New preferred operator appointed for major Scarborough attraction
One of North Yorkshire’s leading leisure companies has been named as the preferred operator of Scarborough’s Alpamare Waterpark.
Officers are now working with managers at Flamingo Land, which is based near Malton, to agree terms to get the attraction reopened to the public in time for this year’s core summer tourism season.
Members of North Yorkshire Council’s executive made the decision to appoint Flamingo Land after a three-week exercise to search for potential operators.
Councillors were told that the business has committed to opening the park this summer until November when operating costs and plans for the winter season will be reviewed.
Deputy leader, Cllr Gareth Dadd, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce that Flamingo Land is our preferred operator.
“As a council, we never intended to run this ourselves but instead to find an operator with the right expertise to take it on and get it reopened for the summer season.
“It is a key visitor attraction on Scarborough’s North Bay and makes a telling contribution as a commercial tourism venture. It is great to be looking to work with a well-established, local and trusted operator.”
Flamingo Land’s chief executive and owner, Gordon Gibb, said: “This is an exciting new venture for us. It’s a big challenge for us but we are always up for a challenge at Flamingo Land. We aim to get Alpamare open to the public again in July.”
North Yorkshire Council took possession of the site in December last year when the waterpark’s tenant, Benchmark Leisure Ltd, went into administration. Now that a short-term operator has been found, work to find a permanent solution on the future operation of the site will begin.
The water park, which is located off Burniston Road, features a wave pool, a splash and play pool, four state-of-the-art slides, two outdoor pools, an alpine themed spa and treatment area, and a café and terrace bar. It was purpose-built in 2016 overlooking the North Bay in the seaside town.
Flamingo Land is based at Kirby Misperton near Malton with its theme park, zoo and holiday homes attracting thousands of visitors every year. The company has previously run Pleasure Island in North East Lincolnshire and is the preferred bidder for a new adventure holiday development at Loch Lomond.
AW Hainsworth hires Paul Dudley as Head of Engineering and Sustainability
AW Hainsworth, a British fabric manufacturer and vertical woollen mill based in Pudsey, has appointed Paul Dudley as its new Head of Engineering and Sustainability. This newly created role will focus on shaping AW Hainsworth’s Engineering and Sustainability strategy and fostering a culture of continuous improvement across the organisation.
Paul joins AW Hainsworth with an extensive engineering, environmental, and health and safety management background, having spent the last 28 years predominantly working in the furniture industry. He previously worked for a German textile machine manufacturer in Leeds and has a vast knowledge of textile machinery and processes. Paul has successfully led sustainability projects such as IS0 14064 accreditation and implemented energy-saving initiatives in his previous roles.
Paul comments: “Joining AW Hainsworth feels like returning to my roots in textiles. The company’s rich history, manufacturing excellence, dedication to its workforce and environmental impact align perfectly with my passion for sustainability. I’m excited to help embed a sustainable culture in all areas of the business and to be part of a company that heavily invests in the interest of the workforce while putting environmental impact at the heart of everything it does.”
In his new role, Paul will focus on several key sustainability initiatives to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, increase employee well-being, and enhance overall efficiency. His initial efforts will include benchmarking data to guide the company’s sustainability strategy and exploring energy-saving operations for various systems and processes.
Amanda McLaren, Managing Director at AW Hainsworth, commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Paul to our team. His expertise and dedication to sustainability will be invaluable as we continue integrating environmentally responsible practices into our operations and making significant investments towards evolving into a more sustainable business while maintaining our heritage of quality textiles.”
Knight Frank establishes “finance centre of excellence” in Leeds
Global property consultancy Knight Frank has established a finance centre of excellence in Leeds for its UK Property Asset Management team.
The brand-new team will be based at Knight Frank’s offices at 9 Bond Court in the heart of the city’s professional quarter.
The new team members are: Jamie Thornton; Danny Gregory; Kyle James; Tatiana McDougall; Tracey Fakora; Daniel Clark; Nicky Chadwick; Adam Hellas; and Ryan Cook.
Ronan Gallagher, partner with Knight Frank and head of Property Asset Management Accounts (PAM), explained: “This major expansion of our operation in Leeds makes it the UK hub for Purchase Ledger, Treasury and Client Accounting for Shopping Centres and National Portfolios.
“The overall UK PAM team is growing, but this is a deliberate effort to centralise certain functions in Leeds, where we are focusing on building a centre of excellence. Leeds has been chosen due to the talent pool in the region and the city’s easy access from all parts of the UK.
“For Leeds, this provides exciting opportunities for the existing team to grow and to nurture and attract new talent. Having a team under one roof will benefit of clients and our team in terms of efficiency, response times and service levels.
