Stockport Council Chief Executive, Eamonn Boylan, has cut a giant 36-foot ‘ribbon’ wrapping The Codeworks as part of a celebration to mark the official opening of the striking three-storey office development at CDL’s Strata Campus on Kings Reach Road, Stockport.
The impressive monochrome building, which has recently been shortlisted in the BCO (British Council for Offices) Awards 2015, was commissioned to house the IT firm’s growing workforce. With over 500 people, CDL is one of Stockport’s largest employers, and the new building extends the company’s campus to enable its workforce to be located on one site.
Speaking at the occasion, Eamonn Boylan said: “The Codeworks is testament to CDL’s on-going commitment to Stockport, and its consideration for the surrounding environment. It’s great to see such a significant Stockport employer continue to build upon its roots here, and invest in its current and future workforce.”
The event saw Eamonn Boylan and his colleague Councillor Iain Roberts, Deputy Leader of Stockport Council, return to the site where they had helped mark the beginning of the project with a groundbreaking ceremony two years previously.
CDL was established in Stockport over 35 years ago by CDL Group Chairman and Founder: Tom Hogg; who was awarded a Special Recognition Award at the Stockport Business Awards 2014 for his outstanding contribution to the Stockport business community.
Tom Hogg commented: “It’s been amazing to see CDL grow from a living-room start-up into a campus-based company of over 500 employees. It’s very much the people that have created this success, and providing a good working environment is something that I feel passionately about.
“Our investment in The Codeworks forms part of a wider, long-term commitment to Stockport and our ambition to bring a ‘Silicon Valley’ styled hub to the region, establishing it as a seat of world-class software. We’re ideally placed here, with plenty of space to expand, a skilled workforce to recruit from, excellent transport links and a strong business community.”
Special guests at the Official Opening included representatives from a number of CDL’s partner organisations. Among these were staff from Stockport College, after CDL commissioned a group of its students to design an interactive art installation that now sits pride of place in The Codeworks’ glass atrium area.
Also present were representatives from the national charity, Groundwork UK, which is working closely with CDL and Stockport Council on a scheme to improve the Kings Reach Bridleway that runs alongside the River Mersey and adjacent to Strata Campus, bringing about benefits to commuters and those using the path for leisure.
The construction of The Codeworks has exceeded the energy efficiency standards set out in current building regulations, and has been designed to incorporate a number of environmentally sustainable features. Outdoors, landscaping of the Strata Campus grounds has been carried out in order to make the best of the riverside location and provide recreational space for CDL’s workforce.
CDL is one of the UK’s leading insurance software houses, with clients including Ageas, Tesco Bank and GoCompare.com.