Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, announces today that its specialist concession, Balfour Beatty Fire and Rescue, has been appointed as preferred bidder for a PPP contract valued at approximately £47 million by North West Fire and Rescue Services to upgrade 16 fire stations in the North West of England.
North West Fire and Rescue Services comprises Cumbria County Council, Lancashire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.
The 25-year concession will involve the design, construction, funding and provision of facilities management for 16 community fire stations, of which seven are in Merseyside, five in Cumbria, and four in Lancashire. As well as modernised operational facilities, the stations will provide resources for community use, such as meeting rooms, multi-function lecture rooms and gyms.
The stations will be constructed on a mixture of new and existing sites in a range of locations from rural stations with retained crews, to busy inner-city stations with full-time crews. Construction of eight of the fire stations will begin in late 2010 with all construction work completed by 2013.
Commenting today Balfour Beatty Chief Executive, Ian Tyler, said:
“I am delighted that Balfour Beatty has been selected for the UK fire service’s biggest public private partnership project to date. The upgrade of the stations will help meet the changing needs and modern practices of the UK fire and rescue service and provide a better environment for working, learning and training. We look forward to working with Cumbria
County Council, Lancashire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.”
Balfour Beatty will invest equity of approximately £5 million into the 25-year wholly owned concession.
ENDS
Analyst/media enquiries:
Duncan Murray
Balfour Beatty plc
Tel 020 7216 6865
www.balfourbeatty.com
Notes to Editors:
- Balfour Beatty has a substantial infrastructure investments portfolio, largely through the UK PPP/PFI programme. This portfolio consists of:
- North West Fire and Rescue, fire station upgrade
- Nine major hospitals
- Ten major schools schemes in the UK and a technical education centre in Singapore
- Six roads schemes and four street lighting projects
- The London Underground power system
- A coastal defence pathfinder PPP
- Barking Power Station (non-PPP)
- Exeter International Airport (non-PPP)
- Blackpool International Airport (non-PPP)
In the US, Balfour Beatty is responsible for the development, renovation, operation and management of military privatisation housing projects for the US Departments of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Balfour Beatty is a leader in the military housing industry and provides services to members of the US military and their families residing on or near bases located in 20 states and Washington, DC. Balfour Beatty is also responsible for the provision of student accommodation at Florida Atlantic University. - Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a world-class infrastructure group operating in professional services, construction services, support services and infrastructure investments.
We work in partnership with our customers principally in the UK, the US, South-East Asia, Australia and the Middle East, who value the highest levels of quality, safety and technical expertise.
Our key infrastructure markets include transportation (roads, rail and airports); social infrastructure (education, specialist healthcare, and various types of accommodation); utilities (water, gas and power transmission and generation) and commercial (offices, leisure, retail and mining). We deliver services essential to the development, creation and care of these infrastructure assets including investment, project design, programme management, financing, engineering and construction and facilities management services.
Balfour Beatty employs more than 50,000 people around the world.
