Grainger has reported continued strong demand across its Build to Rent (BTR) portfolio as the UK’s largest listed residential landlord advances a development pipeline that includes its newly approved 425-home Cambridge North Residential Quarter. The FTSE 250 property company’s latest trading update, covering the 11 months to the end of August 2026, showed occupancy remaining above 96%, alongside like-for-like BTR rental growth of 3%. Grainger now owns and manages more than 11,000 rental homes across the UK and remains focused on expanding its purpose-built rental portfolio. A significant development milestone during the period was planning approval for Cambridge North Residential Quarter, which will become Grainger’s first investment in Cambridge. The 425-home scheme is being brought forward on railway land adjacent to Cambridge North station through blocwork, the joint venture between Network Rail property company Platform4 and developer bloc. Grainger is lined up to forward fund the development and, once completed, will operate and manage the new rental homes. The project will provide a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments within a new residential neighbourhood designed to take advantage of its highly connected location. The wider proposals include linear parks, pocket gardens, tree-lined streets and active ground-floor uses, with walking, cycling and public transport forming an important part of the development strategy. Franklin Ellis Architects is involved in the design of the Cambridge North Residential Quarter, which forms part of the continuing transformation of land surrounding the station. The Cambridge investment reflects Grainger’s wider strategy of targeting well-connected UK cities where demand for professionally managed rental housing is supported by employment, transport infrastructure and constrained housing supply. Grainger is also progressing another partnership opportunity with Platform4 and blocwork in Nottingham, where a planning application has been submitted for a further 252 BTR homes. Alongside development activity, Grainger is targeting significant earnings growth from its committed BTR pipeline. Chief executive Helen Gordon said the company remains on track to grow earnings by 35% between FY25 and FY29, supported by new Build to Rent developments moving into operation. The company is simultaneously progressing an accelerated disposal programme covering approximately £850 million of non-core assets, while targeting a £300 million to £350 million reduction in net debt by the end of FY29. With high occupancy, continued rental growth and new developments advancing through planning, Grainger’s latest update highlights the growing maturity of the UK BTR sector. Cambridge North is particularly significant, combining institutional investment, residential development and transport-led regeneration to create a substantial new rental community in one of the UK’s strongest regional property markets. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Watkin Jones has completed two major Build to Rent (BTR) developments during its 2026 financial year, marking further progress for the residential developer as it continues to deliver large-scale schemes despite challenging market conditions. The completions represent another important milestone for Watkin Jones, which has established a significant presence across the UK’s purpose-built rental and student accommodation sectors. Among the developer’s major BTR projects is Loftlines, a significant residential development that forms part of the wider regeneration of Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. The project demonstrates the scale and ambition of the purpose-built rental schemes now being delivered in major UK cities, combining new homes with the amenity-led approach increasingly associated with modern BTR development. Watkin Jones has also progressed its Tai Afon BTR development in Cardiff, adding further purpose-built rental accommodation to its portfolio and strengthening the company’s presence within the residential market. The latest completions arrive against a demanding backdrop for the UK development sector. Higher construction costs, financing pressures and changing investment conditions have all influenced the pace at which new residential projects can be funded and brought forward. Despite these challenges, BTR continues to represent an important area of activity within the UK housing market, supported by demand for professionally managed rental accommodation and continued institutional interest in residential property. For the wider construction and built environment industry, the delivery of major BTR developments also creates opportunities across a substantial supply chain. Large schemes require expertise spanning main contracting and structural construction through to façades, M&E services, fit-out, landscaping and public realm, before moving into long-term property and facilities management following completion. Watkin Jones’ latest progress therefore provides another indication of the continued evolution of the UK BTR sector, particularly in regional cities where large residential developments are increasingly becoming an important component of wider regeneration strategies. With two major BTR schemes reaching completion during FY26, Watkin Jones continues to demonstrate its ability to take substantial residential developments through construction and into operation while navigating a more challenging development and investment environment. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Plans for the £2 billion Vauxhall Square regeneration have secured approval, paving the way for one of London’s most ambitious new mixed-use developments and a substantial new pipeline of Build to Rent (BTR), co-living, student and conventional housing. The major scheme will transform a long-stalled 1.49-hectare site between Vauxhall and Nine Elms with a cluster of seven buildings, including a landmark 69-storey residential tower that will become a significant addition to the south London skyline. At the heart of the proposals is a diverse residential offer. Vauxhall Square is expected to provide approximately 1,097 new homes, including properties for sale and rent, alongside 1,164 co-living studios and accommodation for 699 students. The housing mix will also include affordable provision and homes for social rent. The scale of the project makes it particularly significant for London’s evolving BTR and wider living sectors. Rather than concentrating on a single residential tenure, the development brings conventional housing, professionally managed rental accommodation, co-living and purpose-built student accommodation together within one major regeneration project. Vauxhall Square is being brought forward by Cedarstone Capital Partners and Cheyne Capital alongside GFH Financial Group, with Bmor and Trigon acting as development managers. Pilbrow & Partners is leading the architectural design of the new masterplan, replacing the earlier Allies and Morrison proposals for the site. The wider professional team includes Gardiner & Theobald on costs, AKT II as structural engineer, Hoare Lea on building services and Exterior Architecture as landscape architect. DP9 is planning consultant, Velocity is advising on transport, while Publica and Space Syntax are involved in the public realm strategy. Beyond housing, Vauxhall Square is designed as a genuinely mixed-use neighbourhood. Plans incorporate a hotel, offices, retail and leisure space, a cinema and community facilities, with a new central garden forming an important focal point for the development. Ground-floor uses and new pedestrian connections are intended to create a more active public realm and improve links towards Vauxhall Station and neighbouring developments. The project is also significant because it unlocks a major site that has remained largely undeveloped despite previous planning permissions. The latest proposals respond to changing housing and investment conditions by increasing density while introducing a much broader range of residential tenures. For the construction sector, a £2 billion development of this scale represents a substantial future pipeline spanning high-rise construction, façades, structural engineering, M&E, residential fit-out, landscaping and public realm. Vauxhall Square could now become a defining part of the wider Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea regeneration story, while demonstrating how BTR, co-living, student housing and affordable homes can form part of a single large-scale urban neighbourhood. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

One of east London’s largest regeneration projects has taken a major step forward after City Hall approved plans for nearly 3,000 homes on the former Beckton Gasworks site in Newham. The Beckton Riverside development is being brought forward by St William, part of Berkeley Group, and will transform around 30 acres of derelict former industrial land on the north bank of the River Thames. The gasworks closed in the 1960s and the complexity of the contaminated site means substantial remediation and infrastructure investment will be required before large-scale housebuilding can begin. Newham Council had previously resolved to approve the proposals, but the applications were called in by the Mayor of London in April. Following a public hearing, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills Jules Pipe has now approved the scheme. At the heart of the masterplan are around 2,900 new homes, together with approximately 5,000 sq m of mixed-use floorspace and a five-acre riverside park. The first phase will include buildings rising to 15 storeys. Berkeley is expected to invest around £250 million in remediation, enabling works and infrastructure to prepare the former gasworks for redevelopment. The initial programme will involve a major clean-up of the heavily contaminated site alongside work to strengthen flood defences and upgrade local infrastructure. Architecture and masterplanning is being led by JTP, with HTA involved as landscape architect. The professional team also includes Quod as planning consultant, Vectos on transport and GIA as daylight consultant. A major component of the wider vision is improved connectivity. The masterplan has been developed around proposals for a new Beckton Riverside DLR station, forming part of Transport for London’s planned extension from Gallions Reach through Beckton Riverside and beneath the Thames to Thamesmead. The transport project remains subject to funding and further approvals. The regeneration will also open up a substantial stretch of the Thames waterfront, with JTP’s plans incorporating new streets, walking and cycling connections and extensive green infrastructure alongside the new riverside park. Affordable housing has been one of the more closely scrutinised elements of the project. City Hall documents put the initial provision at 8.1% by habitable room, with the potential to rise to as much as 20% if housing grant funding is secured. Dean Summers, managing director of St James & St William, described the approval as a significant step forward for the complex, long-term regeneration site. Construction could begin in 2028, with the first homes expected to complete from 2030. Before then, the scale of the £250 million enabling programme underlines the engineering challenge involved in transforming decades-old contaminated industrial land into an entirely new residential neighbourhood. For Berkeley and St William, Beckton Riverside represents a major long-term development opportunity. For east London, it could unlock a previously inaccessible section of the Thames and create a new mixed-use community at the heart of the wider Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside regeneration area. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals