The Week That Was - 16 October 2026

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

New £35m media village in Birmingham to be delivered by creator of Peaker Blinders

Digbeth Loc Studios has been chosen by Homes England as the preferred contractor for a new mixed-use and creative development in Digbeth, Birmingham. Steven Knight, creator of Peaky Blinders and director of Digbeth Loc Studios commented on the new development: "we now have an opportunity to accelerate the development of one of the UK’s most dynamic creative and cultural quarters. Our ambition is to create a place where creative businesses can grow and local talent can build a future."

Jo Nugent, Executive Director of Homes England (Midlands) also spoke to what Homes England envisages for the new media village: " a place that celebrates the area’s heritage while creating new opportunities for people and businesses to thrive."  She also commented that the project hoped to deliver: "a vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhood that supports economic growth, delivers new homes and further strengthens Birmingham's position as a leading creative and cultural centre."

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Plans revealed by Wates to accelerate the delivery of 250 new NHS neighbourhood health centres

NHS England has partnered up with Wates for a new initiative designed to reduce pressure on hospitals by providing care within local neighbourhoods, via the delivery of 250 new NHS neighbourhood health centres. Wates has identified that, by bundling the individual projects into regional packages of £100m, procurement can be streamlined and support a more consistent delivery. Wates anticipates that such an approach will foster an accelerated delivery of 120 new neighbourhood health centres by 2030, with a further 130 aiming to be delivered by 2035.

Simon Corben, director of NHS Estates at NHS England, commented: "this white paper reflects the constructive discussions held between NHS colleagues, industry partners and wider stakeholders on how we can move from vision to delivery. By working together, we can help create modern, sustainable healthcare facilities that support prevention, improve access to care and meet the changing needs of local communities."

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New MHCLG Guidance Published for Local Regulators on Developer Remediation Contract

On 12 October 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published guidance for local authorities and fire and rescue services in respect of buildings covered by the developer remediation contract. The developer remediation contract, which incorporates the self-remediation terms (SRTs), requires remediation of life-critical fire safety defects in residential buildings at least 11m in height which were developed by the 53 signatories to the contract or their group companies in the 10-year period ending 4 April 2022.

The guidance provides clarity on MHCLG's role as compared to the role of the local authorities, the fire and rescue services, and the Building Safety Regulator and encourages engagement as between these parties and with the developers. In particular, the guidance sets out the enforcement responsibilities and serves as a reminder that where developers do not comply with their contractual obligations, they risk facing planning and building control prohibitions.

Further guidance, including as to the sharing of building data, risk assessments, and interim measures, can be found here.

Upcoming Building Safety Act Cases in the Supreme Court

Next month will see two important cases heard in the Supreme Court, both of which will provide important clarification on the interpretation of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA).

The first of such cases, Adriatic Land 5 Limited v Long Leaseholders at Hippersley Point and another, is an appeal on whether paragraph 9 of Schedule 8 to the BSA precludes the recovery of legal or professional costs by way of service charge from leaseholders holding a qualifying lease where those costs were incurred before the BSA came into effect. The case is scheduled to be heard on 18 November 2026.

On 19 November 2026, the Supreme Court will hear Stratford Village Development Partnership and another v Triathlon Homes LLP and another LLP. The appeal will deal with two issues, namely (a) whether it was ‘just and equitable’ to make a remediation contribution order under s124 of the BSA; and (b) whether a remediation contribution order under s124 of the BSA can be made in respect of costs incurred before that provision came into force.

Investors sue Kingspan for over €100m (c. £85m) over alleged Grenfell Tower misconduct 

Irish building materials company Kingspan Group plc. is facing a securities claim of over €100m (c. £85m) from around 60 institutional investors. The claim follows evidence heard by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry concerning Kingspan Insulation Limited’s Kooltherm Rainscreen Board (K15) product. The claimants allege Kingspan made misrepresentations in investor disclosures and delayed disclosure of alleged wrongdoing, with the company's share price plummeting by more than 30% during Inquiry hearings between November 2020 and February 2021.

Proceedings are expected to be brought under section 90A and Schedule 10A of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 which provide compensation to shareholders where listed companies publish misleading information or omit facts in certain materials related to their securities. The Inquiry’s final report in September 2024 criticised “systematic dishonesty” in the marketing of certain façade products.

For more information, please see here.

PATRIZIA confirms additional £1bn injection to build affordable homes in the UK

German investment firm PATRIZIA has confirmed plans to invest an additional £1bn in its new UK Essential Living Platform, which aims to deliver up to 4,000 affordable homes. The announcement was made during a visit to Berlin last week, where Prime Minister Andy Burnham met with PATRIZIA. PATRIZIA’s CEO emphasised that the meeting with Burnham reinforced that the UK’s affordable housing need is also “a significant investment opportunity”. He added that PATRIZIA is already investing in the UK and sees “considerable potential to do more”. The additional £1bn will build on the roughly £4bn PATRIZIA has already invested in the UK. Burnham noted that Germany’s experience shows what strong regions and local leadership can achieve. He described the visit as the start of a new partnership between businesses, regions and cities in both countries, aimed at creating jobs and opportunities.

For more information, please click here.

With thanks to:  Hannah Kendall, Alicia Ogborn and Sidharth Harigovind

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.