Council buys former House of Fraser building in Grimsby
The former House of Fraser building on Grimsby’s Victoria Street West has been bought by North East Lincolnshire Council.
Contracts have been exchanged and the sale, which has been advised by strategic partner Queensberry, also includes a leasehold on an adjacent car park.
The five-storey building sits within the council owned Freshney Place and with a frontage on 9 to 29 Victoria Street West. It has been empty since House of Fraser closed four years ago.
Continuing to see it unused was not an option, said Council Leader Cllr Philip Jackson, who has responsibilities for regeneration and the economy. This purchase, he explained, would provide yet more opportunity for the authority and its partners to look at the redevelopment and diverse use of Freshney Place as a whole.
“In order to effect change, which we all know is needed, we must look at opportunities such as this with a view to shaping and guiding redevelopment. Town Centres across the country have changed almost beyond what any of us would have anticipated and that is what we are determined to do here,” said Cllr Jackson.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to re-invent Freshney Place and complement its retail offer with the new cinema, leisure attractions, and fresh new market. The House of Fraser building will now form an integral part of those plans. This is a good move for the town centre,” he added.
Over the last five years, the reshaping of the town centre has been led by the local authority. Along with partners and stakeholders including the Greater Grimsby Town Board, it has won multi-million-pound funding bids from Central Government.
This money, all ring-fenced for specific projects, has seen the transformation of St James’ Square and Garth Lane with its new footbridge, river dredging and extensive paving and landscaping. Further to that, work has started on the redundant St James’ House with the E-Factor purchasing the building to create a business hub.
This is in addition to the Future High Streets Fund, and projects earmarked for Towns Fund money including the already underway full refurb of Riverhead Square, a plan for new housing at Alexandra Dock and the new OnSide ‘Horizon’ Youth Zone. The latter involves the transformation of the historic redundant buildings along Garth Lane into a state-of-the-art centre for young people.
Meanwhile initial work has now started with Queensberry on the multi-million-pound Freshney Place Leisure & Market Hall Scheme with its new cinema, market, and leisure attractions.
More good news is the arrival, in mid-2024, of a Community Diagnostic Centre. The NHS facility in Freshney Place will bring thousands more people into the town centre every year – with such increased footfall through the town centre presenting more opportunities.
Balfour Beatty Living Places secures £330m Highways Maintenance contract extension from Lincs County Council
Balfour Beatty Living Places has been awarded a £330 million six year Highways Maintenance contract extension by Lincolnshire County Council. The extension builds on the current six year contract which is due to end in 2026, extending it until Spring 2032.
Balfour Beatty Living Places will continue to work closely with the Council to maintain the regions 9,240 kilometres of carriageways, provide drainage cleaning services as well as winter and reactive highways maintenance such as gritting, road repairs and traffic management.
The company will utilise its Operational Control Hub, which launched this year, to monitor all activities in real-time and drive efficiencies across the local road network.
The Hub serves as a platform for teams to promptly address network issues, facilitating real-time digital planning. It empowers efficient organisation of both reactive and emergency works, along with streamlined defect reporting in a dynamic digital environment.
Steve Helliwell, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Living Places, said: “We are delighted that Lincolnshire County Council have extended our contract by a further six years, testament to the strong relationship we have built.
“Today’s announcement will see us continue to provide a best-in-class highways maintenance service, whilst offering customer focused solutions in a collaborative partnership and leaving a lasting positive legacy for the communities we serve.”
Jonathan Evans, Head of Highways Client and Contractual Management Services, said: “The LCC Executive unanimously voted in favour of extending the contractual arrangement with Balfour Beatty Living Places by a further six years ensuring long term service continuity and allowing both parties to focus on strategic improvements in service delivery.
“In addition to this, we have secured a number of improvements for the residents of Lincolnshire and I’m excited to work with Balfour Beatty to implement these in the near future.”
The contract will continue to employ a workforce of 183, including 10 apprenticeship and graduate positions as part of Balfour Beatty’s commitment to The 5% Club.
Former John Banner department store acquired as plans for Attercliffe regeneration move ahead
Sustainable property company Citu has acquired the historic John Banner department store as part of its wider commitment to the regeneration of Attercliffe.
Purpose-built in 1934 by the retail entrepreneur John Banner, the four-storey building on Attercliffe Road was seen as a key Sheffield landmark whose reputation was synonymous with offering a high-quality shopping experience.
Rumoured to be the very first department store to have an escalator, it created its own Banners’ cheques and currency to allow customers to enjoy credit in store, decades before credit cards became readily available.
