£300m Sheffield scheme gets underway with innovative construction solutions
Innovative construction solutions and an award-winning carbon reduction initiative are being implemented on Sheffield’s newest mixed-use development.
Derbyshire-based contractor Bowmer + Kirkland (B+K) has started construction on the first phase of Urbo (West Bar) Ltd’s £300 million West Bar scheme. This phase, funded by Legal & General, will be called Soho Yard and will deliver two apartment buildings of 18-storeys and 14 storeys which will provide 368 homes to rent.
The exterior of these buildings will reflect the Victorian industrial structures that were previously on the site, but the construction techniques will include 21st Century sustainable, off-site methods designed to reduce carbon emissions and speed up the construction process.
The first tower crane has been installed and a second will be erected in mid-November. Both cranes will be operated using a carbon reduction initiative that Bowmer + Kirkland is rolling out across all its construction sites and for which the contractor has won two awards for innovation and carbon reduction.
B+K has recognised the carbon, fuel and cost savings associated with the Punch Flybrid technology, which uses a robust and durable flywheel energy storage system to significantly downsize generators powering tower cranes and other dynamically used equipment on site. Typically, the system is reducing CO2 emissions by 30-40% and using 26% less fuel.
The apartments will take 125 weeks to complete and B+K will also be building an eight-storey 100,000 sq ft Cat A office facility – known as number 1, West Bar Square at the opposite end of the site. Construction starts mid-November and the building will be available for new occupiers from Spring 2024.
Bowmer + Kirkland regional director, Steve Chambers, said: “We are all very excited to be constructing this major development in Sheffield. We have built some of the city’s most recognisable buildings over the years and we are delighted to continue our relationship with the city and look forward to delivering this regenerative scheme for our client.”
Urbo Managing Director, Peter Swallow, added: “We are excited to see Bowmer + Kirkland forging ahead now with construction of our West Bar development which is one of the largest mixed-use projects in the region and a major part of the regeneration of Sheffield City Centre. They are a perfect fit with our wider team, delivering a high-quality end product with both the residential and office buildings and also the connecting public realm spaces.”
The West Bar scheme is a joint development by Urbo Regeneration Ltd and Peveril Securities and is designed by 5 Plus Architects.
Shift Left goes global with acquisition by Planit
South Yorkshire IT and quality engineering consultancy, Shift Left, has been acquired by Planit, an Australian-headquartered global leader in quality engineering and application testing services.
The move sees Shift Left join the Tokyo-based NRI Group, employing 13,500 people around the world and with a market capitalisation of US$15.7bn.
Following its acquisition of Shift Left, Planit is now contending for the second spot amongst specialist quality engineering service providers, worldwide.
Mike Weale, CEO of Planit, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Shift Left to the Planit group and leverage their suite of services and strong customer base to expand our offerings throughout the UK and into Europe. We see these regions as key to executing our Vision 2030 strategy, and have aggressive plans for expansion. Thanks to this acquisition, the combined entity has now grown beyond 300 people in the UK.”
The deal comes just four months after Planit’s acquisition of its primary competitor in the New Zealand market, Qual IT, and cybersecurity specialist, SEQA.
Shift Left was co-founded by Alan Upton and Dave Rigler seven years ago in Yorkshire, and has since grown to service clients across the UK and Europe.
“This is an incredible milestone for Shift Left and will launch the next stage of growth,” says Dave Rigler, co-founder of Shift Left.
Addressing why the deal came about, Rigler said: “We were listening to the needs of our customers, and we could clearly see the opportunity to expand our global reach and extend our service offerings. We also knew that achieving this on our own would be possible but would take significant time and investment. We needed to find a partner with a substantial global footprint and Planit was the logical choice.”
“Not only did we have a historical relationship, we also knew Planit had the capability and capacity to move our business forward. We’ve seen Planit’s great work first-hand at clients like Specsavers, where they have over 100 quality specialists servicing their end-to-end quality needs,” said Rigler.
The Shift Left brand will remain in operation with its senior management continuing to lead the business, its employees, and client engagements.
Shift Left joins Planit locally in the United Kingdom and globally into the wider business footprint across Australia, India, New Zealand and the Philippines. The acquisition figure is confidential.
Bradford’s Jubilee Mill sold to freight forwarder
Property group Eddisons has sold the 32,000 sq ft Jubilee Mill near Little Germany in Bradford to independent freight forwarding firm Uniexpress.
Uniexpress, which is headquartered in the city and operates from nine locations across the UK, has relocated its head office from Bradford Business Park to the Jubilee Mill to accommodate the growth of the business, renaming the four-storey property Navigation Point. It now employs more than 70 people in Bradford.
Uniexpress CEO Michael Fitzpatrick said: “We’re excited to have secured this city centre location to support our continued growth. Its location is ideal to attract new talent and establish our headquarters as a centre of excellence in freight forwarding.”
Eddisons associate director Matt Jennings added: “We’re really pleased to have sold Jubilee Mill to Uniexpress. Not only is it great to be able to help a successful Bradford business achieve further growth, it is also really good news that this deal will ensure that jobs remain in the city centre.
“We received a great deal of interest from buyers who were keen to redevelop the site as residential accommodation but it is very positive for Bradford that this property will continue as a high quality, modern employment centre.”
Eddisons sold the open-plan Jubilee Mill office building on behalf of debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP), which was founded in Bradford in 1996.
Increasing demand for the charity’s services, which provide free debt advice for people with financial problems, fuelled by the cost of living crisis and rising energy prices, has necessitated a move to new premises for CAP. The charity has consolidated into a single premises at Jubilee House, the former Yorkshire Building Society call centre, on Filey Road in the city in order to ramp up its support for people with debts and other financial difficulties.
As part of the relocation, earlier this year Eddisons also sold CAP’s 17,000 sq ft Jubilee Centre on Stott Hill to the Light Church, securing the future for the Bradford Central Foodbank, which operates from the property.
A 4,000 sq ft, three-storey office building on Captain Street/Stott Hill is also currently for sale with Eddisons on behalf of CAP.
Major food group issue profits warning amidst inflationary pressures
Grimsby-based Sea Food specialist, the Hilton Food Group, have warned that operating profit will now be below its expectations for the full year, citing inflationary pressures as the primary cause.
In a statement to the London Stock Exchange this morning the company state “Given the challenges in the UK Seafood business alongside the wider macro-economic environment, the Board anticipates that operating profit will now be below its expectations for the full year.
“Despite this the Board remains confident that the business is well placed for 2023, with the Group’s financial position continuing to be strong, with leverage remaining at comfortable levels.
“We have made good progress in ongoing discussions regarding geographic expansion and continue to explore opportunities for growth in our existing markets as we deliver on our strategy of becoming the protein partner of choice.”
Greater Lincolnshire LEP to focus on ‘four game changing sectors’ at annual conference
The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise’s annual conference, which takes place this week, will will focus on Greater Lincolnshire’s four game-changing sectors – energy, UK Food Valley, defence, and ports & logistics.
The organisers have also brought together a line-up of high-calibre speakers who will lead an in-depth discussion on the day and provide an opportunity for business leaders to pose questions and share views at a time of challenge and unique opportunities for growth.
Pat Doody, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, said: “Everyone is really looking forward to getting together on Thursday and unpacking our four game-changing sectors.
“The event is free to attend and places are being booked up fast.
“Those attending will be treated to an enlightening discussion about some of the opportunities which have the potential to transform the economy of Greater Lincolnshire.”
Greater Lincolnshire – Leading the Way takes place from 8.30am until 1pm on Thursday 10th November 2022. Register for your free ticket to the conference by visiting the Eventbrite page.
We are also welcoming strategic partners in an exhibition this year showcasing some of our collaborative projects and programmes.
Yorkshire-based TBB delivers brand evolution and awareness campaign for BeFibre
Integrated agency The Bigger Boat (TBB) has delivered a brand evolution and asset-rich awareness campaign for broadband provider, BeFibre, as it embarks on a roadshow to provide ‘broadband as it should be’ across major towns and cities throughout the UK.
Aiming to capture attention and bring the brand’s presence to life within a competitive marketplace, TBB’s approach focused not only on presenting a visually engaging identity but on refining a bold, straight-talking tone of voice and creating a consistent style of messaging befitting of the company’s evolution.
Extending the impact further are an array of creative assets including social and paid media adverts, direct mail, and email — plus out-of-home (OOH) placements such as digital vans, roadside banners, and kiosks. The impressions from digital and OOH advertising reached a staggering 6.6m.
Incorporating a simplified logo and vibrant typography featuring multicoloured lines reminiscent of the world of content and media that customers gain access to via the brand, Doug Main, creative director at TBB, comments: “It was obvious upon meeting BeFibre that they have the perfect proposition for a consumer-facing business. Not only do they demonstrate a no-nonsense approach in an industry notoriously filled with jargon, but this is coupled with a friendly presence that we were eager to draw upon within their outward-facing brand.
“The result is a vivid, engaging combination of assets that are not only eye catching, but expose just the right degree of cheekiness to raise a smile and encourage consumers to resonate with their forward-thinking offering.”
