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Esh Construction awarded £4.1m Willow Fields School

Sunderland City Council has appointed our Contractor Partner, Esh Construction, to construct the £4.1m Willow Fields School Primary School at Red House, Sunderland. The newly constructed Primary School will provide space for 315 pupils. The works comprise the provision of a new build one and half form entry primary school, with all associated external works and services.

Esh Construction is the main trading arm of Esh Group, one of the region’s leading privately-owned construction, development and property services businesses. The contractor has a proven delivery record throughout the North East and Teesside, Yorkshire and the Humber, providing a range of contracting services in civil engineering, commercial build, affordable housing, refurbishment and facilities management. The socially responsible, Queen’s Award-winning contractor employs over 700 people across 2 regional offices.

Sunderland City Council gained planning approval to transform the site of the former Maplewood School into the new Willow Fields Primary School earlier this year. Located in the north area of Sunderland, the one-storey building will replace the current school, which is located on a nearby site and has been assessed as being in ‘poor condition’.

Faye Dolan, Key Account Manager (North) at Procure Partnerships Framework commented on the scheme:

“We are proud to support Sunderland City Council with this scheme and pleased to see Esh demonstrating their commitment to the local economy. Esh has proven success in the education sector and Procure Partnerships Framework are delighted to be supporting client and contractor through project delivery. We’re looking forward to seeing the new school take shape. The new facilities that this development provides will allow Sunderland City Council to continue offering the very best education and care to children in the local community.”

Gary Dobson, Divisional Director at Esh Construction, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract for Willow Fields School, with works due to start on site late-August. We have delivered over £60m of work in the education sector in the past few years alone, this is a great opportunity to further expand our portfolio within the sector and provide a first-class education facility for Sunderland.”