A bumper construction scheme on hold since ISG collapsed has been revived following the appointment of a new contractor.
Walter Lilly – a £73m turnover contractor based in London – will take over construction work on Project Apple, an 7,400 square metre scheme to build a new headquarters for pharmaceutical giant UCB in Windlesham, Surrey.
It was one of many projects that ground to a halt when ISG – the UK’s sixth biggest contractor – entered administration in September.
There is no value for the UCB scheme, but construction intelligence provider Glenigan has valued the project at £60m.
The project topped out in April last year but, beyond that, it is unclear how far the project progressed under ISG. At the time of ISG’s collapse, UCB told Construction News that it had stopped working with ISG in April.
The scheme involves refurbishing the existing research and development buildings already on the site to provide new laboratory facilities. The scheme will also include new link buildings, a large atrium and an events space.
UCB put in a planning application for the site in October 2021, in a bid to transfer from its current headquarters in Slough. At the time, it expected to start work in January 2022 and occupy the site by the end of 2023.
Since ISG’s collapse, the construction industry has been scrambling to revive multiple projects which ground to a halt when sites were closed.
Just last week, Morgan Sindall took on another life sciences job earmarked for ISG before it went under. ISG was in line for the £65m project to convert a former nine-storey office block into a scientific research and technology hub, but never signed a contract before administrators were appointed.
In November, Mace took over another of ISG’s former projects – a £300m project to build a neuroscience building for University College London – which topped out in May 2023 but ground to a halt following ISG’s collapse.
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Joshua Stein