CPA Weekly Notes – 24th October 2025

Issue No. 1174, 24th October 2025 FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Association Activities

CPA Webinar: Construction Industry Forecasts – Autumn 2025 Edition 

We would like to invite you and your respective members to join the CPA webinar for our Construction Industry Forecasts – Autumn 2025 Edition taking place on Wednesday 29^th October at 11am. The webinar will cover the UK economy this year, the latest construction data, and  construction forecasts for the key sectors, as well as key risks to the economy. The webinar will be hosted by Professor Noble Francis, CPA’s Economics director. Click here to register.

CPA is supporting CRASH Charity at the Autumn Lunch 2025 – Donate and enter the Raffle

CPA is proud to support CRASH – the UK construction industry charity since 2002. CRASH is all about helping homelessness charities and hospices with vital construction projects and creating places that care for people – and this makes it a perfect fit for the CPA and all our guests from across the construction supply chain. We will have  a collection of donations during the Lunch for CRASH (card payments are also accepted), at the end of the speeches we will have a small raffle. Please get in touch with Fabi if you would like to donate a prize for the raffle. 

Declaration of Performance

The CPA have published with the OPSS – ‘Understanding your Declaration of Performance obligations for the GB market’. The Declaration of Performance (DoP) is a central requirement under the Construction Products Regulation 2011 (GB). It provides a standardised way for manufacturers and other economic operators to communicate how a construction product performs against its essential characteristics. By doing so, the DoP supports transparency, comparability, and compliance, helping architects, builders, designers, and regulators make informed decisions about which products are suitable for use. The guide explains the obligations that apply to manufacturers, importers, distributors, and authorised representatives when drawing up and providing a DoP. It sets out when a DoP must be created, what information it must contain, and how it should be supplied. While it does not replace the legislation itself, the guide is intended to make the requirements of the CPR 2011 (GB) clearer and more accessible, enabling businesses to meet their legal duties with confidence and consistency. the document can be found here.

CPA Weekly Calendar of Meetings

• Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, will meet privately with the new Building Safety Minister, Samantha Dixon MBE MP.  host a meeting of our Trade Association Council; meet with directors at the MHCLG, OPSS and Building Safety Regulator to discuss product issues; and join a regular meeting of the Construction Leadership Council’s Task Force.
• Jeff May, CPA Deputy Chief Executive, will present to the Trade Association Council; will meet with officials from the Department for Business and Trade to discuss the cumulative impact on manufacturers from various government policies; and attend the weekly CLC meeting.
• Professor Noble Francis, CPA Economics Director, will present to the Trade Association Council about the current market forecast; and meet with the Forum of Statistics User Group
• Jane Thornback, CPA Sustainability Policy Advisor, will present to the Trade Association Council about sustainability policy issues; meet with the Green Construction Board Adaptation & Resilience Working Group about a systems approach to adaptation and resilience in the Built Environment.
• Hanna Clarke, Digital and Policy Manager, will have a variety of meetings with industry colleagues and civil servants around both competence and digitalisation of product information.
• Rob Lee, CPA Senior External Affairs Manager, will attend the Glass & Glazing Federation’s Parliamentary Reception.

Economics Update

CPA Weekly UK Economic and Construction Update

The latest weekly update is available here including:

• ONS Construction Output (August 2025)
• ONS UK Construction Wage Inflation (August 2025)
• Bellway Full-year Results (October 2025)

 The Autumn Forecasts will be published on Monday 27th October. 

CPA Construction Trade Survey 

The 2025 Q2 survey is now available to read here.

Regional Construction Hotspots in Great Britain 2025

This annual regional report, made in partnership between the CPA and Barbour ABI, analyses construction contract awards at a high level of regional granularity, firstly to identify pockets of growth or contraction – hotspots and coldspots – in regional activity and secondly, to offer a forward-looking indication of growth by region and by sector. The report compiled by the CPA with Barbour ABI is now available and can be read here.

Capacity constraints in construction: rethinking the business environment

The CPA contributed significantly to a new economic report by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) exploring the construction industry’s capacity to deliver on key targets and meet demand for new homes and infrastructure in the UK. The report can be found here.

Government Update

Government Sends Out EPR Bills

These first-year invoices, based on 2024 packaging data submitted by producers, will cover recycling and disposal costs for the assessment year April 2025 to March 2026.  
Guidance has been published here to help producers prepare and government have also launched a Customer Service Desk to support with questions: eprcustomerservice@defra.gov.uk 
The helpdesk is open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm during October 2025 and closed on weekends and bank holidays. Normal opening hours for the helpdesk post October 25 are 8am to 4.30pm.  

