fbpx

Infrastructure Lays Down the Tracks for Economic Success

Attending an event at Twickenham Stadium is an awesome experience. Sharing the atmosphere with 82,000 people in the stadium matches anything, anywhere in the world. Whether it was the UK Joshua Tree Tour in July or the forthcoming international rugby fixtures, you know it will be an event to remember.
The experience of a train ride home from your event may be equally memorable – and infinitely less enjoyable. A long wait on an overcrowded platform, for a slow overcrowded train, on a creaking Victorian rail infrastructure isn’t a prospect to relish.

Osborne works in partnership with our customers – building residential developments, hospitals, student accommodation, roads, airports, civic buildings, public realm, schools, colleges and universities.  Our role in creating new and improved infrastructure links all these together, making our communities work efficiently.

Developing a Modern Industrial Strategy

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper published in January 2017 sets out the government’s approach to delivering a highly-skilled competitive economy; one that benefits people throughout the United Kingdom.  Upgrading infrastructure is one of the 10 pillars of this strategy, with a focus on joining up central government investment and local growth priorities more effectively.[1]

The unique role that government can play is to bring cohesion, encouraging all stakeholders to break down silos and work towards a shared outcome. The Government’s National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline Analysis, most recently published in December 2016[2] sets out the scale of investment in our future pipeline of work.

The entire UK construction industry will be called upon to support the government in meeting its commitments. Osborne is committed to playing its part in supporting these policy objectives.

Our small part in the track – Solum Twickenham

And so, back to Twickenham.  Osborne was recently awarded the contract by Solum to redevelop Twickenham Stadium.  A contract value of £60million with an estimated contract period of 112 weeks, we are aiming to complete the project by April 2019.

The project includes 115 residential apartments, created over three blocks. Alongside the facility upgrade there will be a new station. This will feature step-free access from the street, through the station and directly onto the platforms below.  In addition, we are providing retail units to the ground floors of two of the blocks.

In a small way this project illustrates how the successful implementation of the government’s Industrial Strategy is being delivered by all those involved in the construction industry. We may be just one cog in the wheel of the UK economy, but we can make a contribution to meeting the government’s objectives.

Our expertise is in the built environment including design, manufacture, project management, infrastructure, construction, property maintenance and property development. This perfectly fits the agenda of creating a world-class economy by investing in world class facilities and communities, linked by world class infrastructure.

The Journey Home

Investment in our infrastructure benefits us all. It improves all aspects of life: work, education, health, economic prosperity and leisure –  just ask anyone travelling home from future events at Twickenham if you want to understand the difference it makes.

Caroline Compton-James

X