£19.8m school refurbishment work to get green light

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

A construction firm is in line to deliver a major £19.8 million overhaul of a secondary school under plans due to go before councillors next week.

Members of Denbighshire County Council’s cabinet will be asked to approve the appointment of Wynne Construction to lead the refurbishment of Denbigh High School through a two-stage design and build contract under the North Wales Construction Partnership framework.

The meeting takes place at the council’s Ruthin County Hall HQ on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
The decision follows a procurement exercise that ran from January to March 2026, with four contractors submitting bids.

An evaluation panel assessed tenders on 30% price, 60% quality and 10% community benefits, with Wynne Construction emerging as the preferred bidder.

The scheme sits within the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme and has a total funding envelope of £19.8m.

This includes £11.46m from Welsh Government, £6.17m from Denbighshire County Council, and £2.20m in net zero carbon funding.

The council says the scheme represents a £15.2m construction investment and will deliver apprenticeships, training, and upskilling.

Once complete, the refurbishment is expected to improve teaching and increase energy efficiency, supporting the council’s net zero carbon target by 2030.

If the proposals are approved, the decision will allow stage one design work to begin ahead of further reports returning to the cabinet for consideration.

Before Christmas, Denbighshire County Council’s former chief executive, Graham Boase, who has since retired, described the plans as a “significant” investment.