Member Article

New premises for Northwich businesses start to take shape

The construction of four new buildings at a Cheshire business park is progressing well, with prospective tenants being sought for the premises.

Steel beams are now in place for the four units at Duttons Business Centre in Northwich, and contractor Wynne Construction is on track to complete the project in December.

The expansion will take the business park to 10 premises and Wynne Construction, appointed by Cheshire West and Chester Council, has worked closely with existing tenants and an adjacent educational building to ensure construction work causes as little disruption as possible.

The premises are being constructed via the Council’s Property Reinvestment Programme which seeks to provide new business space in the Cheshire West and Chester area.

Graham Dickson, contracts manager at Wynne Construction, said: “Everything has been going smoothly so far and we are pleased with the progress made.

“One of the reasons things are coming along well is our solution for installing the foundations. Due to ground conditions we have been able to bypass the traditional method of digging trenches to complete foundations, and then constructing the floor, by using a concrete raft construction. Not only is it quicker and easier, it’s more cost effective for the client as well.

“There is an educational building adjacent to the site and it’s currently exam season. We have had close communication with the school to accommodate their timetable and avoid making noise during exams.

“We have also reduced vehicle journeys to and from site. One half of the site needed to be raised to make it level with the rest of the area, and we used recyclable material from the old building, which was demolished and crushed, as aggregate fill to achieve this.

“Our team is working hard to ensure the client is delivered quality buildings on time and to budget. This is our first contract with Cheshire West and Chester Council and we are looking forward to having the opportunity to develop a long working relationship with them in the same way we have with other clients in Wales.”

Each unit, which will be 258sq m, with suitable eaves height to allow companies to install a first floor mezzanine floor deck if necessary, also comes with on-site car parking and solar panels on the roof to re-generate electricity.

Throughout the £1.2m project, Wynne Construction will employ approximately 50 people ranging from direct employees to subcontractors.

The construction of the Northwich units forms part of a wider project for Cheshire West and Chester, which is providing business support and workspace. The project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Councillor Brian Clarke, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Infrastructure at Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Businesses in Northwich, or those looking to relocate or expand into the area, will soon have an ideal base. The units will be completed to a shell finish and the tenants will be able to fit out to suit their own processes.

“The units will be attractive to many types of businesses and anyone interested in finding out more should contact the Council’s property team on 01606 271704.

“We’re thrilled with how Wynne Construction has hit the ground running and look forward to seeing the development progress.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .