Local business has been at the heart of the construction process so far for Bridgwater’s new Northgate Yard development with 75% of suppliers to the project being within a 30-mile radius. The building works for the £16m leisure and dining development in the heart of Bridgwater is well underway and has already seen completion of the initial excavating and groundworks phase and construction of the steel frameworks.

Sedgemoor District Council and appointed contractor Willmott Dixon are both working hard to support local businesses, employment and ensuring that the local economy is benefitting from the project. The first phase has seen local firm, G-Works, based at East Quay in Bridgwater, engaged for the ground works. W. Haley Engineering, based at East Brent have provided the steel for the framework construction. 

The site’s main contractor is Willmott Dixon. Ifan Thomas, Senior Project Surveyor at Willmott Dixon says:

“We have a strong record of delivering great spaces in Bridgwater and Somerset and wherever possible, we work with local suppliers to deliver our projects, ensuring that construction of the project directly benefits the local community. We also work to support training and educational development as well as employment opportunities in the area, and any available positions will be posted on our website.  Working with local firms such as G-Works and W. Haley Engineering is hugely beneficial for us as we have an experienced and professional team that knows the area well. There are also of course, environmental benefits to working with local suppliers in reducing travel time and impact.”

Will Haley, Managing Director of William Haley Engineering Ltd says:

“William Haley Engineering are excited to be able to provide steelwork for the Northgate Yard project. Our projects are Nationwide from Prisons in North Wales to Schools in Lincoln so it is nice to be able to build a substantial steel frame for a local customer. The buildings are designed, manufactured and installed by our teams living in the Bridgwater area. The cinema and retail units weigh approx. 400T, require over 4 miles of weld, 4,000 litres of paint and over 6,000 bolts are to be tightened. This project will certainly keep us busy! With our expansion plans we are also recruiting for new staff to join our workshop and design teams.”

Doug Bamsey, Deputy Chief Executive of Sedgemoor District Council says:

“We’ve been pleased to see that our main site contractor is already working with some of the key local supply chain partners. By supporting local companies, we are supporting local people.  This is a huge investment in the town, and we’re committed to it benefiting Bridgwater and Sedgemoor at every stage of the process.”

The initial groundworks construction phase has been completed and the whole site is due for completion in Autumn 2022.    For more information on the construction progress, visit www.northgateyard.co.uk