For the final Construction Matters of the year, it feels right to pause and take stock. Not just of what has been announced or debated, yet of what has genuinely shifted on the ground across construction over the past twelve months.
This week’s conversation goes out a little later than usual, starting at 2.45pm, with Gareth Wax in the chair and joined by Hamish McLay. We are also joined as usual by Michelle Carr, the Construction Alchemist – bringing clarity, innovation, and transformation to the construction industry through a rare blend of strategy, intuition, and vision.
Looking back over 2025, ambition has not been in short supply. Housing delivery targets, planning reform, modern methods of construction and skills development have all featured heavily in policy and industry discussion. In many ways, the year has felt focused on foundations. There has been a clear attempt to stabilise systems, restore confidence and create a platform for growth.
Yet construction rarely moves at the pace of political cycles or press releases. Many across the sector will recognise that progress has been uneven. Costs have remained high, margins tight and cashflow fragile. Supply chains have improved in places, although vulnerability remains, particularly for smaller contractors and specialist trades.
Skills continues to sit just below the surface of many conversations. Training pipelines take years rather than months to bear fruit, and 2025 has highlighted how exposed the sector still is when experience drains away faster than it can be replaced. Recognition of the issue has improved, which matters, yet the practical impact is still catching up with the rhetoric.
Regulation has been another defining theme. Building safety, accountability and oversight are no longer emerging topics. They are now embedded realities. That shift alone marks progress compared to previous years. However, the complexity of compliance remains challenging, especially for firms trying to balance safety, delivery and commercial viability without access to large compliance teams.
Planning reform has also continued to dominate discussion. While there is broad agreement that the system needs to work better, the experience on the ground remains mixed. Delays, uncertainty and inconsistency between authorities still shape how projects progress, and in some cases whether they progress at all.
As attention turns towards 2026, the emphasis feels less about direction-setting and more about follow-through. Turning frameworks into processes that genuinely work. Turning policy into projects that actually get delivered. Turning ambition into confidence across the supply chain, from funders and developers through to trades on site.
There is also a growing sense that collaboration will matter more than ever. The challenges facing construction are rarely isolated. Housing delivery, infrastructure, safety, sustainability and skills all intersect. Progress in one area without movement in another risks creating imbalance rather than stability.
This final episode of the year is not about neat conclusions or simple answers. It is about reflecting honestly on what has moved forward, what remains unfinished, and where the pressure points are likely to sit as the industry steps into the next phase.
Construction Matters has always aimed to offer grounded conversation rather than soundbites. This closing discussion of the year stays true to that approach, creating space to reflect on what 2025 has built and what 2026 still demands from everyone involved.
Join us live at 2.45pm for the final Construction Matters of the year.
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