Compass Developments of Cramlington (Compass), one of the region’s leading providers of high-quality, cost-effective, turnkey construction solutions and a member of the Northern Counties Builders Federation, has picked up its second of two major projects for Northumberland Estates in Alnwick.
The latest project win, which brings the value of work won to £9.3 million over the last year is for 36,000 sq ft of industrial space at the Lionheart Enterprise Park, spread across four industrial units.
This £4m project, won through competitive tender with Compass operating as the design and build contractor, has an anticipated completion date of March 2023.
Designed by architect and structural consultant, Shadbolt, with M&E support from Sine Consulting, the buildings comprise a standard steel portal frame, with cladding to walls and roofs.
One of the units will be developed specifically to meet the requirements of Pure Fishing Ltd, a collection of the world’s best known fishing brands, including Hardy’s of Alnwick, while the other four units will be handed over ready for fit out by the incoming occupiers.
The first Northumberland Estates project awarded to Compass was for an 80-bed Premier Inn at Willowburn, Alnwick valued at £5.3m which has now been handed over in accordance with their turnkey specification and is now in operation in the run up to the festive period.
These project wins are indicative of a period of solid growth for the company, which was formed in 2009. In the past, the firm’s order book demonstrated a capacity for heritage and housing work including the refurbishment of a Grade II Georgian Terrace in Northumberland Square, North Shields for North Tyneside Council’s housing arm, Aurora Properties, however, Compass chairman, Graham Anderson, says they are not targeting any one sector for work at the present time.
This is borne out by its current order book showing some £3m of education projects which are all currently on site or scheduled for commencement in January 2023 within schools operated by multi academy trusts, including the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust in addition to the County Durham-based Advanced Learning Partnership which operates eleven academies.
Mr Anderson said: “We are delighted to be working with Northumberland Estates for the second time and look forward to delivering these two prestigious developments that will benefit the people of Alnwick and the wider community.
He continued: “We have a dedicated and proactive team of construction professionals, with considerable experience in a variety of construction techniques, making us well-placed to deliver for our clients. It is with these capabilities that we hope to demonstrate our value to the team at Northumberland Estates and we look forward to working with them both now and in the future.
“Given the difficulties experienced throughout the industry as a result of the pandemic I am delighted to report that our pipeline of work remains strong and with the continued success of our estimating team, we can look forward to a period of further, sustained, growth with confidence.”
