16
...news...
all the latest construction news
Less than a year for the sector to prepare for Martyn’s Law
May 2026 marked nine years since the Manchester Arena bombings and with less than a year to go before Martyn’s Law will be in full effect, IoT company AddSecure, is warning the construction sector to start preparing now or risk serious legal consequences. Expected to be enforced from April 2027, many building sites are affected by the
incoming changes and still do not have a compliant solution. Martyn’s Law requires venues hosting over 200 people to have a protocol in
place for responding to a terrorist incident. Spilt into two tiers, sites that hold between 200-799 people must comply with the Standard Tier, which focuses on creating procedures, staff training and regular audits, while those hosting over 800 people must fulfil the Enhanced Tier’s criteria, which extends the requirements to include frequent risk assessments and physical security systems, such as CCTV or bag search policies. Chris Wimshurst, Director of UK Sales at AddSecure, said: “A much needed update, Martyn’s Law will make building sites safer. There’s a misconception that Martyn’s Law is only going to affect high-capacity venues, such as sports stadiums or entertainment arenas but that’s not the case. The two-tiered system means that the construction sector must also be compliant or risk legal, financial and reputational consequences. “Currently there’s little guidance available for the construction sector on how
to implement it effectively. We want to help navigate this complex piece of legislation, and have created a whitepaper on Martyn’s Law, explaining how it will affect the sector and what procedures will need to be implemented to remain compliant, but more importantly, to keep people safe.” Download the whitepaper at
https://tinyurl.com/vfr62hkh
Government must act on CMA roadmap, says ACE
The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has welcomed the Competition and Markets Authority’s civil engineering market study into the road and rail sector, saying it provides a clear and practical route to improving how the UK plans, procures and delivers major road and rail infrastructure. With public spending on road and rail infrastructure standing at around £19bn a
year, the study reinforces the need for a more strategic and consistent approach to the market. High costs, project overruns, variable quality and weak innovation are not inevitable. They are the result of fragmented procurement, short-term funding cycles, inconsistent standards and poor risk allocation across the system. The report sets out a practical package of reforms that would improve market
confidence, strengthen capability across public authorities and create better conditions for firms to invest, scale and innovate. In particular, it recognises the importance of stronger strategic oversight, greater pipeline certainty, wider adoption of best-practice procurement and faster, more proportionate approvals processes for innovation. ACE’s Policy Director, Marie-Claude Hemming, said: “This is an important piece
of work from the CMA and it should be treated as a serious opportunity for reform. The report reflects many of the concerns our members have raised for some time about the way the civil engineering market is structured and how that affects cost, delivery and innovation.”
Developer intent remains resilient despite delivery pressures
The number of new homes applied for in England remained strong at the start of 2026 despite continued pressure from high borrowing costs, construction inflation and wider viability challenges facing developers, according to the latest data from TerraQuest. Figures analysed in the latest edition of the Planning Application Index show Q1 2026 recorded 71,028 housing unit submissions across England excluding London, making it the strongest opening quarter for new housing applications since Q1 2022 and outperforming the equivalent period in 2023, 2024 and 2025. This follows a record-breaking end to 2025, which saw the highest annual total of new homes applied for this decade. Affordable housing applications also
continued to perform – at 4,225 units, Q1 2026 recorded the highest number of affordable homes applied for at the start of any year since the beginning of the decade. The data suggests developer intent
remains resilient, despite wider economic pressures facing the sector, particularly around project viability. However, the national picture does not tell the whole story. The new home application figures also point to growing regional variation. While housing submissions remain resilient across much of England, London experienced a more difficult start to the year. At 9,346, housing unit submissions in the capital fell to their lowest level since Q2 2023 and were significantly down on the same quarter last year. Beyond regional variation, the more persistent challenge lies in what happens after applications are approved. Indeed, in TerraQuest’s inaugural Planning Application Index in 2024, the company underlined that over a million homes with planning permission since 2015 had yet to be built. The full Planning Application Index
report for Q1 2026 is available from
www.terraquest.co.uk/news-and- insights/q1-planning-application- index-2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
