THE SAMMON building group is taking full control of a joint venture it had established with Cavan-based rival P Elliott, to build a number of schools for the State.

The pair established Elliott Sammon Construction to build schools in Donabate, Co Dublin, and Laytown, Co Meath, for the Department of Education. The contracts are worth €20 million.

It is understood the parties recently agreed the Sammon group would take full control of the joint venture company, with no money changing hands.

The Sammon group will take full responsibility for the school contracts. It has been working on such projects for the department for over a decade. More recently, it expanded its operations to the Middle East and, towards the end of last year, won contracts worth €120 million in Abu Dhabi.

Sammon Group is a family-owned business based in Kilcock, Co Kildare, with operations in Ireland, Britain and the Middle East.

The company’s chief executive, Miceál Sammon, founded the group in the 1980s.

Cavan-based P Elliott is involved in contracting and property development. Its clients have included the State, universities and other organisations. It bought the former headquarters of The Irish Times from the newspaper’s parent, The Irish Times Ltd, in 2006, and has since redeveloped the building.