Delivery of further 125 new council homes approved for Doncaster
Cabinet members at Doncaster Council have approved plans to build an additional 125 new homes across seven existing sites.
The plans – which form phase 2 of the Council’s 5-year Housing Delivery plan – will include new build family homes and apartments, over a third of which will be bungalows as well as a variety of detached and semi-detached homes.
Development of the houses will take place at a variety of locations including:
• The (Former) Nightingale School, Balby
• The (Former) Adwick Depot, Adwick
• King Edward Road, Balby (Former archives)
• Plantation View, Bessacarr
• Springfield Avenue, Hatfield
• (Former) Barnburgh House, Edlington
• Moor View, Branton
Cabinet member for housing and business, Cllr Glyn Jones, said: “As part of the Council House Build Programme, all residents of Doncaster will benefit from the provision of more social housing with affordable rent, this will include family homes along with specific adapted housing for older people and those within our communities with physical disabilities.
“We are currently facing a cost of living crisis and with residents struggling with rising costs, these council homes will focus on affordable rents and energy efficiency whilst also protecting and enhancing the natural environment through sustainable development.
“All the developments will be delivered in a way that meets the needs of our residents but also respects our environment, with the aim to deliver new, well designed, energy efficient and affordable homes that match needs across the Borough.”
The phase 2 developments (estimated to cost approximately £25m) will be funded as part of the Housing Revenue Account Programme (HRA), with additional funding from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority through the Brownfield Housing Fund. Potential additional funding will come through the Homes England’s Affordable Homes Programme.
The five-year Housing Delivery Plan – which was approved by Cabinet in January 2021 – aims to deliver more council housing, through the Council House Build Programme (CHBP) and via s106 Planning Agreements – all by 2025. The programme will deliver new build homes on council owned sites and where further opportunities arise – with Phase 1 of the CHBP already underway.
Sterling strengthens team with senior appointment
Sterling Capitol, the Yorkshire property development company, has strengthened its team with the appointment of Tom Brown.
Tom joins Leeds-based Sterling as a senior development surveyor.
The company, chaired by Sir Bob Murray CBE, owns and manages business parks across the county.
Tom, who studied real estate at Sheffield Hallam University, joins from Network Rail where he had worked for the past five years. He previously worked for property consultancies Carter Jonas in Yorkshire and Lambert Smith Hampton in the North West.
Tom said: “I am delighted to be joining Sterling Capitol at such an exciting time for the industry, and for Sterling Capitol. To join an established developer such as Sterling is a fantastic opportunity for me which I could not turn down.
“We have a strong pipeline of sites we are bringing forward for development and we are very much on the acquisition drive for new opportunities across Yorkshire and the North East.”
Paul Beckett, head of development at Sterling, welcomed Tom, saying: “Tom’s appointment will both enhance and strengthen our team. He has an excellent track record, and his experience and expertise will be a massive asset to our company.”
He added: “As one of the most respected property development companies in the region, we are focussed on building on the company’s achievements in the past two decades. Tom’s role in the business will be pivotal to ensure a successful future.”
JCA acquires Leeds-based construction consultancy
Jonathan Cornes Associates (JCA), the provider of independent chartered building surveying and project management consultancy services, has acquired Leeds-based chartered quantity surveyors and project managers MAW Consulting Limited.
JCA Managing Director, Jonathan Cornes, said: “At JCA, we have an ambitious growth plan to expand the business nationally over the next decade and part of this vision is through acquisitions and mergers under the JCA Group so that we can offer a national multidisciplinary service to our clients, thereby giving the business more diversity and presence regarding its in-house expertise and geographical location.
“We are actively looking for like-minded business owners with the same values and aspirations as JCA and MAW Consulting Limited (MAW) to continue to add to our growth plan so that we can achieve our long terms goals.
“We are delighted to have acquired MAW, because like ourselves, they have a wealth of experience and expertise in what they do, with an outstanding reputation with their clients for over 10 years.
“This acquisition provides our clients with the added in-house services of Quantity Surveying, Cost Consultancy, Employers Agent, Contract Administration Services and high value development Project Management services in the new build and infrastructure sectors.”
