The hotel, leisure & sports sector received a boost in last month with construction contracts totaling £875 million, leading to the largest total value for the sector this year.

According to the latest Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, two major projects were commissioned in November that made a significant difference to the sector’s performance. A £400 million new stadium for Tottenham Hotspur and a redevelopment of Wimbledon’s number one court valued at £150 million. The two projects significantly helped arenas & stadia to combine for the highest proportion of contract values in the sector for November, with 63 per cent of the total (please see fig below).

Stadia-Arenas infographic
More impressively, there were no stadia projects commisioned in November 2014, citing a shift in change as stadia projects begin to flourish moving into 2016.

Overall for November, the number of construction projects within the UK decreased by 6 per cent year on year, however the value of projects commissioned in the month was £7.9 billion, increasing by 38 per cent within the same timeframe.

Commenting on the figures, Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said: “The hotel, leisure & sport sector has had a subdued year in 2015 after a strong finish to 2014. However the sector seems to have turned a corner in November, thanks significantly to major stadia projects, with even more looking likely to be confirmed over the coming months.”