Local MP welcomes £1.3 million investment in the city for improved supply to region’s building projects
ALAN Whitehead MP has welcomed investment of more than £1.3 million in Southampton with the opening of a new rail-fed aggregates and concrete depot by Hope Construction Materials.
Accompanied by Hope Construction Materials’ chief executive officer, Chris Plant, the MP for Southampton Test carried out the official opening of the Imperial Road site, which sees the company step up its supply of ready-mixed concrete and limestone to construction projects across city.
The opening ceremony on Friday 6 May also offered local school children a chance to get closer to the world of construction. Linking with nearby Mount Pleasant Junior School, Hope ran a competition to name the 19-tonne loading shovel used at the site. A group of children from the school attended the opening to learn about what happens at the new plant and to hear who had won the naming competition.
The winner was Year 5 pupil Hibaaq Jama, whose winning entry, ‘Titan of Hope’, was unveiled on a name plaque attached to the machine. Hibaaq was presented with a scale model of the loading shovel and a book token.
Alan Whitehead said: ‘It’s great to see yet another company invest in Southampton. We have a proud history of trade and construction and I’m delighted that Hope are helping to continue this by bringing jobs to Southampton.’
Chief executive Chris Plant said: ‘We are delighted that Mr Whitehead took time out of his busy schedule to help celebrate the opening of our new concrete plant. This facility puts us in an even better position to supply concrete and aggregates to infrastructure developments on the South coast.
‘We are also pleased to form a link with our neighbours at the school and we hope the children enjoyed finding out more about how our products help to create the world around us.’
Mount Pleasant Junior School Headteacher Graham James said: ‘I am delighted that so many of our pupils showed their learning creativity in entering the competition and were able to demonstrate their enthusiasm at the recent opening. They were, as always, a credit to the school, their parents and the community.’
Whilst Hope have been manufacturing concrete at a smaller plant in the city for three years, this brand new site is linked to the rail network, allowing the company to receive aggregates from its limestone quarry in Derbyshire. By investing in rail infrastructure and bringing in aggregate by rail, Hope estimate that around 2,800 lorry loads will be taken off local roads each year.