Mark Watson, the founder of MAW Consulting Limited, said: “From my first meeting with the directors of JCA I felt that there was synergy with common values and a shared understanding of how to develop and run a multi-discipline consultancy.
“We are like-minded individuals with the delivery of a pro-active, client focused, professional service being at the core of everything we do.
“We are currently involved with a number of projects that are based near JCA’s Head Office, and this also allows the opportunity to offer more diverse complimentary services that will create new opportunities to grow the business as well as implement a succession strategy to ensure future longer-term success.
“I am certain that our combined client base and new clients will benefit from this wider geographic coverage and the more diverse service offering.”
Abandoned South Yorkshire railways and stations backed for restoration
South Yorkshire’s ambition to reinstate local rail services and restore closed stations remains on track as the region receives funding to move forward with plans.
The Government has announced that plans to reopen the Sheffield – Chesterfield ‘Barrow Hill Line’ to passenger services will go to the next stage of the national ‘Restoring Your Railways’ programme.
If successful, re-opening the Barrow Hill Line to passenger services could see stations reinstated at Sheffield Victoria, Beighton, Killamarsh, Eckington/Renishaw, Barrow Hill/Staveley and Whittington, and the return of a regular service, linking Sheffield, Northeast Derbyshire and Chesterfield.
Welcoming the announcement, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “There is huge support to take this project forward because of the opportunity it gives to level-up our ‘left-behind’ communities – the people and places currently disconnected from quick and frequent public transport links to get to jobs, education opportunities or to see family and friends.
“By building better connections between communities where we live, work and visit and offering better options to get around, we can unlock more potential for people right across South Yorkshire.
“The government have set the timeframe of levelling up our region by 2030, but in order to achieve that goal we need them to match our energy and ambition, otherwise it’s just more empty words. Projects such as restoring the Barrow Hill line are a great starting point, helping to better connect our communities to local places and more opportunities.”
The Barrow Hill Line was one of 10 schemes shortlisted in May 2020 to progress to the next stage of the Government’s £500 million Restoring Your Railway fund, designed to reinstate local rail services and restore closed stations.
Sheffield City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Northeast Derbyshire District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council and Network Rail will play a leading role in the delivery of this project.
Waverley Station is a proposed new station on the Barrow Hill Line, and it was shortlisted in the second round of Restoring Your Railways in late 2020 and a business case was submitted in November 2021.
Two further SYMCA bids were shortlisted in October 2021 – to restore passenger services on the Don Valley Line between Sheffield and Stocksbridge, and the Askern Line between Doncaster and Knottingley / Leeds. Business cases are currently being developed for these two schemes.
Bradford property developers to pay National Crime Agency £4.3m
Two brothers from the Bradford area have agreed to pay the National Crime Agency approximately £4.3 million following a civil recovery investigation into their multi-million pound property portfolio.
The Agency alleges that it was funded by the proceeds of their unlawful conduct including money laundering and fraud.
Parvez Akhtar (55), known locally as ‘Boney’, and his brother Zaheer Akhtar Nazir (50) have been property developers in the area for over 30 years.
In its case at the high court the NCA alleged the brothers used their property portfolio to launder hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of criminal monies on behalf of other prolific criminals.
The Agency further alleged that Akhtar has been involved in a range of serious criminality since the 1990s including international VAT fraud, money laundering and fraud. The evidence uncovered by the investigation showed he had links to a number of serious organised criminals both in the UK and overseas.
Akhtar is well known in the Bradford area and has previously appeared in YouTube videos showing off his high value cars and sporting memorabilia.
Andy Lewis, head of civil recovery at the NCA, said: “Taking the proceeds of crime off individuals such as these brothers is particularly significant for the Bradford community.
“Through this work we have sent a clear message that no one is above the law, while simultaneously taking away the ability of the pair to benefit from what we assessed as the proceeds of crime.
“This action demonstrates to the criminal fraternity that we will use every available tool to disrupt and help prevent money laundering by criminals and their associates.”
The settlement will include a three storey town house in Paddington, West London worth approximately £1.75 million and 2 properties in Yorkshire worth approximately £300,000.
Trio of Yorkshire offices snapped up
Regional REIT Limited, the regional office specialist, has acquired three separate investments in Yorkshire.
The properties are in Sheffield city centre, Thorpe Business Park, Leeds, and Leeds city centre.
