Contract for new pool in Bridgwater is signed

Sedgemoor District Council are investing £6.3 million in the pool which will provide new community Swimming facilities in Bridgwater.

The facility plans include a 25 metre 6 lane pool, a training pool, changing rooms, spectator seating, an increased leisure facility capable of holding 50 stations in the fitness studio, a café, car parking and landscaping.

Teresa Harvey, Group Manager for Community Development and Wellbeing at Sedgemoor District Council said: ‘The signing of the contract is a major milestone in the development of a new pool for the Bridgwater area and guarantees a local Swimming Provision for residents and visitors alike as part of the new Trinity Sports and Leisure Centre which opens soon. The Pool will be a great community facility and we look forward to the build commencing in the coming weeks ready for opening in Spring 2013.’

Sedgemoor District Council showcased the pool designs in a public consultation earlier this year and meet regularly with its Pool Task and Finish Consultative group to discuss all aspects of the new facility. Some of these members were also recently involved in helping to choose the name of the new facility.

All the partners involved in the project including the County and District Councils, Chilton Trinity Technology College, Bridgwater Education Trust, Futures for Somerset and Somerset Leisure Limited are delighted the construction of the new pool will now move forward.

Nigel Shenton, General Manager for Futures for Somerset said: ‘The pool has taken a huge amount of effort and commitment to achieve and all partners have worked extremely hard to develop this fantastic facility for Bridgwater.’

Somerset County Council Cabinet Member, David Huxtable, welcomed the signing, saying: ‘This is great news for Bridgwater and is a major milestone for the town. We have committed to help Sedgemoor District Council achieve its aim of guaranteeing local swimming for residents and this project will be a big boost for the town. We are delighted to have played a part in bringing it to life.’

Somerset Leisure Ltd

Somerset Leisure is a non-profit making leisure trust which manages 13 leisure centres based on school sites across Somerset. Somerset Leisure's mission is to provide excellent sports, health & wellbeing, leisure and learning services that are accessible, responsive and sustainable, to ensure that the South West is a healthy and vibrant place to live, work and visit.

Futures for Somerset

Futures for Somerset (FfS) is a long term partnership established with Somerset County Council as part of the Building Schools for the Future initiative.  Its shareholders are Somerset County Council, BAM PPP and BSF Investments.

The focus of FfS is to strive for excellence in its facilitation of educational transformation. FfS work with a wide range of stakeholders whose collective purpose is to achieve better outcomes for communities across Somerset.

Through leading engagement and taking responsibility for integrating building design, construction, service delivery, sustainable community renewal (through raised ambition and educational attainment), and engagement of local business and employers improved outcomes, efficiency and value for money in public spending across Somerset is delivered.

BAM

1. Background on BAM

BAM is a national provider of construction and property related services and already provides over 34,000 pupil places within 37 separate PPP schools in Bristol, Solihull, Bromsgrove and elsewhere in the country.

BAM is well known in the South West and its projects include a new arts building for the University of Plymouth, future building of the £24 million Surgical Centre Ward Building at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, and current construction of the new Museum of Bristol as well as the £13 million refurbishment of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum for Exeter City Council. Other notable projects in the South West include Broadoak School in Weston-super-Mare, Avon & Somerset Police Constabulary HQ in Portishead and the forthcoming Montgomery School in Exeter which will be the first ‘zero carbon’ primary school in the UK.

In Somerset BAM previously constructed the Junior Rates Galley and Mess at the Royal Marines Norton Manor Camp in Taunton, as well as projects at the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton.

The BAM team for the Somerset BSF programme consists of the following key contracting organisations:

• BAM PPP as consortium lead, financier and investor
• BAM Construction as design and build contractor 
• BAM Facilities Management as operation and maintenance contractor 
• RM Education as ICT managed service provider

2. The work involved in the Somerset BSF project

From its South West regional office BAM, and its team of over 30 firms, has worked with the BSF Team, the Bridgwater schools, pupils and other key stakeholders to develop:

• Creative and sustainable designs for the schools
• Locally resourced services to operate and maintain the new school facilities for the next 25 years
• Innovative ICT service proposals to offer personalised learning, with a high proportion and variety of innovative information technology devices and on-site support

3. General notes about BAM

BAM PPP invests in and manages PPP (Public Private Partnership) projects on behalf of Royal BAM Group its Dutch parent company. Currently BAM PPP has 32 PPP projects in its portfolio. BAM PPP is active in the UK, The Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Germany in the education, health, law & order, road and rail PPP sectors.

BAM Construction and BAM Facilities Management are business units of BAM Construct UK Ltd.  BAM Construct UK Ltd is one of the UK’s leading construction services organisations, with a turnover exceeding £1 billion. It operates throughout the UK from regional centres in, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.  BAM PPP and BAM Construct UK Ltd are wholly owned subsidiaries of Royal BAM Group, a worldwide construction services company turning over more than €8 billion that is listed on Euronext Amsterdam.