Education focus pays off for Hobson & Porter

More than £3.5m of refurbishment works have been carried out over the summer holiday period by the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire construction firm.

Alongside a strong work bank of new-build education works across the region totalling more than £25m in the previous year, the business has had a successful summer period in its dedicated minor works division, delivering projects in education assets across the region.

One of the projects included the creation of a new multi-use games area (MUGA) at St Hugh’s School in Scunthorpe. The sheltered MUGA will enable students to utilise the area in most weather conditions, transforming an area which was previously unusable for the special educational needs students at the school.

For East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hobson & Porter has refurbished four science classrooms, a prep room and office, as well as replacing pipework, cabling and mechanical ventilation at Beverley High School.

It has also refurbished both flat and pitched roofs, as well as tennis courts at Howden School and a timber framed extension at Hornsea Primary School. At Swanland Primary School in East Yorkshire the company has upgraded the heating and hot water systems, boilers, hot water storage and distribution pipework.

For York County Council, Hobson & Porter has worked at three schools over the summer – Clifton Green Primary School, Huntington Primary Academy and Yearsley Grove Primary School.

The works included building a secure lobby at Clifton Green Primary School, with a revised access ramp and a relocation of the reception and visitor counter. Internal alterations included an upgraded meeting room, head office and new offices with replacement windows.

The firm has also extended a meeting room and refurbished the car park, with new access gates and lighting.

At Huntington School, Hobson & Porter has re-roofed a building and made drainage modifications, while at Yearsley Grove Primary School the firm has also carried out re-roofing works, as well as upgrades to heating and electricity.

Sam Robertson, from Hobson & Porter’s minor works division, said: “When it comes to the education sector, we have more than fifty years of experience of mobilising our teams for a huge uplift in education refurbishment and repurposing work over the summer months.

“We appreciate how important it is to work to a set timeframe so that we can have everything handed over and ready for the start of term. These projects are often incredibly intricate and require a real hands-on approach to deal with the unforeseen challenges which arise.”

As far as new-build projects go, Hobson & Porter is engaged on a £7m primary school in Northallerton for North Yorkshire Council and Dales Academies and has recently handed over a £6m new-build project at Fulford School in York, where it has built a new English, drama and art centre for the South York Multi-Academy Trust.

The firm is also building a £5m technical, engineering and construction facility at York College and recently completed projects for The University of Sheffield and Humber Engineering Training Association. Ground was recently broken on a £10m Horizon Youth Zone in Grimsby.