As 2025 draws to an end and thoughts turn to the year ahead, in this series of articles we’ve sourced the viewpoint of various leading industry figures. This time we’ve sought the input of individuals from Assetz Capital, Keon Homes, ASSA ABLOY Door Group, J Coffey Group, and EN:Procure, to gather their opinions on how the last 12 months have been for construction and to get their predictions for 2026.
Stuart Law, co-founder and CEO of Assetz Capital:
“Looking back, 2025 will be remembered as one of the most challenging years the planning system has faced in decades. Prolonged decision timelines, inconsistent application of policy, limited resourcing in planning departments, and worsening infrastructure constraints have created what many regard as the lowest point for the system in recent memory. As planning is the gateway to construction, these pressures have had a particularly damaging impact on SME housebuilders, who rely on predictable timetables and proportionate regulation to operate effectively. The result has been suppressed output, stalled sites, and a loss of confidence across the smaller end of the market that the country heavily depends on for housing delivery.”
“Despite this, there are genuine reasons for cautious optimism. The government has signalled a clear intention to simplify aspects of planning, improve consistency, and reduce avoidable regulatory friction, especially for small and medium sized developments. Emerging guidance and forthcoming legislative changes indicate a growing recognition that SME housebuilders must be enabled, not constrained, if national housing ambitions are to be met.”
“For these reasons, while 2025 has been exceptionally difficult, we expect 2026 to mark the beginning of a recovery. With clearer rules, quicker decisions and better resourced planning teams, SME delivery can strengthen materially, helping to lift overall construction activity in the year ahead.”
Matt Beckley, Partnerships Director of Keon Homes:
“2025 has been another strong year for Keon Homes, with revenues on course to be up 20% on the same period last year.
“Five sites have been completed across the 12 months, and work has started on seven new developments, highlighting our growing track record in Birmingham, Coventry and in our traditional heartlands of the Black Country and Staffordshire.
“Importantly, we have bolstered several parts of the business with new staff to ensure current and future demand can be met.
“All of this has been achieved against the backdrop of a complex supply chain and a planning landscape that is still tough to navigate because of a lack of planning resource at local authority level.
“The Autumn 2025 Budget also failed to deliver any real initiatives, stimulus or confidence to the UK housebuilding sector at a time when it was needed for industry, especially if the government has any ambition of actually achieving their target of 1.5m new homes across England by the end of parliament.
“Where we do see some big opportunities is in the revitalised Social & Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP), which has seen funding increase from £11.5bn to £27.3bn outside of London.
“It runs for 10 years so offers developers like Keon Homes long-term planning certainty, whilst the stronger emphasis on social rent (at least 60% of funded homes expected to fall within this tenure) aligning with our commitment to balanced developments that deliver for local communities.
“Going forward, we will continue to work closely with social housing providers and local authorities to collaboratively bring forward land and build opportunities. Our involvement in the Tower Ballroom scheme in Birmingham is a prime example. This was a complex proposal, but we are well on the way to starting work on a 95-strong mix of apartments (1 and 2 beds) and homes (2, 3 and 4 beds).
“On a final note, I’d like to see movement on some of the government’s intentions to remove barriers to growth for SMEs – streamlined planning processes and approvals, eased BNG requirements, grey belt utilisation and exemptions from building safety levy would all be welcome changes.”
Brian Sofley, Managing Director, ASSA ABLOY Door Group:
“From a construction perspective, 2025 has been a year of adjustment as the industry continues to embed new regulatory expectations into everyday practice.
“The Building Safety Act has moved from policy into practical delivery, reshaping how projects are designed, specified and handed over, particularly on higher-risk buildings. The golden thread of information is now a central consideration, influencing not just compliance but how buildings are managed throughout their operational life.
“While cost pressures, labour shortages and programme uncertainty have remained constant challenges in 2025, there has also been a notable shift toward higher standards of accountability. Design teams and contractors are placing greater emphasis on product certification, digital information management and competence across the supply chain.
