Willmott Dixon lands £6.5m Perry Barr contract

Willmott Dixon has been awarded a £6.5m interior fit-out contract for 428 apartments on the Perry Barr residential scheme by Birmingham City Council, through the Constructing West Midlands framework.

The appointment follows Willmott Dixon’s work on plots eight and nine on the project – a new-build scheme of 428 one-and two-bedroom apartments in collaboration with Lendlease – which is set to be occupied from 2023 and is part of a wider scheme of 5,000 homes in Perry Barr within the next two decades.

Dan Doyle, operations director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We’ve developed a fantastic working relationship with the Birmingham City Council team over the course of the project and delivered not only two brilliant buildings, but a tangible social value and community-led legacy for the local area.

“We’re particularly proud of the 139 jobs and 34 apprenticeship roles we have created since 2020. We’ve had someone not in education, employment, or training (NEET), join us for work experience and she impressed the team so much that she applied for our management trainee programme and is now a trainee assistant build manager. We’ve also had our general operative join us via the government Kick Start programme.”

Cllr Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We have a clear need for new, high-quality, homes in this city to help meet the needs of local people and their families – the award of this contract brings them a step closer to occupation. I am pleased we are able to utilise the services of a local company, which has done much to ensure their work on this project creates social value and a meaningful legacy beyond the development of new homes.”

“It shows how the council can use its purchasing power to support local businesses to improve the lives of our communities.”