After the Second World War, the business was sold by the Banner family and the 48,000 sq ft building was eventually converted into upper floor offices and ground floor retail in the 1980s, as it remains today.
Still home to 25 businesses, the building will now benefit from significant investment to restore some of the former glory to the building fabric, as well as bringing it up to modern energy performance standards.
Citu Founder and Co-Director Chris Thompson said: “We are delighted to confirm the successful acquisition of the iconic John Banner building in Attercliffe. This strategic investment marks a significant step in our commitment to investment in this community.
“The John Banner building holds a significant place in the architectural landscape of the Attercliffe high street, and we are honoured to be entrusted with its stewardship. Our team is excited about the opportunities this acquisition presents, and we are dedicated to preserving the building’s historical significance while introducing modern, innovative elements that align with our vision for sustainable development.”
Originally designed by local firm, Chapman and Jenkinson Architects who were responsible for various buildings around the city in the early 20th century, including the Cutlery Forger’s factory at Owlerton and The Star & Central Picture Houses in Sheffield, the restoration of the John Banner building will preserve the façade to retain its original features.
The John Banner building is a short walk away from the nearby Attercliffe Waterside regeneration project that Citu has a live planning application in for. The 23-acre urban scheme will transform brownfield land either side of the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal and aims to be on site in early 2024.
Chris added: “This part of the city has been under appreciated for so long, we wanted to prioritise the leisure and commercial elements that will bring new investment into the district as quickly as possible, and Banners is an integral part of that wider vision.”
Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee, said: “This is another really positive step forward for the regeneration of Attercliffe and the wider East End of Sheffield. The Banners building is a local landmark, and it is great to see that an imaginative developer such as Citu has seen its potential.
“Their investment here, together with the major scheme they are bringing forward at Attercliffe Waterside, the work linked to the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and the substantial Levelling Up Fund projects, will transform the area into a fantastic place to work and live and is another perfect example of Sheffield being a city on the up.”
Council seeks developer for East Bank Urban Village
Hull City Council has started its search for a lead developer partner to deliver its East Bank Urban Village project, which is expected to see the creation of 850 new homes, next to the River Hull.
The site has been allocated for high-quality apartments with the opportunity for features such as social rooftop areas and spaces for families, outdoor play and integrated quality private amenity spaces.
Cllr Paul Drake-Davis, the council’s portfolio holder for regeneration and housing, said: “The East Bank Urban Village is an exciting project and one with huge potential to be transformative for the city.
“This can be a benchmark development in terms of high-quality design and improvements in placemaking and building new communities in Hull. It is pleasing that the council is now in a place to start procurement and will soon make the plans become a reality.”
The council’s procurement process will be done through the Homes England DPS Framework.
This approach will assist the council to achieve its overall vision of the City Plan and emerging community strategy.
Leeds-based business manages enhancements to Northallerton healthcare
Northallerton’s Friarage Hospital can now scan 100 more patients every week, following a £3m revamp of part of their radiology department.
Sewell Group’s Community Ventures team, based at Thorpe Park in Leeds, managed delivery of the scheme for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which was part of a national programme to deliver clinical diagnostic services closer to patients’ homes.
The 15-month project saw the old radiology block transformed into a modern hospital department, creating a spoke site for the Tees Valley Clinical Diagnostic Centre programme, which also includes sites in Stockton, Hartlepool, and Redcar.
Community Ventures worked with multiple stakeholders to arrive at the design solution for the new facility, applied for funding to develop the scheme, delivered it in a live hospital environment and coordinated the transfer of clinical services to alternative locations – including a mobile CT scanner in the car park – whilst the works were ongoing.
The result is a state-of-the-art facility, with two CT scanners, including a new £900,000 machine, viewing rooms, a new cannulation room, two new ultrasound rooms and a new dental scan room, as well as changing facilities and an accessible toilet.
As well as giving extra capacity for patients to be seen, helping reduce waiting times and improving health outcomes for patients, the facilities will enable more heart patients to undergo scans at the Friarage, instead of having to travel to other hospitals.
Kelly Smith, head of radiology at South Tees said: “This is fantastic news for our patients across Hambleton, Richmondshire and beyond who will benefit from faster imaging and access to more diagnostic appointments closer to home.
“The new scanner is the highest specification scanner we have got across the whole department and it’s great to see it benefitting our Friarage patients.”
Scott Clarkson of Community Ventures, who project managed the scheme whilst seconded into the Trust’s Capital Projects department, said: “This was anything but a straightforward project, but the results have been amazing to see.
