News in Brief: May 2026

Working on behalf of Newcastle City Council, Morgan Sindall Construction North East has started work on the Outer West Leisure Centre. Procured via the Pagabo framework, it will consist of two swimming pools with movable floors, a competition pool, a splash pad, training pools, sauna and steam room, sports hall, library, gym, and offices.

Plans to regenerate the former Gillingham Gas Works have received unanimous approval from Medway Council’s Planning Committee. The scheme will transform the heavily contaminated brownfield site into a new waterfront neighbourhood, delivering up to 500 new homes and a range of commercial, community and retail units.

Main contractor Henry Brothers has officially started work on the expansion of Queen’s University Belfast’s Momentum One Zero building. The £70 million development will provide purpose-built laboratories, co-location space for industry partners, secure computing and testing environments, and collaborative zones designed to accelerate product development, skills growth and commercialisation.

A planning application for phase one of Mix Manchester, the UK’s first airport-based science, innovation, and manufacturing campus, has been submitted. It will include over 6,500m² of flexible mid-tech workspace aimed at pioneering businesses and a 1,500-space multi-storey mobility hub with cycle facilities and ground-floor commercial units.

Caddick Construction is set to build a new room2 hotel in Leeds city centre following joint developers, Marrico and Helios Real Estate, securing £46 million of forward funding. The 16-storey, fully electric powered scheme will comprise 200 hotel rooms, including a mix of studio and suite accommodation designed to cater for both short and extended-stay guests.