ISLEWORTH based builders Mowlem, which has a strong regional base in London, has reported profit before tax at £45.2m, maintaining the substantial growth that the group has achieved over the past eight years.

The strength, length and diversity of the order book is also evidence of its continuing progress, with confirmed orders standing at £2.5bn plus £2.7bn at preferred bidder stage.

Mowlem Building (Major Projects) continued its prestigious record of work in Britain's capital, with the £40m construction of luxury apartments and offices at the site of Harrod's Depository. Work is also progressing on the £25m Cumberland Hotel contract in W1, comprising the refurbishment of the existing 1930's hotel opposite Marble Arch.

In addition, the business recently completed work on the £19m contract to construct a new adult mental health unit for the Camden & Islington Mental Health NHS Trust, and is continuing work in the health sector on the £24m contract for construction and refurbishment at Edgware Hospital, which is due to be completed later in the year.

Meanwhile, Mowlem Building in Bracknell recently completed a contract at Wembley Police Station, involving the refurbishment of the Section House and Police Station and the construction of specialist areas such as a custody suite and vehicle examination area.

The contract took a total of 95 weeks to complete and was worth £9.3m.

Mowlem's prevalence in the rail sector has also been apparent recently.

While Mowlem Civil Engineering (MCE) undertook a £5m contract to design and build a wheel lathe and train cleaning facilities at the Metronet Rail SSL Ltd depot at Upminster, Mowlem Railways' Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) work included two new projects - 104H and 104F.

The latter project, worth £7.85m was completed in 2003 and involved putting into place temporary infrastructure to ensure commuters are able to continue travelling to St Pancras whilst CTRL works carry on in the area.

The £61m CTRL 104H was awarded in June 2002 and Mowlem began working on site in August 2003. Works are on track to open the eastern interim station over easter this year. Both projects utilised other businesses within the group including engineering, environmental and rail specialist companies.

Mowlem Marine has been busy in London concentrating on pier work, with a contract running at Westminster Bridge. The Westminster Scour Protection Works project is worth £6m and is due for completion in 2005.

In addition, Mowlem Marine built the highly acclaimed Millbank Pier at Millbank in London.

The pier serves a new river bus service, designed by Damien Hurst, and which runs between the Tate Britain and Tate Modern. The pier, worth £1.8m, was opened in July by Mayor Ken Livingstone, and was partially funded by Transport for London and the Millennium Commission.

Continuing to help maintain the environment of London, Soil Mechanics, part of Mowlem Environmental Sciences Group, has been assisting Mowlem Marine with their Westminster Bridge contract, and in partnership with subsidiaries Geocone and Pelorus Surveys and with BAE Systems, carried out unexploded bomb ordnance and river bed profiling for the bridge protection works.