructure pipelines just as Westminster accelerates planning and safety reforms. Housing delivery, skills pressures and funding models sit at the centre of this realignment ahead of the Autumn Budget. Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead today.
Ongoing Stories
Following earlier coverage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, today’s updates add detail on ministerial override powers, tighter control of judicial reviews and alignment with the Construction 2025 strategy, indicating a more interventionist central government stance. (Source: GOV.UK) Returning to the theme of infrastructure delivery risk, a new independent report on sustainable infrastructure funding reinforces concerns that long‑term financing structures must evolve if major ports, energy schemes and digital rollouts are to proceed at pace. (Source: Building) Continuing our focus on skills shortages, government’s proposed £600m package to train 60,000 construction workers adds a concrete number to the pipeline challenge highlighted earlier this week. (Source: Mayer Brown) Top 5 Headlines
⚙️ Construction output posts steepest fall in over five years UK construction activity has shrunk at its fastest pace in more than five years, as fiscal uncertainty and the prospect of tax changes weigh on contractor confidence. Private sector work is bearing the brunt, while infrastructure – particularly public projects – is holding up and increasingly dominating order books. An independent report published on 25 November underscores the urgency of more sustainable infrastructure funding models to stabilise the pipeline. This matters for the sector because business models and resource allocation are being forced away from discretionary building work towards long‑term public infrastructure, with funding risk in sharper focus. (Source: Bloomberg, Building)
🏛️ Ministers beef up Planning and Infrastructure Bill ahead of Autumn Budget The government has set out amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill aimed at speeding up decisions, curbing delays from judicial reviews and allowing ministers to intervene where local authorities block significant schemes. Alongside this, a refreshed National Planning Policy Framework, recognition of “grey belt” land and a 1.5m homes target for the current Parliament are being positioned as the core of a new planning settlement. Returning today, this cluster of reforms is closely tied to the Construction 2025 industrial strategy and signals a stronger central hand in unlocking strategic housing, energy and water projects. For developers, contractors and investors, the package will reshape planning risk and could compress pre‑construction timelines on nationally important schemes. (Source: GOV.UK, Mayer Brown)
🏗️ Housebuilding hits nine‑year low as policy tension grows Only 208,600 homes were built in England over the past year, the lowest figure for nine years and far short of government ambitions. London new‑build starts have fallen sharply, exacerbating regional imbalances and putting the 1.5m homes target under immediate pressure. Developers are calling for short‑term relief on affordable housing requirements and levies to unlock stalled schemes, while the Autumn Budget looms over property and rental taxation. This matters because the gulf between political promises and on‑the‑ground delivery is widening, increasing the likelihood of rapid‑fire policy tweaks and shifting obligations for scheme viability. (Source: Sky News, SME Today)
🚆 Award‑winning infrastructure schemes showcase delivery benchmarks The British Construction & Infrastructure Awards 2025 have recognised major projects including the Cross Tay Link Road, Silvertown Tunnel and EcoPark House for excellence in design, delivery and community or environmental outcomes. These schemes span transport, social infrastructure and complex urban tunnelling, reflecting a broad base of capability in UK infrastructure delivery. Project Gigabit has now completed 37 procurements worth £2bn to extend gigabit broadband to over 1m premises. The awards and broadband milestones set reference points for value, carbon and social impact that may increasingly be mirrored in future procurement and evaluation criteria. (Source: BCI Awards, ICE, GOV.UK)
🏛️ Building safety regulator plans progress following Grenfell recommendations Proposals to establish an independent Building Safety Regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell inquiry, are advancing through the current legislative agenda. The regulator is intended to oversee higher‑risk buildings, enforce compliance and provide clearer accountability lines across design, construction and occupation. This development means dutyholders on complex residential and mixed‑use schemes will face tighter oversight, with implications for programme, cost, insurance and long‑term asset management. (Source: Mayer Brown, GOV.UK)
Also in the news
🏗️ The UK property market is showing tentative stabilisation with a 2.8% annual price rise, despite ongoing supply shortages and pre‑Budget uncertainty over property and rental tax changes. (Source: HomeOwners Alliance) 💰 Forward‑funding structures are gaining traction on residential schemes as developers tap institutional capital to de‑risk delivery and navigate tighter lending conditions. (Source: SME Today) 🏛️ Contractors are bracing for the 26 November Autumn Budget, with potential shifts in income tax thresholds, VAT and sector‑specific rules expected to influence workforce costs and cashflow. (Source: ContractorUK) 🌱 An independent report released on 25 November stresses the need for sustainable, long‑term infrastructure funding frameworks to underpin major energy projects such as offshore wind and battery storage. (Source: Building) ⚙️ Sector stakeholders are preparing for HOMES UK, EUROCONSTRUCT and TechFest 2025, where housing, digital construction and productivity themes are expected to dominate agendas. (Source: EUROCONSTRUCT, TechFest) The Daily Build is written for people shaping the UK’s construction and infrastructure pipeline. If today’s briefing is useful, consider forwarding it to a colleague ahead of their 9 a.m. meeting.
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