Celebrating a 25th anniversary usually calls for a party – but for DAB Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd, the milestone was marked with an order for three JCB X Series excavators.

The Leicester‑-based contractor reached 25 years in business at the end of 2025 and chose to celebrate the occasion by further strengthening its long‑-standing relationship with JCB.

Supplied by Watling JCB, the 140X tracked excavators join a fleet that has been dominated by JCB machines for a quarter of a century.

DAB has operated JCB 140X models for the past three years, deploying them across housebuilding, commercial groundworks and large infrastructure projects.

Owner/Director Dan Doherty said: “We choose JCB because of the consistent innovation of its products and their build quality. They are user friendly and we only receive positive feedback from our operators. We receive excellent service from Watling JCB and we are happy to partner with another Leicester-based company.”

Owner/Director Mick Merrigan added: “We have run 140X models for three years now and have had nothing but positive comments. Operators have praised the machine in terms of cab comfort, stability, smooth control and power. It was a simple decision to buy three more.”

Established in 2000, DAB Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd, supported by DAB Plant Hire & Sales Ltd, specialises in civil engineering and groundworks across the UK construction sector.

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Andy Cowan, Associate Director, Carter Jonas (Manchester) discusses how regional planning should change to best provide the homes that are needed?

The Chancellor has been clear about the development sector’s role in helping to kickstart economic growth. From a planning and development perspective, the commitment to regional development being regionally-led was received by many as positive, as were the further changes to strategic planning that emerged in the Devolution White Paper, revised NPPF and Planning and Infrastructure Act.

The White Paper sets a medium-to-longer term ambition to simplify local government structures, proposing that strategic authorities will cover all of England. These groups of councils would be expected to engage in regional planning and produce Spatial Development Strategies, which will be implemented following support from a majority of constituent members. (The word ‘majority’ may be important in the future.)

Mayors who, the Government suggests, will lead Strategic Authorities, will benefit from new development management powers and possess the ability to call in strategically important planning applications. This is significant because it has only occurred in London previously. Other combined authorities, such as Greater Manchester and West Midlands, have not benefitted from devolved planning powers to this extent. In future, combined authorities will also have the ability to charge developers a mayoral levy to ensure that new developments contribute towards the necessary associated infrastructure; this doesn’t currently take place outside London.

The Government’s proposal is that integrated ‘single settlements’ will be implemented for Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities from the 2025-26 financial year and for four further northern Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) from 2026-27. This dedicated regional funding solution is a step-change from the current experience whereby funding is sought from numerous different central government pots on a competitive basis.

Unlike the proposals in the White Paper and Planning and Infrastructure Act, the changes to the NPPF are immediate and require a step-change in planning for the delivery of housing and economic uses. The revised NPPF introduces new requirements for local authorities to dedicate more land for growth in their Local Plans and adds weight (alongside carrots or sticks, depending on your viewpoint) to decision-making on planning applications that support sustainable growth.

The overall ambition seems clear. The Government wants local authorities to achieve higher levels of growth through collaboration and, in return, receive greater autonomy to drive their own agendas.

Regional planning is a vehicle to achieve this and there are lessons to be learnt from experiences to date, some of which already appear to have been heeded by the Government.

A common challenge in policy-making is achieving political consensus. Even the successful Places for Everyone plan (formerly the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework) had challenges before being adopted in 2024. Work had begun a decade earlier, with an early draft published for consultation in 2016. Challenges around the amount of Green Belt release then required a radical re-think, further delaying its production and subsequently leading to the withdrawal of Stockport Council in 2022. Then, following adoption, Oldham Council requested to withdraw.

Stockport and Oldham Councils are currently in No Overall Control (NOC) politically, making consensus challenging. This challenge is especially prevalent in instances in which councillors have elected on a hyperlocal issue – more often than not, in opposition to housing development. According to the Institute for Government, there are approximately 100 local authorities across England in NOC, meaning this issue may come up frequently across the country.

For the next wave of regional planning to be successful requires politicians (both locally and regionally) and local authority officers to make compelling cases for accommodating growth and accompanying infrastructure.  This would certainly be helped by the incentives proposed by the Government to support regional planning, including increased devolution and access to dedicated funding.

For combined authorities at an earlier stage in their formation, Greater Manchester provides an intriguing example of devolution, specifically of the effects of engaging with regional planning versus not engaging. Places for Everyone provides a good example of how devolved decisions are implemented in practice and it will be interesting to follow how Stockport accommodates its housing and economic growth independently of the regional planning umbrella.

For more information on Carter Jonas visit Carter Jonas Estate Agents & Property Consultants

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Fourteen students from a college near Worcester have been given an exclusive tour of a live homebuilding site, experiencing first-hand the skills and careers that go into creating a brand-new community, courtesy of award-winning homebuilder Spitfire Homes.

The year 10 pupils, from Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, explored the early stages of the active site at Blackthorn in Crowle, where 30 design-led, bespoke homes are currently being delivered, following an engaging assembly delivered recently where many displayed an interest in construction practices.

Led by Spitfire Homes engineer Jack Lea, the group explored everything from sustainability and site safety in modern homebuilding to the wide range of roles in the sector across trades, design, site management, marketing and beyond, and how they all combine to create a collection of brand-new homes.

The session gave pupils a deeper understanding of the full construction process and a visible example of how trades and departments collaborate.

The visit concluded with a Q&A session held in the brand-new Estate Office which opened last month, where students quizzed the team on career pathways, qualifications, skills and routes into the industry.

Jane Holland, Careers Advisor at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, said: “Earlier this year, Spitfire Homes visited our school to deliver an engaging assembly to more than 210 pupils, giving them an insight into everything involved in constructing a new homes development.

“Many students were inspired by the presentation and expressed an interest in seeing a site in person, so we were delighted when Spitfire invited us to visit and experience this collaborative process first-hand.

“The construction site visit allowed our students to appreciate the diverse, modern and high‑tech nature of today’s industry. They were able to move beyond traditional stereotypes and discover the wide range of roles involved—from design and engineering to project management and sustainability.

“It offered a valuable, real-world connection to their classroom learning, showing how professional and hands-on careers come together in practice.”

Dave Smith, Managing Director at Spitfire Homes, said: “The construction industry must address the growing need to attract and develop new talent, and it’s important as a collective that we equip the next generation with a clear understanding of the breadth of roles available.

“Visits like this give students opportunities to see this first-hand, and we’re proud to be playing our part in addressing the skills shortage in a practical, engaging way.

“We’ve committed to ensuring that 5% of our total workforce is made up of trainees or graduates – for us, that’s not a target, it’s a reflection of how seriously we take developing young talent.

“Once complete, Blackthorn will be a shining example of excellence in communication, design, and quality. We hope that the students will see the finished site and fondly remember experiencing it in its formative stages.”

For more information or to arrange a viewing, please visit https://spitfirehomes.co.uk/find-your-home/blackthorn/. 

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An employee at Coalville-based developer David Wilson Homes East Midlands is marking International Women’s Day (8^th March) by sharing her journey from office to site, as this year’s theme, ‘Give To Gain’, celebrates the importance of helping women thrive.

Georgia Hession, Trainee Assistant Site Manager at Drakelow Park

After joining David Wilson Homes in April last year, Georgia, a Trainee Assistant Site Manager from Ibstock, is focused on organising and overseeing the finishes of the homes at Drakelow Park in Derbyshire. She ensures each property is completed to the required standard and supports customers in the first 20 weeks in their brand-new home.

International Women’s Day celebrates the achievements of women across all industries, and this year’s theme, ‘Give To Gain’, highlights the power of reciprocity and support. The campaign recognises that when people, organisations and communities give generously, opportunities for women increase – and when women thrive, everyone benefits.

Since starting her career at 19 in an office-based role as an Estimator and Construction Secretary, Georgia discovered a passion for the operation side of the industry.

She said: “Throughout my years in working in construction, I have found myself drawn to the problem-solving and teamwork that happens every day on site and I jumped at the opportunity to see the operational side of site management up close.

“The Trainee Assistant Site Manager role really appealed to me because it combines everything I enjoy – working with people, coordinating tasks, learning technical skills, and being part of the visible results on site. I also wanted a role where I can keep growing, challenge myself, and build a long-term career.”

Reflecting on her journey so far, Georgia says her biggest achievement has been her progression and personal development.

She added: “Moving from an administrative role into a site-based position was a huge transition, and one I worked incredibly hard to earn. I was completely new to how a construction site operates, but over time I have been building more confidence and taking on more responsibilities.

“What I’m most proud of isn’t just the job title – it’s the development behind it. A key milestone for me has been supporting the team at Drakelow Park, which achieved a prestigious Seal of Excellence award from the National House Building Council last year.”

Speaking about her experience as a woman in construction, Georgia has come to appreciate the value of diverse perspectives on site.

She continued: “Over the years, I’ve realised that being a woman gives you a slightly different perspective, and that’s helped me to grow. Some of the skills I naturally brought to the role – organisation, attention to detail, and being approachable – were genuinely valued, which gave me the confidence to think I could contribute more directly on site.”

While she acknowledges that construction has traditional been a male-dominated industry, Georgia believes that balance is improving.

“There are more women coming into technical and site-based positions and I continue to meet more and more female Assistant Site Managers, Site Managers, and apprentices.

“Seeing other women take on these roles has made the idea of progressing in my career more achievable. It shows that the industry is opening up and becoming more inclusive.

“Encouraging more women into construction is vital because the more diverse teams are, the better they work. When people with different perspectives are involved, it creates a more balanced, positive environment and helps the industry continue to grow and improve.”

Georgia feels the housebuilding sector offers strong opportunities for women, and praised David Wilson Homes in particular for the support she’s received.

She said: “My managers and colleagues have been very supportive, they are focused on helping people grow, regardless of gender. The company invests in training, mentorship, and clear development pathways, which make it easier for women to progress into roles that might have seemed less accessible in the past.

“Sometimes just seeing another woman in the role makes a big difference and when women feel included and backed by their team, they’re able to thrive.”

Offering advice to other women considering a career in construction, she added: “Have confidence in yourself and remember that you absolutely belong here. You don’t have to know everything on day one, you just need to be willing to learn, ask questions, and get involved.

“Some of the opportunities that feel the most intimidating end up being the most rewarding. Be yourself, share your perspective and strengths – they can make a real difference on a project and within a team.”

For more information about careers at David Wilson Homes, visit the website at Barratt Redrow Careers.

For further information about any developments in the area, visit the website at David Wilson Homes in Leicestershire.

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Regional housebuilder Allison Homes Central has shown its continued commitment to the Grantham community by supporting this year’s Rotary Swimarathon, close to its Manthorpe Chase development.

Situated on Belton Lane, Manthorpe Chase offers a beautiful mix of two-, three-, four-and five-bedroom homes, located less than a ten-minute drive away from Grantham town centre.

The 2026 Rotary Swimarathon ran from Friday 6^th to Sunday 8^th February and once again brought together schools, businesses, families and local groups for a weekend of fundraising. Established in 1990, the event has grown into one of Grantham’s most recognised community activities and has now raised more than £1 million for charities and good causes across the area.

This year’s event saw over 1,400 swimmers taking part in teams of 24, each completing a 50-minute relay session. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, the Swimarathon raised an impressive £40,000, which will be distributed to several local organisations.

Allison Homes Central provided a silver sponsorship for the second year in a row, helping the Rotary Club cover essential operational costs. Rachel Miller, Sales Negotiator at Manthorpe Chase, also attended the event and met participants and volunteers.

Lead Organiser at the Rotary Club of Grantham, Roger Graves, said: “Thank you to all the corporate sponsors who helped to cover the cost of staging the event. Without their support, the amount going to charities and deserving causes would be considerably reduced.”

Kelly Toms, Sales and Marketing Director at Allison Homes Central, said: “The Swimarathon is a brilliant example of Grantham coming together for a meaningful cause. We were delighted to support this year’s event, and it was wonderful to see so many people taking part. The Rotary Club does fantastic work and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them.”

To find out more about the Rotary Swimarathon, visit https://rotaryswimarathon.org/. 

To find out more about Manthorpe Chase, visit https://allison-homes.co.uk/development/manthorpe-chase/

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Vent-Axia has published an eBook – ‘A Guide to Meeting Part O with Confidence’.

Aimed at UK housebuilders, the publication provides guidance on overheating, helping to identify solutions that balance comfort, compliance, and performance.

