Construction firm crosses Pennines as building sector shows signs of recovery

Bardsley Construction, which has moved into an office in Leeds, expects to create jobs in Yorkshire as the economy emerges from recession.

Adrian Rooney, the company's Yorkshire regional manager, said: "There are certainly signs of some sort of recovery. Hopefully, on the back of that, there will be work for us."

The opening represents a significant development for the business, which has operated solely from its Manchester head office for 45 years.

The 70m-turnover business believes that recent contract wins and economic trends

signal a return to "modest growth" for the construction industry.

Mr Rooney said: "We're definitely seeing tentative signs of recovery in the construction market after two very tough years in the longest and deepest downturn since the great depression of the 1930s.

"This is our first regional office, and having a cross-Pennines presence gives us a fantastic opportunity to work with new clients and enhance the Bardsley name and reputation outside its traditional North West heartland."

The company has recently gained blue-chip contracts with the University of Bradford and the Yorbuild Framework.

Bardsley has been appointed as one of the preferred contractors for the University of Bradford's four-year works construction framework.

The firm will be involved in works worth up to 3m. The projects will include a mixture of refurbishment work and new buildings.

The framework agreement will generate up to 47m of construction work around the university campus.

Bardsley has also been appointed to the Yorbuild construction framework for West Yorkshire, which has a total budget of around 1.3bn over the next four years.

The business will undertake new build, refurbishment and design and build works for local authorities and public sector bodies such as Leeds, Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford councils. Bardsley will work within three bands of the framework on contracts worth from 1m to 10m-plus.

Mr Rooney said Bardsley hoped to work on refurbishment and renovation projects at a number of police stations in West Yorkshire.

Bardsley, which was founded in 1964, specialises in creating partnerships with the public sector on construction projects.

Wayne Bardsley, the chairman of Bardsley Construction, said: "We're delighted to be opening an office in Yorkshire and look forward to bringing our reputation for work with new clients across the Pennines.

"We place great emphasis on partnership with our clients, including local authorities, education bodies, housing associations and health authorities."

Bardsley has recently secured three contracts worth more than 10m for two schools and a housing association on Merseyside.

Despite the downturn affecting the construction sector, Bardsley has managed to avoid redundancies and keep all its 213 staff.

Its current projects include work on St Austin's Primary School in St Helens and the Canalside in Liverpool, where it is building 40 two-bedroom apartments.

Hope after downturn

Bardsley Construction's decision to open a Yorkshire office follows a period of greater stability in the construction industry,

after the sector suffered its worst downturn in a generation.

The Leeds office has three staff, but it's hoped more jobs will be created if the economy continues to improve.

The company works in collaboration with public and private sector client groups including local authorities, education bodies, housing associations, NHS Trusts and health authorities.

The company's partnering arrangements have helped it to secure contracts worth 120m.