Kier bags Plymouth’s tallest building in £90m work haul

Kier has picked up a trio of regional building projects worth nearly £90m, including the job to build a 78m tall student accommodation block in Plymouth. The £29.5m contract for new client Threesixty Developments in Plymouth will see the firm design and build the 22-storey Beckley Court scheme on a sloping site on Armada Way.

This will become the city’s tallest building, dwarfing the current claimant, the 14-storey Civic Centre.

In Durham, Kier also confirmed the award of a £20m project to build 418 student rooms at Sheraton Park for specialist student housing developer Alumno.

While in the West Midlands, Kier Living has been appointed development partner for a major £40m mixed tenure housing scheme by Birmingham City Council’s Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust.

The Primrose Estate in Kings Norton will feature around 300 houses – including 148 affordable homes – as well as a hectare of public amenity space and a new superstore.

Nigel Brook, Kier executive director for construction and infrastructure services, said the outlook for growth remained positive across the country.

“We anticipate seeing some ebb and flow as issues like resources and materials fluctuate, but there is an ongoing momentum and appetite from clients across the public and private sector.

“Whether it is the increase in appetite for tall buildings, not just in the capital but across the regions, the growth of the student accommodation market, or new office space from grade A headquarters to start up incubator space, high quality opportunities of all scales are coming through.”

“This is likely to be cemented by the devolution agenda and the growth of the Northern Powerhouse, and could possibly drive greater momentum in the north of England, as authorities look to combine to harness shared funding and resources, and the private sector is buoyed and encouraged by this focussed investment.”

Ref: Construction Enquirer
16/11/15