The former Craven District Council waste depot has been reborn as the Langcliffe Quarry Enterprise Centre and now boasts restored and refurbished stone buildings as well as the construction of eight business units, three new buildings and a brand-new public car park.
The refurbishment of a traditional stone barn – The Enterprise Hub – now provides a range of flexible and bespoke office space to accommodate a variety of business needs. It offers three meeting/training rooms, a co-working space with 14 hot desks and five incubator/private offices.
The facility, next to the Settle-Carlisle railway, has been funded by Craven District Council, York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the European Regional Development Fund.
Craven District Council’s lead member for enterprising Craven and Chairman of the Council, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “The enterprise centre is a great asset and we are thrilled that it’s open for business. This scheme will help provide much-needed workspace in the district. We know there is a strong demand for modern, flexible workspace for new and existing small businesses in Craven. This has proved to be even more important as we came out of the coronavirus lockdown and felt we needed more and more local employment. This facility in our rural district is an excellent example of creating new spaces that provide the tools that businesses need to thrive in today’s economic landscape.”
Among the first tenants to sign up is Andrew Jones, of Yorkshire Dales Classics Limited. He said: “There is a real shortage of small to medium sized units available in the Settle area. The units benefit from being modern and well insulated with the added bonus of superfast broadband availability from B4RN. Plus, lease terms are sensible and there is the opportunity to use the Hub facilities if required.”
David Dickson, Chair of Place & Infrastructure Board at York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The new facilities are great and will support economic growth across the area. We’re pleased to have supported the scheme with Local Growth Fund investment and we look forward to seeing the site flourish in the years to come. It’s a fantastic place to do business.”
Buyer steps in to acquire Scunthorpe United
Former Ilkeston Town Chairman David Hilton has been appointed as chairman and owner of Scunthorpe United with immediate effect.
Hilton replaces outgoing owner Peter Swann, who had a ten-year period at the helm of the Iron.
Mr Hilton said: “I’m pleased to say the takeover has now been completed, and the deal includes the football club, stadium and surrounding land.
“The first job I’ve got to do over the next 48 hours is settle the winding up petition with the HMRC, which will help us get out of the transfer embargo we’re under, so we can bring some bodies in and strengthen the squad.
“Any remaining debts will be eradicated in due course and we’ll be looking to put the football club on a sustainable model as quickly as possible, while remaining competitive in whichever division we’re in.
“I can also add, if there is to be any development in and around Glanford Park, it will be purely for the benefit of the football club and to help it move forward, not for personal gain.
“It’s all been done very quickly, so there’s a lot I need to digest but I fully intend to interact with supporters. I just need a little bit of time for the dust to settle so I can understand the business fully.”
Environmental marketing company gets funds to develop wildflower planting process
Lincoln-based environmental marketing company My Square Metre has secured £14,500 in funding to create two new jobs and develop a calculator tool.
My Square Metre secured finance from First Enterprise – Enterprise Loans through British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans Company.
MSM was established to promote biodiversity and sequester carbon in a local and tangible way. The company collaborates with ecologists and experts to identify the ideal areas of degraded land to repair by planting wildflower meadows one square metre at a time.
With funding from First Enterprise, My Square Metre is not only able to hire more staff as they enter their next phase of growth, but they are also able to create a calculator tool.
The tool helps individuals and businesses determine how many wildflowers need to be planted in order to offset daily activities. For example, 167 wildflowers may be planted for every GB of 5G usage, or 1 wildflower for every email sent.
Edward Crowther, Founder of My Square Metre, said: “Through the process, I got the opportunity to review elements of my business with a business expert, who guided me to any weaknesses in the business plan that needed to be strengthened or communicated better. For me as a founder, when I actually received the funding, more than anything else, I had the encouragement that I was on the right track.”
Stefan Nycz, Investment Manager at First Enterprise – Enterprise Loans, commented: “It was a delight to work with Ed on this proposal. It’s a simple but great idea, and anything that contributes to the welfare of the planet is something that I am happy to be part of.”
Richard Bearman, Managing Director Small Business Lending, British Business Bank commented:
“Edward and the team have done excellent so far in their business journey and we are proud to assist them as they take the next step in expanding their team and improving their facilities.”
Government gets tough on firms choosing to ‘fire and rehire’
The government is taking strong action against unscrupulous employers that use the controversial practice of ‘fire and rehire’, it has announced.
Last year P&O Ferries deliberately sought to evade the law by sacking 786 seafarers without due consultation. Having made no efforts to inform the Business Secretary at the time, they failed to follow best practice or do the right thing for their employees. As a result, Grant Shapps, as Transport Secretary at the time, introduced a 9-point plan including primary legislation to tackle these issues.
Through a planned statutory code of practice, the government is protecting employees and cracking down on employers that use controversial dismissal tactics. The code, subject to a consultation first, will make it explicitly clear to employers that they must not use threats of dismissal to pressurise employees into accepting new terms, and that they should have honest and open-minded discussions with their employees and representatives.
‘Fire and rehire’ refers to when an employer fires an employee and offers them a new contract on new, often less-favourable terms. The government has been clear on its opposition to this practice being used as a negotiating tactic and is now making it clear how it expects employers to behave.
This new statutory code of practice will set out employers’ responsibilities when seeking to change contractual terms and conditions of employment, including that businesses must consult with employees in a fair and transparent way when proposing changes to their employment terms.
Once in force, Courts and Employment Tribunals will be able to take the code into account when considering relevant cases, including unfair dismissal. They will have the power to apply a 25% uplift to an employee’s compensation in certain circumstances if an employer is found to not comply with the statutory code.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Using fire and rehire as a negotiation tactic is a quick-fire way to damage your reputation as a business. Our new code will crack down on firms mistreating employees and set out how they should behave when changing an employee’s contract. We are determined to do all we can to protect and enhance workers’ rights across the country.
Maritime Minister Baroness Vere said: “We remain committed to protecting seafarers and championing the importance of their welfare. This new code goes one step further to doing just that, helping us ensure employees are treated fairly and employers hold meaningful consultations on any proposed changes to employment terms.
“This forms part of our 9-point plan to reform and improve seafarer welfare and close down any legal loopholes that allow employers to avoid paying them – irrespective of flag or nationality.
“Employers should be deterred from using this controversial tactic and must ensure they do not mistreat employees. If they do, they risk poor relations with their employees, and will open themselves up to the risk of legal claims.” The government asked the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to produce guidance for employers, which was published in 2021. It’s said that this new Code of Practice shows the government is going a step further to protect workers across the country, while balancing that with the flexibility that businesses require.Wharfedale Homes makes land director promotion
Housebuilder Wharfedale Homes has promoted Matthew Gibson to land and planning director to drive the business forward as it looks to expand across Yorkshire.
A chartered town planner, Matthew joined the firm in 2021 and has been promoted from land manager. Previously he has worked with leading listed property companies Barratt Homes, Avant Homes and McCarthy and Stone.
Wharfedale Homes has a track record of delivering new homes throughout North and West Yorkshire and is currently onsite in Whitby and Burton Leonard, with a number of other sites in the pipeline.
Wharfedale Homes founding director, Chris Patmore has also retired, and his business partner since 2008 Mike Brown is now the sole owner of the business.
John Edwards, Managing Director of Wharfedale Homes, said: “Since he joined us, Matt has been integral to our continued growth and it is testament to his hard work that he has earnt this promotion. His new role will help us grow our pipeline of sites and increase the number of completed homes we deliver each year.”
Matthew Gibson added: “I’m really excited to head up the land and planning function and provide strategic input as the company successfully navigates through the ever changing political and planning environment.”
APSS helps charity save £1,500 a year
Lincolnshire-based commercial joinery company APSS has delivered six new lockable shredding cupboards to Age UK Lincoln & South Lincolnshire, in partnership with Lindap, saving the charity around £1,500 a year in compliant disposal costs.
Age UK Lincoln & South Lincolnshire had been looking for small ways to reduce costs to make a big difference during the challenging climate and identified their secure waste shredder units as an item to look at. The secure units allow GDPR guidelines to be complied with and allow for the safe disposal of documentation. It had approached Lincoln-based charity Lindap to help. Lindap specialises in designing and making special equipment for people with disabilities when there is no commercial product available.
APSS design director, Stuart Wall, also a volunteer at Lindap, took the request and made it a reality.
APSS has an onsite joinery workshop that creates bespoke storage and office furniture which happily compliments the commercial refurbishment, design, and construction side of the business.
The company assisted with the design and production to create the six bespoke shredding units for Age UK’s Lincoln City Centre branch.
Stuart Wall said: “It is great to help out local charities in this way and work for a charity that supports the needs of local people and the community. It is wonderful to have the support of APSS with these projects.”
Tom Ellis, technical services and facilities manager for Age UK, said: “Everyone across the county is looking for ways to tighten their belt and help save those pennies where they can. Being a local, independent charity, we take great pride in using every penny provided to give as much to our local, older community as we possibly can. It’s about making a direct difference for people to live better.”
Work starts on new £4.5m business park in York
Marrtree Investments has begun work on a new 2.4 acre business park on the site of the former B&M store at Clifton Moor in York.
The developer will have invested £4.5m in the scheme on completion, which will create 27,000 sq ft of modern business space across four units ranging from 4,000 sq ft to 8,000 sq ft, as well as a Starbucks drive-through café, and will generate dozens of new jobs for the city.
Marrtree Business Park, York, will be the latest in the North Yorkshire-based developer’s portfolio of over 20 business parks, which are located strategically across the north of England. Phase II of the firm’s 70,000 sq ft development at Sowerby Gateway, the new 950-home scheme near Thirsk, was completed in October and is expected to create 40 new jobs for the area.
William Marshall, director of Marrtree Investments, said: “We are really pleased to be bringing more of the high-quality modern business space, for which Marrtree has become well known, to York. Since the pandemic, well-thought-out, ergonomic workplaces, where people actively want to come to work each day, have become more important than ever and that’s what we aim to deliver with all our business parks and the kind of space that is in short supply for York employers.”
The new units are due for completion in the autumn and the developer says there has been considerable interest in the scheme.
“We are in conversation already with a number of organisations who are considering either relocating or setting up new operations in the Clifton Moor area of the city,” said Mr Marshall.
“It’s a great location, with excellent road links and with the £65m upgrade to the York outer ring road due to get underway in the next couple of years. There are also great facilities close by, including gyms, restaurants and the Vue cinema.”
Harrogate-based HACS construction group has been appointed as main contractor for the construction of the business park, with the Leeds offices of Colliers, and Cushman & Wakefield appointed as letting agents.
Founded in Bradford in the 1940s, and now run by the third-generation brothers William and George Marshall, the Marrtree Group of companies has operated for over 80 years. With interests in commercial and residential property, quarrying and forestry, the business is now based in Harrogate.
2023 Business Predictions: Paul Brammer, Nicholas Associates Group
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Paul Brammer from recruitment and talent solutions firm Nicholas Associates Group.
Even though unemployment is forecast to rise this year, recruiting talent with the right skills and experience will remain a challenge for some sectors. This will cause further cost pressures for businesses who are having to pay inflated salaries to attract people. However there are some employers who are beginning to say they will not pay these inflated salaries and are developing other ways to fill the void such as through automation. So this wage pressure may settle down depending on how the economy fares.
The search for talent is also exacerbated by the fact that candidates are very cautious about changing jobs and those with the right skills and experience are not being tempted to move employer. Instead they are placing long term job security over financial gain.
Whilst hybrid working will continue to be a popular request from employees, we will continue to see a growing trend from employers who want to see their people back in the office working together, socialising and building relationships. Hence companies will place more emphasis on digital transformation and being able to offer workplaces that people want to visit.
Yorkshire bus operator secures £180,000 investment
A coach and bus company that provides passenger services and holiday excursions has received a £180,000 investment from Finance Yorkshire.
Barnsley-based Globe Holidays runs public buses across West and South Yorkshire and employs more than 60 people.
The investment, from Finance Yorkshire’s Business Loan Fund, supports the acquisition of new vehicles and on-board ticketing technology.
Globe Holidays also operates private hire and school transport services, along with a UK holiday programme and day excursions. The company runs travel shops in Barnsley, Bradford and Rotherham.
Following the launch of several new routes this year, Globe Holidays has recruited 18 people and added 11 vehicles to its fleet. The company now operates 28 buses and 16 coaches.
Scott Woolley, Managing Director of Globe Holidays, said: “The investment from Finance Yorkshire comes at a time of rapid expansion for the business. They recognised our need for gap funding and quickly developed a good understanding of our business.
“The investment has enabled us to further expand our team and ensure reliable connections for local communities within South and West Yorkshire.
“As more people return to travel, we are looking forward to welcoming them on board our services, where they will now experience the latest in ticket machine technology.”
Alex McWhirter, Chief Executive of Finance Yorkshire, said: “Our investments are designed to support growing companies to realise their potential and create jobs in Yorkshire and the Humber. This is especially true when traditional finance providers are unable to meet their requirements.
“As the travel industry continues to recover from the pandemic, we are looking forward to seeing Globe Holidays continue to cement its status as one of the region’s leading passenger transport providers.”
Inseego makes tracks to South Central
The Leeds office of global property consultancy Knight Frank has brokered a significant deal at the South Central development in the city.
Inseego, a provider of fleet tracking software and business solutions, is taking of 5,000 sq ft of newly refurbished space at the 75,338 sq ft Shelborn development in Millshaw.
Inseego is relocating from Headingley.
Ian Holt, Managing Director (Finance and Operations) for Inseego, explained that this was an important move for the company.
“We can’t wait to move into our new state-of-the-art Leeds HQ. We looked at various offices across Leeds for our new premises and only South Central ticked all the boxes. The combination of its excellent location and first-class facilities, including ample car parking, was exactly what we wanted.
“South Central is close to the M621, M62 and M1, providing excellent access to Yorkshire’s motorway network, making it easy for our staff to get there by car. It is also close to the White Rose Shopping Centre and the new White Rose Train Station, which opens in the summer of 2023.
“All being well, we will start fitting out the new offices at the beginning of the second quarter of next year and will have moved in by the autumn.
“I’d like to thank Eamon Fox of Knight Frank for all his hard-work and efficiency in making this deal happen pretty seamlessly,” added Mr Holt.
Eamon Fox said: “The comprehensive refurbishment of South Central, formerly offices for Barclays Bank, will provide some of the finest office space in south Leeds. The Inseego deal is a resounding endorsement of what South Central has to offer and it is no surprise that we have another 5,000 sq ft of prime office space currently under offer to a global company.”
