Construction firm sets the stage for school developments

A Shropshire building firm has been appointed as the main contractor on a £2.3m refurbishment of an arts facility at one of the country’s leading independent schools.

Pave Aways will start work on the scheme at Shrewsbury School’s Ashton Theatre next month. It involves refurbishing the existing 250-seater auditorium and building an extension to form a new entrance and lobby with studio spaces for workshops, dance and practice on a mezzanine level.

Pave Aways built the school’s flagship academic building Hodgson Hall in 2015 and has delivered seven contracts at Shrewsbury since 2012.

The firm has also been commissioned to deliver a £500,000 refurbishment of toilets and changing rooms at Welshpool High School for Powys County Council this summer. Work starts this week and will be completed by the start of the new school term in September.

Pave Aways is presently converting Ladywell House in Newtown into a business centre in a  £2.1m refurbishment on behalf of the council.

The contractor, which has its headquarters in Knockin, near Oswestry, is also currently working on other education contracts including school extensions at Hadnall Primary School, Market Drayton Infants School, Market Drayton Junior School and St Andrew’s Primary in Shifnal, for Shropshire Council.

Managing Director Steven Owen said: “We are very pleased to be renewing our working relationship with Shrewsbury School and look forward to building the foundation for an exciting future for the school and its arts provision.

“We also have a long-term working relationship with Powys County Council having carried out a number of school extensions and refurbishments for the authority.

“Our breadth of experience and knowledge of working in the education sector allows day-to-day school business to carry on around the developments, with minimal disruption to students and teaching staff, making us a popular contractor within the education sector.”