Schools needing building work as part of Bradford's education shake-up will be given a timetable within six to eight weeks, the project director has pledged.

Tony Lenehan, of Bovis, said the firm's aim was to provide start dates for the schools awaiting building work within that period.

Bradford Council announced yesterday it had appointed Bovis Lend Lease as the long-awaited managing partner, which will oversee the £171 million programme of building work on 135 school schemes throughout the district. The project includes new buildings as well as extensions and refurbishments.

Mr Lenehan said a core team of eight people was already at work on the project, and that team would grow to 40 people within the project's first four months.

Once builders were contracted to carry out the work - within nine to 12 months - hundreds of people would be at work in the district's schools.

"I think the thing I would say Bradford has in its favour is that the schools, governors and teachers are all switched on by this initiative and are keen to participate. We are anticipating quite a healthy dialogue," said Mr Lenehan.

Bovis schemes in Bradford include the Forster Square retail development, and the firm is currently working on the £200 million Leeds main line station scheme as well as the £100 million Private Finance Initiative project to build a new hospital in Halifax.

Mr Lenehan said: "One of the core strands of the managing partner's role is to establish realistic expectations and manage them. The worst of all worlds is the uncertainty. The sooner I can get my team to introduce confidence with a fixed regime, everybody will be more reassured."

He said Bovis had a commitment to employing local labour where possible, as well as forging links with colleges and universities and New Deal areas to introduce people to the world of work.

In some schools in the district, mainly secondary schools, an accelerated programme has already begun to get buildings in place before September.

Although this is being undertaken by a different firm, Mr Lenehan said Bovis would be liaising to offer help.

e-mail: jan.winter@newsquest.bradford.co.uk

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