“At Knight Frank, we have resisted the temptation to move our PAM operation offshore and we are keen to develop our PAM bases within the UK. This investment will also encourage other organisations to make a similar move to the Leeds area, thereby benefitting the region,” said Mr Gallagher.
Knight Frank has recently invested in refurbishing its offices in Leeds city centre with space for clients to come and interact and network together.
Stunning show village officially opens as The Greenways continues to grow
A stunning new Show Village showcasing prestige housebuilder Beal Homes’ luxury properties has officially opened at The Greenways development in Goole.
The Show Village was declared open by East Riding of Yorkshire Council Leader, Councillor Anne Handley, who cut the ribbon before guests were given guided tours of the show homes.
As a Goole Ward Councillor, Goole Town Deal Board member and resident of the town, Cllr Handley has been a passionate advocate for Goole’s exciting regeneration, working with businesses such as Beal which are investing millions of pounds to rejuvenate the town.
Speaking at the Show Village opening event, alongside Beal Chief Executive Richard Beal, Cllr Handley said: “As a local resident myself, I’ve watched The Greenways grow and grow and it makes me really proud to see it.
“It’s an outstanding and aspirational development and supports all the investment we have going on in the town, with more to come. It has put Goole firmly on the map.
“I can’t thank Richard and the Beal team enough. It’s wonderful what they have brought to Goole and it gives me great pleasure to officially open this Show Village.”
The Show Village enables prospective buyers o view a selection of East Yorkshire-based Beal’s thoughtfully designed house types. The four properties showcase the quality of new homes at The Greenways and the wealth of design options and upgrades available to homebuyers.
The Greenways is at the forefront of an ongoing wave of large-scale investments, alongside developments by other blue chip companies, which are creating hundreds of highly-skilled jobs in Goole.
Richard Beal said: “The opening of the Show Village marks a major milestone for The Greenways and signposts how this exciting development continues to grow.
“Behind the Show Village, the foundations are in place to enable more people to own their own home in one of Yorkshire’s most up-and-coming towns.
“We’re investing more than £200m here over more than a decade to deliver hundreds of much-needed, high-quality homes. With that investment comes highly-skilled jobs in construction and other disciplines, training opportunities and apprenticeships, and long-term work for our supply chain.”
Law firm with offices in Leeds and Sheffield makes 100 promotions nationwide
National law firm Freeths has today announced almost 100 promotions across the business as it continues to bolster its offering throughout the UK.
A total of 95 colleagues have been promoted across all legal and business support service areas within the firm’s 13 offices, including four partner and 73 lawyer promotions.
This year, over 50% of these promotions are women, demonstrating the firm’s ongoing commitment to gender equality.
Within the senior promotions, alongside 13 Legal Director promotions, there are four Partner Promotions: The Real Estate Team has seen Sarah Rowe achieve Partner; our specialist Environmental and Planning Team has welcomed Ben Derrington to Partner level; Henry Clappinson has become Partner in Freeths’ Restructuring and Insolvency Team, which was recently named as the most active in the High Court Review 2023, and the firm’s Family Practice promotions included Mark Heppinstall to Partner.
Karl Jansen, National Managing Partner of Freeths, said: “As a firm, we’re passionate about developing our homegrown talent and it’s imperative that our people feel properly supported in order to be able to progress their careers and provide the very best for our clients.
“I’d like to extend our huge congratulations to everybody at Freeths who has achieved promotion this year, and our thanks to all our colleagues for their hard work, commitment, and valued contributions throughout the year. These successful promotions recognise the breadth of our capabilities as we continue to build upon the strength of our offering.”
Government changes storm damage rules to help more farmers
Defra has updated the eligibility criteria of its Farming Recovery Fund so that farmers whose land has been severely affected by flooding and wet weather, and who are likely to need to do work to remediate land to make it possible to farm it in future, will be eligible. Payments will be made this summer.
The Farming Recovery Fund opened in April, with eligible farmers set to access grant support of up to £25,000.
The NFU raised concerns over the eligibility criteria after the fund opened, with support originally limited to land located within 150 metres of eligible rivers in regions hit hardest by Storm Henk. This rule has since been reversed to include all flooded land near an eligible river.
The scheme has now been expanded to include a wider geographical area of farmers who suffered river flooding. It now also includes those who experienced damage due to extreme rainfall.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “After months of discussions, it’s really good news that the government has listened to our calls for additional financial support for farm businesses.
“Against the backdrop of some of the most challenging commercial and weather conditions in living memory, which has resulted in plummeting business confidence, these measures will provide some critical relief to many member businesses which have been facing a very uncertain future because of exceptional cashflow pressures.”
The announcement follows the wettest 18 months since 1836, which has left vast swathes of agricultural land saturated and, in many cases, still under water. Many arable farmers have been unable to plant crops and have lost those that were in the ground, while livestock farmers have endured an incredibly difficult lambing season.
