The last few months has seen a flurry of activity as the Pineapple Project has moved further forwards. The sum for the works now totals £2,280,234, although this final sum includes fees and a VAT bill which may or may not be as pessimistic a sum as we have had to budget for. A second contract has also been taken out by St Mary’s Trust for separate works to the basement, frontage and courtyard, works which are happening at the same time. The national rise in costs for construction have of course meant an increase in the fundraising target, which we reported here in March. This meant that a second appeal was made to individuals and institutions and we were once again delighted with, and very grateful for, the response. There is still a shortfall (of about £35,000) and the work continues, but we are confident that we will reach our goal, with a further fund raising push this autumn.
Meanwhile the project was put out to tender and, after interview, Borras Construction Ltd was appointed out of three short listed contractors and the site finally handed over to them for work to begin on 6th of June. Our architects are working closely with Ray Acraman, our splendid site manager, and the whole team at Borras. A month or so in and the demolition of unneeded structures is well underway – see attached! The build is expected to take 9 months and we will continue to update this page with photos and news as the work progresses.
