Newcastle construction consultancy gets ‘Buzz’ from new appointment

Whitehaven’s bus station will be transformed into a new creative hub by a North East firm as part of a £4.1m project.

Summers-Inman, headquartered in Newcastle, has been appointed by BEC – a property development company owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and local councils – to provide project management, cost management and principal design services on the scheme.

As part of its commitment to regeneration, community projects and the creation of sustainable buildings on the west coast, the new ‘Buzz Station & Watershed’ is the first phase of BEC’s wider £300m North Shore project, which aims to help revitalise the town of Whitehaven.

In a quest to demonstrate energy efficiency, the scheme will implement rarely-used ways of generating electricity. Photovoltaics will be installed on the roof to generate photons of light, which will then power and run small devices, parts of the lighting system, several IT networks and USB charging points.

Commenting on the addition to the company’s portfolio, Ian Campbell, director of Summers-Inman, said: “We are delighted with this latest appointment, on what is the first project to hit site on BEC’s masterplan for Whitehaven regeneration.

“We value our relationship with BEC and are delighted to work in partnership with them to fulfil BEC’s vision of Buzz Station and the significant enhancements it will bring to Whitehaven and the local community.”

Michael Pemberton CEO at BEC said: “We are pleased to be working with the team at Summers-Inman who have solid experience of working on this type of regeneration project.

“By regenerating neglected sites and improving public spaces, we hope to attract more visitors to strengthen the local economy of Whitehaven and improve the way the harbour looks. I have every confidence that the project will be delivered on time by Summers-Inman and to the highest possible standard.”

Construction started on-site in July with completion anticipated in summer 2020, when it will open to the public. Other project partners alongside Summers-Inman include Norr Architects, Desco, BGP, Collective Design and GastroNorth.

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