{"id":470608,"date":"2023-01-04T06:30:40","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T06:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=470608"},"modified":"2023-01-03T16:21:59","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T16:21:59","slug":"10-projects-to-watch-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/sections\/long-reads\/10-projects-to-watch-in-2023-04-01-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"10 projects to watch in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

The outlook for the year ahead changed dramatically towards the end of 2022 \u2013 from optimism and expected growth to worries about material costs and inflation. The last couple of months of the year saw a raft of gloomy forecasts about the state of the construction industry in 2023, with data specialist Glenigan predicting a 2 per cent fall in most types of project starts and a survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors finding that just 8 per cent of surveyors expect an increase in overall workloads in the next 12 months. <\/span><\/p>\n

But there is no shortage of exciting projects out there, along with a struggle to find enough people to do all the work, and UK construction output remains above pre-pandemic levels at \u00a315.13bn in the latest Office for National Statistics figures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keith Cooper<\/span><\/em> takes a look at some of those we\u2019ll be keeping our eye on in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Manchester Town Hall<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Delays and extra costs are expected to add \u00a317m to the Lendlease-led \u00a3325m restoration of Manchester Town Hall, which is about halfway through the construction phase.<\/p>\n

Spiralling inflation and shortages of steel, plaster, timber \u2013 along with a lack of specialist labour \u2013 have all hampered the project.<\/p>\n

This project has also flown into heritage problems, as the quarry supplying Spinkwell sandstone for the Grade-I listed building ran dry and falcons were found in the town hall\u2019s clock tower. With crumbling stonework uncovered during construction, demand for the sandstone has doubled.<\/p>\n

Lendlease says it is \u201cworking closely\u201d with Manchester City Council to \u201cmitigate\u201d the challenges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Liverpool Street Station<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Plans to revamp London\u2019s Liverpool Street station are due to be unveiled in 2023 by Sellar, the developer behind The Shard.<\/p>\n

The \u00a31.5bn project has already sparked controversy, with Historic England saying the scheme and its 16-storey tower would \u201ctrample on\u201d the listed station and hotel.<\/p>\n

But with the initial proposals including new office, retail, leisure, public and green space, the development atop the station would fund \u00a3450m of improvements and double passenger capacity, the developer claims.<\/p>\n

Sellar has partnered with the Hong Kong-based Mass Transit Corporation and appointed Mace and Gardiner & Theobald as consultants. A main contractor is yet to be appointed.<\/p>\n

\n

Marks & Spencer, Oxford Street<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The proposed total redevelopment of Marks & Spencer\u2019s flagship London store has become a battleground in the demolition versus refurbishment debate.<\/p>\n

Plans to knock down the 92-year-old structure were approved by Westminster Council in 2021, when it was controlled by the Conservatives. But the Labour administration that won power in 2022 has welcomed a public inquiry led by the same planning inspector who blocked the Tulip Tower for its \u201chighly unsustainable\u201d use of concrete.<\/p>\n

Campaigners claim the demolition of the M&S store would generate more carbon than a drive to the sun, but M&S says the new build offers \u201csignificant sustainability advantages\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ministers are due to settle the project\u2019s fate in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The new hospitals programme<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A pledge to build 40 new hospitals scored positive headlines aplenty for Boris Johnson in the salad days of his premiership. But in 2022 the promised \u00a33.7bn programme looked threatened as costs spiralled, forcing hospital trusts to return to the Treasury, cap in hand.<\/p>\n

The \u00a3100m cost of the Royal Cornwall Hospital project, due to be delivered by Bam Construct, has almost trebled to \u00a3291.7m. A scheme to rebuild Watford General Hospital and refurbish facilities at Hemel Hempstead and St Albans were approved by its trust in June, despite costs doubling to \u00a31.1bn since the projects were proposed.<\/p>\n

NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, claims half its members cannot cover their projects\u2019 costs. However, chancellor Jeremy Hunt restated the government\u2019s commitment to the plan in his November Autumn Statement. It will be fascinating to see how the delivery goes.<\/p>\n

\n

Marjorie McClure School, Bromley, south London<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This Galliford Try development, due to complete in early 2023, will be one to watch for any firm seeking commissions from the Department for Education (DfE).<\/p>\n

