Good News (M27 Underpass, SMRs, Hothouse projects, Hot rocks,
Project InnerSpace, Another Boring project story, Sizewell);
Not So Good News (More Nuclear money, Ill Winds blow, Not the End of the Line);
Profession News (Major Collaboration, License to Practice);
Agile and Global Warming; Terraforming in the 21st C and Sporting Projects.
REPORT
By Dr. Miles Shepherd
Executive Advisor & International Correspondent
Salisbury, England, UK
INTRODUCTION
When I looked back at the month, it seemed there would be little to pass on to readers, but closer scrutiny has shown more stories than at first seemed probable. So coverage of some news will be brief and other items of interest will be held over till next month.
GOOD NEWS
The year has started quite well with the welcome news that the M27 Underpass at Junction 10 was successfully completed with the concrete tunnel maneuvered into place and the motorway re-opened on schedule. There is more to do on this £100 million project which is scheduled for completion in the winter of this year.
Rolls-Royce SMR has announced a contract with Skanska UK to deliver an aseismic bearing pedestal demonstrator for its Small Modular Reactor (SMR).
These structural isolation devices are a key part of the factory-built nuclear power plant’s design and play a critical role in decoupling buildings and infrastructure from ground motion during seismic events – significantly enhancing safety and resilience.
The project will be delivered from Skanska’s fabrications facility in Doncaster, England, and includes building a prototype of the aseismic bearing pedestal which allows standardisation of the Rolls-Royce SMR design across a diverse range of geotechnical and seismic conditions.
Hothouse Projects. Kew Gardens is world famous for its plant collections and spectacular glass houses whose renovation we have reported over the years. The latest project at the west London park concerns the Palm House and the Waterlily House which are showing signs of serious deterioration and are not energy efficient.
The world heritage site was granted planning permission in February, having received approval from UNESCO and Historic England to update the listed early Victorian structures. Work on the Waterlily House is set to begin in spring while the full project looks to secure funding to meet the expected £60 million overall cost.
More…
To read entire report, click here
How to cite this report: Shepherd, M. (2026). UK Project Management Roundup, report, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue III, March. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pmwj162-Mar2026-Shepherd-UK-Regional-Roundup-Report.pdf
About the Author
Dr. Miles Shepherd
Salisbury, UK
Dr. Miles Shepherd is an executive editorial advisor and international correspondent for PM World Journal in the United Kingdom. He is also managing director for MS Projects Ltd, a consulting company supporting various UK and overseas Government agencies, nuclear industry organisations and other businesses. Miles has over 30 years’ experience on a variety of projects in UK, Eastern Europe and Russia. His PM experience includes defence, major IT projects, decommissioning of nuclear reactors, nuclear security, rail and business projects for the UK Government and EU. His consulting work has taken him to Japan, Taiwan, USA and Russia. Past Chair and Fellow of the Association for Project Management (APM), Miles is also past president and chair and a Fellow of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). He was, for seven years, a Director for PMI’s Global Accreditation Centre and is immediate past Chair of the ISO committee developing new international standards for Project Management and for Program/Portfolio Management. He is currently Chairman of the British Standards Institute project management committee. He was involved in setting up APM’s team developing guidelines for project management oversight and governance. Miles is based in Salisbury, England and can be contacted at miles.shepherd@msp-ltd.co.uk.
To view other works by Miles Shepherd, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at http://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/miles-shepherd/.
