Insight

Addressing skills shortages and attracting new people into construction means more effort to change perceptions, especially to women, writes Dr Jocelyne Fleming, lead – Scottish policy and public affairs, CIOB. To mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week (2-6 March), CIOB has once again surveyed youn

Having studied planning application trends as a litmus test for whether land supply for housing is running out in Scotland, development & investment manager Jake Poole suggests that while the picture is not bleak across the board just yet, cracks are emerging, and it is a slow ship to turn. In r

Tax expert Tony Cochrane discusses HM Revenue & Customs' (HMRC) recent shift from a lenient enforcement period to a strict compliance regime regarding the VAT Domestic Reverse Charge (DRC) within the construction industry, outlining the specific criteria for its application and offering practica

Joe Warren, building consultancy partner at Knight Frank, looks ahead to the EPC changes coming into effect later in the year. There are lots of legislative and regulatory difference between Scotland and the rest of the UK. But perhaps one of the most misunderstood differences in property has been t

The Scottish Government’s planned exemptions from rent control measures within the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 signal a more stable and investable landscape for developers, investors and funders, offering a timely catalyst for boosting housing supply across Scotland, write Russell Munro and Pa

Robert Bennett, head of sales and marketing for bathroom and kitchen surfaces supplier Rearo, argues that public and private sector tendering processes are now governed as much by social and ethical considerations as by financial and commercial, and that this applies across a company's entire supply

As 2026 continues, the Glasgow office market offers a clear and compelling narrative: demand remains healthy, but it is increasingly selective, Sarah Hagen writes. For occupiers, investors and landlords alike, 2025 was a year defined by the flight to quality, tightening supply and the gradual but me

Laura Fraser, project manager of the Skills Transition Centre at Forth Valley College, outlines the changing nature of teaching and learning in the construction sector. Here at Forth Valley College, we are transforming the way students learn construction trades through our new Skills Transition Cent

One year on from the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 coming into force, Hamish Paterson – director and head of building surveying at Thomas & Adamson – reflects on the lessons learned during the first year of Scotland’s national cladding programme and the nex

Nicola Woodward, senior director and head of the Edinburgh office at Lichfields, examines how current housing policy in Scotland, and the growing number of out-of-date local development plans, are affecting housing delivery. Scotland has been in a declared housing emergency since May 2024, yet the d

In an exclusive for Scottish Construction Now, Scott Brewster, managing director of sustainable resource management company Brewster Brothers, argues that the forthcoming Scottish Aggregates Tax can be used alongside other fiscal levers and environmental policies in order to boost sustainability and

John Forster, founder & chair of Forster Group, shares how renewable energy sources, like solar, will be key to helping construction sustainably scale up operations to meet current needs. As we enter 2026, the construction sector stands at the centre of the UK’s most urgent social and econ

In 2024, Dr Scott McGibbon was awarded CIOB’s inaugural Paul Dockerill Award. For the CIOB's January column for Scottish Construction Now, he updates us on the progress of his research and campaign to protect more people from the dangers of silica dust. In 2024, Scottish Construction Now repor

The Supreme Court just reminded contractors everywhere to check their contracts before ripping them up, says Liam McKay. We’re all familiar with the saying that “two wrongs don’t make a right,” and this month that wise adage came through in a ruling from the Supreme Court tha

Zander Muego, director of Thomas & Adamson – part of Egis Group, shares his expert insights on the key trends likely to shape the construction sector in 2026. The construction sector has entered 2026 with a heightened sense of caution. Growth in the UK construction market is projected to r