Local firms to the rescue?
Plans have been thrown into disarray after contractors Dawnus went into administration in March, and this morning Powys announced that it is hoping that local firms will pick up the work and cash in to finish the Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School.
It was originally expected to take 52 weeks, but the 27 remaining weeks take us into December if the project was to restart next week. It was planned to open in time for the new school year in September.
Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Councillor Myfanwy Alexander said: “The regrettable collapse of Swansea-based construction company Dawnus has led to the opportunity to try to involve local firms in the Salop Road project at all levels.
“Under the previous disposition, many local firms worked as sub-contractors but we are confident that the buoyant construction sector in Powys can deliver a competitive package that will not only complete the school as quickly as possible but also generate a new way of thinking about major projects in Powys.
“The Cabinet’s ‘Powys Pound’ policy has already delivered £14.5 million of additional contracts to Powys firms and we are committed to making public procurement a key driver of growth here in mid Wales.”
Details of the project have been published on www.sell2wales.gov.wales with a pre-qualification questionnaire which will determine who will proceed to the second competitive stage.
The new school is an important part of the county council’s review of primary education in Welshpool with a second school planned for Welsh speakers at Maes-y-Dre.
The English school has faced considerable controversy since it was announced. Its budget increased sharply after it was found that the Salop Road field was a former landfill, while residents are also angry that the promise of new sports fields to replace the site has not materialised.
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