A second project on Grimsby’s historic docks has received a heritage grant worth £121,490 to help them turn their plans into reality. The Alfred Enderby Smokehouse has been awarded a grant to undertake conservation repairs and reinstate historic features at the key gateway building into the Kasbah area. The building is listed as a Grade II structure, and is one of the few remaining smokehouses in the area which still uses the geographically protected cold-smoking method. Old maps show this building was originally constructed as a smithy some time between 1896 and 1905, but at some point between 1917 and 1928 the building was converted to a fish curers and has remained so ever since. Alfred Enderby Ltd is now one of four companies which form the Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group, which has received EU recognition for its method. As well as some general repairs, other works planned to the building include repairing and reinstating the traditional chimney cowls, reinstating traditional cast iron rainwater goods, and re-signwriting the advert on the side of the building. Patrick Salmon, MD of Enderbys, said: “It’s great news that we can get help to restore this building to its former glory. It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time, but just haven’t had the opportunity to date. It will be great to see the work underway to secure the building for years to come.” For those behind the PSiCA scheme and Grimsby’s current focus upon regeneration across other parts of the town, there is an understanding that whole communities must be embraced if the changes are to be successful in the long-term. North East Lincolnshire Council Cabinet member for Tourism, Heritage and Culture, Cllr Callum Procter, said: “It’s really good to see this second grant awarded. Grimsby is known, and has a PGI in place for its smoked fish, and Enderby’s have led this work for many years. To see plans to expand and restore historic premises is great news, and I look forward to seeing the project materialise. “The Kasbah is a unique place, and we must look at how to make it safe and welcoming to work in, so we can attract a variety of industries and people to use this area as a base to work. A large part of that change will come if we can find ways of working with people across our communities to improve wellbeing and life chances. The cultural work that is taking place will go towards achieving that, along with the support the work can give to local organisations,” he added. David Walsh, Historic England Lead for Grimsby HAZ, said: “We are delighted that Enderby’s will receive funding from the grant scheme to repair this important historic building and reinstate missing features. Enderby’s have led the way as a successful business in the historic docks. Heritage led regeneration is key to creating a special and vibrant place in the Kasbah and we look forward to seeing more businesses making a success of it with support from the scheme.” Simon Bird, Director of ABP Humber said: “Alfred Enderby Ltd is one of the few remaining traditional smokehouses on the port of Grimsby. It’s great to see this local business receive this heritage grant to invest in their future and continue to grow. It’s another fantastic step forward in regenerating  the Kasbah.” The grants are from the current heritage fund called “PSiCA” (Partnership Scheme in Conservation Areas) being delivered as part of the Greater Grimsby Heritage Action Zone. The PSiCA scheme has a total pot of £1m, and is a joint project between Historic England and North East Lincolnshire Council, with support from ABP and the council’s regeneration partner EQUANS. The PSiCA grant scheme is open to businesses on the Kasbah or organisations that may be interested in moving to this conservation area. Anyone interested should contact Stella Jackson, Heritage Action Zone Project Manager, at HAZ@nelincs.gov.uk.

Work finished last week on a key project to improve the water quality of the River Freshney in Grimsby Town Centre with more than 2230 tonnes of silt removed from the riverbed over four weeks. Specialist contractor, Ebsford Environmental, were appointed to undertake dredging of the river between West Haven Maltings opposite Frederick Ward Way and the ABP pumping station. During the project, 122 lorry loads of silt and sediment were taken from the riverbed and removed off site for recovery to meet the Environmental Agency waste directive regulations. Additionally, 1.5tonnes of scrap metal, including bikes, shopping trollies and scaffold pipes, was taken from the riverbed and recycled at our local plant in Immingham. Dredging this section of the riverbed has allowed the water to flow much more freely in the town centre section of the river, with the channel depth now around 1.8m. Established vegetation has been maintained for the benefit of wildlife in the area. Cllr Stewart Swinburn, Cabinet member for the environment, said: “This work has been done as one of the final stages of the Garth Lane project, one that’s already seen a major site in the centre of Grimsby transformed into a lovely natural area. “We’ve already seen an improvement in the water quality and flow. We’ve also seen the family of otters around in the last few days, which is encouraging. The dredging will boost biodiversity and make the river more useable for years to come.” Cllr Callum Procter, Cabinet member for economic growth, added: “This is a huge investment in our river – for years, we’ve turned our back on the waterfront, and it’s now time to embrace it and all that it might offer. Investing in clearing up the river is the first stage, and along with the Youth Zone project and the Towns Fund projects nearby, I’m looking forward to seeing the waterfront develop into a vibrant place in the future.” The depth of the river will be reviewed in 12 months’ time to see how quickly the silt is building back up and help form a future management and maintenance plan. These works are part of the £3.7m Garth Lane site scheme funded by Central Government, through the Town Deal and the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership.

