There is likely to be a big demand for surfacing contractors in Yorkshire soon as work has begun on the construction of new police headquarters in Kirklees.
This comes after Kirklees Council granted planning permission for the site on Halifax Road, where Dewsbury College used to be.
Chief superintendent Jim Griffiths, district commander of Kirklees Police, said: “The last few months have seen us take some huge steps forward in what has been a years in the making project to build much needed new police stations for Kirklees.”
The new Kirklees District Headquarters will feature a public helpdesk, community room, and custody suite, while it will also include the refurbishment of the existing Oldroyd building.
In addition to this, there could be a new police station in Huddersfield Town Centre, if the planning application is approved.
A site near to the inner road has already been acquired, and it will accommodate Huddersfield Police Teams, as well as feature a public help desk, if the work goes ahead.
West Yorkshire’s deputy mayor for policing and crime Alison Lowe said these construction plans represent “a new era for policing in the District, delivering both innovation and opportunity”.
“Both the Mayor of West Yorkshire and I are excited to see this work continue to develop over the coming months, which will ultimately enable us to deliver against our Police and Crime Plan for the county,” she added.
While the Huddersfield project is still awaiting approval, construction has already begun on the Kirklees headquarters. Both are expected to open before the end of 2024, with existing police stations still functioning as normal until then.
Yorkshire is not just planning to improve its police services but its business space too, as work continues on the Sheffield Digital Campus (Sheffield DC), which will provide high-quality office accommodation once complete.
Construction began on the site in June 2021, with Scarborough Group International (SGI) in charge of developing the four buildings.
Earlier this week, it was announced the steelwork erection of the 62,862-square foot building Grade A office block called Endeavour has reached its highest point.
Once complete, Endeavour will stretch over seven floors, include a private roof terrace, and allow an extra 800 people to work at Sheffield DC. It will also have air conditioning units, showers, changing facilities, drying rooms and lockers, underground parking spaces, secure cycle storage, electric charging points, and high-quality self-contained toilet cubicles.
Development director at SGI Adam Varley stated: “It's fantastic to finally see Endeavour coming out of the ground. Hitting this milestone is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in this project, which has proved slightly more challenging than usual owing the impact of the global pandemic.”
Lee Powell, chief executive at GMI Construction Group, which is the main contractor for Endeavour, said the building will be a “notable addition” to Sheffield’s business district.
He added: “Sheffield Digital Campus is already recognised as one of the city's most iconic office locations and is unquestionably one of the prime Northern Powerhouse developments and GMI is proud together with Scarborough Group International to be at the forefront of that."