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WE SECURE 1,100-TONNE CONTRACT AT £ 30M RIVERWALK DEVELOPMENT
Finley Structures has won a 1,100-tonne project which will help to rejuvenate Durham city .
The family-run business was awarded a contract from Sir Robert McAlpine to work on a retail and entertainment complex as part of the multi-million pound Durham Gates redevelopment . And the contract win has come as a personal victory for Finley ’ s Managing Director John Finley , as it ’ s the first project he has won in his home city after nearly 40 years in the construction industry . Finley , who ’ s originally from Esh Winning , just outside Durham city , says he ’ s personally delighted to have won it . He said : “ Even going back to my original steel erecting days in the late 1970s I ’ d never worked on a project in the city . “ And since starting out in business in 1981 that pattern has continued , despite many student accommodation projects being carried out around the city in recent years . “ So to have finally won a contract in Durham city is very much a personal victory for me and the company and we ’ re naturally delighted .” Finley Structures started on-site at Durham earlier this year and expect to be finished this summer . Their part of the project is to fabricate and erect 1,100 tonnes of steel on top of an existing concrete structure . The steel project is supporting at least 30 local jobs , including a local drawing office and labourers , John added : “ It ’ s a transfer structure , with a new steel frame that sits on top of that , so it ’ s quite a challenge . “ Building up into fresh air is straight forward , but fixing down into existing concrete structures is always much more complex . “ But it ’ s a good local project we ’ re all excited to be involved with , and we ’ re working with main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine , with whom we have a long-standing partnership .” With a 445-bed student accommodation unit , a six-screen Odeon cinema and half a dozen bars and restaurants , the riverside area will be transformed by 2018 . It ’ s part of three major contracts across the city which represent a total £ 195m of
To have finally won a contract in Durham city is very much a personal victory for me and the company and we ’ re naturally delighted .
investment . The developments will bring a huge range of choice for County Durham foodies , with restaurants including Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill , Handmade Burger Co and Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay all set to open there eventually . The two-storey glass fronted building will take in views across the river wear of the castle and the Cathedral . Riverwalk is set to open in two stages in 2018 and be completed by that summer .
WHO WE WORK WITH ...
We ’ re currently working with all these major national contractors ...
ISSUE 13 / SUMMER 2017