Work starts on new Faculty of Health building at University of Sheffield
LUR expands operations in response to rail sector demand
Lucchini Unipart Rail (LUR) is investing £6.5 million to expand its operational capacity across two key UK sites in response to increased demand from the rail sector.
The joint venture between Lucchini RS Group and Unipart will relocate its Doncaster bogie servicing operation to a new 102,000 sq ft facility in Warmsworth. This move will double the size of the current Hexthorpe Road site and boost output of overhauled and refurbished bogies for passenger, freight, locomotive, and light rail use.
In Manchester, LUR’s wheelset repair operations will shift from Chadderton to a 63,000 sq ft facility in Trafford Park, bringing it closer to its existing 118,000 sq ft head office and manufacturing plant. The gearbox servicing operation, also based in Trafford Park, will remain at its current 20,000 sq ft site.
The investment includes new machinery and technology to increase throughput to 800 wheelsets in Manchester and 80 bogies per month in Doncaster.
Both new sites are refurbishing and are expected to be fully operational by autumn 2025. The expansion aligns with LUR’s long-term strategy to enhance flexibility, improve operational efficiency, and better serve the evolving needs of the UK rail industry.
The business currently employs 380 staff across its Doncaster and Manchester locations, and this investment is set to strengthen its regional presence in South Yorkshire and the North West.
Green hydrogen power plant gets UK planning approval
SSE Thermal and Equinor have secured planning permission for their Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder project in East Yorkshire. The site will become one of the UK’s first integrated green hydrogen-to-power facilities.
The project will install a 35MW electrolyser to produce hydrogen using renewable electricity. The hydrogen will be stored in a repurposed salt cavern at the existing Aldbrough Gas Storage site and used to generate electricity through a 100% hydrogen-fired open-cycle gas turbine. The facility will deliver flexible, zero-carbon power to the UK grid by 2029.
The project is under review in the UK government’s Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 (HAR2), competing for 15-year revenue support contracts under the Hydrogen Production Business Model. Final funding decisions are expected by Q3 2025.
The Aldbrough facility combines production, storage, and generation in a single location and is positioned as a potential model for future hydrogen infrastructure in the UK. It aligns with broader efforts to scale clean energy capacity and attract regional investment.
Biofuel station plans at Wakefield site withdrawn after local opposition
Plans for a 24-hour biomethane HGV fuelling station at a former abattoir in Wakefield have been withdrawn following significant community opposition.
CNG Fuels Ltd had proposed to develop the facility at Flanshaw Business Park, installing 14 pumps connected to the mains gas network. The site, intended to support logistics and distribution operations in the area, including operators such as Amazon, would have operated around the clock without on-site staff, using key-fob access for permitted vehicles.
The station aimed to serve HGVs with biomethane, a compressed natural gas derived from organic waste. It was part of the company’s broader expansion to support decarbonisation in freight transport. CNG Fuels currently operates 13 UK stations, including one near Castleford.
Despite the proposal aligning with government goals to lower emissions in the transport sector, the plan attracted 539 formal objections. Concerns raised included potential night-time noise, traffic volume increases, and environmental impact due to the site’s proximity to residential housing. No letters of support were filed.
According to Wakefield Council’s planning portal, the application was formally withdrawn on 12 May.
Pension funds commit billions to private UK assets in industry-backed push
Seventeen major UK pension schemes and providers have pledged to allocate at least 10% of their defined contribution (DC) default funds to private markets by 2030, half of which will be earmarked for investments in UK-based assets. This initiative, the Mansion House Accord, is a collaboration between the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), the Association of British Insurers (ABI), and the City of London Corporation.
The move is expected to mobilise over £50 billion in capital across the next five years, with £25 billion directly targeted at UK investments. This represents a significant potential capital boost for British businesses, particularly those seeking venture capital or growth equity.
The agreement follows an earlier 2024 pledge, the Mansion House Compact, which revealed UK pension funds held just £800 million in unlisted equity, equating to around 0.36% of their total DC default fund holdings. The new targets aim to substantially improve that figure and bring the UK more in line with international peers regarding private market exposure.
