New report reveals hotspots outside of London where the construction industry thriving

  Posted by: electime      13th October 2025

Tunbridge Wells has the most thriving construction landscape outside of London, according to a new report released by Monster-Mesh, construction branding specialists. The study analysed five key indicators across 84 UK locations, to reveal construction hotspots outside of the capital.

Construction is one of the UK’s most vital sectors, supporting the economy through housing delivery, infrastructure projects, and providing thousands of skilled jobs. With London often dominating in scale and growth, Monster-Mesh’s research aimed to uncover where the industry is thriving across regional hubs, ranking locations based on:

• Number of construction firms in the region (as a percentage of the total)
• Construction gross value added (GVA) per head (in GBP)
• Percentage increase in the construction workforce (forecasted 2024-29)
• Total spend on construction branding in the location (per 100,00 people)
• Number of advertised construction jobs (per 100,000 people)

Each indicator was given a score, then combined into an overall index, indicating the health of the construction sector in that particular area. To ensure fairness across cities and towns of different sizes, the figures were presented proportionally to the local population or as percentage figures.

The Construction Industry’s Top Ten Thriving Locations (Outside of London)

Tunbridge Wells named the most thriving place for construction

Tunbridge Wells secured the top spot, with strong performance across every indicator in the rankings.The region’s construction workforce is expected to increase by 4 per cent between 2024 and 2029, and that’s with one job board already listing 116 construction jobs in Tunbridge Wells at the moment (that’s around 226 per 100,000 residents).

Around 17 per cent of the UK’s construction businesses are also located in the wider South East region, this is the highest in any area outside of London. Plus an impressive £43,608 per 100,000 people is spent on construction branding, a sign of investment and confidence in the industry’s future. What’s more, construction in the region generates a GVA of £35,845 per head (Gross Value Added), driving the local economy.

Mark McLennan, Founder at Monster-Mesh said,

“Tunbridge Wells is seeing major development activity at the moment, including multi-million-pound regeneration projects such as the Royal Victoria Place shopping centre and the town’s 15-year vision for the centre. This combined with a well established construction landscape in the South East of England, appears to be driving confidence and potential growth for the sector in Tunbridge Wells.”