Considerate Constructors Scheme Unveils 2025 Grand Gala Award Winners
Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) proudly celebrated the industry’s leading innovators at its annual Awards Gala on Friday evening at the Natural History Museum, recognising 16 Rising Stars and 12 major category winners who raise the bar for responsible, innovative and inclusive construction. From climate champions to community heroes, this year’s winners prove that construction isn’t just about building structures, it’s about building a better future. Highlights from the Winners’ Circle Community Engagement Award (sponsored by Male Allies UK) – Gallaway Construction Gallaway Construction is turning construction into a catalyst for change. Through its Construction for Women programme, the company has empowered over 400 girls and women with hands-on skills and mentoring, while raising tens of thousands for local causes. A true example of how construction can be a force for good. Climate Champion – General Demolition General Demolition is rewriting the demolition playbook with bold circular strategies, recycling hundreds of tonnes of materials and slashing carbon emissions. From Northampton to London, their work sets a new standard for sustainability. Employer of the Year (sponsored by the National Federation of Builders) – John Sisk & Son With leadership programmes, apprenticeships and inclusion initiatives, John Sisk & Son is shaping a workplace where people thrive. Over 3,000 young people supported – proving that the future of construction starts with investing in talent today. Social Value Leader – Christina Nichols, John Sisk & Son Christina Nichols has delivered measurable impact: 3,600+ hours of career support and £54.6 million spent with local supply chains. Her work ensures construction leaves a lasting positive mark. Considerate Client – Marks & Spencer For 18 years, M&S has championed safety, sustainability and respect for communities, influencing contractors and setting the gold standard for client leadership. Supplier Recognition – O’Neil & Brennan (ONB) ONB’s seamless logistics and proactive problem-solving make them an indispensable partner, elevating every project they touch. Excellence in Construction (Large) – McLaughlin & Harvey From carbon monitoring to mental health support, McLaughlin & Harvey delivers excellence on every front. Excellence in Construction (Small) – Harmonix Construction Ltd Harmonix combines community engagement, environmental responsibility and workforce wellbeing – building with care and integrity. Legacy Award – Pevensey Bay Coastal Defence Two decades of protecting communities and managing coastal flood risks across 18,000 properties – a legacy of resilience. Innovation of the Year – Curo Construction AI meets safety: Curo’s real-time monitoring system sets a new benchmark for tech-driven site safety. Icon Award (sponsored by Building a Safer Future) – Luke Hands, Ardmore Group A mental health champion reshaping how construction cares for its people. Rising Stars 16 Rising Stars were celebrated, showcasing the next generation of leaders driving the future of construction: Matthew Barnes (VolkerHighways), Joel Blanchflower (Laing O’Rourke), Liam Cater (Ardmore Group), Nicol High (Octavius), Daniel Hilton (Kier Transportation), Liam Jackson (McLaughlin & Harvey), Megan McDonald (KPH Deconstruction Services), Chris O’Hagan (McLaughlin & Harvey), David Okorhi (Knight Build Limited), Kate Parsons (Kier Transportation), James Preston (McLaren Construction), Kit Robinson (Kier Transportation), Megan Smith (McLaughlin & Harvey), Cian Webb (Clegg Construction), Katie Webster (Kier Construction), Abigail Wilkinson (Sir Robert McAlpine). Champion of Construction (sponsored by Construction Industry Council) – Colin Robinson With 50 years of service, Colin Robinson, Senior Site Manager at GRAHAM Group, has demonstrated leadership and compassion that have transformed lives – from saving a colleague to creating safer spaces for children. Desiree Blamey, Managing Director for Considerate Constructors Scheme, said: “The winners represent the very best of our industry, proving that construction can be innovative, inclusive and a powerful force for good. Their achievements set a standard that inspires us all to build responsibly and leave a lasting positive impact.” The event was supported by our sponsors, with Build Warranty as headline sponsor and Mates in Mind as the evening’s charity partner. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
70% Carbon Literacy training discount for CITB members
Members can enjoy discount until March 2026 Members of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) across the UK can become Carbon Literate thanks to a 70% discount. Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is offering its accredited training for the construction sector at a discounted price until the end of the 2025/26 financial year. Spaces are available on pre-organised dates, or there is an option for organisations to commission a full cohort of exclusive training. Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Carbon Literacy training for the Construction Sector will help upskill businesses, organisations and people involved with the sector, so they have the knowledge required to successfully respond to the climate emergency and help move towards net zero. The training was developed in collaboration with constructor-sector professionals, and it is fully accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project. Brian Rae, Operations Manager, Environment and Place Services at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We first offered this sector-based training back in 2021 after collaborating and delivering the course to some of the industry’s most respected names. “In the years since we have improved and refreshed our module to make it relevant to the challenges and opportunities the construction industry is currently facing. “This discounted price is a fantastic opportunity for people in the sector – at any level – to understand how the sector is impacted by climate change and how tackling emissions can lead to more efficient and cost-effective operations.” To book spaces on training dates below, please contact your regional Customer Engagement Advisor at CITB. You can find this information on the CITB website here. To commission a full cohort (or cohorts) of the training, exclusively for your organisation, please email climate@keepscotlandbeautiful.org using CITB discount as the subject line, and supply us with dates that could work for your organisation. Keep Scotland Beautiful is the official partner in Scotland for the award-winning Carbon Literacy Project, the only Carbon Literate Training Organisation in Scotland, and the only Scottish organisation to have attained Platinum Carbon Literate Organisation status. The charity has trained more than 6,000 people to be Carbon Literate. Learn more at https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/our-training/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Savills: Shifting headroom in the UK grid creates opportunities and constraints for development, with the demand for connections outpacing the supply of available capacity
New research from Savills reveals the mounting pressure to connect projects to the UK’s low voltage distribution network. The distribution network, where most residential and small commercial developments seek connections, is facing a rising pace of applications for demand connections as well as a supply shortage of available capacity at substations. Demand connection applications rose by 30% from April 2024 to June 2025, leaving the total queue capacity at 29 GW which is equivalent to the power needed to supply roughly 14.5 million homes. The analysis from the international real estate advisor tracks the evolution of available supply capacity in the distribution network from June 2024 to August 2025, highlighting the evolution of improvements and constraints across the network. Grid IQ, developed by Savills Earth, reveals that there was around a 2 GW uplift of available capacity in primary substations from June 2024 to August 2025, placing the total available capacity at 39 GW. This figure has been largely unchanged (± 5%) over the course of the last two years. Even though the supply of capacity is about 34% higher than the demand for connections, the geographic distribution of capacity is misaligned with development needs. According to the Energy Networks Association, applications for new distribution level connections remain high, with a total of over 9 GW of connection applications for demand, generation and storage submitted each month. To contextualise this, 1 GW could power up to 500,000 homes or around ten large data centres, highlighting the scale of projects competing for limited capacity. Despite a strong requirement for new connections across demand, generation and storage, progress has been slow. Distribution network operators (DNOs) are working to optimise existing infrastructure, but developers continue to face delays. Regionally, London and the South East saw an 11% increase in demand headroom, around 1 GW, due to revised peak demand calculations by UK Power Networks, which could ease constraints on housing and mixed-use developments. In contrast, the Midlands and South West experienced a 14% drop in capacity, driven by a surge in logistics development, which is absorbing available power. Further north, the B6 Boundary, a key bottleneck between Scotland’s renewable generation and England’s demand centres, saw headroom fall by 23%, exacerbating the constraint within the region. From April 2026, rising Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges could prompt some site owners to reduce their import capacity, potentially freeing up grid capacity for new developments. With over 210,000 non-residential sites affected, even small adjustments could have a significant cumulative impact. Kyle Rarick, Data Analyst, Energy, Renewables and Infrastructure, says: “Nearly a year on from our initial analysis of grid headroom across the UK, new data shows how the electricity grid is evolving as demand for power increases. While progress is being made through reform and reinforcement, data shows that the headroom capacity shortage persists. This shortage is increasingly shaping the pace and location of new housing, commercial, and industrial development, as grid capacity remains a key constraint on planning and delivery.” Phil Pearson, Director,Energy, Renewables and Infrastructure, adds: “The ongoing connections reform and forthcoming TNUoS charge adjustments highlight the need for developers to monitor each part of the network to identify and secure capacity. Developers who understand these changes and incorporate grid readiness into site selection, design, and investment strategies will be best placed to deliver resilient, future-proof projects in an increasingly capacity-constrained market.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Budget wishlist from LRG’s BTR division
By Justine Edmonds, Head of Build to Rent / Leasing Strategies at LRG The Build to Rent (BTR) sector has the potential to deliver one in ten of the government’s 1.5 million new homes, but it can only do so if the viability crisis is addressed. The Budget on 26 November is a vital opportunity to unlock stalled investment and enable the sector to contribute fully to housing supply and economic growth. At the top of our wishlist is the reinstatement of Multiple Dwellings Relief within Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to support high-density housing. The loss of this relief last year rendered around 25,000 BTR homes unviable almost overnight. Restoring it would be the single most effective way to stimulate development. Alongside this, the government should extend empty property business rates relief from six to twelve months and remove council tax on newly completed but unoccupied BTR homes. These measures would ease holding costs at a time when inflation and higher borrowing rates have put projects under significant pressure. We would also like to see zero-VAT on energy-saving materials extended to cover retrofit and refurbishment schemes. Many BTR assets built a decade ago are now at the end of their initial investment cycle. Encouraging reinvestment in energy efficiency would improve building performance, lower costs for tenants and help meet national sustainability goals. Above all, the Budget must prioritise stability. The BTR market remains strong in fundamentals but fragile in sentiment. Starts have fallen sharply – just 2,600 in the first half of this year compared with 18,000 completions in 2024 – not because of lack of demand, but because of fiscal uncertainty. Investors need clarity and consistency, not short-term fixes. If the government truly wants to build 1.5 million new homes, it must recognise that BTR can deliver at speed and scale. With the right tax environment and a commitment to planning reform, the sector can accelerate delivery, support regeneration and play a central role in driving the UK’s housing-led growth agenda. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Driving culture change in building safety and working effectively with the regulator
By Vanessa Brandham CFIOSH, Health and Safety Director, Rendall & Rittner As the UK’s building safety landscape continues to evolve at pace, staying informed and responsive has never been more important. In my role at Rendall & Rittner, I see first-hand how the new regulatory environment is reshaping expectations across the property management sector and how vital it is that we all adapt to the changes with clarity and confidence. Delays within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) are causing growing frustration throughout the industry. With one of the country’s largest portfolios of high-rise residential buildings, we have a unique vantage point on how these issues affect developers, landlords, leaseholders, RMCs, RTM companies, residents and managing agents. That is why we recently submitted evidence to the House of Lords inquiry examining how the regulator can overcome operational challenges and deliver greater consistency and efficiency. The BSR was established to ensure that higher-risk buildings are designed, constructed and managed with safety at the forefront. While the intent is clear and essential, its implementation has been far from straightforward. The combination of delays, inconsistent feedback and evolving requirements has resulted in uncertainty and added cost across the sector. A system with the capacity to assess safety cases and applications in a timely and consistent manner is urgently needed if we are to support the development of a genuinely safety-first culture. At Rendall & Rittner, we have invested significantly in our in-house safety capability so that we can guide clients through the complexities of the regime. Our experience across hundreds of buildings enables us to identify patterns, highlight inefficiencies and propose practical solutions. Working with the regulator in practice Higher-risk buildings of 18 metres and above must now pass through three gateways for new builds — planning, pre-construction and pre-occupation — while existing buildings require detailed safety case reports and a Building Assessment Certificate (BAC). However, in practice: • Gateway 2 applications are facing delays far beyond statutory timeframes, often 20–30 weeks or more, with a high proportion of submissions being rejected.• Safety case reports for existing buildings are receiving inconsistent or contradictory feedback, making it difficult for duty-holders to understand exactly what is required. Fewer than 50 BACs have been issued nationally out of more than 1,400 buildings called forward.