Parkhead Hub Officially Opens as Scotland’s Largest Integrated Health and Social Care Facility
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), in partnership with Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), Glasgow City Council, and Glasgow Life, is proud to announce the official opening of the Parkhead Hub, a landmark £67 million health, social care, and community facility in the heart of Glasgow’s East End. The Hub was formally opened today (8th December 2025) by First Minister John Swinney, who unveiled a commemorative plaque and joined local stakeholders, staff, and community representatives to celebrate the occasion. The event also honoured the late John Ferguson, a much-respected community campaigner, by naming the main conference room in his memory. Parkhead Hub brings together a wide range of services previously spread across nine different sites, creating a single, modern building that acts as a central point of care, support, and community activity. The facility co-locates GP practices, community pharmacy, dental services, children’s services, adult and older people’s social care, mental health teams, addictions support, homelessness and justice services, sexual health, and health-improvement teams. Community amenities include a relocated library, café, flexible meeting rooms, training spaces, and areas for third-sector groups. Since opening to the public in January 2025, Parkhead Hub has been widely recognised for its innovation, design quality, and community impact. It is Scotland’s largest primary care facility and the first net-zero-in-operation building for the NHS Board, setting a new benchmark for sustainability and community benefit. The project delivered over £19.5 million in social value locally, including apprenticeships, support for SMEs, and community projects. The Hub has received multiple national honours, including Public Sector Project of the Year (UK) at the RICS Awards 2025, Project of the Year – New Build (UK) at the Design in Mental Health Awards 2025, Glasgow Institute of Architects Awards for Best Healthcare Project, Best Sustainability Project, and Supreme Award, and Building Better Healthcare Awards: Gold Award for Patient’s Choice and Silver Awards for Best External Environment/Landscaping and Best Healthcare Development (£25–£75m). John Swinney, the First Minister of Scotland, said: “Our plan to improve our NHS is working – long waits of over 52 weeks have fallen for five consecutive months, the number of operations performed are at their highest since January 2020 and GP numbers continue to rise. “We know there is more to do to ensure people get the help they need when they need it. That’s we are focused on shifting how care is delivered, moving from acute settings in hospitals to community settings like the Parkhead Hub. “The Hub, supported by £67 million Scottish Government funding, is an excellent example of how we are delivering health and social care services in a more convenient way- with general practice, community pharmacy, mental health services and homelessness support in one place. “This kind of whole family support – bringing together all the services people need under one roof – will be key in ensuring that people get the care and support they need from the NHS in their local community.” Dr Lesley Thomson KC, Chair of NHSGGC, said: “Parkhead Hub marks a step-change in how we deliver health and social care, bringing services together to better support communities and reflecting our Transforming Together vision of care closer to home. “This achievement is the result of incredible collaboration across public, third-sector and community partners. Scotland’s largest primary care facility and our first net-zero building, Parkhead Hub sets a new benchmark for integrated care.” Councillor Chris Cunningham, Glasgow City Council’s Convener for Health, Care and Caring, and Older People, said: “The new Parkhead Hub is, without doubt, an outstanding facility for the north-east of the city. “It’s our ambition that everyone in Glasgow has the opportunity to lead healthier and more fulfilled lives and with the vast range of facilities and services now under one roof, we can help achieve that. “As Scotland’s largest health and social care centre, the Parkhead Hub is a fine example of co-locating services and partnership working. It’s a one-stop shop for residents to access services from a range of organisations including the city council, Glasgow Life, NHS and the health and social care partnership.” Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life and Convenor for Culture, Sport and International Relations, said: “The opening of the Parkhead Hub has provided the local area with a new and more accessible library, which is proving popular with the whole community. Our Parkhead Library team has been thrilled to welcome so many new and familiar faces into its modern surroundings over the past year. We look forward to welcoming and supporting even more people at Parkhead Library in the years to come.” For more information about the Parkhead Hub and its services, visit: Parkhead Hub | Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Public Invited to Shape Ambitious Mix Manchester Airport Campus
