Ayr-based building contractors William Skinner & Son with additional workshops and offices in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire are continuing to extend their geographical reach right across the UK, with recent projects coming from as far apart as the north of Scotland and the south-east of England.
But the company is also emphasising the strength of its Ayrshire roots with a clutch of major new contracts on its home territory.
This photograph of the Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company project shows from left to right: William Skinner & Son business development manager Eddie Telford, Stewart Maxwell MSP for West of Scotland and Minister for Communities & Sport, William Skinner & Son business development manager and project manager for this site Brian Galloway and William Skinner & Son director Ken Wales.Skinners are currently completing their first contract for The Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company based in Saltcoats. This £83,000 project involves the refurbishment of an old Clydesdale Bank in Ardrossan. The building is being sub-divided into two retail units which have already been let as an Italian delicatessen and a kitchen supplier showroom.
The project was visited recently by Stewart Maxwell MSP, the Minister of Communities and Sport in the Scottish Government and is a pioneer project for Irvine Bay URC who have massive plans for the regeneration of the Ayrshire coast and a budget in the region of £120 millions over the next ten years.
William Skinner & Son are currently carrying out an internal upgrade contract at Dalmilling Primary School in Ayr. This project is valued at £1,172,638 and is the largest contract that the company has carried out for South Ayrshire Council. The project is scheduled for completion by mid-December 2007.
The company has also completed two projects for North Ayrshire Council. The Volunteer Rooms in Irvine are now an exceedingly desirable venue for functions following a successful upgrade and sound attenuation contract valued at £225,000. The Council is said to be delighted with the transformation of this 1912 building which was a cause of noise pollution prior to its renovation.
Following this contract Skinners were asked to convert an open space in the reception area of the Council's Headquarters at Perceton House, Irvine to form three meeting rooms. This £70K contract was carried out in such a manner as to cause no disruption to the smooth running of the Council's Executive Headquarters.
Skinners are in the process of being awarded a £0.5million contract by East Ayrshire Council to construct an extension to Dunlop Primary School. Work is scheduled to commence in early October 2007 with the 24-week contract due for completion before the end of the financial year in March 2008.
The award of this contract means that Skinners are currently carrying out construction projects for all three local authorities in Ayrshire with a total value of nearly £2million.
Meanwhile in the private sector, Skinners are also carrying out work for Irvine-based company Wallaces Express.
Wallaces Express are Scotland's largest independent wine and spirit wholesalers with depots in Irvine, Coatbridge, Dumfries and Lanark. The company was established in Ayr in 1875 as a retailer and evolved during the mid-1980s into their current format.
Skinners are currently in the final stages of finalising plans to carry out a £350,000 refurbishment contract of the Wallaces Express depot at Dumfries which will take place from now until the end of October.
The work will consist of applying a new waterproof coating to the existing roof from Skinner's specialist coating division, cleaning the rooflights and painting the interior of the roof.
A reconfiguration and upgrading of the offices inside the facility will be executed at the same time as a renovation treatment, involving an epoxy coating, will be applied to the warehouse floor. New roller shutter doors will be installed along with new high bay lighting.
During the course of these works, additional floorspace will be formed, providing Wallaces with an extra 15% of storage space.
And Skinners have also been contracted to carry out refurbishment of the Kyle Centre Food Court in Ayr.
The £400,000 work involves removal of a steel staircase and footbridge to allow installation of a second escalator, alterations to flooring levels to allow level access to all areas, alterations to form new disabled toilets and new baby change facilities, and the formation of four new food outlets ready for fit-out by incoming tenants.
Work started at the end of July and are due to be completed in time for the Christmas shopping period. Apart from the Food Court itself, the Kyle Centre will remain open as normal during refurbishment.
Other significant recent projects for Skinners include work for Nobel Energetics at Stevenston, Global Home Technologies at Auchencruive, Westin Turnberry Hotel and Aldi in Glasgow.
William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham commented: "Whilst it is gratifying and indeed necessary for Skinners to expand throughout the UK, we will only do so by maintaining and developing our home base. So this latest raft of contracts from throughout Ayrshire is particularly encouraging for our company's continuing progress and success."
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