Leadbitters passes £30m college test

9:34am Friday 14th December 2007

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SPECIALIST educational builders Leadbitters look set to land the £30m contract to redevelop Southampton City College.

The national company has been named preferred bidder over tender rivals Wates and Carillion for the high profile project on St Mary's Street.

Leadbitters will now almost certainly construct the third and most significant of four phases of a total £37m redevelopment.

City College has been redeveloping its city centre campus since 2002, with phases 1 and 2, which completed in 2004 and 2005, costing £8.5m and creating new art studios, a motor vehicle workshop, a brickwork centre, media and IT facilities, a student services centre and a covered mall.

The third phase sees a new theatre, media and business centres established as well as facilities for engineering, hairdressing, construction, art hospitality and beauty departments.

Leadbitter is expected to be confirmed in the new year, and work to start eight weeks after that in late March or early April.

Contractors for the £8.5m Phase Four of the development, which features a training restaurant, hair salons and other vocational training space, have yet to be decided with bosses pencilling in a start date of June 2009.

Project consultant Annette Bundy said: "We are delighted at the prospect of working with Leadbitters on this very exciting project. This will be the culmination of all the work we have been doing to improve the campus for learners."

Bob Rendell, managing director of Leadbitters, said: "It's very good news for us. It's not a big project but it is important. The Southampton office, which operates the southern division, has been running for five years and we are keen to grow our business on the south coast.

"This is an important client for us and it's excellent in terms of building our business."