SHEPHERD Construction has begun work on a £10m design and build project to relocate the Seaham Harbour Dock Company.

The project will provide 25,000m of new storage and distribution capability.

The company, an integral part of the Seaham Regeneration Scheme, is relocating to a newly reclaimed site on the outskirts of Seaham.

It handles more than 600,000 tonnes of freight per year.

The new facilities will dramatically increase this capacity as well as the potential turnover of the company.

At the same time, it is extending its business remit from a simple port to a major distribution location to be called Cargo Durham Distribution Centre.

From the outset, Shepherd has worked closely with the client and its team, using value engineering and value management techniques to drive out costs in order to produce a viable scheme and a design acceptable to the local planning authorities.

The project, to be completed next January, will include nine inter-linked warehouses, engineering workshops, staff facilities, office accommodation, a seafarers centre and all associated external works. A new road down to the quayside will connect the distribution facilities with a new link road to the A19, speeding access to major trunk roads.

The building works will provide:

l Warehouse buildings which feature five metre high concrete walls to retain stored material, topped with curved roofs creating an elegant facade. The warehouses incorporate a generous canopy extending over the new railhead, protecting valuable stock from the elements during loading and unloading operations.

l A two-storey building which will include office space, staff accommodation, an engineering workshop, equipment bays and the electrical sub-station to serve the site.

l A two-storey L-shaped office block with entrance lobby and canopy.

l The Seafarers Mission will provide facilities for ships' crews during their stay in the harbour. This single-storey 127m building uses specialised "tapered stretcher" bricks and will provide a kitchenette and washroom for the crews.

l Security and weighbridge stations.

l Two semi-detached two bed bungalows which will be relocated to the new site.

l External works include boundary fencing, roads, vehicle protection barriers, hardstandings, soft landscaping, footpaths and the provision of a new railhead