Three QSs have opened new offices in the north of the UK, including CM Parker Browne, which has set up shop in Manchester after winning a raft of city academy projects in northern England

The Manchester office will initially have a staff of two newly recruited senior QSs: Kamarul Salleh, who joins from Franklin + Andrews and Bill Truman, who joins from Augmentis.

They are working on a portfolio of nine city academy schemes awarded to CM Parker Browne by the United Learning trust. These include Salford Academy, a £10.6m scheme currently on site, Stockport Academy, which is at the planning stage, and two schemes in Barnsley and Sheffield, which are at the detailed planning stage.

Down south the 60-strong firm is bidding for “a lot of Olympic spin-off work”, according to managing partner Graham Harvey-Browne, such as “local authorities who want to build sports centres all of a sudden”. For example, the firm is talking to the London Gaelic Athletics Association about developing their facilities.

RLF has established a second branch in Edinburgh under a plan to double its Scottish operation. Philip Bell has been recruited from PWP to head up the new office.

RLF is on a strong growth curve in Scotland and across the
UK as a whole

David Thomson, managing partner, RLF

David Thomson, the firm’s managing partner in Scotland, said: “RLF is on a strong growth curve in Scotland and across the UK as a whole. Our expanding client list includes an increasing number from Edinburgh, such as the Scottish Rugby Union.”

Cyril Sweett has moved its Belfast team from Upper Newtownards Road to more spacious premises at Belmont Road after growing it from two to 25 people in the past two years.

The Belfast branch is working on the £130m Victoria Square residential/retail scheme for AM Developments. The project is due to be wrapped up by autumn 2007.

Source

QS News