“Arranging the removal of two X-ray machines and the temporary storage of a CT scanner during the works wasn’t easy, but the staff in the department showed incredible flexibility and willingness to adapt during the delivery of the works.
“The scheme is now delivering a significant increase in diagnostics capacity in the region, and knowing that the end result of our work will save so many lives really makes it all worthwhile.”
Fintel makes fifth acquisition of 2023
Fintel, the Huddersfield provider of fintech and support services to the UK retail financial services sector, has agreed to acquire Synaptic Software, an independent provider of financial adviser planning and research software.
Synaptic services over 1,600 financial advisers, providing due diligence research, compliance tools and software which streamlines customers’ journeys.
Fintel will acquire Synaptic via Fintel IQ, its technology and knowledge platform, further enhancing its capabilities, scale and IP. Under the terms of the acquisition, Synaptic is being acquired for a net upfront cash consideration of £3.5m, funded entirely from Fintel’s existing financial resources with further £0.5m of development expenditure committed to enhance and integrate its products.
On completion, the business is expected to have annual revenues of c.£2.3m and be in a break even position.
Synaptic is the fifth business acquired by Fintel this year, joining AKG, VouchedFor, Competent Adviser and Micap on its expanded platform.
Neil Stevens, Joint CEO of Fintel, said: “Synaptic is an established adviser software and research business which complements and extends our current capabilities, and offers us positive synergistic opportunities for growth and value in the near term.
“This transaction will further cement our central market position as the provider of technology, research and consulting services to the adviser market. We are committed to investing in Synaptic, developing its standalone products and bringing the Webline integration to Defaqto Engage as high priorities, as we continue to enhance our offering and create better outcomes for all.”
Office move and warehouse investment for Filstorage
An office move and warehouse investment is helping a Yorkshire racking supplier celebrate 30 years in business.
Filstorage, which is based near Howden, was founded by current Managing Director Paul Taylor in 1993.
To mark the anniversary, the business has moved offices from a former residential house in Eastrington to The Old Stables, a renovated office building in the same village.
The business has also invested £1.5m in a brand new warehouse development at Spaldington, designed to streamline its distribution processes.
Paul Taylor said the two moves would bring major efficiencies to every aspect of the business, making it a befitting way to celebrate Filstorage’s 30th anniversary.
He said: “Filstorage started life selling plastic-coated, wire-framed baskets to builders merchants. That was our core market. But as we became more established, merchants started asking us for other storage solutions such as shop shelving, and then eventually racking, so we moved organically into these areas.
“We now offer a complete design and fitout service for warehouses, shops, showrooms and yards, as well as all types of racking and storage equipment including mezzanine floors.
“Unsurprisingly, as the stock we held got larger, we ran out of warehouse space so we needed to increase our own storage facilities. Alongside this, staffing numbers increased as the business expanded, to the point we outgrew our offices and needed to relocate into a larger, more modern space.”
Mr Taylor added that finding office space that was convenient for everyone in the business had been a challenge until The Old Stables – a former agricultural building converted to high standard modern offices – came available.
The new office is on the same street of the business’s former one, and benefits from on-site parking as well as an open-plan design and breakout rooms for collaborative working.
Finding quality warehousing in the area was an even bigger challenge, Mr Taylor said, which led him to decide to build a bespoke solution.
The new facilities replace Filstorage’s former warehousing – a series of old, ramshackle stone barns in Spaldington – with a brand new, 1,800 sq ft facility on the same site.
Mr Taylor said: “The new facilities are world class compared to our former warehouse.
“It has been built with sustainability in mind with all the concrete from the foundations of the old buildings being crushed up and reused in the foundations of the new build. We also added a lot of skylights to let natural light in, meaning we will only need to use artificial lighting on winter mornings and afternoons.
“It has also improved health & safety for our warehouse staff. HGV access is much better and manoeuvrability inside the warehouse is much improved, which takes a lot of the risk out of manual handling.
“The new warehouse is a fantastic facility that makes our distribution processes far more efficient, while ensure our staff are as safe as we can make them.”
Hull invests £150,000 in electric vehicle charging points
Hull City Council has appointed Swarco to supply, install, operate, and maintain 20 new EV charging points in a £150,000 investment in new electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support one of the largest fleets of electric vehicles in the region and more than double capacity at a city centre public car park.
The council has a fleet of more than 350 vehicles, but has committed to becoming zero-emission, with 43 vehicles already fully electric and another nine on order.
