Leading national scaffolding and access firm Lyndon SGB is proud to be supplying complex access solutions on one of the most prestigious and largest scaffolding projects in the country – the £330 million ‘Our Town Hall’ renovation of the iconic Manchester Town Hall.
The vast refurbishment of the Grade 1-listed Victorian gothic revival landmark built in 1877 aims to restore the building to its former glory and involves extensive repair work internally and externally, by main contractor Lend Lease.
Lyndon SGB is the chosen scaffolding and access contractor, providing millions of pounds of in-house designed scaffolding and access solutions across the project, including large independent scaffolds, crash decks, a bespoke 90m clock tower scaffold, 34 chimney stacks/saddles and 8,000m2 of temporary roofing weather protection across the site.
More than 50 Lyndon SGB scaffolding operatives will be working on the UK’s largest commercial scaffolding project – currently under strict COVID-19 secure protocols during lockdown.
In addition, as part of the KPI (Key Performance Indicators) for the scaffolding program, a dozen apprenticeships will be launched on the project over the four-year contract. There are already seven apprentices in the Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme and in-house training schemes, with three already operational on site and a further four working in the new Lyndon SGB single scaffolding depot in Manchester. All are employed full-time and working hard in their training, while preparing for college sessions run by learning provider The Growth Company.
Lucas Findlay, 17, from Blackley, said: “Being an apprentice provides the skills and support in order to provide myself with a stable career in scaffolding. I have started at the bottom and the progression I can see ahead of me seems limitless. The opportunity to learn on the job on such a high-profile project shows the quality of training and trust we are given. I didn’t realise the extent of the challenges of building the scaffolding around such a building, until I saw it for myself and I am pleased to be a part of it.”
Mark Davies, 24, from Collyhurst, said: “Working on the Our Town Hall project is an amazing learning experience, with the opportunity to get up close and personal to one of the oldest buildings in the city. I have walked past this building so many times over my lifetime without appreciating the details, including what it is like inside. From working in the Great Hall, checking out the views over the city and admiring all the statues, the whole project leaves you in awe.”
Councillor Nigel Murphy, deputy leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Creating opportunities for local young people to build firm foundations for future professional careers across a range of trades is a key goal of the Our Town Hall project and will be an important part of its legacy for the city.
“This is a building which has served Manchester for more than 140 years and through this once-in-a-lifetime scheme, it will continue to play an integral role at the heart of our civic life for generations to come.”
Lyndon SGB Managing Director, Stuart Robinson said: “We are incredibly proud to have secured the scaffolding and access provision on this incredibly important national building renovation. Few firms in the UK could have been selected for such an enormous, complex and highly skilled project.”
Kevin Fitzpatrick, Lyndon SGB Operations Director, said “The newly-operational single scaffolding depot at Manchester is perfectly placed to provide a slick, safe and efficient service on this enormous and iconic project.”
Lyndon SGB North West Regional Manager, Jon Cooke, added: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to demonstrate our unique and unrivalled skills, we deliver projects like Our Town Hall because we have the ability to deliver on programme and on budget.”
Lendlease Group’s David Cadiot said: “Our Town Hall is in the top 2% of important historical structures in the UK, we need and must have a supply chain that can deliver, that is why we chose Lyndon SGB.”
