Rushton Hickman has successfully appraised, marketed and sold 114-116 High Street, Burton upon Trent on behalf of our client Great Central Properties Ltd, within a timeframe of just two months! Regional Contractors Ltd has acquired the freehold of 114-116 High Street, Burton upon Trent, with plans to redevelop the first floor into residential apartments and modernise the ground floor for retail purposes. Taylor Millington, the surveyor responsible for the transaction commented “It is always positive news when a transaction progresses swiftly, resulting in a mutually beneficial outcome for all parties involved.” “Given the significant amount of interest the property got within the first week, we were able to quickly negotiate a strong deal for our client along with an agreed quick turnaround.” Taylor continued “The property requires extensive redevelopment to transform it into a mixed-use investment, but this is something that Regional Contractors Ltd were happy to take on.  The modernisation of the retail shops will bring continued growth and addition to the busy high street and the repurposing of the upper floor into residential accommodation will help bring much needed homes to the market”. Our client, Great Central Properties Ltd commented, “I cannot express my sincere appreciation for the outstanding work the team at Rushton Hickman have done in marketing and facilitating the sale of our commercial property.”

Wakefield Council’s plan to bring a brand-new purpose-built hotel to the city centre has moved a step closer. Interested hotel developers and operators can now submit their initial expressions of interest for the site of the old Westgate train station. The Council acquired the site of the old Westgate train station in 2023. A programme of preliminary works has been ongoing since then, including carrying out detailed ground surveys, to make sure the land is suitable for the proposed project. With all the groundwork now complete, the project has reached its next key milestone, and the site has been put out to market. Interested hotel developers and operators can now submit a selection questionnaire as the first part of the procurement process.

Cllr Michael Graham, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Growth, said: “I’m pleased to see this next phase of this project get underway. This is an excellent location for a brand-new hotel due to its convenient railway links and being close to some of the city’s most valuable cultural assets. I’m looking forward to seeing what proposals are put forward.”

The Council will create a shortlist of companies whose ideas and vision offers the greatest benefits for the people who live, work and visit the city. The site has already received a lot of interest from developers keen to invest in Wakefield, however, all interested parties must go through a formal procurement process, rather than contacting the Council directly. The Council are looking to confirm and appoint a developer to take this project forward into the build stage by January 2025. This is one of several projects in the Wakefield masterplan that together aim to transform the city centre into a thriving and culturally vibrant city.

Following the completion of a series of deals, Wellington Place’s office space in its flagship 11 & 12 buildings are fully let less than a year after completion. The buildings have been hailed amongst the UK’s most sustainable commercial office space and have seen lettings from a host of well-known companies, including global accountancy firm EY, which is the latest business to announce its move to new offices having agreed to take 25,000 sq ft. The EY deal follows on from Lloyds Banking Group letting 124,000 sq ft at 11 & 12, marking the largest regional office transaction in the UK in 2023. Employee-owned consultancy Arup recently expanded into 36,000 sq ft of office space at 11 & 12, whilst British brand ghd (good hair day) has launched its new headquarters there. With commercial law firm Hill Dickinson and global real estate adviser JLL also having agreed deals at 11 & 12, a total of almost 230,000 sq ft of office space has been taken at the buildings since they were completed in spring last year. The connected 11 & 12 Wellington Place buildings total 254,879 sq ft and will also feature a gym, business lounge and ground floor leisure and retail spaces. Paul Pavia, head of development at MEPC, the developer and asset manager behind Wellington Place, said: “To have fully let the office space at 11 & 12 Wellington Place in such a short space of time is a fantastic milestone and one that we are rightly proud of. “As with all our new lettings, we faced tough competition from across Leeds, the Yorkshire region and beyond to attract these leading organisations to 11 & 12 Wellington Place. We have made no secret of our belief that the office remains an absolutely vital part of the economy and society and these deals further cement this view. “They also support the values first introduced at Wellington Place more than 15 years ago, to raise the bar in sustainable development, to offer a socially cohesive and community-focused environment that people want to be a part of, and to use urban regeneration to support positive social impact.”

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has announced Scarborough Group International (SGI) as the preferred developer to transform its historic Old Medical School into a globally recognised health-tech innovation hub. The proposed agreement to acquire and refurbish the grade II*-listed building represents the first phase in the delivery of the Innovation Village, a world-class cluster for science, innovation and technology surrounding the new hospital development at Leeds General Infirmary. The Innovation Village is a transformational project encompassing more than 2.2m sq ft of development which will create up to 4,000 new jobs, more than 500 new homes and an economic boost of £13bn for West Yorkshire. As part of its proposal, SGI has set out ambitious plans to create a “health-tech ecosystem” at the Old Medical School to encourage collaboration between clinicians, academics, researchers and entrepreneurs, supporting start-ups and scale-ups to grow and help transform the future of healthcare. It will build on the success of the trust’s Innovation Pop-Up, founded in 2021 to provide a front door for new and established businesses to partner with one of the UK’s largest teaching hospitals. SGI’s vision includes preserving the Old Medical School’s historic Tudor Gothic style while implementing contemporary enhancements to offer a dynamic and functional workspace. These includes laboratories, co-working spaces, offices and communal areas, along with a new atrium over the inner courtyard. Completed in 1894, the original red-brick building was designed by Leeds architect WH Thorp as the home to one of the first provincial medical schools in England. The building currently houses the trust’s pathology department, which is relocating to the state-of-the-art Centre for Laboratory Medicine at St James’s University Hospital. West Yorkshire Combined Authority has provisionally identified the Old Medical School as a major project set to benefit from the £160 million West Yorkshire Investment Zone. The project is expected to create 237 jobs. The site is within the Innovation Arc, a series of connected neighbourhoods formed around Leeds General Infirmary, University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Arts University and the city’s West End. The proposed use for the Old Medical School is in line with the council’s strategy to create a world-class district for research and innovation west of the city centre, as set out in its Innovation Arc supplementary planning document. Leeds has one of the highest concentrations of health-tech employees in the UK and has the most high-growth health tech firms securing investment; the most health and care patents, strong demand for research and innovation skills and the highest proportion of bioscience undergraduates. Leeds Teaching Hospitals has a long track record of medical breakthroughs including the world’s first double hand transplant and the world’s first procedure using non-invasive sonic beam therapy to target and destroy cancer tumours. Its fully-funded new hospital development at Leeds General Infirmary will include a new adults’ hospital, a new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital, and the UK’s largest single-site maternity and neonatal centre. Property advisor Fox Lloyd Jones advised Leeds Teaching Hospitals during the marketing process for the Old Medical School.

The first CGIs for Bradford City Village have been revealed, as momentum builds towards creating a sustainable residential neighbourhood in the heart of Bradford’s city centre. Built across the ‘Top of Town’ and Darley Street areas which includes the Oastler and Kirkgate Shopping Centres, the new City Village will repurpose what was historically Bradford’s commercial and retail area. It will create 1,000 homes, as well as independent retail and leisure opportunities, business spaces and a high-quality public realm. Bradford Council is developing the plans in partnership with ECF (formerly the English Cities Fund). The new CGIs reflect the latest development of the masterplan, which has been shaped and refined following feedback from hundreds of local people during the initial public consultation programme which ended in January 2024. Priorities from local people included more community amenities and services, a mix of housing types and more green spaces. Initial proposals, which are still to undergo further public consultation, currently include:

• Oastler: This site could contain around 70 townhouses, with gardens and parking, and around 380 apartments. The buildings could range from four to six storeys, with the potential for one building to reach a maximum of ten storeys.
• Kirkgate: This site is considered most appropriate for higher-density apartment living, with buildings set around attractive new courtyards. Around 400 new apartments could be accommodated, with lots of active ground-floor spaces for shops, places to eat and drink and other leisure uses. Potential building heights are still being explored.
• Chain Street: This site could provide lower-density family housing in the form of modern townhouses, set around a new community green. Around 50 new townhouses could be accommodated, in a mix of two-four-bedroom properties with gardens and parking.

All three sites will include green spaces with three new community parks. On Kirkgate this will be in the form of a significant new linear park stretching along Darley Street, tentatively titled ‘Darley Park’.

Bradford Council’s Lead Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw said: “City Village is the next stage of our ambitious regeneration programme to reshape our city centre. “Key projects like One City Park and Darley Street Market are now nearing completion and City Village shows the direction of the city centre for the next ten years – quality housing, more public spaces and a shift away from an over-reliance on traditional retail that has now changed forever with online shopping and changing customer habits. “This draft masterplan is a key step forward to unlocking the funding and investment required to deliver the necessary regeneration to Bradford city centre and provide jobs and opportunities to people across the district. “Our vision is to create a healthy, sustainable and community-friendly neighbourhood. While housing is at the heart of these plans, City Village will also create opportunities for new independent retail, cafes, bars and business spaces. “Bringing more homes into the city centre will also increase custom for the existing businesses on North Parade, where our recent investment shows what a sustainable, greener high street can look like.”

ECF is a strategic joint venture between developer Muse, which has recently delivered the 56,400 sq ft One City Park office scheme in Bradford; investor Legal & General; and the government’s housing and regeneration agency, Homes England. Simon Dew, development director at ECF, explained: “Bradford is investing at an unprecedented level in its transport and public infrastructure to drive future success and realise its full economic potential. City Village is about responding to these new opportunities by balancing retail against other uses that will bring more people into the city centre. “City Village will transform Bradford and these latest plans reveal the current thinking, and we’re really keen to hear what people think about them. There is another phase of engagement planned and we’ll encourage everyone to look at the plans and have their say before the final masterplan is approved.” People will have another opportunity to have their say on the plans in Autumn this year. The planning application will be submitted in Spring 2025 and construction could commence later that year. The wider project team for Bradford City Village also includes 5plus Architects and re-form Landscape Architecture.

Contractor Clegg Construction has handed over a new 65-bedroom care home to Barchester Healthcare. The £9m Highfield Care Home at Barkston Ash in North Yorkshire is located on the former Scarthingwell Park Estate and replaces an ageing care home that had previously been on the site. The new two-storey facilities include lounge, dining and communal areas and will provide 24-hour residential care tailored to the individual in a warm, friendly, and modern environment, as well as specialist care for those living with dementia. Throughout the build, Clegg Construction consistently achieved high Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) scores in testament to Clegg’s engagement with the local community, its approach to safeguarding the environment, and the protection of the workforce. Darren Chapman, operations director at Clegg Construction, said: “Highfield Care Home is situated in an idyllic location, with peaceful and picturesque surroundings which will provide future residents with a sense of well-being. It is less than five minutes away from Tadcaster and all the services and facilities that the town offers. “Clegg Construction is proud to have delivered such a wonderful scheme for Barchester Healthcare, which has a reputation for providing high quality, person-centred care services in superior care environments.” Clegg Construction has vast experience in managing the construction of new-build, state-of-the-art care and nursing homes across the country for a number of respected operators, delivering over 400 care home beds in recent times. As part of its commitment to engaging with the local community during the build of Highfield Care Home, Clegg Construction visited Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School to speak to pupils about how local flora and fauna have been protected during construction and also organised a bird box design competition. Clegg also donated fencing to a local residents’ group and wood to residents. More than 20 existing trees and hedgerows on the site, including a mature turkey oak, a sycamore maple, a Lawson cypress, and a hazel tree, were safely protected, and common pipistrelle bats found at the site were moved to a place of safety. The team on the Highfield Care Home scheme working alongside Clegg Construction included project manager and quantity surveyor Holden & Lee, architect Harris Irwin Architects, structural engineer Cameron Darroch Associates and M&E consultant Harniss. Senior Property Development Manager for Barchester Healthcare, Michael Coggin, said: “We’re now welcoming residents to our stunning new care home in Tadcaster. Not only will our residents have a home set in beautiful grounds, the new home will also offer a range of job prospects boosting employment in the neighbouring areas. We look forward to showcasing our home to the local community, if anyone has questions about care please do come and see us.”