Fletcher Rae to fore as Burnley engineer expands
Manchester architect Fletcher Rae has designed a new 25,150 sq ft casting foundry and a sports and recreation facility at Burnley firm Fort Vale Engineering.
The projects have a combined value of £5.7m and are being delivered by local firm Dale Contractors. Work started in July and is due for completion in October 2017.
The 15,382 sq ft Wilson Fort sports centre, costing £3.5m, will include sports courts, a dance studio and a function room offering views from the most elevated part of the site, at the edge of Calder Vale Park.
Andrew Rae, co-founder of Fletcher Rae, said: “We’ve been working together on and off for over ten years on various projects including schemes on this same site. It’s a fairly large site with special considerations, so being fully up to speed with these allowed us to get ahead.
“The site is located on the edge of the existing green belt, so we’ve been sensitive to respect the surroundings, while attempting to blend into the space.”
Fletcher Rae was involved in designing and implementing plans for the firm’s engineering headquarters in 2007, while four years ago it designed Fort Vale’s 15,000 sq ft R&D facility at the site. Existing facilities at Calder Vale total 120,000 sq ft.
The new projects have been commissioned to mark what will be Fort Vale’s 50th year in business. The company manufactures stainless steel valves and fittings for the transportation of gases and liquids by rail, road and sea. The foundry project means that 30 new jobs will be created locally, cementing the site’s standing as Fort Vale’s international headquarters.
