Chrysalis consortium set for Ashford PFI

The smart money is going on the Chrysalis consortium to emerge as preferred bidder for Ashford Borough Council’s rebid £60m social housing PFI deal in Kent.

In what is understood to have been an exceptionally tight contest, the Chrysalis group (Gleeson/Denne Construction/Moat Housing/Nationwide) looks at this stage of the game to have stolen a march on its two rivals – Rydon Construction/Affinity Housing Group and Balfour Beatty/Sanctuary Housing.

The scheme includes revamping 335 homes on the run-down Stanhope Estate, plus a comprehensive new build design and construct programme.

Infrastructure works, demolition of existing blocks of flats and new shops are also featured in the deal.

This time last year, Ashford threw out its original sole bidder, Partners for Improvement (including Rydon, United House and Hyde Housing) after two years of intensive negotiations and amid concerns about lack of competition, an alleged rift between consortium members, and the quality of the group’s work on another social housing PFI deal for Islington council, north London.