Harworth’s brand new retail development at its flagship site at Waverley in South Yorkshire has reached practical completion with just over 80 per cent of units under offer or let. The urban shopping and leisure development on Highfield Spring, part of Harworth’s complete redevelopment of the former mining site, totals 11 retail units and a medical centre and will serve the current community of more than 2,500 residents and around 1,700 homes, expected to rise to 8,000 people and more than 3,000 homes by 2029. Three units of 1,420 sq ft remain to let, with advanced interest in one, attracted by the chance to secure new retail space in the centre of one of Sheffield’s newest urban areas, with the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) and its 2,000 employees also close by, as well as 100 other businesses. Expected to open in early summer after fit out, the retail parade has already drawn in a mix of national and local independent retail and food and beverage occupiers, including Tesco. Kitty Hendrick, from the Sheffield office of Knight Frank, which is marketing the site, said: “Olive Lane is a really positive story, not only for the Waverley community but for the region. “We are now just over 80 per cent under offer / let and the units have only just reached Practical Completion, which proves that there is strong demand for retail units in the region, and limited availability. “We have secured a mix of national and local independent retail and F&B occupiers, including Tesco, and look forward to seeing the scheme up and running once tenants have fitted out. “There will be something for everyone at Olive Lane and we envisage the scheme to be very popular with high footfall once open.” Michael Jameson, Senior Asset Manager at Harworth, said: “Harworth is delighted to bring Olive Lane to life, a development which will become the new mixed use heart of the Waverley Community. “Creating places where people want to live and work is at the heart of what Harworth do and we’re confident that Waverley and Olive Lane delivers on that aim. We hope local residents and workers will enjoy all the amenities the high street has to offer, and are sure the scheme will be a huge success and really bring the community together.”

Northern developer Almscliffe-Dhesi (AD) has completed three major retail projects in the North-East and North Lincolnshire. AD’s developments at Peterlee, Crook and Scunthorpe, all of which are home to national retail occupiers, are now open for business. At the same time, work has started on site at AD’s retail development at Faverdale in north-west Darlington. AD has transformed the disused and derelict Vauxhall Car dealership off Passfield Way on the outskirts of Peterlee into a new local convenience retail cluster. High-profile tenants at the 13,027 sq ft development include Sainsbury’s, Tanning Shop, Greggs and Domino’s, together with CVS Vets and EVC Electric Vehicle Chargers. This investment is for sale, while a final unit of 1,250 sq ft is available to let. Meanwhile AD, having bought a redundant unit on South Street, Crook, split the 2,240 sq ft unit in two. The occupiers are Domino’s and Banking Hub. Both tenants are now up and trading, with the investment for sale. Work has also been completed at Scunthorpe, where AD’s 7,300 sq ft roadside scheme opposite Central Park includes a Starbucks drive thru, a Central England Co-op and The Tanning Shop, together with EV charging points. The Starbucks unit has been sold to the franchisee K Beverage, while the rest of the development has been bought by a private investor. Neil Creeney, who owns and runs AD with his business partner Bal Singh, said: “It is tremendous news that work has now been completed on these three significant developments. Together we estimate they will create more than 150 jobs.”

North Lincolnshire Council has announced that all new homes and industrial units must be built with solar panels under a new local plan. The policy, included in the council’s draft local plan, was approved at a Cabinet meeting on 17 March.

The measure aims to increase renewable energy generation while reducing reliance on large-scale solar farms, which the council says take up valuable farmland.

Once implemented, developers must integrate solar panels into all new construction projects to secure planning permission. The council has already installed solar panels in schools and public buildings as part of its sustainability efforts.

Bradford Council has refused a planning application to convert a derelict café on Greaves Street into an 18-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO), citing overuse of the property and inadequate living conditions.

Mustafa Ghanim’s proposal aimed to repurpose the fire-damaged building near Trident Park and Manchester Road bridge, arguing it would provide much-needed housing. However, council officers raised concerns about the high number of occupants—potentially up to 26—and the strain on local parking.

Officials stated that the lack of communal living or dining spaces would leave residents confined to their rooms, while the increased foot traffic could cause excessive noise and disruption. The council concluded that the conversion would be an “overly intensive use” of the building and rejected the application.

