The East of England is set for a
construction boom, with a strong pipeline of projects due to start over the
next 12 months.
Glenigan’s construction market
intelligence shows that work is due to begin on 11,263 high-value projects
(valued at £250,000 or more) in the East of England in the 12 months from
August 2023.
The region is benefitting from a surge in industrial work after the East of
England was granted the status of a Freeport in March 2021.
A number of developers are planning and progressing major industrial schemes
in the East of England including Curzon de Vere, Firethorn and Jaynic.
Jaynic continues to plan and build a number of units in the £244 million
Suffolk Park logistics scheme near Bury St Edmunds (Project ID: 16393440).
Glenigan’s industry research shows that construction work is expected to start
this Autumn on a £23.7 million warehouse unit on the site (Project ID:
22304423).
Curzon de Vere is also adding new units to its Port One Great Blakenham
logistics park (pictured) near Ipswich (Project ID: 22310340). Work on seven
more units is expected to commence in the New Year (Project ID: 22468857).
Out to tender
Major developments are moving through the procurement pipeline in a number
of other key sectors.
Plans by Railpen and Socius for the £165 million Devonshire Gardens
residential and commercial scheme in Cambridge have been put out to tender (Project
ID: 18289807) with work due to get underway by the end of this year.
Other schemes in the East of England out to tender include the £46 million
Long Stratton bypass on the A140 in Norwich being developed by Norfolk County
Council (Project ID: 21344322). Bids have been returned and a start is
scheduled for April 2024.
Biggest deal
The biggest scheme in the region due to start in the next 12 months is a
£1.2 billion deal to build the road network north of the river for the proposed
Lower Thames Crossing (Project ID: 22190541). Balfour Beatty is expected to
begin work next spring.
In the pipeline
With a host of military bases in the region, the Ministry of Defence is a
key client and is considering bids for a sizeable scheme nearby at RAF Wyton.
Tenders have been invited via the CCS Framework (Project ID: 18043348) for a
£30 million warehouse and office development known as a Programme to
Rationalise and Integrate the Estate (PRIDE) (Project ID: 23218921) with work
due to get going in February.
The University of Cambridge is another major client in the region and has a
programme of work due to start in the next year. The Hill Group was recently
signed up for a £60 million plan for 107 apartments at Eddington Avenue
(Project ID: 16127355) and will begin work in the New Year.
With major clients developing a number of projects, the East of England’s
pipeline looks strong.
