Shropshire firms' tie-up set to bring new jobs

Madeley-based Quad-Lock has developed a system of housebuilding which sees liquid concrete used to fill cavities in hollow polystyrene walls, and recently opened larger premises in Shifnal as it plans for expansion in the near future.

Now it has entered a partnership with Cleobury Mortimer construction company Cornbrook, which has already seen the company – which is the sector's biggest direct employer in south Shropshire – manage the construction of a £2 million luxury home in Kenilworth,Warwickshire.

Now Cornbrook is in line to be the main contractor on future build projects using Quad-Lock's insulated concrete formwork system.

Cornbrook managing director Matt Breakwell said: "This is an exciting opportunity for us. The system Quad-Lock has developed has immense qualities and, in my view, represents the future of building design and construction.

"It is very pleasing, also, that two Shropshire construction companies will be working together so closely on future projects.

"We already have the largest directly employed labour force of any construction company in south Shropshire – and if this partnership develops as we hope it will, we will be creating a significant number of new jobs in the next 12 months."

Quad-Lock moved its logistics operation in the wake of a 2011 decision to hand distribution rights for the building system to the Charcon Construction Solutions Group, a joint venture with construction materials giant Aggregate Industries.

Mr Breakwell added that he expects Quad-Lock's system to be particularly attractive to the self-build homes market in Shropshire and across the Midlands. Last year, the Government launched a £30 million three-year fund to boost the self-build market.

"Only about 10 per cent of new-build homes are self-built," he said. "But the Government wants to double that proportion to 20 per cent in the next decade as part of its plans to help the construction industry out of recession and encourage local, sustainable development.

"A key consideration for people wanting to design and build their own homes is the control of costs, speed of construction and the energy efficiency of the final building. In all these cases, Quad-Lock's ICF system offers major advantages."

Charcon distribution and product development manager Peter Townend said: "We are pleased to be working with Cornbrook Construction at a time when we are seeing interest in ICF grow rapidly, largely due to the critical requirement, in the current economic climate, to control build times and manage costs.

"On top of that, our system delivers industry-leading insulation performance, to the point that, to all intents and purposes, some finished buildings can be heated sufficiently simply through heat radiated by their occupants and electrical appliances.

"Cornbrook Construction had demonstrated that it has the particular skills, experience and the right attitude to innovation to embrace the opportunities our system creates. We expect them to be excellent partners as the technique is adopted by many more clients."