A leading UK construction, facilities management and property developer has been confirmed as the construction partner for phase one of Nuneaton town centre’s Abbey Street development.
BAM Construct UK, part of the Royal BAM Group, was recently appointed to create Nuneaton and Bedworth’s Physical Activity Hub in Miners’ Welfare Park, Bedworth. It has now also started work on creating a 145-bedroom Hampton by Hilton hotel in Nuneaton.
BAM has already completed initial works involving fencing, ground investigations and remediation. The company is the contractor behind the acclaimed redevelopment of Birmingham’s Paradise Circus, where it created some £250 million of new buildings within a half mile.
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council is the developer for the new scheme, with its strategic development partner Queensberry. The project will see enabling works, preparation work for new leisure developments and public open spaces completed, together with the building of the town centre’s first hotel.
The appointment of BAM ensures the next stages of the project following the acquisition of land and property, demolition and some enabling works which have already been completed.
The phase one work has been funded with a grant from the Future High Streets Fund as part of the Government’s plan to renew and reshape town centres – making them a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
The West Midlands Combined Authority has contributed £775,000 to the cost of phase one of the scheme supporting the groundworks necessary to enable construction to go ahead.
Phase two of the Abbey Street project will include new buildings for leisure operators, a food hall, a town centre campus for North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College and a multi-storey car park.
Cllr Kris Wilson, leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said: “This is a critical step in the work we need to do to improve Nuneaton town centre, and we are pleased to confirm that BAM will be the people to work with us on this.
“They have an impressive track record and their contribution to breathing new life into Nuneaton is going to make a fantastic difference to the town.
“Abbey Street has always been a crucial part of our town that makes Nuneaton so distinctive. This work will literally cement its place as the refreshed heart of this town. The town centre will benefit from a new future in which leisure, food and drink and visitor facilities sit hand in hand with the market and town centre shops.”
David Ellis, Regional Director for BAM Construction Midlands, said: “This will be a significant and multi-faceted development. It will touch so many local people and businesses across the area in a positive way. We will work sensitively and respectfully with those around us while delivering this major improvement in Nuneaton’s built environment.
“What BAM brings is our outstanding experience in place-making developments, plus industry-leading sustainability and technological capabilities. Above all, we are a highly collaborative team and will work closely with our partners and we are really looking forward to bringing positive change to Nuneaton.”
Sean Farnell, board director at Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) and chair of the My Town Nuneaton board, added: “It is fantastic news that work is underway on creating the first hotel in Nuneaton as part of the Abbey Street mixed-use development.
“The aim of CWLEP’s Strategic Reset Framework is to help make Coventry and Warwickshire a safe and highly attractive place to live, study, work, and invest and this initiative will help to encourage visitors to Nuneaton which will, in turn, boost the local economy.”
Rob Hughes, Development Manager at Queensberry, said: “BAM’s involvement marks an important milestone and it’s fantastic to see that work on site has now started. We anticipate that Hilton by Hampton will take approximately 20 months to build, with completion expected in Autumn 2023.”
