At a meeting of the Executive, City of York Council councillors were asked to consider two potential sites for the new station, Station Road (site 1) or Towthorpe Road (site 2).
Following an evaluation of the two sites, the Executive selected Towthorpe Road as the preferred site. The site presents a strong case for a station in Haxby with a lower deliverability risk, as it can be delivered within the timescales mandated by the Department for Transport.
Additionally, the evaluation concluded that nearby residents would be less adversely impacted by the potential development of this site, both during construction and once the station is operational.
This decision will support the progress of the delivery of the station and help the Council and partners Network Rail undertake the necessary work ahead of a bid being submitted to Government in 2022. This will include more detailed design work and advanced site investigations, as well as a revised cost estimate to present to the Department for Transport.
The further development work will also include public consultation on the preferred site to ensure any local concerns are understood and addressed in any future planning application.
Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council, said: “I’m delighted to see significant progress made towards delivering a railway station in Haxby.
“Identifying a preferred site is a major step forwards, as the Towthorpe Road site will help us present the strongest possible case to Government to get the funding which make this project happen.
“Haxby station closed in 1930 and we are now closer than ever to fulfilling a decades long ambition held by local councillors and communities and bring a railway station back to Haxby.”
Councillor Andy D’Agorne, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Transport, said: “A railway station at Haxby would bring many benefits. We know that having more sustainable travel options will reduce traffic levels on the roads and also help those living in the North of the city to travel to areas across the country quickly and sustainably.
“I’m delighted to see that a clear majority of local residents support our ambition to bring a railway station back to Haxby.
“Identifying a preferred site will allow our partners Network Rail to undertake development work and put us in the best possible position to submit a strong bid to Government.”
Stephen Hind, Head of Business Development for Network Rail, said: “We know how important this project to develop a railway station in Haxby is for people in the community to improve connections to other towns and cities across the region.
“We’re continuing to work closely with City of York Council to make further progress on proposals before the bid is submitted.”
Preferred location for new railway station agreed by York councillors
Towthorpe Road has been chosen as the preferred site for development of a railway station in Haxby.
University to offer five day course helping resolve common problems when handling biomass materials
Engineers, maintenance personnel, managers and procurement executives with responsibility for obtaining and operating equipment for handling of biomass are set to benefit from a new course in February.
From 21 – 25 February 2022 the University of Greenwich will help delegates identify and resolve common problems when handling the various biomass materials. Run over 5 sessions from 14.00 until 17:00 each day, the Biomass Operations and Handling Technology course will cover the basics of:
- Biomass macro-economics, subsidies and potential;
- Material types, flow properties and handling equipment requirements;
- Self-heating, fire, explosion and safety;
- Dust and degradation, pneumatic conveying and wear;
- Explosion protection and ATEX regulations;
- Engineering of equipment for storage and discharge;
- Ship unloading;
- Dust control and management;
- Possible future trends in biomass
Tour operator swoops for grade A office space in York
Palace Capital, the property investment company, has leased a further 11,300 sq ft of grade A office space at its Hudson Quarter development in the City of York.
The new letting brings office occupancy at Hudson Quarter, which completed in April of this year, to 41% with a further 3,600 sq ft currently under offer.
Great Rail Journeys, the tour operator headquartered in York, has leased the fourth and fifth floors, including the top floor terrace, of the HQ building on a 10 year lease. The tenant has also taken 10 car parking spaces.
Hudson Quarter has a total of 39,200 sq ft of office space which is EPC ‘A’, BREEAM Excellent and WiredScore Platinum rated.
Neil Sinclair, Chief Executive, said: “The latest letting we have secured at Hudson Quarter, York reflects the renewed demand we are seeing among occupiers for high quality, well connected office space, as well as the higher levels of office returns in the regions.
“When we launched HQ, it was the first grade A office space to be available in the York market for over 15 years and with constrained supply and an additional 3,600 sq ft under offer, we are pleased with the progress we are making against this market backdrop.”
JLL acted for Palace Capital and Sanderson Weatherall acted for the tenant.
Property developer delivers Christmas cheer to trio of foodbanks
York-based development company S Harrison is helping those facing hardship over the festive season by supporting three foodbanks with trolley loads of donations, ranging from toiletries and coffee through to Christmas treats including biscuits, cake and chocolate.
S Harrison invited York Foodbank, Leeds South and East Foodbank and Edinburgh Food Project to provide shopping lists detailing their requirements and products that will benefit their local communities at this time of year. The developer has an active presence in all three cities where the foodbanks operate.
The goods were purchased at Tesco and the supermarket giant’s York Clifton Moor store generously supplemented the three orders with further donations of food, treats and household essentials.
The three charities are all affiliated with The Trussell Trust, which supports a nationwide network of foodbanks to provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, as well as campaigning for change in order to end the need for foodbanks in the UK. More than 5,100 emergency food parcels were provided for people every day from April until September this year on average, by foodbanks in the Trussell Trust network.
Ann Scott, Managing Director from S Harrison, said: “We like to work closely with local well-run charities that make a genuine difference to people in the areas where we operate. Members of our team have personally delivered the consignments to the food banks now, in order to meet the Christmas demand.
“We’re currently progressing developments in York, Leeds and Edinburgh, as well as completing a range of schemes in all three cities in recent years, so we were keen to renew our charitable support in these areas again this year. It’s no secret that lots of people are facing hardship right now for all types of reasons and if these donations can help to make life easier over the festive season, then they will be well worth it, and we hope it could also inspire others to support local foodbanks.”
Adam Raffell, from York Foodbank, said: “Foodbanks operate under difficult circumstances and rely heavily on help and donations from local people and businesses, as well as our army of volunteers, who are all firmly committed to tackling hunger in York. This is especially true during the festive season, when we always experience an increase in demand for our services.
“This year is likely to be very tough for far more people than normal due to the ongoing pandemic and soaring energy costs, which means some people are being forced to choose whether to turn the heating on or buy food. As a result, we’re extremely grateful to have S Harrison’s support and there’s no doubt it will make a big difference to those who rely on our help.”
2022 Business Predictions: Graham Edward, Managing Director of Edward Architecture
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Graham Edward, Managing Director of Edward Architecture.
Our experience of the property sector looking forward to 2022 remains buoyant and will hopefully remain so whilst bank rates remain low. A recent RIBA study has found that UK based Architecture workload remains steady in key sectors like infrastructure, residential and logistics.
At Edward Architecture we have a solid and exciting order book for the next 18 months. The industry is, however, having to work through supply issues in construction, materials, consultancy, legals and the planning system, which will hopefully ease as we cope with some industry inertia brought about by Brexit and Covid.
To be resilient to this continued workload and retain capacity, consultancies like ourselves are working hard to both retain staff and train new blood. I think the lockdown has let down a generation of graduates, by a reluctance to employ and too much remote working.
We have invested in staff training and have taken on more graduates and try to give them good office exposure. Consultancies like ourselves have also introduced flexi time and hybrid office / home working to give an optimum work life balance and a good learning environment.
Another evolution as we go into the new year is digitalisation. Clients and consumers have a heightened expectation for the digital experience, much more design is BIM based and led by ‘golden thread’ central information software products such as Operance, which collates all design and build information right through to a built package stage.
Streets cover the tax rules of staff gifts and Christmas celebrations and more in latest business support update
In its latest Business Support Update, Streets Chartered Accountants dives into the tax rules of staff gifts and Christmas celebrations and the Self-Assessment deadline.
Staff Gifts and Christmas Celebrations – What are the Tax rules?
As we approach the festive season, many businesses will be considering how they thank their staff and what are the tax consequences of doing so. There are a whole host of tax rules employers need to be aware of when providing employees with the use of assets, making gifts and settling payments on their behalf. The relevant tax rules determine if there is tax payable, by whom, on what value and at what rate.
Podcast: What will you be giving your staff this Christmas and will it be tax free?
In this session, Tax Partner Jennie Brown focuses on the tax implications of Christmas gifts for employees. In conversation, she considers what gifts are allowable and provides guidance on avoiding the pitfalls from an employer’s perspective.
Help is at hand when it comes to paying your tax
With the Self-Assessment deadline of the 31st January getting closer, thoughts will no doubt turn to the tax payment due. The last 18 months have been extraordinary, even unprecedented, with many seeing changes to their income and potentially making it challenging to provide for their pending tax bill.
Payroll support over the festive season
Streets Chartered Accountants’ offices will close for Christmas and the New Year at 12 noon on Friday 24th December and will re-open at 8.30am on Tuesday 4th January 2021.
However, the Payroll team will be available on Wednesday 29th December, Thursday 30th December and Friday 31st December between the hours of 8am and 4.30pm. The team can be contacted on 01522 551230 or 0345 099 7299. Alternatively, you can email payroll@streetsweb.co.uk
BHP announces new partner
Yorkshire and North Derbyshire’s leading accountancy firm BHP has announced the promotion of Dermot Lucid to partner.
Having been at the firm for more than 20 years and based in its Cleckheaton office, Dermot delivers digital finance services to a portfolio of fast growth and owner managed businesses.
On joining the 34-strong team of partners at BHP, Dermot said: “This is another steppingstone in my development and that of the firm.
“I’ve been at BHP for more than two decades now, and this is a testament to the business. I’m so happy here and have made many longstanding friends – some who have known me since my teens!
“Looking to the future, I look forward to continuing to develop our digital finance offering and growing our talented team.”
BHP recently welcomed 34 new trainees at the start of their careers with the aim of creating ‘partners of the future’. The firm has been ranked the second-best accountancy firm to work for in the UK, and the 35th best company to work for across Yorkshire and the Humber in the Best Companies survey 2021.
The independent accountancy firm is made up of over 400 professionals working across a wide range of specialities including audit and assurance, consulting, corporate finance and taxation.
