Downings Malthouse: Contractors needed

With planning consent awarded for the ambitious £30m Downings Malthouse development in Gloucester, developers are now on the lookout for contractors to carry out the work.

Rokeby Merchant Developments Ltd hopes to go out to tender in the next three to four months, with the aim of starting work on site by the end of the year.

Adrian Goodall from Rokeby said: “We will go out to tender looking for a main contractor who has the technical expertise to construct the tower and also the rebuilding of Downings Malthouse.
“In an ideal world, we would like to use as many local subcontractors as possible.”

Mr Goodall told Punchline-Gloucester.com that there are a few more hurdles to cross before work begins.
He said: “First there’s some planning conditions we need to satisfy. I would hope we can resolve those in the next six weeks or so, then start the technical design.

“The technical design should take about eight weeks, but what I’d like to do is run that in parallel with the discharge of the conditions, so that’s all the detail behind the scheme, which will enable us to go out to tender.

“It will be a circa £20 million construction contract. We’ve got to find a contractor interested in building a 10-storey building and taking on the challenge of restoring the five-storey Downings Malthouse behind it.”

The 10-storey block of flats will be built on the site of the former concrete silo. The overall scheme will deliver 117 apartments, ranging from studio to three bedrooms, to create Gloucester’s most energy efficient building, whilst also restoring the heritage of the site.

The plan is to build the tower block, before starting work on the conversion of the Malthouse Extension.

Adrian Goodall continued: “The tall tower will secure the future of Downings Malthouse and will deliver new apartments, fully compliant with all the current energy requirements, completely fossil fuel-free. It’s a look forward, rather than a look back for Gloucester.

“The Malthouse Extension is in much better condition, so that is very much a conversion rather than a reconstruction.”
Punchline said: “Building a 10-storey tower isn’t something all building contractors can do, but for the right company, this is an incredible opportunity to deliver a really groundbreaking building for Gloucester and bring this derelict site back to life.

If that could be delivered by a contractor based in the county, that would be even better.”
Companies interested in tendering for the contract should contact Adrian Goodall through https://www.downingsapartments.co.uk.

Article credit: www.punchline-gloucester.com

ENDS 

Further information
ADRIAN GOODALL
ROKEBY MERCHANT DEVELOPMENTS (GLOUCESTER) LTD
Tel: 07860 128039
Email: adrian.goodall@rokebydevelopments.co.uk