Builders risk having sites shut down immediately if they fail to comply with a new ban on the dry cutting of engineered stone, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has warned, as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launches a major inspection drive targeting more than 1,000 sites.

The HSE has declared dry cutting of engineered stone, including popular quartz worktops, unacceptable due to the dangerous levels of silica dust it releases, which can cause silicosis, an incurable and potentially fatal lung disease.

Inspectors are now actively targeting both construction sites and fabrication workshops. Any firm found breaching the rules faces an instant Prohibition Notice, stopping work on the spot.

The FMB says many small builders may be unaware of the scale of the crackdown or the severity of the consequences, with demand for engineered stone continuing to rise as more homeowners renovate.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said: “If you’re caught cutting engineered stone dry, your site could be shut down immediately. This is about preventing life-threatening illness – but it also puts huge pressure on small firms who may not know that the rules have changed. The message is: comply now or risk facing the consequences. There is support for our members on our website. Silicosis is entirely preventable, yet it is still cutting lives short in construction. We have seen the devastating impact of exposure to hazardous materials, with people losing their chance at a healthy retirement due to diseases like mesothelioma. These are avoidable tragedies. No one should be put at risk just for doing their job.”

The FMB is also warning of the financial fallout. For small firms, a site shutdown can trigger missed deadlines, broken contracts and significant financial penalties, costs that can quickly spiral.

Builders are being urged to act immediately and not rely on outdated practices. Even short periods of dry cutting can generate dangerous levels of airborne silica dust.

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A new report commissioned by Berkeley shows that Birmingham is rapidly strengthening its position as one of the UK’s most compelling destinations for property investment. With strong price growth, rising rental demand and billions of pounds of infrastructure investment, Birmingham is set to challenge cities such as Manchester and London.

In fact, the report, commissioned by Berkeley and prepared by PriceHubble, shows that Birmingham is projected to see proportionally more price growth than either city over the next four years, while still retaining its cheaper house pricing.*

The past decade has also shown proportionally more growth: average new-build prices in Birmingham have risen by 57%, significantly outperforming London, where growth has reached 25% over the same period.

Rental performance reflects this demand. Average rents in Birmingham have increased by 37% over the past five years, with a further 14% of growth forecast by 2030. At the same time, average apartment yields have risen significantly, from 4.5% in 2021 to 8.1% in 2026, outperforming both London and Manchester and highlighting the city’s strong income potential for investors.

This growth is being reflected in developments such as Glasswater by Berkeley. The canalside development in Birmingham’s Eastside sits at the heart of Birmingham’s £4 billion Knowledge Quarter, a major innovation district designed to drive long-term economic growth.

The development is also set to benefit from forthcoming HS2, with the new Curzon Street station just a short walk away, a project which is expected to deliver a £10 billion economic boost to the West Midlands by 2034, alongside nearly 31,000 jobs.

In fact, the West Midlands has become the UK’s leading destination for inward investment outside London, securing 130 foreign direct investment projects in 2024–25 alone.

This harmonises with the city’s growing reputation: in 2025 Birmingham was ranked the 13th best city to visit in Europe by Time Out, while the West Midlands welcomed a record 101.5 million visitors in 2024.**

Stephen Kirwan, Managing Director, said, “Birmingham is undergoing a period of sustained transformation, with investment in infrastructure, employment and regeneration driving long-term growth. For buyers and investors, the city offers a compelling combination of strong fundamentals, relative value and future potential, which is increasingly positioning it alongside other major UK cities.”

Reece Parkinson, Founder & Director of Birmingham-based company Swift Property, added, “The market in Birmingham over the past five years has been phenomenal. We’ve seen huge spikes in demand and significant growth over that time.

“With new developments like Glasswater Locks coming on to the Birmingham scene, there’s been a massive boost to the housing quality in the area. As a result, we’ve seen a wider range of purchases being drawn to the city. The high quality and luxury feel of developments like this are significant factors in enhancing the Birmingham rental market and helping the city challenge both London and Manchester.”

