Britcon signs £500,000 deal with Tropical World
BUILDING and civil engineering contractor Britcon has secured a £500,000 contract to design and build larger premises for Tropical World in Leeds.
Tropical World, at Roundhay Park, is managed by Leeds City Council and is home to the largest collection of tropical plants outside Kew Gardens.
It also houses tropical habitats including jungle, desert, water and night-time zones where visitors can see crocodiles, butterflies, bats, snakes and a family of meerkats with babies.
The building work, which will be undertaken by Britcon’s Wakefield office, will provide the premises with an extension to its Explorers Café including a structural steel frame with lantern light roof.
In addition, it will also provide new retractable glazing to the large terraced area.
Britcon is also building new toilet facilities as well as improving access around the shop.
Ian Chapman, regional manager at Britcon, said: “We are pleased to secure this contract for Leeds City Council via the YORbuild framework.
“The job presents a number logistical challenges as the centre needs to remain open during the course of works. “The site is also landlocked by the main road and listed perimeter walls and the public gardens severely restrict our access to the work area.
“We will need to lift materials by overhead crane from the rear yard but Britcon is highly experienced in delivering “live” projects that are restrictive and require utmost health and safety measures in place.”
Other leisure projects completed by Britcon include Peoples Park in Grimsby, the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for Cleethorpes and infrastructure for rides at Flamingo Land.
Britcon opened its West Yorkshire office in Wakefield less than a year ago and has since secured a raft of contracts in the Yorkshire region including Kerry Foods, Lidl, Queen Ethelberga’s Collegiate, University of Bradford and University of York.
Councillor Mark Dobson, Leeds City Council’s executive member for cleaner, safer and stronger communities, added: “We are looking forward to working with Britcon as we move forward with the refurbishment of Tropical World, which remains one of Leeds’ most popular and loved visitor attractions.”
