[G]lobal engineering and design consultancy, Arup, has opened a permanent office on Irish Street, Whitehaven, following the expansion of its team in Cumbria.
The new office is located within the recently renovated The Foyer building at the southern end of Whitehaven’s historic market place. Arup has leased a flexible office and meeting space on the second floor to meet the firm’s growing needs.
Arup has been working in the region over the last few decades on projects such as The Wordsworth Museum in Grasmere, and the Lowther Castle Estate and Gardens. In 2012, Sellafield Ltd appointed the Morgan Sindall and Arup joint venture, known as the Infrastructure Strategic Alliance (ISA), a £1.1 billion contract to provide essential infrastructure assets to the Sellafield site. A contract extension was awarded contract for a further five years in 2016.
Since 2013 the firm has been recruiting staff at all levels, including 18 graduates and trainees, to support the growing business in the area. Today, Arup employs over 70 people in Cumbria who will be based in the firm’s new home at The Foyer and the Sellafield office at Albion Square.
The Foyer is a partnership between Howgill Family Centre and Impact Housing Association. It provides a safe place for young people to reconnect with learning, increase their employability, improve their health and wellbeing and develop their leadership potential.
Mike Osborne, Cumbria office leader for Arup, said: “Arup has had a long history in Cumbria and this new office confirms our commitment to the region and local community. Our new home at The Foyer will allow us to continue to grow, while offering our staff and clients an inspiring working environment. I am personally delighted to share a space with a like-minded organisation such as The Foyer, who are providing a safe place for young people to live, learn and make the transition to independent adulthood, whilst enhancing and preserving some of Whitehaven’s historic assets.”
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Whitehaven, added: “I am delighted to join Arup staff at the official opening of their office in the Foyer. This building and surrounding area has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past few years with a £1.1 million cash injection from our Whitehaven Heritage Initiative. The former YMCA building, originally built for a rich merchant has undergone many transformations over the years but fell into a state of disrepair in the late noughties and was brought back to life with work being completed just last year. Encouraging businesses into our towns is vital to our local economy and we know that Arup will enjoy and appreciate the buildings rich history and transformational renovations.”