Set alongside the Digbeth Canal in the city’s Learning Quarter, Glasswater Locks offers a collection of one- and two-bedroom apartments within a new waterside neighbourhood close to the future HS2 Curzon Street station and Birmingham city centre. The development also boasts a selection of exclusive resident facilities including a new Hyrox gym, cinema and gaming room, lounge and coffee bar as well as a 24 hour concierge.

Prices start from £212,000. For more information, visit Glasswater Locks.

*PriceHubble, Glasswater Locks, Birmingham, April 2026.

**Birmingham is Officially One of the Best Places to Visit in Europe in 2025, According to Time Out

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New mindset needed to protect from water bankruptcy as droughts and temperatures on the rise

Following predictions that Summer 2026 will see droughts in the UK, ACO Technologies is urging those involved in projects that include drainage to ensure they are implementing sustainable practices around water management.

The ongoing climate emergency has seen a drop in April’s rainfall by 23% when compared with the average, and the unusually dry month paves the way for droughts later on in the year.

Longer-term forecasts predict that a “super El Niño” weather pattern will make Summer 2027 the hottest on UK records, which further shows the need for the industry to implement water sustainability best practices as a high priority in every project.

Implementation is complex, however, as the challenge is twofold: that of needing to conserve water in dry spells as well as manage increasing extreme and frequent rainfall events.

ACO advises engineers to adopt a straightforward methodology, keeping four key principles in mind at each stage of their projects:

• Collect: Design drainage collection systems to handle extreme rainfall events (such as 1-in-100-year storm), with additional capacity to reflect future impacts from climate change
• Clean: water must be treated before continuing downstream. Tools such as the Simple Index Approach in the Ciria SuDS manual can help engineers design solutions that remove pollutants including metals and hydrocarbons.
• Hold: Attenuating water on site and releasing it at a controlled rate helps reduce flood risk. This can be achieved through nature‑based solutions (NbSs) such as swales and ponds – supported where needed by engineered attenuation – to ensure reliable performance while delivering biodiversity and amenity benefits.
• Reuse: Blue‑green roofs integrate engineered design with nature‑based solutions, capturing and reusing rainwater to support green infrastructure while delivering predictable, performance‑driven water management. This approach enhances amenity and biodiversity, reduces urban temperatures and mimics natural water cycles.

Terry Wilkinson, Specialist Design & Application Engineer at ACO, said: “We’re seeing more and more examples of extreme weather at both ends of the spectrum. Water stress and water scarcity are eventually going to become water bankruptcy unless large-scale change happens soon. By shifting our mindsets with the way we approach projects to one that prioritises collect, clean, hold, reuse as a guide, we can make sure that we’re looking after the water we have and using it wisely to benefit the environment.”

For more on ACO’s efforts to help the environment, see ACO.co.uk.

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Wrekin Products has become the first civil engineering product manufacturer in the UK to achieve Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) assessed status for its ductile iron range, reinforcing its position as a trusted and transparent partner to the construction sector.

The CCPI is an industry-led initiative developed to raise the standard of product information across the construction industry. Achieving assessed status means Wrekin’s ductile iron product information has been independently assessed against the Code’s requirements, with a focus on the quality and management of that information rather than product performance alone. In practice, this means documentation has been reviewed to provide greater confidence that it is clear, accurate, accessible and up-to-date, as well as structured to support better decision-making across specification, installation and long-term asset management.

Wrekin’s ductile iron range was prioritised internally for assessment because it’s the company’s largest and most safety-critical offering, reflecting a commitment to ensuring that the products most relied upon by specifiers and installers are held to the highest standards of information quality.

