Construction work has commenced on a £7million College and Public Sector Hub facility in Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

The mixed-use Public Sector Hub is one of the town's most significant developments to date and will provide further education space for Boston College, alongside acting as East Lindsey District Council's new headquarters.

Procured using the Scape National Major Works framework, the new state-of-the-art shared space which is being developed by Willmott Dixon, is due to be complete in summer 2022. It will be occupied by the Council, as it moves from its current headquarters in Manby to streamline its services and reduce its maintenance costs and carbon footprint. Alongside the benefit of being housed in a more sustainable building, the Council’s relocation to Horncastle will also bring economic benefits to the local area and place the governing body at the centre of the district.

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Nick Heath, Director of delivery at Willmott Dixon, said: "We're very pleased that work is now underway on this project and we can help East Lindsey District Council to create a new further education facility and headquarters that not only aligns with its environmental targets but also represents long-term savings on its current outdated facility."

Sustainability features at the heart of the development. To support its 2030 'Now or Never' sustainability strategy and reduce carbon emissions, Willmott Dixon will be implementing Energy SynergyTM on the project, which is the contractor’s approach to addressing the performance gap. The contractor will work alongside East Lindsey District Council once the building is occupied to truly understand how the building is performing and how it differs from the assumptions made during design.

Nick continued: "Not only will the scheme allow us to support the Council in its battle against climate change, but it will also develop the partnership between the Council and Boston College by delivering long-awaited further education facilities to the local area, enabling learning for future generations across the region.

"At Willmott Dixon, we pride ourselves on leaving a legacy in the communities we work in, so this project is a great way to further our efforts by improving public sector services throughout East Lindsey while rolling out our extensive community engagement initiatives."

Throughout the project, the contractor will ensure 14% of the contract value is invested back into the region. This will be delivered through community initiatives, such as projects with local university students, careers events with Boston College, as well as using local social enterprises, local businesses and local labour.