Review published setting new course for mainstreaming property flood resilience

The CPA have contributed to the FloodReady Review and Action Plan provides recommendations and practical steps to improve the take up of property flood resilience (PFR) measures. The Review, led by Professor Peter Bonfield, brought together leaders from across various sectors who all have an important role in improving the PFR uptake.
Property flood resilience measures – such as flood doors, non-return valves and air bricks – can help to keep as much water out of a property as possible. They also include measures like tiled floors and raised electrics, so if water does enter, it minimises damage and helps people get back on their feet quicker. The use of Sustainable Drainage Systems at property level, for example permeable paving and rain gardens, can also reduce the risk of surface water flooding.

DESNZ Survey Request

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Product Standards team invites CPA members to take part in a short survey on Ecodesign requirements for standby, off-mode and networked standby.  The aim of this survey is to gather evidence on the potential impacts if the UK aligns with the EU’s updated Regulation (EU) 2023/826, and to compare these with the current GB requirements under Regulation (EC) No 1275/2008. The EU’s updated rules would increase the stringency of requirements and bring additional products into scope. Your input will help DESNZ assess the implications for UK businesses and inform future policy.
 The survey can be accessed via the following link: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90904374/Standby-Networked-Standby-Survey.  It will ask some questions about your organisation, your product portfolio, and your views on the current and future requirements.  A separate Excel file is provided for you to add technical and sales volume details about your products.
 All responses will be viewed only by DESNZ and its research agencies and combined to build an anonymised, aggregate picture. If you are a trade association, you are welcome to provide association-level responses and/or coordinate input from your members.

Government consultation on water efficiency requirements in building regulations

Government is proposing a plan to strengthen Water Efficiency Standards in the Building Regulations 2010, Part G, to require tighter standards in new homes.  It also seeks more information on enabling water reuse systems in new developments to enable even greater water efficiency in homes. The deadline is 16 December.  Find the documents here Water Efficiency Standards: a review of Building Regulations 2010 Part G2 – GOV.UK

Industry News

HSE Newsletter 

The HSE have released a building control Gateway 2 update to 1 October 2025, demonstrating initial positive impacts on application processes for new high-rise residential buildings. The update comes amidst a steady rising pace of decisions, with determinations reaching an all-time high of 209 across all application types during August. 

As of 1 October 2025, 544 Gateway 2 decisions were made. This is a 111% increase compared to the 257 decisions made between January and March.  The BSR have also created a specialist Innovation Unit that has seen the majority of its new build applications dealt with by or before the 12-week target. 

Charlie Pugsley, Chief Executive Officer of BSR, said: “The regulator has been learning from the last two years, has listened to industry feedback and acted decisively through these substantial operational changes we are piloting, which have shown immediate, positive results. However, we recognise there are ongoing challenges, including national skills shortages, and we are committed to use agile problem-solving to work constructively with the wider sector and industry applicants.” The newsletter can be read in full here.