1 North Bank, Sheffield, acquired for £8.5m, totals 58,893 sq ft and consists of five floors of recently refurbished Grade A office space with 70 car parking spaces. Major tenants include Social Work England and XLN Telecom Ltd.
The property at Thorpe Park, Leeds, totalling 31,101 sq ft, meanwhile, was snapped up for £8.6m. It comprises two floors of recently fully refurbished office space with 154 car parking spaces and major tenants including Homeserve Membership Ltd. and SpaMedica Ltd.
Finally, purchased for £9.4m, the 34,196 sq ft Albion Street, Leeds houses six floors of recently fully refurbished office space and retail on the ground floor. Major tenants include Specsavers, Akari Care Ltd., and The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. Located in the heart of Leeds city centre, it has 14 car parking spaces.
Stephen Inglis, CEO of London & Scottish Property Investment Management, the Asset Manager of Regional REIT, said: “We are delighted that following the company’s announcement on 18 May of a £48.2m acquisition yielding 8.7%, Regional REIT has made further attractive acquisitions taking advantage of compelling market conditions for our strategic focus on UK regional offices.
“The three acquired assets announced today are high quality and well located buildings, purchased at a strong accretive blended yield of 8.0%. All three assets are supported by high quality tenants in a growth region of the UK that we are keen to increase the portfolio’s exposure to. The assets also provide us with compelling opportunities to drive further value through asset management activity, whilst delivering attractive income streams.”
Smith Brothers invests in Yorkshire’s future talent with search for duo of apprentices
A Yorkshire-headquartered high-voltage electrical engineering firm has pledged its investment in the region’s future, with the recruitment of two apprentice cable jointers into its Elland base.
An attractive ‘earn while you learn’ package will see Smith Brothers provide vital hands-on experience to the trainees, which will be dovetailed by a two-year City & Guilds academic course and three years with Utility and Construction Training (UCT).
Candidates will be given the opportunity to work on large-scale electrical engineering projects in the high-voltage, renewables, and energy storage sectors – across a client roster which includes Saint Gobain Glass, Yorkshire Water, Arlington Energy, and Lightsource BP.
“Our apprenticeship scheme is designed to offer people a job for life,” explained Richard Smith, co-founder of Smith Brothers. “As an employer, it’s our responsibility to support the ambitions of those in our sector and region, and such a qualification equips graduates with a ready-made, lifelong career – anywhere in the world.”
The annual apprenticeship scheme is not solely reserved for school-leavers though, as Richard continued: “We take apprentices of all ages because we believe that everyone deserves a chance. Some of the best engineers left school and went straight into a labouring job, but years later, they might be keen to back up that practical experience with a formal qualification.”
The current intake is the second in as many years for Smith Brothers, with trio of trainee fitters, including Rory Sharp, Cameron Galbraith, and Bronson Taylor now almost 12 months into their courses, having joined the scheme in September 2021.
As part of the programme, trainees will spend one month per year at the training centre, 9-10 months on site with Smith Brothers, and the remaining time focused on completing the City and Guilds academic requirements.
Gainsborough emissions solution company opens first joint venture in India
Eminox, a Gainsborough based designer and manufacturer of global emissions solutions and technologies, has opened the doors to its first Indian based business in collaboration with IP Rings (IPR), part of Amalgamations Group, India. IPR Eminox Technologies, will be based at IP Rings Limited (IPRL) HQ in Chennai. The joint venture will help contribute to India’s future for increased sustainability and self-reliance, as local engineers design products for the local market.
Oliver Ballhatchet MBE, UK Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai officially opened the IPR Eminox Technology Centre, along with representatives from both partners including Mark Runciman, Managing Director, Eminox, Dr Dave Philips, Engineering Director, Eminox and Ram Venkataraman, Managing Director IPR.
“This is a very exciting collaboration, which will allow the development of after treatment systems to suit off- and on-highway emissions regulations which are becoming more stringent across many transportation sectors in India,” said Mark Runciman, Managing Director, Eminox. “IPR has a huge presence in India, and together we will be able to draw on each other strengths to expedite the delivery of solutions to meet current and future legislation.”
