Published Friday 10 July 2026 · By the JustEng team
A packed week for UK engineering and construction: sweeping planning reforms take effect on 24 July, a fresh government push to cut regulatory drag, a nationally significant solar approval, another consolidation move in ground engineering, and continued signs of insolvency stress on the contracting side. Here is what matters most, and what it means for hiring.
Planning reforms shave up to a year off major infrastructure timelines
The government confirmed on 2 July that scrapping mandatory pre-application consultation for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects will cut pre-app time by up to 12 months and save developers around £1 billion, with the new guidance in force from 24 July. Ministers say 41 projects have been determined so far this Parliament, 95% more than at the equivalent point last term (GOV.UK).
Hiring angle: Faster DCO throughput pulls forward demand for planners, environmental consultants and delivery-phase civil engineers — expect the next hiring wave to hit programme, EIA and stakeholder-engagement roles first.
Peartree Hill 320MW solar farm secures DCO
Energy secretary Ed Miliband granted a development consent order for the 320MW Peartree Hill solar plant, roughly 12 miles north of Hull, expected to supply about 167,000 homes. As an NSIP over 100MW it is one of the largest solar approvals of the year (No2NuclearPower).
Hiring angle: A stronger renewables pipeline continues to feed steady demand for electrical, grid-connection and structural engineers with utility-scale experience — see current openings on our jobs board.
Regulation Action Plan update targets construction delays
The government published its Regulation Action Plan progress update on 8 July, setting out measures to reduce administrative burdens, improve regulator performance and speed up infrastructure delivery. Trade press has framed it as a direct response to persistent delays flagged by developers and lenders (Construction Magazine UK).
Hiring angle: Anything that de-risks build programmes reinforces employer confidence to hire ahead of shovels — good news for site engineers, planners and preconstruction managers.
STRABAG UK acquires Van Elle in £58.8m ground-engineering deal
STRABAG UK has agreed to acquire piling and ground-engineering specialist Van Elle for £58.8m, extending a buying spree that also brought in steelwork specialist Crofton Engineering. The strategy points to a broader platform across ground engineering, steel and infrastructure delivery (Consultancy.uk).
Hiring angle: Post-deal integration years typically create movement across technical, commercial and site leadership roles — piling engineers, temporary works designers and QS professionals should expect their inboxes to get busier.
Building Safety Regulator consultation on Approved Document B closes
The Building Safety Regulator’s consultation on proposed changes to the statutory fire safety guidance in Approved Document B closed on 1 July, a milestone in implementing Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations. Wales also saw the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2025 come into force on 1 July (GOV.UK).
Hiring angle: Tightening fire safety expectations continue to lift demand for chartered fire engineers and specialists in façade engineering — competence-register roles remain the tightest corner of the market.
Insolvency pressure persists at the contractor end
Groundworks and civils contractor Caldwell Construction (Stoke-on-Trent) has filed notice for administration, and Brackley-based housing civils firm Agetur has filed a notice of intention after a £660,000 loss. Sector-wide, construction still accounts for around 17% of company insolvencies in the year to May, and volumes are running roughly 22% above pre-pandemic levels (PBC Today).
Hiring angle: Contractor distress reliably freezes wage rises inside affected firms and pushes middleweight talent onto the market — a rare window for consultancies and Tier-1s to upgrade civil and structural teams. See our structural engineer salary guide for current benchmarks.
Hiring engineers or looking for your next role? Register a vacancy or submit your CV and the JustEng team will be in touch.