R McAlpine wins £25m Manchester contract

Sir Robert McAlpine has swooped on a £25m commercial deal in the heart of Manchester.

CJ understands that the contractor has emerged as preferred bidder for the Fountain Street office project in the city’s financial centre.

Galliford Try and Laing O’Rourke also pitched for the scheme, which is promoted by Bruntwood - one of the largest developers in the North of England.

The site, which currently houses a three-storey office block built in the 1970s, will be transformed into around 6,000m2 of grade A office accommodation over 16 floors.

Work on site is expected to begin later this month or in October, with completion set at two years.

The architect of the project is Stephenson Bell, which got the job following a contest with rival practice HKR.