Trio in chase for Bury redevelopment work

Three firms are vying to bag a £200m-plus mixed development deal aimed at breathing new life into the eastern quarter of Bury, Lancashire.

The bid list is made up of the usual suspects for schemes of this kind –- Laing O’Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine and Bovis Lend Lease. HBG, which also made the original shortlist, has now pulled out of the bidding process, citing workload pressures as the reason.

But an industry insider said: “This is a big project and it’s hard to beat the specialists at their own game, so that could be a factor as well.” The scheme is being promoted by town centre regeneration specialist Thornfield Properties, which is working in partnership with the borough council.

The 75,000m2 development, known as the Rock Triangle, will be anchored by a three-storey Debenhams store spanning about around 10,000m2. The scheme will also fearture aboutaround 60 shops, a 10ten-screen multiplex cinema and ten-pin bowling complex, plus several caféses and family restaurants. The project will additionally deliver more than 200 homes, a new relief road, public spaces and a multi-storey car park for 1,000 vehicles. A 4,500m2 medical centre will also be built.

It is expected that by the end of this year, the winning contractor will be announced, paving the way for work to start on site in earnest around the middle of next year.

The Rock Triangle development is due to open in 2009.

[Contract Journal, 27 September 2006, p15]