Blackpool Council has approved its £4m Revoe Community Sports Village, while rejecting Cygnet Healthcare’s proposal to expand a mental health facility near the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The council also deferred a decision on coastal defence works involving 17 rock groynes, pending further work with the RNLI on safety matters.
The Building Safety Regulator has approved Gateway 2 for the first phase of the £286m Cambridge Halls student accommodation redevelopment in Manchester. The scheme, led by Unite Students and Manchester Metropolitan University, will deliver 2,300 bedspaces in two phases, with construction now moving ahead following demolition and groundworks.
Enabling works are due to begin soon on a proposed 1,715-place Category C prison near Leyland, following the appointment of a contractor reported to be Laing O’Rourke. The scheme has had a lengthy and contested planning history, including refusals by Chorley Council and the Planning Inspectorate before government approval in December 2024.
Project Four Safety Solutions, a Liverpool-based building safety consultancy, has been acquired by private equity-backed Vadella Group while retaining its brand and operational control. The firm, which has supported more than 10,000 residential units through Gateway 2 approvals, says the deal will fund recruitment, digital improvements and wider growth across its regional offices.
Scape has launched a national construction services framework worth up to £8bn, intended to give public sector bodies a compliant route to market over four years. The framework includes five lots across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with residential work explicitly covering Building Safety Act works, decarbonisation, retrofit, and repair and maintenance.
Blackpool Council is due to consider two planning applications affecting sites near Bloomfield Road and Newton Drive, including a £4m community sports village and an extension to a mental health facility. Officers are recommending approval for the sports scheme but refusal for the healthcare proposal, citing sustainability, design, and heritage impacts.
Ashall Projects has applied for planning permission to refurbish and upgrade the vacant, grade II-listed Majestic Hotel in Barrow. The scheme includes window repairs, internal refurbishment and some kitchenette provision, with IHG expected to operate the building under its Garner brand if approved.
