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all the latest construction news New garden town scheme
National law firm Shakespeare Martineau has advised Barratt Redrow on a major joint venture with Places for People to deliver one of the UK’s most ambitious new community developments. The scheme will create a pioneering garden town-style development in East
Hertfordshire, delivering around 8,500 homes – including at least 1,950 affordable properties – across a network of six walkable villages on the outskirts of Gilston. In addition to housing, the development will incorporate extensive infrastructure and placemaking features, including integrated green space and allotments, 15km of heritage trails, schools, leisure facilities, 29,000m2 of commercial space, and community hubs – highlighting the scale and complexity of the transaction. The joint venture brings together Barratt Redrow’s delivery capability as a leading UK housebuilder with Places for People’s expertise in long-term stewardship and community management, creating a partnership model that offers enhanced certainty, credibility and longevity for a project of this scale. The deal was led by residential
development partners Lucy Haynes and Debbie Irwin, with corporate support from James Hawkeswood. Lucy said: “The transaction reflects a growing trend toward risk-sharing joint venture structures in large-scale, long-term residential schemes. As planning, infrastructure and phasing risks become more pronounced, developers are increasingly seeking partners who can contribute more than capital – bringing land control, asset management capabilities and community stewardship credentials. “It also highlights a broader shift in the residential development sector. While housing numbers remain critical, there is a clear and increasing focus on design quality, sustainability and long-term legacy, as demonstrated by the garden town model underpinning this scheme."
Housing leaders look north of the border for new ways to speed up housebuilding
Some of Britain’s biggest mortgage lenders and housebuilders have toured Scotland’s world leading structural timber industry in a bid to find new ways of building houses at pace. Timber frame homes can be erected in as little as five days, industry leaders were told. The Learning Journey was organised by the Structural Timber Association across sites
from the highlands to North-East Scotland. It was delivered in partnership with the Future Homes Hub, Swedish Wood, PEFC, West Fraser, and James Jones & Sons. The trip took industry leaders on a learning journey that encompassed every step of the construction of a timber frame house – from sustainable forestry to a completed family home. In Scotland, some 92% of new homes use timber frame, compared to just 13% in England. Delegates witnessed how the timber frame manufactured across North-East Scotland is quickly assembled into high-quality bespoke, private and affordable homes of a varying size. Andrew Orriss, CEO, Structural Timber Association said: “As an industry we look
forward to working with housebuilders and lenders to deliver more homes at pace across the UK.” For more information visit
www.structuraltimber.co.uk
UK construction loses sight of recovery in the fog of war
Glenigan | A Hubexo Company (Glenigan), has released the April 2026 edition of its Construction Review. The Review focuses on the three months to the end of March 2026, covering all major (>£100m) and underlying (<£100m) projects, with all underlying figures seasonally adjusted. The April Review paints a bleak picture of an industry buffeted by frustratingly persistent socioeconomic headwinds. The poor project starts figures,
recorded in the three months to the end of March 2026, fell back 6%, whilst nosediving by 20% on 2025 levels. Glenigan’s data shows activity
becoming increasingly uneven sector- wide and, whilst main contract awards rose against the preceding quarter (+30%) and last year (+3%), fewer projects are actually making it to site. As such, these positive results ring hollow. This cooling-off is acutely observed in
a significant decline in detailed planning approvals, which saw their value slashed in half (-51%) compared to 2025 levels, falling by almost a third (-29%) during the review period. Global markets are in a state of shock,
prompted by the escalation of the US/ Iran war, which has led to the closure of key trading routes, damaging investor confidence. This is likely to exacerbate the current downward spiral over the coming months. Commenting on the April Review, Allan Wilen, Glenigan’s Economics Director, said: “Private investment and consumer spend has stalled. A general increase in the cost of living is squeezing household spending and denting homebuyers’ confidence, while investors are cautious given the weak economic outlook, stifling potential momentum in the property market and resulting in general wariness. The Iran War is exacerbating these pressures by stoking inflation and further weakening economic growth. Unfortunately, this situation is unlikely to end in the near term, with energy costs expected to remain high this year and the prospect of interest rates cuts fading fast. For more information on the report visit
www.glenigan.com
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