April 2026 Construction Snapshot: Planning Holds Firm as Contract Awards Fall

April 2026 presented a mixed picture for the UK construction industry. While planning approvals remained resilient at £10.7bn, maintaining the strong momentum seen throughout Q1, contract awards dropped sharply by 21% to £5.7bn – the lowest monthly total recorded since May 2025. This stark difference suggests that confidence at the planning stage remains intact, but … Read more

Questions you should ask during your Barbour ABI demo

The following blog reflects question you should ask during your Barbour ABI demo. The questions were curated to make sure you can get a full understanding of our platform, data, research methodology, and client support teams. Additional questions outside this list are always welcome. You’ve done your homework, discovered why you should choose Barbour ABI, … Read more

London dominates in residential planning approvals March 2026

According to our latest Construction Industry Monthly Snapshot, the residential sector remained the primary driver of planning approvals in March 2026, reaching a total value of £4.6bn. London accounted for a significant share of this activity, representing 26% of all residential approvals and totalling a huge £1.2bn. This marks a massive increase from February 2026, … Read more

Top UK Football Stadium Construction Projects Boost Opportunity in this Competitive Sector

Stadium construction projects continue to be some of the most closely watched developments in the UK sports and leisure construction pipeline. Given that stadia often involve major investment, complex delivery and significant regional impact, it isn’t surprising that they remain a hot topic across the entire construction supply chain. With that in mind, we’ve used … Read more

Top Construction Projects in March 2026

Our latest Regional Spotlight Report highlights the top five planning applications, planning approvals and contract awards – helping you quickly identify the highest-value opportunities across your target regions. Below, we’ve put the spotlight on the top construction projects reported for March 2026. The three we’ve highlighted are the top within planning applications, approvals and contract … Read more

Residential sector leads contract awards with a value of £2.1bn in February

According to our latest Construction Industry Monthly Snapshot Report, the residential sector led contract award activity with £2.1bn in February 2026. This marks a 36% increase from January’s performance. The sector Q1 contract award average now sits just above the same period last year.* The success of the residential sector contract awards is owed largely … Read more

Lower Thames Tunnel Crossing Project Updates 2026

We are reporting the latest Lower Thames Tunnel Crossing project updates as the mega-project progresses towards tunnel-machine procurement to prepare for the start of construction. After a 16-year planning process wait, the project is going ahead to connect Kent and Essex by tunnel underneath the River Thames. Client, National Highways, has announced the major transport … Read more

Top 10 Contractors Working on Data Centre Construction Projects UK

As data centre construction continues to surge, Barbour ABI is monitoring the top construction companies working on these projects across the UK.  At the time of this blog’s publication, we can confirm there are 22 data centre projects with contractors appointed that are due to finish in the next two years. View the contractors working … Read more

Solar Projects Dominate East Midlands in 2026

Three major Solar Farm projects are dominating the East Midlands construction project landscape, according to our latest 2026 league tables. Sitting in a shared first place at the top of our League Tables are the Cottam 600MW Solar Farm Project, Heckington Fen 500MW Solar Farm and Battery Storage Project, and the Tillbridge 500MW Solar Farm. … Read more

Paying more, building more: inside United Utilities’ infrastructure plan

Investing in water infrastructure Over seven million United Utilities customers in the North West will see their water bills rise annually by an average of £86. This is the first step in a five-year plan agreed with regulator Ofwat, which will increase bills by around 32% to raise £12.7bn for water infrastructure investment. For households … Read more

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