Old Oak Set for £12bn Transformation as Partner Hunt Begins
Plans for one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration projects have moved a major step forward after heads of terms were agreed to create a unified 70-acre development site surrounding the new HS2 Old Oak Common station in west London. The landmark scheme, expected to carry a development value of around £12bn, will bring together land owned by the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) and the Department for Transport into a single publicly owned site. Located around the future Old Oak Common super-hub, the project is set to become one of the capital’s largest brownfield regeneration opportunities. The station will connect HS2 with the Great Western Main Line, the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express, creating a major transport gateway for London and the wider UK. The wider masterplan aims to deliver 8,000 homes alongside 200,000 sq m of commercial, innovation and community space. Plans also include extensive public realm improvements, green open spaces and a new canal-side neighbourhood designed to attract technology, research and business investment. In total, the development is expected to support around 11,000 jobs and establish a major new economic district for west London. OPDC has now formally launched the search for a private sector development partner to help deliver the project through a long-term joint venture arrangement. The selected partner will oversee the planning, delivery and long-term management of the mixed-use scheme across its full lifecycle. The procurement process will officially begin with a launch event on 27 May, with OPDC aiming to appoint its preferred partner during 2027. Under current proposals, the joint venture is expected to run for an initial 20-year term, with the option of a further 10-year extension. Industry observers are already describing the project as one of the most significant regeneration opportunities currently available in Europe, with the scale of infrastructure investment and transport connectivity expected to attract major institutional and international interest. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Novus Property Solutions chosen to deliver upgrade programme for Aspire Housing
Maintenance, refurbishment and fit-out contractor Novus Property Solutions has secured a new contract with Aspire Housing to deliver improvements across the housing association’s portfolio of homes in Staffordshire and Cheshire. With many of the windows and doors across the portfolio now more than a decade old, the improvement works are essential to improving building efficiency and performance, alongside occupant comfort and safety. As an experienced maintenance and refurbishment contractor, the Novus team will carry out these essential works sensitively to minimise disruption for residents. As the efficiency of homes comes under greater scrutiny en route to net-zero, the improvements carried out by Novus will contribute towards the longevity of social homes within Aspire Housing’s portfolio. “We’re really pleased to be working with Aspire Housing to deliver new windows and doors across their homes,” says David Barnes, Operations Manager at Novus Property Solutions. “Many of their properties are close to our head office, making this a local project for us and an opportunity to make a difference in our own community and beyond. That makes it an opportunity to deliver a high standard of improvement works that make a genuine impact on residents in our local community. “We’d like to thank Aspire Housing for selecting us as one of two contractors for this project, alongside Anglian Windows. Together, we’ll be upgrading windows and doors across approximately 200 properties, making a real difference to occupant comfort while ensuring these homes are fit for purpose for years to come.” Project mobilisation is already underway for the projects, with improvement works due to commence in July. As part of Novus’ commitment to supporting the next generation of skilled workers in the construction industry, an apprentice will work alongside the highly experienced team to deliver works across the project. Aspire Housing has more than 9,500 homes in its portfolio and is committed to putting its 19,000 customers first with the delivery of safe, decent homes. To find out more about Novus Property Solutions and its work in the social housing sector, visit: www.novussolutions.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Shaftesbury Capital Seals £13.7m in West End Leasing Deals
Shaftesbury Capital has completed 151 leasing transactions across its prime Central London estate since the start of 2026, securing £13.7m in new contracted rent as demand for high-profile West End space remains strong. The real estate investment trust said the deals were agreed at rents averaging 18% ahead of previous passing levels, underlining continued confidence in key retail, leisure and hospitality destinations despite wider economic uncertainty. In a trading update released ahead of its annual general meeting, the group revealed that just 2% of estimated rental value across its portfolio is currently available to let, with a further 1.2% already under offer. Across Covent Garden, a series of new lettings and renewals have continued to strengthen the destination’s luxury and lifestyle appeal. Tiffany & Co. renewed its lease on James Street, while new arrivals include Covent Garden Market Bar by Inception Group and fragrance retailer INITIO Parfums Privés within the Market Building. Dining concept Burro has also opened in Floral Court. At Seven Dials, new occupiers include Code8 Beauty, menswear label Percival, eyewear brand MONC and outdoor-inspired retailer Islander. Carnaby Street has also seen significant activity, with seven new concepts introduced so far this year. These include fashion retailer Edikted, opening its first store outside the United States, and Sephora, which is preparing to launch its first West End location this summer. French fashion brands Kookaï and K-Way have also arrived, alongside an expanded store for Subdued. Elsewhere in Soho, Vagabond Wines is set to open a new venue on Ganton Street, while Italian restaurant Padella has launched on Kingly Street. Shaftesbury Capital’s Chinatown estate has now reached full occupancy following the opening of POP MART’s largest London store on Charing Cross Road and the expansion of Darjeeling Express into a larger Rupert Street restaurant. The group also confirmed continued investment into refurbishment and asset management initiatives, with £12.3m of estimated rental value currently under refurbishment across 149,000 sq ft of space. Since the start of the year, Shaftesbury Capital has invested £16m into capital expenditure and targeted acquisitions. Chief executive Ian Hawksworth said the business had made a strong start to 2026, highlighting robust leasing demand, high occupancy levels and the resilience of the company’s prime West End portfolio. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Norwich Set for Landmark £80m Build-to-Rent Community
A major new build-to-rent development is set to reshape part of central Norwich after property investor Zive Capital secured planning approval for the £80m Victoria Gardens scheme. Located on the former Queens Road Marsh office site, the brownfield development will bring 432 new rental homes to the city across a series of contemporary residential buildings. The vacant office block, which had remained unused since the pandemic, was demolished in 2024 to pave the way for the regeneration project. Designed by Broadway Malyan, the scheme will feature five main residential blocks that gradually step down in scale towards a collection of townhouses positioned at the southern end of the development. Alongside new homes, Victoria Gardens will include around 500 sq m of flexible commercial, incubator and retail space, aimed at supporting start-up businesses and Norwich’s growing creative and digital sectors. The wider masterplan has been designed to create a more connected and accessible neighbourhood, opening up a site that was previously closed off from surrounding streets. Proposals include new pedestrian walkways, landscaped courtyards, communal gardens and public open spaces intended to encourage community interaction and improve the urban environment. As part of the approved plans, Zive Capital has committed to delivering 10% affordable housing, with the potential for this figure to increase should the development exceed financial expectations. Adam Zive, principal at Zive Capital, described the planning approval as a major step forward for the project and highlighted the company’s ambition to create a long-term residential community in the city. The scheme reflects continued investor confidence in the UK build-to-rent sector, particularly in regional cities where demand for high-quality rental accommodation and mixed-use urban regeneration continues to grow. Construction is expected to begin within the next 18 months. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Hospital Giants Line Up for £14bn NHS Rebuild Drive
Ten major contractors have been selected to partner with NHS trusts as the Government pushes ahead with the first wave of its £14bn New Hospital Programme. The long-awaited Wave 1 projects form a key part of the wider £60bn national hospital investment strategy and will focus heavily on replacing ageing healthcare buildings, particularly those affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Among the successful firms, Skanska emerged as the standout contractor after securing roles on two separate schemes – the rebuild of James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth and the redevelopment of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn. The first phase includes seven hospitals impacted by RAAC, which were prioritised after safety reviews concluded that the buildings could not continue operating safely beyond 2030 without major intervention. These schemes are now being accelerated under the Government’s revised delivery timetable. All seven RAAC projects will be fully rebuilt using the Government’s standardised Hospital 2.0 model, a platform-based approach designed to improve efficiency, reduce construction costs and speed up delivery across the NHS estate. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that formal contracts are expected to be signed during the summer, with construction activity anticipated to begin during 2027 and 2028. The line-up of contractors reflects a broad mix of established healthcare and major infrastructure specialists. Graham will deliver Airedale General Hospital in Keighley, while Sacyr UK has been paired with Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey. Kier will take on Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon and Integrated Health Projects has been selected for Leighton Hospital in Mid-Cheshire. Elsewhere, Dragados will oversee West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, while Laing O’Rourke has secured the Hillingdon Hospital scheme in London. Morgan Sindall has been linked with Milton Keynes University Hospital, Bovis with North Manchester General Hospital and Willmott Dixon with the new Women and Children’s Hospital project in Cornwall. The programme represents one of the largest healthcare construction pipelines currently planned in the UK and is expected to generate significant opportunities across the supply chain as projects move towards delivery. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Bluebeam Max Launches Globally, Bringing AI-Powered Productivity to AEC Teams Everywhere
Bluebeam has announced that Bluebeam Max is now available to all customers globally, giving AEC teams the option to upgrade to a premium subscription that delivers AI-powered automation and next generation review tools. First unveiled at Bluebeam’s Unbound 2025 conference, Bluebeam Max was made available to select customers under a beta program, where it delivered strong early results. Now widely available, Bluebeam Max expands the power of Bluebeam Revu with advanced automation and AI tools that help AEC teams reduce manual work and financial liability through early detection and improve collaboration across the entire project lifecycle. “AI is ushering in a new era for the built environment – one where complexity becomes manageable and data becomes actionable,” said Usman Shuja, CEO of Bluebeam. “Bluebeam Max is designed to help every user operate like a superuser – embedding intelligence into familiar workflows while seamlessly bridging PDFs and BIM. The result is a more connected, more productive project experience, where teams can focus less on managing information and more on delivering outcomes.” Intelligent Tools Designed for Real-World Work With today’s launch, existing Bluebeam customers can now officially upgrade and access a set of innovations included in Bluebeam Max: Driving Real Impact for AEC Teams Early adopters from a beta program involving more than 2,000 users report meaningful productivity gains with Bluebeam Max, with customers calling it a “game changer” for design and planning workflows. Martin-Harris Construction One success story from the Max beta program involves Martin-Harris Construction, a Las Vegas construction management firm consistently listed among the Top 10 Southwest General Contractors. Their Beta users leveraged Bluebeam Max to streamline complex project plans across a variety of developments. Martin-Harris’ projects span multi-family residential, industrial, educational, healthcare, and high-rise sectors. The team uses Smart Overlay and Smart Review in Max to compare revisions for pricing and impact analysis during both design and construction, helping quickly pinpoint where teams should focus their attention. “Bluebeam is already the backbone of how we review and collaborate on projects, but Bluebeam Max takes that to another level,” said James Miranda, director of preconstruction at Martin-Harris Construction. “Features like Smart Overlay help us instantly see what’s changed and where to focus, which is critical when you’re managing complex projects at scale. As the full AI capabilities continue to evolve, this has the potential to significantly reduce manual effort and free up our teams to focus on higher-value coordination and decision-making.” KPFF Consulting Engineers – Los Angeles (LA) Civil Office Early adopters are already seeing meaningful gains with Bluebeam Max across design and planning workflows. At KPFF LA Civil Office, a leading civil and structural engineering firm, teams are using new capabilities to streamline day-to-day design tasks and reduce manual effort. “Even small improvements can have a big impact on our workflows,” said Dillon Wilke, associate and Bluebeam Max early adopter at KPFF LA Civil Office. “Features like offset are reducing the need to go back into CAD for certain tasks, especially when working with parallel utilities or curved geometry. What used to take multiple manual steps can now be done much more efficiently in one place.” Bluebeam Max is now available globally. Customers can learn more, start a free trial, and purchase Bluebeam Max directly through the Bluebeam webstore by visiting www.bluebeam.com/bluebeam-max. Bluebeam is a leading developer of solutions and services for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals worldwide and part of the Nemetschek Group. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals