New development site hits the market at heart of historic gateway to Leeds
A new plot of land at the heart of a key sustainable regeneration scheme has come to the market this week.
Meadow Lane in Leeds, which sits at an historic gateway to the city centre, and forms a vital piece of the new multi-million pound city centre green space, Aire Park, offers potential developers the option to deliver an architecturally unique building, housing a mix of predominately residential units.
The 0.18 hectare plot is well connected, in the heart of the South Bank and only five minutes from Leeds railway station, the busiest transport hub in the north of England.
Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “South Bank, Leeds has taken huge strides in terms of regeneration of the area over the last decade, from both the regeneration of key heritage and industrial assets, to bringing forward the largest city centre green space in the UK, and in turn creating well connected and sustainable neighbourhoods.
“The city is going through momentous change and the council is committed to continuing to help unlock major commercial and residential development across the South Bank and the centre of Leeds. This is one example of where we have been able to release a prime piece of city centre land, for better use and to continue to build upon this excellent and vibrant community.”
Cushman & Wakefield are marketing the site on behalf of the council.
Renewables firms travel to Denmark for talks about collaboration
A group of businesses from the renewables and ports and logistics sectors are to meet their counterparts in the Danish port of Esbjerg next month for talks on opportunities for collaboration in the renewable energy and ports and logistics supply chain.
The port of Esbjerg is the leading port for offshore wind in the Continental North Sea, is the base of the Danish offshore wind industry, and an international hub for multimodal transport with six regular RoRo liner services. It handles approximately 4.5 million tonnes of cargo, ships out 1000 – 1500 MW of offshore wind capacity, and facilitates the import of around, 50,000 cars. All major companies in the offshore wind industry are present at the port, that is home to 200 companies employing approximately, 10,000 people, covering more than 4 million square meters and is the largest port in Denmark. The visit is being coordinated by Eastern Airway, Port of Esbjerg and Good Travel Management, part of the John Good Group, and supported by Humber-Marine-Renewables and Hull City Council. Participating companies will travel to Esbjerg on 19th April, on the recently launched Eastern Airways service from Humberside Airport.Build programme enters final phase at Bradford’s One City Park
The build programme for One City Park, Bradford’s first new high quality office development in 20 years, is continuing at pace as the project team led by nationwide placemaker, Muse, in partnership with Bradford Council and lead contractor Caddick Construction remain confident that the development is on track to complete summer 2023.
The striking glass and steel scheme will create 56,403 sq ft of sustainable office space across five floors. The steel frame – supplied and erected by Halifax-based Elland Steel – was completed in November and the aluminium cladding system which frames the floor to ceiling windows is well underway.
Externally, the retaining wall in front of the building has been demolished and work has begun on constructing new Spanish steps which will link the building to the mirror pool and provide an attractive setting for people to meet, sit and enjoy the views over City Park – which is set to play a major role in the district’s UK City of Culture programme in 2025.
Simon Dew, development director at Muse, added: “The skills and specialist knowledge of our extraordinary build team is enabling us to deliver this landmark scheme for the city on track which is an incredible achievement. We’ve had a strong stream of enquiries from potential occupiers – a confident sign that the demand for a modern, high specification office scheme in the city is there.
“Bradford is a place where start-ups and growing SMEs can thrive, and that major corporates have proudly called their home for hundreds of years. The district has always cultivated an entrepreneurial spirit – and we hope that One City Park will become home to the next generation of innovators who will choose to live and work in the city, attracted by the opportunity to fulfil their potential here.”
The scheme has been designed with modern businesses in mind, with flexible floor plates that can adapt to accommodate more agile working practices that promote wellbeing, and strong sustainability credentials.
In line with Bradford Council’s ‘Clean Growth Strategy’, which is ensuring that development in the city is sustainable, clean, environmentally regenerative and socially inclusive, One City Park will feature a range of green design elements including high-performance glazing, photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps to make sure the building operates on renewable energy.
Every car-parking space includes an electric car charging point, coupled with secure cycle storage and changing facilities to encourage workers to take more sustainable and healthier modes of transport.
Paul Dodsworth, Managing Director at Caddick Construction, added: “There’s a huge demand for high quality, multipurpose commercial space in Bradford and Muse is leading the region by bringing to market this exciting new development. It’s a true testament to our team’s commitment and dedication that we’re on track to deliver this fantastic project on time.
“Creating places where businesses and their people can thrive is important to every commercial build that we deliver, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure our sustainability target of BREEAM Excellent is met and this flagship scheme provides a market-leading environmentally conscious space.”
The building will feature a panoramic roof terrace offering superb views of the many civic and cultural buildings that surround City Park including City Hall, St George’s Hall and new music venue, Bradford Live, which is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound transformation, as well as bars, restaurants and cafes. It will also complement other major capital developments in the city including the £23m Darley Street Market scheme.
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration Planning and Transport, said: “One City Park entering the final phase of its construction marks an exciting moment in the district’s continual transformation and really complements the wider regeneration of the city centre including the new Darley Street Market and the progress being made with the City Village at the top of town. It’s a measure of our ambition for continual growth in the district.”
Sheffield Forgemasters makes flood prevention land purchase
Sheffield Forgemasters has purchased a 400m2 parcel of land adjacent to the River Don to install a high powered pumping station to prevent flooding.
The site, located on the junction between Brightside Lane and Weedon Street, will house a water pumping station to connect Bagley Brook, which runs through a culvert beneath the company’s site into the River Don, dramatically reducing the brook’s liability to breach.
The initiative is part of the company’s site-wide recapitalisation programme, which will see significant investment in defence critical assets, and is predicted to radically reduce the burden on the Victorian culvert, which has been a point of flooding at Brightside Lane.
Steve Marshall, manufacturing transformation director at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “The new pumping station will make a vast difference to issues which have previously caused flooding at Brightside Lane, protecting our site and reducing the volume of water that can breach onto public road surfaces.
“Bagley Brook feeds into the River Don from an underground culvert through our site and during high water levels in the River the outlet of the culvert is closed off, causing it to surcharge and back up. The pumping station will allow the water to flow in a flood event therefore preventing the brook from breaching.”
The pumping station will be sunk into a seven metre concrete pit, 10 metres wide and 11 long, housing three pumps capable of pumping 240,000 litres of water per minute to relieve the burden on the culvert in flood-risk conditions.
Steve added: “We have already secured planning permission to go ahead with the pumping station, which we see as a major step forward in flood-risk mitigation.
“In the 2007 flood, our site was primarily affected by the River Don bursting its banks, but in 2019, following work to heighten the river wall, floodwaters entered our site’s northern edge when Bagley Brook was too full to flow through the culvert.
“As we progress with the programme to recapitalise our operations, flood prevention has become an integral part of our plans and should remove any chance of the business being threatened by extreme flood occurrences.”
The pumping station will complement a range of other flood prevention measures at Sheffield Forgemasters, including revisions to drainage and new, higher-based buildings to house plant.
Work is expected to start on the pumping station early in 2024.
With £2m to spend, LEP asks training providers for skills bootcamp proposals
Colleges and training providers in Greater Lincolnshire are being asked to submit proposals for Skills Bootcamps to reflect future training needs.
The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership has been awarded £2m by the Department for Education to develop a new wave of Skills Bootcamps in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council.
Skills Bootcamps are part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, helping everyone gain skills for life, and are available to adults who want to change careers, find new jobs or upskill in the workplace by learning sector-specific skills. The courses are free and flexible and can be online, face-to-face or a mix of the two depending on the subject.
The Greater Lincolnshire LEP has already started developing Skills Bootcamps as part of the Department of Education’s Wave 3. There is now a variety of courses available in multiple sectors including food and drink, transport and healthcare.
Funding for Wave 4 means that colleges and training providers in Greater Lincolnshire have until 18th April 2023 to submit proposals for upcoming Skills Bootcamps.
Employers can also get involved in the process, as Skills Bootcamps should be designed around their skills needs. They can offer interviews to learners who have completed the Skills Bootcamp or send their own employees on the Skills Bootcamp to upskill them so they can take on a new role or extra responsibilities.
This is an opportunity for employers to help develop training courses based on the needs of their industry, whether for existing employees or future candidates.
Simon Telfer, Chair of the LEP’s Employment and Skills Advisory Panel, said: “Thanks to our partnership with Lincolnshire County Council and funding from the Department of Education, we are now in the position to plan the next wave of Skills Bootcamps.
“We are encouraging local training organisations to submit proposals as this is a great opportunity to help develop training that will fill the skills gaps and upskill our workforce in Greater Lincolnshire.”
If you are a college or training provider with a proposal, you can submit an application now. The closing date for proposals is 18th April 2023 and those that are successful will start being delivered in May 2023.
Gainsborough business park units all sold, with planning permission for more
All plots at the Business Park at Foxby Lane in Gainsborough have now sold with planning permission secured across the site. Once fully developed, the site will generate more than 200 jobs for the area.
The six-acre Business Park, home to Lincolnshire County Council’s managed business centre Mercury House, was initially slow to attract investors, but the last couple of years have seen a lot of interest in the site and the plots have all been sold in quick succession, with more businesses having to be turned away.
Cllr Colin Davie, Executive Councillor for Economic Development at the County Council, said: “We developed this site to provide grow-on space for local businesses and to future-proof for demand in the area. These latest sales suggest that the market has really turned in Gainsborough with an increase in demand for employment space. I’m delighted we’ve been ahead of the game in having this area ready to support business growth.
“With our Mercury House Business Centre providing office and meeting space for small businesses, we are committed to ensuring that the local economy can thrive in Gainsborough and across the whole county.”
Plots at Foxby Lane Business Park have been purchased by various private businesses and developed into office and warehouse space, and light industrial units. The proposed development at the site has the potential to attract 223 jobs and create over 77,000 square feet of commercial floor space
ABP eyes up potential of installing wind turbines on Humber Bank
Associated British Ports is consulting with stakeholders on plans to install several onshore wind turbines to make the Humber ports greener and more resilient against higher energy costs.
The Ports of Grimsby and Immingham will be the first onshore wind projects for consultation with a generation capacity potentially up to 36MW. Plans are being developed for up to four turbines at Grimsby (up to 24MW) and at least two at Immingham (up to 12MW).
It comes after the National Grid announced at the start of the year that Great Britain had produced a record amount of wind-powered electricity with 21.6GW in power being generated. Onshore wind will contribute to ABP’s decarbonisation journey being able to generate 24 hours a day and give more power in winter than summer.
Simon Bird, Regional Director for ABP Humber said: “We are steadily replacing our port plant and equipment with greener models, and we’ve already got the UK’s largest solar panel array at the Port of Hull. This application for onshore wind is serving to establish ABP as a greener part of the supply chain.
“The presence of wind turbines within the port estate reflects the innovation of our ports and shows our commitment and investment to becoming sustainable. It is our intention to also develop turbines at our Port of Hull.”
ABP supports government ambitions to achieving net zero and recently launched its own £2 billion plan for Energy Transition growth and Net Zero 2040. Called Ready for Tomorrow it looks to meet the challenges and grasp the opportunities. ABP has already reduced its own CO2 emissions by over 35% since 2014 and invested over £55 million in sustainability measures, which includes the largest commercial rooftop solar array in the UK at the Port of Hull, electric vehicles and cranes across the group and a new fleet of more fuel-efficient pilot boats. The Port of Immingham recently trialled a Terberg hydrogen fuelled tractor in its container terminal.
Grants equip Yorkshire Dales businesses with dark skies lighting
Four prominently-located Yorkshire Dales businesses have received grants from the National Park Authority to cover the cost of introducing dark skies-friendly lighting.
The Station Inn in Upper Ribblesdale, near to the iconic Ribblehead viaduct, has installed 19 directional and well-placed exterior LED lights, significantly reducing glare and helping to make the surroundings perfect for astrotourism.
The other three businesses to install dark skies-friendly lighting are The Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes, including the Visitor Centre; the Stone House Hotel in Upper Wensleydale and the Yorebridge Sport and Leisure on the edge of the village of Askrigg.
The Yorkshire Dales National Park – and its near neighbour the North York Moors National Park – achieved International Dark Sky Reserve status in December 2020. Since then both have embarked on a comprehensive programme of monitoring artificial light levels, providing lighting guidance on their websites as well as working with councils, businesses and residents to advise and provide grant-funding for those looking to change their exterior lights.
Station Inn publican Claire Hobbs said: “By working with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and the Dark Skies initiative we have not only had support to make the inn ‘Dark Sky friendly’, with modifications to our outdoor lighting, but we also had support in terms of promotions and access to astronomers.
“We are now running regular star gazing evenings and incredibly each is a sell-out irrespective of whether they’re midweek or weekend events. This is generating much needed trade in the always tricky off-season.”
