A new future for Scunthorpe town centre will be created as plans for a revolutionary new high-street concept have been given the go ahead. Planning permission has been granted for a new enterprise and innovation hub, paving the way for a radical shift in the way people use the town centre. The multi-million-pound development, backed with Government cash, will create a unique, high-quality place for businesses, bringing new jobs and new people into the town centre. The project includes a 46-bed unit for young professionals and medical students – locating more people in the town centre for more reasons. Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council and Towns Fund Board Member, said: “This is an important milestone in the latest plans to create a new future for Scunthorpe’s town centre and evidence of levelling-up happening here. “Now with planning permission in place residents will start to see progress on this ground-breaking development very soon – I am genuinely excited. “Building the enterprise and innovation hub is a huge part of our vision to attract new businesses and new jobs. The heart of the vision is to create a vibrant place which attracts a wide range of people, from shoppers and families and young professionals.” The innovation hub is one of several projects being delivered to transform Scunthorpe and create a different future. The schemes, backed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, come with more than £30m investment through the Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund. They include delivering gigabit broadband to hundreds of businesses, creating an advanced manufacturing park, delivering green energy schemes for schools and community buildings, new cultural experiences, a blue light facility, and hundreds of new homes. The plans are designed to stimulate the creation of more, better-paid jobs, driving prosperity and ensuring a new future for people who live locally. In the town centre, the plans are designed to counter the pressures on the traditional “high street” as it faces unprecedented change with shoppers increasingly moving online. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in 2006 online sales as a percentage of total retail spend peaked at 2.8 per cent. It has risen every year since, peaking in January 2021 at 37 per cent as the COVID-19 pandemic drove massive change in consumer habits. Dr Faisel Baig, chair of NHS North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group and local GP, said: “This is fantastic news for Scunthorpe. There are wider determinants that can help improve the health of a population – determinants such as employment, income, housing, education, working environment and the general environment. “This exciting project gives us an opportunity to address some of these determinants and make Scunthorpe, and the wider area, a more healthy place. We know economic hardship links to poor health and that’s why these developments are exciting as they will bring more employment to the area. “In a digital age, giving people a reason to get out of the house and visit Scunthorpe town centre is really important. It means people are out in the fresh air, walking into town or through town and these alone have huge benefits on health and mental wellbeing.” Dr Baig, who is also chair of the Scunthorpe Town Fund Board, added: “The environment around us is so important if we want a healthy population. We have a wonderfully diverse population here in North Lincolnshire and we must ensure every community has equal access to these opportunities.” Holly Mumby Croft, MP for Scunthorpe, and deputy chair of the Towns Fund Board said: “This is a major step forward in delivering the money that Government has given us for Scunthorpe. “It is more than £10m of direct investment which is being spent to create a new future which includes homes for medical students and to jobs for local people in the town centre.” A contractor is set to be appointed to lead the construction of the hub, which will offer more than 27,000 sq ft of outstanding office space specially designed to support collaborative working, as well as workshops, business development areas and an attractive communal courtyard. Alongside this a licensed café and bar will provide a premium space for networking and post-work drinks by night. With work also driving forward to create the second phase of an urban park in Church Square, it is an exciting time in Scunthorpe’s transformation. Cllr Waltham added: “We worked closely with Scunthorpe MP Holly Mumby-Croft to secure the cash from the Government, with that backing and planning permission now obtained, I, like many, cannot wait to see the plans take shape.”

Local contractor Moody Construction has taken over the final phase of Northallerton’s Treadmills development, having been appointed to complete the scheme.