With farm business planning needing long-term stability, many farms will be dealing with the impacts for months and even years to come.
The government has now taken on board more of the NFU’s asks which will help more farmers and growers get the support they need to recover and rebuild. These include measures to improve on farm cash flow, with the second instalment (50%) of delinked payments moving forward to September rather than December, and reaffirmation that members will receive the first instalment (50%) in August. Furthermore, the scope of the Farm Recovery Fund has been extended to offer support to farms damaged due to extreme rainfall as well as river breaches.
Yorkshire-based recycling company appoints new Operations Director
Yorkshire owned and operated waste and recycling company Divert has appointed a new Operations Director, set to bring a fresh direction to the business.
Sam Goodall has extensive experience in business operations within the recycling and waste management industry, spanning 20 years. After he drove his last company forward from just under 5 million turnover to an impressive 16 million, he’s now joining Divert not only as the new Operations Director but also as a shareholder.
Sam has a strong strategic business mind, built through working on projects like the 10-year masterplan at Leeds Becket University. Hence his vision is fuelled by growth and strategic planning for the Leeds company – Divert. From growing their customer base to hiring more staff and moving to bigger premises, Sam will be at the forefront of all Divert’s expansion in the next years.
Joining an ambitious team of directors, the aim is to continue driving their policy of waste diversion from landfills by promoting recycling and waste-to-energy solutions. Sam will help the business target a 55% annual growth rate in new customers across their commercial sectors. The new vision for the business also includes geographical expansion, searching to sustainably grow their service areas with the goal of increasing their market presence.
Newly appointed Operations Director Sam says: “I’m delighted to be joining the Divert team and help grow the business. It’s a great company that puts its customers and the environment at the heart of everything that they do.
“I see a real opportunity for us to become the number one independent waste/recycling provider in Yorkshire. We will continue to maintain the high levels of collections and customer service and focus as much as possible on helping customers achieve their environmental goals.”
John Verity, the Managing Director of Divert, adds: “Sam’s outstanding expertise in the sector is exactly the fresh perspective the business needed. We are excited to have him on board and are confident he will take the business to a new level.”
NKDC shortlisted in two categories at Net Zero awards
Two environmentally-friendly building projects from North Kesteven District Council have been shortlisted for the Unlock Net Zero awards in recognition of their positive climate impact.
The Unlock Net Zero awards are designed to champion progress in housing and the built environment on the journey to decarbonisation, in which environmental impacts from buildings are reduced or eliminated.
In the ‘Building or development of the year – Commercial’ category, the Council’s Sleaford Moor Enterprise Park has been shortlisted, while in the ‘Green homes upgrade of the year – Central and East of England’ category the Council has been recognised alongside partners Equans for retrofitting of council homes.
Both of these projects were conceived and undertaken with a view to advancing the Council’s aim for its operations to be net zero by 2030, and to support tenants by making it easier and cheaper to heat and run their homes and business premises.
Sleaford Moor Enterprise Park, off Pride Parkway, is designed to provide a low-carbon home for growing businesses of various sizes, and includes planet-friendly features such as solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.
All the units so far completed achieved energy efficiency ratings of A or higher following a fabric-first approach. The site even takes wildlife into consideration, providing extensive trees and planting to benefit biodiversity.
Phase one of the scheme was completed in late 2023. Already eight of the 15 units in phase one are fully let and occupied by businesses. Three of the remaining units are under offer and undergoing all the final legal preparations before businesses can move in, and the remaining four units are either the subject of ongoing discussions or are continuing to generate enquiries.
The Council’s retrofitting project sees the lowest EPC-rated homes in the Council’s portfolio being prioritised for green upgrades such as improved insulation, new heating systems, air source heat pumps and solar panels.
The first wave of the 600 initial properties to be treated has been completed with partners Equans who are recognised leaders in this field. Tenants in these properties are already reporting noticeable reductions in their energy usage, as well as increased comfort and health benefits.
The Council’s long-term aim is to raise EPC ratings across the portfolio to minimum C, which helps save each household on average £1,200 per year, ensuring an estimated carbon reduction of 2.56 tonnes of CO2 per year each. Overall the project to retrofit the first 200 properties should save 512 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to that captured annually by a hectare of 100-year-old woodland or by taking 304 cars off the road per year.
North Kesteven District Council Leader Councillor Richard Wright said: “Being shortlisted for these awards places us amongst the top organisations working to achieve net zero in the built environment. It’s something we put a great deal of effort into, both for the environmental benefits and the immediate improvements felt by tenants, both domestic and commercial.
“It’s gratifying to have this work recognised and to have the opportunity to share our progress. We acknowledge that there’s a long way to go to achieve our goal of net zero for North Kesteven, but this demonstrates that it is possible and we are making strides in the right direction.”
