Published Friday 14 August 2026 · By the JustEng team
This week’s UK construction and infrastructure news covers major solar and road approvals, a new hospital-building programme, a fresh wave of contractor insolvencies, and a significant consultancy acquisition — all developments with real implications for engineering recruitment and vacancies across the UK. Below, we break down what happened and what it means for hiring.
Government approves 1.2GW of solar capacity, lifting civil engineering vacancies
The government has granted planning approval for 1.2 gigawatts of new solar capacity, including the 740MW One Earth Solar Park near Lincoln — one of the UK’s largest — alongside the 320MW Peartree Hill scheme in East Yorkshire and the 150MW Dean Moor project in Cumbria. (Source)
Hiring angle: Projects of this scale need civil, electrical and grid-connection engineers from early groundworks through to commissioning, and developers are already competing hard for experienced site and design staff. If you’re recruiting for a solar or renewables scheme, browse civil engineering recruitment or view current engineering jobs.
£27bn Road Investment Strategy 3 confirmed for 2026–31
The government has set out its £27bn Road Investment Strategy 3, covering the 2026–31 period, alongside more than 50 approved road and rail upgrades linked to housing and jobs growth. (Source)
Hiring angle: A pipeline of this size points to sustained candidate demand for highways, structures and rail engineers over the next five years, and contractors mobilising early will have first pick of experienced talent before the market tightens further.
Construction partners named for 11 new NHS hospitals
The Department of Health and Social Care has announced its construction partners for 11 new hospitals being built across the UK. (Source)
Hiring angle: Healthcare schemes are notoriously specification-heavy, driving demand for structural, MEP and fire engineers with hospital experience — a talent pool that is already thin. Teams building out delivery capability should expect a competitive headhunting market for these skills; see our structural engineering recruitment service or check current UK salary benchmarks.
Insolvencies keep rising as Ardmore Construction Group enters administration
Construction remains the sector with the highest absolute insolvency count, with 17% of company insolvencies in the 12 months to May 2026 recorded in construction. Ardmore Construction Group, including its Major Projects and Regeneration arms, entered administration on 11 June 2026. (Source, Source)
Hiring angle: Insolvency waves usually push experienced engineers and project managers into the market at short notice, creating a window for well-run contractors to pick up strong candidates. It also raises the stakes for due diligence when placing staff with employers — a specialist engineering recruitment agency can help clients read the risk signals before committing to a move.
Cowi acquires Punch Consulting Engineers, expanding European headcount past 300
Danish engineering group Cowi has acquired Punch Consulting Engineers, creating a combined headcount of more than 300 staff across Europe. (Source)
Hiring angle: Consultancy M&A almost always triggers a period of internal restructuring, and that typically loosens up mid-to-senior structural and civil engineer jobs on the open market as people reassess their options post-acquisition — good news for firms actively hiring.
Whichever side of these stories you’re on — scaling up for a new project pipeline or looking for your next role — JustEng is a specialist engineering recruitment agency built for exactly this market. We spend our days headhunting hard-to-find civil, structural, MEP and fire engineers across the UK. Submit your CV or register your vacancy today.