EDG Launches Construction Arm

EDG Property has established a new construction arm to build out the second phase of its award-winning School Yard development in Birmingham.

EDG Build has initially been created to build out the new homes in the Harborne scheme but director Neil Edginton said it also reflected the aspirations of EDG Property.

He said: “The speed of sales at The School Yard has surprised even us and all 13 of the properties have all be sold off plan, so the most important thing is that we are able to deliver the project to our customer’s satisfaction.”

“The construction market is incredibly hot at the moment and good contractors who can take on a job of this nature and deliver it on time and on budget are quite difficult to come by, so we decided that creating our own main contractor arm was a sensible step.”

“Also we have significant aspirations to move on to even larger projects both in the Midlands and further afield and EDG Build means we can establish a team that we trust and who have bought into the EDG philosophy.  Ultimately we will have much tighter control on our projects going forward.”

EDG Build has already made a number of senior appointments including Gareth Edwards who has joined as commercial director from Faithful & Gould and Lee Williams who has been appointed as site manager.

Phase 2 of the School Yard – which will see a mix of apartments, duplexes and a townhouse constructed over 37 weeks and to be completed this Autumn – follows the successful completion of Phase 1 which included the refurbishment of adjoining school buildings that have become a coffee shop, restaurants and community food school.

The first phase recently won a Birmingham Civic Society 2014 Renaissance Award where EDG Property was praised for “fully embracing” the heritage of the original School Yard building and its Grade II-listed clock tower while creatively bringing back to modern and interesting uses.

Judges said the bars and restaurants, which had taken space at the development, had “enlivened Harborne High Street and given it a new lease of life”.