THE UK's construction industry's leading supplier of heavy building materials has announced they have won the contract the supply concrete for a new hospital in Gwent.

Hanson, which has plants in Newport, Ebbw Vale and Cardiff, will supply 30,000m3 of concrete over the next 18 months which will be used to build the 470-bed Grange University Hospital in Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran.

The £2 million contract, which was secured with construction company Laing O’Rourke, who are building the hospital, will also see the company supply 60,000 tonnes of aggregate, 7,500 tonnes of cement and 7,500 tonnes of Regen GGBS (ground granulated blastfurnace slag) from its Penderyn, Ribblesdale and Port Talbot works respectively.

Tony Williams, project manager at Laing O’Rourke, said: “The Hanson team demonstrated a detailed knowledge of the project’s requirements and constraints in its bid and has worked hard on the preparation and initial deliveries. Its technical input has also been invaluable and the company is an integral part of the supply chain.”

The £350 million hospital, expected to open in spring 2021, will provide specialist and critical care services and include a 24-hour emergency department and assessment unit as well as a helipad.

Hanson is the UK’s leading supplier of heavy building materials to the construction industry, employing 3,500 people and producing aggregates (crushed rock, sand and gravel), ready-mixed concrete, asphalt, cement and cement-related materials. Hanson is part of the Heidelberg Cement Group, one of the largest building materials manufacturers in the world.

Construction on the hospital started in the summer of 2017. It is due to be completed by the autumn of 2020 and could welcome its first patients during the spring of 2021. The Welsh Government is reported to have invested around £350 million in the new Hospital