Member Article

Construction firm reports huge growth

A leading North East construction company has secured five new contracts during the first few weeks of its new financial year – boosting forecast turnover, securing jobs and creating new employment opportunities.

Galliford Try Partnerships North has picked up over £10 million worth of work since the end of June.

The wide range of projects secured by the Newcastle Great Park based company include the construction of an extra care facility, a hospice, apartments, houses and bungalows.

Said Managing Director, Stephen McCoy: “We are delighted to have made such an excellent start to the year. Clearly the construction industry is growing again but I think this expansion reflects extremely well on our team here in the North East.

“Recruitment for further growth is already underway and we anticipate creating at least 10 new jobs over the course of the year as we continue to grow the business to meet our long term objectives. Multiple additional employment opportunities will be created within our consultant and sub contract partners.

“The variety of the work will also provide an opportunity to demonstrate our expertise in a number of construction disciplines – improving the strength of our offer to existing and potential clients.”

The new projects include a scheme in partnership with Leazes Homes, Your Homes Newcastle and Newcastle City Council to create an assisted living development at Newland Road in North Kenton. This will comprise 20 single and 18 two bedroomed, self contained, fully wheelchair accessible apartments.

There will be a large communal lounge, offering space for residents and members of the local community to meet and an attractive landscaped garden for residents to enjoy.

Construction is already underway on the first phase of a new facility for the Willow Burn Hospice in Lanchester. Since it was established in 1989, the hospice has been based in a detached ward of a 1950s isolation hospital at Maiden Law. The new structure will incorporate a ‘hub’ and provide space for increased access to a wide range of day hospice services.

Working with Newcastle based social housing provider, Home Group and Gateshead Council, Galliford Try will build 24 new affordable homes in Fewster Square, Felling. The project will see a mixture of two and three bedroomed family houses developed on the site of the former swimming pool – itself replaced with a state of the art leisure complex nearby, in Heworth.

There are two schemes with Housing Hartlepool, part of The Vela Group. The first is a project to redevelop the historic, Grade II listed Friarage Manor House building and the surrounding 1.95 acres, to create affordable homes for families and older people.

The scheme comprises 36 properties, including bungalows, two bedroomed town houses and one and two bedroomed apartments, with the Friarage building being renovated to become the focal point of the development. These will be both affordable rented homes and shared ownership properties.

The second is the first phase of the redevelopment of the former Henry Smith School site in King Owsy Drive, Hartlepool. The Vela Group has secured Homes and Communities Agency funding to build 20 affordable rented bungalows and five bungalows for shared ownership for people aged 55 and over. In addition there will be three wheelchair accessible properties for families.

Each home will achieve a Level three for the Code for Sustainable Homes, will comply with all Lifetime Homes standards and will achieve Secure by Design Certification.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .