Robotics firm set to occupy part of Lincoln office building
Part of the G Tech Building on Firth Road Business Park in Lincoln will be occupied by a firm operating in the robotics sector, confirms the local agency of Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co.
The agency’s Lincoln office acted as joint agent with Fisher German, on behalf of the landlord, in a deal which sees the robotics firm take a lease on 7,740 sq ft of ground and first floor office space out of a total of 11,000 sq ft of business accommodation in the G Tech Building.
Neighbouring occupiers on Firth Road Business Park include Siemens PLC, ITP & Aero Engines UK Ltd among other technology industry occupiers.
The Firth Road Business Park is a short walk from the University of Lincoln’s city centre campus.
While the name of the new occupier remains to be announced by the agents, following fit-out of its new premises, William Wall, director, Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co, said: “Robotics is one of the fastest growing of the new industrial sectors and an active area for R&D – particularly in the Agri-Tech field where robotics figures alongside digital technologies & artificial intelligence.
“Together with the aerospace & defence sectors and large scale commercial logistics operators, robotics is a sector which is helping to re-present the commercial profile of Lincolnshire to new investors and operators.”
Farmers told cost-effective imports can continue
British farmers have been told they can continue to import seeds treated with EU-approved pesticides more cost-effective but identical to those authorised at home.
The imports were due to have been banned by the end of the year, but the restriction has been lifted, leaving the import window open until July 2027.
Government says the plans will not only provide certainty to farmers so they know which treated seeds and plant protection products they can use in coming growing seasons, but will also help improve the availability and reduce the cost of pesticides.
These treated seeds are important for both the arable and horticulture sectors and are particularly important for maize – a crop crucial for dairy farmers and in energy production.
Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:”The government recognises the challenges faced by farmers and growers in importing treated seeds and more cost-effective pesticide products from the EU as the transition period concludes.
“Ensuring that British farmers and growers have access to the tools they need to produce food sustainably and affordably is a priority. The measures announced today will address the potential impacts and concerns raised by our valued farming sector.”
Under current timelines, farmers and growers were set to lose access to these products at the end of this year. However, the temporary measures will enable farmers and growers in Great Britain to:- Continue using seeds treated with plant protection products authorised for use in the EU for an additional 3.5 years, extending up to 1 July 2027.
- Reinstate trade permits for the import of PPPs that are identical to those authorised in Great Britain for a maximum of two years.
Leading accountancy practices merge
Streets Chartered Accountants, a top 40 UK accountancy practice, has announced the establishment of Streets Steele Chartered Certified Accountants following the merger of the award-winning Bristol practice, Steele Financial with Streets Chartered Accountants.
Ben Steele, now Managing Director of Streets Steele, said: “Having started Steele Financial only six years ago we have experienced significant growth and as such, in line with the advice we give our clients, we recognised the need to develop our practice to service growing demand.
“In particular it would seem our approach to run a true cloud based and digital accountancy practice along with providing clients a virtual finance office, certainly has made us an attractive proposition for many entrepreneurs and businesses alike.
“Recognising the potential, along with the need for us to provide a greater breadth of services, we sought to join up with a larger practice who can not only support us but also support the needs of our clients, now and in the future. We are delighted to say we have found that in Streets Chartered Accountants.
“We also believe that our clients will benefit in that the combined firm will be able to offer a wider range of services, including areas of specialist corporate and private client tax planning, international advice and personal financial planning.”
Looking at what the merger means to Streets, the firm’s managing partner, Paul Tutin, said: “We are delighted and excited to have Steele Financial become part of the Streets wide practice.
“Ben and his team, including fellow director Ryan Saward, are a truly inspiring practice and have earned an enviable reputation, not just in Bristol, but also in London and further afield, for their progressive approach and innovative use of technology to look after the needs of clients.
“Such an approach has seen them successfully grow a broad client base as well as particular sector specialisms in hospitality, food and drink and media and entertainment.
“We are looking forward to working with Ben and his team on enhancing and developing a practice wide virtual finance office and our respective sector specialisms.
“This recent merger comes on the back of an earlier one this year, with Streets Eadie Young in Banbury, Oxfordshire and this time last year Streets Whittles in Colchester, Essex. In line with our own growth aspirations, we also recently opened a new office in Burnley, Lancashire and are currently in talks with a number of practices around further mergers.
“With Streets Steele in Bristol, we now have 23 offices from Burnley in the north to Brighton in the south.
“Whilst many large firms have moved to more regional models, Streets remains committed to and focused on looking after clients that live, work and operate businesses in the local area. This approach is very much at the heart of our strategic focus for growth, which is likely to include further mergers of like-minded firms. Our aspiration is to become a top 20 UK practice by 2030.”
Multi-million pound Catterick Garrison project moves forward as plans lodged
A £21 million scheme to redevelop Catterick Garrison’s town centre has taken a major step forward.
The planning application for the development has been lodged with North Yorkshire Council. Permission is being sought to create a new town square on Shute Road, a new pedestrian ramp connecting the development to Richmond Road, and the construction of a Community and Enterprise Building.
The building, which will house offices for small businesses as well as space for community groups and food retail, will reduce carbon emissions through the use of sustainable design and renewable energy.
The plans also include landscaping improvements, upgrades to Coronation Park and Shute Road, improved play spaces, accessible routes to the town centre and improvements to footpaths and cycleways.
The application has been lodged following a public consultation in July when 72 per cent of the community who responded to a survey were positive about the new proposal.
Executive member for open to business, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said: “Moving to the planning phase is an exciting step forward for this new development. The scheme will breathe new life into a tired area of Catterick Garrison town centre and bring new opportunities and facilities for the many people who live there – both civilians and members of the military.”
North Yorkshire Council are working closely with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to bring the proposals to fruition by June 2025. The council has received £19 million from the Levelling Up Fund, with the remaining match-funding coming from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and the authority.
James Roy, estates manager for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said: “Catterick is an important Garrison for the British Army and this is a significant milestone for the redevelopment proposals. We continue to recognise the need for regeneration of urban areas, to benefit both military and civilian communities.”
Catterick Garrison is home to one of the largest Army bases in the country with the town centre transformation bringing benefits to Armed Forces personnel and their families.
Planning application submitted for major village extension
An outline planning application for the development of a landmark sustainable community to the south west of Selby has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council for consideration.
Banks Property is looking to create an integrated extension to the village of Eggborough, which would offer new low carbon homes, enhanced local transport links, a new primary school and nursery, assisted living units, new areas of accessible public open space, other local services and a range of environmental benefits.
The family firm launched the Eggborough project at the beginning of the year, and has since undertaken a range of pre-application consultation activities across the local community, including two events at which members of the Banks project team answered queries and listened to ideas about their proposals from local residents and businesses.
After factoring this local feedback into its proposals, the project team has now finalised and put forward its outline planning submission, with further community consultation activities currently being planned for the coming months.
The Eggborough development, which is being developed in line with the emerging Selby Local Plan, would see up to 1,500 energy efficient properties of all types being built on a 70-hectare site to the west of the village.
It would be close to the growing Core 62 and Konect 62 employment hubs, thus providing new housing options for people and businesses looking to move to the area, and would include the creation of a network of high quality, green open spaces with a variety of wildlife habitats within the site.
Banks is also looking at options for improving levels of rail and bus connectivity in the area which would complement the existing local road infrastructure.
Around 295 full-time jobs would be supported on the Eggborough site during its construction period, with a further 370 jobs being indirectly supported through substantial investment in the regional supply chain.
Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at the Banks Group, says: “This site is included in the draft Selby Local Plan as a housing-led location and offers the opportunity to create a landmark development that will help Eggborough continue to thrive for decades to come.
“We’ve worked hard to share as much information as possible about our ideas across local communities over the last few months and we’re grateful to all those who’ve taken the time to speak to our team about them.
“Increasing the local and regional supply of quality housing will help to attract people to live and work here, which will in turn support the development of the local economy, while ensuring there is affordable quality housing will also mean that everyone can access the housing ladder, most especially local younger people and families who want to move to or stay in the area.
“We are looking to create a high quality, well-connected and sustainable extension to Eggborough which will deliver a wide range of benefits to the local community, the local economy and the local environment, and will continue to work with local residents, businesses and community leaders in the coming months as the project progresses.”
Private equity fund chooses Leeds-based cloud service provider for debut investment
Private equity fund, Kingland Capital has made its first investment into Dynamic Networks to support its organic and acquisitive expansion.
Kingland Capital, founded by experienced mid-market investor Paul Landsman in 2023, has supported a management buyout at the Leeds-based company. Led by David Smith and Gareth Leece the deal aims to create one of the fastest growing SME-focused cloud managed service providers in the UK.
Eddie Buxton, former CEO of Maintel plc, the AIM-listed cloud and managed service provider, will be joining as chairman. As part of this MBO, Hay Wain Group – a private family office – have invested alongside Kingland Capital.
Dynamic Networks, founded by James Baird and Gareth Leece, delivers cloud-led managed IT support, digital transformation services, cyber security and connectivity to the SME market. Dynamic Networks has delivered impressive organic growth with revenue CAGR of +40% between 2021-2023.
Kingland Capital is a private equity firm investing in the UK with equity cheques of up to £20m. Kingland looks for markets that support companies that can scale, with high levels of recurring revenue, in high growth sub-sectors where there is an opportunity to grow both organically and through acquisition.
David Smith, CEO of Dynamic Networks and leading the MBO, said: “Dynamic Networks has spent the last couple of years investing in their people, systems, processes and product portfolio and this investment will allow us to support the demanding needs of SMEs. I’m excited that this investment will underpin our plans to continue to grow both organically and through acquisition.”
Paul Landsman, founder of Kingland Capital, said: “We are thrilled to be backing Dave and his management team, together with Eddie in one of the best quality cloud managed services businesses in the UK we have seen.
“We look forward to helping Dave and the team develop the business organically and through complementary acquisitions over the next few years. We at Kingland, couldn’t be prouder to have Dynamic Networks as our first investment.”
