Nottingham firm lands 6.5m sq ft diamond hub deal
Nottingham-based Gleeds has announced it has been awarded two major contracts in India with a total build area of ten million sq ft.
Managed from the firm’s Nottingham, Bangalore and Mumbai offices, Gleeds will be acting as cost manager for the construction of both Brigade Brookefields, a commercial project in Bangalore and the Surat Diamond Bourse scheme in Surat, Gujarat region.
The news comes as Prime Minister Theresa May visits the India-UK TECH summit in New Delhi this week.
Covering 6.5m sq ft, Surat Diamond Bourse is expected to be the single largest diamond trading hub in the world. Located within Surat’s DREAM City, the bourse is expected to accommodate offices for over 4,000 diamond traders, creating employment opportunities for 150,000 people. The prestigious project will also include substantial provision for associated retail and recreational facilities. Current plans also include a large trading hall, museum, food hall, banks, customs office, amphitheatre, travel desk, retail zone and auction house as well as other administrative buildings.
The other new deal signed during the Prime Minister’s visit will see Gleeds cost manage the development of the Brigade Brookfield commercial unit, a Brookefields Real Estates & Projects Private Limited scheme funded by Brigade Enterprises Ltd. Located in Bangalore, Southern India the scheme comprises approximately 3.5 million sq ft of Grade A specification and LEED Gold pre-certified industrial and warehousing units, which form part of the special economic zone in the region.
The chief operating officer of Brigade Enterprises, Mr Arindam Mukherjee said: “We are delighted to be working again with Gleeds on this important project in Bangalore. The team in India has assisted us on a number of other projects, all of which have proved very successful. They understand and share our objectives, acting as partners rather than just suppliers.”
Stuart Senior, main board partner at Gleeds and attendee of the Tech Summit added: “We are delighted to be continuing to win work in this exciting country. These new project awards illustrate that the relationship between businesses in the UK and India has always been important.
“We have been heavily involved in the development of the Smart Cities agenda and having operated in India since 2008 with considerable success, I’m delighted to see the joint inauguration of the India-UK TECH summit by Prime Minister Theresa May and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. This event is a further demonstration of the desire to herald a new era of trade between the two nations, and we are very pleased to be playing our part.”
