British construction company Willmott Dixon has embarked on a £14.5m ($18.9m) project to upgrade Forestry England's tree nursery near Delamere Forest, Cheshire, UK.
This initiative follows a successful collaboration in 2020, which saw the completion of a new timber-frame visitor welcome centre at Delamere Forest.
The building will be net-zero carbon in operation and built using a cross-laminated timber (CLT) frame, as a sustainable alternative to steel, concrete and masonry.
It will also feature solar photovoltaic panels, triple glazing, and sustainable drainage solutions and benefit from our extensive EnergySynergy performance monitoring process to reduce costs.
Willmott Dixon north-west director Michael Poole-Sutherland said: “We are delighted to be working again with Forestry England in Cheshire and creating a truly sustainable seed processing and nursery facility.
“We share Forestry England’s passion for creating employment opportunities and skills in this community. We will create apprenticeships and engage local students through our bespoke Green Skills Academy, combining curriculum-enhancing practical, construction-based STEM [science, technology, engineering and maths] and sustainability-focussed lessons.”
The new facility, set to open in early 2025, is claimed to become the UK's largest, capable of testing and processing up to four tonnes of tree seeds each year.
Procured via Procurement Hub’s Major Projects Framework, the contract includes constructing a new seed 'extractory' building, which will replace the current facility at Alice Holt Forest built in 1964.
The development is funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Nature for Climate Fund with additional contributions from Forestry England.
Willmott Dixon, the lead contractor, has initiated construction at the Cheshire site, recently completing a nearly 2,000m² timber frame.
The company focusing on sustainable construction, has delivered over 25 projects using CLT frames, a low-carbon alternative to traditional structural methods.
