Feb'11 - Ashridge commence works with Taylor Wimpey at Andover

Ashridge commence works this month on a scheme for Trench Farrow on behalf of Taylor Wimpey. Worth just under £1million, the contract is for junction and roundabout improvements as part of the East Anton development at Andover and consists of construction and repaving works including excavation, footpaths, sub-base, road base and block paving as well as roundabout reduction, traffic signals and street lighting. The East Anton development includes 2500 dwellings, an area for employment purposes, schools, local centres, playing fields, parkland, public open space, sports hall, community centre, community worker, structural landscaping and associated infrastructure. Taylor Wimpey was formed through the merger of George Wimpey and Taylor Woodrow on 3rd July 2007. Taylor Wimpey plc has dedicated homebuilding operations in the UK, North America, Spain and Gibraltar. The company has  expertise in land acquisition, home and community design, urban regeneration and the development of supporting infrastructure.

Jan'11 - Ashridge secures another major hotel contract with Willmott Dixon

Following the successful completion of works at the new Travelodge hotel site in Chichester, Ashridge has now been awarded another major hotel construction project with Willmott Dixon. This time it is for the construction of a new Holiday Inn on Commercial Road, East London where works comprise of enabling works and piling mat, ring beam and support system, basement dig, drainage and storage tank system, 1200m2 basement slab and an all concrete works package which includes walls, columns, lift shafts, in-situ stairs and access ramp from basement to 2nd floor. Ashridge commenced work on site in December 2010 with a planned completion date of May 2011.

Dec'10 - Ashridge works with Willmott Dixon to realise local school's dream

Beedon Primary School is one of the smallest schools in West Berkshire but had managed to raise £130,000 by July 2010 after setting a target of £150,000 to build a new classroom, hall, sports facilities, toilets, a library, and a staff room over the school summer holidays. Yet it looked like all the efforts of the pupils and staff had been in vain after the original contractors pulled out of negotiations, telling the school they would in fact need well over £200,000 to fund the necessary work. Unsure of how to proceed, the future looked bleak for the school.

Chair of the School Governors, Sue George said they had to break the news to the children: "We came back in on day one after the summer holidays and we had to have an assembly with them and give them the heartbreaking news that, unfortunately, we were not able to have the building put up in the summer."

"We told them there and then that we were doing everything we possibly could to try and find somebody else to build the building. But there were lots of very, very sad faces, not just from the children, but obviously from the staff as well".

After hearing about their plight, Willmott Dixon, Pre-Construction Director, Paul Grisdale visited the site to find out more. He commented, “ We are always looking for ways to help and support the local community. Having met the children and staff, we knew we had to act. It may sound a cliche´, but we literally wanted to make their dreams come true."

The team from Willmott Dixon decided the unique circumstances called for a special course of action and after meetings with Ashridge and its other supply chain partners worked out a way to complete the work for the original £130,000 budget.

Ashridge is responsible for the groundworks on the project and commenced work in early December. Ashridge Managing Director, Peter Jones commented, "With our head office in Thatcham,we are delighted to be able to play a part in such a worthwhile project literally on our doorstep. It's also proving to be an especially rewarding experience for our staff with the children not only monitoring our progress closely and asking lots of questions but also inviting them to join their Community Christmas Lunch! "

Nov'10 - Ashridge praised for work at Headington

Ashridge has received plaudits from all quarters for the works recently delivered at Headington on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council.
The Oxfordshire County Council scheme was designed to improve the London Road, one of the busiest routes into Oxford.  Covering from Osler Road to Wharton Road the improvements are intended to improve journey times and reliability for local people travelling by bus. In addition, the aim is to make the Headington shopping area a better place to shop helping to ensure its future as a vibrant local centre. The contract comprised of the construction of better pavements, installation of new, high-quality street furniture, construction of two new pedestrian crossings, an inbound bus gate to reduce delays for passengers and gently raised junctions and side road crossings. The carriageway was also resurfaced and existing traffic signals were upgraded. Ashridge has received praise and commendation from not only Oxfordshire County Council but also local businesses, residents and local groups such as HCDA (Headington Committee for Development Action).  In particular it was noted that construction was well managed and the disruption was kept to a reasonable minimum. Feedback received has included a very positive response to the scheme being completed on time and to the the removal of the underpass which has really improved the look of that part of the centre and created useful extra space as was intended. Praise has also been given to the improvements which have made crossing the road much easier. One local resident commented, " I would like to thank everyone involved with the transformation of Headington for making it a safer and more attractive place to be. I found everyone I encountered on my mobility scooter, helpful and ever ready to come to my aid. It was done quickly and I just feel so grateful I just had to say so to somebody. Thankyou all. I have lived in Headington since I was 7 yrs old! I am now 86."

Oct'10 - Ashridge complete Shinfield contract for Reading Borough Council

Ashridge has recently completed this major highways and hard landscaping contract at Shinfield Rise by Reading Borough Council. The contract was primarily Streetscape Works and comprised of the narrowing of Shinfield Road through a local centre, improving footpaths, replacing street lighting, the removal of two roundabouts and the introduction of two traffic signal controlled junctions including pedestrian crossings as well as the resurfacing of the whole carriageway.  Works were scheduled to take 22 weeks and commenced on 15th March 2010. Work was done in small staged phases and Ashridge liaised closely with Reading Borough Council as well as local shopkeepers and residents to successfully ensure the least disruption. The project featured some of the latest WIFI technology for highways with the installation of completely remote, cableless traffic management systems. These vehicle and bus detection systems remove the requirement for ducting and cabling providing a cost saving and allowing much quicker installation. Peter Jones, Ashridge Managing Director commented, "Ashridge encountered numerous unexpected buried services which meant that the drainage had to be re-designed between the Ashridge site team and the client’s designer on a daily basis. The Ashridge site team's experience and expertise was highly evident with this contract where they had to be constantly prepared for change and think ahead ensuring the materials were at hand to overcome any last minute changes to negate any adverse impact the variations could have had on the programme."

Sept'10 - Ashridge win multi-million pound Tesco contracts

Ashridge has recently won two major contracts for groundworks, hard landscaping and 278 works with Tescos for 2 stores at Andover and Amesbury.  At the Tescos store in Andover, the contract is with ISG Pearce, another new client for Ashridge, who are building an extension to the existing store. Ashridge's contract will run for 6 months and includes the groundworks for the new extension, hard landscaping and drainage in addition to the construction of a new access road and car park. At Amesbury, Ashridge is working with Simons Construction on the construction of a new entrance to the Tescos store due to open in November 2010. This contract includes service diversions and roadworks with the construction of a new roundabout on an existing carriageway. Peter Jones, Managing Director commented,"These high profile contract wins provide further proof that Ashridge has the necessary experience and technical expertise to exceed the highest expectations."