Robertson has completed construction on Phase 2 of Vision Tameside in Ashton-under-Lyne, which was one of the projects affected by the collapse of Carillion.
The £48m project partly opened its doors yesterday (4th March), giving local residents access to a state-of-the-art library, Tameside Council’s Customer Services and Welfare Rights, Citizens Advice, Cash Box Credit Union and Jobcentre Plus.
In the same building, a 7,000m2 Advanced Skills Centre for Tameside College will open later in March, providing state-of-the-art educational facilities, allowing students to study a broad range of vocational skills in the borough.
The joint public service centre will be shared by the council and college and forms part of the Vision Tameside project – an ambitious redevelopment strategy that aims to bring greater economic prosperity and transform learning skills in Tameside.
The project incorporates the latest energy-saving innovations, and provides a more customer-friendly and cost-effective building that offers better services for residents. It is estimated the centre will save £1.5million a year, taking new operational and annual running costs in to account.
Following the collapse of Carillion, Tameside Council’s Executive Cabinet approved a proposal from its infrastructure partner, Inspired Spaces Tameside Limited (LEP), which were contracted to design and build the new facilities, to replace their original sub-contractor Carillion, with Robertson.
Robertson which is one of the largest independently owned construction companies in the UK and the LEP, originally entered into an 8 week Early Works Agreement but later extended this agreement for the duration of the project.
All Carillion employees that had worked on the project and were still looking for employment were given roles by Robertson. The construction company also invested in developing its young people throughout the duration of the project, with several completing apprenticeships while on site.
Dirk Pittaway, managing director of Robertson North West, said: “This project will provide high-class facilities to the people of Tameside and make a real difference in the local community.
“The Robertson team has worked tirelessly with Tameside Council to ensure this phase of Vision Tameside has been delivered to the highest standard and I’m delighted with outcome of the project.
“A particularly pleasing part of the project has been Robertson’s ability to secure employment for the site team from the former contractor and support the development of young people throughout construction with several completing their apprenticeships.”
Tameside Council Executive Leader Councillor Brenda Warrington said: “I’m delighted that this fantastic new building is open, enabling our residents to access a host of services under one roof and make use of a wonderful new library. And college students will soon be able to use the state-of-the-art facilities in the new Tameside College building, giving them the best possible educational facilities.”
For more information on the Vision Tameside project please go to http://www.visiontameside.com/.