As new residential properties have become more thermally efficient, to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions to help meet the 2050 Net-Zero target, they are increasingly prone to overheating. Recognising the seriousness of the issue, the UK government introduced Approved Document O of the Building Regulations in 2021. Vent-Axia’s eBook aims to provide an understanding of the regulation and how and when ventilation can be applied to help mitigate overheating.

Written by Vent-Axia the eBook is designed to help housebuilders tackle overheating in homes as it becomes a recognised industry challenge. Offering housebuilders valuable guidance, the publication clearly provides a wealth of information, including explaining the context of overheating in the UK and why it matters, as well as setting out the requirements needed to comply with Part O and related regulations. The eBook also includes a practical overheating design checklist, and explains how Passivhaus principles affect heating and cooling loads in new-build properties.

Steve Pearce, Product Manager at Vent-Axia, said: “Vent-Axia is keen to support housebuilders as they face the increasing challenge of overheating in new build homes, which is a growing issue as buildings become more airtight and global temperatures continue to rise.

“Our new eBook therefore provides housebuilders with support and advice on how to mitigate overheating risk and comply with Part O and TM59 standards. With an overheating design checklist, DSM practical guidance, and ventilation-integrated cooling advice, the eBook ensures that housebuilders are well equipped to mitigate overheating with ventilation.”

To find out more about the eBook from Vent-Axia, you can download it by signing up for the eBook guide here.

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Apprenticeship students from The City of Liverpool College working with the construction arm of Torus Group have been at the centre of an initiative to reinvest its profits into the communities it serves. 

Profits generated by Housing Maintenance Solutions Ltd (HMS), which is responsible for the repairs and maintenance of homes managed by Torus, enable the Torus Foundation to deliver a wide range of support. This includes community centres, employment and skills programmes, health and wellbeing initiatives, youth activity programmes, and financial and digital inclusion services.

At the beginning of the 2025/26 academic year, HMS recruited more than 30 apprentices covering a range of trades including gas engineering and electrical maintenance as well as enrolling those from The City of Liverpool College studying joinery, plastering, estimating and site management. The intake represents a similar scale of investment in the young people of the Liverpool City Region or those wishing to retrain and change career.

The College supported this recruitment with two full days of interviews at its Vauxhall Road Technology Campus which attracted more than 1,700 local candidates. Following a shortlisting process, 100 attended workshop assessments before the apprentices were offered their places.

HMS has also confirmed that applications for another 30 apprenticeship roles will be opening later this year, for programmes which will start in the 2026/27 academic year, demonstrating the company’s commitment to support newcomers to the industry.

Apprentices within the wider Torus Group will also have the option to attend the College as they learn and work in such areas as its customer hub, safeguarding and domestic abuse support units and the Neighbourhood Officer team who work directly in local communities. Together, these services help tenants not only secure a home, but also thrive in a vibrant, supportive community.

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Aico has announced the expansion of its award winning training courses with the launch of a brand new City & Guilds Assured course: The Connected Home.

The free, full-day course has been specifically designed for landlords and housing professionals. As the housing industry shifts towards data-driven solutions, this session explores how connected home hardware and software can provide meaningful data and actionable insights to strengthen compliance, protect residents, and support informed, proactive decision-making.

The course has been carefully refined through extensive pilot sessions with industry stakeholders, housing professionals, and internal colleagues. Feedback gathered during these sessions has ensured the content is both practical and relevant, with a strong focus on real-world challenges faced by housing providers. As a result, the training has been meticulously tailored to meet the sector’s specific needs, while ensuring attendees remain up to date with the latest technologies in an evolving legislative landscape.

The recent introduction of Awaab’s Law has brought increased attention to indoor air quality, damp and mould, and the importance of proactive property maintenance. With housing legislation evolving rapidly across the UK, connected home technology is becoming an essential tool for housing providers looking to demonstrate compliance, identify issues early, and improve resident outcomes.

Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of:

• Compliance: Navigating differing legislation and regulation across the UK, including Awaab’s Law, and the requirements defined within these documents.
• HomeLINK Technology: A comprehensive overview of the capabilities and benefits of Aico’s Internet of Things technology.
• Data and insights: Leveraging data-driven insights to enhance efficiency, compliance, and awareness, while maintaining responsible data practices.

