St. Modwen 30 Years : A Generation of Regeneration 1 | Page 68

ST. MODWEN | A GENERATION OF REGENERATION | HARD HATS OFF!

“It’s the variety and type of project that
makes working at St. Modwen exciting, I
have always had the sense that with every
project we are on the edge of something
brilliant. I’ve worked on hundreds of different
schemes over the years, most of them
delivered, some not, all of them fascinating
in their own way. Whatever the project,
it’s blatantly apparent that we don’t see
problems, we solve them”.
A true problem solver himself, Steve has
worked on some exceptionally complicated
stuff from which most people would run a
mile. Projects like the £90m regeneration
of Wembley Central: once a tired 1960s
shopping centre, situated above a live
mainline station, this project involved
complicated negotiations with Network Rail
and an extremely difficult site assembly,
and most of it built on springs. Delivered
during the recession this prominent town
centre development now comprises a hotel,
120,000 sq ft of new retail, 273 apartments,
a new public square and a refurbished and
upgraded tube and train station.
Another example is the regeneration of the
former BP Llandarcy oil refinery in South
Wales which St. Modwen acquired in 2008
after a competitive, four year bid process
overseen by BP, Neath Port Talbot County
Borough Council and the Princes Foundation
for Building Community. “BP was adamant
that they wanted to leave a positive legacy

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Steve says:

for South Wales. Having witnessed our
clean-up skills on other UK brownfield sites,
BP recognised us as being the best to
remove their risk. It wasn’t an easy job but
after an intense clean-up period of four years
we got there and are now making good
progress with delivering a new community
for South Wales.”

Some would say that St. Modwen is almost
heroic in what it sets out to achieve but Steve
takes a more pragmatic approach: “Where
there is muck there is money. Stan Clarke
always swore by the fact that we acquired
‘cheap, well-located, rubbish’ and then we
turned it into something truly amazing.
We do it because we have the in-house
capability to take on these projects and
the vision to see beyond what others may
consider frightening.
“There is a specific type of person that joins
St. Modwen, new recruits learn that they
need to visualise a completed scheme from
the very start but personality also accounts
for a lot in this business. We all work hard,
we all remain flexible in our approach and
we all relish a challenge. We are problem
solvers and we recognise what makes a
prime asset to spark quality regeneration.”
So with such foresight and imagination,
Steve seems very well qualified to identify
what makes a truly great site. In his
view there are a few factors to take into

consideration: “Size, profile, partners,
location and then the scheme itself” he says.
“The Bay Campus for Swansea University
is the greatest project we’ve done in my
view. The first phase alone was one million
sq ft and took just two years to complete.
When it opened its doors to 5,000 students
in September 2015 and became a fully
functioning asset for South Wales it was
breath taking to watch first hand and a
very proud moment when you realise that
regeneration is making a real and true
difference to people’s lives.”
Steve continues: “There have been many
other great projects that I’ve worked on
over the years, ranging from a 630,000 sq ft
shed for Screwfix in Stoke-on-Trent to a
430,000 sq ft flagship distribution warehouse
for Adidas in Manchester. However, everything
considered, perhaps the most high profile
project has been building the Britannia
Stadium for Stoke City football club in 1996.
“I am a keen football supporter so to
complete a football stadium in less than
50 weeks, ready for the first game of the
season, was incredible and at the time
with a contract value of £13.6m, it was
St. Modwen’s biggest ever.
“I have clear recollections of the first football
match there. The tarmac was still being laid
in the car park in the afternoon. At 3pm, the
Chief of Police was there holding a safety

Clockwise from top:
remediation at the former
Llandarcy site, now home
to Coed Darcy a new
community for South Wales;
The Britannia Stadium,
Stoke-on-Trent; The Bay
Campus, Swansea University
and new apartments at
Wembley Central, London

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