Contractor Appointed For Multi-Million Pound Albion Square Development

A contractor has been appointed to carry out the multi-million pound Albion Square development.

VINCI Construction UK Limited will carry out the design and construction of the mixed-use development, which will feature high-quality retail, housing, leisure and enhanced parking facilities set around an enclosed courtyard.

The site has also been identified as a potential home for a newly-built ice arena.

The company was awarded the contract, worth an initial £2.6m, following a competitive tender process that was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) website, the council’s electronic tender portal, YORtender, and Contracts Finder. 

The demolition contractors for the development will be Hull-based Jennings, supported by the Ashcourt Group who will be undertaking the removal and recycling of demolition waste, as part of the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) excellence, to allow the authority to meet its commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral city.

The tender received from VINCI Construction UK Limited represented the most economically advantageous tender to Hull City Council. It scored the highest both in terms of quality and price, as set by the evaluation criteria.

As part of the tender process, applicants were required to demonstrate that they could bring enhanced social value to the project.

VINCI’s tender includes the appointment of a social value manager, responsible for the delivery of social benefit outputs.

These outputs include the delivery of three new apprenticeships delivered by Hull Training, six new traineeship opportunities and 60 work experience placements within the delivery of the development.

VINCI will also hold regular events where local businesses will be able to find out about procurement opportunities and showcase their products and services.

This project has been supported with £ 2.5m from the Government’s Local Growth Fund, secured by the Humber LEP and part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.

Councillor Daren Hale, portfolio holder for economic investment and regeneration, said: “We’ve reached a significant milestone in the redevelopment of the Albion Square site, and this appointment allows us to press ahead with the regeneration of the city centre.

“The redevelopment of Albion Square will deliver economic, cultural and development benefits that support the council’s wider city economic, cultural, tourism, and improvement targets and aspirations, whilst also having a massive impact on the city centre economy and other city-centre businesses.

“VINCI’s impressive proposal includes a commitment to ensuring that this multi-million-pound development benefits local businesses and local people, as well as scoring the highest in terms of quality and value, as set by the evaluation criteria. We are pleased with their commitment to our Social Value Criteria and satisfied that they will observe our Construction Workers’ Charter.”

VINCI Construction UK’s northeast regional director, Keith Shivers said: “We have a vast amount of experience delivering major projects all over the UK.  This exciting project will enable our skilled team to continue working in Hull alongside key local businesses and suppliers, with whom we’ve built strong working relationships through our three-year project at The University of Hull.

“Together with our supply partners, we’ll create a modern, multi-purpose development in a key area of Hull’s evolving city centre. The new Albion Square will provide first-class leisure facilities, creating opportunities to attract more visitors and increase spend in the city.”