Caunton Engineering worked once again for main contractor, Bowmer and Kirkland. This time on the Phase II expansion of the Orchard Centre in Didcot. This required nearly 400te of steelwork – mostly beam-and-column framing – this was designed by the Caunton technical team.
The Orchard Centre, which opened in 2005, had already signed up for the 95,000sqft extension major names, including M&S Food Hall, H&M, River Island and TK Maxx, as well as Costa Coffee and Starbucks. The new shops, restaurants and cafes were scheduled to open early in 2018.
The local council reported that the major £50 million expansion of the Orchard Centre was a significant milestone for the growth of Didcot town centre, and was part of wider plans to transform Didcot into a Garden Town and deliver 20,000 new jobs and 15,000 new homes over the next 20 years.
Caunton Engineering were pleased to have contributed to that objective.