Construction work starts up again at Vaux site
TOLENT REPLACES CARILLION WHICH WENT INTO LIQUIDATION
Work has restarted on Sunderland’s Vaux site after construction firm Tolent was awarded a contract to complete its first building.
Sunderland City Council’s development partners Siglion – which is responsible for the development of the whole Vaux site as well as a number of other key regeneration projects in the city – has appointed North East firm Tolent Construction to complete phase one of the development.
It replaces Carillion Construction,whichwasliquidated earlier this year after it collapsed with £1.5billion of debt.
Tolent has delivered a number of high-profile projects in the city in recent years, including the construction of the Beacon of Light, Hilton Garden Inn, in theStadiumVillage,theEcho 24 building and housing on Doxford Park estate.
It has now restarted work on the first building, The Beam, which can be seen from High Street West, as well as infrastructure, a new public square and continuation of the Keel Line.
It is expected that The Beam will open early in 2019, delivering more than 59,000 sq ft of office and leisure space, and extending the footprint of the city centre towards the riverside, connected by Keel Square.
Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller, said: “I am delighted work has restarted.
“It is genuinely great to see that we are going to have activity on this building.
“We need this building ready for March next year, which is not that long at all. We have got four floors of office space that will be fitted out to skeleton finish, so as soon as the tenants come in , they can say what they want to have in there.”
David Roberts from Siglion’s development partner Igloo, was pleased to see work restart: “It is a relief, but it is really a genuinely positive development,” he said.
“The Carillion collapse has affected a lot of people around the country, so it is encouraging to see us back on site so quickly. I would not be surprised if this is one of the first large Carillion contracts to be restarted.”
Tolent regional director David Thompson said restarting work on Vaux had been a personal passion for the firm’s chairman.
“We just thought, ‘We need to move here, we need to help if we can’. That was motivated by our chairman John Wood – he is a Sunderland lad through and through. He just said ‘We have got to step up and see how we can assist’.”
Many of those who originally worked on the Beam have been re-engaged to finish the building.
David Ames lost his job with electrical contractor Vaughan’s when Carillion collapsed but is now back on site. “It is fantastic to have a chance to finish what we started,” he said.
To find out more about the site, visit the-beam.co.uk.