One of the leading stadium contractors in the UK has been appointed to turn the Frank Whittle Partnership’s vision for Football League club Scunthorpe United’s new home into reality.
Buckingham Group Contracting will carry out the building work on the striking state-of-the-art stadium designed by the Frank Whittle Partnership (FWP).The contractor was appointed by the club in conjunction with FWP. Buckingham Group has a strong track record of building world-class sports facilities.
The company, which is based near Silverstone in Northamptonshire, has a portfolio of high-profile work including Silverstone Wing, the Copper Box - made famous during the London 2012 Olympics – Stadium MK and the Amex Stadium in Brighton, both of which will be used during this year’s Rugby World Cup.
Scunthorpe United hopes to move into the state-of-the-art 12,000 capacity all-seater ground for the start of the 2016-17 season after being given the green light for the development by North Lincolnshire Council.
The stadium is part of a masterplan for a multi-million pound out-of-town football and leisure development created by FWP’s architecture and design team for the club on a site near its present Glanford Park ground.
The overall FWP plan also includes a 100-bed hotel, a multi-use indoor arena; community sports pitches and, potentially, indoor and outdoor bowling facilities.
The new home for the League One side will have club and executive facilities, a gym, office space and areas for commercial development as well as a club venue and supporters’ bar.
A sweeping curve on the main stand designed by FWP is enhanced by a striking truss that pays homage to Scunthorpe’s steelwork history.
Buckingham Group Contracting, with regional offices in Warrington and Bristol, has nearly 60 years of experience in the public and private sector.
It provides a range of stand-alone or fully integrated services in building, civil engineering, demolition, land remediation and restoration, facilities management, sports and leisure and rail.
Peter Swann, chairman of Scunthorpe United, said: “We are delighted to have appointed Buckingham Group Contracting to build our new stadium.
“The group has a fantastic track record of working on and delivering major stadium developments and the appointment means that we have our team in place and are now ready to begin construction of our new home.
“We cannot wait to get started on work to deliver something really special for our fans and for the community.”
Kevin Underwood, Partner and Director of Buckingham Group, said: “We are delighted to have secured this fantastic opportunity and are looking forward to work with the club and designers to deliver a superb stadium that the club and fans will be proud to call home.”
David Robinson, managing partner at FWP, which has offices in Preston and Manchester, added: “We are delighted to be working with the Buckingham Group once again on this plan to create a vibrant and modern development that will be a real asset to the community and the local economy.
“We have a strong track record of delivery working alongside the Buckingham Group which includes Leicester Tigers’ Welford Road redevelopment and the recently completed Gloucester Services on the M5.
“The development at Scunthorpe aims to provide a real destination venue for sport, leisure and entertainment for the whole of the local community, with real benefits for the club and its supporters.
“It will provide the club and its fans with fantastic facilities and we’ve designed the stands to ensure the supporters are close to the action on the pitch, adding to the atmosphere and the match day experience.
“The plan will deliver a vibrant, modern new home for Scunthorpe United and its supporters and we can’t wait to start work with the Buckingham Group on its construction.”
FWP has a wealth of experience designing and masterplanning community sports developments of all sizes across the UK.
More than 60 sports clubs throughout the country have benefitted from FWP’s advice, with many of them going on to design and build modern new facilities. It also has a strong track record in the commercial and leisure sector.
FWP has worked on projects with Preston North End and Fleetwood Town and is developing stadia and community assets for clubs such as Oldham Athletic, FC United of Manchester, Peterborough United and Berwick Rangers.
It is also behind an ambitious plan to create an £18 million mixed-use development on the outskirts of Kirkham in Lancashire, which includes a new ground for ambitious non-league football club AFC Fylde.
FWP’s portfolio of highly successful sports projects includes the acclaimed revamp of the historic Doncaster racecourse, home of the St Leger meeting.
The practice has also played a major role in ambitious regeneration and redevelopment plans which centre on Rugby Union club Leicester Tiger’s Welford Road stadium.
For further information on the Frank Whittle Partnership and its portfolio of projects, visit: www.fwpgroup.co.uk. And for more details of Buckingham Group Contracting please log on to http://www.buckinghamgroup.co.uk.