Big Motoring World drives expansion with Available Car acquisition
Big Motoring World has agreed to acquire certain trade and assets of Midlands and Yorkshire used-car retailer, Available Car.
This acquisition follows Big Motoring World’s recent expansion into Wimbledon and adds 200 employees and a seventh and eighth location in Leeds and Cannock.
Founder and Chief Executive Peter Waddell said: “The news today highlights the next milestone in our nationwide expansion. We have a well-proven omnichannel technology-first business model that’s proved to be sustainable even in tough trading conditions.
“We look forward to bringing our car buying experience to the people of Yorkshire and the West Midlands as we continue to grow our business nationally. Available Car’s family-owned heritage, focus on high quality service, and large, well-located sites are an ideal foundation for our platform.”
Alpha Instrumatics sold to global group of life-saving technology companies
Alpha Instrumatics, a Bradford-based designer and manufacturer of devices for high-precision measurement of moisture found in gases, has been sold to Halma, a global group of life-saving technology companies.
Alpha Instrumatics’ advanced trace moisture analysis enables safer industrial operations, more efficient hydrocarbon transfer, and more accurate detection of pollutants. The group’s devices are used in growth markets including the industrial gas and aerospace markets, as well as aligned to the energy transition.
Hami Patel of Alpha Instrumatics said: “We are thrilled to become a part of Halma.
“Alpha Instrumatics has an ambitious growth strategy and the investment from Halma will help accelerate growth by providing broader market reach through their adjacent end markets.”
The transaction was led by Provantage Corporate Finance who advised the shareholders of Alpha Instrumatics – Amanda Betts and Lorna Marshall supported by David Browne.
Amanda Betts of Provantage said: “It’s been a pleasure to work alongside the shareholders’ of Alpha Instrumatics on this important transaction.
“Halma Plc is a fitting home for what is a truly exciting business, and we look forward to seeing the continued success that Alpha Instrumatics and Halma Plc will experience in the future through bringing these companies together.”
Hami Patel of Alpha Instrumatics added: “We extend our gratitude to the Provantage team for their dedication and efforts throughout this acquisition process; their expertise and hard work were instrumental in making this acquisition a reality.”
New improvement and compliance manager will lay firm foundations at Priestley Construction
Teagan Hudson has been promoted to improvement and compliance manager, which is a newly created role at contractor Priestley Construction.
Teagan will be responsible for updating and revising the company’s processes and systems to ensure they are as efficient and effective as possible. She will also oversee staff training and provide inductions to new recruits spanning Priestley’s procedures and policies.
In addition, she will manage the implementation of new IT solutions and software, as well as providing relevant training, to streamline how the company stores, accesses, monitors and distributes information internally and externally.
She will also explore and implement new standards from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that could benefit the company. Teagan joined Priestley Construction almost 18 months ago as a buyer and estimator.
Teagan said: “The construction industry is evolving fast, and companies must be as proficient and capable as possible in today’s market in order to be successful and genuinely add value to their clients and projects. This role is all about identifying and implementing potential improvements in a wide range of areas to make Preistley Construction even better at what it does.
“It feels very rewarding that the directors have created this new role and given me this opportunity to drive so many positive changes forward.”
Nathan Priestley, founder and CEO of the Priestley Group, said: “Teagan boasts a wealth of analytical skills and when this is combined with her superb attention to detail and overall knowledge of the construction industry, there’s no doubt this is a role that she’ll thrive in.
“We’ve shaped the job around her specific skillsets, and she will now be responsible for promoting, improving, updating, revising and monitoring all of our operational and commercial processes, with the overall aim of driving continuous improvement across our business. This makes it an exciting opportunity for both Teagan and Priestley Construction alike.”
Alternative finance provider moves to larger Leeds offices
Carter Towler has negotiated a 10 year lease deal on behalf of Reward Finance Group. Following 12 years of rapid continuous growth across the UK, the alternative finance provider has moved into larger offices at 12 King Street, Leeds.
Carter Towler director Richard Fraser said: “This has been a great deal to be involved with. It’s exciting to be able to assist a progressive Leeds-based company by facilitating its continued growth in this way.
“This is one of the highest quality office buildings in Leeds city centre with fantastic onsite amenities. I am sure that both Reward and its clients will benefit from all this exceptional property has to offer.”
Reward has taken 3,934 sq ft on the first floor of 12 King Street. The entire building has been extensively refurbished over the past 18 months with other new occupiers including Rothschild & Co and Endless.
Tom Flannery, non-executive chairman of Reward Investments Ltd, added: “We are extremely pleased to have secured these great new offices, they are so much more than a traditional office space.
“The developers, Opus North and Fiera Real Estate UK, had a vision to create something very different in Leeds and they have certainly achieved it. They have delivered a transformational working environment that meets the needs of a modern business like ours.
“We have much more flexible work and collaboration spaces and more wellbeing and networking facilities for our employees and clients to enjoy.”
Ryan Unsworth, Joint Managing Director of Opus North, said: “We are delighted to welcome Reward to 12 King Street. They are exactly the kind of innovative, achieving business we had in mind when we set about remodelling the property. We wish them all the very best with their continued growth.”