The venture was established to explore ways to cost effectively meet the Indian BS/TREM V off-highway3 and BS VI Stage 24 niche on-highway emissions standards. Initially, the venture will develop the products for Indian certification and approval. Beginning in April 2024, TREM V will set emissions standards equivalent to the European Stage V regulation and cover applications including agricultural machinery, construction equipment and power generators.
IPR Eminox Technologies combines Eminox’s excellence in engineering solutions to make a significant impact on the global strategy for reducing emissions along with IPRL’s extensive manufacturing capabilities, vast powertrain market knowledge and large, established Indian customer base. Eminox’s UK-based technical engineering team will collaborate closely with the local team, initially targeting the diesel engine market by developing emissions reduction systems.
“We have considerable experience in developing technologies to meet varying emissions regulations and are planning ahead for when TREM V legislation comes into force in 2024,” said Mark. “By joining forces with a well-established company that understands manufacturing of vehicle components, we can combine our strengths, bringing together our proven engineering expertise, pioneering focus and technology leadership to design and manufacture the complex new emissions reduction systems required by the new regulations.”
The Amalgamation Group is still family-owned-and-operated and mirrors the ethos of Eminox and its parent company, Hexadex Group. “Our shared company values are very well aligned, enabling this unique opportunity to combine the engine development expertise of IP Rings and the exhaust systems integration capability within Eminox,” said Dave Phillips, Engineering Director, Eminox. “We are in a great position to meet the challenging Indian emissions regulations.”
Fruit Market residential development completes as buyers snap up final homes
The residential development in the heart of Hull’s regenerated Fruit Market is now complete, marking a major new milestone in the creation of the city’s first urban village.
Buyers have snapped up properties in the final phase of the development, which has become a thriving city living community.
It marks the end of a four-year period during which the city’s most significant new residential development in decades has taken shape close to Hull’s waterfront.
The £24m development is now home to a close-knit community of around 300 residents, ranging from young couples and professionals, to families and retired people.
The scheme is a key element of the £80m regeneration of the Fruit Market area driven forward by Wykeland Beal, a joint venture company formed by commercial developer Wykeland Group and housebuilder Beal Homes, working in partnership with Hull City Council.
Huddersfield mailing house hits mammoth ethical mail milestone
Leading direct mail provider Propack has produced its 50 millionth piece of Ethical Mail® since launching its Ethical Mail® postage brand five years ago. The brand aims to provide ethically sourced, sustainable postage options for its clients.
Following the firm’s successful accreditations for Environmental Management (ISO14001) and the Forestry Stewardship Council, the Intellectual Property Office granted Propack ten years of exclusive use of the Ethical Mail brand and logo.
Since its launch, Ethical Mail has been adopted by a range of leading client firms including AutoTrader, Parkinsons’ UK and Sue Ryder.
The Ethical Mail® brand supports clients with access to sustainable paper supplies, an eco-friendly factory, fair supply chains and a partnership scheme with the Woodland Trust, making all Ethical Mail mailings carbon neutral.
Managing director of Propack, Jason Clough, said: “I am so proud of our Ethical Mail offering and the progress our team has made over the last five years.
“Ethical Mail was born out of our desire and drive to be a fair, sustainable and ethical business. We are big believers of continuous improvement and are always exploring new avenues to improve our workflows, equipment and supply chains.
“Since 2018, we have created over 14,000 square metres of new native woodland in the UK – the equivalent of 70 tennis courts – to remove 543,150kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“None of this would have been possible without our clients, who have been incredibly receptive to the brand.
“Clients across all sectors take great pride in displaying the Ethical Mail logo on their mailings and are always keen to learn more about the brand.
“Ethical Mail has seen particular growth in the charity sector over recent years, however this is now filtering through to a wide range of consumer-based brands.”
Liz Thomas, head of individual giving at Farm Africa, added: “We opted for Propack’s Ethical Mail offering to support our Fundraising activities as the ethics and values behind the scheme align perfectly with our own.
“Being associated with the Ethical Mail brand, and displaying its logo alongside our own, highlights to our supporters that we are serious about our ethics in everything that we do. We want to be bold and have an impact, promoting sustainable practices in all aspects of our organisation.
“Working with a partner like Propack aligns with our vision of building the resilience of rural communities in eastern Africa.”
