Wates Group
Encyclopedia
The Wates Group is one of the UK’s largest family-owned construction services and development companies.
it was involved in building the Mulberry harbour
s. It won the Building
magazine Major Contractor of the Year award in both 2009 and 2010.
) and Developments. There is also Wates Giving, a charity which has given away over £1.5m since 2008. Wates work across a range of sectors including education, public sector frameworks (BSF
, Ministry of Justice Home Office
), affordable housing, retail fit out and refurbishment, office interiors, land development and commercial buildings. Wates runs Building Futures, an education programme for the long-term unemployed. It is accredited by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
. Over 200 people have completed the course as of 2009, of which roughly 50% went into employment, education or training. The group is also approaching a target of diverting all non-hazardous construction waste from landfill
, having achieved 91% in 2009.
History
Established by Edward Wates in 1897, the Company expanded into speculative housebuilding and general contracting in the 1920s and 1930s. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was involved in building the Mulberry harbour
Mulberry harbour
A Mulberry harbour was a British type of temporary harbour developed in World War II to offload cargo on the beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy....
s. It won the Building
Building (magazine)
Building is one of the United Kingdom’s oldest business-to-business magazines, launched as The Builder in 1843 by Joseph Aloysius Hansom – architect of Birmingham Town Hall and designer of the Hansom Cab. The journal was renamed Building in 1966 as it is still known today. Building is the only UK...
magazine Major Contractor of the Year award in both 2009 and 2010.
Operations
The group is split into six businesses: Construction, Living Space, Retail, Interiors, International (in DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
) and Developments. There is also Wates Giving, a charity which has given away over £1.5m since 2008. Wates work across a range of sectors including education, public sector frameworks (BSF
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but...
, Ministry of Justice Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
), affordable housing, retail fit out and refurbishment, office interiors, land development and commercial buildings. Wates runs Building Futures, an education programme for the long-term unemployed. It is accredited by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
AQA is an Awarding Body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It compiles specifications and holds examinations in various subjects at GCSE, AS and A Level and offers vocational qualifications. AQA is a registered charity and independent of the Government...
. Over 200 people have completed the course as of 2009, of which roughly 50% went into employment, education or training. The group is also approaching a target of diverting all non-hazardous construction waste from landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
, having achieved 91% in 2009.
Major projects
Major projects include:- RAF KeevilRAF KeevilRAF Keevil is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 4 miles east of Trowbridge, Wiltshire.The airfield was built on a site previously ear-marked for the purpose in the mid 1930s...
, completed 1941 - Orbis Energy, Lowestoft, completed 2008
- The Spa, BridlingtonThe Spa, BridlingtonThe Spa Royal Hall and Theatre in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, was named the New Spa and Gardens when it was built, together with the adjoining sea wall, in 1896 by Whitaker Brothers of Horsforth, Leeds...
, completed 2008