Council Headquarters Refurbishment
At a Glance
Parc Construction was appointed by Dumfries & Galloway Council as Principal Contractor to refurbish the original timber windows and renew the roof coverings of the Council Headquarters on English Street, Dumfries — a Category B listed building that remained fully occupied throughout the works. Delivered on a live, town-centre site with heritage constraints, strict conservation requirements and a complex specialist supply chain, the project preserved the historic fabric of a landmark civic building while meeting modern performance standards for weather-tightness and thermal comfort.
01 The Brief
Dumfries & Galloway Council sought an experienced Principal Contractor to deliver Phase 1 of the Council Headquarters refurbishment programme at 109–115 English Street, Dumfries. The building is a Category B listed civic property in daily public and administrative use, housing Council staff and front-facing services. The Council needed a partner who could deliver structurally substantial heritage works without interrupting operations and without compromising the building’s protected fabric.
The scope centred on two core packages. The first was the full refurbishment of the building’s original timber sash, casement and dormer windows, including in-situ joinery repairs, sash-cord and weight rebalancing, discreet draught-proofing, reglazing where required and full redecoration. The second was an extensive renewal of the roof coverings, incorporating slate cleaning and replacement, lead flashings and valleys to Lead Sheet Association standards, dormer repairs, and replacement of flat roof areas with a Bauder high-performance felt system. Works were procured against a detailed specification prepared by McGowan Miller Construction Consultants.
Refurbishment of original timber windows with full heritage compliance: repair rather than replace, like-for-like materials.
Comprehensive roof renewal: slate cleaning and repairs, lead flashings and valleys replacement, dormer repairs, and new Bauder flat roof coverings
Works delivered with the building fully occupied: continuity of Council services, access and security maintained at all times
Strict preservation of the Category B listed fabric and full compliance with conservation best practice
Safe management of a constrained town-centre site on English Street, including traffic management and public-interface controls
Measurable community benefit delivered through local supply chain engagement and heritage skills development
02 Our Delivery
Parc took the project on as Principal Contractor under CDM 2015, bringing together a curated supply chain of specialist heritage tradespeople and managing the works through our in-house construction and commercial leadership. The delivery strategy centred on three principles: protect the occupied building and its users at every stage, preserve the historic fabric through craftsmanship rather than replacement, and phase the works tightly so that no part of the building was left vulnerable to weather or security compromise.
Works were sequenced one roof section at a time, with window refurbishment coordinated on a rolling room-by-room basis, allowing the Council to continue operating across the remainder of the building. A full independent scaffold, designed by TAD Scaffolding, was erected to the affected elevations and used for both window and roofing access.
PARC'S SELF-DELIVERED SCOPE
Principal Contractor duties under CDM 2015, including Construction Phase Health & Safety Plan and day-to-day site management
Commercial management, change control, programme management and Contract Administrator liaison
In-house joinery support for timber repairs to roof structure, dormer casings and sub-structure elements exposed during works
Site establishment, welfare, compound management and temporary works coordination
Quality assurance regime, Inspection & Test Plans, and full handover documentation
SPECIALIST SUPPLY CHAIN
Ventrolla: specialist heritage window refurbishment, including in-situ timber repairs, sash rebalancing, draught-proofing and period-correct ironmongery
DM Roofing: traditional slating, Lead Sheet Association leadwork, dormer repairs and Bauder flat roof installation by certified applicators
Harkness Painting & Decorating: full surface preparation and high-performance exterior-grade redecoration to all window frames and sashes
Clark Contracts: scaffold erection, maintenance and dismantling under Parc’s management
MANAGEMENT APPROACH
A full-time Parc Construction Manager supervised works daily, supported by a foreman from each key subcontractor. Weekly progress meetings were held with the Contract Administrator and Council representatives, with quality as a standing agenda item. Hold-point inspections were embedded at every critical stage: pre-recovering inspection of roof sub-structure, joint sign-off of each refurbished window before decoration, and water-testing of completed flat roof sections.
All operatives received a site-specific induction covering the unique constraints of an occupied listed building. Hot works operated under a permit-to-work system with mandatory one-hour fire watch. Toolbox talks were delivered weekly and before all high-risk activities. The Council’s Health & Safety officer was invited to attend joint site inspections throughout the programme, reinforcing a transparent safety culture.
03 Challenges and Solutions
The Council Headquarters project brought together three of the most demanding conditions in refurbishment work: a listed building, a live occupied civic environment, and a constrained town-centre site. Parc’s approach was to plan rigorously for each, then build the mitigations into the programme rather than reacting to them as they arose.
CHALLENGE 1 Live Occupied Civic Building
The HQ remained in active use by Council staff and the public throughout the 37-week programme. Noise, dust, access routes and building security could not be compromised at any point, and any disruption to essential services or meetings had to be avoided.
