Morrisons is exploring a potential £1bn property financing deal as it looks to strengthen its position in an increasingly competitive grocery market. According to reports in a leading financial news outlet, the Bradford-based supermarket group has appointed property advisory firm CBRE to assess options for raising funds secured against part
GMI Construction Group has started preparatory works ahead of a £30m renovation and restoration of Huddersfield’s landmark George Hotel. The Grade II* listed building, which has stood empty since 2013, is being transformed into a 108-room hotel featuring a bar, restaurant, gym and conference facilities. Located opposite Huddersfield railway station,
Telford Living has submitted plans for a 520-bed purpose-built student accommodation scheme in East London’s Bethnal Green. The UK residential arm of CBRE-owned Trammell Crow Company has lodged a planning application with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for the development on the former LEB Building site off Cambridge Heath
Barratt Homes is set to launch its first homes at Chaulden Meadows in Long Chaulden, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, on 21st February. The housebuilder’s first phase will bring 155 homes to the development, following a successful launch by David Wilson Homes in late 2025. The launch will comprise two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, alongside
As chapmanbdsp moves into 2026, the consultancy reflects on a year of strong development throughout 2025, with significant growth in its data centre and mission-critical business, including the doubling of its specialist team and the securing of a substantial pipeline of confirmed projects. Over the past 12 months, the consultancy
MORRO Partnerships, the Midlands-based developer committed to delivering affordable and socially impactful homes, has announced the appointment of new land director Vinay Vadgama, as the business strengthens its strategic growth plans across the region. Vinay brings over a decade of experience in the construction and development sector, specialising in land
Building services specialist TClarke has outlined plans to surpass £1bn in annual revenue as it reshapes its leadership team to support the next stage of expansion. Group chief executive Mark Lawrence confirmed the ambition while announcing that three senior managing directors will join the board of TClarke Contracting from March.
Morrisons is exploring a potential £1bn property financing deal as it looks to strengthen its position in an increasingly competitive grocery market. According to reports in a leading financial news outlet, the Bradford-based supermarket group has appointed property advisory firm CBRE to assess options for raising funds secured against part of its substantial freehold store portfolio. Sources indicate that discussions remain at an early stage and are unlikely to centre on a traditional sale-and-leaseback arrangement of the kind widely used by major grocers in previous decades. Instead, one option under consideration is a medium- to long-term borrowing facility secured against a selection of Morrisons supermarkets. While any transaction could potentially raise up to £1bn, neither the final structure nor the scale of a deal has been confirmed. Morrisons operates around 500 supermarkets across the UK and employs approximately 95,000 people. The business was taken private in 2021 by US buyout firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in a deal valued at close to £10bn including debt. Since then, performance has been mixed. Aldi overtook Morrisons last year to become the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket by sales, intensifying pressure on the chain to regain lost ground to competitors such as Sainsbury’s and Aldi. In 2023, Morrisons appointed Rami Baitieh, formerly of Carrefour, as chief executive in a bid to drive a turnaround strategy. One of Morrisons’ distinguishing features is its extensive property ownership. The company holds the freehold on roughly 80% of its store estate, one of the highest proportions in the sector. Industry sources suggest that releasing £1bn through either a sale-and-leaseback or a leverage-based structure would still leave the business with about 60% of its stores in full ownership. The supermarket has also been steadily reducing the debt taken on during the 2021 acquisition, with roughly £1bn of takeover financing reportedly still outstanding. During the competitive bidding battle for Morrisons, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice committed to limiting major disposals of store freeholds for a defined period. Since then, most real estate activity has focused on non-store assets. In 2024, the company entered into a partnership with investment firm Song Capital, which paid £370m for the right to receive income from 75 Morrisons supermarkets over a 45-year period. Alongside Asda, Morrisons is one of the UK’s major grocers now under private equity ownership. Asda is owned by TDR Capital, with former parent Walmart retaining a minority financial stake. Last month, Morrisons reported what it described as strong Christmas trading results. Rami Baitieh said the 2024/25 financial year marked another period of renewal and modernisation, highlighting twelve consecutive quarters of like-for-like sales growth, stable EBITDA and maintained market share despite challenging economic conditions. Morrisons declined to comment on the prospect of a property financing deal. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