New Joint Venture to deliver development schemes across the north
GMI Developments Limited and Miller Developments have created a new Joint Venture, GMI Miller Limited, to deliver development schemes across the north of England.
Following the acquisition of the partnership’s first site, an 80-acre site in Scholes Leeds for up to 600 new homes, the venture is close to agreeing terms on an employment site and a 500-unit edge of centre residential development.
Chris Gilman, Managing Director of GMI, said: “We are delighted to have joined forces with Miller Developments to initially bring forward the development of our site at Scholes. Their extensive track record and strong capital base make them the ideal partner for both this site and the other opportunities we are working on. We look forward to a long and successful relationship.”
GMI Developments, part of the GMI Holdings Group, has a long track record of bringing forward complex regeneration projects in partnership with both public and private sector organisations.
The Directors have successfully delivered some of the region’s most high-profile developments including the 200-acre award-winning Thorpe Park. The company also has extensive knowledge of working with local authorities on complex regeneration schemes, including the redevelopment of Clay Cross town centre in Derbyshire.
Miller Developments, which was bought out of the wider Miller Group in 2018 by its management team, is well-known for the delivery of significant projects across the UK, including the mixed-use logistics and residential project at Omega Warrington in the north. The company already controls land capable of delivering over 5,000 new homes.
The privately owned and well-funded company has assets in excess of £70million which the company is keen to reinvest in further development opportunities throughout the wider UK, either directly or through further joint venture opportunities.
David Hodgson, Development Director at Miller Developments, said: “The GMI Miller JV will exploit the vast experience the two companies have in acquiring, securing planning and delivering high quality employment schemes, serviced residential land and mixed-use developments across the north of England.
“Seeking opportunities to utilise the equity within the company, we are currently engaging with agents to look at a variety of both strategic greenfield and unconditional brownfield sites, on and off-market, and look forward to bringing forward serviced land for the residential sector, boosting local economies through investment and job creation.”
UK logistics market remains ‘prime’ destination for global investment
The UK remains a ‘prime’ destination for global investment, as deal appetite returns for logistics and supply chain management businesses.
In the first quarter of 2024, 38% of deals in the sector were cross-border, highlighting the growing interest from international investors. High profile transactions included Elanders’ acquisitions of Bishopsgate Specialist Logistics, Yusen-owned ILG’s acquisition of Global Freight Solutions and Hapag Lloyds’ acquisition of ATL Haulage Contractors.
The rise in cross-border activity comes as overall deal activity in the sector fell marginally in Q1. Between January and March 2024, 26 transaction were completed, compared to 27 in the previous quarter. However, total disclosed deal value rose to £372 million, up from £53 million for the previous three months.
According to the latest report from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP, the ‘UK M&A Update – Q1 2024’, in the first quarter of the year 42% of deals were tech-related, demonstrating that innovation is a driving force in the market, as companies seek to optimise operational performance to improve margins.
Jason Whitworth, M&A partner at BDO LLP, said: “Following on from 2023, we continue to see venture capital targeting next generation technology and growth. Investment activity within the robotics and the drone delivery operations sector is still gaining momentum.
“Albeit in its infancy, there is an argument that drone technology is paving the way for a revolution in delivery services, offering a sneak peek at a future where speed, efficiency and accessibility are dramatically enhanced.”
He continued: “When it comes to overseas interest, with a scarcity of quality mid-market businesses not already controlled by larger global groups, there has been heightened interest in remaining opportunities, creating a real value end game for those businesses building scale and a differentiated service offering.”
Deals also included London-based Skyports Series C funding led by Spain-based ACS Group, a key player in the infrastructure and construction industry. The $110m funding is set to be instrumental in advancing Skyport’s Infrastructure and Drone Service business.
Elsewhere, UK logistic company EFS Global acquired pallet and parcel distribution specialists Leeds Parcel Company, Pass the Parcel and YDL; and UK delivery and logistics service provider Yodel Delivery was acquired by YDLGP, a newly formed company backed by a consortium of investors, including boutique investment bank Solano Partners Ltd, and the leadership team behind Shift, the growing UK-based logistics platform.
Whitworth added: “Since the latter part of 2023, we have seen a steady stream of deal activity as companies strive to shake off the uncertainties of the past and gear up for the future. There has been an increasing number of bolt-on strategic acquisitions to bolster business growth and build scale.
“What is noticeable about deal activity in Q1 is the lack of primary private equity investment, with only one direct investment deal during the quarter by HIG, which acquired DX Group.
“Private equity firms appear to be in a holding pattern, waiting for clearer signs of industry-wide trading performance improvement before committing to new investment. However, private equity backed or cash-rich logistic firms are continuing to consolidate, developing their buy-and-build strategies.”
