Positive start to 2011 for Swindon office

The Beard Swindon office has announced a confident start to 2011,  with a better than expected forward order book across a range of sectors including education, local authority and MOD work.  This is good news for staff and the company’s local subcontractor supply chain alike.

Construction Director Marc Bayley says: “Construction activity as expected has slowed but we are starting to see some areas coming back on line, albeit at reduced volumes.  In the last three months alone the team has secured over £10 million worth of business giving a brilliant start to 2011.”

“Education and public sector work still represents a significant part of our business and there is a clear trend to more cost effective alteration and refurbishment work, to achieve more out of existing buildings, with space management becoming an important theme. We are hopeful that with the government budget reviews over this may release a further tranche of work and are expecting a busy summer period during the long school vacation.”

New projects include a new multi-purpose sports hall for Trafalgar School in Downton near Salisbury, and a two storey class room extension for King Edward’s School in Bath. In Trowbridge, a £4.4 million contract is underway to build a new civic centre and at St John’s Hospital in Bath, the team will be starting on a sensitive £2.1 million project to refurbish two Grade I listed buildings in the town centre, as well as a £2.0 million refurbishment of army accommodation at Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire.