The demolition of the old Day Centre finally started in early March 2019. The old building was mainly of wooden construction and most of it came down in the first day. The tender submissions for the build closed in April 2019 and after lengthy evaluations a preferred supplier A W Hardy, was selected by the Town Council.
A W Hardy started construction work in September 2019 with site preparation. Delivery of the structural steels started in early October 2019 and within a day sections of the building could be clearly seen. By the end of the year the walls had reached roof height and the main support struts across the roof had been installed.
Early January 2020 saw the builders rendering the block walls whilst the installation of the roof began in the middle of the month. Although progress had been good, inevitably the construction of the building was overtaken by events and due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the builders stopped work in March and secured the site. In the end COVID-19 caused a 7 week delay to the project and once work commenced mid-June the builders were able to complete the internal construction fit out including installation of the large glass windows on the front the heaviest of which weighs 225kg.
The majority of the build was completed in October 2020 and the next few weeks saw various trades visiting to commission all the systems and components of the building. Finally, on the 29 December 2020 the Town Council were able to move into the new building and start getting it ready for its new purpose as a community centre for Billericay.