Parc phased the works room-by-room and elevation-by-elevation, scheduling noisy operations outside sensitive periods and coordinating access to individual offices in advance with the Council’s facilities team. Key entrances and fire escape routes were kept clear at all times. Updates were issued to building users by the Site Manager, setting out the following week’s work areas and any expected disruption. No sash or roof section was ever left open overnight: temporary boarded panels were installed to maintain weather-tightness and security.
CHALLENGE 2 Category B Listed Heritage Fabric
The building’s listed status required every element of repair to respect its historic character. Replacement of original fabric had to be the last resort, and any necessary replacement had to be like-for-like with prior Contract Administrator approval.
Parc and Ventrolla began with a detailed joint survey of every window, numbered and photographed, with a condition schedule signed off by the CA before any work began. Rotten timber was cut out and scarfed-in with matching hardwood splices rather than replaced wholesale; original wavy glass was retained wherever intact, and historic sash weights, pulleys and ironmongery were reused or replaced with period-correct equivalents. On the roof, original Scottish slates were salvaged and re-laid in diminishing courses to match traditional practice, with new slates blended in; all new leadwork was installed to Lead Sheet Association guidelines using code 4, 5 or 6 lead as appropriate.
CHALLENGE 3 Constrained Town-Centre Site on English Street
English Street is a narrow, busy town-centre road with limited footpaths, presenting significant logistical challenges for deliveries, storage, scaffold erection and public safety.
Parc engaged early with Dumfries & Galloway Council’s roads department to secure all required permits and traffic management approvals. Deliveries were scheduled for off-peak hours using small rigid lorries, with trained traffic marshals directing vehicles and pedestrians during every unloading operation. Where scaffold encroached on the footpath, a covered pedestrian walkway was installed to maintain safe public access, and warning lights were displayed at night. Just-in-time delivery scheduling was enforced to minimise on-site storage, with a compact secure compound established adjacent to the Janitor’s House to avoid impact on the wider building curtilage.
04 The Outcome
Parc delivered a fully refurbished, weather-tight and thermally-improved civic headquarters without interrupting the Council’s daily operations and without compromising the protected fabric of a landmark Category B listed building. The windows now perform to modern standards of comfort while retaining their original character; the roof has been renewed to a standard designed to last decades, using traditional slating, Lead Sheet Association leadwork and a certified Bauder flat roof system.
RESULTS AT HANDOVER
DELIVERY
Principal Contractor
CONTINUITY
Fully Occupied Throughout
HERITAGE
Category B Compliant
LOCAL SPEND
Over 90%
WIDER OUTCOMES
Over 90% of project spend invested back into the Dumfries & Galloway regional economy through local subcontractors and suppliers
One dedicated trade apprenticeship placement created for the programme.
Heritage skills development provided to existing workforce through structured exposure to specialist window and leadwork trades
Zero compromise to Council operations: no loss of service, no breach of building security, no closure of public entrances
Full handover pack delivered, including O&M manuals, as-built records, specialist warranties from Ventrolla and DM Roofing, and the Principal Contractor CDM Health & Safety file
Historic civic building preserved for future generations, with reversible interventions that protect the property’s listed character
05 Project Gallery
Parc team on site with branded PPE — Principal Contractor-led delivery under CDM 2015.
The Category B listed Dumfries & Galloway Council Headquarters on English Street, with works underway.
Aerial view showing the full extent of the flat-roof and pitched-roof renewal works.
Early morning view from the scaffold — works phased to minimise impact on the town centre.
06 Project Summary
Client: Dumfries & Galloway Council
Project: Council Headquarters Refurbishment: Phase 1
Location: 109–115 English Street, Dumfries, DG1 2DD
Sector: Public Sector: Civic / Listed Heritage
Value: £1,200,000
Form of Contract: JCT SBCC
Parc’s Role: Principal Contractor (CDM 2015)
Start on Site: July 2025
Duration: 37 weeks
Building Status: Category B Listed, fully occupied throughout works
Scope: Windows
Heritage refurbishment of original timber sash, casement and dormer windows; draught-proofing; redecoration
Scope: Roof
Slate overhaul, Lead Sheet Association leadwork, dormer repairs, Bauder flat roof replacement
Cost Consultant
McGowan Miller Construction Consultants, Dumfries
Specialist Supply Chain
Ventrolla (windows) | DM Roofing (roofing) | Harkness (decoration) | Clark Contracts (scaffolding)
Named Reference
Available on request
Interested in discussing your project?
Parc Construction Ltd | 26 Rotchell Park, Dumfries, DG1 3UH
email@parcconstruction.co.uk | phone | parcconstruction.co.uk