Local residents, businesses and stakeholders are being asked to share their views on the first phase of Mix Manchester, the UK’s pioneering airport-based science, innovation and manufacturing campus. A six-week public consultation opens today, Monday 8 December 2025, marking the latest step towards creating a major new employment hub next to Manchester Airport. The plans are being developed by a joint venture between Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG), Manchester Airports Group (MAG), Manchester City Council (MCC) and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF). A final planning application is expected to be submitted to Manchester City Council in early 2026. Phase one proposes 6,750 square metres of mid-tech space across three buildings, offering a total of 11 workspaces alongside a dedicated amenity area. The early stage of the project will also include a multi-storey car park with commercial space at ground level. The application will take the form of a hybrid submission, seeking full planning permission for the initial mid-tech units and the multi-storey car park, while also securing outline consent for later phases. These future phases could deliver more than 100,000 square metres of flexible hybrid commercial space designed for medium and large-scale manufacturing. Emily Fleet, development manager for Mix Manchester, emphasised the importance of community involvement in shaping the project. She said:“As planning for Mix Manchester progresses, it’s vital that residents, local businesses and key stakeholders help inform our vision. This is a hugely significant development for Greater Manchester, backed by a strong joint venture, supported by the Council and aided by central government funding. We urge people to share their perspectives and help bring this project forward.” Details of the proposals and information on how to take part in the consultation can be found at www.mix-manchester.com/consultation Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
London Set for an Office Revival – If Planning Rules Keep Up
London could be on the brink of a major office construction surge, with developers arguing that the right conditions are finally lining up – provided the planning system becomes more flexible. Fresh analysis from the London Property Alliance and Knight Frank suggests that modernising the capital’s ageing office stock could generate an £84 billion economic uplift and release £262 billion in investment value. Their new report, Space for Change: Office space dynamics in central London, highlights the scale of the challenge: between 2018 and 2023, London’s central activities zone (broadly the area covered by Underground zone 1) lost around 14 million square feet of office space. Over the next five years, the capital is expected to face an 11 million square foot shortfall. Much of the existing stock is no longer fit for purpose. The report notes that 56% of central London offices – around 147 million square feet – are rated as secondary space, offering ageing, lower-quality environments that will fall short of mandatory sustainability requirements by 2030. As a result, upgrading or redeveloping these buildings is becoming increasingly urgent. Vacancy rates for prime space have tightened considerably. Availability of top-tier offices is near historic lows, with just 0.8% of prime and 1.7% of Grade A space currently unoccupied. Only a dozen very large single-floor offices above 40,000 square feet – the sort favoured by major firms consolidating staff – are on the market. Demand from occupiers is strong. Companies are actively searching for 10 million square feet of space, around 7% above the long-term average, propelled chiefly by financial and professional services firms. While 15.4 million square feet of new offices are due to complete between 2025 and 2029, a significant share is already pre-let or situated outside the high-demand areas of the City and West End. This pipeline not only falls short of replacing space lost since 2018, it also fails to meet current or future requirements. Representing central London’s leading developers and investors, the London Property Alliance is calling for a shift in approach, arguing that major office projects should be treated as essential economic infrastructure. They say planning and regulatory processes should be streamlined to improve development viability. Developers report that viability is one of the biggest barriers they face, made worse by a complex and often costly planning framework. They want planning authorities to simplify regulations, reduce obligations and lower the financial burden placed on new schemes. Ross Sayers, chair of the City Property Association and head of development management at Landsec, noted that rising construction, labour and finance costs, combined with growing planning obligations, are putting many projects under pressure. He stressed the need for collaborative, pragmatic solutions to ensure central London remains a world-class business hub. James Raynor, chair of the Westminster Property Association and chief executive of Grosvenor Property, warned that ageing office stock threatens future supply without intervention. He believes that modernising these buildings through flexible, forward-looking planning policies could unlock significant economic growth while supporting net-zero goals and local communities. Shabab Qadar, Knight Frank’s head of central London research and author of the report, described a systemic problem in the office market: demand for high-quality space continues to rise, but supply cannot keep up as buildings are repurposed and planning hurdles restrict redevelopment. He argues that the case for upgrading London’s older office stock has never been stronger. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Outlet Shopping at The O2 drives expansion with new fit-outs and store upgrades