The council’s first ever 50kW ‘rapid’ charger will be installed at its main Stockholm Road Depot, which will be able to charge most vehicles in around an hour.
Another standard charger will be installed at Stoneferry Bridge to provide additional resilience to support the team who look after the city’s nine bridges spanning the River Hull. This new investment complements an extensive range of fleet chargers already installed in previous phases across the council’s sites throughout the city.
In the city centre, 13 new 11kW chargers will replace six older chargers at the popular Osborne Street multi-story car park to meet increasing demand, including fully accessible chargers, confirming to PAS1899 standard, which will be easier for people with mobility issues to use. The car park is popular with commuters, shoppers and visitors to the nearby Connexin Live Arena and part of the council’s strategic approach to ensure city centre car parks have charging facilities.
Creative experiences agency makes senior hire
Yorkshire founded brand engagement agency, XSEM, has appointed Nick Burrows as head of experiential to enhance its service offering. This comes off the back of a raft of recent client successes.
Although based in Yorkshire for 20 years, Nick spent over a decade at London-based TRO as client service and marketing board director, where he led on strategy, project management and client relations for experiential clients.
Nick joins the business to lead in developing its experiential offering, advising current XSEM brands including Molson Coors Beverage Company and Suntory (Lucozade, Ribena), on their experiential strategy.
Having worked previously with the likes of Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Google and Nike, Nick is passionate about bringing brands to life by offering strategic direction and consultation.
He said: “I’m more obsessed with why brands are trying to create experiences first, rather than the how and what. That comes more naturally when you understand the why.”
Speaking about his senior role at XSEM, Nick added: “I’m captivated with the culture at XSEM and have been enormously impressed with their work so far. They have such a solid foundation for us to be able to do some brilliant and meaningful work for our current client base and future partners. It’s clearly an inspiring, creative and commercially driven agency. “Fifteen years ago, brand experiences were exclusive to those in attendance. Now, if we deliver the right creative hook and enhance events through tech and social, there’s no reason why audiences of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, can’t be immersing themselves in that experience.”
Managing director and co-founder at XSEM, Dan Bardgett, said: “Nick joins us at a crucial time in the business having recently enhanced our client portfolio. We’re delighted to have him on board and look forward to seeing where his creative brain can take our experiential offering to the next level. Nick’s positive outlook on creativity, integrity and service excellence are perfectly aligned with our own values here at XSEM.”
Evident joins Nuclear AMRC to develop new inspection techniques
Scientific and industrial equipment specialist Evident has joined the Rotherham-based Nuclear AMRC to support the development of new inspection techniques for the nuclear industry.
Evident makes world-class nondestructive testing (NDT), precision measurement and analysis, quality control and assessment, and other research, environmental, and life science solutions. Formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of Olympus, Evident employs more than 4,300 people in 24 countries.
NDT covers a variety of technologies that are used to evaluate the structure and integrity of a component without damaging it. In the nuclear sector, it is essential to ensure the safe operation of reactor components, waste containers, and other safety-critical fabrications.
“The nuclear industry takes plant safety very seriously,” says John Crossley, Nuclear AMRC technology lead for nondestructive testing. “NDT plays an important role in the manufacture and continued maintenance of plants to ensure the quality and safety of the most critical parts of nuclear power plants at a cost-effective rate.
“Evident has many state-of-the-art solutions to conduct these inspections, and working closely together under the new membership will give us the ability to deliver these solutions to our customers and their projects.”
Evident has previously worked with the Nuclear AMRC on NDT technology development, including phased array ultrasonic testing of novel components and improved testing methodologies to meet nuclear industry requirements.
As part of its membership, Evident will provide equipment and additional support to the Nuclear AMRC. The collaboration will focus on qualifying new NDT methods to meet the quality management requirements of nuclear customers and developing examination methods for advanced joining and production technologies.
“As a company we look forward to contributing to the cutting-edge work going on at the Nuclear AMRC,” says Jim Worland, director industry direct sales UK at Evident.
“We see closer cooperation with the nuclear industry as paramount to tackling the ongoing challenges of energy production in line with net-zero targets, and Nuclear AMRC membership allows us to take part directly in research and development projects where we can directly impact relevant areas in close cooperation with a wide network of industry and academic partners.”
The Nuclear AMRC will also work with Evident on innovative developments in some of its other technology areas, including remote visual inspection technologies, where Evident products are used in nuclear and other energy sectors to monitor the condition of operational plants in challenging environments and difficult-to-access areas.
