News

Phelan Construction wins Travelodge contract

Essex based Phelan Construction has been awarded a £3.75M contract to develop a site in Jackson Road, Clacton on Sea, for mixed residential and commercial use.

The existing office building, which was owned by Barclays and once housed a Woolwich contact centre, was empty for several years before being sold to the Ascott Group – an established property developer with expertise in the leisure market. When complete, the Travelodge will provide 57 bedrooms over 3 floors, but unusually, the top 2 floors of the 5 storey building will be given over to private residential apartments that will enjoy excellent views out to sea. Travelodge operates over 330 hotels in Ireland, Spain and the UK, and has ambitious plans to be the biggest operator in London by the 2012 Olympics. To this end it is focussing growth on the East of England.

An annexe to the main building at Jackson House will provide 3 floors of social housing comprising of 12 apartments, and on the ground floor 2 commercial retail units are to be made available, one of which will be let to a restaurant/bar that will serve the Travelodge itself, Clacton residents and visitors to the town.

Work starts on the 6-month project in late January and will be completed ready for handover by 27 July 2009. The construction and refurbishment of Jackson House is good news for the local economy: Phelans carries out work across the UK but is based in the town and employs a workforce drawn largely from the surrounding area. When it opens, the new Travelodge and associated leisure/retail outlets will bring welcome employment opportunities at a time of economic downturn.

Neil Coy, Commercial Director at Phelans, said: “This is an exciting contract that Phelans is delighted to have won. The façade of the building will be changed significantly to become a landmark building in the town centre. There are particular challenges in the build such as the complex roof extension on the front of the building and the annexe, but we are confident that we can bring the project in on time. Our team is skilled in fast-track remodelling and refurbishment as well as construction, and they will be overseen by first class project managers.”