BAM to work with The Co-operative Group on head office project

Manchester City Council has now approved the Group's planning application for a 15 storey building on Miller Street, comprising of 325,000 sq ft of open plan office and support space.

BAM has been appointed to work with the existing design team to develop and help cost the final build. The site preparation will begin early in the New Year with construction commencing next May.

Lynda Shillaw, Managing Director of The Co-operative Estates, said: "Our new head office will be one of the most exciting and innovative buildings in the UK and there has been keen interest from the construction industry to work on the project."

The proposed building's design, construction and operation will make it one of the most sustainable in Europe and will help Manchester in its aim to become a 21st century leader in sustainable development.

A rigorous selection process was gone through before BAM was chosen to work with the Group. "It was a strong field but in the end BAM impressed us with its approach and the breadth of experience across Europe working on similar projects", said Shillaw.

Director of BAM in the North West, Steve Byrne, said: "We're proud and delighted to be working with The Co-operative Group on such an exciting and pioneering project. We believe our experience will bring a great deal to further developing the design of the new building and establishing the overall cost of the work."

The new head office will be the first phase in the redevelopment and regeneration of the Group's 20-acre site, located at the city's Northern Gateway and bounded by Miller Street and Corporation Street.

Note to editors:

The Co-operative Group, owned by more than three million consumer members, is widely recognised for its ethics and its leadership position in sustainability. For example, since 2007, 99 per cent of its electricity has come from renewable sources, it has cut greenhouse gas emissions by almost 40 per cent in five years and it has established its own wind farm to produce renewable power. It is also pioneering the use of small-scale hydro-electric power.

BAM Construction is part of the European construction enterprise owned by Netherlands based Royal BAM Group. BAM operates in the construction, property, civil engineering and consultancy engineering sectors with offices across the UK including Salford. The company is currently undertaking projects in more than 30 countries around the world.

Further information:

• Phil Edwards, Head of Trading PR, The Co-operative Group, 0161 827 5289;
• Mark Slattery, Press and Media Manager, BAM Construct UK, 01442 238415.