Outlet Shopping at The O2 is closing out 2025 with a strong development push, securing a series of new lettings, first-time outlet formats and significant store upgrades across the scheme. Leading the latest wave of activity is Lovisa, which is making its debut in the outlet sector. The jewellery brand has taken a 1,722 sq ft unit positioned between Dune London and Kurt Geiger. The new store will be fully fitted out to showcase Lovisa’s complete range of necklaces, earrings and rings, and will incorporate a dedicated area for piercing services. Also joining the line-up in its first outlet location is British heritage menswear brand T.M. Lewin. The retailer is set to broaden the menswear offer at The O2 with a new 1,827 sq ft unit, designed to accommodate its core formal and businesswear ranges. The Entertainer has opened its first outlet store in London within a 2,121 sq ft space at The O2. The new fit-out has been configured to house a wide selection of leading toy and games brands including LEGO, Barbie, Disney and Nintendo, reinforcing the scheme’s family offer. Adding a distinctive new concept to the tenant mix, art toy retailer POP MART has delivered a ‘roboshop’ adjacent to Mint Café. The installation brings POP MART’s vending machine model to an outlet environment for the first time, providing an automated retail unit designed to tap into the growing popularity of the ‘blind box’ format and offer a compact, high-impact addition to the mall. In a further vote of confidence, long-standing tenant New Balance is reinvesting in its presence at The O2. The sportswear brand is upsizing into a 3,129 sq ft unit that will be completely refurbished to showcase its latest global store concept, enhancing merchandising capacity and improving the overall customer journey. These construction, fit-out and expansion moves follow a strong trading period for Outlet Shopping at The O2, which recorded a 23% uplift in sales in November compared with 2024, alongside a 24% increase in footfall across the scheme. Louisa Dalgleish, leasing director at Outlet Shopping at The O2, said:“As a destination already anchored by leading retail brands, the fact that we continue to secure high-profile outlet debuts underlines the strength and momentum of the scheme. Our performance is driven by a collaborative landlord approach and a carefully curated tenant mix. The positive results throughout November demonstrate that demand remains robust, and Outlet Shopping at The O2 is firmly on the radar for brands looking to enter or expand within the outlet market.” This latest round of lettings and store investments follows the announcement that Guinness World Records will open its first permanent entertainment venue in the UK at The O2 in late 2026, in a 25,000 sq ft unit that will undergo a major fit-out to deliver an immersive experience. KLM and CBRE act as leasing agents for Outlet Shopping at The O2. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Groundbreaking ceremony marks major step forward in Wrexham AFC’s new Kop Stand redevelopment
Wrexham AFC have officially broken ground on the redevelopment of the Kop Stand at the STōK Cae Ras, marking the beginning of the full construction phase of one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the Club’s history. The ceremony, held on 4 December brought together representatives from the Club, Wrexham County Borough Council, McLaren Construction Midlands and North, the Welsh Government, Wrexham University alongside wider stakeholders from the Wrexham Gateway Partnership. The groundbreaking is a landmark moment in the long-awaited return of the Kop Stand and signals the transition from extensive early site preparation to the main build programme. The new stand, set for completion during the 2026/27 season, will restore the stadium to a four-sided configuration, increase capacity to just over 18,000 and enable the STōK Cae Ras to achieve UEFA Category 4 compliance. Since McLaren Construction’s appointment under a Pre-Construction Services Agreement earlier this year, the project team has completed a comprehensive suite of enabling works to prepare the historic site for full construction. These works have included establishing the early-phase compound and welfare facilities, completing the reduced-level dig and stabilised construction platform, installing the piling mat, relocating and upgrading hoarding, forming a permanent safe walkway from the Wrexham Lager Stand, creating construction access routes and crane platforms and commencing the piling operations that will continue into the early new year. Delivery of the main site offices and welfare accommodation has also been completed ahead of the full construction programme progressing. The project will now move into its principal construction period, with the breakout piles, casting of foundations all commencing through December and into January, and the start of reinforced concrete lift cores, that will support the new structural steel frame along with the foundation. Work will also progress on internal service ducting, drainage and preparation of the main ground floor slab. In early 2026, slip formed reinforced concrete cores will be constructed to provide stability for the roof structure. The steel frame, which comprises approximately 1,500 tonnes of steel including major long-lead tubular truss sections, is scheduled to begin rising from early spring. Installation of precast concrete terrace units will follow before roofing and façade works, internal fit-out and systems installation continue through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. The project team has worked closely with partners to address the complexities of building a major new stand within a live, operational and historically sensitive stadium environment. A detailed sequencing strategy has been developed to manage trade movements and construction operations within the tight site footprint, while logistics planning has been coordinated with Wrexham County Borough Council, Wrexham University and nearby businesses to minimise disruption. A comprehensive Construction Environmental Management Plan underpins this process, ensuring that the construction programme is delivered safely and responsibly. The new Kop Stand will deliver modern concourses, improved accessibility