Taking its role in the campaign to the next level, TBB was tasked with unveiling the assets to BeFibre colleagues via a brand movie — a move which was met by much excitement and pride from the broader team. Sharing her thoughts on the creative executions, Sinead Gilbert, head of marketing at BeFibre, comments: “As a business, we’re proud to do things differently and the messaging and creative assets that TBB has produced for us, showcases this approach perfectly.
“Like us, they’re vibrant, to the point, and honest and we believe this will be key to our ongoing disruption in a crowded market.”
Caistor architects join building control partnership scheme
Exciting news as West Lindsey District Council’s Building Control welcomes another local design practice into the LABC partnership scheme.
Mother Architects, based in Caistor, are the latest company to partner with West Lindsey Building Control and take advantage of everything that being a member of the LABC partnership family has to offer.
Sam Marriot, Managing Director of Mother Architects said: “As a practice, we predominantly work within the West Lindsey area and have found the whole team to be reliable, engaged and most importantly proactive in their approach.
“This is both on-site and with pre-occupancy duties over the past 8 years. This carries right across the team, with Phil, never failing the answer the phone and giving advice, right across to Gloria issuing certification exactly when expected. We are excited to be working closer than ever with the Building Control team at West Lindsey to continue to deliver the high-quality architect-designed housing that our area deserves.”
West Lindsey District Council’s Building Control Team Manager, Phil Westmorland is thrilled to welcome Mother Architects to the scheme.
He said: “The Partnership Scheme is an excellent way of strengthening bonds between local businesses and the national LABC network through the expertise of your local authority building control team.
“We have worked with Jo and Sam at Mother Architects for a number of years and I have always been impressed with their diligence and customer focused work ethos along with their imaginative design solutions. It is an absolute pleasure to formalise that working arrangement, and the entire team looks forward to helping them with their future projects.”
If you are interested in joining the partnership scheme and being a member of the LABC family, it can bring numerous benefits to your business including:
- A single point contact for all your building control work in England and Wales
- Competitive pricing on high volumes of repeat work or major developments
- Site inspections from a local professional team with invaluable local contacts and knowledge
- Simplified fees and invoicing arrangements
- Electronic submissions and e-working
- The use of LABC Partner logo on all of your marketing materials
- Easy access to the planning department, the highways engineers and local fire service
- In-depth expertise on structure, fire, acoustics, warranties, access, contamination, energy and sustainability from LABC specialists
Doncaster freight company celebrates exponential growth in just three years
HD Group, a freight forwarding company based in Doncaster, with an exponential growth strategy has recently celebrated its third anniversary in business and a projected turnover of £3.5m.
Established by CEO, Kerry Dusi in 2019 from her kitchen table with just her laptop, industry knowledge and a drive to succeed, the business continues to prosper and expand.
Kerry commented; “It’s been an exhilarating three years and to celebrate with my amazing team has been real high point in that time. We have a robust growth and diversification plan in place for 2023 and look forward to driving the business forward and continuing on our trajectory.”
The business, which won Start Up Business of the Year Award at the Doncaster Business Awards just two years ago, now employs over twenty people with ambitious plans to increase this further in 2023. The HD Group, which already has Amazon Platinum Status, has also been accepted as a member of the UK Warehousing Association. This underpins the company’s commitment to operating at exceptionally high standards and delivering its range of freight forwarding, customs and fulfilment services to facilitate global solutions and playing a key part in the UK supply chain.
Kerry continued; “The last three years have been about establishing a strong business with good people so that we were able to develop a robust five-year plan. Now that I have an experienced and motivated team, I look forward to seeing what we can achieve as HD Group continues to expand both in terms of turnover, team members and services.”
Iconic Lincoln property, Judge’s Lodgings acquired by new owner of the White Hart Hotel
The Judge’s Lodgings, an iconic and historic property in the heart of the cathedral city of Lincoln has been acquired by locally based businessman Andrew Long, following his recent purchase of the adjacent White Hart Hotel.
TSP Developments (part of Andrew’s Travel Sector Property Group) has acquired a 999-year ‘virtual freehold’ interest in the Judge’s Lodgings from Lincolnshire County Council.
Coleby-based businessman and Chartered Surveyor Andrew Long recently acquired the White Hart Hotel, together with the site of the White Hart Garages and car park in July this summer. Proposals for the hotel’s major refurbishment and the redevelopment of the White Hart Garages site are now being prepared in conjunction with his planned full refurbishment of the Judge’s Lodgings building.
Andrew explains: “My TSP group of companies are working closely with locally-based John Roberts Architects and our wider project team to produce a major redevelopment and significant overall enhancement scheme for the St Paul’s Lane, Bailgate and Castle Hill quarter of the city.
“Subject to obtaining the respective statutory consents, there is now a unique opportunity to deliver a fully interrelated redevelopment scheme for the White Hart Garages and car park site, in conjunction with the refurbishment and sustainable long-term future use of the Judge’s Lodgings.”
Andrew added: “With long-established vehicular access from and to St Paul’s Lane, we are proposing a high quality dedicated arcade of ‘kiosk-style’ retail units for artisan crafts and products/services, that will be situated within the frontage of 2 Bailgate, immediately opposite the White Hart Hotel.
“This arcade will then also provide an attractive safe pedestrian link through to the new on-site parking area, as to be situated immediately to the rear of the Judge’s Lodgings, from which there will also be direct customer access.
“Subject to further detailed design, we will also create an additional 30 hotel bedrooms within a combination of the upper floor level of the original Judge’s Lodgings building and ‘new build’ elements within the overall site, all to be operated through the White Hart Hotel (currently 50 bedrooms) and situated within a fully integrated landscaped setting. The ground floor of the Judge’s Lodgings is to be used for high quality restaurant and other hospitality facilities, on which further information will be released at a later stage.”
The Grade II ‘star’ Listed building was owned by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) who had declared it surplus to their requirements and sought to find a suitable new owner committed to the full refurbishment of the building and its appropriate long-term use.
Andrew France, associate director at Lambert Smith Hampton, marketing agents for the property, said: “Acting on behalf of LCC, we are pleased to have concluded this transaction with TSP Developments and have been impressed with the proposed refurbishment scheme in conjunction with Andrew Long’s redevelopment of the immediately adjacent White Hart Garages site.”
Marketed with a guide price of ‘offers in excess of £850,000’, the negotiated contracted price is strictly confidential.
James Cook, of Kier Design & Business Services on behalf of LCC, added: “There has been detailed engagement to successfully finalise the transaction to the satisfaction of both parties over the last eight months, for what should now be a secure long-term future for the Judge’s Lodgings.”
The predominantly Georgian building was first built in 1810 and has a commanding ‘landmark’ location overlooking Castle Hill Square, immediately adjacent to the Eastern Main Gate of Lincoln Castle (built by William Conqueror in 1068).
Andrew Long added: “There is a relatively unattractive 1958 utilitarian-style flat roof extension that has no architectural merit, but there is now a significant important redevelopment opportunity in conjunction with the site of the White Hart Garages, which will also retain approximately 40 on-site customer parking spaces for the White Hart Hotel.”
Shoosmiths Solicitors of Leeds acted on behalf of TSP Developments, in conjunction with PBC Surveyors and Project Managers of London, Andrew having worked closely with both of these firms on numerous major projects throughout the UK for in excess of 25 years.
Paul Philips, Managing Director at PBC, added: “We are very pleased to be working with Andrew in the wonderful historic city of Lincoln, based on established long-term professional relationships and also Andrew’s renewed close working relationship with John Roberts Architects, together with other locally based members of the project team.”
Tong-based hotel rescued out of administration
Rehan Ahmed and Tauseef Rashid of business advisory firm Quantuma have successfully delivered the sale of former Tong Holiday Inn hotel to Tong Marquee Limited, rescuing it out of administration.
Formerly trading as a Holiday Inn, the hotel property dates back to the 19th century and was purchased by Bir Hotels (UK) Limited in November 2017 for an undisclosed sum. The 59-bedroom hotel was undergoing a phased refurbishment when IHG Hotels & Resorts served notice to withdraw its Holiday Inn brand in December 2021.
Along with the impact of the pandemic, the withdrawal of the hotel brand made trading difficult, which led to Quantuma being appointment as administrators in January 2022.
Despite encountering initial issues which made selling the freehold difficult, Quantuma was able to work together with Sanderson Weatherall, agent to the joint administrators, and their advisers, Freeths Solicitors, to secure the sale of the hotel from Bir Hotels to Tong Marquee on 1 November 2022 for an undisclosed sum.
Tong Marquee have confirmed that it intends to continue to trade the property as a hotel from the freehold which will create employment opportunities for the local community.
Rehan Ahmed, Managing Director at Quantuma, said: “We have worked hard to deliver the best possible outcome for all parties involved, as well as maintaining the longevity of what is an iconic hotel property.
“The sale of the hotel to Tong Marquee is a positive result as it ensures that jobs are created, as well as providing a return to the secured lender. The hospitality industry has faced an unusual period of tumultuous economic uncertainty, which is why the joint administrators are dedicated to providing the best possible support to businesses during this period of time.”