As part of the department\u2019s so-called pathfinder pilot programme, it will help set sustainability standards for state-funded buildings. Its timber structural insulated panels were manufactured offsite to cut embodied carbon within the build. Heating and hot water are powered by an air source heat pump and solar panels.<\/p>\n

Its near-completion in 2022 can\u2019t have hurt Galliford Try\u2019s standing within the DfE \u2013 in May it commissioned the firm to build the \u00a325m four-storey Greenhead College in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Parliament<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Restoration projects don\u2019t get grander (or more political) than the Palace of Westminster.<\/p>\n

Under the crushing weight of public scrutiny, the government has already been slammed for wasting \u00a3100m on setting up (then running down) Restoration and Renewal, a \u201csponsor body\u201d established in 2020 to \u201cset the strategic direction\u201d of the renovation, which is predicted to cost as much as \u00a322bn and last up to an epic 76 years.<\/p>\n

Despite the delays, wastage and political wrangling, some much-needed detail on the scale of the works should be forthcoming, thanks to the appointment of construction professionals. In June, several firms were appointed for critical surveying work, including James Fisher Strainstall, Concept Engineering Consultants and Aecom.<\/p>\n

\n

Aston Villa Football Club<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Midlands club is one of a string of top-flight teams to unveil plans for a major expansion of their stadiums. New images of the \u00a3100m Grimshaw and Trivandi-designed redevelopment of its 42,682-seat home were unveiled in August ahead of the submission of a planning application.<\/p>\n

The project will boost capacity to 50,000, create a new commercial space for the club shop, food and drink shops, and an installation about the club\u2019s history. The first phase of development will include landscaping and streetlighting, with main construction due to begin in 2024.<\/p>\n

Other Premier League clubs seeking to expand their stadiums include Liverpool, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

HS2 tunnelling<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Construction was halted on a 2.5km section of the HS2 tunnel in Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire, in 2022 after \u201cquality issues\u201d were found in precast segments some 100 metres into the build.<\/p>\n

As the first of three planned precast tunnels, the challenges raised by the technology will be instructive as the project moves forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeething problems aren\u2019t unusual in the early stages of a build like this,\u201d an HS2 spokesperson told Construction News<\/i> sister-title New Civil Engineer<\/i> in August.<\/p>\n

Lessons learned will help the other tunnels, which are due to start in 2023. The Chipping Warden tunnel is being built by EKFB, a joint venture made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall. Work restarted on the tunnel in September.<\/p>\n

\n

Hinkley Point C<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The delays and big budget rises which came to light in 2022 at this Somerset nuclear plant mean that its 2023 progress will be of great interest to those contractors operating in the nuclear energy space.<\/p>\n

Some \u00a33bn was added to the cost of the \u00a326bn project as its timeline lengthened by a year. EDF Energy attributed the adjustments to COVID-19, claiming it lost half-a-million work days in civil construction in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not been an easy start for the UK\u2019s first new nuclear power station in decades at the same time that the government has announced plans to approve a new reactor every year. Sizewell C, the only other confirmed large-scale nuclear project set to begin in the UK \u2013 and for which the chancellor restated the government\u2019s support in November \u2013 is set to be delivered using the same designs and reactor technology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Neom<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Interest was piqued in the city state of Neom planned for the north-west of Saudi Arabia in 2022 by the selection of Keller for a \u00a350m chunk of the $500bn (\u00a3437bn) project.<\/p>\n

In June, the ground-engineering specialist announced plans to work on modules for The Line, an inaugural phase of the city due to span 170 kilometres. The Line aims to be a pedestrianised city that will be built above two subterranean levels, with one level for services and the other for passenger transport.<\/p>\n

Hailed as \u201cone of the most dramatic\u201d projects in construction, it has been criticised by the Al Qst group for alleged human rights violations, including claims the project involves the forced eviction of the Huwaitat tribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The outlook for the year ahead changed dramatically towards the end of 2022 \u2013 from optimism and expected growth to worries about material costs and inflation. The last couple of months of the year saw a raft of gloomy forecasts about the state of the construction industry in 2023, with data specialist Glenigan predicting a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84999,"featured_media":470614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[547,549,533,536,538,559,539,528],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n