Willmott Dixon has been appointed to replace Buckingham in the final stages of the £120m Swansea Central Phase One project.
Most of the project has already opened, including the new Swansea Arena, Copr Bay South Car Park, the Coastal Park, the Green Room Bar and Kitchen and a residential building on the north side of Oystermouth Road.
However, Buckingham was still building a car park off Oystermouth Road, as well as undertaking bridging works, when it went into administration last month owing creditors £108m.
Willmott Dixon is ready to engage a supply chain and take over the site imminently with the aim of finishing plastering “as soon as possible”, Swansea Council said in a statement. In the meantime, works on the car park will be completed in the spring of next year.
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: “Copr Bay precinct is at the heart of the ongoing regeneration of Swansea city centre.
“When our contractors Buckingham recently went into administration, we had to act quickly to protect the council’s position and complete the unfinished work.
“We are delighted to appoint Willmott Dixon, one of the country’s leading specialists, to manage the construction and ensure that the unfinished work is completed as soon as possible.
“The financial arrangements that we have in place mean that we do not foresee these works entailing additional costs for the council or the taxpayer.”
Neal Stephens, managing director of Willmott Dixon Wales and West, said: “It is sad to see Buckingham Group and its supply chain partners going through such a difficult period.
“We have extensive experience of working in the local area and are delighted to be working with Swansea Council to bring this fantastic development to a fitting conclusion.”
Last month, Swansea Council released cabinet documents showing it had underspent on the construction of Swansea Central Phase One by £7.2m in its last financial year, as negotiations continued to “rectify any remaining project defects”.