• Day-to-day works requiring BSR approval in high-rise buildings are also subject to lengthy delays, with some applications exceeding 40 weeks. These challenges stem from the scale of change required. The BSR is a new organisation created in response to Grenfell, and the sector as a whole is still adjusting to the expanded obligations. Guidance has often been issued late, leading many stakeholders to act without full clarity. Limited public sector resource has further slowed reviews and approvals. Confusion around recoverable costs, the classification of emergency works and leaseholder protections has also resulted in complaints and uncertainty. Impact on housing delivery The gateway system is also having a direct impact on the delivery of new homes. High-rise buildings play a critical role in meeting national housing targets, but uncertainty in the process — coupled with delays to key building information submissions — has stalled sales, slowed construction and created further barriers for developers. Combined with the Act’s enhanced competency requirements across the supply chain, the impact is being felt at every stage of development. How we are supporting clients Recognising the scale of change, we developed one of the sector’s largest specialist health and safety teams, comprising 32 experts in building and fire safety. This enables us to prepare safety cases, oversee remediation projects and manage gateway submissions with consistency and rigour. Our structured approach — using standardised documentation and close collaboration with our panel of consultants — has enabled us to meet every regulatory deadline to date. Where the BSR’s feedback has been inconsistent, we adapt quickly and apply learning across our portfolio, ensuring clients receive the most up-to-date and practical guidance. We are also actively engaging at a national level. By providing detailed evidence to the House of Lords inquiry and offering direct feedback to the regulator, we are helping to highlight operational issues and influence improvements that will ultimately benefit the industry and residents alike. We are proud to be among the first managing agents to secure BACs for clients’ buildings, and progress on cladding remediation is accelerating as Homes England’s updated processes take effect. Looking ahead The regulatory landscape will continue to evolve. Recent announcements on shifting the BSR from the Health & Safety Executive to a standalone body sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government point to further structural reform — a move that may help unlock some of the delays and provide clearer accountability in the future. While the system remains complex and at times challenging, our commitment at Rendall & Rittner is clear: to provide clients with expert guidance, reliable compliance and the assurance that their buildings are being managed with the highest levels of safety and professionalism. By investing in specialist capability, sharing learning across a large and diverse portfolio and contributing actively to national discussion, we are helping to drive cultural change and strengthen safety standards across the sector — ultimately contributing to safer homes for all residents. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Clegg Construction bid manager receives Rising Star Award
Clegg Construction bid manager Cian Webb has received a shining accolade after being highlighted as a Rising Star at the Considerate Constructors Scheme Awards. Cian, 24, who joined Clegg Construction six years ago as an apprentice, received his award at a gala evening held at the Natural History Museum in London. MD of Clegg Construction Michael Sims said: “In his time at Clegg Construction, Cian has made a remarkable impact that sets him apart as a potential future leader in the construction industry. “He exudes the energy, curiosity and integrity that define a true rising star. He inspires others through his work ethic and commitment to excellence. It’s rare to find someone who combines talent, humility and drive the way Cian does. “We’re thrilled that he has been recognised in the national Considerate Constructors Scheme Awards as a Rising Star and congratulate him on his success.” After joining Clegg Construction’s Nottingham head office, Cian undertook a fully funded part-time Construction Management degree course at Nottingham Trent University. He quickly progressed from construction trainee to assistant site manager before making the move into the pre-construction department as an assistant bid manager. Following completion of his undergraduate degree in 2024, he was promoted to bid manager. Since then, Cian has contributed to all aspects of Clegg Construction’s tender submissions, working closely with key specialists in his team to develop robust and transparent tender proposals. Over the past 12 months he has been involved in successful bids totalling more than £100m. Clegg Construction pre-construction director Christian White said: “Since I have known Cian, he has poured himself into every opportunity and grown into someone we all rely on. His bids are always delivered to the highest standard and his natural drive to win sets him apart. Promoting Cian wasn’t just recognition of his skills – it was recognition of his character. I’m proud to see how far he has come and to have him on our team.” The Considerate Constructors Scheme Awards recognise exceptional companies and individuals who have demonstrated remarkable leadership, innovation, and contributions to the construction industry. Actor Stephen Mangan hosted the CCS gala awards. With its headquarters in the Lace Market, Nottingham, Clegg Construction is a Midlands, East Anglia, and Yorkshire-based construction firm specialising in the delivery of public and private sector projects. The company works with organisations of all sizes and specialities across a comprehensive range of sectors. For more information visit www.cleggconstruction.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals