Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Equion, a division of John Laing plc, has won two prestigious awards in the Public Private Finance Awards 2005.  The Ministry of Defence Main Building refurbishment won Best Operational Defence Project, and the Metropolitan Police’s Firearms and Public Order Training Centre in Gravesend, Kent was awarded Best Operational Local Authority Project.  This is the second successive year that an Equion project has won in the category Best Operational Defence Project*.

The Ministry of Defence Main Building refurbishment in Whitehall was a £439 million scheme.  The grade 1 listed building was facing a bill of some £100 million to meet current health and safety regulations. Project company Modus Services - a joint venture between Innisfree and Equion - redeveloped and modernised the building to create a modern and flexible working environment whilst ensuring areas of historic and architectural interest were protected and restored.   Work was carried out under contract to the project company by Skanska.   

The £51 million project to design, build, finance and operate the Firearms and Public Order Training Centre in Gravesend, Kent, was completed by Equion in February 2003.  The state of the art facility provides flexibility of future use by incorporating accommodation, a sports hall, restaurant facilities and a swimming pool.  It was described by the judges as ‘World-class’.

Richard Weston, managing director of Equion said: “These prestigious awards recognise the quality of our approach and delivery in the PFI and PPP arenas.  Our focus remains to strengthen our position as a leading infrastructure developer, investor and operator, and to demonstrate our ability to respond to emerging trends in our core markets such as Defence and the Police service.”

ENDS

* At the 2004 Public Private Finance Awards, Joint Services Command and Staff College won in the category Best Operational Defence.

For further information:

Anne Sampson            madano partnership            020 7593 4000