John Kiernan, product manager at Wrekin Products, said: “Achieving CCPI assessed status is about more than a mark of quality. It is about giving our customers greater confidence that the information we provide can be trusted. It is very easy for manufacturers to make claims about their products, but being able to back those claims up with independent assessment adds a level of credibility that we believe is increasingly important in this industry. We want customers to know that what we tell them is accurate, consistent and reliable.

“This is an important step forward in how we manage and communicate our product information, and we see it as part of a longer journey. We are committed to continually improving how our product information is presented and maintained, so that we are contributing to higher standards across the construction industry.

“We encourage other manufacturers to explore what CCPI assessment involves. The process itself drives real improvements in how you present and maintain your information, and the benefits go well beyond the accreditation.”

Wrekin’s ductile iron product range includes manhole covers, gully gratings, through to kerb units, surface boxes and accessories, which are used across several sectors such as highways, housing and utilities.

Further information about Wrekin’s CCPI assessed products, including a full product finder, is available at https://www.wrekinproducts.com/ccpi

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The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has released updated figures for its New Entrant Support Team (NEST), showing that between the 2025-26 financial year (FY), NEST supported 5,913 apprentices to join the industry across England, Scotland, and Wales. This represents a 43% increase compared to the previous FY.

Additionally, in the 2025-26 financial year, CITB’s NEST engaged with 20,579 employers to discuss apprenticeship recruitment requirements – 6,559 more than the previous FY, a 47% increase. NEST offers hands-on support to employers to help with recruiting new entrants and apprentices, accessing grants and funding, as well as providing ongoing support and employee mentoring.

CITB’s Construction Workforce Outlook finds that we need over 47,000 extra workers every year to meet demand by 2029. Initiatives such as NEST are in place to help build a sustainable and resilient construction workforce that can fulfil the growing requirements expected of the industry.

To secure its future and deliver on national ambitions, the construction industry must invest more in people, modernise its approach to skills and training, and work collaboratively across sectors.

CITB’s Industry Picture 2026, which explores the challenges and opportunities underpinning the industry, finds that if the construction industry continues with the same approach, it will encounter a widening gap between project demand and its capacity to deliver. That’s why NEST helps simplify the process for employers, in turn helping CITB to support the construction industry to attract talent and champion skills development.

LC Lucas Construction said:

“NEST has allowed us to take on our new apprentice without having the impact of having to pay for the apprenticeship, and it has meant we are now considering employing another one.

“The team was a great support to us in among a minefield of information, I didn’t know where to start but they walked me through everything and ‘kept me right’ every step of the way. They simplified the process for me for which I am very grateful.”

Deb Madden, Executive Director, Customer Engagement and Operations, said:

“It’s great to see our New Entrant Support Team making such a difference and supporting so many employers. NEST helps employers navigate the skills system, making the whole process, from recruitment to retention, easier for employers and new entrants by providing them with practical, hands-on guidance.

“We remain committed to continuing our work in supporting employers to build the resilient and skilled workforce that the construction industry needs.”

Find out more about the New Entrant Support Team (NEST) on the CITB website or contact the team directly:

• Call: 0300 456 6431
• Email: team@citb.co.uk

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Nick Diment, Director, Head of Boyer London & South East discusses the Grey Belt. In a few years the most obvious sites will be used up: what next for large scale development?

Recent data indicates a rise in planning submissions on Green Belt land, reinforced by appeals outcomes and draft NPPF guidance. This suggests that the Green Belt will remain a central focus for development debates in the near term.

The emergence of Grey Belt marks a shift away from the traditional all-or-nothing approach to Green Belt land. By recognising that some areas hold limited environmental or strategic value, it creates political and practical space for housing (and employment) delivery while maintaining the broader appearance of protection.

However, land is in finite supply and whilst the concept of Grey Belt is welcomed, is only a temporary measure. It does not add new land but rather reclassifies it. Inevitably, the most viable opportunities will be exhausted, leaving urban densification, transit-led development, brownfield regeneration, and large new settlements as the ongoing strategies, each with their own challenges.