A Yorkshire based bridge engineering specialist has been recognised with a prestigious national industry award for its meticulous work on a historic bridge. Spencer Bridge Engineering was honoured with the Bridges Award for New Life in the 2025 Bridges Awards in recognition of its work to permanently replace hangers on the iconic Menai Suspension Bridge, which connects the island of Anglesey to mainland Wales. Organised by Bridge Engineering and Design Magazine, in partnership with Bridge Owners Forum, the awards took place at the Bridges Conference at the CBS Arena in Coventry, with the Bridges Award for New Life recognising an outstanding refurbishment, rehabilitation, reconstruction or repurposing project. Hull based Spencer Bridge Engineering scooped the award for its project to permanently replace over 160 defective hangers on the Menai Suspension Bridge. The team replaced and painted 168 of the 208 wire rope hangers on the bridge, restoring the full structural integrity of the crossing and removing a critical risk to public safety. Completed in 1826, the Grade 1 listed structure provides a crucial road link between mainland Wales and the Isle of Anglesey and is the second oldest suspension bridge in the world still in use for vehicle traffic. In October 2022, the discovery of brittle hanger components resulted in the immediate and unplanned closure of the bridge, leading to a race against time to design and install emergency failsafes to allow reopening of the structure, which was successfully completed by Spencer Bridge Engineering in early 2023. Following the emergency works, Spencer Bridge’s experienced teams were appointed to carry out the permanent replacement of the hangers on site to extremely tight tolerances and constraints, while maintaining live traffic throughout the project. To respect the heritage and historic features of the bridge, the team worked closely with the hanger supplier, Fatzer AG, to create hangers and bespoke sockets to match the existing profile, while adhering to modern design codes. Spencer Bridge Engineering Bridges Director Luke Fisher said: “We’re delighted to have been honoured with this award in recognition of our work to deliver such a pivotal project on this iconic bridge. “With strong winds, wet weather and extremely tight constraints, this project posed a number of significant challenges, but I’m very proud of our teams who worked collaboratively and drew on our colleagues’ extensive and diverse skillset to develop solutions. “As the bridge approaches its 200th anniversary next year, we’re proud to have played a key part in restoring this historic structure, so it can continue carrying traffic for many years to come.” The project was delivered on behalf of UK Highways A55 Ltd, with Spencer Group also working in collaboration with lead Designer COWI. The Bridges Awards judging panel for 2025 was chaired by José María Sánchez de Muniáin, editor of Bridge Design and Engineering magazine, along with respected and independent bridge professionals from across the industry. Presenting the award, the judges said: “This is an example of true engineering in emergency, developing novel solutions to difficult challenges – protecting and improving functionality of an iconic bridge without closing it. “Ensuring the bridge is safe and then instigating installation of hangers in a trafficked environment is a huge achievement and the project was managed exemplary.”

Work has started on the development of 14 new affordable, energy saving homes in the north of the borough, as part of Rotherham Council’s housing delivery programme.

Architectural practice Holmes Miller has opened a new office in Leeds to support growing demand for public sector projects in the region. This marks the firm’s third UK base, alongside its offices in Glasgow and St Albans.

The firm, which has operated for 75 years, specialises in sustainable architecture across education, leisure, and justice sectors. Directors Ryan Holmes and Craig Heap emphasised that the Leeds office will enhance local engagement and deliver cost-effective, user-focused design as budgets tighten across the industry.

Holmes Miller also plans to expand further in Ireland, targeting growth in the sports and education markets.

The UK government has approved the development of the North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park, an energy-from-waste facility planned for Flixborough Industrial Estate near Scunthorpe. The site will include an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) capable of converting up to 650,000 tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel annually into electricity.

Developer Solar 21 says the facility could generate enough low-carbon power for 221,000 homes per year and create up to 257 permanent jobs, with an additional 600 jobs during construction. The project aims to reduce landfill use by up to 760,000 tonnes and prevent 150,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

The site will also feature a plastic recycling facility capable of processing 20,000 tonnes of plastic annually. Ash from the energy recovery process will be repurposed into concrete blocks for construction.

Solar 21 highlights the Humber region’s high industrial carbon emissions and landfill waste as key drivers for the project, positioning the facility as part of the UK’s strategy to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.