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 awards, with additional project insight including confirmed start dates, key contractors and more.
Top planning application
Elms Farm, Mitchel Troy - Joinery Workshop
The highest-value planning application is a proposed £430m joinery workshop in Monmouth, Wales. The scheme comprises a substantial extension to an existing facility, alongside associated works, signalling a major investment in regional manufacturing capability and long-term capacity.
The project also ranks as the top planning approval for Wales, having secured detailed approval on 19th February – marking a key step forward as it moves towards delivery.
This scheme has been a major driver behind Wales’ recent uplift in planning activity. Between December 2025 and January 2026, our Construction Industry Monthly Snapshot data shows that the total value of planning applications across the region increased by 152%, reaching £600m. At £430m, this single project accounts for a significant proportion of that total, underlining its influence on regional performance and its prominence within the current pipeline.
Project value: £430m
Start: January 2027
Duration: 21 months
Project ID: 12893262
View Roles for Elms Farm, Mitchel Troy - Joinery Workshop
Client: Sims Building Limited
Architect: Griffiths Design Limited
Note: Planning application data is reported one month in arrears due to the delay between submission and council publication – meaning this was the highest value planning application submitted in January 2026.
Top planning approval
Village Of Cambois - Cambois Data Centre Campus - Phase 1
Renaissance Land Limited has secured planning approval in Northumberland for two data centre buildings totalling 90,334 sq m, alongside substations, emergency generators and associated infrastructure.
This forms part of the wider £10bn Northumberland Energy Park masterplan, which will ultimately deliver up to 10 data centre buildings totalling 540,000 sq m. Once complete, the development will position the region as a major hub for large-scale data storage, responding to growing demand from cloud, AI and digital services.
This approval highlights continued investor confidence in high-capacity, energy-linked sites and reinforces the scale of the current development pipeline in Northumberland. Projects of this size are shaping the region’s growth trajectory and are likely to have a significant influence on construction activity in the coming years.
Project value: £810m
Start: October 2027
Duration: 39 months
Project ID: 12824570
View Roles for Village Of Cambois - Cambois Data Centre Campus - Phase 1
Client: Renaissance Land Limited
Planner: Quod
Architect: Corgan Limited
Civil engineer: Cundall Johnston and Partners
Structural engineer: Cundall Johnston and Partners
M&E engineer: Cundall Johnston and Partners
Landscape architect: IBI Group (Arcadis)
Top contract award
Western Isles HDVC Scheme, Fanellan Farmhouse - Underground Cable
Hitachi Energy has been awarded the contract for the £1bn Western Isles HVDC Scheme. Appointed as the balance of plant contractor, work is scheduled to begin in January 2028, with the project expected to take 13 months to complete.
The scheme involves the installation of an onshore underground cable running from Dundonnell to a mainland High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter station at Fanellan. Once operational, the development will play a critical role in strengthening the region’s electricity transmission infrastructure and supporting the integration of renewable energy sources.
Niklas Persson, Executive Vice President at Hitachi Energy and Managing Director of the Grid Integration business unit, commented:
“We are proud to contribute our HVDC technology to these landmark projects that will strengthen the UK’s transmission network and accelerate the energy transition.
“Together with SSEN Transmission, we are shaping a future where clean power flows seamlessly across borders, accelerating progress toward a sustainable, carbon-neutral society for generations to come.”
Project value: £1bn
Start: January 2028
Duration: 13 months
Project ID: 12872088
View Roles for Western Isles HDVC Scheme, Fanellan Farmhouse - Underground Cable
Client: Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Limited
Consulting engineer: AECOM
Balance of plant contractor: Hitachi Energy
Discover the top projects across your target regions with Barbour ABI
Our Regional Spotlight Report provides monthly insight into the top five projects in each region, across planning applications, approvals and contract awards.
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Want to discover the top projects across your target regions? View our latest Regional Spotlight Report here.