Limitations of the Grey Belt

In the short term, Grey Belt policy can and is helping unlock housing and employment by releasing the low hanging fruit, sites of lower quality and those which are less constrained.

But its impact can only be temporary. Once these sites are built out, the remaining land is likely to be more complex, constrained and costly to develop, leading to slowing delivery. In that sense, the Grey Belt may ultimately serve less as a solution and perhaps more of a distraction, postponing addressing the all too familiar challenges in the planning system.

Limitations of urban expansion

As outward growth becomes constrained, attention inevitably turns inward. Urban intensification (building more homes within existing settlements) has until relatively recently been presented as a key solution. There is certainly capacity for development on underutilised land and that which is currently low-density development.

However, intensification is not a cure all. It faces constraints ranging from infrastructure capacity and market absorption to local political resistance. Higher-density development can be particularly contentious in suburban areas, where character and amenity are fiercely defended. Moreover, not every location is equally suited to intensified development due to such issues as accessibly and viability, specifically the requirements of the Building Safety Act.

This is not to diminish its importance. Urban intensification has and should continue to play a key role in ensuring land is used efficiently if we are to move towards addressing the UK’s housing crisis. Yet due to the reasons above, it is unlikely to fully replace the need for strategic land release, especially in high-demand areas, unless delivering those urban sites is made easier.

Infrastructure

A persistent weakness in the planning system is the disconnect between land release infrastructure delivery. Development is often opportunity-driven, leaving infrastructure to be delivered piecemeal. This undermines both the sustainability of growth and its timing.

To improve outcomes, infrastructure planning must lead development rather than follow it. Planned investment in transport, energy, and connectivity should guide where and how growth occurs. Achieving this will require a proactive, coordinated role from central government and the new Combined Authorities, giving developers and communities the clarity and confidence to invest in well planned places. Without such a shift, the industry risks remaining reactive, pursuing individual sites rather than delivering coherent, large-scale growth.

Political will

The challenge beyond the Grey Belt is not a shortage of options, but a lack of political clarity and coordination. Mechanisms such as Green Belt review, new settlements, urban intensification and infrastructure-led planning already exist, but delivering them involves difficult trade offs: growth versus protection, local concerns versus national need, short-term pressures versus long-term strategy. The Grey Belt has been instrumental in kickstarting this debate and creating political space for action. Yet it is only a transitional tool, not a lasting solution. Within a few years, the most obvious Grey Belt sites will have been identified, allocated and hopefully, developed. Beyond that point, the pipeline will narrow forcing decisions on the tougher long overlooked urban brownfield sites.

The moment of reckoning

The Government promised to shake up the planning system and it has.  Grey Belt has bought the system time but not provided a long-term answer. Once the easiest sites are developed the industry will be forced to confront choices it has of late deferred.

Addressing what comes next can’t be assigned to the ‘too hard’ to do pile or kicked down the road. It mustn’t be a temporary distraction.  Now is precisely the time we should be looking at how to unlock those long term vacant urban brownfield sites that when delivered, can create truly sustainable communities where people can live, work and play.  If this is not addressed now, we will repeat the same cycle: constrained supply, rising pressure, and increasingly difficult sites, all without a plan for growth.

For more information on Boyer visit Boyer | Planning Consultants – Urban Design – Town Planning Consultant

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One of JCB’s DualDrive backhoe loaders is slashing the time spent on tasks for a Barnsley-based groundworks company.

The JCB 4CX Pro DualDrive model is making short work of a range of tasks including ditching and repositioning on large groundworks projects for Jack Elliott Groundworks Ltd.

Supplied by JCB dealer TC Harrison, the new machine was chosen for its flexibility, versatility and cost effectiveness on site and has already boosted productivity.