A global supplier of posters and pop culture merchandise has moved to Barnsley in a bid to dramatically increase sales within the UK market. GB eye, part of the Abysse Corp Group, is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of posters, prints, tableware, clothing and collectables which celebrate everything from Peaky Blinders to Pokemon; and Rick and Morty to the Rolling Stones. The company has taken on a new 78,000 square foot purpose-built manufacturing and distribution unit at Enterprise 36, Tankersley at Junction 36 of the M1. From here, it plans to expand operations to meet growing demand for its products across the UK and as far afield as Australia, Japan, the USA and Russia. Established in Sheffield in 1986, GB eye will retain its existing Parkwood industrial estate base but concentrate growth in Barnsley, where it has gained increased storage capacity and introduced more efficient pick and pack processes. In the coming months, it will also bring production to this Barnsley site with the manufacturing of posters, mugs, mouse mats and T-shirts, to further reduce the company’s reliance on supply chains. GB eye Managing Director Steven Birks said: “We’ve expanded into Barnsley to maximise the opportunity for growth. This is a superior location for distribution and the large ready-made pick and pack facility is perfectly designed to allow us to produce and store more stock and turn around orders much faster. We look forward to increasing sales dramatically.” GB eye became the UK arm of the European Abysse Corp Group last year and Abysse has backed the company’s expansion in Barnsley, to strengthen the group’s reach in the UK market. GB eye is a market leader in the UK with long-standing trade relationships with major retailers including Asda, Menkind, Game, HMV, Tesco, Argos, Smyths Toys and many more. Abysse Corp has seen consistent double-digit growth in global sales over the last four years and aims to achieve a significant increase in turnover this year. Steven said: “The market for fan merchandise is currently very strong as more people, young and old, seek to surround themselves with wall art and merchandise that celebrates their interests and passions and reflects who they are. “Now we have moved, we are in an excellent position to scale-up production, sales and distribution to meet this growing demand.” GB eye has created 15 new jobs in Tankersley since it moved in three months ago and, once it is fully operational, expects to employ up to 100 people on this site. Specific teams will move from its existing Sheffield premises, but it anticipates it will recruit to an additional 35 posts in sales, ecommerce, manufacturing and warehouse work over the next 12 months. Enterprise 36 business park was developed by Wilton Developments following investment from Barnsley Council through their Property Investment Fund. The unit occupied by GB eye is owned by clients of CBRE Investment Management and CBRE and CPP advised the landlord on the letting. GB eye’s neighbours include Dura-ID, Universal Sealants (UK) and William Rowland. Cllr Tim Cheetham, Barnsley’s Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “We backed this speculative development at Enterprise 36, alongside the M1 corridor, because we knew it would be a real asset to the borough and would help us achieve our ambition to make Barnsley a destination of choice for companies with national and international reach. “We are delighted to welcome GB eye as a key occupier on site bringing new opportunities and jobs to the borough.” Enterprising Barnsley has also helped GB eye move to the borough, make connections with local suppliers and recruit to its vacancies. Steven said: “The Enterprising Barnsley team has been great and we appreciate the support they’ve given us to establish ourselves here.” Enterprising Barnsley, the business support arm of Barnsley Council, aims to attract new businesses to invest in the borough and help new and existing businesses develop and expand; generating economic growth and creating jobs.

Developer and asset manager, MEPC, has revealed Burendo, a fast-growing IT firm that specialises in agile business transformation, as its latest occupier to take space in 10 Wellington Place, Leeds. Following a period of growth and expansion, the move will mark a new chapter for the tech trailblazer, which boasts a 140 strong team. Burendo is the latest firm to join the growing tech hub based at Wellington Place, which includes NHS Digital, Sky Betting and Gaming, Netpremacy and most recently, Lexis Nexis. Burendo, meaning ‘blended’ in Japanese, tackles organisation transformation and technology delivery in short ‘sprints’ or iterations to ensure the solution addresses the client’s digital needs more quickly and effectively. Established in 2018, the business has worked with numerous household names including Yorkshire Building Society, the NHS and William Hill. It is projected to turnover £18 million in the current financial year. The 2,271 sq ft of office space in 10 Wellington Place will provide an environment which encourages collaborative working, whilst giving Burendo access to a like-minded business community at the development and a host of great amenities and initiatives such as restaurants, wellbeing webinars and a running club, all of which aid staff wellbeing. Paul Pavia, commercial director at MEPC, said: “We’re thrilled that Burendo has chosen Wellington Place as its new home in Leeds. The company have gone from strength to strength, and we hope that their move to the development will help to further facilitate this, as they join a host of other tech centric businesses. We’ve seen a real increase in demand for first-class office accommodation in the tech sector specifically and we’re proud of the hub that Wellington Place is becoming.” Austen Bell, operations director at Burendo, added: “Wellington Place is increasingly becoming known as the go to tech hub in Leeds, and this was a real driver for us when it came to selecting the development as the home for our new head office. We want to be part of a bigger community and be in close proximity to likeminded businesses and people. “We’ve grown significantly in our short history and want to prepare for the future. Having the best office space will allow Burendo to attract further talent and provide our team members with a world class environment in which to work.”