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McAlpine brings Finley Structures aboard £25m Ryde Academy development

Newton Aycliffe construction firm Finley Structures has won a contract to fabricate and erect 560 tonnes of steel for a school on the Isle of Wight.

Sir Robert McAlpine is currently working on the £25m new development at Ryde Academy, located near the Northern coast of the island on an existing school site.

Planners gave the green light for the new school building and sports pitches to be constructed to the South of its existing site.

The construction includes a new two and three-storey school building, with a school layout for the consolidated 1,500 place 11-16 year old secondary school.

Existing six blocks will be demolished after the new complex is commissioned and the majority of that part of the site turned into a car park.

McAlpine awarded Finley Structures the contract to fabricate and erect 560 tonnes of steel as part of the project.

Finley operations manager Jim Graham said: “It always makes things a bit more logistically difficult when there’s water involved.

“We fabricated the steel in Newton Aycliffe and transported to the South coast, and Red Funnel ferries took it across to the island.

“The school is also being built on an existing site, which has made the project a bit more difficult logistically, but we’re progressing well.”

The contract means the firm is currently working on three school site projects at present.

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