The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is using this momentum to lobby for greater inclusion of venture capital in pension fund portfolios, positioning the asset class as capable of delivering strong long-term returns. The group emphasises that much of the benefit from UK innovation is currently being captured by overseas investors and calls for domestic funds to take a more active role in supporting UK growth sectors, including life sciences, AI, and net-zero technologies.
The government has also signalled continued support for reforming pension regulations to help unlock greater capital flows into British scale-ups.
National Grid expands Lincolnshire transmission plans to boost energy capacity
National Grid has outlined new proposals to upgrade electricity transmission infrastructure in Lincolnshire and neighbouring regions. The aim is to support growing energy demands and facilitate the transition to renewable power sources.
The latest proposal involves a 37-mile overhead power line connecting a planned substation at Weston Marsh near Spalding to a grid connection point in eastern Leicestershire. The project is in early development, and some routes would use existing transmission corridors.
This follows an earlier controversial proposal for a separate 87-mile pylon route between Grimsby and Walpole, which has met resistance from local authorities, including Lincolnshire County Council.
In parallel, National Grid is advancing its Eastern Greenlink project series (EGL3, EGL4, and EGL5), designed to bring offshore wind-generated electricity from Scotland to England. These primarily undersea cables would land at Anderby Creek near Skegness, with underground connections extending inland.
EGL5 is planned to terminate at a new converter station near Alford, with two potential sites under consideration: Bilsby or Huttoft. Previous plans for converter and switching stations in Bilsby and a separate underground line have been scrapped.
Each Greenlink cable is expected to transmit enough power to supply approximately two million homes, reflecting a strategic shift from imported fossil fuels to domestic renewable energy.
Public consultations for EGL3–5 are underway, with meetings scheduled this month, and separate consultations for the Weston Marsh pylon line set for June.
Nissan to slash 11,000 more jobs and shut seven plants amid global reset
Nissan has announced plans to cut 11,000 more jobs and close seven factories worldwide, intensifying a cost-cutting programme driven by falling global demand, rising competition, and weak performance in key markets, including China and the US. The move brings total layoffs over the past year to around 20,000, roughly 15% of the company’s workforce.
The Japanese carmaker has faced sustained pressure from sliding sales in China, where local electric vehicle brands like BYD have surged, and from margin-eroding discounting in the US. Last year’s failed merger talks with Honda and Mitsubishi, which aimed to create a $60 billion global automotive player, further stalled recovery efforts.
Roughly two-thirds of the new redundancies will affect manufacturing roles, with the rest spread across admin, sales, R&D, and contracted staff. Details on which locations will be impacted, including Nissan’s Sunderland facility, which is home to around 6,000 jobs, have not yet been disclosed.
These cuts follow a previous round of 9,000 layoffs announced in November as part of a broader initiative to reduce production capacity by 20% globally. Nissan has also cancelled plans to build a new EV and battery plant in Japan, signalling a pullback on capital investment.
Nissan’s annual financials revealed a loss of ¥ $670 billion ($4.5 billion), citing ongoing uncertainty around US tariffs and rising operational costs. No income forecast was issued for the current year. Despite a slight increase in US retail sales, global demand remains soft. Sales dropped 12% in China and declined across Japan and Europe.
£5m award to help commercialise Lincoln-led agri-tech research
A new partnership led by the University of Lincoln, to develop a globally recognised agri-tech innovation cluster in the East of England, has received a major national funding award from Research England to advance commercialisation of research through new spin-out companies.
UK vertical farm operator collapses after failed funding efforts
The Jones Food Company, the operator of the UK’s largest vertical farms, has entered administration following an unsuccessful attempt to secure new investment. The collapse resulted in the closure of its operations on 7 April and the redundancy of 61 employees.
The company operated two large-scale indoor farms in Scunthorpe and Gloucestershire, the latter housing its most advanced site, which only opened in 2023. These high-tech facilities used LED lighting and controlled environments to produce salad crops and herbs at accelerated rates compared to traditional farming.
Despite backing from major online grocer Ocado, which held a substantial stake, no additional funding was provided. Administrators confirmed that attempts to attract new investors failed, leading to the company’s insolvency.
York clean energy firm to relocate to new city centre HQ
