A CONSTRUCTION company has won the £1,200,000 contract to repair and improve a community building that was destroyed in a devastating arson attack.

The task of the long-awaited rebuild of Goldwater Lodge in Goldsworth Park has been awarded to Mountjoy, a south coast-based construction and maintenance service provider part of the Quarr Group. Mountjoy won the contract as the result of a fiercely competitive tender process in March.

The fire damage was the result of the building being torched almost a year-and-a-half ago, which rendered the Lodge unsuitable for public use, displacing numerous local community groups and the 100-children a day Toad Hall Nursery. Now at last the community are finally set to have back their building.

Mountjoy’s Building Operations Manager, Tony Plumbridge, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract and look forward to working with Woking Borough Council.” The plans include repair and development work, along with two single-storey extensions.

He added: “In addition to the structural work, provision has been made for a new roof, and internal re-modelling with suspended ceilings, partitions, toilet cubicles, windows and doors. Flooring, all decorating, fixture installations and mechanical and electrical installations are also included.

Leader of Woking Borough Council, John Kingsbury, said: “I am delighted we can now begin the hard work of bringing Goldwater Lodge back into use.

“The fire that gutted the building in December 2012 has denied local people use of their community facility for far too long now. Council officers can now progress the project and the resident can look forward to a new, improved facility opening in the future that will benefit many in the area.”

Work is due for completion in August.