Jack Elliott Groundworks Ltd Director, Jack Elliott said: “JCB DualDrive adds value on site in a number of ways. Certainly less fatigue for the operator and a reduction in the amount of time required to do a set task. Repositioning now can be done in a matter of seconds, whereas before you’d be lifting your bucket, spinning your seat around, lifting your stabilisers, driving forward. Now all this operation can be done simultaneously, with 2 or 3 actions happening at the same.

“DualDrive certainly makes the job easier and faster. It has made a great machine even better, bringing time savings, greater comfort and efficiencies across our business. We won’t get another backhoe loader without it.”

Established in 2007, Jack Elliott Groundworks Ltd began with one JCB mini excavator and now operates 12 JCB machines. It offers manned plant hire across South Yorkshire from its company headquarters in Barnsley.

For more information on JCB visit www.jcb.com

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Discounted homes for first-time buyers could hold the key to unlocking thousands of stalled housing sites, according to a new report from Shared Voice, pointing to a clear route to accelerating delivery at a time when viability challenges are holding schemes back.

The report, Using discounted homes for first-time buyers to unlock stalled sites, finds that developments which visibly deliver for local people are far more likely to win backing, with affordability emerging as the single most important factor shaping public support for new housing.

Drawing on a roundtable of senior figures from across the property, planning and development sector, alongside original public opinion research, the report highlights how targeted affordable housing offers can help get schemes moving. Discounted homes for first-time buyers emerge as the most popular tenure with the public.

At a time when thousands of homes are stalled due to viability challenges and a lack of housing association partners, the report argues that discounted market sale homes offer a practical and scalable solution to unblock delivery while building a stronger public mandate for development.

Public support exists but is being missed

Shared Voice’s research reveals a significant gap between how the planning system typically captures public opinion and what communities think.

While traditional engagement often amplifies opposition, more representative approaches show that support for development is far higher, particularly when schemes clearly help local people access home ownership.

Discounted homes sold at a minimum 20% discount to market value and retained in perpetuity are especially well supported by the public.

Wyn Evans, Co-founding Director at Shared Voice, said:

“For too long, the planning system has heard most loudly from those who oppose development, not the silent majority who recognise the need for new homes.

“Our research shows that when people see a clear link between development and helping local people onto the housing ladder, support increases significantly.

“Discounted homes are simple, tangible and directly address the affordability crisis. That’s why they resonate so strongly. They could form a significant part of the affordability mix of greybelt sites and New Towns and could stimulate local public support for those types of applications.

“At Shared Voice, we specialise in uncovering and evidencing that support, giving decision-makers the confidence that proposals have a genuine public mandate.”

Shared Voice’s approach uses representative engagement to generate verified community feedback throughout the planning process helping ensure supportive voices are captured alongside objections. The firm reports that over 80% of schemes it supports receive approval.

A practical route to unlocking stalled sites

The roundtable, chaired by Hashi Mohamed of Landmark Chambers, explored how discounted homes could help address a growing delivery challenge across England.

Hashi Mohamed noted that:

“The system is under real strain, with viability challenges preventing schemes from coming forward. The question is how we find practical solutions that both deliver homes and command public legitimacy. Discounted homes are clearly part of that conversation.”

Annie Gingell, Associate Director at Turley, highlighted the practical advantages of the model:

“Discount market sale homes provide a much-needed response to the acute affordability pressures facing the country, offering a more accessible route into home ownership for many households typically priced out of their local area. By allowing developers to deliver homes directly, without reliance on a Registered Provider, this tenure can help unlock sites that might otherwise stall. Without more sites coming forward at pace, and at a price people can afford, the housing crisis will only deepen.”

Unlike traditional affordable housing models, discounted homes do not require housing association involvement and can be delivered more flexibly — addressing one of the key blockers currently stalling schemes.

From fallback option to mainstream solution

Despite strong public support, the report finds that discounted homes are often treated as a fallback rather than a core part of development strategies.