GMI Construction Group has started preparatory works ahead of a £30m renovation and restoration of Huddersfield’s landmark George Hotel. The Grade II* listed building, which has stood empty since 2013, is being transformed into a 108-room hotel featuring a bar, restaurant, gym and conference facilities. Located opposite Huddersfield railway station, the prominent site occupies a key position on St George’s Square. Once completed, the revitalised hotel will be operated by Radisson Hotel Group under its Radisson Red brand, marking the first Radisson Red hotel in Yorkshire. GMI has been involved in the project for the past two years, working alongside Kirklees Council, which acquired the property in August 2020. A central challenge has been striking the right balance between safeguarding the building’s historic character and ensuring its long-term commercial viability. Revised proposals secured approval in October 2025 as part of the Huddersfield Blueprint regeneration programme, clearing the way for main construction works to commence. The scheme will retain and restore the hotel’s distinctive stone façade, preserving its historic frontage onto St George’s Square. At the rear, two additional storeys of accommodation will be added in a design intended to complement rather than compete with the original architecture. Ed Weston, GMI’s regional director for Yorkshire, said the company was proud to deliver a landmark project that restores a significant part of Huddersfield’s heritage while contributing to long-term economic growth and community renewal. He noted that the transformation reflects a commitment to careful, high-quality delivery that respects the building’s historic importance. Councillor Graham Turner, Kirklees Council’s cabinet member for finance and regeneration, described the scheme as one of the flagship projects within the Huddersfield Blueprint. He said the George Hotel acts as a gateway building into the town centre and, once refurbished, will help strengthen the local economy while offering visitors a prime place to stay. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Telford Living has submitted plans for a 520-bed purpose-built student accommodation scheme in East London’s Bethnal Green. The UK residential arm of CBRE-owned Trammell Crow Company has lodged a planning application with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for the development on the former LEB Building site off Cambridge Heath Road. Designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, the proposed scheme will comprise a mix of cluster flats and self-contained studios, alongside dedicated student amenity space. Plans also include ground-floor community space and affordable retail units, shaped by pre-application discussions with local stakeholders. Alex Taylor, head of Telford Living, said there is clear and well-documented demand for dedicated student accommodation in this part of Tower Hamlets, given its proximity to major universities and strong transport links. He added that the 520 high-quality PBSA units would help meet this need while delivering a carefully considered building designed to integrate positively with the surrounding neighbourhood and contribute to wider regeneration benefits. The submission follows extensive pre-application engagement with both Tower Hamlets and the Greater London Authority. Telford Living is seeking to unlock another tightly constrained urban site at a time when funding pressures and viability challenges across the capital continue to intensify. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Barratt Homes is set to launch its first homes at Chaulden Meadows in Long Chaulden, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, on 21st February. The housebuilder’s first phase will bring 155 homes to the development, following a successful launch by David Wilson Homes in late 2025. The launch will comprise two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, alongside two-bedroom apartments. A further 65 affordable homes will be delivered through schemes such as shared ownership and social rent, delivered by a Registered Provider. The first residents are expected to move in this summer. Hemel Hempstead is a strategic development location in the Home Counties and was designated as a ‘New Town’ in 1947. The Government has renewed its focus on how New Towns can support housing delivery and economic growth, and Chaulden Meadows will contribute to meeting local housing targets while bringing forward new community infrastructure for the area. Alongside new homes, Chaulden Meadows includes plans for a 70-bedroom care home, 7,500 sq ft of retail space, a community hall and a nursery. Wider works will include new access roads, public open space, children’s play areas and sustainable drainage measures. Section 106 contributions from the overall development totalling more than £12.6m will support investment in local services and facilities, including education, healthcare, transport, sports provision and open space. Over the span of the project, Chaulden Meadows will provide 1,100 new homes in Hemel Hempstead, ranging from one to five-bedroom homes. Affordable housing will make up 40% of the overall delivery, equating to 440 homes. Marc Woolfe, Sales and Marketing Director at Barratt North Thames, comments: “Chaulden Meadows represents an important next chapter for Hemel Hempstead. It brings much-needed new homes to the area, including affordable housing, alongside infrastructure that will support both residents and the wider community. “As one of the original post-war New Towns, Hemel Hempstead has a strong legacy of connected neighbourhoods and community-focused designs. We’re proud to build on that heritage with homes that reflect the character of West Hemel, using red and buff brick and traditional gable-fronted elevations, creating a development that will serve the area for years to come.” Two, three and four-bedroom homes are currently available at Chaulden Meadows. To find out more about Chaulden Meadows or Barratt Homes, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or call 0333 355 8501. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
