Levens Community Project - Summer 2024 update
Contractors’ quotes have been submitted
In the previous issue, the project was pleased to report that it had issued invitations to tender to several building contractors for the construction phase for the new village hall and the affordable houses. That process has gone well and each of the five contractors approached has submitted quotes for consideration.
The electricity supply to site is in place and the local team have finished building the cabinet into the wall ready for linking into the hall. Photo ©Dave Rogerson
With only one of the full-market value self-build plots left to sell, and significant grants secured to date, the project has done remarkably well to raise its original funding target of over £2million.
It has however been aware that delays caused by Covid, the associated rise in the price of building materials and subsequent inflation were likely to have increased the overall build costs. The quotes from contractors have confirmed this, but for reasons for commercial sensitivity and because the tender process is still live, figures must remain confidential for the time being.
It is therefore important that fundraising initiatives continue - and an application to the Community Ownership Fund is nearly finalised, whilst other opportunities are being pursued. In the meantime, however, the project is working closely with contractors to identify potential cost-savings and in their turn, they are contributing positively to this exercise. Significant reductions have already been submitted to the project and individual contractors have accepted invitations to meet with representatives of the project to discuss these before the final selection is to be made.