The Week That Was - 14 August 2026

Welcome to the week that was, a round-up of key events in the construction sector over the last seven days.

RPC contributes to ICLG's Construction and Engineering Law Guide for 2026

We are excited to announce our construction team led contributions to the latest International Comparative Legal Guide – Construction & Engineering Law 2026. The comprehensive guide delves into the multifaceted world of construction and engineering law, providing an essential reference for understanding and comparing the handling of common legal challenges across various jurisdictions.

Our expert chapter, "Major Developments in Construction Law in the UK in 2026", considers how the English courts have interpreted some of the new statutory rights and remedies introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022, and how parties have used them to pursue remediation costs. This chapter is authored by Tom Green, Alan Stone and Jonathan Carrington, who bring their extensive experience and expertise to the subject.

The jurisdiction chapter, authored by Tom Green, Arash Rajai and Alan Stone looks at construction laws and regulations in England and Wales.

For a deeper dive, you can access our expert chapter here, and our jurisdiction chapter here.

Plans submitted for 53-storey residential tower in Birmingham

Plans have been approved to transform Wakefield’s former Coroner’s Court on Northgate into a new creative hub, marking the latest step in Rushbond’s regeneration of the city’s Civic Quarter. 

Bluecastle Capital has submitted plans for a 53-storey, 729-home build-to-rent tower to replace the long-vacant former Marks Spencer store at 42 High Street in Birmingham city centre.  The building could reach about 172 metres, potentially becoming Birmingham’s tallest, alongside the approved Curzon Wharf scheme. Designed by Squire Partners, the proposal includes ground-floor retail/restaurnt space, resident amenities near the top, and extensive public realm improvements. The development, near Moor Street and the future HS2 Curzon Street station, is pitched as a new pedestrian gateway linking the station area to the city centre.  

Find out more about the plans for the residential tower.

Kier secures £99m London office project

Kier has secured a £99m contract from Derwent London to redevelop Holden House on Oxford Street, opposite Tottenham Court Road’s Elizabeth line entrance. The scheme is a major behind-the-facade redevelopment, retaining the Grade II-listed Oxford Street frontage while extending the building to eight storeys. It will deliver around 12,500 sq m of commercial space, comprising approximately 10,700 sq m of Grade A offices and 1,900 sq m of retail. 

Kier has said a precast façade will form part of its modern methods of construction strategy, with early design co-ordination and logistics planning to support offsite production and installation on the constrained central London site. Works have started, with completion targeted for 2028. 

Find out more about Kier's London office project.

Farrans lands Stanstead Airport skylink project

Farrans has been appointed by Manchester Airports Group to deliver new passenger “skylink” walkways at London Stansted Airport as part of the terminal transformation programme. The new connections will link the terminal to existing satellite gate buildings and enable the decommissioning of the current track transit people-mover system, freeing space for later airfield-side expansion. Travelators will be installed within the skylinks, with assistance buggies supporting passengers with reduced mobility.

Construction is scheduled to begin later this summer. To minimise disruption in a live operational environment, Farrans plans to preassemble sections offsite in a vacant hangar on the north side of the airfield, then transport completed units overnight using self-propelled modular transporters. The approach is intended to reduce programme duration, working at height and congestion in operational areas. 

Read more about the Stanstead Airport skylink project.

Gateway 2 approval rates climb to 82% as BSR cuts decision times

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has reported improved Gateway 2 performance for higher-risk building applications, with approval rates rising to 82% over the latest 12-week reporting period.  Over the 12 weeks, the BSR made 349 Gateway 2 building control decisions and approved 287 applications, with gains across new-build, remediation and NHS projects. Approval rates for new-build and conversion projects reached 91%, while median determination times fell to 22 weeks (down from 43 weeks in the comparable period last year). 

Charlie Pugsley, Acting CEO, said: “We are seeing positive momentum, including critical work to upgrade NHS hospitals and facilities.  This progress is a direct result of our targeted improvement plans”.

Read the full article on the improved Gateway 2 performance.

UK housebuilding starts reach highest quarterly level since 2023

Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) analysis of provisional Office for National Statistics (ONS) data indicates UK housebuilding starts rose to their highest quarterly level since 2023 in Q1 2026, with an estimated 40,770 starts.  This was up 14% year-on-year and 7.2% quarter-on-quarter, although still 16.2% below pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2019.  

Completions continued to lag. Around 39,890 homes were completed, up 2.7% year-on-year but down 19.1% on the previous quarter and 16.7% below Q1 2019.

England accounted for 84.5% of UK starts, with 27,640 private enterprise starts (the highest quarterly total since 2023). BCIS said the figures show “resilience despite viability pressures” as the new government sets out ambitions to boost housing delivery.

Find out more about the rise in UK housebuilding.

With thanks to Aleksander Polaszek, Amraj Biring, Megan Dowson and Kelly Smith

Disclaimer: The information in this publication is for guidance purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.  We attempt to ensure that the content is current as at the date of publication, but we do not guarantee that it remains up to date.  You should seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the content.

If you have any queries please do get in contact with a member of the team, or your usual RPC contact.