West Suffolk Operational Hub in the running for national construction awards

The West Suffolk Operational Hub project (WSOH) has been shortlisted for recognition by the national Considerate Contractors Scheme Ultra Site Awards - which reward models of best practice in construction across the country.

Morgan Sindall Construction’s project team at WSOH has been nominated in the award’s community engagement and workplace wellbeing categories in recognition of their outstanding performance and commitment to best practice throughout the life cycle of the project. The winning projects will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday, 18 July.

Morgan Sindall Construction is delivering the hub for two partner organisations: Suffolk County Council and West Suffolk Council, which will use the site to provide waste and recycling services.

The state-of-the-art facility is being built to accommodate the changing needs for waste management in West Suffolk and will bring a number of operational services together on one site to increase efficiency and to reflect the anticipated growth in population and housing in the area.

The site is located close to Bury St Edmunds at Hollow Road Farm in Fornham St Martin and includes a waste transfer station, a split level household waste recycling centre, vehicle depot and a re-use shop facility.

Community engagement has been a priority for the project team and they have connected with people in the local area throughout their time on site – helping to keep residents informed and updated and doing everything possible to minimise disruption.

The team has created specific platforms to keep residents updated on progress, including a dedicated project website and regular community newsletters. Morgan Sindall Construction also commissioned regular drone footage – giving the local community a genuine overview of the scheme.

Other engagement activity, which the project has been recognised for, included arranging and hosting a talk by an archaeologist for over 50 people at the site to learn more about archaeological findings which were unearthed in the pre-construction phase.

Community activities like BBQs and engagement with local charities have also helped to deepen the link between the project team and local residents.

The Morgan Sindall Construction project team has also been acknowledged for its work in ensuring optimum workplace wellbeing during their time on site. A social value charter was created to monitor the project workforce’s wellbeing and the team benefit from a number of development and training opportunities, which includes human performance coaching and in-depth induction processes.

Various initiatives have been implemented to boost the project team’s wellbeing, including the presence of specially trained mental health first-aiders, and recreational facilities including a games and study room where team members can relax and enjoy a space dedicated to leisure and learning.

Chris Travers, operations director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the East of England, said: “We’re delighted that the WSOH has been selected from thousands of construction sites across the country to be shortlisted for these prestigious national awards.
“This is a project which is completely centred on the regional community and its growing needs and our project team has done an absolutely sterling job of ensuring that everything possible is in place to bring the community with them on the journey. The team has implemented a wide range of communication platforms and processes to keep residents updated, informed, and connected at every stage of the development, with very positive outcomes.
“The wellbeing of our teams on every Morgan Sindall Construction site is absolutely critical. Creating opportunities for training and development are key to progression and overall wellbeing, and we’re delighted to see the excellent impact these people-focused initiatives have had on the lives of everyone involved with the project.”

Councillor Peter Stevens, West Suffolk Council Cabinet member for Operations said: “I congratulate Morgan Sindall Construction on this recognition of their commitment to making sure the construction process delivers maximum community benefit. They have led resident liaison, accommodated concerns raised, offered skills experience to young people doing trades training at the local college, and engaged the wider community through attractive web content.”

Morgan Sindall Construction is currently on site at major schemes across the region. In Lowestoft, the company is delivering the new headquarters for world-leading UK marine science agency Cefas (The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science). The development will provide the organisation with a purpose-built, sustainable building and refurbish their existing laboratories to bring them up to date, enabling Cefas to continue to build on its 115-year-old globally-recognised marine science heritage.

• For more information about this news release please contact Ruth Cobban at Influential on 0151 239 5000 or email cobban@thisisinfluential.com