Work suspended on Shrewsbury Flax Mill site
Work has been suspended at Shrewsbury's multi-million pound Flax Mill regeneration site as councillors examine new estimated construction costs.
Contractor Wates Construction has left the Ditherington site while decisions are made on the work's progress.
It follows the firm seeking bids from sub-contractors to carry out elements of the construction work. That has resulted in a new target cost for the scheme being drawn up, while construction trials have also taken place inside the Main Mill to identify "the safest and most cost-effective method" for the work.
With the trials and tendering exercise now complete, Wates has left the site while the information is analysed. Project manager Elizabeth Perkins has also left, with the scheme now being managed by Shropshire Council officers.
Project bosses today refused to say whether the timescale of the project has been affected and if Wates has left on a permanent or a temporary basis.
Heritage Lottery Fund cash worth £12.8m was granted in July last year. EU funding of £6.6 million has also been agreed.
In November, Wates took responsibility for the site from English Heritage and had been due to stay until March to carry out enabling work before the main restoration.
Members of Shropshire Council's cabinet will discuss the project's progress in a behind-closed-doors debate after the public part of their next meeting on Wednesday.
In a statement today on behalf of Wates, Shropshire Council, English Heritage and the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings Councillor Mal Price, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for planning and housing, said: "Over the past eight months, Wates Construction have been inviting and collating tender returns from potential sub-contractors, to work up a detailed target cost for construction work at the Flax Mill Maltings.
"They have also been undertaking construction trials within the Main Mill, in order to identify the safest and most cost-effective method to undertake the work."
He added: "Having completed the trials and, with the tendering exercise now complete, the detailed information gathered by Wates has been passed back to the Flax Mill project design team for analysis and Wates have left the site whilst this work is carried out.
"At the same time, the project management team is now considering the findings of the trials whilst working with the project partners to determine the next phase of work.
"After successfully securing £12.8 million of Heritage Lottery Fund funding, along with other external funding, project manager Elizabeth Perkins has chosen to move on to new challenges and the Flax Mill project is now being managed by other Shropshire Council officers."
Phil Harrison, managing director, Wates Construction, added: "We have spent the past eight months conducting value engineering and processing sub-contracting tenders to establish the most cost-efficient means to deliver the work, alongside construction trials within the main mill building.
"Now complete, these detailed plans are being reviewed by the Flax Mill design team and project partners to determine the next phase of the project."
