Simons Construction have been named as the main contractor on the Waterside Shopping Centre's major refurbishment, with work commencing this month, July, and the first phase of retail opening in time for Christmas 2013.

Simons, a family-owned business based on Doddington Road, have been involved in several major projects in Lincoln in the past, including alterations and refurbishments of the Waterside Centre, the developments of St Marks Square and continued work on Lincoln Cathedral.

The company have also worked on several projects with the property investment company Capital and Regional, who are behind the Waterside redevelopment. Paul Hodgkinson, Chairman of Simons said "Simons are really pleased to have extended its long relationship with Capital and Regional, by helping to support the whole team and deliver a fabulous refurbished facility. Our team has an excellent track record of delivering complex projects on live trading locations and we have every confidence that the Waterside project will be another best case example of how to serve the multiple customer groups that a project like this involves."


The £9 million redevelopment project has seen global brands H&M, Next confirm their positions in the Waterside's new plans. New Look will also enlarge and restructure its existing store, taking it from approximately 12,000 sq ft to circa 14,000 sq ft. Burger King will relocate to the ‘Waterside level’ on the lower ground floor. Architects LK2 have created designs that reconfigure existing units and reposition the escalators, creating two double height shop units over the centre's main two trading levels, bringing a 22,000 sq ft store for H&M and a 15,000 sq ft store for Next to Lincoln’s Waterside.

Project Director John Hallam has confirmed that community liaison is high on the agenda for Simons, with talks between the company and the University happening to establish potential student projects throughout construction, giving opportunities to local graduates throughout the construction process. General Manager for the Waterside, Roy Greening said: "The Waterside Shopping Centre is at the heart of Lincoln and as such we will be using local contractors wherever possible. Our partnership with Simons is hugely important to us in helping to deliver our vision for the centre and Lincoln as a whole."

(CD/MH)