routes, upgraded media and broadcast facilities, and enhanced back-of-house and matchday operations. Its design is being driven by UEFA standards, Safety Advisory Group requirements and the latest Green Guide principles, ensuring the new structure not only meets regulatory expectations but significantly enhances the supporter experience and long-term operational efficiency of the stadium. Joel Casstles, Operations Director at McLaren Construction Midlands and North, said: “The groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of an exciting phase for Wrexham AFC and for the city. The scale and complexity of the new Kop Stand are significant, especially on a historic and operational site, but the progress made to date means we are entering the main build with confidence. “This stand will transform the stadium and deliver a new gateway to Wrexham, which the whole community can be proud of. We are committed to ensuring the project creates local opportunities and leaves a lasting legacy for supporters and residents alike.” Michael Williamson, CEO of Wrexham AFC, said: “Breaking ground on the new Kop Stand is a hugely significant moment for the Club and our supporters. The Kop has always held deep importance, and today’s ceremony marks the beginning of its long-awaited return. Over the coming months, fans will see the structure take shape as we build a stand that enhances capacity, improves facilities and secures the future of the STōK Cae Ras as a top-tier venue for domestic, international football and other sporting and entertainment events.” Leader of Wrexham Council, Cllr Mark Pritchard said “The new Kop Stand marks a significant step forward for the Wrexham Gateway. We’ve worked closely with the club and partners to help shape the project that will see enhancements to the ground and improvements in connectivity that will open up new opportunities. Once in use, the stand will be a great vantage point to witness historic domestic and international games here in Wrexham, the spiritual home of Welsh Football.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
OCS completes acquisition of EMCOR UK, creating one of the largest hard services-led FM providers in the UK
OCS has now formally completed the acquisition of EMCOR UK from EMCOR Group Inc. after clearing the UK regulatory process. This transaction brings together two of the UK’s largest hard services-led facilities services businesses, with unmatched engineering capabilities and established operations across the UK, supported by a clear focus on safety, quality and long-term customer partnerships. The acquisition follows the purchase of FES FM and FES Support Services in December 2024, further strengthening OCS in the UK hard services market and significantly enhancing our technical and engineering capability. The combined division will include more than 7,000 engineers and annual revenues exceeding £1 billion. This creates one of the largest hard services providers in the UK, with the scale, expertise and comprehensive UK coverage needed to support customers in complex and critical environments. The integration brings together long-standing expertise across defence, data centres, government, healthcare, life sciences and commercial property, serving customers in highly regulated and technical environments where performance, compliance and reliability are essential, supporting a hard services-led integrated FM approach across these sectors. The combined business will strengthen support in energy services and technology-led engineering, with recognised strengths in asset data, performance insight and predictive maintenance, which complements OCS’s established Energy Services team. Together, the organisation will support customers with energy management, decarbonisation plans, compliance, smart building controls and data-led engineering strategies that improve performance and resilience. Rob Legge, Group Chief Executive Officer of OCS, said: “This acquisition supports our ambition to build the best hard services-led facilities services business in the world, with the skills and scale to deliver what customers need across essential sectors. We are bringing together teams known for their technical depth and commitment to safety, which strengthens our ability to make people and places the best they can be” Daniel Dickson, UK and Ireland CEO of OCS, said: “Bringing these businesses together creates a stronger hard services platform for the UK, with deeper technical capability, wider sector coverage and enhanced engineering support for customers across complex and critical environments. The integration of our divisions will give colleagues more opportunities to develop and customers a broader range of integrated services across the UK. Our priority now is a smooth transition that protects service quality for every customer. Both organisations share similar values and a focus on people, so colleagues will continue to deliver with the same professionalism and care.” Cheryl McCall, Chief Executive Officer of EMCOR UK, said: “We are thrilled to join an organisation that shares our deep commitment to putting customers and our people at the heart of everything we do. The combined organisation will bring specialist skills to support customers in environments where performance, safety, and reliability matter every day. We look forward to working with teams across the business as we combine our strengths in Facilities Management, hard services, engineering excellence, and innovation across data insights, asset, and carbon management.” Over the coming months, teams across the business will work together to ensure a smooth integration and continued support for customers, guided by OCS’s mission to make people and places the best they can be. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals