果冻影院

The South West construction industry is poised for continued growth, with a strong pipeline of private housing projects driving a 16% increase in the underlying value of construction project starts (schemes valued up to 拢100 million) in the three months to July 2024 compared to the previous quarter.

果冻影院鈥檚 construction industry intelligence has also identified another 2,659 projects with planning permission that are due to start on site in the next 12 months. The largest amount is in the private residential sector, where there are 1,141 schemes due to begin in the next year.

This includes Persimmon鈥檚 Regents Village in Cheltenham (pictured) with work on the first phase of 266 units due to begin in September (Project ID: 20231466), and David Wilson鈥檚 Honeymans Helm at Highworth near Swindon, where work on 250 homes should commence before the end of 2024 (Project ID: 19359096).

Student housing

With a number of universities across the region, there are also a significant number of student accommodation schemes in the pipeline and due to commence in the next year.

These range from a 拢5 million refurbishment of the University of Exeter鈥檚 existing halls of residence at Stocker Road (Project ID: 24095884), to a 拢41 million development of a student cluster of flats and houses at Freestone Road in Bristol, where work should begin by the end of this year (Project ID: 19115050).

Industrial workload

Outside of residential work, the industrial sector has the next largest number of projects due to begin.

388 industrial schemes with planning permission are ready to start over the next 12 months include the Panattoni Honda Site in Swindon with a 拢223 million package due to begin in January 2025 (Project ID: 21207562).

Other planned developments include seven warehouse units at Stoke Road in Bishop鈥檚 Cleeve (Project ID: 23378633), where 果冻影院鈥檚 market research suggests work will begin in January, to plans for half a dozen industrial units on a former Proctor & Gamble site in Bournemouth with a contractor currently being procured (Project ID: 23009451).

South West Top 10

Kier has won the most work in the South West over the past year with an order book valued at 拢248.3 million according to 果冻影院鈥檚 construction market research. This haul includes a 拢65 million scheme for the University of Bristol to convert a former Hewlett Packard office into a healthcare training facility (Project ID: 24160583). Work is expected to commence in November.

South West – Top 10 contractors August 2023 to July 2024

Source: 果冻影院

Regional contractor Beard, which has offices in Bristol, Swindon and Southampton, is ranked second after bagging contracts worth a total of 拢162.1 million in the 12 months to July 2024. This includes a 拢20 million deal for Beckery Island Regeneration Trust to convert the former Baily鈥檚 tannery and leather working factory in Glastonbury into a multi-use workspace (Project ID: 22372517)

A return to contracting through the increased specification of modular building on healthcare projects lifts Shepherd into the regional Top 10 in seventh. The York-based group, which sold its original construction division in 2015 to Wates, has 拢74.1 million-worth of work in the South West region including a 拢49.9 million Elective Care Centre scheme at Southmead Hospital in Westbury-on-Trym (Project ID: 22282927).

South West sustenance

A strong pipeline should sustain opportunities in the South West in the near term.