Property developer expands with new Leeds office
Land and property specialist Hargreaves Land has opened its first Leeds office in a bid to boost its development activity across Yorkshire, the North West and the Midlands.
The property development division of Hargreaves Services plc has signed a 5-year lease on a 1st floor suite at 14 King Street in the heart of Leeds’ commercial district with landlord, Bruntwood.
The move follows the firm’s creation of its central region earlier this year as part of its continued growth strategy to expand the reach of its UK regional network, which includes existing teams based in Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland.
David Anderson, group property director at Hargreaves Land, said: “14 King Street is a quality base for our central region and provides the ideal platform for us to expand our pipeline of regional projects. We have secured a highly accessible address, within a short walk of City Square and the mainline rail station. Having such a presence in central Leeds will enable us to raise our profile in the area and strengthen relationships with our existing contact base as well as new development partners.
“Expanding our land and property development business and replenishing our development pipeline is a key element of our strategic vision. We already benefit from a significant land bank, but we are constantly seeking to enhance our offering through an active acquisition strategy, whether that involves strategic land, joint venture partnerships or other development opportunities.”
This year the firm has made a number of new appointments to its central region including David Travis as development director and Zoe Shearman as development surveyor. Both will be based at King Street, alongside the firm’s head of asset management Andrew Johnson. The firm expects to strengthen its team with further appointments in the next 12 months.
Within its central region, Hargreaves Land is currently on site at the 250-hectare (618-acre) Unity regeneration scheme in Doncaster, where it is delivering over 2 million sq ft of prime employment space and over 3,100 new homes, in partnership with Waystone Developments.
In Bridlington, the firm is nearing practical completion of a £9.5m retail warehouse scheme, by way of a development partnership with Fintry Estates. The scheme will deliver 44,000 sq ft of new edge-of-centre retail floorspace under a development agreement with East Riding of Yorkshire Council and has already secured pre-lets with Lidl & B&M Retail.
Full Council sitting as planning committee to discuss plans for Lincoln Urban Extension next month
Plans for a new urban extension for Lincoln will be deliberated by City of Lincoln Council next month.
The plans for Western Growth Corridor which extends to 240 hectares, and is located to the north of Skellingthorpe Road, have been jointly submitted by landowners Lindum Western Growth Community Ltd and the city council.
Proposals, which will be decided upon by Full Council sitting as Planning Committee on 12 January, include: up to 3200 dwellings, with a local centre comprising of retail and commercial units and a new primary school, a commercial employment area of up to 20Ha, a regional sport and leisure complex, including a new stadium, health and leisure facilities, and a hotel and ancillary food and drink elements.
This site has long been promoted for the creation of an urban extension.
Plans for the site were previously submitted in 2006 by Taylor Wimpey for development of 4,500 dwellings plus employment, leisure and retail uses, open space and a park and ride site.
A revised application for 5,100 dwellings was submitted in March 2008, and subsequently withdrawn in February 2016.
The current application was submitted in March 2019 and is a joint planning application made by City of Lincoln Council and Lindum Western Growth Community Ltd.
Western Growth Corridor is allocated as one of Lincoln’s four Sustainable Urban Extensions (SUE’s) to allow the Central Lincolnshire area to provide for both housing and employment growth through the Plan period ending in 2036.
Councillors will be making a decision on outline blueprints for the entire scheme and more detailed proposals for road works, which will help facilitate the first phase of construction if approved.
Kate Ellis, Director for Major Developments at City of Lincoln Council said: “The Central Lincolnshire Local Plan was adopted on 24 April 2017 and provides planning policies and allocations for the growth and regeneration of Central Lincolnshire for the period to 2036.
“For the Central Lincolnshire authorities of City of Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey, a total of 36,960 new homes need to be delivered, alongside new employment, commercial and leisure developments, as well as supporting infrastructure such as schools, sports pitches and public open space.
“As the biggest settlement within Central Lincolnshire, the city of Lincoln and its immediate surrounding area is required to deliver approximately two thirds of this development.
“To ensure this development is brought forward in a planned and sustainable manner, the majority of Lincoln’s development is to be delivered through a combination of urban regeneration and the creation of four sustainable urban extensions (SUEs).
“The Western Growth Corridor is one of these four SUEs, and its development is key to meeting the objectives of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan and ensuring the continued growth and success of the City of Lincoln.”
Lindum Planning Director Mark Foster said: “Prior to and throughout the planning process, we have continued to work closely with the Local Planning Authority and other key stakeholders, while also attempting to address the concerns of local residents where we can.
“The recommendation for approval of the Western Growth Corridor scheme is the culmination of this process and represents a really important milestone for the project.
“While we are extremely pleased to have reached this point, we recognise that the application now requires consideration by Councillors and we look forward to hearing their decision in January.”
Full details of the plans can be found here, members of Full Council sitting as Planning Committee will discuss the plans in detail on 12 January 2022.