Arrow Capital Partners, the investor and operator of real estate in Europe and Asia-Pacific, has completed the acquisition of a 625,360 sq ft multi-storey logistics warehouse at the Wakefield Hub from Mountpark Logistics EU Sarl for £233 million. Once the development phase of Wakefield Hub is complete, the multi-story scheme will have a gross internal area of 2,009,495 sq ft over ground and three mezzanine floors fitted out to operate as an Amazon Robotic Sortable Facility. The building is targeting a minimum BREEAM rating of Very Good and an EPC rating of A, incorporating many sustainable features such a photovoltaic panels, electric vehicle charging points, cycle shelters and a bus terminal to facilitate public transport and further minimise carbon emissions. Marty McCarthy, managing partner at Arrow Capital Partners, said: “The Wakefield logistics warehouse is a highly attractive core asset, fitted out to the highest specification and secured on a long-term lease to the world’s leading e-commerce business. This is an excellent example of the type of next generation prime logistics facility, key infrastructure like in nature, that are currently being developed to meet the needs of an increasingly complex ecommerce and logistics occupier market. “By developing multi-storey facilities like this one, we are able to significantly increase the amount of space available to e-commerce businesses in strategically important locations where there is fierce competition for land, while reducing our tenant customers operating costs. “We have a portfolio in excess of £2 billion of logistics developments and investments located across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Austria and the Nordics which we are keen to continue to grow.” Arrow were advised by CBRE and Mountpark by JLL.

Wider Wellington Place development hailed as ‘jewel in the crown’ by planning chiefs

Plans for 9 Wellington Place have taken a major step forward after being given positive backing by Leeds councillors. Located close to the city’s railway station with views over the River Aire, the 12-storey building will bring hundreds more jobs to Leeds city centre, adding to the thousands already created at the leading urban quarter. When built, 9 Wellington Place will boast leading design and cutting-edge technologies – making it one of the UK’s most sustainable buildings – across its 176,413 sq ft of office and 6,851 sq ft of ground floor retail and leisure space.      The ‘next generation’ building will include advanced control systems to drive low energy use, solar panels generating renewable energy and air source heat pumps to ensure it is as energy efficient as possible. Its exterior will include sustainable building materials such as low carbon compressed basalt rainscreens and cedar timber fins. Active travel and sustainable transport use will also continue to be encouraged at Wellington Place through the provision of electric vehicle charging points, plentiful bicycle storage and associated changing facilities. During a pre-application presentation at the latest Leeds City Council City Plans Panel, its members described Wellington Place as ‘a jewel in Leeds’s crown’. Members unanimously agreed to support the proposals for 9 Wellington Place across a series of areas, including design, scale, landscaping, pedestrian connectivity, and climate change and sustainability. Members also agreed that the reserved matters planning application for 9 Wellington Place will now be determined by delegated powers rather than being voted on by Leeds City Council’s planning committee, a rare move given the scale of the building. Paul Pavia, Commercial Director at MEPC, the developer and asset manager behind Wellington Place, said: “Gaining such favourable endorsements for 9 Wellington Place and the wider Wellington Place development from the City Plans panel is extremely pleasing. “MEPC and our investors are fully committed to Wellington Place’s long-term future and our approach to 9 Wellington Place is testament to this. It is an example of the best of the next generation of buildings, featuring industry-leading design, and construction which has both sustainability and social responsibility at its heart. “Alongside number 11 and 12 Wellington Place it will be one of the most sustainable developments in the UK. 9 Wellington Place’s building CO₂ emissions rate is set to be 35% less than the Building Regulations target emissions rate, and an additional 15% less than the local planning requirement.   “We’re also working closely with the UK Green Building Council as part of its work around the net zero agenda and fully expect 9 Wellington Place to be one of the most sustainable developments, alongside also rating very highly in industry recognised NABERS, DEC, BREEAM and Fitwell accreditations. “Alongside sustainability advantages, once completed 9 Wellington Place will bring thousands more regular visitors to the area, new occupiers to the city and wider region, create employment opportunities and be a further catalyst for economic development after what has been a challenging period.

“The City Plans Panel’s endorsement not only demonstrates ongoing confidence in Wellington Place but also in the Leeds city centre office market, which is another positive sign as Covid-19 restrictions further ease.”

Tony O’Brien, partner at Sheppard Robson, the architecture practice behind 9 Wellington Place, added: “9 Wellington Place is set to become another welcome and valuable addition to the wider Wellington Place neighbourhood.

“It brings together the very latest in building design and sustainable construction and we are confident it will not only set the bar for new development but also play an important role in the ongoing rejuvenation of Leeds city centre.”

For more information, visit https://www.wellingtonplace.co.uk/.

Work has started on a duo of developments in Sheffield, which will create over 300 new homes. Eclipse Phase 2, on Harborough Avenue, and Pennine Village off Manor Lane, are the latest developments to be delivered by Sheffield Housing Company (SHC), which is Sheffield City Council’s joint venture development company with private sector partners Keepmoat Homes and Great Places Housing Group. Funding of £3.2m from the government’s housing accelerator, Homes England, will ensure that the properties built at both sites will address local housing need. Established in 2011, the regeneration partnership has created over 800 jobs, 75 apprenticeships and spent more than £80m with construction businesses in the South Yorkshire region, completing over 1,150 homes. Steve Birch, project director with SHC, said: “It is testament to the hard work, commitment and drive of our partners and Homes England support, that we are able to start work on these two sites. “Despite the pandemic and devastating impact, it has had for many, both personally and professionally, there is significant investment in and around the city. As a regeneration partnership it is our responsibility to ensure that we are providing access to quality, affordable homes that are enabling local people to achieve home ownership and attracting others to consider moving to the area.” 210 distinctive new homes will be built at Eclipse Phase 2, and 101 at Pennine Village. This year, the housing company expects to increase its portfolio to seven developments across the city, which combined, will deliver over 600 homes to three neighbourhoods in Sheffield – Manor, Norfolk Park and Parson Cross. Looking ahead, SHC aims to complete up to 2,300 properties on 23 sites by the end of 2027 – delivering further economic stimulation, job creation and community investment for Sheffield. The partnership’s entire development programme is currently benefitting from over £3m in funding from Homes England and £1.5m from Sheffield City Region.

Templegate Developments Limited, the joint venture partnership of Evans Property Group and Keyland Developments, has agreed terms of sale with Avant Homes and Evans Homes for the acquisition of strategic housing land at the 170 acre Skelton Gate site in the Leeds Aire Valley. Both Avant Homes and Evans Homes are each purchasing half of phase one of the development which incorporates a total 27 acres and will enable the delivery of a combined 400 homes. The development has planning consent in place to build 1,800 new homes on the former open cast colliery site, which sits to the east of Junction 45 of the M1. As well as new homes, the Skelton Gate will also provide a primary and secondary school, public open space, a local centre and a convenience store as well as associated infrastructure. Peter Garrett, Managing Director of Keyland Developments, said: “The sale of phase one of what is one of the most significant regeneration schemes to be seen in the Leeds City Region, is a huge milestone in the transformation of Skelton Gate into a new sustainable community.” Richard Bean, portfolio director at Evans Property Group, said: “We are pleased to have concluded this transaction to enable the provision of much needed new homes and assist Leeds City Council in meeting its housing targets.” Subject to planning approval by Leeds City Council, Avant Homes look to launch its first homes for sale by the end of summer 2022. Avant Homes Yorkshire Managing Director, Chris Coley, said: “We have ambitious growth plans for development across the region so we’re very pleased to be moving forward with this acquisition. “With its fantastic location that will cater to a wide range of buyers, and its proximity to the Aire Valley Enterprise Zone, this will become an exciting flagship development for our growing portfolio.” John Carter, director at Evans Homes, said: “Evans Homes is delighted to be involved in the Skelton Gate development. Following on from the successful launch of our scheme at Tockwith near York, the development at Skelton Gate presents an exciting opportunity to be involved in the creation of a vibrant new community on the edge of Leeds. “The first phase of over 213 homes will commence in mid 2022 and we look forward to welcoming our first homeowners early in 2023.”