As chapmanbdsp moves into 2026, the consultancy reflects on a year of strong development throughout 2025, with significant growth in its data centre and mission-critical business, including the doubling of its specialist team and the securing of a substantial pipeline of confirmed projects. Over the past 12 months, the consultancy has exceeded internal expectations, the project pipeline includes a number of data hall fast track fit-outs to design and build Data Centres. This performance has enabled chapmanbdsp to secure around two-thirds of its data centre budget for the next financial year well ahead of schedule, underlining continued client confidence in a competitive and fast-moving market To support this expansion, chapmanbdsp has increased its dedicated data centre team by 100% in a single year, growing from nine to more than 18 specialists. Further growth is anticipated as workload increases in 2026, with the business maintaining a strong focus on technical capability and experience. The firm has also begun to extend its reach beyond the UK. Alongside a growing portfolio of major domestic projects, chapmanbdsp has delivered its first data centre project in the Middle East and is actively pursuing further opportunities in the region. David Gallagher, chapmansbdsp’s Director, Mission Critical,comments: “Data centre demand is rising fast, but only organisations with access to specialist expertise can deliver today’s increasingly complex projects. Our focus has been on building the right team, securing the right work and positioning ourselves where technical expertise and early engagement add the greatest value.” The firm operates primarily within the mid-range data centre market, typically delivering schemes between 10MW and 100MW, while also supporting contractors with detailed design, technical reviews and assurance at later stages of delivery. With further work in the pipeline over the coming months and new teams planned to support international growth, chapmanbdsp is entering the next phase of its expansion with a measured and sustainable approach. “The growth of our data centre team over the past year has been really exciting to be part of. As we enter into 2026, we’re looking forward to being out in the market at key industry events such as Datacloud and Data Centre World, catching up with clients, connecting with peers, and continuing the conversations that are shaping the future of the sector.” Abdul Solangi – Technical Director Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
MORRO Partnerships, the Midlands-based developer committed to delivering affordable and socially impactful homes, has announced the appointment of new land director Vinay Vadgama, as the business strengthens its strategic growth plans across the region. Vinay brings over a decade of experience in the construction and development sector, specialising in land acquisition, mixed-tenure housing and partnership-led developments. His career has combined technical expertise with a passion for creating lasting social value in the communities his projects serve. He has previously led the acquisition of strategic brownfield and greenfield sites across the Midlands, forming key relationships with local authorities and housing associations to deliver ambitious developments. In his new role, Vinay will lead Morro’s land acquisition programme, working closely with housing associations, local authorities and landowners to identify and progress opportunities that meet the needs of both the business and the communities it serves. His role will ensure that every site brought forward is suitable for development and delivers tangible social benefit. Speaking on his new role, Vinay said: “Every site we acquire is an opportunity to give people the chance to be housed who otherwise wouldn’t be, and to make a meaningful difference in the community. Morro’s ambition and focus on putting communities first made it a compelling opportunity for me, and I’m thrilled to be joining the business at such a pivotal time in its growth.” Matt Moore, CEO at Morro, said: “Vinay’s expertise in land acquisition and partnership working makes him a perfect fit for Morro’s growth ambitions. He understands that our partners are always front of mind and shares our commitment to creating social value through development. We are confident that his leadership will help us deliver more homes that meet the needs of the Midlands’ communities.” Vinay joins Morro alongside new land manager Alex Loumidis, as it continues to strengthen its presence in the Midlands, reinforcing its reputation as a developer of choice for partners and communities alike. For more information, visit: https://morropartnerships.co.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Building services specialist TClarke has outlined plans to surpass £1bn in annual revenue as it reshapes its leadership team to support the next stage of expansion. Group chief executive Mark Lawrence confirmed the ambition while announcing that three senior managing directors will join the board of TClarke Contracting from March. Clive Carr, managing director for built environment, Lee Crozier, managing director for data centres and infrastructure, and Chris Harris, managing director for UK North, will step up to board level. They will join Mark Lawrence, finance director Jon Farrell, commercial managing director Garry Julyan and systems director Andy Griffiths. The appointments coincide with the retirement of long-serving director Mike Crowder, who joined the business in 1987. Lawrence said the £1bn revenue target reflects growing confidence in TClarke’s scale, market position and sector expertise. He noted that previous ambitions to grow the business by 50 per cent had already been achieved and exceeded, positioning the company strongly for further expansion. TClarke was acquired two years ago by Regent, the business gas supplier and connections specialist, in a £90m deal that attracted coverage from leading national business media. The company’s most recent results, covering a 15-month period, delivered pro-rata revenue of £677m over 12 months and generated pre-tax profit of approximately £13m. Lawrence said the latest board changes form part of long-term succession planning and will help guide the company towards its £1bn turnover objective. He added that Carr, Crozier and Harris bring significant leadership experience and deep operational knowledge, further strengthening the board as TClarke continues to expand. The move is also expected to create new development opportunities across the business as it enters its next phase of strategic growth. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals