An ageing block of flats can be in good structural condition today and still have no defensible long-term future in its current form. A draft 2026 structural appraisal reviewed by London Construction Magazine makes the distinction unusually clearly. Engineers described the buildings they inspected as being in a generally good state of repair, with no significant signs of structural distress o…
A new intrusive structural investigation of the Aylesbury Estate has found no evidence that its oldest low-rise Large Panel System blocks were strengthened against disproportionate collapse, while concluding that immediate decanting or strengthening is disproportionate where they remain occupied for only another three to five years. The finding effectively extends an earlier Arup position tha…
Sir George Iacobescu, the former chairman of Canary Wharf Group, has unveiled the first images of a tower he wants to build beside the Gherkin at 33 St Mary Axe, a 300 metre office building that would rise close to the height of the Shard. WilkinsonEyre released the images on 26 October 2026, showing a vertically ribbed glass facade with a curved roofline climbing behind the 180 metre Gherkin, wh…
The Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill cleared its second reading in the Commons on 27 October 2026, carrying a criminal offence of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to £500,000 for a landlord who deliberately fails to remediate unsafe cladding. The day before, the government's own data showed that remediation has not started on 2,111 of the 4,732 monitored buil…
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation has opened a competition for a development partner to redevelop its 12.1-hectare MOD Feltham site in west London, with the development agreement carrying an estimated value of £475m excluding VAT. The Find a Tender notice , published on 28 October, puts the gross estimated value at £570m including VAT. Requests to participate close at 11.59pm on 3 Decem…
Bringing Stratford International's unused cross-Channel facilities into service is estimated by City Hall to require about £20m of work, centred on border control, passenger security and the fit-out of infrastructure that was built into the station but has never handled international passengers. Budget 2026 has now given the proposal a potential financing route. The Treasury's Budget …
