A monthly snapshot of the UK construction industry covering contract awards, planning approvals, and applications by sector, featuring expert commentary and detailed data visualisations.
Previously available as a downloadable PDF, our Construction Industry Monthly Snapshot is now published directly on our website. This change makes the report easier to access, share, and revisit — no downloads or subscriptions required.
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Commercial and Retail dipped 7% on the previous month to £1.2bn but remains in a strong position, 29% above the 2025 Q1-3 average. Much of this value was focused on London, accounting for almost 75% of the total value and 3 of the 4 largest projects, all of which were over £100m.
Education fell just 7% from a strong October remaining at a high level with many of the high value projects focusing on academies and primary education.
Hotel & Leisure saw its highest value in over 18 months, increasing 66% to £1.21bn, 135% above the 2025 Q1-3 average. Haymarket House Apart Hotel in London was the largest project at a value of £400m.
Overall, it was another month of strong contract awards despite the continued uncertainty of the economic environment and the anticipation of the Government’s Budget. A fall in approvals could detract from the short-term pipeline of future work but application levels suggest a more positive outlook on the horizon. November’s promising level of infrastructure awards pairs well with the Budget’s £13bn allocation to the seven City Mayors which will likely see an increase in spending on infrastructure as well as regeneration. An increase in wages will make development harder, particularly for SME’s but there is some relief in the Government’s decision to not go ahead with the landfill tax which would have increased costs significantly both for construction and house buyers.
Industrial was the only sector to rise last month, increasing just 5% to £750m. Industrial’s largest approval was the £100m Phase 3 development of the John Innes Institute in Norfolk.
Infrastructure saw the largest proportional fall, plummeting 54% to £2.41bn. Much of this value comes from the £800m, 1500MW Coire Glas Hydro Scheme in Scotland.
Commercial & Retail dropped 36% to £900m. Over a quarter of this value came from the office and retail development 99 Bishopsgate, London.
Residential approvals fell 30% to £2.5bn in November after a strong September and October, and value now sits at over £1bn less than November 2024. Chiswick roundabout in London was the largest Residential project this month with a value of £125m.
The North East saw the largest proportional fall of approval value in November dipping 74% from a record setting October to £260m. Almost four-fifths of this value came from the Lighthouse Green Fuels Project serving 200MW Combined Heat and Power.
Residential is responsible for the majority of October’s value hike, increasing 110% to a whopping £7.1bn with 14 of the top 20 projects being in the sector.
Hotel & Leisure was the only other sector in growth, increasing 41% to 400% after a subdued September.
Infrastructure applications declined again, falling 35% to £680m, their lowest in over 18 months. The 120MW Hydrogen production facility at Killingholme power station was the only application above £100m for the sector.
All regions were below the 2025 YTD average except London which has seen signs of a improved Residential market with an influx of applications.
A monthly snapshot of the UK construction industry covering contract awards, planning approvals, and applications by sector, featuring expert commentary and detailed data visualizations.
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The Construction Industry Monthly Snapshot acts as a leading indicator of current and future activity in the construction industry. All values provided are at current prices, expressed in £bn unless stated otherwise and are non-seasonally adjusted.
The RSI is an index that measures current activity levels relative to
the last 5 years. It is presented on a scale of 0-100, where:
● 0 is no activity,
● 100 is the maximum possible activity, and
● 50 is the average level of activity.
The sectors that are included in the Construction Industry Monthly Snapshot are:
Our January edition of the snapshot features a review of the construction industry in 2024. This edition contains even more insight on the industry’s performance, including additional expert commentary, comprehensive data tables and concise visualisations.
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