“In terms of doors and fire and safety-critical elements, this has driven a more rigorous approach to specification and inspection, supported by improved data transparency.
“Looking ahead to 2026, I expect compliance and digital information management to become even more tightly integrated into construction workflows. Verified product data, digital asset records and coordinated handover information will become the standard. This should improve not only building safety but also long-term performance, maintenance planning and whole-life value for asset owners.
“My hope for the year ahead is that the industry continues to move from a compliance-driven mindset toward a genuinely safety-led culture. One where quality and accountability are embedded from design through to installation and ongoing maintenance and management for safer, better-managed buildings.”
Adrian Clamp, Sustainability & Systems Director of J Coffey Group:
“Reflecting on the past year, it’s clear how integral sustainability has become to securing new projects. The market now demands not just competitive pricing and adherence to the highest health and safety standards, but also numerous sustainability-related deliverables. J Coffey Group has welcomed them and we’re proud to be actively fostering a culture of sustainability.
“Through detailed data collection and omni-platform reporting, we’re able to innovate, evaluate and ultimately act responsibly; from circular economy best practice and BREEAM standards to material reuse and green energy. Plus, we’re proud to have expanded the scope of our ISO 50001:2018 Energy Standard in 2025, now meeting ESOS compliance.
“Our ‘Agent for Change’ initiative, in collaboration with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, has flourished in 2025. I received positive feedback on it after I had the privilege of speaking at the recent ISEP (formerly IEMA) Global ‘CONNECT’ Conference. Team members from different departments and projects, regardless of any prior sustainability experience, are selected to undertake training on tailored sustainability metrics. This upskilling means they can actively assist in implementing best practice on projects and throughout the business.
“Collaboration is so often a driver of pioneering initiatives and in 2025 we partnered with Tarmac and CEVO. Thanks to AI-enabled sensor technology, our team at The Oxford Science Park (Mace) have been selecting the concrete mix based on real-time curing data and site conditions; therefore, always utilising the mix with the lowest carbon.
“Our partnership with St Gobain means we’ve recycled 291 tonnes of glass in 2025 – but there’s more to tally as I write. We also achieved a UK first with one of our long-term plant partners Schwing Stetter by converting a diesel concrete pump into an electric unit.
“We’re committed to working even more closely with collaborators to benefit the planet. Whether that’s to explore sustainable construction processes, materials, technology or plant, we have one planet and one goal, so the industry must work together. We couldn’t have switched all our plant to HVO back in 2022 without our long-term partnership with New Era Energy; or have adopted electric generators without working closely with Instagrid. And naturally, the support of our principal contractor clients is fundamental.
“The industry is facing – and we’re prepared for – even greater accountability expectations, especially with the growing demand for carbon emission intensity metrics and Whole Life Cycle Analysis (WLCA). I predict diligent data collection will continue to dominate strategies in 2026 and companies focusing on innovative waste reduction and repurposing strategies will be in a strong position.”
Richard Greenwood, Director of Operations at EN:Procure:
“Despite early government promises, we’ve seen a real slowdown in both the delivery and new starts in the social housing sector. When we look at the current landscape, it’s easy to see why.
“The rising costs of existing housing stock pressured by energy upgrades and building safety compliance, which are undeniably important but have naturally slowed new build delivery. Equally, a lack of funding clarity for affordable housing, the ripple effect from open market Section 106 delays and volatile land reducing viability, are all exacerbating the situation.
“In April 2026 we’ll see the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme start, which I’m cautiously optimistic about. However, routes like the Strategic Partnership Plus programme are only a solution if registered providers have the capacity to engage in it, as well as the supply chain being resilient enough to handle the increased pipeline. The government is promising all the right priorities for next year but as always, we remain hesitant on the realities as the construction sector, in particular housing, has had significant upheaval in recent years without the policies and funding to support it.”