Bouygues UK and Carmarthenshire County Council have marked 12 months of construction of the landmark Pentre Awel project by completing the steel structure of the first Zone of the development.

The significant milestone in the project comes just a year after building work started and marks a pivotal stage of the build. The multi-million-pound development is being delivered by Carmarthenshire County Council. It will bring together life science and business innovation, community healthcare and modern leisure facilities at the 83-acre Delta Lakes site on the Llanelli coastline. It is part-funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal (£40million) and is the largest regeneration scheme in south west Wales.

Lead contractor on Zone 1, Bouygues UK is dedicated to using local subcontractors as part of its commitment to provide employment, training and skills opportunities to local people and underrepresented groups. Dyfed Steels provided the reinforcement bar for the project’s foundations which has 98% recycled content, and the structural steel for the building which has 80% recycled content, was supplied by Shufflebottom. With a commitment to the heritage of the area, the steel frame also provides the historical link to the previous industrial buildings that were located on the site, namely the South Wales Tinplate Works and the Richard Thomas (Tinplate) Mills.

Peter Sharpe, Bouygues UK’s Pentre Awel Project Director, said the completion of the steel structure marks a significant milestone in the project:

“In just 12 months the site has been transformed as the development has rapidly taken shape. The completion of the steel frames for all buildings has been a key activity during this period. The hydrotherapy, learner and main pools have been cast and successfully undergone water testing ready for the next stage.”

Cllr. Hazel Evans, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Culture, Leisure and Tourism said,

“It is remarkable how far construction has come in just a year. Bouygues UK have shown their dedication to the Pentre Awel masterplan, not only through their outstanding engagement with local schools, but by employing Carmarthenshire businesses to undertake the work on site. The community is truly at the heart of Pentre Awel, I congratulate everyone involved in the construction of Zone 1 and I look forward to opening.”

As well as Shufflebottom and Dyfed Steels, other local companies contracted to work on Pentre Awel include: Green4Wales, Redsix Partnership, Gavin Griffiths Group, Davies Crane Hire, Dyfed Recycling Services and Owen Haulage.

As part of Bouygues UK’s commitment to provide significant social value and engagement to surrounding schools, colleges and universities, Pentre Awel also has a school ambassadors scheme, where children from local schools visit the site to share their ideas and help shape the project.  A broader programme of community benefits is also being delivered during the development of Zone 1 of Pentre Awel to realise social, economic, cultural, and environmental benefits. This includes targeted recruitment and training, community engagement (such as community ambassadors), STEM activities and supply chain engagement.