News from Our Autumn Lunch Sponsors 

Siderise becomes the first UK business to decarbonise UAE export route with FSEW

 Siderise is the first business in the UK to use international freight forwarder, FSEW’s, premium Greenflow service­, allowing it to decarbonise its road and sea export route between its main passive fire protection manufacturing facility in Maesteg, Wales and Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, marking a major step in reducing the carbon footprint of its international freight operations.
As global experts in passive fire protection for the building envelope, Siderise’s cavity barriers and firestops are in high demand for projects around the world where project stakeholders are seeking to achieve best practice fire safety. To ensure these orders are fulfilled efficiently without increasing its carbon footprint, Siderise has partnered with FSEW, adopting its premium Greenflow service to achieve net zero emissions for the Maesteg-Jebel Ali Port portion of its exported products’ journey.
Between Maesteg and Southampton Port, products are transported using FSEW’s own zero-emission fleet of electric HGVs and bio-fuelled trucks, eliminating diesel-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The sea leg between Southampton and Jebel Ali is then subject to ‘carbon insetting’­— an industry-centric audited programme where biofuel is purchased­ for use by marine vessels, helping to holistically reduce the impact of sea haulage.
To date, 14 containers have been delivered via this new process in less than two months.  By using electric HGVs instead of diesel trucks, 2.45 tCO₂e of road transport emissions have been avoided, with only 0.36 tCO₂e generated, including indirect emissions from electricity generation. This, combined with 20 tCO₂e from sea freight fully neutralised through certified maritime insetting, brings the total emissions for the entire journey to net zero.
Sera Turkoglu, ESG Manager for Siderise Group, explained the impact of this new logistics approach:
“At the heart of our Planet ESG pillar is a commitment to tackling climate change by analysing and addressing our GHG emissions across our operations. However, as most of our carbon footprint falls under Scope 3 emissions, it is essential for us to act across our value chain.
That’s why we’ve partnered with FSEW to take a closer look at one of our most carbon-intensive trade routes. As the first business to sign up to FSEW’s innovative Greenflow service, the results speak for themselves. After just 14 shipments, we’re seeing how this collaboration enables significant emissions reductions and measurable progress in decarbonising our international freight.
The rollout of electric trucks has delivered benefits beyond cutting emissions, notably reducing noise pollution in Maesteg and surrounding areas. This shift is helping create a cleaner, quieter environment for our neighbours, and is a great example of how sustainable innovation can positively impact both communities and the climate.
Being the first company in the UK to take this step is a proud moment. It is strategic move toward reducing our indirect emissions and demonstrating that innovation and collaboration can accelerate the transition to a net zero future.”
Geoff Tomlinson, Managing Director and Founder of FSEW, added:
“One of the biggest and most difficult challenges for businesses is reducing Scope 3 GHG emissions, which often account for over 70% of a business’s total carbon footprint. We launched Greenflow to tackle this head on, leveraging advanced technologies, renewable energy and data-driven strategies to achieve measurable sustainability milestones while ensuring reliable and efficient freight operations.
Siderise has been an excellent partner to launch this scheme into the market. Equally passionate about great customer service and committed to emissions reduction, they have embraced new ways of approaching their freight needs, and we were thrilled to be able to optimise this service to meet their needs without additional costs. I look forward to seeing where our collaborations take us next.”
Further discussions are now underway to find solutions to decarbonise the route from Jebel Ali to Siderise Dubai site, as well as to optimise other export routes.
Learn more about Siderise and its ESG commitments.
Learn more about FSEW Greenflow.

CPA in the News

Concern about the overall state of construction increases

Peter Caplehorn, CEO of the Construction Products Association, co-chairs of the Construction Leadership Council’s Material Supply Chain Group, have issued the following statement. “The third quarter of the year has shown flat or declining sales of building materials compared to 2024, with no significant recovery expected before 2026”.
Builders Merchant News | 22/10/2025 | Online
Also in Roofing Today, Building, Specification Online, Professional Builders Merchant

A third of people in construction ‘don’t care’ about improving industry

Noble Francis from the Construction Products Association said things were no better in the public sector, stating that civil servants struggled to get projects ‘green lit’ by the treasury if they tried to specify something over the allocated budget to achieve better long-term value and quality. “The government has lots of theory and value matrices about how to improve procurement, but this rarely reflects reality…and the industry knows how it works so there will always be companies bidding work at the lower level,” he told the BESA Conference.
Project Scotland | 20/10/2025 | Online
Also in ACR, Elemental London

Review published setting new course for mainstreaming property flood resilience

Duncan King, Senior Technical Manager, Construction Products Association, said “FloodReady highlights the necessity for a whole industry involvement to effectively negate the misery caused by properties being flooded. While standards can be written covering the production of effective flood resilient products, standards of workmanship for those undertaking retrofitting work need to be officially recognised and supported by warranties backed by the insurance industry, perhaps even the introduction of annual inspections of installed measures by local authorities.”
GOV.UK | 17/10/2025 | Online

Investors make record retreat from shares as AI crash fears rise

Noble Francis, economics director at the CPA, said brick deliveries were still 25pc lower than in 2022, adding “it will take a few years just to get back to those levels, never mind the levels of house building government keeps saying will be built in this five year parliament”.
MSN News US| 07/10/2025 | Online
also in: Yahoo News UK, MSN UK,

CIOB releases new report on construction industry capacity

Professor Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, commented: “This research is extremely valuable as it goes beyond the vast array of reports and policies, each aimed at addressing just one symptom of problems in the UK construction industry, and instead focuses on addressing the initial key issues that cause the vast majority of its problems.
Scottish Construction Now| 07/10/2025 | Online
also in: Construction Enquirer