Van Elle, the Nottinghamshire-headquartered ground engineering contractor, has signed an eight-year partnering agreement with Wood Transmission & Distribution to deliver ground investigation, design and construction activities for piling and foundations across several transmission schemes as part of Ofgem’s Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) programme.

Subject to performance, the partnership is expected to be worth in excess of £30m to Van Elle over that period.

Works have commenced on initial projects in New Cumnock, Argyll and most recently at Beauly-Loch Buidhe where ground investigation works are mobilising throughout January for 240 towers to be constructed in 2026-27.

Chief Executive, Mark Cutler, said: “Wood has been a long-standing customer for Van Elle, so we are delighted to announce this partnering agreement to help deliver part of the significant scale of energy infrastructure in Scotland together over the coming years.

“Our breadth of capability allows us to integrate ground investigation, design and piling and foundation solutions best suited to the project requirements. Initial works have commenced, and activity levels will now increase as other schemes are mobilised across Scotland. 

“Our recent acquisition of Albion Drilling based in Stirling will support with a local resource base and specialist skills needed to deliver these important commitments, often in remote and challenging locations.

“This agreement is the first of a number that we anticipate in this growing sector; reinforcing our confidence in our medium-term ambitions.”

It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.  It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years. Here we speak to Andrew Bridge, Managing Partner at property consultancy Fisher German. Despite a challenging picture for businesses following the Budget in October, there will still be potential for growth in 2025. The recent NPPF reforms were welcome, but it remains to be seen how effective it will be in delivering the housing the country needs. Inflation and interest rates may continue to slow down the residential market, with the cost of borrowing being a major factor in successful transactions. Commercial growth may also be hindered by a lack of land supply and reliable grid connections, making it difficult for companies to expand. However, the rise in national insurance contributions, while challenging for many businesses, could actually result in opportunities for further work. The National Wealth Fund, a government initiative set up to attract private investment in clean energy and growth industries, is set to invest a further £5.8bn of capital into these projects during this Parliament, which the increase in NICs should help pay for. Whether directly or indirectly, the private sector will be able to contribute to the delivery of these large-scale projects and benefit as a result. Beyond this, businesses will increasingly look to AI to solve their productivity issues, with early adopters likely to reap the most rewards. And looking further ahead into 2026, a planned amendment to banking regulations could free up further access to loans for SMEs and infrastructure projects, with the potential to stimulate property prices.

Cities Outlook 2025 today (20 January 2025) shows the stark pay divides in the UK. Average salaries of £49,500 in London are £16,800 above salaries in the East Midlands (£32,700), according to Centre for Cities. This means that the average worker in London has earned by August what the average worker in the East Midlands will take a year to earn. The pay divide primarily results from some cities having far more “cutting edge” private sector jobs and businesses than others. Places with the highest pay such as London and Cambridge have more than twice as many cutting-edge firms and up to three times as many cutting-edge jobs – in sectors like biotech and AI – as low pay places such as Leicester and Mansfield. The scale of the pay divide underlines why 2025 has to be the year the Government delivers on its ambitions to raise economic growth. In Cities Outlook 2025, its latest annual outlook for urban economies in the UK, Centre for Cities urges the Government to follow through on its economic policy programme – including English devolution, the industrial strategy, and planning reforms. Out of the 63 largest towns and cities, nearly all those with above-average salaries for the UK are in the Greater South East, including Reading and Milton Keynes. Just seven places in the rest of the country have salaries above the UK average – Leeds, Warrington, Derby, Swindon, Bristol, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Cities and towns where workplace wages are low have to address the barriers to growth in cutting-edge parts of their economy. This will require evidence-based assessments on the weaknesses in their local economies, prioritising work in high-skill over high-street activity and investing in fundamentals – such as skills, transport and workspace. Cities Outlook 2025 also emphasises the importance of implementing the proposed changes to the national planning system to make housing delivery easier and quicker. Lowering housing costs is a challenge for cities and large towns with high wages, including London and most places in the Greater South East: half of the ten places with the highest average wages also rank in the ten least affordable housing markets. High housing costs eat into disposable incomes and raise barriers that prevent people moving to these areas to take advantage of the economic opportunities they offer. Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said: “The Government is right to identify boosting economic growth for every part of the country as a top priority. It is the only sustainable route to higher wages. But the stark nature of Cities Outlook’s findings shows an incremental approach is not going to be enough. “Boldness, urgency and scale are crucial. 2025 needs to be year for delivery, particularly on the Government’s Industrial Strategy, framework for English devolution and its reforms to planning. “Bold changes to planning rules can deliver more housing in the most expensive places and in our big cities, where it’s needed most. The Industrial Strategy must prioritise growing the cutting edge of the economy, and avoid calls to do something for all sectors and industries. “And English devolution needs to be fast-tracked so more places, particularly the big cities, have the powers and resources to deliver the pay increases that many parts of the country badly need. “This government has promised more money in people’s pockets. If people across the country are going to earn more by the end of the parliamentary term, then 2025 is year we need to see action and progress on the Government’s growth ambition.”