Superstructure of £18m block complete

The superstructure of a new £18 million new BT office block being built in the Black Country has now been completed.

Work on the office block, which is on the A41 in West Bromwich and is the first built in the town since the 1970s, started in August last year on the site of a former Sandwell Highways depot.

Since then commuters travelling through the Black Country on the A41 Expressway have seen the metal structure for the five storey building grow.

By the end of April all external brickwork will be put in, along with the windows, with a topping out ceremony planned for May.

Internal works have already begun at the building, which is set to be completed this autumn. Despite bad weather over Christmas the scheme remains on target.

It will include 88,000sqft of office space and will be home to BT Liberata, which provides corporate support services including ICT, HR procurement and finance,.

The building at the junction of the A41 Expressway and Cronehills Linkway, has been funded by Stoford with support from Lloyds Bank and Advantage West Midlands.

Once the BT building has been completed there will be room for a further 200,000 sq ft of office space at the same site, once the infrastructure work is completed. Workers from West Bromwich Building Society are then set to transfer to the site from the current base in West Bromwich town centre.

Between 1,500 and 1,600 people will work at the site, including 450 BT call centre workers, 500 existing council workers, who will transfer to the new building, and the West Bromwich building society staff.

Jon Andrews, Stoford director said: "Work on site is progressing well.

"We had a difficult time due to the bad weather, but despite that building is still running to schedule.

"The contractors are doing an excellent job.

"BT will be occupying the building in late September or early October as planned."