The SWH Civils team at the new coach station

Plymouth’s new coach station, built by our civil engineering division, SWH Civils, for Plymouth City Council was officially opened today by Council leader Ian Bowyer.

Work began in January of this year and saw SWH Civils lead and manage the project from start to finish. SWH Build was also called in to carry convert a former Lloyds Bank building into a ticket office for the new facility. The coach station has seven bays, real time passenger information screens, sail like steel canopies to provide shelter, toilets, a staffed ticket office, ticket...

SWH Group has teamed up with the local arm of Aggregate Industries to provide practical training exercises to Construction and Civil Engineering apprentices.

SWH Group has worked closely with Aggregate Industries on a number of community focussed initiatives, including the recent construction of a wheelchair friendly driveway for a paralysed lady in Ottery St Mary.  The companies have teamed up again to provide a practical exercise for a team of twelve apprentices as part of their ongoing training.

In this case, Aggregate Industries needed to construct a footpath around its asphalt quarry in Rockbeare, which is also used for the sale of...

A project undertaken by SWH Civils to build a helipad at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth has been confirmed as runner up in the prestigious Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) South West Project of the Year Awards. SWH Civils and designers Aecom Ltd received a ‘Highly Commended’ in the over £1million new build category.

SWH Civils acted as Principle Contractor on the scheme, which has enabled Plymouth NHS Trust to deliver an improved helicopter landing facility.  Devon & Cornwall Air Ambulances, along with air sea rescue Sea Kings, can now access the hospital day and night.

The awards were established by the ICE’s...

SWH Group has been awarded a Gold for continuous excellence in health and safety by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for the 9th consecutive year, as well as a Gold Award for Fleet Safety for the second time.

2016 marks the 60th anniversary of the awards which were established to recognise and celebrate excellence in safety performance.  SWH Group has received a Gold award in the Occupational Health & Safety category for the past nine years, demonstrating the company’s commitment to the wellbeing of its employees, the community and the environment.  This is the second time the...

SWH Build has won a Bronze award in the 2016 Considerate Constructors Scheme Site Awards for its work at Taunton’s Visitor Centre.  Dave Eaves, the Site Manager for the project, was presented with the award at a ceremony in London.

The refurbishment project was completed in 2015, and saw the Grade II listed building undergo a complete overhaul to create a centre that was attractive to passers-by and easily accessible by all, whilst preserving its character and heritage.    

Only top performing sites throughout the year are selected for these prestigious awards. The Considerate Constructors Scheme carries out audits at all registered sites...

SWH has achieved certification to BS 11000:2010 for Collaborative Business Relationships by the prestigious British Standards Institute (BSI).

The BSI is an international organisation that promotes standards which formalise better ways of working, for small businesses to multinational corporations and governments. Collaborative working can provide greater efficiencies for business, allowing the sharing of risks, costs and resources for mutual benefit.

A BSI assessor carried out two stringent audits of SWH working practices, during which he found no non conformities, and immediately recommended that certification for Collaborative Business Relationships be awarded.

During the audits, the assessor was extremely...

SWH Civils has been working at the site in the West End of the city centre since January to build a new coach station.

The entire site has been levelled and perimeter walls built. Foundations have been laid for the giant canopies which have now been erected and will cover the eastern end where the passenger facilities will be.

The car park perimeter walls are nearly finished and the car park area and the road around the site is due to be surfaced later this month.

Outside the new station, work is ongoing in Mayflower Street to change the layout of the road...

SWH Group Highways Apprentices recently gave up their time to build a driveway for a paralysed mum of four in Ottery St Mary.

Lucy Lowe was injured in a freak accident and complications following surgery to remove her coccyx left her confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Lucy was in hospital for 21 months as the family tried to raise funds to pay for alterations to their home. Lucy was able to return home in March this year but couldn’t leave the house on her own due to the property’s steep drive.

In April, SWH Group Apprentices and...

SWH Group, in partnership with Plymouth City Council’s ‘Building Plymouth’ initiative, opened a ‘Job Shop’ at 107-109 Mayflower Street on 11th May.

The Job Shop, which is located at the site of the new Plymouth Coach Station, currently being built by SWH Civils, will serve as a resource for those who are interested in careers within the construction and the built environment sector.  Representatives from SWH Group, Building Plymouth, Plymouth Construction Training Group and Jobcentre Plus will be on hand to provide advice and guidance to jobseekers and career changers about the exciting opportunities in this diverse sector, enabling local people...

Two civil engineering projects, on which SWH Civils acted as Principle Contractor, have been shortlisted for prestigious awards by the South West arm of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE). SWH were also significantly involved in a third nominated scheme.

The awards were established by the ICE to showcase the breadth of work completed throughout the South West each year. SWH Civils’ shortlisted projects are the construction of a helipad and the refurbishment and repurposing of a disused rail bridge.

The helipad is located at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and was designed and built by SWH Civils within...