Slatyford Lane Children’s Home, Newcastle Upon Tyne 

Slatyford Lane Children’s Home, Newcastle Upon Tyne 

Dates: February 2025 to February 2026

Client: Newcastle City Council 

Contract Value: £1.3M

 

​​The project was awarded under the NEPO Framework and involved the alteration, refurbishment and improvement of an existing children’s home to provide new children’s accommodation. 

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Key timelines: Various additional works were accommodated such as new main roof, new structural steel and associated temporary works and these were all carefully managed to minimise impact on the overall programme. 

 

Works included extensive remodelling of the internal layouts, works to reline walls, complete new electrical, plumbing, sprinkler and heating systems. Works to windows and doors, complete re-roofing and new decoration and floor wall and ceiling finished throughout. Various elements of high quality bespoke fitted furniture and fittings were also installed and anti-ligature elements built into the design of these and other fittings.

 

Extensive structural alterations to internal and external openings were carried out, including new steelwork and external works included planting areas, landscaping, fencing and paving. 

 

The works involved working closely with all stakeholders including Newcastle City Council and the design team to manage significant elements or the design to meet the end user’s need, also brining in our specialist supply chain for certain more specialised aspects. 

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The project is on a busy residential street next to a Royal Main depot with very limited public parking and entailed sympathetic liaison with neighbours and also careful traffic management of public, site staff and delivery vehicles.

 

Able work closely with Newcastle City Councils Inclusive Employment Team and exceeded social value commitments providing works experience and full paid employment to local people.

 

Heather Docherty, Newcastle City Council said 

Newcastle City Council appointed Able Construction (Northern) Ltd (Able) to remodel one of our Children’s Homes and during the construction Able collaborated very closely with our team and their team was always helpful, showed a willingness to listen. The Able team were honest, communicative, and enthusiastic to meet the requirements of the client, the contract and final finish.

Able have been excellent throughout the construction process. Being vocal, sympathetic and pro-active with any design issues that arose by providing their expert insight and ideas to provide solutions. They always have the client's best interests at the forefront of their thought processes during the project.

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The entire team at Able Construction filled us with confidence with their proactive approach which ensured the project run smoothly from start to finish, demonstrating they are a quality and reliable company. Their team are experienced and knowledgeable people, who have professionalism at the centre of what they deliver. 

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Communication throughout the whole contract was very good and their positive approach to address and gave suggestions on variations or challenges during the build provided us with the confidence and guidance resolve any build difficulties. They brought to our attention any projected delays or lost time was due to outside factors such as weather and overall, this has been noticeably short.

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Their attention to detail was particularly good and there were few variations to the contract, and they managed these well and continued to deliver a competitive price. Able showed they have expertise in this type of build, and their initiative-taking approach ensured the project did meet the client’s expectations.

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We are delighted with the finished remodelling of the building, and we are incredibly happy with the result. Able kept us informed throughout the build, stayed on budget, and finished on time. We would recommend Able for future construction projects." 

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Ken Parkin MD Able Construction said 

“It has been an absolute pleasure working with Newcastle City Council, P+HS Architects and CK21 on this project. There was a real team ethos from day one and several issues were overcome with the minimum of drama. We employed our own directly employed local tradespeople for the core building trades and the quality of the final project is a fitting testament to everyone involved."