The report calls for a shift in approach, including:

• Greater policy clarity and national guidance
• Reduced administrative burden on local authorities
• Better alignment of viability and funding mechanisms
• Increased public awareness of the model

Crucially, it argues that developers who clearly demonstrate how schemes will help local first-time buyers can secure stronger community backing and improve their chances of planning approval.

A copy of the report is available to download here: ROUNDTABLE – DMS paper – Shared Voice

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Once, cinema rooms, wine cellars and home gyms were considered luxury home features. Now, the next major trend in prime homes could be the rise of the private longevity spa.

Unlike a standard gym, luxury home spas are designed to support energy, recovery, sleep and long-term health, incorporating technologies such as PEMF mats, cryotherapy chambers, ozone saunas and other recovery-led devices into someone’s home.

Country & Town House has reported that wellness facilities are becoming an expected feature in new luxury homes, rather than an optional extra.

Ralph Montague, longevity expert, author and founder of The Longevity Clinic, also says that he has noticed affluent homeowners and property developers increasingly looking beyond traditional wellness spaces, and toward fully integrated environments.

“A huge shift I’ve noticed in the past two or three years is the number of property professionals looking to incorporate home longevity spas into homes they’re planning to rent out. The percentage increase of property investors and homeowners incorporating home longevity spas compared to those buying machines for wellness spas is huge.

For high-net-worth tenants, wellness is no longer just a lifestyle bonus. It is now becoming part of what makes a property feel genuinely premium. They want homes that aren’t just looking good on the eye, but also support sleep, recovery, energy and long-term health.

“For developers and investors, this is a clear opportunity to stand out in the prime rental market. The next generation of luxury homes will not just be judged by location or design, but by how well they support the way people want to live.”

The Global Wellness Institute reported  that the global wellness real estate market reached $584 billion in 2024, up from $465 billion in 2023, and is forecast to reach $1.1 trillion by 2029.

The organisation also states that wellness real estate is now the fastest-growing sector in the wellness economy and represents around 3.3% of global annual construction output.

This shift is already visible in the luxury property market, with wellness features such as saunas, steam rooms, swimming pools and snow rooms increasingly being built into high-end developments.

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Following the Government’s publication of the final Future Homes Standard (FHS) Approved Documents on March 24, Catnic is urging UK housebuilders to prioritise building fabric performance as the 2027 compliance deadline approaches.

The updated regulations require a 75% reduction in carbon emissions for new homes, placing significant pressure on developers to rethink design and specification strategies.

While much of the industry focus has centred on technologies such as heat pumps and solar PV, Catnic warns that overlooking thermal performance at structural openings could leave projects at risk of non-compliance under the new Home Energy Model (HEM).

The “Invisible” Compliance Gap. As insulation levels in walls and roofs continue to improve, heat loss through steel lintels, known as thermal bridging, remains a key performance challenge. These structural junctions can account for a notable proportion of overall heat if not properly addressed.

Catnic’s Thermally Broken Lintel (TBL) range is built to tackle this issue by providing a continuous thermal break between the inner and outer leaf of cavity walls. This patented technology achieves linear thermal transmittance (psi) values as low as 0.02 W/mK, reducing heat loss through window and door heads by up to 96% compared to standard lintels.

“The finalisation of the Future Homes Standard marks the most significant shift in building regulations for a generation,” says Richard Price, Technical Director at Catnic. “Developers now have exactly 12 months until these rules take effect. Specifying thermally broken lintels helps maximise the fabric performance of the building, minimising the reliance on more complex and expensive bolt-on renewable technologies.”

Sustainability at the Core Catnic’s approach to compliance is supported by its wider sustainability commitments, including recycling 100% of its ferrous scrap and working towards eliminating unavoidable site waste to landfill by 2030.

The company says this ensures the products supporting the UK’s transition to lower-carbon homes are manufactured with reduced environmental impact.

For more information on achieving FHS compliance or to use the Catnic PSI Value Calculator, visit PSI Value Calculator for Thermal Performance | Catnic

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