Morgan Sindall has installed new depots that will bring together National Highways staff, traffic officers, contractors, and key partners
The £20.7m National Highways depot project delivered two-story office buildings in Bescot (Walsall) and Doxey (Stafford) and the renovation of the Warndon and Strensham depots in Worcestershire. A new garage and salt barn were built at Strensham following the removal of an existing salt barn.
Morgan Sindall was asked to ensure the project had a positive impact on the local community. 96.7% of the project’s expenditure was directed towards small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with 72% of the project budget allocated to local businesses.
Social value was a priority for Morgan Sindall
The project also generated significant social value, with a return of 39%, translating to over £8.1m reinvested into the local community.
Morgan Sindall provided 173 volunteer hours and donated £6.7k to local community initiatives. They also provided 229 apprenticeship weeks to young people in the area.
The project was procured through the SCAPE Construction programme, which allowed the National Highway depots to be completed in under a year.
Morgan Sindall prioritised safety, modernity, and sustainability, with features like air source heat pumps, PV panels, and energy-efficient LED lighting to reduce their carbon footprint. They also recycled aggregate from the original building’s demolition at Bescot instead of sending it to landfills. Excess materials and offcuts were donated to Walsall College.
Using MMC on the National Highway depots
Morgan Sindall also embraced MMC by partnering with Eurodome to construct the salt barn at Strensham, using offsite modular technology. The lightweight modular structure allowed the developers to reduce materials and lower transport emissions, resulting in significant carbon savings.
“The work we do at National Highways – operating, maintaining, and improving our roads – is carried out at our depots, control rooms and outstations, not in city centre offices. So, it’s paramount that we give people working in those buildings a great place to work,” said National Highways chief executive, Nick Harris.
“These new depots, which are making the best use of modern techniques and technology to support our staff and the environment, are bringing together people who used to work in different places so they can work as one team,” he added.
“This project is a fantastic example of creating operational efficiency and improving the working environment for National Highways’ staff while maximising the green credentials of a building,” commented Mark Robinson, SCAPE Group chief executive.
“Through careful re-use of materials on-site and community engagement activities, Morgan Sindall has created a truly sustainable legacy that will be felt far beyond the bricks and mortar of the new depot,” he concluded.
