Drivers Jonas has been appointed project manager and Davis Langdon has been named cost consultant on the £20m redevelopment of the National Construction College.

The appointments means that work can finally begin on the long-awaited revamp of the UK’s largest training base for the construction industry.

The work will include the building of residential accommodation, a restaurant, and sports facilities for the campus, which is at Bircham Newton, near King’s Lynn in Norfolk.

The road to the redevelopment of the college has been fraught with difficulties. Attempts by the NCC to raise money by building homes on the college’s land were turned down by planners in November and again in January this year.

A £17.2m grant towards the redevelopment was finally confirmed by the Learning and Skills Council in December; the rest of the money is to be put up by the NCC itself.

A main contractor is likely to be appointed in September, and the programme of works is expected to be completed by the summer of 2010. A prequalification questionnaire is to go out in the next week.

The architect for the scheme is Feilden + Mawson, and Cundall is the M&E and structural engineer.

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