Atkins seals key role on £5bn Chinese new town

Atkins has signed a strategic framework cooperation deal in China to develop plans for a new town on the east coast, with construction starting in early 2014.

At the UK-China business summit this week, Atkins and AVIC Joy Air Holdings agreed to the deal that will see Atkins develop plans for a new town to be built in Fuzhou capable of housing 110,000, with a large industrial park and a 10km tunnel and expressway that will connect the development to the main city.

It will also provide six million sq m of office, R&D, commercial, residential and hotel floor space.

Initial investment is expected to be £1.5bn, with subsequent investment bringing the figure up to £5bn.

Atkins’ chairman Allan Cook, who is part of the three-day UK trade delegation to China, said: “Atkins has been supporting clients in this region for more than 40 years.

“We are the largest urban planning team in China and now, as we all face some unprecedented challenges, it’s even more important that we work together to find innovative and sustainable solutions.”

The development will take into consideration adverse weather conditions, with the site situated on low-lying land surrounded by rivers.

Mr Ji, president of AVIC Joy Air Holdings Ltd, said: “We finally selected Atkins because of their track record in masterplans that are innovative, practical and cost-effective. They fully understand our business and therefore are able to produce a design solution that is both technically excellent and commercially viable.“

“At the same time, they are well versed with the industry requirements and can navigate through the various stages of the approval process. We found the team to be extremely responsible, dedicated and refreshing, and we feel comfortable in offering them more work in the future.”