This course provides a thorough overview of Aico’s Connected Home Solution, covering everything from theory to practical application. Participants will be introduced to the HomeLINK Portal, gaining hands-on insight into how to effectively manage their portfolio and monitor data at scale.

• Navigation: Detailed walkthroughs of the Portal, SmartLINK App and Resident App.
• Management: Using Aico’s Case Management system to assist with proactive maintenance.
• Installation: Technical guidance on system installation and device compatibility.
• Future-proofing: Insight into upcoming developments and technologies.

This City & Guilds Assured course offers housing professionals the opportunity to build confidence in connected home technology while a gaining recognised accreditation that demonstrates commitment to professional development.

To register your interest in this invite-only course, please contact your local Relationship Manager at www.aico.co.uk/contact/

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Zoopla has announced that Taylor Wimpey plc has signed a new contract following a year of strong performance in 2025.

Zoopla delivered a 35% increase in new home buyer leads for Taylor Wimpey over H2 2025. More importantly, Zoopla delivered a sector-leading percentage of leads that converted into reservations, underpinning a strong return on investment for Taylor Wimpey.

As part of the new partnership with Zoopla, all of Taylor Wimpey’s new home developments will continue to list on Zoopla as the homebuilder seeks high-quality buyer leads to support sales rates for its new developments.

This double-digit increase in lead quality and volume is a result of Zoopla’s ongoing investment and innovation in its new homes search experience. This includes a range of enhancements across the Zoopla website to improve the visibility of new homes, as well as promoting the benefits of new homes to prospective home buyers, including search by developer.

Under the ongoing partnership, Zoopla will support Taylor Wimpey with further market data and insights to enable the homebuilder to obtain the best return on investment from its marketing spend. Together, the businesses are also investigating how to leverage Zoopla’s proprietary data to identify and retarget prospective buyers in a smarter way.

Taylor Wimpey already uses Zoopla’s ‘Buyer Insights’ regionally to support land purchase decisions and provide local market insights to support marketing and audience targeting.

Stephen Parker, Head of Digital at Taylor Wimpey, said: “Zoopla is a valued partner and key pillar in our marketing strategy for 2026, with a sector-leading percentage of leads delivered by the property website converting into reservations. This, combined with the quality and quantity of their new home buyer leads drives a strong return on investment.

“This has also been enhanced by improvements across their site and consumer experience, which makes new homes more visible to consumers. New innovations around buyer affordability and new homes selling schemes will open up additional sources of quality buyer leads for our developments.”

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wienerberger UK & Ireland has published Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its UK manufactured brick and roof tiles, supporting customers in their search for transparent and accessible sustainability data.

The publication of factory-level EPDs is the latest step in the company’s sustainability strategy, which outlines the transition to a net-zero emission, nature-positive company.

EPDs are standardised and externally verified documents that set out a product’s environmental impact across its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through the manufacturing, installation, operational and disposal/recycling phases. Increasingly sought-after by specifiers, architects, installers and merchants, they provide data on impacts such as carbon emissions, water use and secondary materials (recycled content).

By accessing the EPDs from the wienerberger website, customers can easily obtain the embodied carbon for wienerberger’s brick and roof tile products and improve the accuracy of their supply chain (Scope 3, Purchased Goods) emissions accounting. The EPDs also enable customers to earn credits for green building certifications such as BREEAM and LEED.

Stephanie Palmer, Head of Sustainability at wienerberger said: “Publishing EPDs for our UK-manufactured bricks and roof tiles empowers our customers to make more informed choices. We’re committed to transparency and accessibility, and have invested a significant amount of time in getting to this point, with comprehensive EPD documents explaining the modelling scenarios we have used.

“Creating EPDs also provides valuable insight into future decarbonisation opportunities for us too. We’ve set ambitious carbon reduction targets for 2026 and 2030 as key milestones to achieving net-zero carbon emissions before 2050.”

She continued: “While we’re proud of the decarbonisation progress we’ve made, we recognise there’s more to do – publishing EPDs is just one of many projects outlined in our Carbon Reduction Plan.  We’ll continue to produce EPDs over the coming years to get full coverage of our core UK and Ireland product range.”

Browse wienerberger’s suite of EPDs and the summary documents for bricks and roof tiles by visiting: www.wienerberger.co.uk/epds

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