Lancashire looks for contractor for Ashes upgrade

Grant Prior 13 years ago
Share

Lancashire County Cricket Club is looking for contractors for the next £15m phase to redevelop its Old Trafford home to transform it into an Ashes venue for 2013.

Up to six firms will be shortlisted for the scheme to build a new double-decker stand, improve the current “E” stand, and build a new cricket school and players and media facilities.

The work is scheduled to start in May despite the threat of a planning objection hanging over the entire £70m redevelopment plan.

Owners of the nearby White City retail park, Derwent Holdings, want a judicial review of Lancashire’s plans despite the scheme being approved the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Alan Burke of Lancashire’s partner Ask Developments said:  “The claims made by Derwent Holdings are nonsensical.

“They have tried every available means to kill our plans and this is a desperate last gasp tactic. We find their significant delay in seeking a Judicial Review telling, revealing their true intent to de-rail our proposals rather than pursue a genuine grievance.

“Despite setting out their intention to seek a Judicial Review in March of this year. They have waited until the Christmas holiday period to do so. This is clearly a strategy designed to blow our plans out of the water.

“Over the summer, Derwent aggressively pressured the Secretary of State to ‘Call In’ our scheme for a public inquiry. He looked at it carefully over a considerable time and concluded they had no grounds to their demands.”

“Derwent know we are facing a demanding timetable for delivery – their tactics are designed to have the maximum possible disruption to our programme and delivery of our funding package. They hope we will fail so they can progress their own commercial agenda.

“We have a funding commitment towards our project of over £5m approved by the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The terms of that agreement dictate that we must be clear of any potential Judicial Review action by April 2011 or risk losing that money.

“Such an outcome would be a disaster for the Club, Trafford borough and the North West.  The only factor putting this funding at risk is Derwent’s ongoing action. The very extensive delays we are incurring due to the very late nature of Derwent’s challenge is not only extremely frustrating but fundamentally jeopardising our ability to call down this vital funding.”

LCCC’s Chief Executive Jim Cumbes said: “Our plans have been the subject of thorough and detailed consultation. They have been debated exhaustively both locally and nationally. There was a remarkable number of letters of support from ordinary Trafford residents and cricket fans – more than 900, plus thousands of website pledges.

“We are pleased to confirm that we are on site and well underway implementing a perfectly lawful planning consent for the substantial re-development of Old Trafford. Derwent’s actions are a blatant attempt to force us to stop work. There is too much at stake for the club, Trafford and the wider North-west and we will not be bullied into stopping.”

A spokesman for Derwent Holdings Ltd said: “In view of pending legal action we are refraining from responding to the allegations made by Lancashire County Cricket Club.”

The current £32m phase of investment under way is to develop new pitches, stands, state of the art player and media facilities and an extension to the ground’s indoor cricket school and public areas.

Two new grandstands and a refurbished Pavilion will ensure a capacity of 15,000 capable of rising to 25,000 with temporary seating. There will also be floodlights and a screen showing action replays.

Contractors interested in the latest phase should contact [email protected]. Tenders must be received by January 21.

Latest project news

Galliford Try to upgrade Red Arrows base

Contractor seals quartet of RAF base upgrades
4 months ago

Galliford Try bags £87m Brent Cross build to rent job

Firm picks up another three blocks at Argent's North London £8bn regeneration scheme
5 months ago

Balfour starts £67m Edinburgh school campus

Passivhaus certified campus buildings will replace Liberton High School
5 months ago

Red wins Bristol retirement village £14m expansion

44 extra care flats to be built at former Frys chocolate factory
5 months ago

Caddick bags UK’s largest fertiliser plant job

Yorkshire contractor seals £28m contract for new plant in Yorkshire
6 months ago

Mace wins concrete bunkers for world’s most powerful laser

Firm will build two 7m tall bunkers with 2m thick radiation resistant concrete walls
6 months ago

Robertson to deliver £20m Alloa Wellbeing Hub and school

Design work will now start on Wellbeing Hub and Lochies primary school
6 months ago

Green light for Canada Water next phase of 380 homes

Zone G plan includes major resi tower, supermarket and park
6 months ago

Mace to start £230m Landsec London office job

Timber Square project will pioneer a hybrid cross laminate timber and steel superstructure
6 months ago

British Land multi-storey logistics hub approved

London urban last-mile logistics hub pipeline hits £1.3bn
6 months ago

£350m Birmingham triple tower scheme approved

Vast curving Ringway Centre to be demolished for 1,750 flats development
6 months ago

Midgard lands £245m Tottenham Hale towers

Three towers of up to 38 storeys complete north London regeneration scheme
6 months ago

Go-ahead for Wates £35m Hartlepool leisure centre job

Work on the Highlight waterfront centre to start in November
6 months ago

Green light for 690-home Birmingham Smithfield scheme

Prosperity Group plans to start work in Autumn next year on major Smithfield scheme
6 months ago

Go-ahead for 289 homes next to Saltaire World Heritage site

Ambitious plan to demolish a vacant Bradford office complex for new residential quarter
6 months ago

Plans in for 800-bed Leeds student and retail scheme

Major scheme will replace The Core shopping centre in the city
6 months ago

McAleer & Rushe awarded £60m Barking flats job

Work to start in November on near 200 rental homes project
6 months ago

ISG clinches £155m Cat D prison expansion

Firm to deliver 780 new places at three existing prison locations
6 months ago

27-storey Salford student tower approved

540-bed student block to be built on former site of McDonalds' regional HQ
6 months ago

Morgan Sindall £48m Dumfries school job approved

Building work to start before the end of 2023
6 months ago

Bouygues/Murphy JV tipped for £2.3bn Thames tunnel job

Frontrunner emerges for Lower Thames Crossing 4.2km tunnel job
6 months ago

Vinci/McAlpine JV to start £105m NHS rehabilitation centre

Treasury clears New Hospital Programme job to start main construction
6 months ago

Three giant lab buildings approved at £700m Oxford R&D district

Phase 2 Oxford North office and lab buildings to deliver 460,000 sq ft of space
6 months ago

RG Group to build tallest student block in the world

Contractor confirmed on 45-storey tower in Leeds
6 months ago

Vinci wins major St Helens town centre revamp

£90m first phase includes new market hall, 120-bed hotel and over 60 flats
6 months ago

Work to start this year on Manchester £250m spa resort

Developer Therme gets green light for re-engineered 28-acre Trafford complex
6 months ago

Barhale JV sign-off for £18m Dewsbury sewage works upgrade

Project forms part of Yorkshire Water’s £500m investment in Phosphorous removal
6 months ago

Murphy seals main build on £124m Essex station

Contractor lands main contract after successful start on enabling works package
7 months ago

GMI lands latest £42m phase of lab cluster

Citylabs life sciences complex in Manchester continues to grow
6 months ago

Green light for Canada Water commercial scheme

Twin-tower scheme will offer "a new type of office for London"
7 months ago

Contractor services