Hannah Kay, Dark Skies Project Manager for the Yorkshire Dales National Park added: “There are so many benefits to swapping to dark skies friendly lighting, particularly as newer appropriately angled low power LED warm light technology can reduce energy consumption. Beyond that, research has shown just how much wildlife needs true darkness, whether it’s night pollinating moths or birds roosting. There’s also the benefit to our own wellbeing and of course, the wonderment that comes from seeing a dark sky which is filled with thousands of stars.”
Drive Motor Retail expands with acquisition of Yorkshire-based dealer
Drive Motor Retail has acquired Yorkshire-based dealer Minstergate, which operates six businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Minstergate has Hyundai and MG sites in York, Hull and Scarborough, meaning the acquisition introduces three Hyundai dealerships into the Drive group, whilst complementing its three existing MG dealers in Bristol, Leicester, and Darlington.
This increases Drive’s MG representation from three to six locations, making Drive one of the largest MG dealer groups in the UK.
Rob Keenan, joint Managing Director at Drive, said: “We are thrilled that this acquisition has now been completed, enabling us to enter a new region of the UK which was not previously covered by a Drive dealership.
“Minstergate has been a very successful business for many years and is well regarded by the franchises it represents and their customers. We will continue to work with and support the existing teams, including giving them the benefit of our recently enhanced employee benefits scheme. I would like to thank the team at Minstergate for their support during the acquisition process, which has been completed in a remarkably short time.”
Stuart Harrison, joint Managing Director, added: “We are delighted to complete the acquisition of Minstergate, enabling us to add the Hyundai franchise to our portfolio at a very exciting time for the brand. We have built a successful partnership with MG over the past two years, so I am also pleased to expand our representation with MG at a time when the brand continues to deliver exceptional growth in the UK.
“The addition of Hyundai and the expansion with MG complements our existing business portfolio, giving us a wider geographical footprint with exceptional brand partners who we are proud to represent.”
The Minstergate dealerships will initially continue to operate under their current brand before transitioning to Drive later in the year.
Mark Campey, Minstergate Holdings chairman and CEO, said: “Having owned the business for 18 years, selling to Drive made perfect sense. They have a fantastic business model and I know the team here will be in great hands. To be passing the company over to Drive seemed the right thing to do for the staff and the directors.
“Although I wasn’t actively looking to sell the business, Drive approached me in December 2022 and a deal was agreed quickly. The whole process has been smooth and professional. James Cuff, Minstergate’s Managing Director, will leave the company alongside myself and we both wish the team a successful future. It’s now time for me to step back and spend some quality time with my wife Helen and enjoy a simpler life!”
Sheffield insolvency practice acquired
Leonard Curtis has acquired Sheffield insolvency and recovery firm Graywoods – enhancing its presence in South Yorkshire.
Graywoods is being incorporated into the Leonard Curtis brand – with owners Adrian Graham and Deborah Lockwood welcoming the “excellent opportunity” to become part of a well-renowned national firm in the business recovery sector.
Deborah and Adrian have worked together since 1999 and set up Graywoods in 2015 – building a successful firm that specialises in corporate recovery and insolvency advice for SMEs, charities and other third sector organisations right across South Yorkshire.
Deborah is also a non-executive director at South Yorkshire Housing Association and chair of SYHA Enterprises, whilst collaborating with Sheffield Theatres both on the Development Council and the Fundraising Committee.
Adrian stated: “This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a well-renowned group and for Leonard Curtis to strengthen its presence in South Yorkshire with the addition of a long-established and reputable firm.”
Deborah added: “Working as part of the Leonard Curtis team, we can offer more to the businesses and organisations we currently support and provide an even better offering to our client base.”
Sean Williams – head of Yorkshire and North East at Leonard Curtis, which already includes offices in Leeds, Gateshead and Barlborough – said: “We are fully committed to the region and acquiring Graywoods is a reflection of our efforts to provide an enhanced local offering. The Graywoods team have a common approach to solving problems for business – vastly experienced, approachable and friendly.
“2023 is forecasted to be a significant year in the business recovery sector, and we are focused on supporting as many people within the region as possible.
“This acquisition enables us to extend our reach and offer the best possible support to those who need it.”
Leonard Curtis Legal advised on the transaction, led by Jen Moore, with Sherrelle Scott, Alicia Renshaw, Kulzinder Garcha, Jenny Fell and India Lawrenson. Rob Moore of Taylor Emmet advised Graywoods.
