SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
What I Did After Leaving School
John Michael David Suddaby MCIOB (continued)
1987 Midland Bank Fit out & Dealing rooms. Moved across the Thames for 3 months to help push the project to completion
1988 Refuse Assurance Headquarters - Wilmslow / Alderley Edge. Moved to Stockport
1989 Newcastle Eldon Gardens Development. I commenced on a shopping development extension to the large existing Eldon Square Shopping Centre. The works were extensive and required very detailed method statements including in the Tender Documents. I was also part of the pre tender team working on the bid for a further shopping centre at Leicester.
1990 The Shires Shopping Development - Leicester. We won the Shires project only weeks before the Eldon Gardens project was complete, I could commence planning the project in much more detail, than at the tender stage..
1992 Derby - £200m - Toyota Car Plant. This project was the largest we had won in the United Kingdom. I was asked to join the team constructing the Paint Building and the separate Plastics Building.
1992 Leicester - Shopping development extension of time claim. Towards the end of the Toyota Factory project I was called back to Leicester to work with a specialist claims team to provide accurate data to counter the clients declared intent to take us through the courts to gain liquidated damages for non-completion on time of the Shires Shopping Development.
1992 DHSS - Planned & reactive Maintenance North West & Wales. Soon after the end of Toyota project and during the work on the claim we were successful in winning the contract for the maintenance of approximately 50 buildings held in the DHSS Property Portfolio. I was given the added responsibility of Area Manager for South Wales
1993 Cardiff Prison - New Cell Blocks. Before the end of the DHSS project and whilst I was still working in South Wales my manager was approached by a previous Project Manager who was in charge of a New block of Prisoner Cells at the above prison. I was requested to re organize the programme and weekly progress report for a weekly client meeting.
1994 Tamworth Safeway Distribution Centre I was transferred to Tamworth, well into the project period to assist in highlighting planned requirements. And motivating the section managers into progressing a fast track project to contract completion.
1995 Edinburgh - Scottish Widows New Headquarters the project team had been established on site for 4 months, although no construction work had commenced, other than some Engineering surveys. I was to support a local Quantity Surveyor who was using and developing a computer system that coordinated a works programme, to cost planning and the surveyor’s valuations.
1997 - 2000 - British Rail - 250 Station Refurbishment - incl Manchester Piccadilly Station New replacement Roof
Chester New Maintenance Depot Liverpool Station New replacement Roof & Underground Re electrification.
My part of the Planning Manager role was to be involved with approximately 25 stations in the North West, in the early months of the project, and work on the design planning of the replacement Piccadilly station roof; and the development of the procurement and construction for the site based works.
Towards the end of Piccadilly, I joined the project team for the Chester maintenance depot, which was to be a ‘Design and Build’ project on an existing inner city maintenance depot.
For the last 9 months of my time based at Chester, I became involved with other members of the local team in setting up and controlling the Station Refurbishment of the Mersey Rail stations in the area from Chester through the Wirral into Liverpool and beyond to Southport.
At the end of this sub project I was transferred to Liverpool to work on my last project for John Laing Construction.
1999 Liverpool Lime Street Station Roof & Under ground Electrification scheme
At the time I arrived on this project I had already made the decision that I would accept the companies scheme to allow the longer serving members of staff to accept early retirement and a ‘Golden Handshake’ on leaving. The date we agreed I would finish was the 31st August 2000.
2000 - 31st August - I took early retirement, at 54 years of age, having 34 years continuous service.
3rd September 2000 I joined E C Harris as a Consultant on Planning Projects